Martha J. Lewis Collection
Processed by Michelle Atkinson and Larry Bishop. Machine-readable
finding aid created by Larry Bishop.
California State Parks
Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park
2701 L Street
Sacramento, California 95816
Phone: (916) 323-8112
Fax: (916) 442-8613
Email: sbeck@parks.ca.gov
URL: http://www.parks.ca.gov
© 2005
California State Parks. All rights reserved.
Guide to the Martha J. (Patty) Reed Lewis
Collection
Collection number: Consult repository
California State Parks
Sacramento, California
- Processed by:
- Michelle Atkinson and Larry Bishop
- Date Completed:
- August 2005
- Encoded by:
- Larry Bishop
© 2005 California State Parks. All rights reserved.
Descriptive Summary
Title: Martha J. Lewis collection
Dates: 1826-1951
Bulk Dates: 1846-1926
Collection number: Consult repository
Creator:
Lewis, Martha Jayne
Collection Size: 4 cubic feet
Repository:
California. Department of Parks and Recreation
Abstract: On April 15, 1846 the families of James Fraser
Reed and George and Jacob Donner, comprising 31 people in 9 wagons, left
Springfield, Illinois for California. On May 19 the party joined a larger wagon
train captained by William Russell about 100 miles west of Independence,
Missouri. Other families and individuals joined the wagon train as the party
traveled westward and by the time the party departed Fort Bridger in
southwestern Wyoming the total number of people had grown to 74 and the total
number of wagons to 20. By early August, as the party entered Utah, 87 people
and 23 wagons were bound for California. Following inaccurate advice they
received en route, the ill-fated party, now captained by George Donner, opted
to take an untried cut-off to the west. This “shortcut” put them weeks behind
schedule, and by the time they had crossed Nevada and began their ascent of the
Sierra Nevada it was too late in the fall season. Heavy snowfall stranded them
in the mountains and for five months the group was trapped on the eastern side
of the Sierra. Of the 87 men, women and children in the Donner Party, only 46
survived.
In 1946 the descendents of Martha J. Lewis, a survivor of the
tragedy, donated her collection of memorabilia, manuscripts, and archival
material to Sutter’s Fort. The great majority of her collection concerns the
affairs of her father, James Frazier Reed, who she clearly admired and
respected immensely. Many of her original writings are either laudatory
accolades to her father or energetic defenses of his character. The material in
this collection was gathered from various storage locations at Sutter’s Fort in
the early 1990s by student interns, given an initial arrangement by volunteer
archivist H. Alan Sims and registrar Marylou Lentz, and transferred first to
the California State Parks Archives in Sacramento and then to the Historic
Sites Sector Office in West Sacramento for final processing. It is hoped that
this guide will provide research functionality to this historic collection that
documents the struggles of the Donner Party, the efforts to rescue them, and
the cultural and historic impact their tragic tale has had on western lore.
This archival finding guide is one element in the
Guide
to the Sutter’s Fort Collection of Donner Party Material.
Contact
Sutter's Fort State Historic Park for more information on this
guide.
Physical location: Sutters Fort State Historical Park,
Sacramento, California
Languages: Languages
represented in the collection:
EnglishSpanish
Administrative Information
Access
The collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Property rights reside with the California State Parks. Literary rights
are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permission to
reproduce or to publish, please contact California State Parks.
Preferred citation
[item], Martha J. Lewis Collection, Sutter's Fort State Historic Park,
Sacramento, California.
Related materials
The collection described in this finding
aid represents those materials that are archival in nature and specifically
assembled to create this collection. Artifacts that have also been identified
as belonging to the Martha J. Lewis Collection are not included in this guide.
For information on these items contact California State Parks. Consult
The Researcher's
Guide to Sutter’s Fort's Collections of Donner Party Material.
for
details of related collections at the Fort.
The Charles E. Davis Overland Trail Project
Collection at the archives in Sutter’s Fort documents the efforts in 1927 to
re-trace the Donner route from Independence Missouri to Sacramento by Charles
E. Davis, an amateur historian and explorer. He recorded his expedition in a
journal and through regular correspondence with Harry C. Peterson, the curator
at the Fort. This collection’s photographs, which number more than a thousand,
may be of particular interest to researchers interested in the Interstate
Highway system and the development of modern roadways in the western states.
Davis’ photos show much of the western trails as they appeared before the
highways and the resulting communities covered them over. The finding guide for
this collection is another element in
The Researcher's
Guide to Sutter’s Fort's Collections of Donner Party
Material.
Other items at the Fort include the Marriage Register
of Justice John Sinclair, which contains the names of several Donner survivors
who where married at the Fort in the year 1847 and John Bidwell’s Ledger of
November – December 1846, which contains the names of several members of the
relief parties that bravely climbed into the Sierras to rescue the stranded
emigrants.
For many years the archives at Sutter’s Fort has maintained a
collection of historic material in its General Files. Donner-related material
in these files include biographical information on members of the ill-fated
party and the various rescue parties and their descendants, the trails they
followed, and the places designated to memorialize the events. Also in these
files are photographs of people and landmarks, news clippings, artwork and
correspondence. Consult
The Researcher's
Guide to Sutter’s Fort's Collections of Donner Party Material.
for a
listing of these files and their locations.
Carroll D. Hall, the curator
at the Fort from 1944 to 1964, took a special interest in one of the items
included in the Lewis Collection, the Miller-Reed diary of April to October,
1846. The diary, originally assumed to be that of Hiram O. Miller, contained
variations in handwriting that puzzled Hall to such an extent that he enlisted
the aid of a handwriting analyst of the State Department of Justice. The
analyst confirmed what Hall had assumed; most of the diary was in fact written
by James Frazier Reed. Hall then transcribed the entire diary, along with other
documents from the collection, added his own analysis and commentary and
published the work as
Donner Miscellany: 41 Diaries and
Documents, Edited by Carroll D. Hall
through the Book Club Of California
in 1947. Only 350 copies were printed, but the Fort’s archives has a photocopy
of the entire volume for use by researchers. A copy of the original publication
is available at the California State Library in Sacramento,
California.
Also at the California State Library is The James Frazier
Reed Collection 1843-1851, containing selected correspondence and business
papers transferred from the Fort’s Reed-Lewis collection to the State Library
in 1967. Consult the Library’s catalog for information on and access to this
manuscript collection. The Martha J. (Patty) Reed Lewis Collection herein
contains a 1910 reprint of Patrick Breen’s diary of November 20, 1846 - March
1, 1847. The Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley, has
the original Breen Diary and has published digitized images of the entire work
on the Online Archive of California available at
http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/ebind2html/2/breen?cap.
The Bancroft
Library also houses the C.F. McGlashan Papers 1847-1931, which include
correspondence and research materials he used for his book,
The History of the Donner Party first published in
1879. McGlashan was a friend of Patty Lewis and besides this book he wrote many
articles on the subject, and was instrumental in the creation of the Donner
Memorial near Truckee, California.
The Huntington Library in San Marino,
California holds the Eliza Poor Donner Houghton Papers, 1820-1978, the majority
of which deals with the Donner Party. Eliza and nine other Donner Party
surviving members are represented in this collection, both in correspondence
and photographs. Contact the Huntington Library at (626) 405-2191 or online at
http://catalog.huntington.org/screens/libinfo_02.html.
Lastly, scrapbooks
created by Fort curators Peterson and Hall contain many news clippings relating
to the Donner Party, efforts to re-construct the tragedy and memorialize it,
the discovery of artifacts and their acquisition by the Fort, and biographies
and obituaries of Donner survivors and rescuers and their descendants. These
clippings from various newspapers and magazines span the period from c.1900 to
the 1960s. A listing of the specific pages in each of the 21 scrapbooks that
have Donner-related clippings is available in
The Researcher's
Guide to Sutter’s Fort's Collections of Donner Party Material.
Acquisition Information
In 1946 the estate of Martha Jayne Lewis, daughter of Martha J. (Patty)
Reed Lewis donated her mother’s collection of memorabilia, manuscripts, and
archival material to Sutter’s Fort. Unfortunately,
in the
ensuing years other Donner-related donations may have been subsequently
intermixed with no concerted effort to maintain the provenance of the Lewis
collection and some items donated by the Lewis estate have been transferred to
or scattered among other park units and state agencies.
In 1947 Carroll
D. Hall, curator of Sutter’s Fort, noted that other donors may have included
Stanley Houghton, grandson of George Donner, Virginia Eddy, granddaughter of
Donner Party survivor W.H. Eddy, and Emelie Williamson, grand-niece of William
Graves, another survivor. The collection, as it exists today, has been
artificially assembled to best reflect what is believed to have been material
collected by Patty Reed Lewis before her death in 1923 and donated to Sutter’s
Fort following the death of her daughter in 1946, as well as documents and
items created or received after these dates that were relevant to the
collection.
Processing History
This collection was processed by Michelle
Atkinson and Larry Bishop, with assistance from Megan Landreth and Kirk Nelson,
June 2005. The finding aid was written by and encoded by Larry Bishop.
Biography
James Frazier Reed was born in County Annagh,
Ireland November 14, 1800. He was of Polish descent; the last name originally
being Reedowsky or Reednoskia and subsequently anglicized. While still a small
child he traveled with his Scotch-born mother to the United States after his
father’s death, where they settled in Philadelphia. At the age of eight or nine
he went to live with his maternal uncle in Virginia. By age twenty he had moved
to Illinois, and found work as a miner. By 1831 he had established himself as a
furniture maker in Springfield, Illinois. In 1832 he joined the Illinois
Militia with Jacob Earby’s Mounted Volunteers to fight in the Black Hawk War.
Black Hawk was a Sauk Indian chief who led 300 to 500 warriors and 500 to 700
women and children into northern Illinois to reclaim land he believed had been
illegally appropriated by the U.S. Government. Black Hawk and his people were
pursued, massacred, and driven from Illinois by the combined force of the
Illinois Militia and U.S. Army troops. Reed and Abraham Lincoln served together
in Earby’s Volunteers.
After his service in the war Reed returned to Springfield to engage in
mercantile pursuits and farming. In 1834 he married Margaret W. Keyes
Backenstoe, a widow with a daughter from her previous marriage, Virginia
Backenstoe. The couple eventually had six children together, one dying in
infancy. The other five were Martha (also known as Patty) born in 1938, James
Jr., born in 1841, Thomas, born in 1843, Charles, born in 1848, and
Willianoski, born in 1850. In 1845 he was appointed to be Illinois’ agent for
U.S. pensions, though he served in this capacity for less than a year.
By the time Reed connected his new family to those of George and Jacob
Donner for the trip to California on April 14, 1846, he had amassed
considerable wealth as the owner of several businesses including a general
store, a starch factory, a sawmill, and a cabinet making company that employed
a large number of men. Reed may have spent a full year preparing for the
journey. He built a larger than usual wagon for the comfort of his family and
especially for the convenience of his ailing mother-in-law, Sarah Keyes, 70. In
addition to this wagon, Reed loaded two others with supplies and provisions.
Along with the oxen teams for the wagons they took extra cattle and horses and
Reed hired three teamsters and two servants to help. The Reed family wagon
train was generally described by others in the party as the most affluent.
On May 19 the Donners and Reeds joined a much larger wagon train
captained by William H. Russell. In mid-June Russell resigned as captain and
another member of his original train, William Boggs, assumed the position.
About the middle of July, while camping at the Little Sandy River in
present-day Wyoming a group of the emigrants decided to take a promising, but
as yet untried shortcut known as the Hastings Cut-Off. George Donner became the
captain of this new group, which included the Reeds and several other families
that had joined them en route, and which became what is now generally known as
the Donner Party. The Boggs company elected to take a more customary route
northward. The Hastings Cut-off proved difficult and demanding and the Donner
party lost not only precious time but cattle, oxen and wagons while crossing
through Utah. By the time they had passed the Great Salt Desert Reed had lost
almost all of his cattle and was forced to abandon two of his three wagons.
In early September, recognizing the implications of their costly delays,
the party sent Charles Stanton and William McCutchen ahead to Sutter’s Fort to
fetch supplies. In late September the bedraggled train reached the end of the
Hastings route and rejoined the California Trail at what is today the city of
Elko, Nevada. Then they began traveling along the Humboldt River. It was there
on October 5 that Reed became involved in a dispute between one of his
teamsters and John Snyder, a teamster for another family. In the scuffle Reed
stabbed and killed Snyder, whether in self-defense or out of malice is still a
matter of dispute, but his actions resulted in his departure from the party.
Reed traveled ahead to Sutter’s Fort to bring back supplies.
On October 28 Reed reached the Fort and found McCutchen still there,
recovering from an illness. Stanton had since made his return to the mountains
with supplies, having reached the emigrants, now stranded by heavy snow on the
east side of the summit with little or no food left, about a week earlier. In
November Reed and McCutchen made an attempt to return to their families but
were driven back by heavy snow. They returned to Sutter’s Fort where Sutter
advised them to go to Yerba Buena, modern-day San Francisco, to make his needs
known to the U.S. naval officer in command, J.B. Hull. He reached San Jose, and
as an able-bodied American, he joined a group of volunteers to clear the way
from there to Yerba Buena. On January 2, 1847, he was involved in a small
skirmish known as the Battle of Santa Clara, the only campaign in the Northern
District of California between the Californios and the United States forces
during the Mexican-American war. When he reached Yerba Buena he was able to
secure $1300 in donations from residents and sailors at the port. In all Reed
spent a few weeks in the area, where he eventually secured land for himself and
his family around San Jose.
The supplies purchased in Yerba Buena were sent by schooner to the mouth
of the Feather River, where Reed spent the next two weeks securing men and
horses to aid him in an expedition to rescue the stranded emigrants in the
mountains. On the way up the western slope Reed was met by an earlier relief
party coming down the slope with women and children. He was reunited with his
wife, his stepdaughter Virginia, and James Jr. His daughter Martha and son
Thomas were unable to make the trip and still remained, in terrible physical
condition, at one of the campsites above. On March 1 Reed arrived to rescue his
two remaining family members and lead them and fifteen others back to safety.
Within a week this group was trapped by a severe storm and Reed and his friend
Hiram Miller carried Martha and Tommy while the rest stayed at what has become
known as “Starved Camp.” This group was rescued four days later by the next
relief party heading for the summit. This party brought several more of the
starving exhausted emigrants out of the mountains. A fourth relief party
reached the summit camps in mid April but only one man was left alive. He was
safely returned to Sutter’s Fort on April 29, the last survivor brought out to
safety.
Reed settled his family in San Jose, and although he was virtually
penniless when he arrived, he eventually established himself as a community
leader, a wealthy landholder and a successful businessman. He also served as
Sheriff in the Sonoma District and Chief of the police force in the city of San
Jose. In the mid 1850s squatters occupied much of Reed’s land in San Jose and
he moved his family to the Santa Cruz area until his rightful claim to the
property was declared legal in 1860. The following year his wife Margaret
passed away. He tried unsuccessfully to establish quartz mining companies in
Idaho and Nevada in the early to mid 1860s, even returning to the East Coast to
secure investors during this time, but gave up and returned to San Jose where
he spent the rest of his life surrounded by family and friends. Reed died on
his Farm in San Jose on July 24, 1874 of complications resulting from a head
injury that occurred when he was tossed from the back of one of his favorite
mules. He left a substantial amount of wealth to his children and
grandchildren.
Martha Jayne (Patty) Reed Lewis was born February 26, 1838 in
Springfield, Illinois; the oldest child born to James Frazier Reed and Margaret
Wilson Reed. She was only eight years old when her family joined those of
George and Jacob Donner’s on the ill-fated trip to California. She was
sometimes called “Mattie” but throughout her life was most commonly called
“Patty.”
In early November, 1846 with her mother, older sister and two
younger brothers, Patty was trapped in the snow at the east end of Truckee (now
Donner) Lake after her father had departed the company for Sutter’s Fort. When
the first relief party arrived in the third week of February she and her
youngest brother Thomas were too weak from starvation to travel. Her mother
left with her sister Virginia and her other brother James Jr, reluctantly
leaving the two weaker children at the lake in the care of the Graves family.
As they separated Patty calmly and bravely told her mother "Well, Ma, if you
never see me again, do the best you can." In a little more than a week her
father arrived with the second party of rescuers and she and Thomas along with
fifteen others were then led back away from the dilapidated, abandoned cabins
that had been their desperate homes during the frigid winter. Along the way
this group was again trapped in blinding snow. James Reed with help from his
friend Hiram Miller carried Patty and Thomas to safety while the rest, unable
to proceed, made a makeshift camp. More than half of the emigrants at this camp
perished before another relief party arrived.
Patty Reed married Frank
Lewis in Santa Cruz, California on Christmas day in1856 at the age of eighteen.
The couple had eight children together; Kate, Margaret, Frank Reed, Martha
Jane, James Frazier, Carrie E., Susan Augusta, and one other child who died as
a baby. They settled in San Jose and Patty remained there until Frank’s death
in 1876. Her youngest child was only three years old at the time and Patty
began supporting herself as a proprietor of boarding houses and hotels in Santa
Cruz and Capitola. Throughout her life Patty was involved with the Donner Party
story; she preserved her father’s letters and family artifacts, advised authors
and scholars of her time who were chronicling the tragedy, corresponded with
other survivors, and along with Eliza Donner was a star at the opening of the
Donner Memorial in 1918. Having survived the grueling passage across the
western plains and that horrific winter of 1846 as a mere girl she symbolized
the indomitable spirit of those remarkable pioneer women who helped settle
California. Patty Reed Lewis died July 4, 1923 in Santa Cruz, leaving her
collection of Donner Party material to her daughter Margaret with instructions
that it be donated to Sutter’s Fort on the centennial of the tragedy. Margaret
did not live to carry out the request, but her son faithfully donated the
material to the Fort in 1946.
Chronolgy
1846
| April 14 |
The families of James F. Reed and George and Jacob Donner, 31
people in nine wagons, leave Springfield, Illinois.
|
| May 19 |
The party joins a large wagon train captained by Col. William H.
Russell.
|
| June 18 |
William Russell resigns as captain of the wagon train, which is
now led by William M. Boggs.
|
| June 27 |
The Boggs Party arrives at Fort Laramie, Wyoming and meet James
Clyman, an acquaintance of Reed’s. They discuss a new route, the Hastings
Cutoff.
|
| July 19 |
The Boggs Party and several others camp at the Little Sandy
River in present-day Wyoming. A group of emigrants decides to take Hastings
Cutoff. They elect George Donner as their captain. The other emigrants take the
established northerly route by way of Fort Hall.
|
| July 28 |
The Donner Party reaches Fort Bridger. Jim Bridger assures the
Donner Party that the Hastings Cutoff is a good route.
|
| July 31 |
They leave Fort Bridger. The group now numbers 74 people in
twenty wagons.
|
| Aug. 28 |
The emigrants begin the dry drive across the Great Salt Lake
Desert.
|
| Sept. 4-9 |
After a torturous crossing of the desert, Reed has lost almost
all of his cattle and he abandons two of his wagons. George Donner and Louis
Keseberg abandon one wagon each. Food is getting low and the party sends
Charles Stanton and William McCutchen ahead to Sutter’s Fort to bring back
supplies.
|
| Sept. 26 |
The party reaches the junction with the California Trail about 7
miles west of modern Elko, Nevada. They travel along Humboldt River for the
next two weeks.
|
| Oct. 5 |
Reed kills John Snyder, a teamster for one of the other
families, in a dispute and is banished from the train; he goes ahead to
Sutter’s Fort to bring back supplies.
|
| Oct. 15-30 |
The party reaches the Truckee River. After a rest at Truckee
Meadows (present-day Reno), they begin their ascent of the Sierras. Charles
Stanton returns from Sutter’s Fort with seven mules packed with supplies and
two Indian vaqueros who worked for Sutter. Snow begins to fall. The Donners are
held up in the Alder Creek Valley by a broken axle. The other emigrants go on
ahead to Truckee Lake. Reed meets McCutchen at Sutter’s Fort and the two men
begin preparations to go back for their families.
|
| Oct. 30-Nov.4 |
The larger group of emigrants reach Truckee (now Donner) Lake.
Snow thwarts their efforts and they retreat to the eastern end of the lake,
where there is an existing cabin. They quickly build two more makeshift cabins.
Fifty-nine people huddle in the three cabins.
|
| Nov. 5-Dec.5 |
Reed and McCutchen attempt to reach their stranded companions
but are forced back by the snow.
|
| Dec. 16 |
Charles Stanton and Williamm Eddy set out with fifteen men,
women, and children to cross the mountains on snowshoes. They are weak from
hunger and have few provisions. The group is later called the “Forlorn
Hope.”
|
| Dec. 21 |
Jacob Donner, and three others die at the Alder Creek camp.
|
| Dec. 25-29 |
A blizzard catches the Forlorn Hope in the open. Four of their
number die, and with nothing left to eat the survivors tearfully resort to
cannibalism.
|
1847
| Jan. 18-20 |
Seven survivors of the Forlorn Hope reach safety at Johnson's
Ranch in Wheatland, California.
|
| Feb. 18 |
The first relief party, led by R.P. Tucker and Aquila Glover,
reaches the lake. Eleven emigrants have died, and the others are in bad shape
physically and emotionally. They evacuate those strong enough to travel,
including Reed’s wife Margaret and two of their four children.
|
| Mar. 1 |
The second relief party led by James Reed arrives at the lake
camp. The rescuers find evidence of cannibalism.
|
| Mar. 3 |
Reed leaves the camps with 17 emigrants including his children
Patty and Tommy Reed.
|
| Mar. 5-7 |
A blizzard traps Reed’s party in Summit Valley. Reed and his
friend Hiram Miller carry Patty and Tommy Reed, but the rest of the refugees
are too weak to travel and stay at what is later called "Starved Camp."
|
| Mar. 12 |
The third relief party, led by William Eddy and William Foster,
reach Starved Camp. Mrs. Graves and her son Franklin have died. They and Isaac
Donner have been cannibalized. One of the rescuers, John Stark, stays to help
the Breens and others out of the mountains while the others continue up to the
camps.
|
| Mar. 13 |
Eddy and Foster’s party arrive at the lake camp. They find their
sons are dead.
|
| Mar. 14 |
At the Alder Creek camp, George Donner has died from infection
an injury he suffered months before. The Third Relief departs with Frances,
Georgia, and Eliza Donner and Simon Murphy. Elizabeth and Lewis Donner have
died. Samuel Donner, Levinah Murphy, and Louis Keseberg are too weak to
travel
|
| April 17 |
William Fallon and the Fourth Relief party reach the camps,
finding only Louis Keseberg alive among the mutilated remains of his former
companions.
|
| April 29 |
The last member of the Donner Party, Louis Keseberg, arrives at
Sutter's Fort.
|
Source:
New Light on the Donner Party, by Kristin
Johnson, copyright 2005, http://www.utahcrossroads.org/DonnerParty/
Collection Scope and Content Summary
The largest portion of
the material in this collection was collected by Martha J. “Patty” Reed Lewis
(1838-1923), a survivor of the Donner Party tragedy, and was donated to
Sutter’s Fort by her daughter’s estate in 1946. Most of the material collected
by Reed-Lewis concerns the business affairs and personal experiences of her
father, James Frazier Reed (1800-1874) and the events of the Donner Party
tragedy. The Patty Reed Lewis Material, as described in this guide, contains
material related to her, her family, and the other members of the Donner Party,
but may not have been contained within the material
originally donated to the Fort by her daughter’s estate. Other pieces from her
collection have likely been scattered or lost.
This collection contains
additional accruals of Reed or Donner-related material collected by Sutter’s
Fort staff over a period of about fifty years for which clear provenance has
not been established.
This material in this collection spans the period
from 1826 to 1951. Types of material in this collection include correspondence;
business records such as ledgers, receipts, invoices, stock certificates,
requests for goods or services, agreements and promissory notes; legal
documents such as petitions, deeds, titles, depositions, and summons;
certificates, announcements and minutes pertaining to James Reed’s membership
in the Masonic Order; and correspondence, ledgers and lists relating to his
role as the agent for U.S. Pensions for the State of Illinois prior to his
departure for California. Also included in this collection are recollections,
notes, journals, scrapbooks, printed material, ephemera, artwork, publications,
photographs, tintypes, ambrotypes, daguerreotypes, news clippings, maps, and
drawings.
The material in this collection has been arranged into the
following series:
- Series 1. Correspondence
- Series 2. Legal Documents
- Series 3. Financial Documents
- Series 4. Masonic Documents
- Series 5. Pension Agent’s Documents
- Series 6. Recollections, Notes, Journals and Scrapbooks
- Series 7. Ephemera and News Clippings
- Series 8. Books and Booklets
- Series 9. Photographic Material
- Series 10. Separated Items
Indexing Terms
Personal
Names
- Breen, Patrick
- Donner, Eliza
- Donner, George
- Donner, Jacob
- Eddy, William H.
- Hull. K.B.
- Kern, E. M.
- Keseburg, Lewis
- Lewis, Martha J.
- McCutchen, William
- McGlashan, C.F.
- Miller, Hiram
- Reed, James Frazier
- Reed, Margaret
- Reed, Martha J.
- Reed, Patty
- Stanton, Charles
- Stocton, R.F.
- Sutter, John Augustus
Subjects
- California--History--1846-1850
- California--Pioneers
- Donner Party
- Historic sites--California
Series 1. Correspondence
1831-1951 and undated
Physical Description: 2 boxes, 137 folders.
Series Scope and Content Summary
The bulk of this series is comprised of correspondence to and from
Martha J. Reed Lewis and of correspondence to and from her father James Frazier
Reed that was collected by her. The remainder of the series is third-party
correspondence also collected by her. Material in this series covers the range
1831 to 1951 but the bulk of the letters date from 1846 to 1923. Material dated
after Martha’s death in 1923 primarily concerns Sutter’s Fort’s involvement
with the Donner material. This series includes a number of handwritten
transcriptions of original letters done by Edwin Sherman, an employee of
Sutter’s Fort, that were made at the request of Carroll Hall, the curator of
Sutter’s Fort from 1944 to 1964. Significant correspondents represented in this
series include fellow survivors Patrick Breen and Jacob Donner, R.F. Stockton,
Mariano Vallejo, Thomas O. Larkin, E.M. Kern, J.B. Hull, and John A. Sutter.
This series is divided into four groups: incoming correspondence to
Martha Reed Lewis, outgoing correspondence from Martha Reed Lewis, incoming
correspondence to James Frazier Reed, outgoing correspondence from James
Frazier Reed., and collected correspondence between third parties. Groups are
arranged alphabetically by name of correspondent and then chronologically.
Incoming correspondence to Martha J. Lewis
April 18, 1879 to April 5, 1921.
Box 8-3-308, Folders 1-2
Chapman, C.W.
May 3, 1918 and April 5, 1921
Box 8-3-308, Folders 3-5
McGlashan, C.F.
Apr. 18, 1879 to Feb. 12, 1912
Box 8-3-308, Folders 6-7
Sherman, Edwin A.
Jan. 11, 1910 and Apr. 19, 1913
Box 8-3-308, Folder 8
Thomas, H.J.
Dec. 6, 1918
Box 8-3-308, Folder 9
Women's Board, Panama Pacific International Exposition
Oct. 14, 1915
Outgoing correspondence from Martha Reed Lewis
Feb. 2, 1909 to Jun. 26, 1923
Box 8-3-308, Folder 10
Colton, John B.
May 3, 1915
Box 8-3-308, Folders 11-13
Chapman, Dr., Mr. and Mrs.
Mar. 5, 1912 to Mar. 4, 1922
Box 8-3-308, Folder 14
Historic Landmark Committee, Native Sons of the Golden
West
Jun. 26, 1923
Box 8-3-308, Folder 15
Houghton, Eliza Donner
Mar. 6, 1912
Box 8-3-308, Folder 18
Teggert, Frederick
Mar. 19, 1912
Box 8-3-308, Folder 19
“Sorrowing friend”
Feb. 2, 1909
Box 8-3-308, Folder 20
“Our dearest friends”
Apr. 12, 1912
Incoming correspondence to James Frazier Reed
Mar. 14, 1841 to Sept. 20, 1857
Box 8-3-308, Folder 21
Bannister, Edward
Aug 23, 1851
Box 8-3-308, Folder 23
Boggs, Liburn W.
Jun, Jul, 1847
Physical Description: (Handwritten copy)
Box 8-3-308, Folder 24
Branham, P.A.
Feb 28, 1853 and Mar 9, 1853
Box 8-3-308, Folder 25
Buchanan, K.C.
undated
Physical Description: (Handwritten copy)
Box 8-3-308, Folder 26
Buchanan, John C.
Apr. 17, 1848
Box 8-3-308, Folder 28
“Haights and Geary”
Nov. 1, 1855
Box 8-3-308, Folder 30
Hesley(?), N.
Apr. 5, 1850
Box 8-3-308, Folders 31-35
Hoppe, J.D.
Apr. 21, 1847 to Sept. 10, 1849
Box 8-3-308, Folder 36
Howard, W.H.
Mar. 18, 1856
Physical Location: Oversized item moved to Map Drawer 15-16, Cabinet
E-4
Box 8-3-308, Folder 38
Huntington, G.S.
Dec 30, 1848
Physical Description: (Handwritten copy)
Box 8-3-308, Folder 39
Huntington, G.S.
Dec 30, 1848
Box 8-3-308, Folder 40
Keyes, J.W.
undated
Physical Location: Oversized item moved to Map Drawer 15-16, Cabinet
E-4
Box 8-3-308, Folders 41-42
Keyes, J. W.
Mar. 24, 1848 and Dec. 22, 1848
Box 8-3-308, Folders 43-44
Keyes, K.C.
Mar. 31, 1847 and Aug. 28, 1847
Box 8-3-308, Folders 45-47
Maxey, James M.
Nov. 10, 1845 and Mar. 9, 1846
Box 8-3-308, Folders 48-51
McCutchen, William
Jan. 25, 1847 to Sept. 1848
Box 8-3-308, Folder 52
McRoberts, Sam
Mar. 14, 1841
Box 8-3-308, Folder 53
Meeks, James
Sept. 10, 1848
Box 8-3-308, Folder 54
Miller, Hiram O.
Jan. 23, 1851
Box 8-3-308, Folder 55
Peckman, R.F.
May 20, 1850
Box 8-3-308, Folder 56
Pico, Antonio
Oct. 23, 1849
Box 8-3-308, Folder 57
Preston, King and Co.
Feb. 18, 1851
Box 8-3-308, Folder 58
Reed, “Mother” Martha
Oct. 22, 1838
Box 8-3-308, Folder 59
Reed, Patty
Nov. 11, 1854
Box 8-3-308, Folder 60
Ruckel, J.L.
Mar. 18, 1848
Box 8-3-308, Folders 61-64
Sinclair, John
Jun 23, 1847 to Apr. 5, 1848
Box 8-3-308, Folder 65
Skinner, Mark
Feb. 13, 1845
Box 8-3-308, Folder 66
Sutter, John
Apr. 7, 1847
Box 8-3-308, Folder 68
Waldo, G. B.
Apr. 19, 1846
Box 8-3-308, Folder 69
Waldo, G. B.
Apr. 19, 1846
Physical Description: (Handwritten copy)
Box 8-3-308, Folder 70
Weber, Charles
Jan. 25, 1847
Box 8-3-308, Folder 71
Weber, Charles
Jan. 25, 1847
Physical Description: (Handwritten copy)
Box 8-3-308, Folders 72-75
Winchester, J.
Apr. 1, 1851 to Aug. 8, 1851
Box 8-3-308, Folder 76
Woodworth, J. E.
June 11, 1847
Box 8-3-308, Folder 77
Zwister, James
Sept. 20, 1857
Outgoing correspondence from James Frazier Reed
June 10, 1845 to Aug. 27, 1864 and
undated
Box 8-4-308, Folder 79
Conness, John
Jan. 24, 1866
Box 8-4-308, Folder 81
Dye, Mr.
June 30, 1847
Physical Description: (Handwritten copy)
Box 8-4-308, Folders 82-83
House Committee on Public Buildings
Jan 16, 1850
Box 8-4-308, Folder 84
Keyes, James W.
Aug. 27, 1864
Box 8-4-308, Folder 85
Lippincott, Crosby and Delaquin
January 26, 1850
Box 8-4-308, Folders 86-88
Reed, Margaret
Sept. 20, 1849 to July 6, 1859
Box 8-4-308, Folder 89
Shields, Hon. James
June 10, 1845
Box 8-4-308, Folder 90
Shields, General
Jan. 12, 1852.
Box 8-4-308, Folder 91
“To whom it may concern”
Jan. 20, 1847
Box 8-4-308, Folder 92
“To whom it may concern”
Jan. 20, 1847
Physical Description: (Handwritten copy)
Box 8-4-308, Folder 93
Vallejo, M. G.
Jan. 12, 1848
Box 8-4-308, Folder 94
Incomplete letter possibly in handwriting of James Reed
1847
Box 8-4-308, Folder 95
Scrap of paper with the words "J.F. Reed's letter to
Capt. Sutter after the battle was over Jan. 2, 1847."
Collected Correspondence
Nov. 1, 1831 to Sept. 8, 1951 and
undated
Box 8-4-308, Folder 96
Barret, Edward to Carroll D. Hall
Feb. 4, 1947
Box 8-4-308, Folder 97
Breen, Patrick to "Mr. Marshall"
Feb. 9, 1848
Box 8-4-308, Folder 98
Breese, Sidney to “My Dear” (James Reed?)
Feb. 20, 1846
Box 8-4-308, Folder 99
California Dept of Justice Division of Criminal
Identification to Carroll D. Hall
Feb. 13, 1947
Box 8-4-308, Folder 100
Datsere(?), John B. to "Mr. Reed"
Mar. 25, 1840
Box 8-4-308, Folder 101
Donner, Jacob to Charles Berger
Nov 11, 1846 (copy)
Box 8-4-308, Folder 102
Donner, Jacob to Milt Elliot
1846
Box 8-4-308, Folder 103
Douglas, J.A. and Robert Smith to Hon. Wm. L. Marcy
June 10, 1845 (copies)
Box 8-4-308, Folder 104
Graves, Florence to Carroll D. Hall
Sept. 8, 1951
Box 8-4-308, Folder 105
Hook, S.E., to ?
Mar 6, 1853
Box 8-4-308, Folder 106
Kern, E.M, to Greenwood
undated
Box 8-4-308, Folder 107
Kern, E.M, to Keyser
undated
Box 8-4-308, Folders 108-109
Keyes, C. A. to to Robert Keyes
June 28, 1849 and Dec. 9, 1849
Box 8-4-308, Folder 110
Larkin, Thomas to Mr. Wisman
July 6, 1847
Physical Description: (Handwritten copy)
Box 8-4-308, Folder 111
Matthews, T. V., to C. D. Hall
Aug. 23, 1945
Box 8-4-308, Folders 112-115
Morgan, Dale L., to Carroll D. Hall
June 3, 1949 to May 3, 1951
Box 8-4-308, Folder 116
Nelson, Mary L. to Lloyd C. Backenstoe (?)
Nov. 1, 1831
Physical Location: Oversized item moved to Map Drawer 15-16, Cabinet
E-4
Box 8-4-308, Folders 117-118
Paden, Irene to Carroll D. Hall
Oct. 4, 1947 and July 16, 1947
Box 8-4-308, Folder 119
Patterson, Wm. F., to Wm. M. Patterson
Aug. 20, 1863
Box 8-4-308, Folder 120
Pickett, Chas. E. to Judge Ried
July 26, 1851
Physical Description: (Handwritten copy)
Box 8-4-308, Folder 121
Reed, James F. II to Postmaster of Santa Cruz
Mar. 18, 1901
Box 8-4-308, Folder 122
Reed, Virginia to “her cousins in Springfield”
May 16, 1847
Box 8-4-308, Folders 123-128
Ryker, H. C. to Carroll D. Hall
Nov. 19, 1948 to Feb. 24, 1950
Box 8-4-308, Folder 129
Stanton, Almena to Charles Statnton
Oct. 1845
Physical Location: Oversized item moved to Map Drawer 15-16, Cabinet
E-4
Box 8-4-308, Folder 130
Stanton, C.T., to Messrs Donner
Dec. 9, 1846
Box 8-4-308, Folder 131
Stewart, George R. to Carroll D. Hall
Aug. 24, 1949
Box 8-4-308, Folder 132
Various citizens to R.F. Stockton
Jan. 1847
Box 8-4-308, Folder 133
Waldo, G.B. to Giles Waldo
Apr. 19, 1846
Box 8-4-308, Folder 134
Woodworth, J. C. to “Fallon”
Nov. 1, 1847
Box 8-4-308, Folder 135
Unknown to Eliza Donner Houghton
1912
Box 8-4-308, Folder 136
Unknown to “Editor”
undated
Series 2. Legal Documents
1839-1874 and undated
Physical Description: 2 boxes, 84 folders
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series contains
agreements, deeds, estate inventories, indentures, petitions, and miscellaneous
other legal or public documents such as depositions, powers of attorney,
marriage certificates, appointments, city council minutes, summons, and letters
of administration or guardianship. This series also includes the Last Will and
Testament of James Frazier Reed, including his handwritten draft. Most of the
material in this series pertains to the activities of Reed during and after the
Donner tragedy or with the disposition of the estates of those lost to the
tragedy. Others represented in this series include Milt Elliot, R.F. Stockton,
George and Jacob Donner, Margaret Reed, Patty Reed Lewis, R.C. Keyes, and
Charles Weber. Deeds and titles are generally concerned with Reed properties in
or around San Jose California. Petitions may concern requests for public lands
or appeals to local magistrates for actions or compensation. This series
includes a small number of undated handwritten transcriptions of original
documents done by Edwin Sherman c.1900, and photocopies arranged by the date of
the originals.
Box 8-5-308 , Folders 1-6
Agreements, various, Oct 11, 1843 to Sep 18,
1851
Box 8-5-308 , Folders 7-19
Deeds and titles, Aug 1, 1847 to Mar 24, 1866 and
undated
Box 8-5-308 , Folders 20-36
Estate inventories and dispositions, Aug 26, 1846 to Jan
5, 1858 and undated
Box 8-6-308 , Folders 1-12
Indentures, Jan 19, 1848 to 1865 and undated
Box 8-6-308 , Folders 13-27
Petitions, May 18, 1839 to Feb 15, 1849 and
undated
Box 8-6-308 , Folders 27-48
Miscellaneous legal documents, Apr 15, 1846 to Aug 21,
1874 and undated
Series 3. Financial Documents
1840-1875 and undated
Physical Description: 2 boxes, 41 folders
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series contains
photocopies, ledgers, receipts, invoices, stock certificates and various
business papers including promissory notes, bills of sale, a prospectus,
freight bills, and payroll requests. The ledgers describe real estate
transactions and the sales and purchases of household goods and livestock. The
bulk of the receipts describe the acquisition of provisions and supplies for
the effort to rescue the emigrants trapped in the mountains during February,
1847, but also in this group are collected items not related to the Donner
Party such as invoices requesting compensation to some of the police officers
who assisted Reed in his role as Sheriff of the Pueblo San Jose in 1850. The
stock certificates are primarily for the Miller Gold and Silver Mining Company,
the Black Prince Gold and Silver Mining Company, and the Reed Gold and Silver
Mining Company, ultimately unsuccessful businesses James F. Reed shared with
Thomas K. Reed, Hiram O. Miller, and Jacob K. Miller. This series includes a
small number of undated handwritten transcriptions of original documents done
by Edwin Sherman c.1900.
Box 8-7-308, Folders 1-5
Ledgers, Sep 1849 to Feb 27, 1852 and undated
Box 8-7-308, Folders 6-41
Receipts and Invoices, Oct 29, 1846 to Jun 1851 and
undated
Box 8-8-308, Folders 1-15
Stock Certificates, Jan 18, 1864 to Mar 24, 1864 and
undated
Box 8-8-308, Folders 16-41
Various business papers, Mar 25, 1840 to Jun 21, 1875 and
undated
Series 4. Masonic Documents
1840-1939 and undated
Physical Description: 1 box, 14 folders
Series Scope and Content Summary
This small series
contains certificates, correspondence, announcements, notes, and proclamations,
regarding James Frazier Reed’s membership in the Springfield, IL Masonic Lodge
#4 and spans the period 1840-1939. This series includes handwritten
transcriptions of original documents done by Edwin Sherman, c.1900.
This
series is arranged chronologically.
Box 8-9-308, Folder 1
By-Laws of Springfield, IL Masonic Lodge #4,
1840
Box 8-9-308, Folders 2-5
Meeting announcements, May 3, 1845 to Mar. 14,
1846
Box 8-9-308, Folder 6
Masonic certificate establishing James F. Reed as a loyal
and regular member of the Springfield Masonic Lodge, Apr. 10, 1846
Box 8-9-308, Folder 7
Masonic certificate stating that James F. Reed was "duly
raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason," Apr. 15, 1846
Box 8-9-308, Folder 8
Notice, H.G. Melone, High Priest of Masonic Order, to
James Reed, July 15, 1856
Box 8-9-308, Folder 9
Membership log for James F. Reed in the Masonic Veterans
Association, c. 1910
Box 8-9-308, Folder 10
W.C. Arbuckle to Martha Jane Lewis regarding James Reed's
Masonic regalia, Sept. 12, 1934
Box 8-9-308, Folder 11
Mark A. Sawrie to Martha Jane Lewis regarding James Reed's
Masonic regalia, Oct. 14, 1939
Box 8-9-308, Folder 12
Handwritten copies of Masonic documents by E.A. Sherman,
undated
Box 8-9-308, Folder 13
Typed extract of the 59th Annual Convocation of the Island
Chapter of Royal Arch Masons in re James Reed, undated
Box 8-9-308, Folder 14
Note, author unknown, referring to James F. Reed as the
first master mason to carry his credentials to California, undated.
Series 5. Pension Agent’s Documents
c.1830-1846 and undated
Physical Description: 1 box, 19 folders
Series Scope and Content Summary
This small series
contains correspondence, reports, and ledgers concerning James Frazier Reed’s
appointment and duties as the agent for U.S. Pensions for the State of Illinois
during the brief period from his appointment to the position in December 1845
to his resignation in the spring of 1846. Correspondents in this series include
J. L. Edwards, Illinois Commissioner of Pensions, U.S. Senator Sidney Breese,
Secretary of War, W. L. Marcy, and Robert Smith, U.S. Representative from
Illinois.
This series is arranged chronologically.
Box 8-10-308, Folder 1
Blank semi-annual report for United States Pension Agency,
c. 1830
Box 8-10-308 , Folders 2-5
Correspondence, Dec 18, 1844 to Feb 27, 1845
Box 8-10-308 , Folder 6
Estimate of funds needed, Sep 1845
Box 8-10-308 , Folders 7-17
Correspondence, Jul 30, 1845 to Apr 15, 1846
Box 8-10-308 , Folders 18-19
Ledgers, Mar 31, 1846 and Apr 15, 1846
Series 6. Recollections, Notes, Journals and Scrapbooks
1846-1946 and undated
Physical Description: 1 box, 46 folders
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series contains
recollections, diaries, and notebooks about the Donner Party tragedy and the
rescue efforts. The bulk of this series is comprised of undated pages with
unknown authors or transcribers. Known authors include original Donner Party
members and rescuers Martha J. Lewis, James F. Reed, Eliza Donner Houghton,
William McCutchen, and M.D. Ritchie. The diary of Hiram O. Miller was completed
by James Reed after Miller departed the party in early July, 1846. Reed
recorded the party’s travels until October 4, when he also departed the party.
Also in this series are brief biographies of Reed, handwritten lists of Donner
Party members and survivors, journals and scrapbooks and notes and jottings
regarding the efforts to rescue the Party and the supplies and provisions
needed.
Dated items are arranged chronologically. Undated items are
arranged alphabetically by material type and have been placed at the end of
this series.
Box 8-11-308, Folder 1
Diary of Hiram O. Miller and James Reed, Apr 26 to Oct 4,
1846. Photocopies. Original item moved to Box 8-17-308
Box 8-11-308, Folder 2
Diary of Hiram O. Miller and James Reed, Apr 26 to Oct 4,
1846. Photocopies. Original item moved to Box 8-17-308
Box 8-11-308, Folder 3
Original note by Wm. Foster on small scrap of paper, Nov
1, 1846
Box 8-11-308, Folder 4
“Copy of a Journal Kept By a Suffering Immigrant on the
California Mountains from October 31, 1846 to March, 1847,” by Geo. McKinstry,
typescript, undated
Box 8-11-308, Folder 5
Original note by Jacob Donner on small scrap of paper, Nov
20, 1846
Box 8-11-308, Folder 6
Notes kept by M.D. Ritchie on the expedition to rescue the
Donner Party, Feb 5, 1847
Box 8-11-308, Folder 7
James Reed’s journal of the rescue expedition of Feb-Mar
1847, original manuscript, 1847, with handwritten copy, undated
Box 8-11-308, Folder 8
“List of the names of emigrants which were brought over
the mountains in distress and are transferred to Capt. Sutter [to attend to
them],” signed by J. F. Reed, 1847
Box 8-11-308, Folder 9
“Recollections of Mary Warren Breckenridge,” by Mary
Murphy, typescript, 1859
Box 8-11-308, Folder 10
“Statement by Mr. Reed, One of the Donner Company,” and
“Statement of Wm. McCutchen,” typescript, source unknown, written for the
Pacific Rural Press, Jan 21, 1871.
Box 8-11-308, Folder 11
Handwritten partial transcription of “Statement by Mr.
Reed, One of the Donner Company,” response to article from Pacific Rural Press,
Jan 21, 1871, source unknown, undated. 2 copies.
Box 8-11-308, Folder 12
Account of a mining expedition in 1862, draft manuscript,
author unknown, c.1890s.
Box 8-11-308, Folder 13
Poem about the Pacific Ocean, Nov 7, 1899, source unknown,
author unknown
Box 8-11-308, Folder 14
Notebook of Patty Reed Lewis, 1909. Oversized item. Moved
to Box 8-136-308.
Box 8-11-308, Folder 15
Manuscript, “The Expedition to the Donner Party and its
Tragic Fate, [by] Eliza Poor Donner Houghton,” draft manuscript, source
unknown, Nov, 1911.
Box 8-11-308, Folder 16
Notebook of Patty Reed Lewis, 1912. Oversized item. Moved
to Box 8-136-308.
Box 8-11-308, Folder 17
Recollections of Patty Reed, original manuscript, Feb 1,
1915.
Box 8-11-308, Folder 18
Recollections of Patty Reed, original manuscript, draft(?)
Feb 1, 1915.
Box 8-11-308, Folder 19
Note, “Reed-Donner Party Relics loaned to S. J. Fiesta,”
source unknown, Apr 26, 1927.
Box 8-11-308, Folder 20
Transcription of excerpt from notebook of Patty Reed
Lewis, Jan, 1946
Box 8-11-308, Folder 21
Manuscript, biographical material on James Reed and Patty
Reed Lewis, sources unknown, undated.
Box 8-11-308, Folder 22
Manuscript, “From the Recollections of Little Patty Reed,”
addressed to the Native Sons of the Golden West, , undated.
Box 8-11-308, Folder 23
Manuscript, “Inventory of provisions and supplies…for the
rescue of the people in the California Mountains...to J. F. Reed,”
undated.
Box 8-11-308, Folder 24
Manuscript, “List of Police,” source unknown,
undated.
Box 8-11-308, Folder 25
Manuscript, account of the Donner Party as related by
Patty Reed Lewis, source unknown, undated.
Box 8-11-308, Folder 26
Manuscript, biography of Donner Party members, by Geo.
McKinstry, manuscript, undated.
Box 8-11-308, Folder 27
Manuscript, copy of James Reed’s account of Donner Party,
source unknown, undated. Copy 1 of 2.
Box 8-11-308, Folder 28
Manuscript, copy of James Reed’s account of Donner Party,
source unknown, undated. Copy 2 of 2.
Box 8-11-308, Folder 29
Manuscript, copy of Wm. McCutchen’s account of rescue
expedition, undated.
Box 8-11-308, Folder 30
Manuscript, list of members of Donner Party who died,
source unknown, undated.
Box 8-11-308, Folder 31
Manuscript, notes and criticisms regarding an unnamed
account of the Donner tragedy, author unknown, undated.
Box 8-11-308, Folder 32
Manuscript, partial accounts of Donner Party tragedy,
source unknown, undated. 1 of 2.
Box 8-11-308, Folder 33
Manuscript, partial accounts of Donner Party tragedy,
source unknown, undated. 2 of 2.
Box 8-11-308, Folder 34
Manuscript, recollections of Patty Reed,
undated.
Box 8-11-308, Folder 35
Manuscript, transcribed copy of statements by Patty Reed
Lewis concerning the dispute between James Reed and John Snyder, source
unknown, undated.
Box 8-11-308, Folder 36
Scrapbook of clippings collected by Patty Reed, undated.
Includes original manuscript of “Dolly’s Little History.” Oversized item moved
to Box 8-17-308.
Box 8-11-308, Folder 37
Scrapbook of clippings source unknown, undated. Oversized
item moved to Box 8-17-308.
Box 8-11-308, Folder 38
Scrapbook of clippings, “The Tragedy of Donner Lake, by
Evelyn Wells,” undated. Oversized item moved to Box 8-17-308.
Box 8-11-308, Folder 39
Typescript “In the Beginning,” describing early California
history through the Gold Rush with description of the Reed family’s travels,
source unknown, undated.
Box 8-11-308, Folder 40
Typescript, “Dolly’s Little History, by Martha Jane Lewis”
undated.
Box 8-11-308, Folder 41
Typescript, James Reed’s account of Donner Party, source
unknown, undated.
Box 8-11-308, Folder 42-46
Various notes and jottings, undated.
Series 7. Ephemera and News Clippings,
1841-1905 and undated
Physical Description: 1 box, 42 folders
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series contains
miscellaneous printed items including invitations, certificates, programs,
greeting cards, flyers, business and calling cards, souvenir ribbons, and news
clippings collected by Martha J. Lewis.
Box 8-12-308 , Folders 1-35
Ephemera, Mar 19, 1841 to Jan 25, 1908 and
undated
Box 8-13-308 , Folders 1-42
News clippings, Oct 24, 1846 to Aug 21, 1857.
Series 8. Books and Booklets
, 1829-1919 and undated
Physical Description: 1 box, 18 folders
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series contains
books and booklets published between 1829 and 1919. The books are in very poor
condition and have been relocated for preservation purposes
Box 8-14-308 , Folder 1
Book, Bible presented to Patty Reed in 1853 by a friend.
Rare Book Room, Kyburz Annex, Sutter’s Fort.
Box 8-14-308 , Folder 2
Book,
Comstock’s Philosophy,
1854. Moved to Rare Book Room, Kyburz Annex, Sutter’s Fort..
Box 8-14-308 , Folder 3
Book,
Elements of Drawing,
1849. Stored at the State Museum Resource Center.
Box 8-14-308 , Folder 4
Book,
English Grammar in Familiar
Lectures
, by Samuel Kirkham, 1845. Stored at the State Museum Resource
Center.
Box 8-14-308 , Folder 5
Book,
English Language
Grammar
, 1853. Moved to Rare Book Room, Kyburz Annex, Sutter’s
Fort.
Box 8-14-308 , Folder 6
Book,
Flock of Sheep, The
undated. Stored at the State Museum Resource Center.
Box 8-14-308 , Folder 7
Book,
Gradual Lessons in
Grammar,
by David Tower, 1848. Moved to Rare Book Room, Kyburz Annex,
Sutter’s Fort.
Box 8-14-308 , Folder 8
Book,
Key to Smith’s Practical and
Mental Arithmetic
, by Roswell Smith, 1847. Moved to Rare Book Room,
Kyburz Annex, Sutter’s Fort.
Box 8-14-308 , Folder 9
Book,
Oregon and California in 1848,
Vol. 1,
by J. Thornton, 1849. Moved to Rare Book Room, Kyburz Annex,
Sutter’s Fort.
Box 8-14-308 , Folder 10
Book,
Speller and Definer,
The
; Classbook No. 2,” by E. Hazen, 1829. Moved to Rare Book Room,
Kyburz Annex, Sutter’s Fort.
Box 8-14-308 , Folder 11
Book,
Two Dolls, The, 1837.
Stored at the State Museum Resource Center.
Box 8-14-308 , Folder 12
Booklet,
American Home
Dictionary
, undated.
Box 8-14-308 , Folder 13
Booklet,
Constitution and By-Laws of
the Western Association of California Pioneers
, 1890.
Box 8-14-308 , Folder 14
Booklet,
Constitution of the State
of California
, printed at the office of the Alta California, 1849.
Box 8-14-308 , Folder 15
Booklet,
Diary of Patrick Breen of
the Donner Party
, Frederick Teggert, ed. 1910.
Box 8-14-308 , Folder 16
Booklet,
Grand Excursion to
California of the Society of Pioneers of New England
, 1890.
Box 8-14-308 , Folder 17
Booklet,
Progression of Slavery in
the United States, The
, by George Weston, 1860.
Box 8-14-308 , Folder 18
Magazine,
Grizzly Bear
Magazine
, with inscription, Dec 1919.
Series 9. Photographic Material
c.1879, 1949 and undated
Physical Description: 1 Box, 26 folders
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series is
primarily comprised of undated photographic prints, tintypes, and
daguerreotypes of Reed, Breen, and Donner family members. Also in this series
are photographs of Donner artifacts and documents, and photographs of selected
locations along the Donner Party route through Utah and Nevada that are dated
June, 1949.
Box 8-15-308 , Folder 1
Devil’s Gate, Utah, photographic print,
undated
Box 8-15-308 , Folder 2
Eddy, Eleanor, photographic print of drawing,
undated.
Box 8-15-308 , Folder 3
Eddy, William, photographic print of drawing,
undated.
Box 8-15-308 , Folder 4
Foundation of stone house, photographic print, Jun
1949.
Box 8-15-308 , Folder 5
Gravelly Ford on the Humbolt, photographic print, Jun,
1949.
Box 8-15-308 , Folder 6
Graves at Gravelly Ford, photographic print, Jun,
1949.
Box 8-15-308 , Folder 7
Houghton, Eliza Donner, and Wilder, Francis Donner, with
three unidentified people, photographic print plus copy, undated.
Box 8-15-308 , Folder 8
Humbolt River, panoramic composite photographic print, Oct
1949.
Box 8-15-308 , Folder 9
James Reed’s map from Sutter’s Fort to stranded emigrants,
photographic print of, 1847. Original item is located in Map Drawer 1314,
Cabinet E-4.
Box 8-15-308 , Folder 10
Keyes, James W. and Lydia, tintype, copy only, undated.
Original item moved to Box 8-266-308.
Box 8-15-308 , Folder 11
Keyes, Sarah, framed photograph, copies only, undated.
Original item moved to Box 17-1-308.
Box 8-15-308 , Folder 12
Lewis, Frank and Patty Reed, tintype plus copy, undated.
Box 8-15-308 , Folder 13
Lewis, Patty Reed with Eliza Donner Houghton, Francis
Donner Wilder, and Governor Stephens at the Pioneer Monument at Donner Lake,
photographic print plus copies, c.1920.
Box 8-15-308 , Folder 14
Lewis, Patty Reed with Eliza Donner Houghton, Francis
Donner Wilder, and Governor Stephens at the Pioneer Monument at Donner Lake,
photographic print plus copies, c.1920.
Box 8-15-308 , Folder 15
Lewis, Patty Reed with three unidentified males at the
Pioneer Monument at Donner Lake, photographic print plus copy,
c.1920.
Box 8-15-308 , Folder 16
Lewis, Patty Reed, and others, photographic print with
annotations and some identifications on back, undated.
Box 8-15-308 , Folder 17
McGlashan, C.F., photographic print, c.1879.
Box 8-15-308 , Folder 18
Muster roll of Abraham Lincoln’s Company in Black Hawk War
of 1832, photographic print of document showing J.F. Reed’s name,
undated.
Box 8-15-308 , Folder 19
Patty Reed’s doll and mittens, photographic print of on
cardboard, undated.
Box 8-15-308 , Folder 20
Patty Reed’s doll, photographic prints of (2),
undated.
Box 8-15-308 , Folder 21
Reed family outside adobe home in San Jose, Ca.,
daguerreotype, copies only, undated. Original item moved to Box
1-10-308.
Box 8-15-308 , Folder 22
Reed, James F. and Margaret, photographic print mounted on
cardboard plus copies, undated.
Box 8-15-308 , Folder 23
Reed, James F., photographic print mounted on cardboard,
undated. Copies only. Original item moved to Box 8-266-308.
Box 8-15-308 , Folder 24
Reed, Margaret, ambrotype, undated. Copies only. Original
item moved to Box 8-266-308.
Box 8-15-308 , Folder 25
Reed, Patty, tintype, undated. Copies only. Original item
moved to Box 8-266-308.
Box 8-15-308 , Folder 26
Treaty Hill, Nevada, photographic print, Jun
1949.
