Olney family papers

Collection

Identifier: Mss 211

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of papers of and relating to the Olney family, particularly Cyrus Olney. Cyrus Olney's correspondence includes: a February 20, 1865 letter from Olney to E. N. Cooke; a December 21, 1867 letter from U.S. Senator George H. Williams to Olney about a raise in judges' salaries; and reproductions from microfilm of correspondence relating to Olney's tenure as an associate justice of the Oregon Territorial Supreme Court, including a letter from Olney to Joseph Lane. Other Cyrus Olney papers are a deed conveying property in Astoria, Oregon, from Olney to Joseph Gaston, November 5, 1870; and a photostatic reproduction of a deed conveying property from Olney to Alfred Crosby, December 17, 1867. Other materials in this collection consist of a typescript account about Orville Olney's activities during the Rogue River War in 1856; and the correspondence of Warren Olney III, Judge John F. Kilkenny, Oregon Historical Society staff, and others about history relating to the Olney family, particularly Cyrus Olney and Nathan Olney.

Dates

Creation: 1853-1962

Creator

Olney, Cyrus, 1815-1870 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.

Biographical Note

Nathan Olney (1824-1866) was the first member of the Olney family to come to Oregon, emigrating in 1843. The following year he returned to the eastern United States, and in 1845 came to Oregon with other family members, including his brother Orville Olney (1832-1902). Their older brother, Cyrus Olney (1815-1870), emigrated to Oregon in 1851.

In 1853, Cyrus Olney became an associate justice of the Oregon Territorial Supreme Court, and he held that position until 1857. He was also a member of the Oregon Constitutional Convention of 1857. He lived in Astoria, Oregon, from the 1850s until his death. Orville Olney fought in the Rogue River War of 1855-1856. Nathan Olney fought in the Cayuse War and Yakima War, and served as an Indian agent at Fort Simcoe, Washington Territory.

Warren Olney III (1904-1978) was appointed as assistant attorney general of the U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division, in 1953. During his tenure, he advocated for the establishment of a separate Civil Rights Division within the Department of Justice, which occurred in 1957. In 1958, he was appointed as director of the Administrative Office of the Courts.

Sources: Vital records on Ancestry.com; Oregonpioneers.com; Corning, Howard McKinley, editor, "Dictionary of Oregon History," 2nd edition, 1989; Warren Olney III biography on U.S. Department of Justice website, justice.gov.

Extent

0.1 Cubic Feet (2 folders in shared box)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Papers of Cyrus Olney (1815-1870); an account relating to Orville Olney's (1832-1902) experiences in the Rogue River War; and correspondence of Warren Olney III (1904-1978), John F. Kilkenny (1901-1995), Oregon Historical Society staff, and others relating to Cyrus Olney and Nathan Olney (1824-1866). Cyrus Olney came to Oregon in 1851, and was an associate justice of the Oregon Territorial Supreme Court. His brothers, Nathan Olney and Orville Olney, who came to Oregon in 1843 and 1845, fought in conflicts between Euro-Americans and Native peoples in the 1850s. Warren Olney III was a U.S. assistant attorney general.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Letter from Cyrus Olney to E. N. Cook purchased from Fred Lockley, March 1947 (RL2022-103-RETRO). Photostatic reproduction of deed from Cyrus Olney to Alfred Crosby gift of Verne Bright, 1947 (Lib. Acc. 9116). Reproductions of correspondence of and relating to Cyrus Olney gift of Sidney Teiser in the mid-20th century (RL2022-104-RETRO). Other materials most likely acquired between the late 19th century and mid-20th century (RL2022-105-RETRO, RL2022-106-RETRO, RL2022-107-RETRO).

Existence and Location of Originals

Originals of letters reproduced from microfilm relating to Cyrus Olney's judicial career are in Record Group 60.16.2, National Archives, Washington, D.C.

Related Materials

Other collections at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library that relate the Olney family or include their papers are: the Matthew Paul Deady papers, Mss 48; the Joel Palmer papers, Mss 114; the James Willis Nesmith papers, Mss 577; the Addison Crandall Gibbs papers, Mss 685; the Joseph Lane papers, Mss 1146; and the vertical file Genealogy - Olney, Cyrus, family.

A biography of Nathan Olney by Roscoe Sheller, titled, "The Name Was Olney," is in the Oregon Historical Society Research Library's book collections.