Milton B. Stevens Correspondence: Finding Aid

Processed by Brooke M. Black, completed July 29, 1999; machine-readable finding aid created by Xiuzhi Zhou; supplementary encoding by Diann Benti in June 2017.

The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens

Manuscripts Department

The Huntington Library

1151 Oxford Road

San Marino, California 91108

Phone: (626) 405-2191

Email: reference@huntington.org

URL: http://www.huntington.org

Overview of the Collection

Title: Milton B. Stevens Correspondence

Dates (inclusive): 1849-1954

Bulk dates: 1849-1864

Collection Number: mssHM 59471-59532

Creator: Stevens, Milton B.

Extent: 62 items in 2 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 62 letters from twenty-six different authors in mining camps and cities throughout Northern California illustrating aspects of the Gold Rush experience, chiefly from 1849-1864.

Language: English.

Access

Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.

Administrative Information

Publication Rights

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.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item]. Milton B. Stevens Correspondence, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Provenance

Purchased at auction from Butterfield & Butterfield, Sale #6959Z, May 1999.

Biographical Note of Milton B. Stevens

Milton B. Stevens left his family and home in Shushan, New York to come to California on the ship Morrison, which departed from New York City on February 14, 1849. While in California, Stevens searched for gold at several mining towns throughout Northern California, including Salmon Falls, Pilot Hill, Oregon Bar, Independence, and Weber Creek. He left California and returned to New York in 1851. In 1852, he married Ann Maria Lyman of Salem, New York.

Scope and Content

This collection contains 62 letters from twenty-six different authors, including Milton B. Stevens, C. K. Dixon and Byron Whitcomb, in mining camps and cities throughout Northern California illustrating aspects of the Gold Rush experience, chiefly from 1849-1864.

Milton B. Stevens is the most prolific figure in this collection, as he wrote fifteen of the letters in the collection and was the addressee of twenty. There are, however, twenty-five other authors in these letters, including four women, two of them writing from California. Other significant authors in this collection are: Abbey Stevens (5 letters), Byron Whitcomb (7 letters), and C. K. Dixon (9 letters). The letters mention various mining camps throughout Northern California, such as Fosters Bar, Galena Hill, Murderers Bar, Pilot Hill, Salmon Falls, Weber Creek, and the Klamath River Valley mines. The letters illustrate several aspects of the Gold Rush experience: the journey to California through South America; life in California and the gold camps; gold discoveries, or the lack thereof; the techniques and equipment used in mining; loneliness and longing for home. The letters from Milton B. Stevens' mother tell of the experience of the miners' families back at home in the East. The letter dated 1954 was written by Stephen C. Lyon, who at one time owned the collection. Eighteen of the letters have handwritten or typed transcripts.

Indexing Subjects

Benicia (Calif.)

1858, June 4, Mary A. Gun letter to "Dear Friends." (HM 59523)

California--Politics/Elections

[1859 or 1860], July 10, Byron Whitcomb letter to J. Baker Whitcomb. (HM 59524)

Coyote Creek (Calif.)

1853, Mar. 26, Ceralem Mathers letter to Milton B. Stevens. (HM 59514 )

Galena Hill (Calif.)

[1859 or 1860], July 10, Byron Whitcomb letter to J. Baker Whitcomb. (HM 59524 )

Mining Corporations

1851, June 1, Andrew Wampler letter to "Sir." (HM 59499)

Monterey (Calif.)

[1850], C. K. Dixon letter to Elizabeth Dixon. (HM 59487)

Panama (Panama)

1851, Apr. 29, C. R. Hawley letter to Milton B. Stevens. (HM 59496)

Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)

1849, May 4, Milton B. Stevens letter to Abbey Stevens. (HM 59473)

Sacramento (Calif.)

1852, Mar. 15, Henry A. Sharp letter to Milton B. Stevens. (HM 59510 )

Salmon Falls (Calif.)

1850, Feb. 3, Milton B. Stevens letter to Abbey Stevens. (HM 59475)

San Francisco (Calif.)

1851, Nov. 28, Milton B. Stevens letter to Abbey Stevens. (HM 59508)

Stockton (Calif.)

1856, Mar. 9, S. L. Grow letter to "Friend Bryant." (HM 59519)

Violence in the Mines -

1851, Feb. 23, Henry A. Sharp letter to Milton B. Stevens. (HM 59490)
1851, Apr. 20-23, Milton B. Stevens letter to Abbey Stevens. (HM 59494)
1851, June 1, Andrew Wampler letter to "Sir." (HM 59499)
[1859 or 1860], Dec. 22, Byron Whitcomb letter to J. Baker Whitcomb. (HM 59525)
1860, June 5, William Loutenheiser to "Dear Sir." (HM 59528 )

Voyages to the Pacific Coast -

1849, Jan., Milton B. Stevens letter to Abbey Stevens. (HM 59472)
1849, Mar. 14, Milton B. Stevens letter to Abbey Stevens. (HM 59473)
1853, May 8, G. W. Warner letter to Milton B. Stevens. (HM 59515)

Weber Creek (Calif.)

1853, Mar. 13, Alexander King letter to Milton B. Stevens. (HM 59513)

Women in California

1858, June 4, Mary A. Gun letter to "Dear Friends." (HM 59523)

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Huntington Library's Online Catalog.

Subjects

Stevens, Milton B.

Frontier and pioneer life -- California.

Gold dredging -- California.

Gold miners -- California -- Correspondence.

Gold mines and mining -- California.

Mines and mineral resources -- California.

Mining camps -- California.

Mining corporations -- California.

Voyages to the Pacific coast.

Women -- California.

Benicia (Calif.) -- History -- 19th century -- Sources.

California -- Description and travel.

California -- Gold discoveries -- Personal narratives.

Klamath River Valley (Or. and Calif.) -- History -- 19th century -- Sources.

Panama (Panama) -- Description and travel.

Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) -- Description and travel.

Sacramento (Calif.) -- History -- 19th century -- Sources.

San Francisco (Calif.) -- History -- 19th century -- Sources.

San Jose (Calif.) -- History -- 19th century -- Sources.

Shushan (N.Y.) -- History -- 19th century -- Sources.

Stockton (Calif.) -- History -- 19th century -- Sources.

Forms/Genres

Letters (correspondence) California.

Alternate Authors

Dixon, C. K.

Whitcomb, Byron.

Box 1

1849-1850

Milton B. Stevens. To Abbey Stevens. New York, New York 1849, Jan. HM 59471

Milton B. Stevens. To Abbey Stevens. On board Morrison HM 59472 1849, Mar. 14.

Milton B. Stevens. To Abbey Stevens. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 1849, May 4. HM 59473

Milton B. Stevens. To Abbey Stevens. Salmon Falls, Calif. 1849, Dec. 9. HM 59474

Milton B. Stevens. To Abbey Stevens. Pilot Hill, Calif. 1850, Feb. 3. HM 59475

Milton B. Stevens. To Abbey Stevens. Oregon Bar, Calif. 1850, Mar. 14-15. HM 59476

Henry A. Stevens. To Milton B. Stevens. Richmond, Va. 1850, Apr. 10. HM 59477

C. K. Dixon. To Elizabeth Dixon. Calif. 1850, Apr. 12-15. HM 59478

Milton B. Stevens. To Abbey Stevens. Independence, Calif. 1850, July 22. HM 59479

C. K. Dixon. To Elizabeth Dixon. Long's Bar, Calif. 1850, Oct. 15. HM 59480

C. K. Dixon. To Elizabeth Dixon. San Francisco, Calif. 1850, Oct. 30. HM 59481

C. K. Dixon. To Elizabeth Dixon. San Francisco, Calif. 1850, Nov. 21. HM 59482

Abbey Stevens. To Milton B. Stevens. Shushan, New York. 1850, Dec. 25. HM 59483

C. K. Dixon. To Elizabeth Dixon. Calif. 1850. HM 59484

C. K. Dixon. To Elizabeth Dixon. Calif. 1850. HM 59485

C. K. Dixon. To Elizabeth Dixon. Calif. 1850. HM 59486

C. K. Dixon. To Elizabeth Dixon. Calif. 1850. HM 59487

Box 2

1851-1864, 1954

Abbey Stevens. To Milton B. Stevens. Shushan, New York 1851, Feb. 5. HM 59488

C. K. Dixon. To Elizabeth Dixon. San Francisco, Calif. 1851, Feb. 9-14. HM 59489

Henry A. Sharp. To Milton B. Stevens. San Francisco, Calif. 1851, Feb. 23. HM 59490

Milton B. Stevens. To Abbey Stevens. San Jose, Calif. 1851, Feb. 23. HM 59491

George W. McLean. To Milton B. Stevens. Shushan, New York. 1851, Mar. 4. HM 59492

Abbey Stevens. To Milton B. Stevens. Shushan, New York. 1851, Apr. 17. HM 59493

Abbey Stevens. To Milton B. Stevens. Weber Creek, Calif. 1851, Apr. 20-23. HM 59494

Abbey Stevens. To Milton B. Stevens. Shushan, New York. 1851, Apr. 23. HM 59495

C. R. Hawley. To Milton B. Stevens. Cambridge, Mass. 1851, Apr. 29. HM 59496

Abbey Stevens. To Milton B. Stevens. Shushan, New York. 1851, May 8. HM 59497

Milton B. Stevens. To Abbey Stevens. Weber Creek, Calif. 1851, May 18. HM 59498

Andrew Wampler. To "Sir". Murderers Bar, Calif. 1851, June 1. HM 59499

Milton B. Stevens. To Abbey Stevens. Weber Creek, Calif. 1851, June 7-13. HM 59500

----- Judson. To Abbey Stevens. Shushan, New York. 1851, July 9. HM 59501

Milton B. Stevens. To Abbey Stevens. Salmon Falls, Calif. 1851, July 20. HM 59502

G. W. Warner. To Milton B. Stevens. San Jose, Calif. 1851, July 29. HM 59503

Milton B. Stevens. To Abbey Stevens. Salmon Falls, Calif. 1851, Aug. 10. HM 59504

G. W. Warner. To Milton B. Stevens. San Jose, Calif. 1851, Sep. 8. HM 59505

G. W. Warner. To Milton B. Stevens. San Jose, Calif. 1851, Sep. 21. HM 59506

Milton B. Stevens. To Abbey Stevens. Salmon Falls, Calif. 1851, Nov. 23. HM 59507

Milton B. Stevens. To Abbey Stevens. San Francisco, Calif. 1851, Nov. 28. HM 59508

Winthrop Morse. Marriage Certificate. Shushan, New York. 1852, Feb. 24. HM 59509

Henry A. Sharp. To Milton B. Stevens. San Francisco, Calif. 1852, Mar. 15. HM 59510

William H. Mintzer. To "Dear Sir". Sonora, Calif. 1852, Apr. 30. HM 59511

Alexander King. To Milton B. Stevens. Copetown, Ontario, Canada. 1853, Feb. HM 59512

Alexander King. To Milton B. Stevens. Copetown, Ontario, Canada. 1853, Mar. 13. HM 59513

Ceralem Mathers. To Milton B. Stevens. San Jose, Calif. 1853, Mar. 26. HM 59514

G. W. Warner. To Milton B. Stevens. San Jose, Calif. 1853, May 8. HM 59515

Elizabeth Dixon. To Danforth "Danny" Dixon. Clayton, Wis. 1854, Aug. 6. HM 59516

John Hurley. To Milton B. Stevens. Keystone Ranch, Calif. 1854, Oct. 24. HM 59517

A. Lytte. To Milton B. Stevens. Salem, New York. 1855, Mar. 7. HM 59518

S. L. Grow. To "Friend Bryant". Stockton, Calif. 1856, Mar. 9. HM 59519

J. C. Stevens. To Milton B. Stevens. Clifton, New York. 1856, Apr. HM 59520

Byron Whitcomb. To Lucy Jane Whitcomb. Fosters Bar, Calif. [between 1856 and 1859]. HM 59521

Byron Whitcomb. To H. H. Whitcomb. Fosters Bar, Calif. [between 1856 and 1859]. HM 59522

Mary A. Gun. To "Dear Friends". Benicia, Calif. 1858, June 4. HM 59523

Byron Whitcomb. To J. Baker Whitcomb. Fosters Bar, Calif. [1859 or 1860], July 10. HM 59524

Byron Whitcomb. To J. Baker Whitcomb. Fosters Bar, Calif. [1859 or 1860], Dec. 22. HM 59525

Byron Whitcomb. To Lucy Jane Whitcomb. Fosters Bar, Calif. [1859 or 1860], Dec. 22. HM 59526

Byron Whitcomb. To J. Baker Whitcomb. Fosters Bar, Calif. [1859 or 1860]. HM 59527

William Loutenheiser. To "Dr Sir". Grass Valley, Calif. 1860, June 5. HM 59528

Byron Whitcomb and Eliza Whitcomb. To "Father & Mother". Fosters Bar, Calif. [1862], Feb. 12. HM 59529

J. Baker Whitcomb. To "Dear Sister". Fosters Bar, Calif. 1863, July 29. HM 59530

J. W. Eggleston. To George W. Chaplin. Junction Mill, Calif. HM 59531 1864, Jan. 28.

Stephen C. Lyon. To George N. Ponnay. Providence, Rhode Island 1954, Jan. 29. HM 59532