Description
The Floyd-Jones Family Papers, 1848-1878, consists of correspondence between the various members of the Floyd-Jones family
written in the late 19th century. Fourteen individuals have letters in the collection, including all of the members of the
immediate Floyd-Jones family. Three brothers wrote the majority of the letters: DeLancey, Charles and Edward. DeLancey Floyd-Jones,
in the U.S. Army, wrote 27 letters to his family including letters from the Oregon and Washington territories in 1852 and
1853 and during the Civil War in 1861 and 1862. Charles Floyd-Jones wrote 16 letters from 1850-1861, mostly to his father,
relating to the organization of railroads in Illinois and land speculation arising from the construction of these railroads.
His 1861 letter refers to General John Charles Frémont and the Civil War. Edward Floyd-Jones wrote 27 letters from 1849 to
1874 dealing with his journey to and subsequent life in California. He describes his trip around Cape Horn aboard the ship
Sarah and Eliza in 1849 including a hand drawn chart of the voyage, life in San Francisco and San Jose in 1850, and briefly
refers to the New Almaden quicksilver mine and the Fraser River gold rush of 1858.
Background
The Floyd-Jones family was a prominent family from Long Island, New York originally descended from the English privateer Thomas
Jones. The family branch of this collection consisted of father Henry Floyd-Jones (1792-1862), mother Helen Watts (DeLancey)
Floyd-Jones (d. 1872) and their children, Charles, Edward, DeLancey (1826-1902), Sarah (1820?-1900), Kate and Helen (Nell).
Four of the six children married, and three of these spouses have letters within the collection. Charles married Isabelle
Mizner, Edward married Mary Lord, DeLancey married a woman named Jennie, and Kate married John D. Jones. The father, Henry
Floyd-Jones, was a general in the U.S. Army and New York state legislator. DeLancey Floyd-Jones was also an Army officer,
serving during the Mexican American War and the Civil War, including the Battle of Gettysburg.
Extent
Number of containers: 2 boxes
Linear feet: .4
Restrictions
Copyright has not been assigned to The Bancroft Library. All requests for permission to publish or reproduce must be submitted
in writing to the Head of Public Services, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-6000. 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.
Availability
Collection is open for research.