Sutherland family papers

Collection

Identifier: Mss 2308

Staff Only

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

1832-1975
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

Additional Description

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.