Collection Summary
Information for Researchers
Administrative Information
Biographical Information
Scope and Content of Collection
Collection Summary
Collection Title: Marsh family papers
Date (inclusive): 1815-1960
Collection Number: BANC MSS C-B 879
Extent:
Number of containers: 6 boxes, 1 volume
Linear feet: 2.5
3 digital objects (8 images)
Repository: The Bancroft Library.
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-6000
Phone: (510) 642-6481
Fax: (510) 642-7589
Email: bancref@library.berkeley.edu
URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/
Abstract: The Marsh family papers, 1815-1960, reflect the life of California pioneer John Marsh and his wife, Abigail Smith Tuck Marsh;
their daughter, Alice Marsh Cameron; her husband, William Walker Cameron (also referred to as Camron); and their daughter,
Amy Gertrude Cameron; as well as other Marsh and Tuck family members. The collection contains correspondence with prominent
figures in California history, including John Augustus Sutter, Charles David Maria Weber, and Thomas Oliver Larkin; writings;
materials relating to family genealogies; notes on family histories; scrapbooks; diaries; legal documents; and newspaper clippings.
Languages Represented: Collection materials are in English
Physical Location: Many of the Bancroft Library collections are stored offsite and advance notice may be required for use. For current information
on the location of these materials, please consult the Librarys online catalog.
Information for Researchers
Access
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the Head
of Public Services, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, 94720-6000. Consent is given on behalf of The
Bancroft Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission from the copyright
owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright owner. See:
http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/reference/permissions.html.
Restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research
and educational purposes.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Marsh Family Papers, BANC MSS C-B 879, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley
Alternate Forms Available
Digital reproductions of selected items are available.
Related Collections
Marsh family papers : additions, ca. 1829-1874: BANC MSS 72/91c.
John Marsh family papers, 1832-1856: BANC MSS 73/202c.
Material relating to John Marsh: BANC MSS C-R 65.
Separated Material
Photographs have been transferred to the Pictorial Collections of The Bancroft Library. One carton of Indian baskets have
been transferred to the Anthropology museum.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog
Cameron family
Tuck family
Women--California
California--History
Diaries.
Family papers.
Scrapbooks.
Administrative Information
Acquisition Information
The Marsh Family Papers were given to The Bancroft Library by Amy Gertrude Cameron on April 1963 and Mrs. Dorothy V. Lyman
on June 1965.
Accruals
No additions are expected.
System of Arrangement
Arranged to the folder level.
Processing Information
Processed by Janice Otani in 2008.
Biographical Information
John Marsh
John Marsh was born in South Danvers, Massachusetts in 1799. Following his graduation from Harvard University in 1823, Marsh
moved to the Michigan Territory, where he studied medicine with a post doctor at Fort Snelling. He became an avid supporter
of the Sioux during tribal difficulties and compiled the first dictionary of the Sioux language in 1831, with the help of
his common law wife, Marguerite, who was half French and half Wahpeton. Marsh left her behind with their son, Charles, and
eventually moved to Independence, Missouri, where he met Captain John Augustus Sutter, John Bartleson, and other prominent
pioneers. Marsh decided to go westward to California. Without much money, he arrived in Los Angeles, where he set up a practice
as a doctor, displaying his Harvard B.A. diploma, thus becoming Californias first Anglo American doctor. There was great demand
for his services and he collected fees mainly in the form of livestock, which he could sell for gold.
Marsh decided to head north and purchased a ranch in the San Joaquin Valley, at the base of Mt. Diablo (in modern-day Brentwood,
Contra Costa County). He wrote numerous letters to family and friends, some of which were published in local newspapers, giving
accounts of the future of California and concerns of life on the frontier. He continued his medical practice, became wealthy,
and married Abigail Smith Tuck in 1851. When their daughter, Alice, was born Marsh set out to build a great stone house for
his family. Abigail died before the house was completed. Marsh moved into the stone house three weeks before he was murdered
by vaqueros from his ranch on September 24, 1856.
Abigail Smith Tuck Marsh
Abigail Smith Tuck Marsh was born in Massachusetts in 1818. She taught school in Raleigh, North Carolina before she moved
to California, where she also was a teacher in Santa Clara. She and John Marsh were married in 1851 and their daughter, Alice,
was born in 1852. After a long illness, Abigail Marsh died in 1855.
Alice Marsh Cameron
Abigail Smith Tuck Marsh was born in Massachusetts in 1818. She taught school in Raleigh, North Carolina before she moved
to California, where she also was a teacher in Santa Clara. She and John Marsh were married in 1851 and their daughter, Alice,
was born in 1852. After a long illness, Abigail Marsh died in 1855.
William Walker Cameron
William Walker Cameron was born in Iowa in 1843 and was orphaned at the age of eleven. He was raised in California by his
uncle and eventually became a real estate dealer, landowner, and politician. He married Alice Frances Marsh in 1871. After
their daughter, Amy Gertrude, was born in 1872, Cameron built a mansion, now known as Camron-Stanford House, on Lake Merritt
in Oakland. He later married Viola J. Babcock in 1877 and resumed his political career in the State Legislature. William Walker
died in Palo Alto in 1912 after a long illness.
Amy Gertrude Cameron
Amy Gertrude Cameron was born in Martinez, California in 1872. Her father and mother were William Walker and Alice Marsh Cameron.
Her grandfather was John Marsh. She lived in Oakland for a brief time and when her parents separated, she moved to Santa Barbara
with her mother.
Scope and Content of Collection
The Marsh family papers, 1815-1960, reflect the life of California pioneer John Marsh and his wife, Abigail Smith Tuck Marsh;
their daughter, Alice Marsh Cameron; her husband, William Walker Cameron (also referred to as Camron); and their daughter,
Amy Gertrude Cameron; as well as other Marsh and Tuck family members. The collection contains correspondence with prominent
figures in California history, including John Augustus Sutter, Charles David Maria Weber, and Thomas Oliver Larkin; writings;
materials relating to family genealogies; notes on family histories; scrapbooks; diaries; legal documents; and newspaper clippings.
John Marsh's papers, most significantly his correspondence and writings, provide descriptive accounts of early life in Northern
California and such issues as annexation of California to the United States, livestock ranching, railroad and militia projects,
and Indian relations. His papers also include family correspondence, Marshs student notebooks from various Massachusetts academies,
and information regarding the Stone House he built in Contra Costa County.
Correspondence includes originals, typed transcripts from the California State Library, handwritten transcripts, and Photostat
copies. Some of the correspondence was donated by Mrs. David Potter, Mrs. George Lyman, donated correspondence, along with
George D. Lymans research materials for his book,
John Marsh, Pioneer: The Life Story of a Trail-Blazer on Six Frontiers (1931).
Correspondence of Abigail Smith Tuck Marsh is primarily with Tuck family members.
Alice Marsh Camerons papers contain correspondence with her family, friends, and contacts for research requests concerning
family histories. The bulk of materials include various handwritten drafts, including numerous transcriptions of letters and
articles written by her father, John Marsh; interviews with people who knew Marsh, and notes on his life in California. There
is also a handwritten draft and notes on the Tuck family history in America. Of particular interest is a cookbook/scrapbook,
dated 1870, consisting of recipes, newspaper articles, and handwritten notes. Also included in her papers are legal documents,
her wedding invitation, a European travel journal, diaries, and scrapbooks of newspaper clippings on various topics.
William Walker Camerons papers contain correspondence with his family, letters regarding the Marsh ranch and pardon of Marshs
murderer, and also a brief response from Leland Stanford to a request. Camerons papers also include his will, real estate
papers, and a membership certificate to the Free Masons of Oakland.
Amy Gertrude Camerons papers contain correspondence, mainly with the Marsh and Cameron families, her friends, and persons
regarding information on her familys history. Her handwritten drafts and transcriptions of Marshs letters and articles, typed
transcriptions from The Bancroft Library, and research notes show that she shared her mothers interest in writing about her
grandfather, John Marsh. There are also materials regarding the Cameron family history, including a scrapbook consisting of
genealogy information, photographs, and notes. Camerons papers also contain legal documents; the will and estate documents
of Viola J. Cameron, her step-mother; diaries; information on the family home in Oakland, California, materials relating to
a Harvard Club event commemorating John Marsh; book reviews of George D. Lymans book,
John Marsh, Pioneer; and miscellany
The other Marsh family members papers include materials relating to James Marsh (brother of John Marsh), George E. Marsh (brother
of John Marsh), and James M. Marsh (nephew of John Marsh), and Oliver C. Coffin.