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Finding aid of the William Boyd Latham Jr. Diary, 1851-1851
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Title: William Boyd Latham Jr. Diary, 1851-1851
Dates: 1851-1851
Collection Size:
1 folder
Repository: The
Society of California Pioneers.
San Francisco, California 94107-1272
Abstract: This collection consists of the daily diary kept by William Boyd Latham, Jr. during the year of 1851. Entries were made inconsistently
and pertain primarily to Latham's work for the Freeman and Company Western Express located in Sacramento, California. Latham
frequently traveled between the company's offices in Sacramento and San Francisco on company business by way of steamships.
Physical location: Stored on-site at the Society of California Pioneers.
Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English
Collection is open by appointment for research.
Property rights reside with The Society of California Pioneers. All requests for permission to reproduce or publish must be
submitted in writing to the Librarian.
William Boyd Latham Jr. Diary, 1851-1851. The Society of California Pioneers.
Biography / Administrative History
William Boyd Latham Jr. was born November 12, 1822 in Orange County, New York. He arrived in California, August 20, 1849
aboard the vessel "Strafford". Latham was an attorney and founding citizen in Marysville, CA. His other business ventures
included notary public, insurance agent and real estate. He died December 7, 1910 in San Francisco.
| 1851/1851 | William Boyd Latham Junior Diary |
Scope and Content of Collection
The diary contains notations by William B. Latham Jr. concerning daily events he felt worth recording during the year 1851
from January 1 to December 31. His diary was kept while working for Freeman and Company Western Express located in Sacramento
at number 42 Second Street. Inside the front cover there is a clipping pasted that provides the postage rates for that year.
Most of the notations detail the arrivals and departures of steamers to and from Sacramento and San Francisco that carried
mail packets to be distributed by Freeman and Co. Approximate transit times are given for trips carrying packages to and
from the Express office in Sacramento. Latham also notes many names of steamers that made the journey between San Francisco
and Sacramento. Sometimes he notes the names of the steamer captains and sometimes he notes the express rider/driver�s name.
Latham also gives brief weather details and sometimes notes events such as hangings, assaults on his person by customers,
and dollar amounts that were moved by Freeman and Company by way of steamship or express. Of interest is a small newspaper
clipping located between the pages with dates of September 22 an 27, 1851. On one side of the clipping is a poem entitled
WOMAN and on the other side is a bit of an article about a woman named Sarah Chesham convicted of poisoning her own children,
and attempting to poison other children as well, before being caught and convicted in 1851.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
the library's online public access catalog.
Pioneers -- California
Steamship mail
Steamship lines
Pony express stations -- California -- Sacramento
Latham Jr., William Boyd, 1822 -- 1910
Biographical File; Manuscripts included