Guide to the Pioneer Society of San Diego County Records
MS 104
Finding aid prepared by Katrina White
Collection processed as part of grant project supported by the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) with generous
funding from The Andrew Mellon Foundation.
San Diego History Center Document Collection
1649 El Prado, Suite 3
San Diego, CA, 92101
619-232-6203
June 14, 2011
Title: Pioneer Society of San Diego County Records
Identifier/Call Number: MS 104
Contributing Institution:
San Diego History Center Document Collection
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
2.75 Linear feet
(6 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1898-1987
Abstract: This collection contains records of the Pioneer Society of San Diego County, including documents related to administration,
finances, membership, accessions, and events. It also contains original correspondence to and from members of the Society.
creator:
Pioneer Society of San Diego County.
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
The San Diego History Center (SDHC) holds the copyright to any unpublished materials. SDHC Library regulations do apply.
Biographical / Historical Notes
The Pioneer Society of San Diego County was organized on May 31, 1895, and was originally called “The Ladies’ Pioneer Society
of San Diego.” One of its purposes, as stated in the Bylaws, was “to collect, record, and preserve the history of the State
of California, and more especially the history and traditions of the City and County of San Diego, and incidents connected
therewith.” Mrs. Flora Kimball and Hattie Phillips were the first president and secretary, respectively. Membership was limited
to those persons who came to California before January 1, 1880, with extension of privileges to their descendants and to others
who had shown an interest in the objects of the society. Originally all members were women, but in 1905 men were given honorary
memberships. Honorary members included such figures as General John J. Pershing, Winifred Davidson, and John F. Forward. A
1908 letter from John G. Capron states that the symbol of the society was an evergreen sprig. The society held one open meeting
and several closed meetings per year that featured talks on local history by a variety of guests, introduced people important
in politics and society, and presented local music talents as well as entertainment and refreshments.
At the time of the local Panama-California Exposition in 1915-1916, the Society began to collect papers and articles for a
historical exhibit. The collection steadily grew and on July 16, 1930 was officially transferred to the Junipero Serra Museum,
home of the San Diego Historical Society. The Pioneer Society continued as an active local organization until the early 1980s.
Earlier attempts to form a Pioneer Society in 1872 and 1888 were unsuccessful despite the involvement of such important San
Diego figures as William Winder, W.B. Couts, Jose Estudillo, John G. Capron, Ephraim W. Morse, and Douglas Gunn.
Preferred Citation
Pioneer Society of San Diego County Records, MS 104, San Diego History Center Document Collection, San Diego, CA.
Processing Information
Collection processed by Katrina White on June 14, 2011.
Collection processed as part of grant project supported by the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) with generous
funding from The Andrew Mellon Foundation.
Scope and Content
This collection contains the Pioneer Society of San Diego County’s records dating from 1898 to 1987. There are detailed records
of administrative proceedings, including original and later versions of the society’s constitution and bylaws, handwritten
records of Society minutes, as well as annual reports from the Society President and Treasurer. It also contains detailed
membership records including annual handwritten logs of members, dues paid, their participation in certain events, logs of
member deaths and their obituaries, in addition to several handwritten autobiographies and biographies of the earlier female
members of the Society. There is detailed information on the Society’s financial administration, as well as several lists
and inventories of the items in the Society’s historical collection. Original correspondence pertaining to the accession of
items, membership, administrative and financial issues are also part of the collection. Of specific interest are several documents
related to the Panama-California Exposition of 1915 and 1916, including two original gold medal award certificates presented
to the Pioneer Society for their historical exhibit at the fair.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Accession number 310414.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged in five series:
Series I: Administrative
Series II: Membership
Series III: Financial
Series IV: Accession Records
Series V: Events
Within each series, items are arranged by subject.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Allen, Margaret V.
Ames, John Judson
Bailey, Lela A.
Capron, John G.
Cleveland, David
Coy, Owen Cochran, 1884-1952
Daughters of the Mormon Battalion.
Davidson, John
Davidson, Winifred
Farnsworth, Julia P.M.
Fenton, Henry G.
Forward, John F.
Guinn, J. M. (James Miller), 1834-1918
Hewitt, Edgar L.
Historical Society of Southern California.
Hudson, Millard F.
Junipero Serra Museum.
Kimball, Flora
Morse, Ephraim W.
Morse, Mary E.
Panama-California Exposition (1915 : San Diego, Calif.).
Panama-California International Exposition (1916 : San Diego, Calif.).
Pershing, John J. (John Joseph), 1860-1948
Phillips, Hattie
Pioneer Society of San Diego County.
San Diego Historical Society.
San Diego Mission.
San Diego Natural History Museum.
Schiller, Bertha
Sherman, Augusta J.
Siebein, Lillie C.
Sloane, Frances
Steadman, M. A.
Verlasque, Louise
Aurora Heights
Balboa Park (San Diego, Calif.)
History -- Societies, etc.
Local history
San Diego (Calif.)
San Diego Herald
San Diego Union
Societies -- History, organization, etc.
Women -- Societies and clubs
Box-folder 1:1
Constitution, By-Laws, and Articles of Incorporation,
1905-1938
Includes:
Articles of Incorporation certification by State of California, March 22, 1911 (in Oversize Collections D1)
Box-folder 1:3
Annual reports,
1904-1913 March 31
Box-folder 1:4
Record book of meeting minutes,
1895 May 21-1901 February 25
Box-folder 1:5
Record book of meeting minutes,
1901 March 25-1906 February 26
Box-folder 1:6
Record book of meeting minutes,
1906 March 26-1909 August 30
Box-folder 1:7
Record book of meeting minutes,
1909 September 27-1911 March 14
Box-folder 1:8
Record book of meeting minutes,
1911 March 27–1915 March 20
Box-folder 1:9
Record book of meeting minutes,
1911 March 27-1916 February 28
Box-folder 1:10
Record book of meeting minutes,
1916 March 27–1921 April 15
Box-folder 2:1
Record book of meeting minutes,
1921 April 25-1930 March
Box-folder 2:2
Record book of meeting minutes,
1938 March 28–1952 May 26
Box-folder 2:3
Record book of meeting minutes,
1952 July 28–1960 April 25
Box-folder 2:4
Record book of meeting minutes,
1960 January-1964
Box-folder 2:5
Record book of meeting minutes,
1968 April 29–1973 November 26
Box-folder 2:6
Typed meeting minutes (unbound),
1973 December–1974 December
Box-folder 2:7
Typed meeting minutes (unbound),
1975 January-December
Box-folder 2:8
Typed meeting minutes (unbound),
1976 January 26-December 27
Box-folder 2:9
Typed meeting minutes (unbound),
1977 January 31-November 28
Box-folder 2:10
Typed meeting minutes (unbound),
1978 January 30-December 18
Box-folder 2:11
Typed meeting minutes (unbound),
1979 January-December 17
Box-folder 3:1
Correspondence,
1915 May 13–1948 May 22 and undated
Includes:
Letters and telegrams between society president and community members, including John Davidson of the San Diego Historical
Society, Dr. Edgar Hewitt of the San Diego Natural History Museum, and Owen C. Coy of the California Historical Survey Commission.
Box-folder 3:2
“Roll of members” (bound),
undated
Box-folder 3:3
Record book of members, Vol. I,
1901
Box-folder 3:4
Record book of members, Vol. II,
1901-1931
Box-folder 3:5
Record book of members,
1911-1912
Box-folder 3:6
Record book of members,
1916-1919
Box-folder 3:7
Record book of members,
1924-1929
Box-folder 4:1
Record book of members,
1938-1961
Box-folder 4:2
Record book of members,
1952-1964
Box-folder 4:3
List of member attendance at events,
1927
Box-folder 4:4
Membership directories,
1915-1987
Box-folder 4:5
Individual membership applications,
undated
Box-folder 4:6
Individual membership registration cards (A-G),
undated
Box-folder 4:7
Individual membership registration cards (H-Q),
undated
Box-folder 4:8
Individual membership registration cards (R-Z),
undated
Box-folder 6:1
Ladies Pioneer Society biographies written by members (bound ledger),
1899 and undated
Includes:
Biography and autobiography of Mary E. Morse, undated (pages 446-47, 400-404).
Box-folder 4:9
Copies of member obituaries and original funeral announcements,
1913–1979 and undated
Includes:
Funeral announcement and obituary for Lela E. Bailey, February 2-6, 1978.
Funeral announcement for Bertha Schiller, October 21, 1956.
Box-folder 4:10
Correspondence,
1908 May 20–1951 August 1 and undated
Includes:
Thank-you letter from John G. Capron for Pioneer Society members’ attendance at his wife’s funeral, May 20, 1908.
Thank-you letter from General John J. Pershing for his honorary membership in the Pioneer Society, January 31, 1920.
Box-folder 4:11
Miscellanea,
1923 July 29–1976 September 20 and undated
Language of Material:
English
Includes:
News articles and other miscellaneous items regarding the Pioneer Society and its members.
Box-folder 5:1
Log of receipts and disbursements,
1898-1920
Box-folder 5:2
Treasurer reports,
1908-1930
Box-folder 5:3
Check stubs (Bank of America),
1911-1915
Box-folder 5:4
Cancelled checks (Bank of America),
1911-1970
Box-folder 5:5
Receipts (miscellaneous),
1913-1953
Box-folder 5:6
Bank books (Bank of America),
1921-1961
Box-folder 5:7
Checkbook and check stubs (Bank of America),
1952 November-1960 July
Box-folder 5:8
Bank statements (Bank of America),
1959 September-1970 September
Box-folder 5:9
General tax and banking information,
1963-1965
Box-folder 5:10
Property owned by the Pioneer Society,
1912 May 6-1924 January 20
Box-folder 5:11
Correspondence,
1908 June 26-1973 July 31
Series IV:
Accession Records
Box-folder 5:12
Record book of donations,
1913 June
Box-folder 5:13
Record book of donations,
1917 April
Box-folder 5:14
Inventory of collections,
1918 July 7-1930 July 7 and undated
Includes:
List of the Margaret V. Allen papers given to the Junipero Serra Museum upon transfer of that collection, July 7, 1930.
Box-folder 5:15
Correspondence,
1910-1923 and undated
Includes:
Correspondence between Margaret V. Allen and J.M. Guinn regarding his donation of all volumes of Historical Society of Southern
California publications, August 9–September 16, 1915.
Correspondence from Millard F. Hudson regarding his donation of papers, some related to filibusters, February 21, 1916.
Correspondence regarding the donation of Father Horton’s “tin horn” and an early hotel register, undated.
Box-folder 5:16
Panama-California Exposition,
1915 January 21–1916 April 8
Includes:
Correspondence related to the exposition, 1915-1916.
Two certificates awarding the Pioneer Society gold medals for their history exhibit, 1915 and 1916 (in Oversize Collections
D1).
Box-folder 5:17
Speeches,
1915-1919
Includes:
Handwritten speech given by Margaret V. Allen at the Panama-California Exposition, 1915.
Speech presented to the West Coast Branch of the National Historical Association, circa 1917-1919.
Box-folder 5:18
News reports,
1923–1958 and undated
