Finding Aid to the James William Denver Papers, 1832-1925 (bulk 1832-1892)

Processed by The Bancroft Library staff

The Bancroft Library.

University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, California, 94720-6000

Phone: (510) 642-6481

Fax: (510) 642-7589

Email: bancref@library.berkeley.edu

URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu

Finding Aid to the James William Denver Papers, 1832-1925 (bulk 1832-1892)

Collection number: BANC MSS 92/759 c

The Bancroft Library

University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, California

Contact Information:

The Bancroft Library.
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California, 94720-6000
Phone: (510) 642-6481
Fax: (510) 642-7589
Email: bancref@library.berkeley.edu
URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu

Processed by:: David Kessler; additions by Alison E. Bridger
Date Completed:: September 1993; additions December 2006
Encoded by:: Xiuzhi Zhou

Collection Summary

Collection Title: James William Denver Papers,

Date (inclusive): 1832-1925

Date (bulk): (bulk 1832-1892)

Collection Number: BANC MSS 92/759 c

Creator: Denver, James William, 1817-1892

Extent: Number of containers: 7 boxes, 2 oversize folders Linear feet: 2.7

Repository: The Bancroft Library

Berkeley, California 94720-6000

Abstract: Consists of personal, political, business and family correspondence of James William Denver and his family. Topics reflect the political focus of Denver and his family, with speculation about political success, discussion of the nuts and bolts of politicking, and the ethical foundations of Denver's democratic beliefs. Correspondents include William McKendree Gwin, Thomas A. Hendricks, and members of the Democratic Party and other California, Ohio, and national political figures. Topics reflecting his Washington DC based legal practice are claims against the government such as Civil War claims, tax litigation, especially the cotton tax, and other cases from around the United States. Denver's ongoing involvement with Mexican War veterans and the military in general is reflected in other letters. Family correspondence reflects current affairs, as well as conveying regular news from home and includes letters from Denver's siblings, between him and his wife Louise and their children.

Languages Represented: 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 library's 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, 94270-6000. 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], James William Denver Papers, BANC MSS 92/759 c, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

Related Collections

Title: J. Ross Browne Letters,

Identifier/Call Number: BANC MSS C-B 678
Title: James William Denver Papers and Diary, Kansas Collection, RH MS 19, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas Libraries.
Title: James William Denver Papers, WH85, Western History Collection, The Denver Public Library.

Separated Material

Printed materials have been transferred to the book collection of The Bancroft Library.
Photographs have been transferred to Pictorial Collections of The Bancroft Library. (BANC PIC 1992.062--PIC)

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Denver, James William, 1817-1892--Archives

Gwin, William McKendree, 1805-1885--Correspondence

Hendricks, Thomas A. (Thomas Andrews), 1819-1885--Correspondence

Denver, Louise Rombach--Correspondence

Denver family

Democratic Party (U.S.)

Politicians--United States

Mexican War, 1846-1848

Taxation--Law and legislation--United States

Cotton--Taxation--United States

Lawyers--Washington (D.C.)

United States--Politics and government--19th century

California--Politics and government--1850-1950

Ohio--Politics and government--1865-1950

United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Claims

Administrative Information

Acquisition Information

The James William Denver Papers were purchased by The Bancroft Library from L & T Respess Books, on March 25, 1992. Additions were also purchased or donated at various times including papers given as part of the T.W. Norris Collection; a gift of the Friends of the Bancroft Library in 1968; a purchase from Early American History Auction in 2004.

Accruals

No additions are expected.

Processing Information

Processed by David Kessler in 1993. Additions processed by Alison E. Bridger in 2006.

Biography

General James William Denver, born in Virginia in 1817, was an important figure in Democratic Party and national politics throughout the second half of the nineteenth century, until his death in 1892. After his family moved to Ohio in 1830, Denver adopted the series of professions available to young men on the frontier--he taught school in Missouri, and then moved back to Ohio to finish his education at Cincinnati College, where he took a law degree and joined the Bar. While practicing law in Xenia, Ohio in the early 1840s, he bought and edited a newspaper. When the Mexican War broke out, Denver joined the army and served as a captain in the Twelfth Regiment, United States Infantry. He immigrated to California in 1850, where he rose to prominence in politics, serving as State Senator from Trinity and Klamath Counties from 1851-1853, and as Secretary of State from 1853-1855. In August 1852, he killed Edward Gilbert, newspaper editor, in a duel which was the result of a political quarrel. Denver became U.S. Congressman from northern California in 1855, and served one term, through March 3, 1857.

Despite Denver's extensive travels, he courted and, in 1856 married Louise Rombach, a local girl from a prominent family near his home in Clinton County, Ohio. Denver's legal residence and political ambitions would remain focused in Ohio for the rest of his life.

After his term in Congress expired, Denver accepted federal appointments as Commissioner of Indian Affairs on April 17, 1857; then, as Governor of the Kansas Territory in June of that year; and finally, as Commissioner of Indian Affairs again from November 8, 1858 through March 31, 1859. He was commissioned Brigadier General in the Union Army on August 14, 1861, and served in the west during the Civil War until his resignation on March 5, 1863, when he left the army to practice law in Washington, D.C. That would remain his principle occupation for the balance of his life.

Denver was twice mentioned as a possible Democratic candidate for the presidency (1876 and 1884), and ran, in 1870 and 1886, unsuccessfully for Congress from his readopted home state of Ohio. During his service as Governor of the Kansas Territory, the city of Denver, Colorado was named for him after he "provided the machinery for the civil organization of Arapahoe County, at the time when the town site was laid out" [DAB]..

[ Biographical Dictionary of the American Congress, 1774-1961]

Scope and Content

The James William Denver Papers consists of personal, political, business and family correspondence of James William Denver and his family. Topics reflect the political focus of Denver and his family, with speculation about political success, discussion of the nuts and bolts of politicking, and the ethical foundations of Denver's democratic beliefs. Correspondents include William McKendree Gwin, Thomas A. Hendricks, and members of the Democratic Party and other California, Ohio, and national political figures. Topics reflecting his Washington DC based legal practice are claims against the government such as Civil War claims, tax litigation, especially the cotton tax, and other cases from around the United States. Denver's ongoing involvement with Mexican War veterans and the military in general is reflected in other letters. Family correspondence reflects current affairs, as well as conveying regular news from home and includes letters from Denver's siblings, between him and his wife Louise and their children.

The letters Denver received from friends, political and business associates, clients, and office-seekers, confirm a sense of him as a man who won and kept the friendship and respect of others. Numerous California correspondents, most prominently William McKendree Gwin and Thomas A. Hendricks, remained in close touch with Denver long after he ceased to participate directly in California politics. Others relied on Denver for advice, influence, and funds; the letters from Mike Delaney and Philip Pendleton reveal Denver's kindness and generosity. Personal friendship, political alliance, and family connections profoundly influenced the conduct of the nation's business, and the letters reveal numerous examples of political insiders plotting the passage of legislation or evaluating the likely success of an electoral bid, and place seekers and unhappy citizens pleading their special cases before Denver in their letters.

Naturally, a man with connections so close to the powers of the Democratic Party attracted legal cases where government influence would be of special use. Denver's cases as discerned through these letters often involved claims against the government, especially claims arising out of Civil War confiscations and services rendered to the Union. Tax litigation, most prominently concerning the cotton tax, was also a specialty of the various Denver legal partnerships. His correspondence reflects the presence of clients and political cronies from all sections of the nation. Denver's interest in investing in new industrial inventions and his receptivity toward speculative mining ventures also are revealed in his business correspondence.

Denver's geographically wide-ranging political career enabled him to establish friendships and construct political alliances in many parts of the country and enhanced his stature as a viable presidential candidate. The correspondence bearing upon Denver's unsuccessful races for the House of Representatives in 1870 and 1886, as well as his two failed bids for the Democratic Presidential nomination, in 1876 and 1884, reveal much of the mechanics and techniques of political organizing and campaigning in the late nineteenth century. Decisions about candidacy, details of how delegates were wooed, professions of support from local party functionaries, and worried letters penned in haste from political conventions are supplemented by printing bills for political propaganda, pamphlets designed to persuade voters, and adulatory articles from the partisan Democratic press. On a detailed level, there is much of interest to political historians of California, Ohio, and the United States as a whole.

As a veteran of both the Mexican and Civil Wars, "General Denver" remained very attached to his military past. He served as an officer in the Ohio National Guard for many years and his son Will, Jr. followed him into this organization. The collection also documents the efforts of the Veterans of the Mexican War to secure adequate pensions, evidenced both in the correspondence with Alexander M. Kenaday, and among the documents in Series 3.

The Denver family correspondence opens a window on a different aspect of nineteenth century life. The intense bonds that linked the nuclear and extended families of James William and Louise Rombach Denver reveal themselves in these letters. Communication among family members was valued highly and every effort was made to keep Denver abreast of the tiniest details of family life and village gossip while he was working in Washington, D.C. From their earliest years, the Denver children were both expected and eager to remain in regular correspondence with their absent father. Denver evinces a genuine desire to return home to Ohio from his work in the nation's capital and is obviously unhappy when the flow of letters from home is slow.

Denver relied on his family, especially his own siblings, for advice and aid in politics and business. Most notably, he depended on his brother, Arthur, in Washington D.C., to take care of business and keep him abreast of political news when Denver was home with the family in Wilmington or off on business in New York, Philadelphia or elsewhere. Concerns about appointments, lobbying for the passage of legislation, and jockeying for elective office, as well as the nitty-gritty of legal cases, form the focus of Arthur St. Clair Denver's letters to his brother. In this political family, family correspondence often includes observations on public life. Notable as well is 20 year old daughter Kate Denver William's vivid eyewitness account (in a letter to her mother) of Republican James Garfield's inauguration festivities on March 5, 1881.

The family correspondence also discloses Denver's warmth, his concern for his family, and a whimsical and philosophical side, including a fondness for composing verse for his wife and children. Denver's letters to his children show his effort to communicate to them his political ideals and belief in high moral purpose. His wife, Louise Rombach Denver, reveals herself as an astute observer and thoughtful writer. Her correspondence casts light upon the social relations in a small Midwestern city, especially the perspectives of and relations among women of the day.

Boxes 1-3

Series 1: Correspondence of James William Denver, 1846-1892.

Scope and Content Note

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically, and then alphabetically

Divided into 3 sub-series: Incoming, Outgoing, and Letters neither to nor from James William Denver. Letters from an individual writing more than one letter in any year have been chronologically arranged within that year.

Contains letters from Denver's personal friends and political and business associates including U.S. Senators P.B. Plumb, Joseph Blackburn, and Henry Wilson; U.S. Representatives Samuel Caruthers, R.P.C. Wilson, Willard Hall, and A.B. Greenwood; Secretaries of the Treasury James Guthrie and John Sherman; Secretary of the Interior Robert McClelland; and, Governor George Hoadley of Ohio. Correspondents listed may also be represented in folders for years without lists of correspondents.

Subseries 1.1: Incoming Letters, 1849-1892

Box 7, folder 1

1845-1855

Box 1, folder 1

1849-54

Bradford, A. A., 1815- 1849

Marshall, F. 1849

[Wages, S. R. ?] 1849

Wilkinson, C. 1849

Woodward, E. 1849

Hall, Willard Preble, 1820-1882 1850

Gray, Robert [?] 1852

Guthrie, James 1853

Robinson, John R. 1853

Smith, Charles W. 1853

Caffroth, James W. 1854

[Dunlap, P. ?] 1854

Stewart, William Morris 1854

Strout, E. 1854

Box 1, folder 2

1855

Brown, Ezekiel

Estill, J. M.

Giles, Wm. P.

Gwin, William McKendree, 1805-1885

Henley, Thomas J[efferson, 1810-1865]

Hewes, Thomas H.

McDougal, D.

Pomeroy, T. S.

Rust, P. C. [Sen.?]

Smith, Jack R.

Box 7, folder 2-3

1856

Box 1, folder 3

1856

Alemany, Joseph Sadoc, 1814-1885

Benham, Calhoun

Burgess, N. G.

[Caherten, Jno. ?]

Caruthers, Sam

[Clucking?]

[Danelou, W. B. ?]

Delaney, Mike

Dougherty, M. C.

Estill, J. M.

Guthrie, James

Gwin, William McKendree, 1805-1885

Haley, Robert

Heintzelman, H. T.

Hendricks, Thomas A. (Thomas Andrew), 1819-1885

Henley, Thomas J. (Thomas Jefferson)

Heustis, A. J.

Jones, James C.

Box 1, folder 4

1856

King, Horatio 1811-1897

Lord, I. A.

McAllister, Matthew Hall, 1800-1865

McClelland, Robert

Macgill, [Chas. ?]

Martin, Julia

Meredith, Henry

Metcalf, William

Mouson & Valentine

Patterson, J. A.

Smith, Algernon

Smith, Charles L.

Smith, Richard

[Stark, William ?]

Sutton, O. P. (Owen Paul), b. 1829

Walton, J.

Warner, J. J. (Juan Jose), 1807-1895

Whittlesey, Elisha

Williams, R. M.

Wilson, Jo[seph] S.

[illegible]

Box 7, folder 4-5

1857

Box 1, folder 5

1857

Argenté, Felix

Bradford, A. C.

Browne, J. Ross (John Ross), 1821-1875

Burgess, H. G.

Burr, T. S.

Burton, J. B.?

[Calluse ?], J. F.

Della Torre, Peter

[Dodget ?], W. Clark

Estill, J. M.

Faulkner, John

Henley, Thomas J (Thomas Jefferson), 1810-1865

Hillard, Benj. F.

Hughes, James M.

[Isacks, A. J. ?]

Box 1, folder 6

1857

Jones, [T. M.?]

Kibbe, William C.

Long, J. [D.?]

McAllister, Matthew Hall, 1800-1865

McDaniel, [Maj.] Wm.

McFarland & Downey

Mackinly, R. B.?

Metlar, George W.

Phelan, A. J. F.

Reading, Pierson Barton [1816-1868]

Riggs & Co.

Steams, Charles

Stevenson, E. A.

[Strohm ?], Isaac

Thompson, Isaac W.

[Towner, Noble ?]

Vaughn, Jo. P.

Vaughn, Singleton, Jr.

Voorhais, D. W.

Watson, J. A.

Young, Samuel

Box 7, folder 6

1858

Box 1, folder 7

1858

Banta, John

Bradford, A. C.

Burnett, Ward B.

Cass, Lewis, 1782-1866

Chubb Brothers

Delaney, Mike

Dickinson, D[aniel] S. (Daniel Stevens), 1800-1866

Drake, E. F.

Dungan, A. F.

Estill, J. M.

Evarts, William Maxwell, 1818-1901

Gray, Thos.

Box 1, folder 8

1858

Hatch, [I. F. ?]

Hendricks, Thomas A. (Thomas Andrew), 1819-1885

Hoyle, James

Judson, [Col.] W. R.

Latt, William H.

Madeira, [Col.] George

[Milton, John]

[Mourne, J. A.]

Pfeiffer, P. & Co.

Ross, W.G.

Simpton, George

Smoot, Luther R.

Squire, S. P.

Stevens, R. S.

Thompson, [Isaac ?]

Waters, B. F.

Webster, William [Capt.]

Welsh, C.

Whelan, George J.

Box 7, folder 7

1859-1862

Box 1, folder 9

1859-1860

Burton, J.B. 1859

Bryarly, Wakeman, 1820-1869 1859

[de la Reintig, H. R.?]

Gordon, Jo.

Greenwood, A. B. [Hon.]

Hendricks, Thomas A. (Thomas Andrew, 1819-1885)

Slocomb, R. W.

Wilson, Henry, 1812-1875

Leet, S. F. 1860

McCarthy, [?]

Ryland, C. T. (Caius Tacitus), 1826-1897

Smith, Eliza S.

Box 1, folder 10

1861-1863

Briggs, R. M. 1861

Smith, Samuel B.

Delaney, Mike 1862

Heintzelman, H. T.

Leet, S. F.

Smith, Samuel B.

Walker, J. Knox

Coverdale, R. 1863

Box 7, folder 8

1863-1869

Box 1, folder 11

1865

Buchanan, James, 1791-1868

Cowles, Edward P.

Delaney, Mike

Fall, Jno. C

Hughes, James H.

Porter, R. H.

Webster, William [Capt.]

White, John

Williams, Jno. [S?]

Williams, S. W.

Box 1, folder 12

1866

Anderson, D. D.

Anderson, S.

Chandler, William E.

Forman, Ferris, 1811-1901

Garrison, William P.

[McFallen, James P.?]

Norris, Sam[uel, 1822-1910]

Perry, W. B.

Pettus & Co.

Prince, W. C.

Rider, L. L.

Telfair, W. B.

Webster, William [Capt.]

Welty, D. W.

Winslow, O?

[illegible]

Box 1, folder 13

1867

Anderson, S.

Barnitz, David G.

Bills, Henry A.

Delaney, Mike

Fant, H. G.

Ferguson, John, 1806-1868

Harris, R.

Hughes, James

[Lack, Benj.?]

Middleton, [?.]

Norris, Sam[uel, 1822-1910]

Roane, A.

Webster, William [Capt.]

Box 1, folder 14

1868

Alexander, W. F.

Barlow, Samuel L. M. (Latham Mitchell), 1826-1889

Bouton, Edward, 1834-

Boyle, William

Bradford, A. C.

Bristol, J. D.

Brodhead, Francis D.

Brodhead, H.

Brown, Isabella

Cassedy, E.

Coles, J. S.

Coverdale, R. J.

Daingerfield, W. P., (William P.), b. 1824

Delaney, Mike

Box 1, folder 15

1868

Ferguson, John, 1806-1868

Henshall, Thos.

Kelley, H.

Leet, S. F.

Murray, John P.

Peck, Charles F.

Quin, James F.

Roane, A.

Webster, William [Capt.]

[illegible]

Box 1, folder 16

1869

Boyle, Wm.

Brown, Henry

Buchanan, John

Elzey, Ellen

Grayson, E. B.

Hughes, James

[McCubbin ?], J. L.

Norris, Ira

Pattice, F.?

Quinn, M. V.

Savage, John S.

Shields, J. W.

Webster, William [Capt.]

Box 7, folder 9

1870-1879

Box 1, folder 17

1870

Brinley, George W.

Cowen, Dale O.

DeBruin, E. M.

Devon, David G.

Dowdney, S. F.

Downer, A. L.

Draper, Robert E.

Ely, J. F.

Ewing, Thomas, 1789-1896

Flanagan, T. A.[?]

Box 1, folder 18

1870

Gould, Edmund L.

Gould, W. C.

Gray, L. M.

[Jennings, G. F.]

Joice, E. D.

Kerr, H. V.

Lilley, Wm.

Lloyd, R.

Logan, H. C.

McFerran, J. G.

Morton, J[ulius] Sterling, [1832-1902]

Box 1, folder 19

1870

Peck, Charles F.

Pendleton, George H[unt 1825-1889]

Pike, George A.

Powell, Thomas

Ripley, George, [1808-1880]

Sands, J. B.

Savage, John S.

Smith, Samuel B.

[Stark, Wm. W. ?]

Stevenson, S. H.

Sykes, James

Valentine, E. K.

Wilkerson, M.

Wilson, Jos[eph] S.

[Whiteside ?]

Box 2, folder 1

1871

Anderson, D. D.

Barnitz, David G.

Campbell, John R.

Daingerfield, W. P. (William P.), 1826-1889

Johnson, C. S.

Miswander, Lizzie H.

Morris, J. M.

Quin, James F.

Roane, A.

Thurman, Allen Granberry, 1813-1895

Warner, J. W.

Wozencraft, Oliver M. [circa 1815-1887]

Box 2, folder 2

1872

Anderson, D. D.

Arnold, Reuben

Barlow, Samuel L. M. (Latham Mitchell), 1826-1889

Blackburne, O. P.

Buncroft, Elwin

Burwell, A.

Childs, J. J.

Coverdale, R. J.

Haskell, [T.?] E.

Newham, J. S. C.

Quin, [Mrs.] U. V.

Savage, L. E.

Schlay, Jno.

Smith, Samuel B.

Thatcher, Thomas

Wilson, E. W.

Witkowski, Julius

Box 2, folder 3

1873

Barnitz, David G.

Betts, Madison

Burwell, A.

Crosby, Henry R.

Dent, Lewis

Draper, Robert E.

Drummond, Willis

Glascock, Joseph

Huntington, [Judge] T. H.

Johnson, J. Edward

Nelson, T. A.

Newham, J. S. C.

Peck, Charles F.

Scott, Charles S.

Smith, Samuel B.

Templeton, W.

Thornton, R. S.

White, Carr B.

Witherspoon, Jas. S.

Witkowski, Julius

Box 2, folder 4

1874

Barnitz, David G.

Cartwright, J. N.

[Converse, A. B.?]

Delaney, Mike

[Horkell, Sarah E.?]

Hosmer, A. A.

Long, H. W. [Judge]

[Moulton, D. S.?]

Sawyer, E. M.

Steward, J. B.

Strother, Wade D.

Templeton, W.

Tucker, Beverley

Wickersham, Mary [G?]

Winston, [G?]

[unsigned]

Box 2, folder 5

1875

Arnold, Reuben

Ivory, William W.

King, James L.

Witkowski, Julius

Wilson, [J. G.?]

Wolfe, A. J., [M.D.]

Box 2, folder 6

1876

Chiles, John

[Claughlon, H. O.?]

Delaney, Mike

Gould, W. C.

Gwin, William Mckendree, 1805-1885

Hardee, John L.

Lyon, C. D.

[McCook, G. W.]

Manfred, Edward [W.?]

Porter, N. D.

Smith, Samuel B.

[Stim, Isaac F.?]

Box 2, folder 7

1877

Adams, F. G.

Burford, H. Marshall

Burwell, A.

Byrne, Edward

Chiles, John

Clevenger, Peter

Delaney, Mike

Hendricks, Thomas A. (Thomas Andrews), 1819-1885

Howe, David J.

Manfred, Edward [W.?]

Massey, Thomas E. [Dr.]

Murphy, Charles

Pendleton, Philip [Maj.]

Sherman, John, 1823-1900

Box 2, folder 8

1878

Clark, Francis D.

Fiedler, Helen M.

Ford, Stephen Speed

Hartley, J. W. [Capt.]

Hendricks, Thomas A. (Thomas Andrew), 1819-1885

Henriques, Joseph

Kendrick, Sam

[London, D. W. G ?]

McLean, William Francis

Murphy, Charles

Payne, James H.

Wynkoop, [E. W.] [Edward Wanshear, b. 1836]

Box 2, folder 9

1879

Burr, A. B.

Craig, W.

Gould, John R.

Howe, David J.

Kenaday, Alexander M. (Alexander McConnell)

Kirk, [Capt.]

Murphy, Charles

O'Donoghue, J. B.

Payson, Chas.

Pendleton, Philip [Maj.]

Sidwell, N. H. [Dr.]

Walling & Curtain

Box 7, folder 10

1880-1889

Box 2, folder 10

1880

Chiles, John

Clarke, Jno. A.

Davis, John B. C.

Guth, Fr.

Hendricks, Thomas A. (Thomas Andrew), 1819-1885

Howe, David J.

Kenaday, Alexander M. (Alexander McConnell)

Kendrick, Sam

McKinney, J. F.

Murphy, Charles

Nutt, S[argeant] Prentiss

Reading, R. G.

Sewell, C. S.

Smith, Samuel B.

Thompson, John G.

Box 2, folder 11

1881

Coate, John B.

Howe, David J.

Johnson, O. B.

Merrill, Katherine

Pendleton, Philip [Maj.]

Pike, Luther H.

Sloane, Ulric

Smith, Samuel B.

Thompson, Chas. D.

Williams, L. H.

Box 2, folder 12

1882

Conklin, H. C.

Deuel, Lizzie S.

Jones, J. R.

King, H. I.

Nutt, S[argeant] Prentiss

Peck, Charles F.

Perry, Charles A.

Walker, Duncan S.

Webster, William [Capt.]

Wingate, George Wood

Worthington, A. S.

[illegible]

Box 2, folder 13

1883

Crihfield, A. R.

Hoover, William H.

Nesbit, Josephine

Nutt, Julia A.

Nutt, Sargeant Prentiss

Patterson, John H.

Perry, Charles A.

Plumb, Preston B., 1837-1891

Sloane, Ulric

Weisenreder, E.

Wheeler, Charles Aukney Henry

Wilshire, W. W.

Yeoman, S. M.

Box 2, folder 14

1884

Baldwin, J. B.

Barclay, M.

Bargar, Gilbert H.

Boyd, Jno. R.

Butler, John M.

Coate, J. B.

Ferrell, C. B.

Guth, Fr.

Holladay, Joseph

Howarth, [Jas?]

Kramer, Joseph

Madison, Laura

Mattoe, A. H.

Nutt, S[argeant] Prentiss

Box 2, folder 15

1884

Pendleton, Philip [Maj.]

Perlman, L. S.

Proctor, Tom M.

Robertson, A. J.

Shields, J. W.

Showers, H. S.

Smith, Orland

Spore, James

Thompson, John G.

[Treat, Nath'l. ?]

Weller, Everhard

Box 2, folder 16

1885

Adams, F. G.

Babbs, F. H.

Barrow, George E.

Brinkley, Hu. L.

Cartwright, I. F.

Cassin, John H.

Crossin, Wm.

Cuppy, F. P.

Daingerfield, Eliza R.

De Akers, Robert L.

Delaney, Mike

Dodd, John W.

Edwards, Moses

Guth, Fr.

Hoadley, George, 1826-1902

Hohendorf, B.

Hoyle, James

Hughes, W. A.

Box 2, folder 17

1885

Kenaday, Alexander M. (Alexander McConnell)

Leal, Joseph

Miller, James [b. circa1807]

Morris, M. F.

Nutt, S[argeant] Prentiss

Peale, Truman P.

Pendleton, Philip [Maj.]

Prince, W. E.

Proctor, Mary V.

Rainey, G. F.

[St. Mix, French ?]

Sheeley, Jas. C.

Shields, J. W.

Smith, J. J.

[Strickler, John M. ?]

Taylor, James

Townsley, James E.

Walker, J. W.

Wysong, Esla

Box 2, folder 18

1886

Belgar, James [Col.]

Blackburn, Jo[seph] C. S.

[Chanchlor, Edward ?]

Dahlgren, Madeleine Vinton, 1825-1898

Fleming, Samuel

Follett, John F.

Grady, C. Powell

Guth, Fr.

Hall, James C.

Harper, Frank

Higgins, Thos. W.

Hinton, Frank P.

Howe, Henry, 1816-1893

King, C. A.

Box 2, folder 19

1886

Leete, Ralph

Livingston, J. H.

[Medary S. A.?]

Mitchell, John F.

Nutt, S[argeant] Prentiss

Pendleton, Philip [Maj.]

Reedy, George W.

Robinson, C. W.

Safford, W[illiam] H[arrison], 1821-1903

Walker, Calvin B.

Zachry, James Greer

Ziegler, F. J.

Ziegler, G. W.

Box 2, folder 20

1887

Bradford, J. L.

Crawford, George Addison, 1827-1891

Delaney, Mike

Driskill, Joseph

Goodrich, R. C.

Jenkins, J. [F.?]

Maynard, J. C.

Mitchell, Thomas

Neal, Julia E. [Linn]

Nutt, S[argeant] Prentiss

Walker, Calvin B.

Zachry, James Greer [Lamar & Zachry]

Box 2, folder 21

1888

Delaney, Mike

Strong, R. P.

Wheeler, Joseph, 1836-1906

Box 2, folder 22

1889

Chastain, J. B.

Delaney, Mike

Gray, James D.

Hamlin, E. W.

Harvey, Eli

Leete, Ralph

Box 3, folder 1

1889

McDonald, W. H.

Mitchell, John T.

Pearson, Aven

Pendleton, Mason C.

Pendleton, Philip [Maj.]

Powell, W. L.

Troth, Isma

Watson, John

Box 7, folder 11

1890-1893

Box 3, folder 2

1890

[Adee, Alvey A. ?]

Adler, Jacob

Delaney, Mike

Haines, William C.

Hawkins, Morton [C.?]

Leete, Ralph

McGill, J. Nota

McPike, Henry C. (Henry Clay), b. 1857

Mitchell, John T.

Morgan, George W.

Neal, Juana A.

Pendleton, Philip [Maj.]

[Wallace, Charles M.?]

Box 3, folder 3

1891

Case, Lyman W.

Delaney, Mike

Glascock, Henry C.

Gordon, Charles E.

Gray, James D.

Haines, William C.

Hummel, J. S.

Hunt, Samuel F.

Kenaday, Alexander M. (Alexander McConnell)

King, Oscar

Leete, Ralph

McNally, Jno. J.

Martin, William T.

Box 3, folder 4

Mitchell, John T. 1891

Box 3, folder 5

1891

Pendleton, Edmund, [1845-1910]

Pendleton, Philip, [Maj.]

Powell, W. L.

Roach, Thomas N.

Sayres, L. D.

Singleton, [Jas. W.?]

Stevens, A. C.

Thornton, R. S.

Warner, A. J.

Williams, W. Mosby

Wilson, R. P. C.

Zachry, James Greer

Box 3, folder 6

1892

Clement, C.

Delaney, Mike

Earle, Wm. E.

Haines, William C.

Hall, Frank, 1836-1917

Hummel, J. S.

Leete, Ralph

McDonald, Be? F.

Medary, S. A.

[Messec, I. G.?]

Miller, William H. H.

Pendleton, Philip [Maj.]

Perry, B.

Perry, Charles A.

Pond, Riley

[Prince, Theo. ?]

Singleton, James J.

Tucker, John Randolph, 1823-1897

Wilcox, Mary R[achel]

Box 3, folder 7

undated

Delaney, Mike

Democratic Club of Clarksville 1893?

Gray, W. H.

Highland, Edward [D.?] 1884?

Morrison, M.

Mowry, Sylvester, [1830-1871] 1867?

Rogers, Mrs. Leona [A. E.?] 1890-92?

[illegible]

Box 7, folder 12

undated

Subseries 1.2: Outgoing Letters, 1846-1892

Box 3, folder 8

1846-92

Foos, G. 1846

Lane, James Henry, 1814-1866 1849

Citizens of Wilmingon, Ohio 1855

Lander, Frederick W. (Frederick West), 1821-1862 1862

Axtell, Samuel Beach, 1819-1891 1869

Savage, John S. 1870

Pike, George A. 1870

Routhe, E. A. 1870

Anderson, T. C. [Col.] 1873

Vilas, William Freeman, 1840-1908 1885

Choller, M. H. [Maj.] 1888

Harter, M[ichael] D[aniel], 1846-18?? 1891

Hartley, A. 1889

Campbell, Jas. C. 1891

McGrotty, Edwin B. 1892

Box 7, folder 13

Cisco, John J. 1870

Box 7, folder 13

Mason, O.T. 1870

Subseries 1.3: Letters neither to nor from James William Denver, 1856-1884

Box 3, folder 9

1856-1862

[Strickle, A. E?] to Mr. Ambury 1856

Whipple, S. G to Thomas J[efferson] Henley, 1810-1865 1857

Pickett, Charles Edward, 1820-1882 to [Judge] G. W. Baker 1857

Hoburg, W. H. to Wm. M. Irvin 1857

Hendricks, Thomas A. (Thomas Andrew), 1819-1865 to D. E. Sickles 1858

[Griffering, Fred?] to Mike Delaney 1860

Delaney, Mike to P. Warren Van Winkle, 1825-1914 1860

Mix, Charles S. to E. B. French 1862

Box 3, folder 10

1866-1884

Baird, J. W. to William H. B. Meyers, b. 1815 1866

Barlow, Samuel L. M. (Latham Mitchell), 1826-1889 to James Hughes 1866

Magruder, A. B. to James Hughes 1868

Spencer, Geo. W. to James Hughes 1868

Savage, John S. to W. C. Gould 1870

Shepherd, Henry A. to W. B. Telfair 1870

Nelson, T. A. to Samuel B. Smith 1871

Roney, W. H. to [Judge] Samuel A. Gilbert 1873

Stewart, George W. to Mike Delaney 1874

Johnson, Laura to S[argeant] Prentiss Nutt [1876]

Hendricks, Thomas A. (Thomas Andrew), 1819-1865 to R. W. Johnson 1877

[Converse, A. B.?] to Alexander M. (Alexander McConnell) Kenaday 1880?

Gwin, William McKendree, 1805-1885 to Mike Delaney 1884

Box 3, folder 11

Letters to S[argeant] Prentiss Nutt 1884

Box 7, folder 14

Relating to case involving confiscation of confederate property 1865

Boxes 4-5

Series 2: Denver Family Correspondence, 1841-1925.

Scope and Content Note

Arrangement

Arranged by relationship to James William Denver, and then chronologically.

Divided into 3 sub-series: Incoming, Outgoing, and Miscellaneous Family correspondence. Miscellaneous family correspondence is divided into letters among family members and between family members and non-family.

Contains letters between Denver and his wife; those Denver received from his brother, Arthur St. Claire Denver; Denver's letter to his son, James William Denver, Jr., concerning the party structure in the United States government; and, daughter Katherine Denver Williams' letter describing the 1881 inauguration of James Garfield.

Subseries 2.1: Incoming Letters, 1841-1892

Box 4, folder 1-17

Denver, Louise Rombach 1856-1883

Box 4, folder 18-19

Williams, Kate Denver Williams 1869-1880, 1882-1892

Box 4, folder 20

Denver, James William Jr. 1880-1882

Box 4, folder 21

Lindley, Mary Louise Denver 1880-1882

Box 4, folder 22

Denver, Matthew 1878-1882

Box 4, folder 23-24

Denver, Arthur St. Clair 1864-1884

Box 4, folder 25

Denver, Frank 1856-1871

Box 4, folder 26

Denver, H. C. 1856-73

Box 4, folder 27

Rombach, Matthew 1857-1870

Box 4, folder 28

From sisters 1841-1882

Box 4, folder 29

From cousins 1858-1891

Box 4, folder 30

From nieces and nephews 1862-89

Box 4, folder 31

From miscellaneous relatives 1875-91

Subseries 2.2: Outgoing Letters, 1856-1892

Box 5, folder 1-11

Denver, Louise Rombach 1856-1892

Box 5, folder 12

Williams, Kate Denver and Mary Louise Denver Lindley 1883-1892

Box 5, folder 13

Denver, James William Jr. 1880-1886

Subseries 2.3: Miscellaneous Denver Family Correspondence, 1847-1925

2.3.1: Among Family Members

Box 5, folder 14

Williams, Kate Denver to James William Denver, Jr. 1874-1881

Box 5, folder 15

Denver, James William Jr. to Kate Denver Williams 1885

Box 5, folder 16

Lindley, Mary Louise Denver to Matthew Denver 1880

Box 5, folder 17

Lindley, Mary Louise Denver to James William Denver, Jr. 1881

Box 5, folder 18-19

Williams, Kate Denver to Louise Rombach Denver 1874-1885

Box 5, folder 20

Denver, James William Jr. to Louise Rombach Denver 1880

Box 5, folder 21

Lindley, Mary Louise Denver to Louise Rombach Denver 1880-1885

Box 5, folder 22

Denver, Matthew to Louise Rombach Denver 1910

Box 5, folder 23

Denver children joint letters to Louise Rombach Denver 1880

Box 5, folder 24-25

Denver family letters to Louise Rombach Denver 1856-1909

Box 5, folder 26

Denver, Louise Rombach to miscellaneous family members 1859-1881

Box 5, folder 27

Miscellaneous Denver family letters 1847-1889

2.3.2: Between Family Members and Non-family

Box 5, folder 28-29

to Louise Rombach Denver 1847-1909

Box 6, folder 1

to Kate Denver Williams 1878-1914

Box 6, folder 2

to James William Denver, Jr. 1881-1904

Box 6, folder 3

to Mary Louise Denver Lindley 1876-1894

Box 6, folder 4

to Matthew Denver 1880-1925

Box 6, folder 5

Denver, Louise Rombach to miscellaneous non-family 1877-1893

Box 6, oversize folders 1-2

Series 3: Personal Papers, 1832-1908, undated

Scope and Content Note

Arrangement

Arranged hierarchically.

Includes poems and short essays by James William Denver; miscellaneous personal and family papers; miscellaneous legal documents, especially some concerned with Cotton Tax litigation; documents relating to meetings and viewpoints of the Mexican War Veterans Association; and newspaper clippings, including articles from Ohio newspapers bearing on Denver's political campaigns and numerous obituaries from newspapers around the country.

Box 6, folder 6-7

Poems by James William Denver circa 1866-1885

Box 6, folder 8

Outline on Reconstruction by James William Denver undated

Box 6, folder 9

History of Party System by James William Denver undated

Box 6, folder 10

The Wants of the South by James William Denver undated

Box 6, folder 11

Denver family documents 1832-circa 1890

Box 6, folder 12

Denver family miscellany circa 1860s-1890s

Box 6, folder 13

Financial miscellany 1845-1891

Oversize folder 1A

Financial miscellany undated

Box 6, folder 14

Mexican War pension 1856-1908

Box 6, folder 15

Hughes, Denver and Peck Law Firm 1866-1877

Box 6, folder 16-18

Legal documents 1832-1890

Box 6, folder 19

Checks 1866-1886

Box 6, folder 20

Cotton Tax Litigation circa 1867-1872

Oversize folder 1A

Cotton Tax Litigation undated

Box 6, folder 21

Receipts undated

Box 6, folder 22

Presidential campaign miscellany 1876-1884

Box 6, folder 23

Mexican War Veterans Association 1878-1892

Oversize folder 1A

Mexican War Veterans Association 1892

Oversize folder 2A

Mexican War Veterans Association 1892

Box 6, folder 24

Ohio National Guard 1880-1883

Box 6, folder 25

Clippings 1858-1925

Oversize folder 1A

Clippings 1886

Oversize folder 2A

Clippings 1858-1925

Box 6, folder 26

Miscellaneous papers undated

Box 6, folder 27

The Denver Papers catalog of John A. Fox sale 1968