Alexander Lattie papers

Collection

Identifier: Mss 540

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of reproductions of Alexander Lattie's papers. These include a microfilm version of a journal he kept while at Fort George (also called Fort Astoria), Oregon Territory, fom February to July 1846, and a printout of the microfilm. This journal describes Lattie's work for the Hudson's Bay Company, and tensions that emerged between the Hudson's Bay Company and Euro-American emigrants to Oregon, including an altercation that Lattie had with John McClure.

The remainder of the collection consists of photostatic reproductions and typescript copies of Lattie's personal papers and records of his estate. Personal papers include an 1847 letter from Lattie to James Douglass, asking for a job and vowing to no longer drink alcohol; and property and financial documents. Estate records include an inventory of Lattie's possessions, and a list of his possessions that were sold at a public auction in 1851.

Dates

Creation: 1846-1851

Creator

Lattie, Alexander, 1802-1849 (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

Alexander Lattie was born in 1802 in St. Andrews, Scotland. He began working for the Hudson's Bay Company around 1830, and arrived at Fort Vancouver in 1831. He then worked for the company's coastal trade for 15 years, serving as an officer on ships traveling along the Pacific Northwest coast, and helping pilot the ship Lausanne partway up the Columbia River in 1840. In 1846, he was assigned to the company's post at Fort George (also known as Fort Astoria), where he acted as James Birnie's assistant, and then as the company's acting clerk at the post.

Lattie left the Hudson's Bay Company in the fall of 1846. In August 1847, he filed a donation land claim in Clatsop County, though he either abandoned this claim or sold it to John L. Morrison the following spring. In May 1849, Lattie piloted the ship Massachusetts, which was carrying United States artillery troops, up the Columbia River to Fort Vancouver. That same month, he declared an intent to become a U.S. citizen. Lattie drowned in the Columbia River in September 1849.

Source: "Alexander Lattie's Fort George Journal," edited by Thomas Vaughan, Oregon Historical Quarterly, Vol. 64, No. 3 (Fall 1963).

Extent

0.15 Cubic Feet (2 folders in shared box; 1 reel microfilm)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Reproductions of papers of Alexander Lattie (1802-1849), including a journal he kept while stationed at Fort George (also known as Fort Astoria) in the Oregon Territory. Lattie was a Scot who worked for the Hudson's Bay Company.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Microfilm produced by the Oregon Historical Society in March 1963. Other materials copied from originals in 1964.

Existence and Location of Originals

Original of Lattie's journal is held at the Clatsop County Historical Society, Astoria, Oregon. Originals of Lattie's personal and estate papers are held at Clatsop County Clerk's Office, Astoria, Oregon.

Existence and Location of Copies

Lattie's journal was published in the Oregon Historical Quarterly, Vol. 64, No. 3 (Fall 1963).

Related Materials

Additional materials relating to Alexander Lattie at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library can be found in the vertical file Biography - Lattie, Alexander.