Documenting educational and commercial life in California in the 1820s and 1830s, the collection consists of a treatise on algebra (183?), Tratado sobre el Algebra, written by P. Nicholson and translated into Spanish by Hartnell; and a daybook (1823-1827) and account book (1815-1816, 1826-1828), maintained by Hartnell, containing financial accounts for various missions, government offices, commercial houses, ships, and individuals with whom Hartnell conducted business in California.

Born in England in 1798, William Edward Petty Hartnell, also known as Guillermo Eduardo Hartnell, came to California in 1822 after spending several years in South America in the employ of Lima's John Begg and Co. Beginning in 1823, Hartnell, with his partner Hugh McCulloch, conducted an extensive trade with the California missions, exchanging hides and tallow, foodstuffs, and other goods. Hartnell converted to Catholicism in 1824, married María Teresa de la Guerra in 1825, and became a Mexican citizen in 1830. In 1834, Hartnell was granted the Alisal Ranch near Monterey, where he founded a school, the Casa de Educacion y Pupilage, which would be attended by his children and other students. He also held offices under the Mexican and United States governments of California, serving as visitador-general of missions (1839-1840), and official interpreter for United States (1847-1850). Hartnell died in 1854.

1 oversize volume, 2 volumes in slipcases

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Collection is open for research.