Finding aid to the Melville Schweitzer collection of California miscellany, 1846-1878,
Vault MS 55
Finding aid prepared by Tierney Haupt
California Historical Society
678 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA, 94105-4014
(415) 357-1848
reference@calhist.org
2011
Title: Melville Schweitzer collection of California miscellany
Date: 1846-1878
Collection Identifier: Vault MS 55
Creator:
Schweitzer, Melville, 1875-1932.
Extent:
1.0 box
(0.2 linear feet)
Repository:
California Historical Society
678 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA, 94105-4014
(415) 357-1848
reference@calhist.org
URL: http://www.californiahistoricalsociety.org/
Location of Materials: Collection is stored onsite.
Language of Materials: Most materials are in English, with a few documents in Spanish.
Abstract: Letters, records, and other documents collected by Melville Schweitzer, including material related to John C. Frémont's California
Battalion of Mounted Riflemen and the Bear Flag Revolt; a handwritten history of Howard Engine Company No. 3, a volunteer
fire department in San Francisco, giving a list of the men who served in the company; a letter book (1850) of James King of
William, which includes a name index; six letters (1855-1878) to or from General Mariano Vallejo; and miscellaneous letters,
receipts, deeds, and other documents (1850-1877). Battalion materials include financial accounts kept by quartermaster Jacob
R. Snyder.
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 Director
of the Library and Archives, North Baker Research Library, California Historical Society, 678 Mission Street, San Francisco,
CA 94105. Consent is given on behalf of the California Historical Society 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. 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], Melville Schweitzer collection of California miscellany, Vault MS 55, California Historical Society.
Acquisition Information
The Melville Schweitzer collection of California miscellany was given to the California Historical Society by Mrs. Lolita
Schweitzer, wife of Melville Schweitzer, in 1932.
Biographical Information
Melville Schweitzer was born September 7, 1875. As a businessman, he was involved in the importation of meats from the Far
East, first with Schweitzer & Co. and later with F. E. Booth Co. He married his wife, Lolita Heyneman Schweitzer in 1908.
They were both members of the California Historical Society. Schweitzer amassed this collection of materials with the intent
of donating them to the California Historical Society. Schweitzer died March 11, 1932, in San Francisco, where he had been
taken after having a stroke in his Sonoma home.
Scope and Contents
The collection consists of letters, records, and other documents collected by Melville Schweitzer. It includes receipts, vouchers,
requests for materials, supply lists, and letters related to John C. Frémont's California Battalion of Mounted Riflemen and
the Bear Flag Revolt. Battalion materials include financial accounts kept by quartermaster Jacob R. Snyder. Also in the collection
is a handwritten history of Howard Engine Company No. 3, a volunteer fire department in San Francisco organized by William
Davis Merry Howard, Joseph L. Folsom, and Samuel Brannan, that gives a list of the men who served in the company from 1850-1860.
A volume of letters from James King of William, which includes a name index, is also part of the collection. James King (who
added "of William" to distinguish himself from other men of the same name) was the editor of the
Daily Evening Bulletin and the business partner of Jacob R. Snyder. King's letter book contains business correspondence, including bills. Additionally,
the collection contains six letters (1855-1878) to or from General Mariano Vallejo, including personal and business correspondence;
and miscellaneous letters, receipts, deeds, and other documents (1850-1877).
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Frémont, John Charles, 1813-1890.
Howard Engine Company, No. 3 (San Francisco, Calif.)
King, James, 1822-1856.
Snyder, Jacob Rink, 1812-1878.
United States. Army. California Battalion.
Vallejo, Mariano Guadalupe, 1808-1890.
Letter books.
Volunteer fire departments -- California -- San Francisco -- History -- 19th century.
Bibliography
Source consulted for biographical note:
Wheat, Carl I. "The Schweitzer Collection of Californiana."
California Historical Society Quarterly 11, no. 2 (1932): 184-187. Accessed 2011 July 21 from http://www.jstor.org/stable/25178142
Previous Title
Collection previously titled: Melville Schweitzer papers, 1846-1878
Box 1, Folder 1
California Battalion records
1846-1847
Physical Description:
1.0 folder
Box 1, Folder 2
General Mariano Vallejo letters
1855-1878
Physical Description:
1.0 folder
Letter from Pacificus Ord to Vallejo on the California Constitutional Convention of 1849
1855 July 4
Letter from Dr. Levi Frisbie to Vallejo accusing Vallejo of affronting his medical talents
1859 January 7
Letter from Vallejo to Francisca
1877 February 23
Language of Material: Item is in Spanish.
Letter from James G. Fair to Vallejo regarding the Chihuahua lands
Condolence letter from Vallejo to Raquel Sears, widow of J. R. Sears of the California Battalion
1877 May 2
Letter from Vallejo to Francisca
1878 February 5
Language of Material: Item is in Spanish.
Box 1, Folder 3
Letter from Bret Harte to Miss Mills regarding Hart's vacation to Crystal Springs
undated
Physical Description:
1.0 folder
Box 1, Folder 4
History of Howard Engine Company No. 3
1860 November 15
Physical Description:
1.0 folder
Box 1, Folder 5
Miscellaneous letters, receipts, and deeds
1847-1877
Physical Description:
1.0 folder
Deed for property, Sonoma County, from H. A. Green to John H. Nash
1847 January 1
Letter from John A. Sutter to Major T. Gensley & Co. requesting blankets for local Indians
1850 January 10
Deed for property, Sacramento County, James King of William to Jacob R. Snyder
1852 October 15
Cancelled check, James King of William to P. A. Roach
1853 May 21
Account of money due Dr. Peter Campbell for his services to the City of Sonoma
1853 October 18
Letter from William Burling to H. S. Dexter requesting Dexter's presence at a board meeting for the American-Russian Commercial
Company, San Francisco
1857 March 21
Receipt for $440 given by H. S. Dexter to the American-Russian Commercial Company
1857 June 8
Deed for property, Fresno County, S. Gastin and Josiah Royal to Ira McCray
1857 September 4
Letter from James F. Stuart to Friend Pierce concerning land deals
1858 January 11
Independent Order of Odd Fellows membership certificate issued to L. Wachenheim
1869 July 12
Letter from Archbishop J. S. Alemany to J. R. Snyder concerning the burial of an unnamed man in the Snyder family vault
1877 April 21
Box 1, Folder 6
Letter book of James King of William
1850
Physical Description:
1.0 volume
