Sutherland family papers
Scope and Contents
The collection documents three generations of the Sutherland family, with most materials relating to the immediate family of Roderick Sutherland of Portland, Oregon. Included are three of Roderick Sutherland's diaries, including an account of his overland journey to Oregon in 1855; family correspondence, including letters written to and from Mary Emily Sutherland and her sons Curtis and Alfred; correspondence and accounts related to the estate of James Sutherland; a small quantity of documents of the McKenzie family; and biographical and genealogical information.
Dates
- Creation: 1832-1975
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1832-1902
Creator
- Sutherland family (Family)
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
James Sutherland (1778-1844), a native of Scotland, was a chief factor of the Hudson's Bay Company and eventually lived in the Red River Settlement in Manitoba. His son Roderick McKenzie Sutherland (1821-1896) traveled overland to Oregon with his family around 1855 and eventually settled in Portland. Roderick Sutherland's wife, Mary Emily (Lowman) Sutherland, was born in England in 1823 and came to Canada's Red River Country with her parents in 1833. Her mother, Mary Kelly Lowman, served as a governess at the Red River Academy and later married her second husband, Chief Factor James Bird. Mary Emily married Roderick Sutherland in 1846 and the couple had eleven children, including Curtis G. Sutherland of Portland, Oregon, Alfred J. Sutherland, and Alice Maud Sutherland Masters, who later moved to England.
Extent
0.45 Cubic Feet (1 document case)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Papers of a family of Portland, Oregon, and Port Townsend, Washington, with ancestors in Canada and England. Includes diaries of Roderick Sutherland, including an account of his overland journey to Oregon, 1855; family correspondence; and papers relating to the estate of James Sutherland, who lived from 1778 to 1844 and was associated with the Hudson's Bay Company.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in four series:
- Series 1: Biographical and genealogical information
- Series 2: Diaries of Roderick Sutherland
- Series 3: Correspondence
- Series 4: General materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gifts of Nancy Hooper, April 1985 (Lib. Acc. 17209) and Marie Gaskill, January 1987 (Lib. Acc. 18073).
Processing Information
Collection includes materials previously designated Mss 2308-1.
Subject
- Sutherland family (Family)
- Sutherland family -- Genealogy (Family)
- Sutherland family -- Correspondence (Family)
- Sutherland, James, 1778-1844 (Person)
- Sutherland, Roderick, 1821-1896 (Person)
- Sutherland, Roderick, 1821-1896 -- Diaries (Person)
- Title
- Guide to the Sutherland family papers
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Geoffrey B. Wexler
- Date
- 2007; revised 2024
- 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
- 2024-03-01: Revised to make minor corrections to some dates and folder titles, and 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