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Guide to the Frank Roney Papers, 1870-1917 (bulk 1878-1886)
BANC MSS C-B 366  
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Collection Details
 
Table of contents What's This?
  • Collection Summary
  • Information for Researchers
  • Administrative Information
  • Biographical Chronology
  • Scope and Content of Collection

  • Collection Summary

    Collection Title: Frank Roney papers,
    Date (inclusive): 1870-1917
    Date (bulk): (bulk 1878-1886)
    Collection Number: BANC MSS C-B 366
    Creator: Roney, Frank, 1841-1925.
    Extent: Number of containers: 2 boxes Linear feet: 0.8
    Repository: The Bancroft Library
    Berkeley, California 94720-6000
    Abstract: Contains materials given by Frank Roney to Ira B. Cross to complete his book, History of the Labor Movement in California, including correspondence, writings, materials relating to Roney's activities with labor organizations in San Francisco, clippings and ephemera. Writings include Roney's diary when he first arrived in San Francisco, the manuscript of his autobiography Frank Roney: Irish Rebel and California Labor Leader, and drafts and articles about the labor movement including anti-Chinese sentiment.
    Physical Location: For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog
    Languages Represented: English

    Information for Researchers

    Access

    Collection is open for research.

    Publication Rights

    Copyright has not been assigned to The Bancroft Library. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Public Services. Permission for publication is given on behalf of The Bancroft Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.

    Preferred Citation

    [Identification of item], Frank Roney papers, BANC MSS C-B 366, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

    Related Collections

    Ira Cross: California Labor Notes, BANC MSS C-R 12
    Haskell Family Papers, BANC MSS C-B 364
    International Workingmen's Association Records, BANC MSS C-A 306

    Indexing Terms

    The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
    Roney, Frank, 1841-1925--Archives.
    Cross, Ira B. (Ira Brown), b. 1880. History of the labor movement in California.
    Federated Trades Council.
    Iron Molders' Union of North America.
    Knights of Labor.
    Representative Assembly of Trades and Labor Unions of the Pacific Coast.
    Workingmen's Party of California.
    Pacific Coast League of Deliverance.
    Iron Trades Council.
    Iron industry and trade--San Francisco (Calif.).
    Labor unions--California--San Francisco.
    Labor movement--California--San Francisco Bay Area--History.
    Chinese--Employment--California--San Francisco.
    Manuscripts for publication.
    Diaries.
    Autobiographies.
    Cross, Ira B. (Ira Brown), b. 1880.
    Roney, Frank, 1841-1925. Frank Roney: Irish rebel and California labor leader.

    Administrative Information

    Provenance

    The Frank Roney papers were removed from the Ira Cross: California Labor Notes collection (BANC MSS C-R 12), which were given to The Bancroft Library by Ira B. Cross in 1933.

    Biographical Chronology

    Frank Roney

    1841 Born in Belfast, Ireland on August 13th
    1875 Settled in San Francisco, California in April
    1877 The Workingmen's Party of California is formed
    1878 Served as chairman of the executive committee of the Workingmen's Party of California
    1880 Served as president of the Seamen's Protective Association
    1882 Arrested for anti-Chinese propaganda activity for the League of Deliverance. Roney was tried and declared not guilty for misdemeanor charges in San Francisco on July 25th.
      Served as president of the Representative Assembly of Trades and Labor Unions of the Pacific Coast
    1885 The Representative Council of the Iron Trades is formed. Roney was the organization's secretary in 1885 and president in 1886
    ca. 1906 Met historian Ira B. Cross and began giving him assistance in writing his book, History of the Labor Movement in California.
    1915 Completed his autobiography. Published in 1931, as Frank Roney: Irish Rebel and California Labor Leader.
    1925 Died in Long Beach, California on January 24th

    Scope and Content of Collection

    The Frank Roney Papers, 1870-1917, consist of a selection of correspondence and writings given to Ira B. Cross to complete his book History of the Labor Movement in California. A substantial amount of this collection is material devoted to Roney's activities with various labor organizations in San Francisco. This material contains union meeting reports and printed circulars. There are also documents regarding a strike of San Francisco iron workers in 1886, led by the Representative Council of the Iron Trades. Roney's documented involvement with the League of Deliverance reflects the anti-Chinese sentiment apparent in the California labor movement during the late nineteenth century.
    His writings include his diary (1875-1876) and a handwritten draft of his autobiography, later published as Frank Roney: Irish Rebel and California Labor Leader in 1931.