The Society of California Pioneers collection of autobiographies and reminiscences of early pioneers 1900-1904

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The Society of California Pioneers collection of autobiographies and reminiscences of early pioneers 1900-1904

http://www.oac.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/kt8489q5km

The Autobiographies and Reminiscences are made up of 153 documents varying in length from one page to over sixty pages, the average being around five pages in length. Most include details from the writer's early life, but the bulk of each document tends to be their overland journeys or voyages to the Pacific Coast and California in pre-Gold Rush times and then accounts of their lives after arrival. Many of the writer's - all are men - talk of their families, education, occupations before and after arriving out West, as well as experiences mining, businesses, farming and ranching. Other aspects of their new lives are discussed: law and politics, the military and wars, social events, agriculture, literature and theater, shipping and leisure activities. The time period covered by the accounts is from the 1840s through 1904 - when the project was completed. The geographic location discussed range from all over the United States: New England, New York, the south, the Midwest - especially Missouri - and of course locations along both the overland trails to the West, as well as ports of call in South and Central America. Many accounts are looking back at their lives, and some are accurate and others may or may not be embellished as the writer relates a life some fifty or sixty years earlier.

8 v. (1661 p.); 36 cm. and 63 items (755 leaves); 36 cm. or smaller.; 152 online items

eng,

Society of California Pioneers

Information

SNAC Resource ID: 6660097

Related Entities

There are 7 Entities related to this resource.

Bidwell, John, 1819-1900

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6z322m6 (person)

Bidwell was a noted early Calif. pioneer, landowner, and statesman. He helped form the Western Immigration Society in 1840, which led to the formation of the Bidwell-Bartleson wagon train, the first emigrant train to Calif. He travelled through Utah in 1841, then forged the Calif. immigrant trail. In 1846 he wrote the Bear Flag platform. In 1848, he began buying his ranch, Rancho de Arroyo Chico, also known as Rancho Chico. From the description of Rancho de Arroyo Chico ledger and re...

Nordhoff, Charles, 1830-1901

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6b2841r (person)

American author and sailor. From the description of Autograph letters signed (7) : Washington, D.C., to Harper & Brothers, 1863-1886 Dec. 27. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270611572 Charles Nordhoff (1830-1901) was an American journalist and author. He edited the New York Evening Post from 1857 to 1871, was the New York Herald's Washington correspondent from 1874 to 1890, and wrote political works and books about the sea. He advocated the Union cause in the U.S. Civil W...

Society of California Pioneers

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6c57j1p (corporateBody)

Established in 1850, The Society of California Pioneers is a not-for-profit museum, library, and cultural organization dedicated to advancing the knowledge and appreciation of early California history for the benefit of present and future audiences of all ages. From the description of Letter to Jack Berlin, 1960, April 21. (Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens). WorldCat record id: 743237730 The Sacramento City Cemetery was founded in 1849...

Kemble, Edward C. (Edward Cleveland), 1828-1886

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w67h32p3 (person)

Edward C. Kemble was born in Troy, N.Y.. His father was a state Senator and editor of the "Troy Budget". At 18 years of age, E.C. Kemble traveled to California with Samuel Brannan, a New York newspaper publisher, in the ship "Brooklyn". He arrived in California July 31, 1846 and took charge of the first printing office established in San Francisco (Yerba Buena at the time). Kemble edited and printed San Francisco's first newpaper, the California Star (owned by Samuel Brannan). He bought Brannan ...

Hutchings, J. M. (James Mason), 1820-1902

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6g167mr (person)

James Mason Hutchings was born in 1824 in England. At sixteen years old he traveled to New Orleans and worked as a clerk in a business house there. When he heard about the gold discovery, he left New Orleans in April of 1849, determined to satisfy his craving for adventure by taking the overland route. He arrived at the "gold-diggings" on October 9, 1849. He mined, made his fortune, and lost it all when the San Francisco bank, Frank Ward & Co., failed. He then returned to mining. In 1853, Hu...

Kimball, Charles P. (Charles Proctor), 1821-1894

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6gf0xrp (person)

Charles P. Kimball was a pioneer who moved to San Francisco in 1849 and became a member of the Vigilance Committee, The Society of California Pioneers, the Mechanics' Institute, and Yerba Buena Lodge, No. 15, I.O.O.F. He was also the owner of "The Noisy Carrier Book and Stationery Co." and publisher of the first San Francisco Directory in 1850. From the description of Autobiography and Reminiscence of Charles Proctor Kimball, San Francisco, 1901. (The Society of California Pioneers)....

Coffey, Alvin Aaron, 1822-1902.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6w41jwx (person)

Alvin Aaron Coffey, born on July 14th, 1822, began life as the slave of Margaret Cook of Mason County, Kentucky. His parents were Larkin Coffey and Nellie Cook. He married Mahala Tindall on October 9, 1842 in Kentucky. Cook sold Coffey in 1834 to Henry H. Duvall and in 1846, Duvall sold Coffey to Dr. Bassett for $600. Coffey worked on Bassett's farm for 3 years, going to California with him in 1849. The Bassett party left St. Louis on April 2, 1849, for St. Joseph leaving there on May 5th. The g...