Howard (William D.M.) papers, 1823-1878

Summary

Title:

William D.M. Howard papers

Dates:

1823-1878

Extent:

2.75 Linear Feet (4 boxes, 1 flat box)

Language:

English , Spanish; Castilian .

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item, date], William D.M. Howard papers (MS Vault 30). California Historical Society Collection at Stanford, Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, California.

Background

Biographical / historical:

Howard was a merchant and financier in San Francisco, California.

Acquisition information:

Source undocumented, collection was possibly given to California Historical Society as part of the Templeton Crocer donation in the 1940s. Transferred to Stanford University Libraries, 2025.

Arrangement:

Arranged chronologically.

Physical location:

Special Collections and University Archives materials are stored offsite and must be paged three business days in advance. For more information on paging collections, see the department's website: https://library.stanford.edu/libraries/special-collections.

Rules or conventions:

Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Related resources

Other descriptive data:

Correspondence, invoices, and receipts from pioneer Calif. residents, merchants, and companies, reflecting Howard's extensive commercial activities through his firm, Mellus & Howard Company, including letters to and from business partner Henry D. Mellus, Francis Mellus at the Los Angeles branch of the firm, Abel Stearns, Henry F. Teschemacher, and Joseph P. Thompson. Also includes family papers and correspondence; business and personal papers (1823-1863) of Henry F. Teschemacher; business papers (1823-1849) of William R. Warren, a merchant in Honolulu; Howard estate papers; business papers of Howard's brother, George; a small amount of papers relating to Howard's involvement in the Donner Party rescue; papers relating to William A. Leidesdorff, including estate papers while Howard was the executor, and records of Leidesdorff's schooner, Julia Ann; papers relating to the Lup-Yomi Rancho case and other land settlement cases; and to an abortive plan for lighting San Francisco by gas in 1852, involving Howard and Frederick A. Woodworth. Other persons represented include William Heath Davis, Henry D. Fitch, Thomas O. Larkin, and Jacob P. Leese.

Indexed terms

Subjects:

Donner party
Business enterprises -- California
Donner party
Gold mines and mining -- California
Merchants -- California
Leidesdorff, William A. (William Alexander), 1810-1848

Places:

San Francisco (Calif.) -- Commerce
Rancho Lup-Yomi (Calif.)
San Francisco (Calif.)--Commerce.

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:

Finding aid prepared by Tierney Haupt

Date Encoded:

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2026-03-02 10:17:00 -0800 .

Restrictions:

Open for research. Special Collections and University Archives materials are stored offsite and must be paged three business days in advance. For more information on paging collections, see the department's website: https://library.stanford.edu/libraries/special-collections.

Terms of access:

Material in the public domain does not have any restrictions on use.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item, date], William D.M. Howard papers (MS Vault 30). California Historical Society Collection at Stanford, Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, California.

Location of this collection:

Stanford University, California Historical Society Collection at Stanford

Department of Special Collections, Green Library

557 Escondido Mall

Stanford, CA 94305-6004, US

Contact:

(650) 725-1022

chscollection@stanford.edu

Website