William Heath Davis Papers mssDA
Gayle Richardson
The Huntington Library
April 2020
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
reference@huntington.org
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: William Heath Davis papers
Creator:
Davis, William Heath,
1822-1909
Identifier/Call Number: mssDA
Physical Description:
8 Linear Feet
(10 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1843-1906
Abstract: The collection of American businessman
and author William Heath Davis. The collection includes correspondence, bills, receipts,
documents, and printed material; also included is material related to Davis' book on early
California.
Language of Material: Materials are in
English.
Conditions Governing Access
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at
the Huntington Library for more information.
Conditions Governing Use
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]. William Heath Davis papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino,
California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Correspondence and accounts were purchased from A. S. McDonald in 1916. Manuscript material
of Davis' book and a few letters (1885-1906) were purchased from John Howell in August
1928.
Biographical / Historical
William Heath Davis (1822-1909) was an American businessman and author. He was born at
Honolulu, Hawaii, the son of a Boston ship-master and early trader to the North American
coast. Davis visited California as a boy, then returned in 1838, to work as a clerk in the
Monterey store of his uncle, Nathan Spear; Davis established his own store in San Francisco
in 1845. He married María de Jesús Estudillo in 1847 and was associated with many prominent
early California families. Davis was instrumental in the founding of Oakland and San Diego,
California, and he owned property in both cities. His memoirs of the early days in
California were published as Sixty years in California (1889), and a later enlarged version,
Seventy-five years in California (1929) was edited by John Howell.
Scope and Contents
The collection consists of 634 items, from 1843 to 1906; it includes manuscripts, letters,
documents, receipts and newspaper clippings related to the life and business activities of
William Heath Davis. Subject matter includes shipping and commerce in California before and
after the Gold Rush; business firms in San Francisco and Honolulu; and land titles, with
particular emphasis on Rancho San Leandro. The collection also includes manuscripts and
source materials relating to Davis's memoirs. Additionally, there are items related to
California and San Francisco history; various California pioneers; mining; shipping; land
titles commerce; and the social manners and customs of early California residents.
Processing Information
Processed by Huntington Library Staff, circa 1930. In 2020, Gayle Richardson created the
finding aid derived from a legacy summary report.
Arrangement
Arranged by subject and format.
General
Individual call numbers included in the collection: mssDA 1-274.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Business enterprises -- California -- San Francisco
Business enterprises -- Hawaii -- Honolulu
Businessmen -- California -- San Francisco
Frontier and pioneer life -- California
Land titles -- California
Merchants -- California -- San Francisco
Mines and mineral resources -- California
Pioneers -- California
Shipping -- California -- History
Shipping -- Pacific coast -- History -- Sources
California -- Commerce
California -- History -- 19th century
California -- Social life and customs -- 19th century
Rancho San Leandro (Calif.)
San Francisco (Calif.) -- History -- 19th century --
Sources
Clippings (information artifacts) -- California
Letters (correspondence) -- California
Manuscripts -- California
Personal papers -- California
Receipts -- California
Box 1
DA 1 - manuscript material
Box 2, Folder 1-70
DA 2 - published manuscript material
Box 3, Folder 71-143
DA 2 - published manuscript material
Box 8
Correspondence
1843 April 25-1847 July 20
Box 9
Correspondence
1847 August 5-1848 May 31
Box 10
Correspondence
1848 June 2-1906 April 16
