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Louis Janin Papers: Finding Aid
mssJanin, Louis papers
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Title: Louis Janin Papers
Dates (inclusive): 1859-1914
Bulk dates: 1859-1894
Collection Number: mssJanin, Louis papers
Creator:
Janin, Louis, 1837-1914.
Extent:
Approximately 162 pieces in 3 boxes.
Repository:
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.
Manuscripts Department
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2129
Email: reference@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org
Abstract: This collection contains the papers of American mining engineer Louis Janin (1837-1914), chiefly consisting of correspondence,
primarily from the Concepcion
Mining & Milling Co. for the years 1887 through 1889, and 47 notebooks and pocket diaries kept by Janin between 1859 and 1889
containing financial
accounts and mining survey notes and experimental data.
Language: English.
Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services
Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to
quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such
activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is
one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
[Identification of item]. Louis Janin Papers, The Huntington Library, San
Marino, California.
Gift of Mrs. Elliot Evans, September 24, 1984.
Mining engineer Louis Janin (Nov. 7, 1837-March 6, 1914), one of three sons in a New Orleans family who followed the profession
of mining engineer, figured prominently in Western mining for nearly sixty years.
Educated at Yale and then at the Freiberg Mining Academy, Janin began his career out West in 1861, shortly after his return
from Europe. He made his first mark on the profession in the early 1860s
on the Comstock Lode, where he applied his scientific training to improving the extraction of silver from formerly-discarded
tailings. In subsequent years, first in the employ of others and later in
his own practice, he obtained experience on mining fields all over the Far West. Having established a considerable reputation
as a consulting engineer for accuracy and discriminating judgment,
Janin acquired a growing list of clients including investors in Mexican properties and, in 1873, the Japanese government.
His many skills and the breadth of his experience particularly attracted
litigants in mining suits, who regularly employed Janin to ascertain the facts of the matter or provide corroborative testimony.
Although afflicted in later life with a variety of ailments, Janin
carried on with his work for some years and attained the profound respect of his peers. The three sons of his marriage to
Elizabeth Marshall, Louis, Jr., Eugene, and Charles, chose their father's
profession, carrying on the distinguished family name with their own careers.
This collection contains the papers of American mining engineer Louis Janin (1837-1914), chiefly consisting of correspondence,
primarily from the Concepcion
Mining & Milling Co. for the years 1887 through 1889, and 47 notebooks and pocket diaries kept by Janin between 1859 and 1889
containing financial
accounts, addresses, memoranda, experimental data, and rough notes for mining surveys. The collection also includes
two letterbooks containing press copies of Janin's business and personal correspondence between 1878 and 1894, and several
property appraisals authored by Janin in the 1870s.
Subject matter includes: Freiberg Mining Academy (1859-1860), mining and milling techniques, mining operations in the trans-Mississippi
West (1861-1889), in Japan (1872-1873) and in Mexico
(1876-1879, 1880, 1887-1889), Louis Janin's business and financial affairs, Janin family matters including Santa Ynez (Calif.)
ranch
Items of special interest include: three school notebooks from Janin's attendance at the Freiberg Mining Academy (1859-1860)
(Box 1, notebooks 1-3); notebooks from his consulting work in Japan (1872-1873)(Box 2, notebooks 19-21) and
in Mexico (1876-1879, 1880) (Box 3, notebooks 30, 40); notebooks containing testimony given in a mining debris suit (1878)
and Bulwer v. Standard (1889) (Box 3, notebooks 31 and 47); and correspondence between
Janin and the Concepcion Mining and Milling Co. concerning company finances and field operations in Mexico (1887-1889) (Box
1, folder 1 and letterbook 2).
Related Materials in the Huntington Library
- Charles Henry Janin Papers, 1858-1937 (Call number: mssJanin, Charles)
- Louis Janin papers (Addenda), 1863-1895. (Call number: mssHM 64294-64311 )
- Janin family papers, 1735-1932. (Call number: mssJanin family)
The collection is arranged in three boxes
Box 1: Correspondence, documents, letterbooks, and notebooks 1-9
Box 2: Notebooks 10-24
Box 3: Notebooks 25-47
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
Huntington Library's Online Catalog.
Janin, Louis, 1837-1914 -- Archives.
Concepcion Mining and Milling Co.
Königliche Bergakademie (Freiberg, Germany)
Mines and mineral resources -- California.
Mines and mineral resources -- Japan.
Mines and mineral resources -- Mexico.
Mines and mineral resources -- Nevada.
Mines and mineral resources -- West (U.S.)
Mining engineering -- History -- 19th century -- Sources.
Mining engineers -- Archives.
Santa Ynez (Calif.) -- History.
Santa Ynez River Valley (Calif.) -- History.
Letter books -- West (U.S.)
Letters (correspondence)
Notebooks -- West (U.S.)
Technical reports -- West (U.S.)
Concepcion Mining and Milling Co.