William Barnhart papers
Scope and Contents
This collection of William Barnhart's papers contains business correspondence sent to W. H. Barnhart & Company in the early 1850s, mostly from San Francisco merchants, including Wells, Fargo, & Company, and Neal & Smiley. The collection also includes business ledgers of Barnhart & Company, 1851-1854. Also among the papers is a report on a speech given by Bob McLaren in Portland, regarding conflict with Native people, March 29, 1856.
Dates
- Creation: 1850-1878
Creator
- Barnhart, William, approximately 1827-1909 (Person)
- W. H. Barnhart & Co. (Portland, Or.) (Organization)
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
William Barnhart, a pioneer merchant of Portland, Oregon, was the first Portland agent of Wells, Fargo and Company in the early 1850s. He later served as the state land agent in Salem and as an Indian agent in Umatilla. In 1854, he married Mary Campbell of Corvallis, a daughter of pioneer missionaries. The Barnharts returned to Portland in the 1880s, where they lived until their respective deaths in 1909 and 1910.
Extent
1 Cubic Feet (3 document cases, 1 oversize folder in shared box)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Papers of a pioneer merchant of Portland, Oregon, dating largely from the early to mid-1850s. The materials consist primarily of ledgers and incoming business correspondence of W. H. Barnhart & Co. Most of the correspondence is from San Francisco merchants, including Wells, Fargo, & Company.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in two series:
- Series 1, Business papers, 1850-1878
- Series 2, Financial ledgers of W. H. Barnhart & Company, 1851-1854
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Acquired around 1911 from an unknown source.
Subject
- W. H. Barnhart & Co. (Portland, Or.) -- Records and correspondence (Organization)
- Wells, Fargo & Company -- Records and correspondence (Organization)
- Neal & Smiley (San Francisco, Calif.) -- Records and correspondence (Organization)
Genre / Form
Topical
- Title
- Guide to the William Barnhart papers
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Geoffrey B. Wexler
- Date
- 2007; revised 2025
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid is written in English.
Revision Statements
- 2025-01-09: Minor revisions to conform to current standard.
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