Berryman Jennings papers

Collection

Identifier: Mss 1181

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of papers of or relating to Berryman Jennings. The bulk of the collection is correspondence to Jennings relating to the Cayuse War, in which he acted as a quartermaster for Euro-American emigrant forces. Other materials in the collection include financial papers; papers relating to Jennings' Masonic activities in Iowa and California; a letter from Jennings' cousin James W. Jennings about family matters; and a 1929 letter from Otto A. Rothert of the Filson Club in Louisville, Kentucky, to the Oregon Historical Society, concerning Jennings' time in Iowa as a Mason and a schoolteacher. The collection also includes the wills of Thomas Jennings and Sarah Jennings, though their exact relation to Berryman Jennings is unknown.

Dates

1820-1849; 1929
Majority of material found within 1848-1850

Creator

Jennings, Berryman, 1807-1888 (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

Berryman Jennings was born in 1807 in Kentucky but was living in Iowa by the 1830s. He emigrated to Oregon in 1847, and served as a quartermaster during the conflict between Euro-American emigrants and the Cayuse people that is known as the Cayuse War. In 1849, he went to California to mine for gold, but he returned to Oregon in 1850 and helped to build the steamer Lot Whitcomb. He was the first grand master of the Grand Lodge of Oregon of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. Jennings died in 1888. The town of Jennings Lodge, Oregon, is named for him.

Sources: Articles in the Oregonian, 1888-1956; "Dictionary of Oregon History," second edition, 1989, edited by Howard McKinley Corning; vital records on Ancestry.com.

Extent

0.15 Cubic Feet (1 folder in shared box; 1 oversize folder (16x20) in shared flat box)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Papers of and relating to Berryman Jennings (1807-1888), primarily correspondence relating to his role as quartermaster during the Cayuse War. Jennings emigrated to Oregon in 1847, helped build the steamer Lot Whitcomb, and was the first grand master of the Oregon Masonic Lodge. The town Jennings Lodge, Oregon, is named for him.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Most likely acquired between the late 19th century and the mid-20th century.

Related Materials

Other materials at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library relating to Berryman Jennings are in a vertical file, Biography - Jennings, Berryman, and in the "Notables" photographic collection, Org. Lot 108.