William McPherson Papers, 1664/65-1970, bulk 1884-1945

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Summary

Creators:
McPherson, William, 1885-1964
Abstract:
Correspondence, diaries, photographs, account books and journals, land and tax records, manuscripts, scrapbooks, notes, transcripts, reports, newspapers, clippings, promotional materials, and ephemera, relating to the family, life, career, and intellectual pursuits of Orange County, California, avocado rancher and historian William McPherson (1885-1964). Family papers document the McPhersons' settlement in Orange County in the 1870s, and their involvement in local agriculture, first in the raisin grape industry, and then in the avocado industry. Half the collection consists of original Spanish- and English-language correspondence, manuscripts, photographs, printed materials, and ephemera collected by McPherson in the pursuit of his intellectual interests, in particular the history and anthropology of Orange County--and especially Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana and San Juan Capistrano--from the 1770s to the 1920s. The collection includes papers of 19th-century entrepreneur Alfred Henry Wilcox and California State Assemblyman Jeffry Joseph Prendergast, as well as a large number of documents with a focus beyond Orange County and Southern California, including Civil war diaries and letters, a collection of ship logbooks from the 1820s to the 1850s, literary scrapbooks, and McPherson’s collection of autograph letters and documents relating primarily to American, British, and California history, and dating from 1665 to 1932.
Extent:
22.5 linear feet (53 boxes + 1 map case drawer).
Language:
Materials in English and Spanish .

Background

Acquisition information:
Bequest of William McPherson, 1964.
Arrangement:

  • Record Group 1. McPherson family papers, 1848-1968
    • Series 1.1. McPherson Brothers, 1884-1889.
    • Series 1.2. McPherson family, 1848-1903 [2013].
    • Series 1.3. McPherson, Stephen, 1864-1907.
    • Series 1.4. McPherson, William, 1849-1968.
    • Series 1.5. Photographs, circa 1870-1961.
      • Subseries 1.5.1. Photograph albums, circa 1870-1953.
      • Subseries 1.5.2. Photographs, circa 1880-1961.
  • Record Group 2. William McPherson collections 1848-circa 1965.
    • Series 2.1. Avocado collection, 1911-1960.
      • Subseries 2.1.1. California Avocado Association, 1916-1957.
      • Subseries 2.1.2. California Avocado Growers Exchange / Calavo Growers of California [from 1927], 1924-1958.
      • Subseries 2.1.3. General files, 1911-1940.
      • Subseries 2.1.4. McPherson, William. Avocado business, 1920-1960.
    • Series 2.2. Billingsley family papers, circa 1882-1924.
    • Series 2.3. Bradshaw, Cornelius B. and Mary Freelove (Hixon). Collection, 1889-1905.
    • Series 2.4. California newspapers (19th century), 1848-1897.
    • Series 2.5. Historical manuscripts, 1664/65-1932.
      • Subseries 2.5.1. Americana, 1748-1932.
      • Subseries 2.5.2. Artists (British), circa 1815-1889.
      • Subseries 2.5.3. Autographs, 1716-1929.
      • Subseries 2.5.4. British materials, 1664/65-1921.
      • Subseries 2.5.5. California and the West, Spanish-Language materials, 1773-1856.
      • Subseries 2.5.6. Californiana, English-Language, 1850-1931.
      • Subseries 2.5.7. Civil War papers, diaries, and letters, 1861-1864 [1867].
      • Subseries 2.5.8. Clergy, 1822-1924.
      • Subseries 2.5.9. Financial and commercial papers, 1783-1919.
      • Subseries 2.5.10. German and Austrian materials, 1736, circa 1850-1896.
      • Subseries 2.5.11. Logbooks, 1822-1855.
      • Subseries 2.5.12. Scrapbooks (literary), 1846-1878, 1888-1908.
      • Subseries 2.5.13. Women (American and British), 1828-1928.
      • Subseries 2.5.14. Writers, editors, journalists, publishers (American and British), 1840-1917.
    • Series 2.6. Orange County (California) Ranchos,
    • Series 2.7. Perry, Belmont. Collection of bound articles on the American Southwest, circa 1895-1910.
    • Series 2.8. Photographs, Prints, and Drawings, circa 1850-1965.
      • Subseries 2.8.1 Photographs, circa 1920-1965.
      • Subseries 2.8.2 Prints and Drawings, circa 1850-1961.
    • Series 2.9. Prendergast, Jeffry Joseph. Political papers, 1920-1925.
    • Series 2.10. Wilcox, Alfred Henry. Papers, 1876-1895.

Physical location:
Please consult repository.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Location of this collection:
800 N. Dartmouth Ave.
Claremont, CA 91711, US
Contact:
(909) 607‑3977
specialcollections@claremont.edu
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