Description
Correspondence from Coutts, his granddaughter, Marguerite Berlin, and others regarding Coutts' property and Coutts' background.
Also included are two tintypes (1883) of Cornelius Van Buren and his son George M. Van Buren, who rode horses for Coutts,
and a five page manuscript by Marguerite E. Berlin, "History of Jean-Baptiste Paulin Caperon, Known as Peter Coutts, in Mayfield,
now Palo Alto, Calif.," (1953).
Background
Jean-Baptiste Paulin Caperon (better known in California as Peter Coutts), was a successful French businessman, book collector
and editor of the republican, anti-royalist paper, LA LIBERTÉ. Political disputes and health problems caused him to leave
France and take up residence in California. In 1875 Caperon, now known as Peter Coutts, purchased 1,400 acres just north of
Mayfield and named it Rancho Matadero. Coutts returned to Europe in 1880 to reclaim his confiscated estates and Rancho Matadero
was sold to neighbor Leland Stanford.
Restrictions
All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from, or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the
Head of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, California 94304-6064. Consent
is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission
from the copyright owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright owner, heir(s) or assigns. See: http://library.stanford.edu/depts/spc/pubserv/permissions.html.
Availability
This collection is open for research.