Dane Family Papers, 1849-1934

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Summary

Abstract:
This collection contains the papers of the family of Ezra Dane (1828-1921) and Lois Anna Nutting, who settled in California during the Gold Rush period. The bulk of the papers consist of personal Dane family correspondence; some letters discuss the Civil War, and the largest group of letters was written by Ada Nutting Baker in Decatur, Michigan, between 1854 and 1902. The collection also includes business papers, as well as notes and source material used by writer George Ezra Dane (1904-1941).
Extent:
20.42 Linear Feet (17 boxes)
Language:
English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Dane family papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains the papers of the Dane family who settled in California during the Gold Rush period. The bulk of the papers consist primarily of personal correspondence written by and to members of the Dane family. Many of the letters discuss family matters, and the largest group of letters were written by Ada Nutting Baker, the sister of Lois Nutting Dane, in Decatur, Michigan. There are also letters (1863-64) by James W. Nutting which discuss the Civil War. The collection also includes business papers, as well as notes and source material used by George Ezra Dane in editing A Sojourn with Royalty and Other Sketches by "Old Block" (San Francisco: G. Fields, 1936).

Some notable items include:

  1. Champney, Jessie. Letter to Beatrice J. Dane ref erring to experiences of A. D. Champney with Pres. James K. Polk. December 12, 1935.
  2. Dane, R. M.Letter concerning his opinion of President Lincoln. March 30, 1861.
  3. Nutting, James W. Letters to members of his family written during the Civil War period. May 15, 1861 to November 1, 1864.

List of Correspondents

  1. Adams, A. (1 pieces), 1889
  2. Adams, Alden (1 piece), 1866
  3. Backus, Mrs. E. (1 piece), 1884
  4. Baker, Ada (Nutting) (414 pieces), 1854-1902
  5. Baker, Charles T. (4 pieces), 1858-1887
  6. Bardwell, J. L. (1 piece), 1893
  7. Barmenter, Ann R. (1 piece), 1856
  8. Barnum, Mary (1 piece), 1897
  9. Bartle, W. T. (1 piece), 1893
  10. Bell, James (15 pieces), 1893-1896
  11. Bell, Lucy (Nutting) (21 pieces), 1859-1894
  12. Berger, Dollie (2 pieces), 1890-1891
  13. Berlin, Joseph F. (3 pieces), 1894-1901
  14. Beushoff, Claudine (Stevens) (2 pieces), 1895
  15. Bidwell, Jennie H. (2 pieces), 1881-1900
  16. Blackface, Josephine H. (1 piece), 1896
  17. Brodrick, H. M. (1 piece), 1897
  18. Burke, Nell (Nutting) (22 pieces), 1859-1883
  19. Chadwick, Marie (1 piece), 1898
  20. Champney, Jessie (11 pieces), 1876-1935
  21. Champney, Mary E. (2 pieces), 1890-1891
  22. Champney, Ruth E. (11 pieces), 1885-1889
  23. Crook, Enola L. (1 piece), 1869
  24. Dane, Alice Bell (3 pieces), 1880-1881
  25. Dane, Ezra (10 pieces), 1872-1884
  26. Dane, George (1 piece), 1854
  27. Dane, James Rufus (16 pieces), 1884-1885
  28. Dane, Lois (Nutting) (26 pieces), 1864-1884
  29. Dane, Lucius Nutting (17 pieces), 1883-1885
  30. Dane, Lucy A. (1 piece), 1866
  31. Dane, Myron Ben (4 pieces), 1860-1870
  32. Dane, R. M. [Roxanne, wife of Rufus Dane] (4 pieces), 1861-1896
  33. Dane, Rufus (3 pieces), 1861-1876
  34. Dawson, Lucy (2 pieces), 1882-1883
  35. Day, Marion W. (1 piece), 1893
  36. Dibble, Bessie (2 pieces), 1898-1899
  37. Dodge (2 pieces), 1866
  38. Dryer, W. H. (1 piece), 1884
  39. Eastman, E. P. (1 piece), 1864
  40. Elsbree, Susie (1 piece), 1898
  41. Field, Anna M. (2 pieces), 1869-1870
  42. Field, Mrs. Ralph A. (1 piece), 1880
  43. Fitts, Carrie L. (1 piece), 1873
  44. Frary?, F. (1 piece), 1859
  45. Grantz, Mary J. N. (3 pieces), 1898-1900
  46. Graves, Lille (2 pieces), 1898-1933
  47. Graves, Lizzie A. (1 piece), 1901
  48. Harmon, F. W. (1 piece), 1863
  49. Harmon, MRs. F. W. (2 pieces), 1882
  50. Holton, Cornelia (15 pieces), 1876-1891
  51. Holton, Elcy C. (3 pieces), 1890-1896
  52. Holton, George M. (9 pieces), 1883-1899
  53. Howard, M. Louise (1 piece),
  54. Hubbard, Lou (1 piece), 1894
  55. Hutchins, George Edward (1 piece), 1894
  56. Inch, Carrie E. (1 piece),
  57. Ingraham, Irving E. (1 piece), 1899
  58. Jane, C. D. (1 piece), 1888
  59. Jefferds, Bessie A. (1 piece), 1896
  60. Jodon, Robert and Anna (1 piece), 1901
  61. Johnson, Julia E. (1 piece), 1901
  62. Johnson, L. A. (1 piece), 1880
  63. Kennan, ? Jean McCormick (1 piece),
  64. Keyes, Julia M. (1 piece), 1877
  65. Kingsley, Etta L. (9 pieces), 1866-1875
  66. Kirkwood, Anna (Dane) (68 pieces), 1876-1934
  67. Lawton, J. L. (1 piece), 1896
  68. Loomis (1 piece),
  69. Ludovici, Julius (1 piece), 1900
  70. McGilvray, Dotte (2 pieces), 1899
  71. Maclean, Dollie (1 piece), 1886
  72. Mapes, Fanny? (2 pieces), 1889
  73. Marriner, Maude M. (1 piece), 1890
  74. Mayberry, Emily G. (1 piece),
  75. Meeker, Anna L. (1 piece), 1894
  76. Morgan, Lulu V. (1 piece), 1897
  77. Morgan, Rose E. (1 piece),
  78. Moss, Olivia H. (2 pieces), 1886
  79. Moss, Ora (3 pieces), 1886-1893
  80. Nutting, Carrie L. (2 pieces), 1887-1896
  81. Nutting E. F. (2 pieces), 1881-1894
  82. Nutting, Eliza B. (2 pieces), 1872-1873
  83. Nutting F. A. (1 piece), 1898
  84. Nutting, James W. (17 pieces), 1856-1874
  85. Nutting, Nell (Warner)? (4 pieces), 1871-1872
  86. Nutting, Lucius (1 piece), 1863
  87. Overacker, H. (1 piece), 1880
  88. Phelps, D. S. (2 pieces), 1887-1888
  89. Preston, Lizzie M. (1 piece), 1873
  90. Rawson, Cynthia (Nutting) (5 pieces), 1858-1876
  91. Rust, Carrie Stuart (4 pieces), 1855-1856
  92. Rust, Edawrd P. (1 piece), 1880
  93. Rust, Mollie E. (1 piece), 1889
  94. Sawyer, Harriet A. (6 pieces), 1896-1901
  95. Sawyer, Harriet P. (3 pieces), 1899-1901
  96. Seliax?, Ella C. (1 piece), 1898
  97. Sewell, Eldora (3 pieces), 1895
  98. Slocum, Fannie B. (1 piece), 1895
  99. Slocum, Ida B. (3 pieces), 1876-1893
  100. Stickney, Carrie F. (2 pieces), 1864-1870
  101. Washington College (Alameda County, California) Principal (2 pieces), 1878-1880
  102. Webb, Mida F. (1 piece), 1900
  103. Wickson, E. J. (1 piece), 1884
  104. Winter, Maude J. (3 pieces), 1895-1896

Miscellaneous items include:

  1. Envelopes. 102 pieces. (In Box 15)
  2. E Clampus Vitus. Certificate of membership of Henry E. Huntington Library. 1937 January 27. (Box 17)
  3. Journal (1854-1857). (Diary of a lawyer in Sacramento and San Francisco who was interested in politics, church services, and temperance.) (Box 17)
  4. Materials in Box 16:
  5. Dane, Ezra. Narrative of Journey Across the Plains to Calif., 1849-1852. August 8, 1919
  6. Dane, Ezra. Indenture for part of San Pasqual Rancho. 1889 February 12.
  7. Dane, George Ezra. Letters, notes, photostats, clippings etc. used in preparation of "Sojourn with Royalty" and. "Sketches of Old Block." About 65 pieces.
  8. Dane, George Ezra. Notes for dissertation on E Clampus Vitus.
  9. Dane, George Ezra. Letters, notes and photostats assembled by G.E. Dane and used in editing Mark Twain's Letters from the Sandwich Islands.
  10. Delano, Alonzo. Last will and testament. 1874 January 13. (photostat).
  11. E Clampus Vitus. Constitution, rules, roll of members etc., and clippings.
  12. E Clampus Vitus. Papers of E Clampus Vitus, Le Broke Lodge No. 107, 303. 1886-1894. 4 pieces.
  13. Meek, William Bull. Reminiscences of Camptonville, Calif (Book 3)
  14. Business letters and telegraa1s. 1875-1897. 17 pieces.
  15. Bills and receipts. 1875-1897. 32 pieces.
  16. Poems, clippings, etc. About 19 pieces.
  17. Unsigned and unidentified letters. 31 pieces.
Biographical / historical:

Ezra Dane (1828-1921) was born in Shutesbury, Massachusetts, on April 12, 1828. He crossed the plains to California in 1852 and engaged in mining in the Tuolomne region. During a visit home to Massachusetts in 1859, he married Lois Anna Nutting, and on their return established a home in Sonora, California, and in 1884 acquired a fruit ranch, "Sunny Ridge," near Pasadena, California. His grandson, George Ezra Dane (1904-1941), born in Pasadena on December 21, 1904, was the son of Beatrice (Jodon) and George Bryant Dane. He was a lawyer and a writer of folklore, western history, and humor.

Acquisition information:
Gift of George E. Dane, 1934-1939.
Arrangement:

Correspondence arranged in alphabetical order in Boxes 1-15, followed by miscellaneous materials in Box 15-17.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.

Terms of access:

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Dane family papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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