Corbett family papers, 1838-1915
Scope and Contents
The papers include correspondence, photographs, wedding announcements, bills of sale, family memorabilia and ephemera relating to numerous Portland families related by ties of descendancy and marriage. A majority of the materials were created and used by the Robertson family, including numerous photographic albums, personal correspondence, and diaries. Two Robertson family world trips, from circa 1907 and 1910-1912, are documented with photographs, postcards, and correspondence with family in Portland. A small amount of materials relate to the business dealings of specific individuals, including Walter John Burns and members of the Robertson family. Also included are tickets and ephemera for the 1905 Lewis and Clark Exposition in Portland.
Other families represented include: Adams, Burns, Corbett, Couch, Failing, Lewis, Reed, Warren, Wilson, and Wood. Often, the inclusion of these materials is related to Robertson connections, in the form of marriage or other family relationships.
Dates
- Creation: 1838-1915
Creator
- From the Collection: Robertson family (Family)
- From the Collection: Robertson, William Edie, 1854-1939 (Person)
- From the Collection: Butler, Mary Couch, 1915-2008 (Person)
- From the Collection: Burns, Mary Caroline, 1857-1950 (Person)
- From the Collection: Hull, Ma'Carry Webster, 1917-2003 (Person)
- From the Collection: Robertson, Thomas, 1817-1900 (Person)
- From the Collection: Robertson, Kathleen, 1881-1970 (Person)
- From the Collection: Failing, Emily Phelps, 1836-1870 (Person)
- From the Collection: Robertson, Thomas, 1881-1924 (Person)
- From the Collection: Robertson, Jack Wood, 1894-1956 (Person)
- From the Collection: Robertson, Mary Corbett, 1891-1986 (Person)
- From the Collection: Corbett, Henry W. (Henry Winslow), 1827-1903 (Person)
- From the Collection: Warren, Nan Wood, 1885-1928 (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Biographical / Historical
The Corbett family came to prominence early in Portland’s history, when Henry Winslow Corbett arrived in 1851 from New York. Arriving with $25,000 worth of goods obtained from Williams Bradford & Co through a three-year partnership, Corbett would resell the goods in the newly opened Oregon Territory. He would go on to gain widespread success in business, real estate, and politics, becoming a senator representing Oregon from 1867-1873. His descendants also played important roles in Portland’s civic and economic spheres.
Originally from Westborough, Massachusetts, and later New York state, Henry Winslow Corbett was eventually joined in Oregon by his siblings Elijah, Mary Freeland, and Emily Phelps. Before embarking for Portland, Mary Freeland Corbett married Thomas Robertson from Cambridge, New York. Upon arriving in Oregon, Robertson joined Henry Corbett in his mercantile business, eventually forming Robertson Heavy Hardware, wholesale hardware firm. The descendants of Mary Freeland and Thomas Robertson would become joined to other old Portland families through marriage. In 1910, their grandson, Thomas Robertson (1881-1924) married Kathleen Burns, the granddaughter of Captain John Couch and wife Caroline Flanders.
In 1858, younger sister Emily Phelps Corbett married Henry Failing in 1858, who went on to be a leading businessman in Portland. The Failing, Corbett, and Robertson families continued to develop close business and kinship ties for generations.
Extent
From the Collection: 9.46 Cubic Feet (13 legal size document cases, 5 oversize boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Repository Details
Part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library Repository
1200 SW Park Ave.
Portland OR 97205 United States
5033065204
5033065240
libreference@ohs.org