Marsh Family Papers, 1815-1960
Finding Aid written by Bancroft Library staff; revised by Janice Otani
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/
© 2007
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Marsh Family Papers, 1815-1960
Collection number: BANC MSS C-B 879
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/
- Finding Aid Author(s):
- Finding Aid written by Bancroft Library staff; revised by Janice Otani
- Finding Aid Encoded By:
- GenX
© 2016 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
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.
John Marsh
1815-1856 Series 1
Physical Description:
Box 1, Folders 1-51
Scope and Content Note
Contains correspondence; school journals and notebooks; writings, including drafts of articles to be published; materials
regarding the Stone House; documents; receipts; and miscellany.
Correspondence with family
box 1, folder 2
Marsh, John
1815,
1827,
1847
box 1, folder 3
Marsh, Mary (sister)
1838,
1844,
1849
box 1, folder 4
Tuck, Samuel (father-in-law)
1855-1856
Correspondence with others
box 1, folder 5
Barnett, William B. (addressed to Captain Sutter or Mr. Marsh)
1841 May 18
box 1, folder 6
Cass, Lewis, 1782-1866 (Governor of Michigan Territory)
1846 January 20
box 1, folder 7
Clark, William
1827 May 30
box 1, folder 8
Cooper, Juan Bautista Rogers, 1791-1872
1847 March 12
box 1, folder 9
Farnham, Thomas J.
1845 July 6, 1847 May 25
box 1, folder 10
Fitch, H.D.
1843 October 8
box 1, folder 11
Fravel, Ephraim
1844 June 21
box 1, folder 12
Gantt, John
1845 March-October, 1847 August 2
box 1, folder 13
Hastings, Lansford Warren, 1819-
1846 March 26
box 1, folder 14
Jones, Thomas Ap Catesby, 1790-1858 (Commodore)
circa 1842
box 1, folder 15
Langetroth, J. Alexander
1843 December 4
box 1, folder 16
Lataillade, Cesareo, 1818-1849
1842 August 22, 1843 September 29, November 19
box 1, folder 17
Larkin, Thomas Oliver, 1802-1856
1845 March-August
box 1, folder 18
Luis, Guillermo
1844 November 4
box 1, folder 19
McMahan, Samuel G.
1844 June 16
box 1, folder 20
MacTavish, Dugald
1846 May 8
box 1, folder 22
Martinez, Vicente
1845 November 3
box 1, folder 25
Pickering, Charles, 1805-1878
1841 October 29
box 1, folder 26
Pico, Pio, 1801-1894
1846 April 30
box 1, folder 27
Smithsonian Institution
1848 November 1
box 1, folder 28
Stearns, A.
1837 March 27
box 1, folder 29
Stribling, C.K.
1843 May 3
box 1, folder 30
Suñol, Antonio María, 1797-1865
1845 March, June
box 1, folder 31
Sutter, John Augustus, 1803-1880
1841 November, 1844-1846
box 1, folder 32
Tinslar, Benjamin R.
1841 May 28
box 1, folder 33
Weber, Charles David Maria, 1814-1881
1845-1846
box 1, folder 34
Wiatt, J.W.
1846 September 13
box 1, folder 35
Photostat of
Daily Argus newspaper page (1941) with letter from Marsh, regarding frontier life in California
1940 July 3
Drafts submitted for publication in
California Star
box 1, folder 36
Militia project
circa 1838
box 1, folder 37
Upper California (pen name, Essex)
1846 February
box 1, folder 38
Railroad project (pen name, Agricola)
1847 February
box 1, folder 39-40
Horse thieves (pen name, Agricola)
1847 March 28
box 1, folder 41
In the Valley of San Joaquin (pen name, Agricola)
1847
School course work from Massachusetts
box 1, folder 43
Journals from Danvers, Franklin Academy (Andover), and Lancaster Academy
1817 January-1818 December
box 1, folder 44
Math notebook from Franklin Academy (Andover)
circa 1817
box 1, folder 45
Compositions (Boxford, Massachusetts)
1818 June, July, 1821 April
box 1, folder 46
John Marsh Stone House, Contra Costa County
1856
box 1, folder 49
Proclamation, reward for capture of Marshs murderer
1956 October 13
box 1, folder 50
Mountain View Memorial Park, Oakland (burial site)
undated
box 1, folder 51
Receipts for payments of services and supplies
1842,
1852
box 1, folder 52
My Little Daughters Shoes, poem by Sprague
undated
Abigail Smith Tuck Marsh
1837-1855 Series 2
Physical Description:
Box 2, Folders 1-5
Scope and Content Note
Contains correspondence with Tuck family members.
Correspondence with family
box 2, folder 1
Tuck, Almira (sister)
1846-1847
box 2, folder 2
Tuck, Elizabeth A. (sister)
1845,
1848,
1851-1855
box 2, folder 3
Tuck, Samuel and Margaret Smith (father and mother)
1847-1855
box 2, folder 3
Letter from Abigail Smith Tuck Marsh to her parents, Samuel Tuck and Margaret Smith Tuck.
1853 April 18 BANC MSS C-B 879
Physical Description:
1 letter
Language of Material: English
Additional Note
This material was selectively digitized from a larger resource or collection.
box 2, folder 4
Tuck, Samuel (brother)
1847
box 2, folder 5
Wild, Zemas P. and Margaret Tuck (brother-in-law and sister)
1837-1855
box 2, folder 5
Letter from Abigail Smith Tuck Marsh to her sister and brother-in-law, Margaret Tuck Wild and Zemas Wild.
1851 July 14 BANC MSS C-B 879
Physical Description:
1 letter
Additional Note
This material was selectively digitized from a larger resource or collection.
box 2, folder 5
Letter from Abigail Smith Tuck Marsh to her sister and brother-in-law.
1852 August 29 BANC MSS C-B 879
Physical Description:
1 letter
Additional Note
This material was selectively digitized from a larger resource or collection.
Alice Marsh Cameron
1864-1927 Series 3
Physical Description:
Box 2, Folders 7-26; Box 3, Folders 1-9; Box 7, Folders 1-6; Volume 1
Scope and Content Note
Contains correspondence; writings, including various manuscript drafts on John Marsh, a draft on the Tuck family, notes; a
cookbook; journals; diaries; scrapbooks with newspaper clippings; and miscellany.
box 2, folder 7
Correspondence with family
1864,
1881,
1891-1913
Correspondence with others
box 2, folder 8
Appleton, John N.
1886 June 11
box 2, folder 9
The Bancroft Library: Morrison, George H.
undated
box 2, folder 10
Bidwell, John, 1819-1900
1890 December 7
box 2, folder 11
Crow (?), S.E.
1909,
1912
box 2, folder 12
De Golia, Nettie G.
1908,
1910
box 2, folder 13
Freitas, Ada M.
1916,
1922
box 2, folder 14
Smith, William W.
1876 April 13
Written drafts and related materials
box 2, folder 16
Life of Dr. John Marsh
undated
box 2, folder 17
A California Romance in Real Life: One Mans Life on the Frontier
undated
box 2, folder 18
A Pioneers Life in California
undated
box 2, folder 19
History of the Life of John Marsh (notebook with draft and notes)
undated
box 2, folder 20
Dr. John Marsh: The Pioneer Physician
undated
box 2, folder 21
The Doctor Marsh Story
undated
box 2, folder 22
Adobe House (sketch and background materials)
1897
box 2, folder 23
Interviews and information related to John Marsh
1886
box 2, folder 24-26
Notes and newspaper articles related to John Marsh
1892,
1901,
1909,
undated
box 3, folder 1-2
Tuck Family History in America (draft, background materials, and notes)
undated
box 3, folder 3
Travel journal of European trip
1878
box 6, folder 1-6
Daily notes
1886,
1890-1897
volume 1
Cookbook/scrapbook with recipes, newspaper clippings, and handwritten notes
1870
box 3, folder 6-7
Scrapbooks with newspaper articles related to wills and testaments, poultry raising, and miscellaneous topics
1879-1885,
1896
box 3, folder 9
Miscellany
1864,
1880,
1898
William Walker Cameron
1865-1912 Series 4
Physical Description:
Box 3, Folders 10-22
Scope and Content Note
Contains correspondence, will, real estate papers, and miscellany.
Correspondence with family
box 3, folder 10
Brown, Elam C. (cousin)
1890 September
box 3, folder 11
Cameron, Amy Gertrude (daughter)
1906,
1910-1912
box 3, folder 12
Cameron, Viola J. (second wife)
1897 April 27
box 3, folder 13
Emry, David F. (uncle)
1891 January
Correspondence with others
box 3, folder 16
Gardner, R.
1865 March 21
box 3, folder 17
Ivory, M.B.
1891 December 20
box 3, folder 18
Stanford, Leland, 1824-1893
1886 June 22
box 3, folder 19
Wittenmeyer, L.C.
1891 December 19
box 3, folder 21
Real estate papers
1890,
1895
box 3, folder 22
Membership certificate to the Free Masons (Oakland, California)
1894
box 3, folder 23
Receipt for diamond ring from Louis Braverman & Co. (San Francisco, California)
1888
Amy Gertrude Cameron
1817-1960 Series 5
Physical Description:
Box 4, Folders 1-35; Box 5, Folders 1-19; Box 7, Folders 7-8
Scope and Content Note
Contains correspondence, writings, journals, notes, book reviews, materials related to John Marsh commemorative event, legal
documents, and miscellany.
Correspondence with family
box 4, folder 1
Brown, Caroline Thelan (Cameron)
1913 December 22
box 4, folder 2
Brown, Elam C. (cousin)
1897,
1922
box 4, folder 3
Cameron, Viola (step-mother)
1947-1948
box 4, folder 4
Drake, Julia A. (cousin)
1948,
1956-1957
box 4, folder 7
Marsh, Ewing and Adelaide, Larry, and Philip
1946,
1955
box 4, folder 8
Marsh, John (father) and Abigail Smith Tuck (mother)
1881-1885,
1908-1912
box 4, folder 9
Soberanes, Irene Sewell (cousin)
1941,
1945-1958
box 4, folder 10
Wilds, A. Jennie
1912,
1930,
1935,
1940
box 4, folder 11
Miscellaneous
1929,
1943,
1960
Correspondence with others
box 4, folder 12
Appenzeller, Clara B.
1947-1952
box 4, folder 13
Appenzeller, Lena M.
1953-1955
box 4, folder 14
Armitage, Mabel Violet
1954,
1956-1957
box 4, folder 15
Atsatt, Rodney F.
1948,
1957-1958
box 4, folder 16
Cullimore, Clarence
1942,
1949
box 4, folder 17
Eisner, Milton D.
1942,
1951,
1954-1956
box 4, folder 18
Goodwin, J.A.
1901,
1907,
1917
box 4, folder 21-24
Kemper, Willard
1932-1936
box 4, folder 27
Lyman, George D., 1882-1949
1927-1948
box 4, folder 28
McGowan, Katherine
1933,
1940,
1942
box 4, folder 29
Miller, Ernest Lee
1908-1909,
1913
box 4, folder 30
Novack, Marilyn
1954-1955
box 4, folder 31
Peralta, Marie Louise
1904,
1914
box 4, folder 32
Stewart, Curtis H.
1934-1941,
1948,
1959
Materials related to John Marsh
box 5, folder 1
Handwritten transcripts of letters, articles, and daily diary
1817-1847
box 5, folder 2
Typescripts from The Bancroft Library
1939-1945
Materials related to the Cameron family history
box 5, folder 4
Genealogy information and notes
undated
box 5, folder 5
Scrapbook with biographical information, photographs, genealogy, newspaper clippings and notes
circa 1922
box 5, folder 6
Handwritten drafts and notes on various topics
undated
box 5, folder 7
Book reviews of
John Marsh: Pioneer by George D. Lyman
1930
The Harvard Club of San Francisco, commemorative ceremony
box 5, folder 8
Program and address by George D. Lyman
1934
box 5, folder 9
Newspaper clippings related to the Stone House in Contra Costa County, California
1934
box 5, folder 10-11
Legal documents, including will and estate papers
1938-1957
box 5, folder 12
Materials related to employment
1900
box 5, folder 13
Information related to the family home built by William Walker Cameron in Oakland, California
1950
box 5, folder 14
Hair salon business cards and advertisements
undated
box 5, folder 15
Native Daughters of the Golden West, Reina Del Mar Parlor invitations and program
1951-1952,
1956
box 5, folder 18-19
Miscellany
1897,
1900,
1921
Other Marsh family members: Marsh, James; Marsh, George E.; Marsh, James M.
1856-1860,
1912-1913 Series 6
Physical Description:
Box 5, Folders 20-24
Scope and Content Note
Contains correspondence and newspaper clippings.
box 5, folder 20
Marsh, James; correspondence
1856-1860
box 5, folder 21
Correspondence
1857 January-October
box 5, folder 22
Newspaper clippings regarding his murder
1912 April-August
box 5, folder 23
Marsh, James M.; newspaper clippings regarding his death
1913 July
box 5, folder 24
Coffin, Oliver C.; correspondence
1860 September
