This collection consists of materials from the Ephraim Willard Burr and John Winslow Allyne families. The two families are interconnected through the marriage of John Winslow Allyne to E.W. Burr's daughter, Mary Newell. The personal material belongs mainly to the Allyne family, although there are also a few interesting early letters from the Burr family. The business files of E.W. Burr contain real estate deeds and papers, business letters, and papers from several of Burr's businesses. Most of Allyne's business material relates to his oil and lamp business. The last two boxes contain the many genealogy charts and notes collected by the Allynes, and the personal and wartime memorabilia the Allynes wanted to keep.

Ephraim Wiilard Burr was born March 7, 1809 in Warren, Rhode Island to Nathan Miller Burr and Lucy Willard Burr. Little is known of his childhood. EWB was a merchant in Rhode Island for some years until late 1849, at which time he left for California. He owned part interest in merchant vessels which carried supplies, for the mines primarily, from the east to the west coast. However, upon arrival, the crew deserted the ships to work in the mines. Burr, therefore, had to go to California to hire new crews in order to get the ships back east again. He travelled from New York by ship, across the Isthmus of Panama by mule, and by steamer to San Francisco. He arrived in San Francisco April 21, 1850. According to one story, Burr brought the crews with him and put them on board the vessels, which were waiting outside the San Francisco Bay, so that they were never able to set foot in California and have a chance to desert to work in the mines--a tremendous problem at that time. Then, realizing the lucrative merchandising business possible by supplying mining, Burr decided to remain in San Francisco.John Winslow Allyne was born April 18, 1841 in Brewster Massachusetts to Samuel Hinkley Allyne and Sophronia Winslow. Ten days after his birth, his mother died.

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