W. H. C. FOLSOM AND FAMILY:

William Henry Carman (W. H. C.) Folsom was born June 22, 1817 in New Brunswick, Canada. He and his wife, Mary Jane Folsom (nee Wyman) of Maine, were early Minnesota pioneers of the 1840s, who settled in Taylors Falls in 1850. W. H. C. Folsom was best known as a lumberman, but he was also a merchant, legislator, speculator, manufacturer, real estate dealer, historian, and writer, authoring several papers and the book, Fifty Years in the Northwest (St. Paul: Pioneer Press Company, 1888).

The Folsoms had a large extended family, with several members settling in Taylors Falls, including Mary Jane's brother, Edward P. Wyman, and sister, Caroline Weston, both of whom would later commit suicide. W. H. C.'s son, Wyman X. Folsom and his cousin, Philander E. Folsom, both served in the Civil War, 7th Regiment, Company C and 3rd Regiment, Company K respectively. W. H. C.'s younger son, Frank W. Folsom, was one of the first students at the University of Minnesota.

Folsom was active in both county and state government, serving as County Treasurer, State Representative, and State Senator in the 1st, 9th, 10th, and 17th districts, where he was involved in the navigational development of the Mississippi and St. Croix Rivers, railway building, the Wisconsin boundary dispute, design of the State Seal, and the Five Million Dollar Loan. Additionally, Folsom was involved in several local organizations, including the Kahbakong Cemetery Association, the Methodist Episcopal Church of Taylors Falls, and the Chisago Seminary.

William H. C. Folsom died in 1900 in Taylors Falls, preceded in death by his wife Mary Jane (1896), and his son, Frank W. Folsom (1881).

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The collection documents W. H. C. Folsom and related families' personal lives and careers, covering the periods of Folsom's arrival in Wisconsin and Minnesota territories in the 1840s through the 1950s. The collection also contains materials and papers of their large extended families, the Wymans, Smiths, and Paines.

There is documentation for Folsom's business activities, including real estate transactions and logging, saw milling, merchandising, and farming; the St. Croix Boom Company and the Chippewa Logging Company; his Taylors Falls house; and his writings, including his autobiographical book, Fifty Years in the Northwest. Other papers concern Minnesota railroads, railroad bonds, and land grants; navigation on the St. Croix and Mississippi rivers; state and local politics and government; the Mille Lacs Ojibwe; temperance; the Kahbakong Cemetery Association of Taylors Falls; and mail service, churches, and life in Taylors Falls.

Includes Civil War letters of Wyman X. Folsom in the Seventh Minnesota Infantry and his cousin, Philander E. Folsom, in the Third Minnesota Infantry; correspondence of Wyman's sons, Erwin W. and John M. Folsom, during World War I; and correspondence of the Wyman family in Maine and Taylors Falls.

Several photographs and albums document the Folsom and extended family legacy, including several hundred photographs of family members, and the Folsom house and Taylors Falls Methodist Episcopal Church, both recorded by the Historic American Buildings Survey.

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These documents are organized into the following sections:

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Availability:

The collection is open for research use.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. W. H. C. Folsom and Family Papers. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Accession Information:

Accession number: 8037; 8502; 11,076; 11,320; 12,398; AV2005.29; 16,704; 17,117; 17,428

Processing Information:

Processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with a Basic Project grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).

Catalog ID number: 990017303900104294

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Includes correspondence, personal ephemera, bibliographical materials, newspaper clippings, drawings, and other related materials kept by the Folsoms and extended families.

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Papers document the many interests and business ventures of W. H. C. Folsom and family, including financial documents; deeds; bills of sale; bonds; committee minutes; legislative records, such as affidavits, resolutions, and correspondence; and related miscellaneous papers. May interlace and overlap with Folsom and related families materials.

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Includes 5 carte-de-visite albums, 2 photographic albums, and loose photographs of landscapes, residences, several generations of Folsoms, extended family members, and others; some identified.

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W.H.C. Folsom's books Fifty years in the northwest and History of lumbering in the St. Croix Valley are in the Minnesota Historical Society reference library.

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This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Topics:

Dakota Indians -- Minnesota.

Elections -- Minnesota.

Gold mines and mining -- California.

Lumbering -- Minnesota.

Lumbering -- Wisconsin.

Ojibwa Indians -- Land tenure.

Ojibwa Indians -- Minnesota.

Poll tax -- Minnesota -- Chisago County.

Railroads -- Minnesota -- Finance.

Railroads -- Minnesota.

Steamboats -- Saint Croix River (Wis. and Minn.).

Steam-navigation -- Mississippi River.

Steam-navigation -- Saint Croix River (Wis. and Minn.).

Temperance.

World War, 1914-1918.

Persons:

Donnelly, Ignatius, 1831-1901, author.

Ellison, Smith, 1823-1899.

Folsom, Erwin W. (Erwin Wieck), 1888- , author.

Folsom, Frank W. (Frank William), 1852-1881, author.

Folsom, Geneva Smith, author.

Folsom, John Gordon, author.

Folsom, John M. (John Mendell), 1892- , author.

Folsom, Levi Woodbury, 1821- , author.

Folsom, Mary Jane Wyman, 1818-1896.

Folsom, Philander E., approximately 1840- , author.

Folsom, Simeon P. (Simeon Pearl), 1819-1907.

Folsom, Ward W., 1824-

Folsom, William H. C. (William Henry Carman), 1817-1900 -- Fifty years in the Northwest.

Folsom, William H. C. (William Henry Carman), 1817-1900 -- Homes and haunts.

Folsom, Wyman X., 1844-1929, author.

Folsom family.

Hauser, Kaspar, author.

Jenson, Marion Folsom, author.

Le Duc, William Gates, 1823-1917, author.

Paine, Cordelia Ayer, author.

Payne family.

Ramsey, Alexander, 1815-1903, author.

Sabin, Dwight M. (Dwight May), 1843-1902, author.

Smith family.

Stannard, L. K. (Lucas Kingsbury), 1824-1914, author.

Stevens, Frederick C. (Frederick Clement), 1861-1923, author.

Upham, Warren, 1850-1934, author.

Washburne, E. B. (Elihu Benjamin), 1816-1887, author.

Wilder, Amherst H. (Amherst Holcomb), 1828-1894, author.

Wyman, Edward P., 1829-1957, author.

Wyman family.

Organizations:

Chippewa Logging Company (Nelson, Wis.).

Ellison and Folsom.

Kahbakong Cemetery Association (Taylors Falls, Minn.).

Methodist Episcopal Church -- Minnesota.

St. Croix Boom Corporation.

Taylors Falls Agricultural and Driving Park Association (Taylors Falls, Minn.).

United States. Army. Minnesota Infantry Regiment, 3rd (1861-1865).

United States. Army. Minnesota Infantry Regiment, 7th (1862-1865).

University of Minnesota.

Places:

Chisago County (Minn.) -- History.

Minnesota -- Economic conditions.

Minnesota -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865.

Minnesota -- Politics and government.

Taylors Falls (Minn.)

Document Types:

Diaries.

Photographs.

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