Stoneman Family Papers, 1891-1920

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Summary

Creators:
Stoneman Family
Abstract:
This small collection contains papers of the family of American Civil War Major General George Stoneman (1822-1894), dating from 1891 to 1920, including legal agreements; estate and financial records; correspondence, chiefly penned after Stoneman's death and directed to his estate administrator; and some ephemera. Notable participants include William B. Allison, Thomas Updegraff, and the United States Army.
Extent:
72 items in 1 box
Language:
The records are in English .

Background

Scope and content:

This small collection contains papers of the family of American Civil War Major General George Stoneman (1822-1894), dating from 1891 to 1920, including legal agreements; estate and and financial records; correspondence, chiefly penned after Stoneman's death and directed to his estate administrator; and some ephemera. Notable participants include William B. Allison, Thomas Updegraff, and the United States Army.

The papers consist of the following series:

  1. The chronologically-arranged documents reveal the range of legal, financial, and estate-related transactions initiated by or concerning the Stoneman Family and their associates. Included in this series are legal agreements, banking statements, inventories of the Stoneman’s estate, and general financial records.
  2. The chronologically-arranged correspondence includes personal and business letters to and by the Stoneman Family members and their associates. Two letters dated January 1889 were written by General George Stoneman while he was still living in Los Angeles. Most of the letters were penned after the generals’ death in September 1894, and directed to John T. Stoneman, administrator of his brother’s estate.
  3. Finally, ephemera are subdivided into two sections: newspaper clippings and miscellaneous. The first subdivision includes 15 obituaries and accounts of the funeral of George Stoneman, all of which were reported in Buffalo, NY newspapers. The second subdivision contains one invoice to A. Chapin to pay E. Stow, signed by James Crawford and dated Jan. 19, 1891; one postcard dated Dec. 13, 1919 and addressed to Asahel Chapin; a typewritten postcard addressed to A. Chapin from L. Ernest Thornton, Deputy Secretary of State of Maine, and dated Jan. 5, 1920; the stamped face of a mutilated envelope addressed to A. Chapin from the District Court of Elkader, Iowa, and postmarked Apr. 13, 1894; one letter-sized envelope addressed to Florence S. Chapin of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and three oversized, fragile envelopes that originally housed the papers of this collection.
Biographical / historical:

Although best known for his service in the Union cavalry during the Civil War, Major General George Stoneman (1822-1894) extended his career into civil and political spheres after the war. Near the end of the conflict, he married Mary Oliver Hardisty of Baltimore, Maryland, with whom he eventually had four children: George J., Adele, Katherine, and Cornelius. After poor health forced him to resign as commander of the Department of Arizona in 1871, Stoneman relocated with his family to the "Los Robles" estate in the greater Los Angeles area. His political career in California began with his appointment as Railroad Commissioner in 1879, and culminated in his tenure as the state’s Democratic governor from 1883 to 1887. Domestic, health, and financial troubles vexed Stoneman by the end of this governorship, apparently compelling him to seek respite in his native New York circa 1892. While staying with his sister, Charlotte S. Williams, wife of New York Senator Benjamin H. Williams, his health continued to worsen, precluding his return to California. He suffered a stroke in April 1894 from which he was unable to recover. Stoneman died in Buffalo, NY on September 5, 1894 and was interred at Bentley Cemetery in Lakewood, NY. His brother, John T. Stoneman, assumed the role of administrator of the ex-general’s estate from the time of Stoneman’s death to 1897.

Acquisition information:
Purchased from Henry Carter, April 1969.
Arrangement:

The collection is arranged chronologically.

Rules or conventions:
Finding Aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

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

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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