Description
Consists of material removed from the time capsule placed under the Benjamin Franklin statue in Washington Square, San Francisco,
California, in 1879, to be opened in 1979. Contains personal business papers of Henry Daniel Cogswell, including indentures
and other papers concerning the proposed Cogswell Dental College, inventory of his property, copies of his will, papers concerning
his proposition to erect a drinking fountain and establish the Women's Pioneer Hotel, and other miscellaneous material; also
includes printed publications, consisting primarily of San Francisco Bay Area (with some New York) newspapers and periodicals,
along with almanacs, merchandise catalogs, business cards, advertisements, directories, pamphlets, Christian publications,
railroad timetables, business reports, ephemera, and books. Contributors include Sarah B. Cooper, John S. Hittell, Thomas
Harmonson Holt, and Charles Otto.
Background
Dr. Henry Daniel Cogswell, dentist and temperance advocate, was born in Tolland, Connecticut, on March 3, 1820. While working
in a series of New England cotton mills in his youth, he pursued his studies at night, and eventually became a teacher; after
one year, Cogswell began studying dentistry. He completed his dental training in the early 1840s and, after earlier attempts
in Providence and South Coventry, he eventually set up a practice in Pawtucket in 1847. In 1846, Cogswell married Caroline
E. Richards, daughter of Ruel Richards, a manufacturer in Providence.
Extent
4 boxes, 2 cartons, 1 oversize box
(5.0 linear feet)
Restrictions
Copyright has not been assigned to the California Historical Society. All requests for permission to publish or quote from
manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Research Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf
of the California Historical Society as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission
of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.
Availability
Collection is open for research.