Guide to the Wright & Kimbrough correspondence

Amanda Graham

Sacramento Room, Sacramento Public Library

828 I Street

Sacramento, CA 95814

Phone: (916) 264-2976

Fax: (916) 264-2884

Email: sacroom@saclibrary.org

URL: http://www.saclibrary.org

Guide to the Wright & Kimbrough correspondence

Collection number: MC 8

Sacramento Public Library

Sacramento Room

Sacramento, California

Processed by:: Amanda Graham
Date Completed:: 2011
Encoded by:: Amanda Graham

Descriptive Summary

Title: Wright & Kimbrough correspondence

Dates: 1902-1903

Collection number: MC 8

Creator: Wright & Kimbrough

Collection Size: .1 linear ft. 1 folder

Repository: Sacramento Public Library. Sacramento Room

Sacramento, California 95814

Abstract: In 1903, Cecelia Phelan, wife of prominent Sacramento physician Gregory Phelan, sold her 142-acre ranch off J Street in East Sacramento through Wright & Kimbrough. This collection is comprised of correspondence between Mrs. Phelan and her son, Louis Phelan, and Wright & Kimbrough concerning the sale of the J Street property, which would later become Tract 24.

Physical location: For current information on the location of these materials, please contact the Sacramento Room.

Languages: Languages represented in the collection: English

Access

Collection is open for research.

Publication Rights

Use of the described materials may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Sacramento Public Library 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.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Wright & Kimbrough correspondence, MC 8, Sacramento Room, Sacramento Public Library, Sacramento, California.

Historical Note

Dr. Gregory Phelan was a prominent physician in early Sacramento. He moved to the city in 1849, having graduated from Columbia College and medical school at the University of New York. Phelan rose to prominence quickly and was involved in numerous community organizations. He helped organize the first medical society in California and was selected as physician to the Cholera Hospital in 1850. From 1861 to 1869, Phelan served as City and County Physician of the County Hospital of Sacramento. Dr. Phelan and his wife Cecelia had nine children: Gregory, Cecelia, Angela, Agnes, Helena, Clara, Louis, Henry, and Joseph. In 1870, Phelan left Sacramento for Europe, returning in 1876 to settle in San Francisco. He sold off much of his Sacramento property in 1889 and transferred ownership of the "Phelan tract" to his wife. The 142-acre tract was located off of J Street in what is now East Sacramento. Dr. Phelan passed away in November 1902, and just prior to his death, Cecelia contacted Sacramento real estate company Wright & Kimbrough regarding the sale of the property.

Charles Wright and Howard Kimbrough began selling agricultural property in Sacramento in 1893 and later planned and plotted many residential tracts in the area. The Phelan land east of Sacramento was sold through Wright and Kimbrough in 1903 and then parceled out into residential lots as part of the Tract 24 development.

Scope and Content Note

This collection comprises one folder of correspondence from the Wright & Kimbrough real estate company, 1902-1903. The correspondence concerns the sale of Cecelia Phelan's J Street ranch through Wright & Kimbrough and includes handwritten letters from Cecelia and her son Louis Phelan and typewritten letters from Wright & Kimbrough. The letters discuss the sale of the property, including logistical matters concerning the release of the current tenant.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Real estate development--California--Sacramento

East Sacramento (Calif.)

Sacramento (Calif.)

Phelan, Gregory

Phelan, Cecelia

Wright & Kimbrough