Bradbury Land Papers

Finding aid prepared by Eric Steiger.
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens
Manuscripts Department
The Huntington Library
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2191
Email: reference@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org
© 2009
The Huntington Library. All rights reserved.


Descriptive Summary

Title: Bradbury Land Papers
Dates: 1855-1933
Collection Number: mssBradbury land papers
Collector: Bradbury family
Extent: 54 items
Repository: The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens. Manuscripts Department
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2191
Email: reference@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org
Abstract: This collection consists of land records associated with the Bradbury family and company developments in the Rancho Azusa de Duarte and the city of Monrovia, California, from the 1850s to the 1930s.
Language of Material: The records are in English.

Administration Information

Access

Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.

Publication Rights

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Bradbury Land Papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Acquisition Information

Gift to the Huntington Library of Louisa Bradbury Jenkins in June 1999.

Biography

L. L. Bradbury was an investor and real estate developer prominent in Los Angeles in the late 19th century. In the 1880s, he acquired the Rancho Azusa de Duarte, which now includes the city of Duarte. He died in 1892. His son Lewis Bradbury assumed control of the family business in 1902 and incorporated the Bradbury Estate Company in 1904. The company continued to acquire and develop landholdings in Southern California throughout the first three decades of the 20th century, including land and water development in and near the city of Monrovia, California.

Scope and Content

This collection consists of land records associated with the Bradbury family and company developments in the Rancho Azusa de Duarte and the city of Monrovia from the 1850s to the 1930s. These documents include certificates of title, deeds, and contractual agreements relating to land sales, mortgages, leases, and water rights. Parties to various contracts in the collection include the city of Monrovia, Los Angeles County, the Southern California Edison Company, Elias Jackson Baldwin, and several members of the Bradbury family, including L. L. Bradbury, Simona Bradbury, and Lewis Bradbury. There is also a folder of correspondence relating to the family's business interests. Correspondents include the Los Angeles Flood Control District and William Mulholland.

Arrangement

The materials have been maintained in their original batches, with the exception of the correspondence, which had no apparent original order.

Indexing Terms

Personal Names

Baldwin, Elias Jackson, 1828-1909.
Bradbury family.

Corporate Names

Southern California Edison Company.

Alternate Authors

Bradbury Estate Company.
Bradbury, L. L.
Mulholland, William, 1855-1935.

Subjects

Real property -- California -- Los Angeles.
Water rights -- California.

Geographic Areas

California -- History -- 19th century -- Sources.
California -- History -- 20th century -- Sources.
Duarte (Calif.)
Los Angeles County (Calif.)
Los Angeles County Flood Control District (Calif.)
Monrovia (Calif.)

Genre

Agreements California 19th century.
Agreements California 20th century.
Deeds California 19th century.
Deeds California 20th century.
Leases California 19th century.
Leases California 20th century.
Mortgages California 19th century.
Mortgages California 20th century.


Box 1

Documents and correspondence

 

Agreements, Deeds, and Certificates of Title: Saw Pit Waters, J. M. Pirtle, Duarte Mutual Irrigation and Canal Co., etc. 1885-1926

Physical Description: 13 items.
 

Deeds: “Isabelle M. Bliss et al to West Duarte Water and Development Co.” 1885-1933

Physical Description: 7 items.
 

Deeds and Certificates of Title: W. S. Daniels, T.D. Romans and Maria A. Romans, M. R. Williams, etc. 1875-1933

Physical Description: 9 items.
 

Deeds and Certificates of Title: “Documents Relating to the Wise Place, Ranch Azusa de Duarte.” 1885-1914

Physical Description: 13 items.
 

Correspondence. 1906-1926

Physical Description: 12 items.