Henry Burton Papers: Finding Aid

Finding aid prepared by Jessica Kim, April 2, 2010.
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens
Manuscripts Department
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2129
Email: reference@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org
© 2010
The Huntington Library. All rights reserved.


Overview of the Collection

Title: Henry Burton Papers
Dates (inclusive): 1888-1934
Collection Number: mssBurton papers
Creator: Burton, Henry H.
Extent: 292 items in 2 boxes
Repository: The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens. Manuscripts Department
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2129
Email: reference@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org
Abstract: This collection contains correspondence and legal documents related to the case of Henry Burton, son of María Ampara Ruíz de Burton (1832-1895) and Mexican-War general Henry S. Burton (1819-1869), to confirm legal claim to land in Baja California, chiefly in the 1920s in both Washington, D.C., and Mexico City. Much of the collection reflects issues between Burton, the Los Angeles law firm of Spalding and Myers, and attorney Harry B. Lind. The legal documents are primarily about cases brought against Burton and Spalding and Myers by Lind for breach of contract.
Language: The majority of the collection is in English. A few items are in Spanish.

Access

Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.

Administrative Information

Publication Rights

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item]. Henry Burton Papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Provenance

Gift of Mrs. W. D. Spalding, January 25, 1963.

Biographical Note

Henry Burton was the son of General Henry S. Burton (1819-1869) who fought in the Mexican-American War and settled in San Diego, California, at the conclusion of the conflict. General Burton married a Mexican woman, María Ampara Ruíz (1832-1895) , who was the heir to two Spanish land grants—the Enseñada de Todos Santos and San Antonio de las Minas parcels in Baja California. The Spanish government granted the lands, totaling over 1,000,000 acres, to María Ampara Ruíz’s grandfather, Don José Manuel Ruíz, in 1804. Ruíz served as the military governor of Baja California. María Ampara Ruíz de Burton was a noted Mexican-American author and published two books about the Mexican experience in the United States after the Mexican- American War.
The sole heir to General Burton and María Ampara Ruíz de Burton, Henry Burton launched a campaign in the 1920s to reclaim the land or receive compensation for the grants from the Republic of Mexico following the Mexican Revolution. He hired attorney Harry B. Lind and the Los Angeles law firm of Spalding and Myers (William D. Spalding and Maurice C. Myers) to represent him to the Mexican government and the General and Special Claims Commissions of the United States and Mexico (the agency organized to handle claims for damages against American property during the Mexican Revolution). Harry Lind and the firm of Spalding and Myers initially worked together closely on the case. Burton, however, suspected Lind of undermining his interests and eventually broke his contract with the attorney, choosing instead to work solely with Spalding and Myers.

Scope and Content

This collection contains correspondence and legal documents related to the case of Henry Burton, son of María Ampara Ruíz de Burton (1832-1895) and Mexican-War general Henry S. Burton (1819-1869), to confirm legal claim to land in Baja California, chiefly in the 1920s in both Washington, D.C., and Mexico City.
The correspondence series contains 172 letters and is organized alphabetically by author. The correspondence reflects Burton’s attorneys’ efforts to confirm legal claim to the land, both in Washington, D.C. and Mexico City. The correspondence also reflects the rift that developed between Lind, Burton, and Spalding and Myers.
The legal documents series contains of 73 documents. The series is organized alphabetically by type of document. The legal documents are primarily about cases brought against Burton and Spalding and Myers by Lind for breach of contract. A few of the documents refer specifically to Burton’s claim against the Mexican government. The series includes affidavits, complaints, contracts, depositions, indentures, power of attorney forms, subpoenas, and copies of testimony.
The ephemera series contains 47 items and is organized alphabetically by type of document. The series includes checks, envelopes, memoranda, newspaper clippings, notes, pamphlets, and receipts relating to the Burton cases.
Much of the correspondence and legal documents in this collection reflect the retaliatory measures Lind took against Burton and Spalding and Myers as a result of this split. It is not clear from the collection how Burton’s case to reclaim the land or compensation for it was resolved.

Arrangement

This collection is divided into three series: correspondence, legal documents, and ephemera.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Huntington Library's Online Catalog.  

Subjects

Burton, Henry H.
Ruiz de Burton, María Amparo, 1832-1895.
Land grants -- Mexico -- Baja California (Peninsula)
Baja California (Mexico : Peninsula)

Forms/Genres

Legal documents Mexico -- 20th century.
Legal documents -- United States -- 19th century.
Legal documents -- United States -- 20th century.
Letters (correspondence) Mexico -- 20th century.
Letters (correspondence) -- United States -- 20th century.

Additional Contributors

Bouve, Clement Lincoln, 1878-1944.
Lind, Harry B.
Myers, Maurice C.
Spalding, William D.
General Claims Commission (Mexico and United States)
Spalding and Myers.
United States. Special Mexican Claims Commission.


Box 1

Correspondence

Folder 1

Bouvé, Clement Lincoln, 1878-1944. 2 letters (1928) to Harry B. Lind.

Folder 2

Bouvé, Clement Lincoln, 1878-1944. 1 letter (1929, July 18) to Henry H. Burton.

Folder 3

Bouvé, Clement Lincoln, 1878-1944. 6 letters (1928-1930) to William D. Spalding.

Folder 4

Burton, Henry H. 6 letters (1927) to Harry B. Lind.

Folder 5

Burton, Henry H. 3 letters (1927, Nov. 8) to William D. Spalding and Maurice C. Myers.

Folder 6

Clark, Albert T. 7 letters (1927) to Maurice C. Myers.

Folder 7

Colgrove, A. S. 1 letter (1929, Mar. 6) to Edith M. Aires.

Folder 8

Dato, Gustavo. 11 letters (1930) to Spalding and Myers.

Folder 9

Dodge, Miles. 2 letters (1928, Apr. 14) to William D. Spalding. Note: On letterhead of the State Bar of California.

Folder 10

Finkenstein, M. J. 2 letters [undated] to William D. Spalding and Maurice C. Myers.

Folder 11

Goray, R. L. 1 letter (1928, Mar. 12) to Spalding and Myers.

Folder 12

Hunt, Bert L. (Bert Leroy), b. 1884. 3 letters (1934) to Spalding and Myers. Note: On letterhead of General Claims Commission, United States and Mexico.

Folder 13

Jones, Eleanor I. 3 letters (1929) to Spalding and Myers. Note: On letterhead of General and Special Claims Commissions, United States and Mexico.

Folder 14

Langston, James A. 2 letters (1928) to Spalding and Myers. Note: On letterhead of General and Special Claims Commissions, United States and Mexico.

Folder 15

Lind, Harry B. 2 letters (1925) to Frank B. (Frank Billings) Kellogg, 1856-1937.

Folder 16

Lind, Harry B. 1 letter (1927, Mar. 19) to Fred H. Hamilton.

Folder 17

Lind, Harry B. 1 letter (1925, May 27) to Henry W. Anderson.

Folder 18

Lind, Harry B. 33 letters (1926-1927) to Henry H. Burton.

Folder 19

Lind, Harry B. 2 letters (1927, May 29) to Henry H. Burton. Note: Includes affidavit.

Folder 20

Lind, Harry B. 1 letter (1926, Nov. 18) to John S. Bagg.

Folder 21

Lind, Harry B. 6 letters (1926-1927) to Maurice C. Myer.

Folder 22

Lind, Harry B. 8 letters (1927) to Mrs. Harry B. Lind. Note: Typewritten copies of originals.

Folder 23

Lind, Harry B. 14 letters (1926-1928) to William D. Spalding and Maurice C. Myers.

Folder 24

Lind, Harry B., Maurice C. Myer, John S. Bagg. 1 letter (1926, Aug. 27) to Farmers and Merchants National Bank.

Folder 25

Lind, Mrs. Harry B. 4 letters (1927) to Henry H. Burton.

Folder 26

Mullendore, William C. 1 letter (1927, May 25) to Maurice C. Myers.

Folder 27

Myers, Maurice C. 1 letter (1927, May 12) to A. J. Dix.

Folder 28

Myers, Maurice C. 5 letters (1927) to Albert T. Clark.

Folder 29

Myers, Maurice C. 1 letter (1927, May 12) to Fred Hamilton.

Folder 30

Myers, Maurice C. 2 letters (1926) to Gregory Perkins, Jr.

Folder 31

Myers, Maurice C. 2 letters (1926) to Harry B. Lind.

Folder 32

Myers, Maurice, C. 1 letter (1927, June 4) to William C. Mullendore.

Folder 33

Plumb, Edward Lee, 1827-1912. 1 letter (1864, July 27) to “Dear Sir.” Note: Typewritten copies of original.

Folder 34

Spalding, William D. 7 letters (1928-1930) to Agency of the United States, General and Special Claims Commission.

Folder 35

Spalding, William D. 1 letter (1928, Feb. 14) to Clement Lincoln Bouvé, 1878-1944.

Folder 36

Spalding, William D. 3 letters (1928) to General W. A. Bethel.

Folder 37

Spalding, William D. 2 letters (1930) to Gustavo Dato.

Folder 38

Spalding, William D. 2 letters (1928) to Harry B. Lind.

Folder 39

Spalding, William D. 4 letters (1928-1930) to Henry H. Burton.

Folder 40

Spalding, William D. 1 letter (1928, July 25) to Horace Dodge.

Folder 41

Spalding, William D. 1 letter (1926, Oct. 6) to Hugh Gibson, 1883-1954.

Folder 42

Spalding, William D. 1 letter (1930, July 22) to Richard Cole.

Folder 43

Spalding, William D. 3 letters (1928-1929) to State Bar of California.

Folder 44

Spalding and Myers. 5 letters (1930) to Gustavo Dato.

Folder 45

Spalding and Myers. 3 letters (1926) to Harry B. Lind.

Folder 46

Spalding and Myers. 1 letter (1926, Oct. 11) to J. B. McLees.

Folder 47

Spalding and Myers. 1 letter (1926, Oct. 16) to Secretary of State, California.

Folder 48

Stanley, Clinton F. 1 letter (1928, Oct. 22) to William D. Spalding.

Folder 49

Woodard, B. F. 4 letters (1928) to Albert A. Rosenshine.

Folder 50

-----. 2 letters (1928) to Albert A. Rosenshine.

Folder 51

-----. 1 letter (1926, Aug. 27) to General James A. Drain.

Folder 52

-----. 1 letter (1926, Oct. 19) to James R. (James Rockwell) Sheffield, 1864-1938.

Box 2

Legal Documents and Ephemera

Folder 1

Accused Answer to Complaint (1928). 2 items.

Folder 2

Affidavits (1925-1927). 12 items.

Folder 3

Agreements and Contracts (1925-1927). 16 items.

Folder 4

Complaints (1927-1928). 3 items.

Folder 5

Depositions (1929). 2 items.

Folder 6

Indentures (1925-1929). 13 items.

Folder 7

Notice of Hearing Application (1925). 1 item.

Folder 8

Petition for Letters of Administration (1925). 1 item.

Folder 9

Power of Attorney (1888-1927). 8 items.

Folder 10

Questions and Exhibit Lists [undated]. 3 items.

Folder 11

Receipts (1926). 3 items.

Folder 12

State Bar of California Proceedings (1928). 6 items.

Folder 13

Subpoenas (1928). 3 items.

Folder 14

Testimony (1929). 1 item.

Folder 15

Ephemera: Checks (1926-1929). 13 items.

Folder 16

Ephemera: Clippings (1926-1928). 3 items.

Folder 17

Ephemera: Envelopes (1927-1929). 9 items.

Folder 18

Ephemera: Memoranda [undated]. 3 items.

Folder 19

Ephemera: Notes [undated]. 3 items.

Folder 20

Ephemera: Pamphlets [undated]. 3 items.

Folder 21

Ephemera: Receipts (1926-1930). 12 items.