Bolton family

Biographical Information

Edwin Bolton

Edwin Bolton emigrated from England to the United States around 1850 with his parents John and Harriet Latham Bolton, eventually settling as farmers near Wilton, Wisconsin in 1856. In the early 1860's Edwin Bolton married Rosaline Cady, the daughter of James Cady, a Methodist pastor in Tomah, Wisconsin and Mary Dolbear. The Cady family can trace their ancestors to the Mayflower family of Richard Warren. In 1863 after his first son was born, Edwin Latham joined a Wisconsin regiment in the Civil War. After the war, in 1866 a second son, Frederick Elmer was born. Herbert Eugene, the fourth son was born July 20, 1870. After a short time in Nebraska in 1873, the Edwin Bolton family settled on La Grange Farm near Tomah, Wisconsin. On March 30, 1885, while Rosaline Bolton was pregnant with their last child, Edwin Bolton died suddenly.

Herbert Eugene Bolton

At the time of his father's death, Herbert was ready to enter high school in Tomah. This is where he met Gertrude Janes, his future wife. During the years that followed the death of their father, Frederick and Herbert helped to put each other through school, taking turns teaching and studying. In 1895 Herbert Eugene Bolton received a Bachelor of Letters from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, where he studied under Frederick Jackson Turner. In that same year Herbert married Gertrude Janes. Their first child, Frances Latham Bolton, was born in Jan. 1897, during Herbert's first year in graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin. He finished his doctorate at the University of Pennsylvania in 1899. The family returned to Wisconsin where Herbert taught and where the next two Bolton daughters were born. Herbert Bolton landed a position at the University of Texas in 1901.

While in Texas, Herbert began his study of Spanish America, spending summers researching in Mexican archives. His first book, With the Makers of Texas, was published in 1904. In 1909 he accepted a position at Stanford, and the following year accepted a professorship at the University of California, Berkeley to begin in 1911. By 1913 Herbert and Gertrude Bolton had their first son, their seventh and last child.

Herbert E. Bolton spent the rest of his career at Berkeley, becoming the head of the Department of History in 1919. He would serve as department head until 1940, with the exception of a 2-year hiatus. Bolton was the Director of The Bancroft Library from 1920 until his retirement in 1940. He came out of retirement in 1942 for two years to lecture in History and to be Director of The Bancroft Library. After a series of strokes, Herbert Eugene Bolton passed away in Berkeley, California on January 30, 1953.

Frederick Elmer Bolton

Frederick E. Bolton became interested in teaching early on in his education. Many of his writings involved education and he worked towards establishing more junior colleges in Washington State. He was dean of the College of Education at the University of Iowa and then at the University of Washington. He spent ten years researching and writing a history on the University of Washington in anticipation of their centennial celebration. Frederick E. Bolton died on March 10, 1963 in Seattle, Washington.

Frances Appleton

Frances Latham Bolton was the eldest daughter of Herbert and Gertrude Bolton, born in Madison, Wisconsin on January 21, 1897. While attending the University of California, Berkeley, Frances met Ted Appleton, who was in Army training at the campus for World War I. They married in April 1920 and moved to Boston, Mass. to live with his parents. They lived in different locations throughout the United States settling in southern California. Frances worked principally in the medical social service field. During World War II, she worked two years at the Tule Lake Relocation Center, a Japanese internment camp. Before her death on August 27, 1978, she moved in with her youngest sister Jane Adams. A bequest was made by Frances, leaving a redwood grove dedicated to her parents at Portola State Park, in La Honda, California.

Jane Adams

Jane Gale Bolton was born December 5, 1909 in Palo Alto, California while her father was a professor at Stanford. Jane went to college at UC Berkeley, as did most of her siblings, majoring in History with minors in English and Spanish, graduating in 1931. While working in the UC Berkeley alumni office she met Francis Adams, whom she eventually married. After their son David was old enough Jane returned to teaching. Jane Bolton Adams died in January 1993.

Please refer to the paper copy of the finding aid for the Bolton family genealogy.

From the guide to the Bolton Family papers, 1828-2000, bulk 1885-1980, (The Bancroft Library)