Justus Steinberger papers
Scope and Contents
The collection consists of correspondence and records from Justus Steinberger’s career in the 1850s as the Portland agent for Adams & Co. and for the Pacific Mail Steamship Company. Included are letters both to and from Steinberger, reports Steinberger wrote, a journal Steinberger kept in 1858, a letterpress copy book of letters written between 1852 and 1861, and ship manifests and receipts.
While a large bulk of the collection’s loose correspondence is with the Pacific Mail Steamship Company’s president, William H. Davidge, and agents Andrew B. Forbes and William F. Babcock, it also includes letters to Steinberger from prominent figures of the Oregon Territory such as Joseph Lane, Asahel Bush, Benjamin Alvord, and George H. Atkinson. The correspondence also includes numerous letters from Rufus Ingalls, who was then a captain but would become Chief Quartermaster of the Army of the Potomac during the Civil War. Of particular note is a letter from Lane dated October 18, 1858, which includes a copy of a letter that Lane sent to Asahel Bush that same day, breaking off contact between Lane and Bush. The letterpress copybook includes letters addressed to Attorney of Oregon Amory Holbrook. An additional item of interest is an 1867 letter that Ulysses S. Grant wrote to Senator Henry Wilson, vouching for Steinberger’s character.
Dates
- Creation: 1852-1867
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1852-1859
Creator
- Steinberger, Justus, 1825-1870 (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
Justus Steinberger was born in Pennsylvania in 1825, and was named for Dr. Justus Dunott of Philadelphia. In the 1850s, he worked in Portland as an agent for Adams & Co. and the Pacific Mail Steamship Company. At the outbreak of the Civil War, he was appointed colonel, with the authority to raise a regiment in the Washington Territory and California. For a brief period in 1862, he was commander of the District of Oregon. Steinberger remained in the military following the war, becoming an officer in the regular U.S. Army’s pay department. He was killed in 1870 when his horse threw him in Helena, Montana. He was buried at Fort Shaw, Montana.
Extent
1.75 Cubic Feet (3 legal document cases, 1 flat box (11x14), 3 oversize folders (16x20))
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Papers of Justus Steinberger (1825-1870), particularly from his time in the 1850s working for Adams & Co. and then for the Pacific Mail Steamship Co. Steinberger was an agent for Adams & Co. in Portland, Oregon; he later became an officer in the U.S. Army.
Arrangement
Collection is arranged in two series: Series A. Correspondence; Series B. Other papers.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Original letterpress copybook requires assistance to view, and researchers are encouraged to use typescript copies instead. Contact library staff for assistance.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Acquired from unknown source in either May or June 1946 (Lib. Acc. 29287).
General
Collection was designated Mss 74 prior to 2018.
Subject
- Steinberger, Justus, 1825-1870 (Person)
- Babcock, William F. (William Fitzpatrick), 1820-1885 (Person)
- Davidge, William H. (William Hathorn Stewart), 1825-1877 (Person)
- Forbes, Andrew B. (Andrew Bell), 1824-1902 (Person)
- Ingalls, Rufus, 1818-1893 (Person)
- Lane, Joseph, 1801-1881 (Person)
- Adams & Co. (Express company) (Organization)
- Forbes & Babcock (San Francisco, Calif.) (Organization)
- Pacific Mail Steamship Company (Organization)
- Title
- Guide to the Justus Steinberger papers
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Jeffrey A. Hayes
- Date
- 2018
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- Finding aid is written in 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