French and Company records

Collection

Identifier: Mss 999

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Materials in the collection date mainly from the late 1870s and pertain primarily to banking transactions, although some mercantile records are included. The records consist of correspondence (1876-1878) from Breyman & Summerville, French & Gilman, Heppner & Maddock, Ladd & Tilton, Marshall Johnson Kinney, Henry R. Sels, and others, relating to cattle, the wool and hide trade, and banking. Also included are records of shipments to Camp Harney, Camp Logan, and Camp Watson in 1868.

Dates

Creation: 1868-1878

Creator

French and Company (Dalles, 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.

Administrative history

French and Company began as a mercantile business in the mid-1860s in The Dalles, Oregon. Its founder was Daniel M. French (1828-1902), a native of Holland, Vermont. He lived in Massachusetts and Louisiana and came to California via Panama during the gold rush. After working at various trades, he traveled to The Dalles in 1862, and there he opened a general merchandise business in partnership with Granville B. Gilman -- a firm known as Gilman, French & Company. After Daniel French's brother Joshua joined the outfit, the brothers bought out Gilman and established French and Company. In 1875, they sold out to Brooks and McFarland, and in 1877, the French brothers started a banking house called French and Company. Daniel French was also involved in other local enterprises, including the Gilman French Land and Live Stock Company and the Arlington National Bank.

Sources: "An illustrated history of central Oregon" (Spokane: Western Historical Publishing Co., 1905), pages 425-426; Harold L. Edmunds, "Pioneer banking houses of The Dalles, Oregon, 1867-1933: the story of French & Company and its competitors" (1979).

Extent

0.7 Cubic Feet (2 document cases)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Records of a mercantile business and banking firm headed by Daniel M. French in The Dalles, Oregon. Includes correspondence (1876-1878) from Breyman & Summerville, French & Gilman, Heppner & Maddock, Ladd & Tilton, Marshall Johnson Kinney, Henry R. Sels, and others relating to cattle, the wool and hide trade, and banking. Also includes records of shipments to Camps Harney, Logan, and Watson in 1868.