Guide to the Ernest P. Watson, S.J. Papers MSS.2016.11.04
Archives & Special Collections, Santa Clara University Library
© 2016 Santa Clara University. All rights reserved.
Santa Clara University Library
500 El Camino Real
Santa Clara, California 95053-0500
Email: specialcollections@scu.edu
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
Archives & Special Collections, Santa Clara University Library
Title: Ernest P. Watson, S.J. Papers
creator:
Watson, Ernest, SJ (Ernest P. Watson, SJ), 1889-1963
Identifier/Call Number: MSS.2016.11.04
Physical Description:
2.5 linear feet
(3 document boxes and 1 oversize flat box)
Date (inclusive): 1906-1968 (bulk 1911-1929)
Abstract: The Ernest P. Watson, S.J. Papers,1906-1968 (bulk 1911-1929), document the personal, scholastic, and professional life of
Ernest P. Watson, SJ. Included are materials from Watson's days as an undergraduate student at Santa Clara University and
his career as a professor to Santa Clara University. The records consist of correspondence, newspaper clippings, course materials,
prayer books, religious pamphlets, photographs, prayer cards, postcards and a diary. This collection is arranged into two
series: Series I. Biographical Materials and Correspondence, 1906-1968 (bulk 1911-1958) and Series II. Diary and Religious
Materials, 1900-1929 (bulk 1924-1929).
Language of Material: English and Spanish
Physical Location: This collection is located in Santa Clara University Library's Archives & Special Collections.
Access
Folders 7 and 14 in Box 1 are restricted.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged into two series: Series I. Biographical Materials and Correspondence, 1906-1968 (bulk 1911-1958)
and Series II. Diary and Religious Materials, 1900-1929 (bulk 1924-1929).
Biographical History
Ernest Paul Watson, S.J. was born on April 4, 1889 in Quincy, California. Watson went to Santa Clara College (now Santa Clara
University) as an undergraduate and was a student during the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. He wrote an account of his experience
in the aftermath of the earthquake for the Plumas Independent; a copy of the article is included in the collection.
After graduating from Santa Clara University in 1908, Watson entered the novitiate at Los Gatos, CA for the Society of Jesus
and went on to teach at a number of different Jesuit institutions, including the University of San Francisco, Brophy College
Prep in Arizona, Loyola University, and eventually Santa Clara College. He taught a variety of subjects including mathematics,
Spanish language, history and theology. Fr. Watson also studied in theology in Oña, Burgos, Spain from 1920-1923.
In the final years of his life, Fr. Watson acted as the treasurer and assistant treasurer of the University of Santa Clara.
Watson died on August 26, 1963 in the Santa Clara University infirmary.
Organizational History
Santa Clara University was founded in 1851 by the Society of Jesus as Santa Clara College and is California's oldest operating
institution of higher learning. It was established on the grounds of Mission Santa Clara de Asìs, the eighth of the original
21 California missions. The college originally operated as a preparatory school and did not offer courses of collegiate rank
until 1853. The institution became known as the University of Santa Clara in 1912, when the schools of engineering and law
were added. For 110 years, Santa Clara University was an all-male school. In 1961, women were accepted as undergraduates and
Santa Clara University became the first coeducational Catholic university in California. The number of students and faculty
tripled over the next decade and the university began the largest building program in school history with eight residence
halls, a student union, and an athletic stadium. In the early 1970s, the Board of Trustees voted to limit the size of the
undergraduate population, an action that was intended to preserve the character and ensure the quality of the university for
generations to come. In 1985, the university adopted Santa Clara University as its official name.
Bibliography: Santa Clara University. "About SCU – History." www.scu.edu/about/history.cfm (Accessed Nov. 23, 2010) McKevitt, Gerald, S.J.
The University of Santa Clara: A History, 1851-1977. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 1979.
Preferred Citation
Ernest P. Watson, S.J. Papers, MSS.2016.11.04, Santa Clara University Library, Archives & Special Collections.
Processing Information
Collection processed and finding aid written by Michelle Runyon in 2016. Finding aid updated and EAD encoded by Andrea Hoff
in 2019.
Scope and Content of the Collection
The Ernest P. Watson, S.J. Papers, 1906-1968 (bulk 1911-1929), document the personal and professional life of Ernest Watson,
S.J. The records consist of correspondence, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, prayer cards, prayer books, notes, bus cards,
passports, photographs, and a diary. Included is a ticket from the 1920 Democratic National Convention.
Publication Rights
Materials in Archives & Special Collections may be subject to copyright. All requests for permission to publish from manuscripts
must be submitted in writing to the University Archivist. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Archives & Special
Collections as the owner of the physical materials, and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder,
which must also be obtained. Copyright restrictions also apply to digital reproductions of the original materials.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Santa Clara University -- History
Education, Higher -- California -- San Jose
Plumas County (Calif.)
Santa Clara University -- Treasurer's Office -- History
SERIES I. Biographical Materials and Correspondence,
1906-1968 (bulk 1911-1958)
Scope and Content
This series documents the personal and professional life of Ernest P. Watson, SJ, including information about his ordination
into the Society of Jesus, and the different positions he had over the course of his life. There is also extensive correspondence
between Watson and his family.
Arrangement
This series is arranged chronologically.
box 1, folder 1
Biographical materials,
1907-1958, & undated
box 1, folder 2
Biographical materials,
1868-1934, & undated
box 1, folder 3
Sundry notes/speech,
1911-1931, & undated
box 1, folder 4
Miscellaneous notes,
1930s
box 1, folder 5
Loyola High School Religion course notes,
1939-1940
box 1, folder 6
Priestly vows: Notes/cards/correspondence,
1910, 1912
box 1, folder 7
Restricted material (professor's subject cards),
1912-1929
box 1, folder 8
Miscellaneous materials,
1920-1940
box 1, folder 9
Travel documents,
1920-1923
box 1, folder 10
Religious documents,
1920-1937
box 1, folder 11
"What a Plumas Boy Saw in S.C." (reminiscence); Student registration,
1906
box 1, folder 12
Correspondence,
1915-1958, & undated
box 1, folder 13
Golden Jubilee as a Jesuit: Congratulations; Correspondence,
1958-1962
box 1, folder 14
Restricted material (Golden Jubilee correspondence),
1958
box 2, folder 1
Correspondence: Family -- Wm. Watson (father),
1917-1932
box 2, folder 2
Correspondence: Family -- mother,
1911
box 2, folder 3
Correspondence: Family -- mother,
1912
box 2, folder 4
Correspondence: Family -- mother,
1915
box 2, folder 5
Correspondence: Family -- mother,
1916
box 2, folder 6
Correspondence: Family -- mother,
1917
box 2, folder 7
Correspondence: Family -- mother,
1918
box 2, folder 8
Correspondence: Family -- mother,
1919
box 2, folder 9
Correspondence: Family -- mother,
1920
box 2, folder 10
Correspondence: Family -- Tiny Watson (brother),
1929-1940
box 2, folder 11
Correspondence: Family -- Edith Watson (sister),
1920-1963
box 2, folder 12
Correspondence: Wedding of Edith Watson,
1912
box 2, folder 13
Correspondence: Family -- Katharine/Arthur Watson/Dot,
1912-1962
box 3, folder 1
Correspondence: Family -- cousins/relatives,
c. 1930-1958
box 3, folder 2
Correspondence: Jesuit Province -- Maher, Seelinger,
1932-1941
box 3, folder 3
Correspondence: Miscellaneous to business contacts,
1942-1963
box 3, folder 4
Correspondence: Family -- Anne (Mrs. H. S. Watson),
1929-1960
box 3, folder 5
Correspondence: Family/friends,
1920-1961
box 3, folder 6
Correspondence: Sr. Paul of the Sacred Heart,
1916-1918
box 3, folder 7
Correspondence: Jesuit friends -- Gianera, Gleeson, Walsh, Shipsey & others,
1917-1963
SERIES II. Diary and Religious Materials,
1900-1929 (bulk 1924-1929)
Arrangement
This series is arranged by format.
Scope and Content
This series documents the personal and religious life of Ernest P. Watson, S.J. The bulk of the series consists of materials
from a retreat Fr. Watson attended in 1929.
box 4
Diary and retreat materials,
1900-1929
Material Specific Details: Box 4 contains 3 prayer books, 1 diary, 33 booklets of meditation exercises in English and 38 booklets of meditation exercises
in Spanish.
