Collection Guide
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Heinlen, J.R. Papers
mssHeinlen
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Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: J.R. Heinlen papers
Creator:
Heinlen, J.R. (John R.)
Creator:
Heinlen family
Identifier/Call Number: mssHeinlen
Physical Description:
1.17 Linear Feet
(1 expansion folder)
Date (inclusive): 1864-1907
Abstract: This collection contains correspondence, legal documents, receipts and accounts concerning the Heinlen family and its property
holdings in several Northern California communities, including Fresno and Tulare counties. Much of the collection pertains
to numerous legal suits over property rights.
Language of Material: Materials are in English.
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more
information.
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.
[Identification of item]. J.R. Heinlen papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased from James E. Smalldon, August 1968.
J.R. (John R.) Heinlen (approximately 1848-1893), son of John and Jane E. Heinlen, was a Lemoore, California landowner. The
Heinlen family owned land in several Northern California communities, including Fresno and Tulare counties, and also participated
in cattle ranching and mining efforts in those areas. J.R. Heinlen's brother, G.A. (Goethe A.) Heinlen, was a San Francisco-based
attorney who represented the family's property interests in disputes over boundary lines and water rights.
This collection contains correspondence, legal documents, receipts and accounts concerning the Heinlen family and its property
holdings from 1864 through 1907. Most of the collection is correspondence between members of the Heinlen family and addresses
the numerous legal suits they brought against those they believed were infringing on their property rights. The legal documents
in the collection are from the numerous cases the Heinlen family was involved in, and many of the receipts and accounts are
for money spent, as well as earned, through their legal suits.
The suits that are mentioned within the collection include: Heinlen v. Centerville & Kingsburg Irrigation Ditch Company, Heinlen
v. Fowler Switch Company, Heinlen v. Fresno Canal & Irrigation Company, Jane E. Heinlen et al v. Wayne B. Rogers, and August
Neileron v. John R. Heinlen and Joaquin Soto. Most of the suits relate to the issue of water rights and whether the actions
of specific companies, or individuals, had deprived the Heinlen family of the full value of their land. The Heinlen's land
was bordered by rivers which, they claimed, were being unjustly diverted and used, thereby denying them their right to fully
benefit from their land. The only suit not to deal with such issues is Jane E. Heinlen et al v. Wayne B. Rogers; it deals
exclusively with the terms outlined within a will.
Processed by Huntington Library staff, 2001. In 2020, Melissa Haley created a finding aid derived from a legacy finding aid.
Heinlen family papers, 1865-1916 (BANC MSS C-B 432 Box 1; BANC MSS C-B 432 oversize folder; BANC MSS C-B 432), UC Berkeley, Bancroft Library.
Collection is arranged chronologically.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Irrigation -- California -- Fresno County
Irrigation -- California -- Lemoore
Irrigation -- California -- Tulare County
Land tenure -- California -- History
Landowners -- California -- Correspondence
Lawyers -- California -- Correspondence
Water rights -- California -- Fresno County
Water rights -- California -- Lemoore
Water rights -- California -- Tulare County
Water rights -- California -- Cases
Letters (correspondence) -- California -- 19th century
Legal documents -- California -- 19th century