Joseph Henry Brown papers
Scope and Contents
Papers of Joseph Henry Brown, an emigrant to Oregon and later a historian. The collection includes typescripts of an autobiography detailing Brown's overland journey and military service; correspondence, including letters from William C. McKay and Jesse Applegate; notes, drafts, and research materials used in the writing of Brown's "Political History of Oregon"; scrapbooks; and clippings. Also included is a transcription of a journal by Medorem Crawford regarding his journey from New York to the Willamette Valley in Oregon, 1842; Lawrence Kipp's report of the Walla Walla Treaty Council of 1855; and a volume that contains both records of Oregon Farmers' Union conventions from 1873-1874 and handwritten 1870s transcripts of correspondence from 1848-1849, primarily addressed to George Abernethy. The collection also contains notes relating to Oregon City history and to the Oregon Milling Company.
Dates
- 1842-1924
Creator
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
Joseph Henry Brown was born near Wilmington, Will County, Illinois, in 1837, and came overland to Oregon with his parents in 1847. He served as an apprentice with the Oregon Statesman in Salem in the late 1850s, went to California in 1858, and after various enterprises in The Dalles, Oregon, and elsewhere, returned to the printing trade in Salem. He joined the First Oregon Cavalry in 1861 and fought in conflicts with Native people in eastern Oregon. He served as a clerk in the state Legislature and as the Salem correspondent for the Oregonian newspaper in Portland. In 1869, he married Margaret R. Graves, with whom he had four children, and around 1880, they moved to Portland. The first volume of Brown's book, "Political History of Oregon," was published in 1892, but subsequent volumes remained unpublished due to his ill health. He died in 1898.
Extent
3 Cubic Feet (2 document cases, 4 oversize flat boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Papers of an emigrant to Oregon, and later historian, including an account of his overland journey to Oregon in 1847, correspondence, notes, scrapbooks, records of Oregon Farmers' Union conventions, and notes and drafts for his book, "Political History of Oregon" (1892).
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in two series:
- Series 1: General files, 1842-1924
- Series 2: Notes, data, and drafts for "Political history of Oregon," 1892-1896
Custodial History
Many of the materials in this collection were probably collected by historian Burt Brown Barker. Some of the materials are not directly related to Joseph Henry Brown and may have been collected by Barker for purposes of general research.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Portions of the collection were acquired with Lib. Acc. 11387.
Existence and Location of Originals
Original manuscript of Joseph Henry Brown's autobiography is held at the Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
Processing Information
Collection was processed by Todd Sulloway and the collection guide prepared by Geoffrey B. Wexler in 2007. Collection guide was revised in October 2023 to conform to current standard.
- Brown, J. Henry (Joseph Henry), 1837-1898
- Crawford, Medorem, 1819-1891 -- Diaries
- Indians of North America -- Northwest, Pacific -- Government relations -- 19th century
- Oregon
- Oregon -- History -- 19th century
- Oregon -- Politics and government -- 19th century
- Oregon -- Politics and government -- History -- 19th century
- Oregon Farmers' Union -- Records and correspondence
- Overland journeys to the Pacific
- Pioneers
- Pioneers -- Oregon
- Politics and Politicians
- Scrapbooks
- autobiographies (literary genre)
- research (documents)
- scrapbooks
Creator
- Brown, J. Henry (Joseph Henry), 1837-1898 (Person)
- Kipp, Lawrence (Author, Person)
- Crawford, Medorem, 1819-1891 (Author, Person)
- Title
- Guide to the Joseph Henry Brown papers
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Geoffrey B. Wexler
- Date
- 2007; revised 2023
- 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
- 2023-10-13: Revised 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