Guide to the Faxon Dean Atherton Papers, 1831-1932,
Vault MS 5
Processed by California Historical Society staff; machine-readable finding aid created by Brooke Dykman Dockter. Revised by
Marie Silva in 2011.
California Historical Society
678 Mission St
San Francisco, 94105
415-357-1848
reference@calhist.org
© 1998
Title: Faxon Dean Atherton Papers
Collection Identifier: Vault MS 5
Date (inclusive): 1831-1932
Creator:
Atherton, Faxon Dean, 1815-1877
Extent:
9 boxes and 2 oversize boxes
(4.5 linear feet)
Repository:
California Historical Society
678 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA, 94105
415-357-1848
reference@calhist.org
URL: http://www.californiahistoricalsociety.org/
Physical Location: Collection is stored onsite.
Language of Materials: Collection materials are in English and Spanish.
Access
Collection is open for research.
Existence and Location of Copies
Atherton's California diary was published by the California Historical Society in 1964 as
The California diary of Faxon Dean Atherton, 1836-1839, edited by Doyce B. Nunis, Jr. A copy of this book is available in the library (Kemble F856.1.A40).
Publication Rights
Copyright has not been assigned to The North Baker Research Library. All requests for permission to publish or quote from
manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Library Director. Permission for publication is given on behalf of The North
Baker Research 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.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Faxon Dean Atherton Papers. MS 5 (Vault), The California Historical Society, North Baker Research
Library.
Separated Materials
Two maps of Bolsa de San Cayetano Ranch in Monterey County, dated June 1881, have been transferred to the Map Collection.
Related Collections
Related materials may be found in the Faxon Dean Atherton family papers, MS 4129.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The collection was donated by Edward Engle Eyre and Dean Atherton Eyre in 1964.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in chronological order and divided into two series: Business and personal papers, 1831-1876, and
Estate and genealogical papers, 1877-1932. Folder titles and scope and content notes have been supplied to facilitate access.
Biography
A native of Dedham, Massachusetts, Atherton first came to the Pacific coast around 1834 to work for a ship chandlery firm
in Valparaiso, Chile. He settled in Valparaiso in 1840 and became a successful merchant dealing in hides and tallow, foodstuffs,
and other commodities. Eventually he became one of the wealthiest men on the Pacific coast.
From 1836 to 1838, Atherton worked as a clerk for Alpheus B. Thompson, a merchant engaged in the hides and tallow trade on
the California coast. During this period, Atherton penned his California diary and formed friendships with many prominent
Californians, including Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo and Thomas O. Larkin (with whom he was to be associated in several real
estate and commercial ventures). Around 1860, Atherton returned to California to settle permanently, liquidating his assets
in Valparaiso and reinvesting his money in the new state. Atherton's real estate purchases included Valparaiso Park in San
Mateo County; the land now forms much of present-day Atherton. He also served on the Board of Trustees of the Lick Trust and
played an instrumental role in the construction of a railroad to Hayward.
Atherton married Dominga Goñi, daughter of a prominent Chileno family. They had seven children, among them George H. B. Atherton,
who later married Gertrude Franklin Horn, one of California's most important authors.
Scope and Contents
The collection comprises business records and correspondence documenting Atherton's mercantile relationships and activities
in Boston, California, Hawaii, and Valparaiso; correspondence, deeds, and other documents relating to Atherton's real estate
investments in California, including Las Milpitas Ranch and Bolsa de San Cayetano Ranch in Monterey County, San Lorenzo Ranch
in Alameda County, Los Putos Ranch in Solano County, and Valparaiso Park in San Mateo County; and legal documents and other
papers concerning Atherton's estate after his death. Proclamations and correspondence in English and Spanish (1845-1848) document
escalating tensions between the United States and Mexico in California in the 1840s, culminating in the Mexican War. The collection
also contains Atherton's diary for the years 1836 to 1839, which he kept while he lived in California, as well as business
letters and receipts created by Atherton's sons, George H. B. Atherton and Faxon D. Atherton, Jr., and letters concerning
the Atherton family genealogy.
Correspondents include Thomas O. Larkin, José Castro, Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, Alpheus B. Thompson, Nathan Spear, George
Henry Bowen (Atherton's friend and business partner in Valparaiso), and Alexander B. Grogan (Atherton's California business
agent and executor of his estate).
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Atherton, Faxon Dean, 1815-1877--Estate.
Atherton, Faxon Dean, Jr.
Atherton, George H. B.
Bowen, George Henry
Castro, José , 1810-1860
Grogan, Alexander B.
Larkin, Thomas Oliver, 1802-1858
Spear, Nathan
Thompson, Alpheus B.
Vallejo, Mariano Guadalupe, 1808-1890
Businessmen--California.
Coats of arms.
Diaries.
Hides and skins--California.
Land surveys.
Letter books.
Mexican War, 1846-1848.
Pioneers--California--Diaries.
Real estate investment--California.
San Lorenzo Ranch (Alameda Co., Calif.)
Tallow.
Valparaiso Park (San Mateo Co., Calif.)
Series 1:
Business and personal papers
1837-1876
Scope and Contents
Papers in this series were created during Faxon Dean Atherton's lifetime and document his personal life; mercantile activities
in Boston, California, Hawaii, and Valparaiso; and extensive real estate investments in California.
Box 1, Folder 1a-1b
Business records and ephemera
1831-1836
Physical Description:
2.0 folders
Box 1, Folder 2a-2b
Notebooks and ephemera
1836-1839
Physical Description:
2.0 folders
Box 1, Folder 3a
California diary (photocopy)
1836-1839
Box 1, Folder 3b
California diary (original)
1836-1839
Existence and Location of Copies
Fragile original; use photocopy in box 1, folder 3b.
Also available in published form as
The California diary of Faxon Dean Atherton, 1836-1839, edited by Doyce B. Nunis, Jr. (San Francisco: California Historical Society, 1964), Kemble F856.1.A40.
Box 1, Folder 4
Business records and correspondence
1837
Scope and Contents
Includes correspondence regarding the hide and tallow trade with Mission San Miguel.
Box 1, Folder 5
Business records and correspondence
1838
Box 1, Folder 6a
Passport, newspapers, and ephemera
1839
Scope and Contents
Includes Atherton's passport; two handwritten copies of
Neptunes Herald (vol. 1, nos. 1 and 2); a price list for Henshaw, Ward & Co. of Boston; and a phrenological chart made for Atherton by William
West, practical phrenologist.
Box 1, Folder 6b
Business records and correspondence
1839-1844
Box 1, Folder 7
Proclamations, correspondence, business records, and other papers
1845-1848
Scope and Contents
Includes two proclamations regarding hostilities with Mexico, signed by Naval Commander John D. Sloat and President James
Polk; a copy of a letter, in Spanish, from General José Castro to Governor Pío Pico conveying his protest against the junta
of 1845 June 15; a letter of 1846 November 20, in Spanish, from Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo to Atherton concerning his son José
and documenting his capture and imprisonment in Fort Sacramento; two English translations of Vallejo's letter; Atherton's
passport; business records and correspondence; and Atherton's will, in Spanish, made in Valparaiso in 1848.
Box 2, Folder 8a-8b
Business records and correspondence
1849
Physical Description:
2.0 folders
Scope and Contents
Folder 8b contains a letter, in Spanish, to Faxon Dean Atherton from his wife, Dominga Atherton.
Box 2, Folder 9
Business records and correspondence
1850-1852
Oversize box 2
Account book of family expenses
1853-1855,
1862-1866
Physical Description:
1.0 volume
Box 2, Folder 10a-10b
Business records and correspondence
1853 January-February
Physical Description:
2.0 folders
Boxes 2, Folder 11
Business records and correspondence
1853 March-May
Box 2, Folder 12
Business records and correspondence
1853 June-September
Box 2, Folder 13
Business records and correspondence
1853 October-December
Oversize box 2
Correspondence book
1854-1857
Physical Description:
1.0 volume
Box 2, Folder 14
Business records, correspondence, and legal papers
1854 January-June
Scope and Contents
Legal papers pertain to the case of Reynolds v. Frederick in Valparaiso.
Box 2, Folder 15
Business records and correspondence
1854 July-December
Box 2, Folder 16
Business records, correspondence, and legal papers
1855 January-March
Scope and Contents
Includes ship's papers for the Argyle of Baltimore; and Atherton's will, in Spanish.
Box 2, Folder 17
Business records, correspondence, and legal papers
1855 April-May
Scope and Contents
Mostly consists of papers concerning the brig Argyle of Baltimore, and the official protest filed by its master at the Consulate
of the United States in Tahiti.
Box 3, Folder 18
Business records and correspondence
1855 June-December
Scope and Contents
Includes papers relating to the brig Argyle, including discharge papers issued by the United States Consulate at Melbourne.
Box 3, Folder 19
Business records and correspondence
1856 January-June
Box 3, Folder 20
Business records and correspondence
1856 July-December
Box 3, Folder 21
Business records and correspondence
1857 January-April
Box 3, Folder 22
Business records, correspondence, and baptism records
1857 May-December
Box 3, Folder 23
Business records, correspondence, and deeds
1858
Box 3, Folder 24
Business records, correspondence, description of Carlton Tract, and family account book
1859
Box 3, Folder 26
Business records and correspondence
1861
Box 3, Folder 27
Business records, correspondence, and legal papers
1862
Box 3, Folder 28a
Business records, correspondence, and guarantee for Rancho Sal Si Puedes
1863 January-February
Box 3, Folder 28b
Business records and correspondence
1863 February-April
Box 4, Folder 29a-29b
Business letters and correspondence
1863 May-September
Physical Description:
2.0 folders
Box 4, Folder 30a
Business records, correspondence, and tax records
1863 October-November
Scope and Contents
Includes tax records for San Lorenzo Ranch in Alameda County and Pulgas Ranch in San Mateo County.
Box 4, Folder 30b
Business records and correspondence
1863 December
Box 4, Folder 31
San Lorenzo Ranch records and other papers
1864
Box 4, Folder 32a
San Lorenzo Ranch records
1865
Box 4, Folder 32b
Business and real estate records, correspondence
1865
Box 5, Folder 33a-33b
Business and real estate records, correspondence
1866
Physical Description:
2.0 folders
Scope and Contents
Includes records for San Lorenzo Ranch in Alameda County and Los Putos Ranch in Solano County.
Box 4, Folder 34
San Lorenzo Ranch records and other papers
1867
Box 4, Folder 35a-35b
Business, real estate, and personal records
1868
Physical Description:
2.0 folders
Scope and Contents
Includes records for San Lorenzo Ranch in Alameda County; Los Putos Ranch in Solano County; and Bolsa de San Cayetano Ranch
in Monterey County.
Box 5, Folder 36a-36b
Business and San Lorenzo Ranch records
1869
Physical Description:
2.0 folders
Box 5, Folder 37
Business and real estate records
1869, undated
Box 5, Folder 38a-38b
Business and real estate records, correspondence
1870
Physical Description:
2.0 folders
Scope and Contents
Includes maps of Rail Road Square in Hayward, California.
Box 5, Folder 39a-39b
Business and real estate records, correspondence
1871
Physical Description:
2.0 folders
Scope and Contents
Includes indentures, deeds, and other records for Bolsa de San Cayetano Ranch in Monterey County.
Box 5, Folder 40
Business and real estate records, correspondence
1872 January-March
Scope and Contents
Includes records for San Lorenzo Ranch in Alameda County and Las Milpitas Ranch in Monterey County.
Box 5, Folder 41
Correspondence
April -June 1872
Box 5, Folder 42
Business and real estate records, correspondence
1872 July-September
Box 5, Folder 43
Business and real estate records, correspondence
1872 October-December
Box 6, Folder 44
Business and real estate records, correspondence
1873 January-May
Box 6, Folder 45
Business records and correspondence
1873 June-October
Box 6, Folder 46
Business and real estate records, correspondence
1873 November-December
Box 6, Folder 47
Business and real estate records, correspondence
1874 January-May
Box 6, Folder 48a-48b
Business and real estate records, correspondence
1874 June-November
Physical Description:
2.0 folders
Box 6, Folder 49a-49b
Business records and correspondence
1874 December
Physical Description:
2.0 folders
Box 6, Folder 50
Business and real estate records, correspondence
1875 January-February
Box 6, Folder 51
Business and real estate records, correspondence
1875 March-April
Box 6, Folder 52
Business and real estate records, correspondence
1875 May -July
Box 7, Folder 53a
Business and real estate records, correspondence
1875 August-October
Box 7, Folder 53b
Business records and correspondence
1875 November-December
Oversize box 1
Survey of San Lorenzo Ranch
1876-1878
Box 7, Folder 54a
San Lorenzo Ranch account records
1876
Box 7, Folder 54b
Business and real estate records, correspondence
1876 January-June
Box 7, Folder 55
Business and real estate records, correspondence
1876 July-December
Box 7, Folder 56a
Business and real estate records, correspondence, and obituaries
1877 January-July
Box 7, Folder 56b
Transcriptions of Thomas Stokes Page letters to Faxon Dean Atherton
1855-1869
Acquisition Information
Transcribed from original letters in the collection by John R. Hall, Jr., and Elizabeth Bridgman in 2007.
Series 2:
Estate and family papers
1877-1932
Scope and Contents
Papers in this series were created after Faxon Dean Atherton's death and document the execution of the Atherton estate; the
business and personal affairs of his wife, Dominga Atherton, and children, George H. B. Atherton, Faxon Dean Atherton, Jr.,
Florence Eyre née Atherton, and Muriel Atherton Russell; and Atherton family genealogy.
Box 7, Folder 57
Estate records
1877 August-December
Scope and Contents
Includes tintype portrait of unidentified woman, measuring 4 x 2.5 cm.
Box 7, Box 58
Estate records
1878 January-March
Box 7, Folder 59
Estate records
1878 April-December
Box 7, Folder 60
Estate records
1879 January-April
Box 8, Folder 61
Estate records
1879 May -June
Box 8, Folder 62
Estate records
1879 July-November
Box 8, Folder 63
Estate records
1879 December, undated
Box 8, Folder 64
Estate records
1880 January-February
Box 8, Folder 65
Estate records
1880 March-May
Box 8, Folder 66
Estate records
1880 June-August
Box 8, Folder 67
Estate records
1880 September-December
Box 8, Folder 68
Estate records
1881 January-June
Scope and Contents
Includes maps of lands belonging to the Atherton estate.
Box 8, Folder 69
Estate records
1881 July-December
Box 8, Folder 70
Estate records
1882 January-May
Box 9, Folder 71
Estate records
1882 June-December
Box 9, Folder 73
Atherton family papers
1883-1887
Scope and Contents
Contains business records and correspondence documenting the affairs of Faxon Dean Atherton's wife, Dominga Atherton; and
children, George H. B. Atherton, Faxon Dean Atherton, Jr., and Florence Atherton.
Box 9, Folder 74
Atherton family papers
1888-1889
Scope and Contents
Contains business records and correspondence documenting the affairs of Faxon Dean Atherton's wife, Dominga Atherton; and
children, Faxon Dean Atherton, Jr., Muriel Atherton Russell, and Florence Eyre.
Box 9, Folder 76
Faxon Dean Atherton, Jr., papers
1890-1900
Box 9, Folder 77a-77b
Genealogical records
1901-1932
Physical Description:
2.0 folders
Box 9, Folder 78b
Atherton family papers
undated
Box 9, Folder 79a-79b
Atherton family papers
undated
Physical Description:
2.0 folders
Scope and Contents
Includes records for Corralitos Ranch in Santa Cruz County and Burri Burri Ranch.
