Robert Newell papers
Scope and Contents
Collection includes a typescript copy of Robert Newell's 1868 diary recording his voyage from Portland, Oregon, to Washington, D.C., with four Nez Perce (Nimiipuu) leaders to procure amendments to Indian treaties, and return to Lawpai, Idaho; handwritten copies of letters (1866-1867) written by Newell and William Gray to the editor of the Oregon Herald, commenting on Gray's "History of Oregon"; Newell's account of the 1843 meeting at Champoeg to form Oregon's provisional government; correspondence with Norris and Company; certificate of appointment as Indian sub-agent; documents concerning the care of children; and typescript copy of memorandum describing Newell's travels in Missouri (1829-1840). Also included are documents on microfilm, which consist of copies of materials in the collection, as well as selected documents on Newell from the U.S. National Archives and the Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley, and extracts from Newell's personal copy of "Oregon Laws" with his marginal notes.
Dates
- Creation: 1829-1868
Creator
- Newell, Robert, 1807-1869 (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
Robert Newell, a trapper and emigrant to Oregon, was born March 30, 1807, near Zanesville, Ohio. He traveled west to the Oregon Country in 1840. He served as a member of the legislative committee of Oregon's provisional government (1843-1848) and was appointed peace commissioner following the Whitman killings (1847). He also worked as the director of the Oregon Printing Association, which published the Oregon Spectator newspaper. After moving to Idaho in 1861, Newell was chosen special commissioner and Indian agent at Lapwai (1862-1868). He died in Lewiston, Idaho in 1869.
Extent
0.25 Cubic Feet (1 slim document case; 1 oversize folder in shared box; 1 shared microfilm reel)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Papers of Robert Newell (1807-1869), a trapper, emigrant to Oregon, and Indian agent. Includes a typescript copy of Newell's diary of an 1868 voyage from Portland, Oregon, to Washington, D.C., with Nez Perce (Nimiipuu) leaders; handwritten copies of letters regarding William Gray's "History of Oregon"; and Newell's account of the 1843 meeting at Champoeg, which formed the provisional government of the Oregon Territory. Only a small number of the items are original documents.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Certificate of presidential appointment as Indian sub-agent was the gift of Joseph E. Mertz, October 1957 (Lib. Acc. 7404).
Existence and Location of Originals
Originals of some of the microfilmed documents in the collection are housed at the United States National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C.; and at the Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
Processing Information
Collection guide was revised in October 2023 to conform to current standard.
Subject
Genre / Form
Geographic
Topical
- Title
- Guide to the Robert Newell papers
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Geoffrey B. Wexler
- Date
- 2006; 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.
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