WILLIAM B. MITCHELL AND FAMILY:
An Inventory of Their Papers at the Minnesota Historical
Society
Manuscripts Collection
Part or all of this collection is restricted.
For
details, please see restrictions.
| | |
| Creator: |
Mitchell, William Bell, 1843-1930,
creator.
|
| Title: | William B. Mitchell and family
papers. |
| Dates: | 1806-1935. |
| Language: | Materials in English, German. |
| Abstract: | Correspondence, news clippings, land records, and other
papers documenting the activities of Mitchell, editor of the St. Cloud (Minn.)
Journal-Press, and members of his family. |
| Quantity: | 2.0 cubic feet (2 boxes, 8 oversize
items in partial box, and 2 items in reserve). |
| Location: | See Detailed Description for shelf
locations. |
William Bell Mitchell, son of Henry Zehring (1816-1896) and Elizabeth Ann Cannon
(1821-1910) Mitchell was born May 14, 1843, in Wilkinsburg, Allegheny County,
Pennsylvania. By 1857, the family had moved to St. Cloud, Minnesota, where Mitchell
purchased and operated the St. Cloud Press, begun by
his aunt, Jane Grey Cannon Swisshelm. He was an organizer of the Minnesota Editorial
Association serving as its first secretary and later as president. He served as
receiver of the St. Cloud General Land Office under presidents Abraham Lincoln,
Rutherford Hayes and Chester Arthur. From 1887 to 1901 he was a member of the State
Normal School Board and residential director at St. Cloud. He retired in 1892 and
continued to be active in civic affairs and real estate until his death in St. Cloud
on December 5, 1930.
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The papers include letters (1856-1857) by his father, Henry Z., an early St. Cloud
settler, on social and economic conditions, land speculation, settlement, and
pioneer life there, as well as his reports and accounts (1860s) as St. Cloud
postmaster.
There are letters, land records, and legal papers of the related Mitchell, Swisshelm,
and Cannon families, providing data on St. Cloud business and civic affairs and on
the activities of family members (1806-1929); correspondence of Mitchell's aunt,
Jane Grey Swisshelm (1860s-1880s), a well-known abolitionist journalist; and papers
relating to her work on the St. Cloud Democrat (1860s-1870s) and to her
autobiography entitled Half a Century (Chicago, 1880).
Present too is William's correspondence with Minnesota political leaders
(1860s-1900s) concerning state politics, his appointments as receiver for the U.S.
land office (1864-1865, 1878-1885) and various state offices; and papers dealing
with his editorial career (1870s-1890s).
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Access Restrictions:
Access to and use of reserve materials requires the curator's permission.
Preferred Citation:
[Indicate the cited item and/or series here].
William B. Mitchell and Family Papers. Minnesota Historical Society.
See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional
examples.
Accession Information:
Accession number: 3264; 3919; 3940; 4023; 4404; 4843; 6473; 8275
Processing Information:
Catalog ID number: 990017319050104294
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| Location | Box |
| 129.D.14.4F | 1 | Genealogical chart and miscellaneous, undated. |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Correspondence, undated, 1807-1929. 12 folders. |
| | | Includes correspondence among members of the Mitchell, Swisshelm, Burbank and
Cannon families; includes correspondence about political questions and
William B. Mitchell's appointments to public office with prominent Minnesota
political leaders, including Alexander Ramsey (1870s), John T. Averill
(1870s), John S. Pillsbury (1880s), David M. Clough (1880s), Solomon G.
Comstock (1880s), George H. Keith (1870s), Jasper N. Searles (1880s), James
J. Hill (1890s-1900s), Mark H. Dunnell (1860s), Stephen Miller (1860s),
William Windom (1870s-1880s), Samuel J.R. McMillan (1870s), Ignatius
Donnelly (1870s), and Henry C. Burbank (1870s). |
| | | Includes letters (1856-1857) by Henry Z. Mitchell describing the village of
St. Cloud and its pioneer life and customs, the settlement of the lower Sauk
River valley and the platting of the townsite of Hartford; a printed letter
(February 22, 1852) from the Central Hungarian Committee (New York City)
enclosing a specimen certificate issued by Louis Kossuth to those who
contributed to the Hungarian Freedom Fund and letters (1863) from Horace
Greeley and John C. Fremont to Jane Grey Swisshelm regarding support for
Fremont. Also includes a letter (March 7, 1865) from Jane Grey Swisshelm to
Mary C. Mitchell on the reverse of which is a printed letter entitled
"Appeal of the National Association for the Relief of Colored Women and
Children" of Georgetown, District of Columbia. |
| | | Contains correspondence (1880-1881) to Jane Grey Swisshelm from Amelia
Bloomer, Frances Willard, Schuyler Colfax, Wendell P. Garrison and John A.
Logan relating to her book Half a Century; also
includes photocopies of two letters (1883) from Susan B. Anthony (originals
in Reserve), a letter from Herbert Hoover (November 17, 1928) and a letter
from Anne Morrow (Mrs. Charles A. Lindbergh, Jr.)(March 20, 1929). |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Legal papers, 1806-1929. 2 folders. |
| | | Consists mainly of deeds to property owned by members of the Mitchell family;
an affidavit by William B. Mitchell (May 6, 1901) describes the relationship
between the Hobby and Mitchell families; also includes papers (1901)
relating to the probating of the will of Harriett Hobby, aunt of Mrs.
William B. Mitchell. |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Postmaster's reports and accounts, 1861-1867. 2 folders. |
| | | Contains reports (1861-1864) and accounts (1865-1867) kept by Henry Z.
Mitchell as postmaster at St. Cloud, Minnesota. |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Letterheads, 1875-1907. |
| | | Includes receipts and invoices deemed to be of interest because of their
letterheads, most of which depict early St. Cloud businesses. |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Receipts, etc., undated, 1811-1904. |
| | | Includes receipts deemed to be of historical interest in relation to the
remainder of the collection. |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Miscellaneous papers, undated, 1865-1928. |
| | | Includes recipes, a printed political poem entitled "A Gentleman Jack Ass," a
horoscope of Mary Cannon Burbank, a phrenological assessment of William B.
Mitchell (1865), William B. Mitchell's membership certificate in the
Minnesota Territorial Pioneers Association (January 7, 1899), a typewritten
article by Miss Marrianne Clark entitled "First Farms and Farmers of the
Upper Mississippi" (circa 1908), an extract from P.L. 481 authorizing "Do
Not Open Until Christmas" on mail packages (March 4, 1911), an article on
Minnesota newspapers by William B. Mitchell (circa 1924), a bulletin
(December 9, 1928) from the House of Hope Presbyterian Church (St. Paul)
containing the death notice of Mrs. Mary C. Burbank, and miscellaneous
advertising cards, calling cards, and railroad passes. |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | News clippings, 1872, 1918-1930, 1957. |
| | | Contains information on C.A. Gilman (November 2, 1872), a political
advertisement for H.C. Burbank, articles (1918) on reminiscences by Edwin
Clark on early Thanksgivings celebrations in Minnesota, articles on
Mississippi River steamboat trade (1925), articles on the razing of the
Mitchell home in St. Cloud (1957), and a series of articles (1921, 1930) on
Colonel Charles W. Whittlesey of the "Lost Battalion" of World War I. |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| Location | Box |
| 129.D.14.5B | 2 | Volume 1. Ledger, Cannon family [?], circa 1816-1817. |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Volume 2. Diary, unidentified, 1834-1837. |
| | | Probably kept by a member of the Whittlesey family. |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Volume 3. Autograph book, Elizabeth Ann Cannon, 1840-1842. |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Volume 4. Check book, Henry Z. Mitchell, 1855-1856. |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Volume 5. Diary, William B. Mitchell, 1865. |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Volume 6. Autograph book, Emily Whittlesey, 1866-1871. |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Volume 7. Subscription book: St. Cloud
Democrat, 1860. |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Volume 8. Subscription book: St. Cloud
Democrat, 1861. |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Volume 9. Journal: St. Cloud Democrat, 1862-1867. |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Volume 10. Daybook: St. Cloud Journal, 1868-1870. |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Volume 11. Subscription book: St. Cloud
Journal, 1876-1878. |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Volume 12. Subscription book: St. Cloud
Journal-Press, 1878-1891. |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Volume 13. Diary and memorandum book, Henry C. Burbank, 1889-1891. |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Volume 14. Letterpress book, William C. Mitchell, 1926-1929. |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Volume 15. Scrapbook of clippings relating to Jane Grey Swisshelm, circa 1935. |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| Location | |
| 105.F.4.2 | | Oversize material: |
| | | Copy of St. Cloud Visitor, July 22, 1858. |
| | | Civil War papers of William B. Whittlesey, 1861-1863. 3 items. |
| | | | Whittlesey served in the 92nd regiment, Ohio Infantry. |
| | | Advertisement, Fremont Mills Flour Feed and Grocery Store, D.A.
Burr, November 22, 1865. |
| | | Marriage certificate, William B. Mitchell and Emily Whittlesey, December 7, 1871. |
| | | Theater program, Aida, Leipzig,
Germany, September 12, 1876. |
| | | | In German, on the reverse is a letter from "Jean" to her sister. |
| | | St. Cloud Journal-Press, July 19, 1922. |
| | | | Contains an article on important St. Cloud individuals illustrated by
Frank Wing. |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| Location | |
| Reserve 163 | | Reserve items: |
| | | Photocopies of these documents are filed in their respective chronological
sequence in the correspondence series. |
| | | Susan B. Anthony to Mrs. Swisshelm, January 2, 1883. |
| | | | Correspondence regarding the framers' intent of the 14th amendment to the
U.S. Constitution and the History of Woman Suffrage. On letterhead of
the National Woman Suffrage Association. |
| | | | 
Digital version
|
| | | Susan B. Anthony to Mrs. Swisshelm, February 5, 1883. |
| | | | Correspondence extolling the virtues of freedom and equality for women.
Date based on envelope's postmark. |
| | | | 
Digital version
|
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:
- Business enterprises -- Minnesota -- Saint Cloud --
Letterheads.
- Cranberries.
- Frontier and pioneer life -- Minnesota.
- Oysters.
- Phrenology.
- Postal service -- Minnesota -- Saint Cloud.
- Real estate business.
- Townsite law.
- Women's rights.
- Persons:
- Anthony, Susan B. (Susan Brownell),
1820-1906.
- Averill, J. T. (John Thomas),
1825-1889.
- Bloomer, Amelia Jenks,
1818-1894.
- Burbank, Henry Clay,
1835-1905.
- Cannon family.
- Clough, David M.,
1846-1924.
- Comstock, Solomon Gilman,
1842-1933.
- Donnelly, Ignatius,
1831-1901.
- Dunnell, Mark H. (Mark Hill),
1823-1904.
- Frémont, John Charles,
1813-1890.
- Hill, James J. (James Jerome),
1838-1916.
- Hoover, Herbert, 1874-1964.
- Keith, George Hackett,
1825-1882.
- Lindbergh, Anne Morrow,
1906-2001.
- Lowry, Sylvanus B., -1865.
- McMillan, Samuel James Renwick,
1826-1897.
- Miller, Stephen, 1816-1881.
- Mitchell family.
- Mitchell, Henry Z. (Henry Zehring),
1816-1898.
- Pillsbury, J. S. (John Sargent),
1827-1901.
- Ramsey, Alexander,
1815-1903.
- Searles, Jasper Newton,
1840-1927.
- Swisshelm family.
- Swisshelm, Jane Grey Cannon,
1815-1884.
- Swisshelm, Jane Grey Cannon,
1815-1884. -- Half a century.
- Whittlesey family.
- Willard, Frances E. (Frances
Elizabeth), 1839-1898.
- Windom, William, 1827-1891.
- Organizations:
- Campbell, Burbank & Co.
- Central Hungarian Committee (New York,
N.Y.)
- James M. Davis and Co., Reliance Boat
Line (Philadelphia, Pa.)
- Minnesota. State Normal School (Saint
Cloud).
- National Association for the Relief of
Destitute Colored Women and Children (Washington, D.C.)
- Pearson Boat Construction Company
(Duluth, Minn.)
- Places:
- Europe -- Description and travel.
- Minnesota -- Newspapers.
- Minnesota -- Economic conditions.
- Minnesota -- Politics and government.
- Minnesota -- Social life and customs.
- Pennsylvania -- Social life and customs.
- Saint Cloud (Minn.)
- Saint Cloud (Minn.) -- Newspapers.
- Sauk River Valley (Minn.)
- Document Types:
- Autograph albums.
- Letterheads.
- Occupations:
- Newspaper editors -- Minnesota -- Saint
Cloud.
- Postmasters -- Minnesota -- Saint
Cloud.
- Titles:
- St. Cloud Democrat.
- St. Cloud journal-press.
- St. Cloud journal.
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