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Muir Family Papers: Finding
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mssHM 57349-57497
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Title: Muir Family Papers
Dates (inclusive): 1860-1906
Collection Number: mssHM 57349-57497
Creator:
Muir (Family)
Extent:
155 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 correspondence and some ephemera of the family of naturalist John Muir (1838-1914).
The correspondence largely deals with family affairs dating between the early 1860s to early 1900s. Many of the letters mention
John and his activities at different points in his life.
Language: English.
Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader
Services.
Restrictions: Researchers wanting permission to quote
from or to reproduce any of the John Muir letters in this collection must contact the
Muir-Hanna Trust, via the University of the Pacific, to inquire about possible
restrictions on the John Muir material.
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]. Muir Family Papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Gift of John C. Bell, September 1987.
John Muir's family immigrated to the United States from Scotland in 1849, when he was
eleven years old. The Muir family made their home on a farm near Portage, Wisconsin. Muir
(1838-1914), after attending the University of Wisconsin, traveled around the United
States for several years. He came to California in 1868, where he became a naturalist and
an avid supporter of the Yosemite Valley, helping to establish Yosemite National Park in
1890. He wrote numerous articles and books concerning the environment and the importance
of nature. Daniel H. Muir, Jr. (1843-1923), the recipient of the letters, and the younger
brother of John Muir, became a medical doctor in 1870, and married Emma Kinaston in 1872.
This collection contains correspondence
and ephemera from John Muir and his family. The family members represented in the
collection are John Muir, his parents, his seven siblings, two of his sisters-in-law and
two of his nieces. The letters largely deal with family affairs, and give a detailed
account of the family's daily life. Many of the letters mention John and his activities
at different points in his life. They often discuss Muir's location, his publications and
the family's trips to California to see him, his wife Louie, and their two daughters,
Wanda and Helen. Several of John Muir's letters are written from Yosemite Valley; these letters give detailed
accounts of Muir's activities at Yosemite as well as physical descriptions of the valley.
Correspondence: All but one letter (John Muir to Anne Gilrye Muir, HM 57467) are
addressed to Daniel H. Muir Jr., or his wife Emma Kinaston Muir (eleven letters are
addressed to Daniel H. Muir, Jr. and Emma Kinaston Muir). One-third of the letters are
written by John Muir's mother Anne Gilrye Muir. One letter is written by E. C. Love, a
friend of the Muir family. The correspondence includes the following members of the Muir
family (list shows relation to John Muir and number of items written by each family
member): Joanna Muir Brown, sister (6); Anna G. Galloway, niece (1); Sarah Muir Galloway,
sister (16); Mary Muir Hand, sister (7); Anna Muir, sister (4); Anne Gilrye Muir, mother
(68); Daniel Muir, father (6); Daniel H. Muir, Jr., brother (1); David G. Muir, brother
(9); John Muir (28); Katie Muir, sister-in-law (1); Margaret Muir Reid, sister (1); and
Anna Reid Waterman, niece (1).
Ephemera: The ephemera consists of six folders and contains calling cards, a Christmas
card, envelopes, wedding invitations, mementos from John Muir, and miscellaneous printed
ephemera, including newspaper clippings.
Correspondence arranged alphabetically by author, followed by ephemera at the end of Box 3.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
Huntington Library's Online Catalog.
Muir family.
Muir, John, 1838-1914.
Conservationists -- California -- Correspondence.
Naturalists -- California -- Correspondence.
Letters (correspondence) -- California.
Brown, Joanna Muir.
Galloway, Anna G.
Galloway, Sarah Muir.
Hand, Mary Muir.
Muir, Anna.
Muir, Anne Gilrye.
Muir, Daniel.
Muir, Daniel H., Jr.
Muir, David G.
Muir, John, 1838-1914.
Muir, Katie.
Reid, Margaret Muir.
Waterman, Anna Reid.
Agassiz, Louis, 1807-1873.
- Subject in John Muir, 1838-1914, letter (1872, Sep. 27) to Anne Gilrye Muir. HM 57467.
Sierra Club.
- Subject in Sarah Muir Galloway letter (1901, July 29) to Emma Kinaston Muir. HM 57368.
Yosemite Valley (Calif.)
- Subject in John Muir, 1838-1914, letter (1872, Sep. 27) to Anne Gilrye Muir. HM 57467.
- Subject in John Muir, 1838-1914, letter (1869, Dec. 3) to Daniel H. Muir, Jr. HM 57483.
- Subject in John Muir, 1838-1914, letter (1870, June 21) to Daniel H. Muir, Jr. HM 57486.
- Subject in John Muir, 1838-1914, letter (1870, Sep. 22) to Daniel H. Muir, Jr. HM 57487.