The Naglee family collection, the gift of Mrs. Marie R. Robins, Naglee's daughter, and Mrs. Antoinette N. Spruyt, his grand-daughter, in December 1960 and August 22, 1961, contains originals, some photocopy and a partial typed transcript of correspondence and papers of the Naglee and Ringgold families. There is personal and official correspondence to and from Naglee from 1845 until 1885 shortly before his death; a diary of the trip on the Susan Drew around the Horn to San Francisco; field notes of excursions in California during the Mexican War; military orders, sketch maps, clippings, some printed items, a few photographs; material concerning the General's activities in the Civil War; deeds for property in California, especially relating to Rancho El Pescadero and Rancho Los Coches; correspondence and papers pertaining to the Naglee Brandy and its sales in the East. Later correspondence and papers, 1907-1923, relate to the disposal of the Naglee Estate. There is also a file of correspondence of Mrs. Spruyt aided by her research assistant, William Tyler Arms, with various persons and institutions requesting information pertinent to the collection; a file of notes and a partial card index.

Henry Morris Naglee, born of a prominent Philadelphia family in 1815, graduated from West Point in 1835. He resigned his commission in 1836 to become a civil engineer in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Virginia. With the advent of the Mexican War he enlisted in 1846 in the New York Volunteers, Stevenson's Brigade, where he held the rank of Captain. He came to California, around the Horn, on the Susan Drew, arriving in San Francisco in March 1847. General Kearney then gave him a detached mounted command, joining a company of Californians to his company of volunteers, with orders to clear the country of Indians. This was accomplished after several expeditions. He was also ordered to help Padre Real eject squatters in and around the San Jose Mission. Naglee's base of operations was in Monterey. Here he made friends with several of the local families and participated in the town's social life. Under Colonel Mason's command he was sent to Baja California to reinforce Burton's troops besieged by the Mexicans and the Yaqui Indians at La Paz. He led a victorious battle at Todos Santos, March 30, 1848, and cleared the Peninsula. He was about to be court-martialled for the shooting of two Yaqui Indians when the war ended and the matter was dropped.

Number of containers: 33 boxes, 6 volumes, 2 oversize folders

Copyright has not been assigned to The Bancroft Library. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Public Services. Permission for publication is given on behalf of The Bancroft 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.

Collection is open for research.