Overview of the Collection
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Repository Name:
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University of Oregon Libraries
Special Collections & University Archives
1299 University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403-1299
URL: http://libweb.uoregon.edu/speccoll/index.html
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Collection Number:
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Coll. 250
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Creator:
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Ainsworth, J. C. (John Commingers), 1822-1893
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Title:
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John C. Ainsworth Papers
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Dates:
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1858-1911 (inclusive)
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Quantity:
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24 linear feet
27 containers
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Languages:
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Collection materials are in
English.
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Summary:
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John Commingers Ainsworth (1822-1893) was the major founder of the Oregon Steam Navigation (OSN) Company,
the most powerful transportation monopoly in the Pacific Northwest. Ainsworth was also involved in a number
of other ventures, including the Northern Pacific Railroad (NPRR) and various gold, silver and coal mining
operations. The John Commingers Ainsworth Papers contain Ainsworth’s diaries, autobiography, personal
correspondence, and the business records of the Oregon Central Railroad, Oregon Steam Navigation Company,
Northern Pacific Railroad Company, and various mining, building and shipping enterprises.
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Biographical Note
John Commingers Ainsworth was born in Springsboro, Ohio on June 6, 1822. His parents died when he was young,
and with only two years of formal schooling he went to work for his uncle, a merchant. They became partners in a
business selling trade goods from boats along the Ohio River, but soon young Ainsworth split from his uncle and
bought a store with a partner, which they sold at a good profit after a successful year. He married a young woman,
Josephine Augusta Kendall, who died fifteen months later. Ainsworth was not yet twenty.
In 1844 he bought a steamboat with his uncle and for the next five years they ran a successful packet service
along the upper Mississippi. When the Gold Rush hit in 1849, Ainsworth sold his share of the business and went to
California. Failing to find wealth or even interesting work, he took a job piloting a steamer on the Willamette River
in Oregon. In 1851 he married the daughter of Judge S.S. White, and built his Greek Revival-style house in Oregon City
(it is open to the public and listed in the National Register of Historic Places). Over the next few years Ainsworth
purchased several steam boats, becoming a central figure in the fiercely competitive river transportation industry.
In late 1860, Ainsworth and a group of investors incorporated the Oregon Steam Navigation (OSN) Company. The OSN
Company controlled the shipping routes of steamers, railroads, and freight lines, and under Ainsworth’s direction,
quickly became the most powerful transportation monopoly in the Pacific Northwest. By 1869 the OSN Company had consolidated
its control over the Columbia River transportation market. In 1872, Ainsworth bartered a controlling interest in OSN to
Northern Pacific Railroad (NPRR) in exchange for capital and NPRR bonds. When NPRR bonds dropped from $0.90 to $0.10,
Ainsworth involved himself in the company’s affairs, traveling to the East Coast and helping oversee the completion of
their railroad. In April 1879, Henry Villard purchased the OSN Company for its full capitalized value of $5 million.
Ainsworth retired to Oak Lawn, California after the sale.
While in Oregon Ainsworth had become a Freemason, and eventually the third Grand Master of the Oregon Masonic Lodge.
After retiring to California he wrote his autobiography, addressing it to his children George, John, Harry and Daisy.
Ainsworth died in California in December 1893.
Content Description
The Ainsworth Papers are divided into nine groups, housed across 27 boxes and 32 loose volumes. The loose volumes primarily
consist of bound correspondence and are listed within the series appropriate to the content of the volume. The collection contains
Ainsworth’s diaries, autobiography, personal correspondence, and the business records of the Oregon Central Railroad, Oregon
Steam Navigation Company, Northern Pacific Railroad Company, and various mining, building and shipping enterprises.
The Diaries group contains Ainsworth’s diaries and his autobiography, and may be found in the first five folders of Box 1.
Personal Correspondence from family, friends and associates, arranged alphabetically by the sender’s last name, fill the
rest of Box 1 and most of Box 2. Documents relating to the Freemasons—mostly correspondence but including some official papers—
are in folder 8 of Box 2 and the first eight folders of Box 3. Notable correspondents in this group include Evans S. McComas.
Personal Correspondence from family, friends and associates, arranged alphabetically by the sender’s last name, fill the rest
of Box 1 and most of Box 2. Documents relating to the Freemasons—mostly correspondence but including some official papers—are in
folder 8 of Box 2 and the first eight folders of Box 3. Notable correspondents in this group include Evans S. McComas.
Oregon Steam Navigation Company correspondence and business records may be found in Boxes 5 through 9, and in the first three folders of Box 10.
Northern Pacific Railroad Company correspondence and business records begin in folder 4 of Box 10 and run through folder 2
of Box 15. Notable correspondents in this group include Hazzard Stevens.
Mines and Mining and Other Corporate Enterprises (except shipping and Portland Hydraulic Elevator Company) correspondence and
documents begin in Box 15, volumes 6 and 7 and folder 3, and run through volume 32 and folder 2 of Box 18. While most of the businesses
are mining operations (gold, silver and coal), Ainsworth’s enterprises also included two mills (Ainsworth Mill Co. and Cabinet Steam
Sawmill), and the Oregon Steam Brewery.
Records of Barks Alden Besse, Coloma, and Kate Davenport,
owned by J.C. Ainsworth, CM. Noyes, Allen Noyes, and others (1879–1888), are housed in volumes 35 through 37, and folder 3 of Box 18 through Box 21.
Records of Building and House Construction, Portland (1880–1883) are housed in the first nine folders of Box 22.
Personal Finance and Corporate Records are housed in volume 38, and in folder 10 of Box 22 through Box 27.
Arrangement
Collection is organized into the following series: Diaries; Personal correspondence; Oregon Central Railroad Company; Oregon
Steam Navigation Company; Northern Pacific Railroad Company; Mines and mining and other corporate enterprises; Records of Barks
Alden Besse, Coloma, and Kate Davenport;
Records of building and house construction, Portland; and Personal finance and corporate records.
Use of the Collection
Restrictions on Access Collection is open to the public.
Collection must be used in Special Collections & University Archives Reading Room.
Restrictions on Use Property rights reside with Special Collections & University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries.
Copyright resides with the creators of the documents or their heirs.
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to the
Manuscripts Librarian in Special Collections & University Archives. The
reader must also obtain permission of the copyright holder.
Preferred Citation [Identification of item], John C. Ainsworth Papers, Coll. 250, Special Collections & University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries, Eugene, Oregon.
Subjects
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online
catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or
places should search the catalog using these headings.
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| Ainsworth, J. C. (John Commingers), 1822-1893--Archives |
| Cooke, Jay, 1821-1905--Correspondence |
| Stevens, Hazard, 1842-1918--Correspondence |
| Villard, Henry, 1835-1900 |
| Wright, Charles B., 1822-1898--Correspondence |
| Alden Besse (Bark) |
| Coloma (Bark) |
| Kate Davenport (Bark) |
| Northern Pacific Railroad Company--Records and correspondence |
| Oregon Central Railroad Company--Records and correspondence |
| Oregon Steam Navigation Company--Records and correspondence |
| Portland Hydraulic Elevator Company--Records and correspondence |
| Gold mines and mining--Oregon |
| House construction--Oregon--Portland |
| Shipment of goods--Northwest, Pacific |
| Silver mines and mining--Oregon |
| Diaries |
Detailed Description of the Collection
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in
the collection.
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Diaries
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Container(s)
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Description
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Dates
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Diaries
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1858, 1860, 1861 |
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Diaries
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1865, 1866, 1872 |
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Diaries
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undated |
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Autobiography
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1877 |
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Personal Correspondence
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Container(s)
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Description
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Dates
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Ackerson, John W. Tacoma land for sale
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February 8, 1875 |
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Adams, W.L. (William Lysander). Sale of farm
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December 1, 1871; December 11, 1871 |
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Ainsworth, Andrew (uncle). Family news
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August 31, 1875 |
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Ainsworth, C.W. Inquiry about reformatory job
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October 7, 1875 |
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Ainsworth, George J. (son). News from school at Oakland, CA (includes list of accounts)
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September 28, 1872 |
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Ainsworth, William G. Request for loan
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[January?] 8, 1877 |
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Albright, William G., Jr. Inquiry on immigration; request for job
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December 21 1874; February 8, 1875 |
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Allen, W.A. Request and thanks for aid
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February 4, 1879; February 10, 1879 |
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Anderson, B.P. Request to locate missing person
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December 5, 1874 |
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Armstrong, C.H. Invitation to invest in "Oleomargaine" process
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March 11, 1874 |
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Alvord, Benjamin. Comment on political affairs
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November 3, 1864; November 7, 1864 |
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Babbitt, E.B. Situation in Buffalo, NY
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November 27, 1872 |
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Ball, Mrs. A.H. Advice on Portland investments
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April 2, 1879 |
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Bank of California (J. Dunn). Acknowledgements of receipts
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January 5, 1875; November 8, 1875; December 24, 1875 |
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Barnes, G.A. and Co. Land tax matters in Washington
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February 6, 1874-November 24, 1879 |
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Barney, Chas O. & Co. Resale of stocks of Western Land Association
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May 7, 1880 |
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Bayley, J.R. Sale of property and note payments
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July 28, 1879 |
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Bell, J.W. Rental of store rooms in Masonic Temple Building, Portland
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October 18, 1876 |
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Blackwell, William B. Thanks for donation; subscription to Forest and Stream
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December 29, 1874; February 4, 1875 |
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Bleakmore, J.B. Recommendation of Orion Kinnerly
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October 11, 1875 |
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Booth, A.R. Promise to pay debt
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February 4, 1876 |
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Booth, Robert. Asks about job opportunities for his son
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April 15, 1879 |
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Bross, Miss Jessie L. Thanks for hospitality
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September 1869? |
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Bross, William. Recommendation of ex-Governor Marcus L. Ward, NJ
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July 30, 1874 |
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Brown, A.D. Road work due on property
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June 28, 1879; July 11, 1879 |
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Brown, F.R. Inquiry on price of property
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May 6, 1880 |
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Brown, Mart V. Requests extension of mortgage
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July 22, 1879 |
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Brown, R./G. Payment of William T. Shanahan's bond (encl. letter from W.T. Shanahan, October 15, 1874)
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December 22, 1874; January 5, 1875 |
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Brush, Geo. E. Road tax work order
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January 24, 1880 |
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Calhourn, Lucia Gilbert. Thanks for hospitality
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September 12, 1869 |
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Carlile, D. Payment of H. Green Mortgage
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August 9, 1880; August 12, 1880 |
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Cartie, L.F. Sending bond for completion
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April 15, 1867 |
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Caton, N.T. Proposal to start newspaper at Walla Walla, W.T.
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November 20, 1878 |
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Cayton, W.W. Inquiry about Capt. Babbit
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March 16, 1878 |
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Chadwick, S.B. H.C. Owen affairs
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January 20, 1876 |
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Chipman, N.P. Reports on Eastern Washington Territory
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November 12, 1878 |
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Clark, Frank. Land purchase
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October 23, 1876-May 27, 1879 |
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Colfax, Schuyler. Thanks for favors received
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September 2, 1871; October 24, 1871 |
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Cooke, H.D. Recommendation for Frank T. Dodge
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January 4, 1873 |
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Corbett, H.W. Suggestions for internal improvements
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January 14, 1868 |
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Cornwall, P.B. Sale of Steamer Great Republic
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July 31, 1878; September 5, 1878 |
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Cress and Bowley. Harness purchase
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May 27, 1878 |
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Crook, George. Recollections of Pacific Coast days
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December 15, 1875 |
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Daniels, W.B. Portland city politics
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January 26, 1877 |
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Davis, Jef. C. Introduction of R.D. Burnett
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September 29, 1874 |
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Dawson, Jas. J. Thanks for favors
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January 9, 1875 |
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Death, H.J. Recollections of childhood days
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April 7, 1866 |
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Denny, O.N. Reminder of package on call
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February 14, 1876 |
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Dimon, Chas. Damaged shipment of boxes from Italy
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August 9, 1878 |
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Dolph, Joseph N. Masonic hall business
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June 28, 1879 |
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Dwight, H.W. Inquiry on land purchase
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December 12, 1879 |
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Egbert, Augustine. Thanks for favors
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January 2, 1878 |
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Eliot, Thomas Lamb. Thanks for support of church and friendship
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June 1869; May 18, 1874; January 20, 1880; April 10, 1876; July 6, 1874 |
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Evans, Elwood. Asks for favors and advice
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June 2, 1868; June 4, 1868; December 9, 1875; September 5, 1878; October 17, 1878 |
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[See also Masonic letters]
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Failing, Henry. Thanks for sympathy regarding the death of Failing’s wife
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July 21, 1870? |
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Farrow, Edward S. Prosecution of "Young Lane"
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June 1, 1879 |
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Fishburne, George J. Re: school tax, Cornelius, Oregon
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March 14, 1879 |
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Freeman, C.A. Asks for work
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December 31, 1875 |
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Froman, D. Mortgages, Albany, Oregon
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1879-1880 |
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Fry, J.D. Introduction for T.J. Hay
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July 2, 1879 |
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Gammie, George. Livestock report from a farm on Bachelors Island
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April 16, 1879; November 25, 1881 |
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Gardiner, J.J. Property purchases, Oakland, California
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1879-1880 |
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Geary, Edward R. Asks favor for Albany College; re: accounts
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January 27, 1867; April 2, 1876 |
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Gibbs, George. Asks Ainsworth to talk with Livingston Stone, United States Fish Commission agent
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August 10, 1872 |
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Goddard & Co., San Francisco. Shipment of iron works
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March 11, 1866; August 25, 1866 |
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Gradon, Herman D. Ainsworth elected as an Honorary Member, Alumni Association of the Portland High School
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Grover, L.F. Support of bills in Congress
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September 22, 1876; January 10, 1879; February 18, 1879 |
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Hallock Charles. Fishing tackle
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May 1, 1875; May 3, 1875 |
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Harland, C.W. Site for schoolhouse, Lewis County, W.T.
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June 8, 1879 |
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Hawley, E.A. House rent
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April 26, 1876 |
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Hayden, James R. Greetings and congratulations on the building of the N.P.R.R.
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February 10, 1876; March 24, 1879 |
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Hiller, Mrs. D.A. Estate settlement
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1879-1880 |
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Hine, Louis. Introduction, asks for job
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November 6, 1878 |
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Hixon, J.M. Land opportunity in California
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April 14, 1880 |
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Hodges, Henry C. Appointment of Ed Weeks to West Point
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September 23, 1878 |
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Holbrook, Willard A. Asks for a job as a “watchman”
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January 25, 1875 |
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Holman, Fred V. Receipt for money
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December 9, 1874 |
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Holt, H.H. Pails for transporting fish
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May 1, 1879 |
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Ingalls, E.G. Tacoma politics
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May 17, 1877 |
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Ingalls, Rufus. Promotion of Senator Nesmith
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August 21, 1866 |
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Jackson, Edward. Oregon articles in London paper
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October 12, 1874; October 17, 1874 |
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Johnson, P.B. Explanation of relations with Walla Walla Union newspaper; asks to be appointed resident attorney
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June 5, 1878; November 7, 1878 |
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Johnson, Robert. Recollections of old days and request for favor
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May 1, 1875 |
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Kast & Co. (Fashionable Shoe Store, San Francisco). Boot order
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June 3, 1878 |
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Kearney, E.S. Political news
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February 6, 1875; January 19, 1876; January 21, 1876; February 14, 1876; May 19, 1876 |
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Kimball, George P. Wagon payment
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June 29, 1868 |
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Knight, P.S. Public lectures
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November 13, 1878; November 20, 1878 |
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Knights, Templar, Oregon Commandery No. 1. Ainsworth selected an honorary member
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October 11, 1876 |
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Latham, Milton S. Promotion of Senator Nesmith
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May 11, 1866; May 30, 1866 |
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Lewis, D.C. Land list, Columbia River South (Oregon) side
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November 10, 1879 |
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Life Association of America. Form letters to policy holders
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December 24, 1879 |
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Lincoln, E. Change of address
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December 22, 1879 |
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Linderman, Dell. Inquiry about Mrs. Col. Weeks
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April 4, 1880 |
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Linton, Susan A. Family member-asks for information on the West
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February 12, 1875 |
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McCann, H. Farm reports, Lakeview, Oregon
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1878-1880 |
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McCann, James and John. Lot for sale, Astoria, Oregon
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May 26, 1877 |
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McCartney, H.M. Thanks for favors
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September 24, 1879 |
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McCaver, M.M. Description of the sife of Tacoma
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October 4, 1869 |
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McComas, E.S. Land for sale, Eastern Oregon
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January 27, 1872; March 8, 1872; March 18, 1872 |
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McCracken, J.M. Sales of ship Coloma
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June 3, 1879; October 29, 1879; November 8, 1880 |
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McElroy, J.F. Gift of peaches
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October 3, 1879 |
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McKerchner, D.C. Payment on note
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November 3, 1869 |
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McKinlay, Archibald. Re: shipment of marten skins
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May 15, 1866 |
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Macleary, Donald. Introducing William Reid, American Vice Consul to Dundee, Scotland
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April 14, 1874 |
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McMicken, W. Personal and political news
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November 12, 1876; July 25, 1877; November 25, 1878; April 11, 1879 |
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Marys, F.W.D. Asks to borrow a printing press to publish a paper in Walla Walla, W.T., “in the interests of Christianity”
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April 30, 1878 |
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Meeker, Ezra. Property for sale, Lake view station, W.T.
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December 24, 1875 |
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Miller, W. Railroad prospects
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July 23, 1874; August 26, 1874 |
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Mills, O.O. Land purchases
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June 28, 1871 |
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Min, John. Sale of property to Captain R.R. Thompson
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March 17, 1876 |
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Mitchell, John N. Major Weeks affairs
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February 1, 1876 |
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Morgan, H.B. Tax matters, Hillsboro, Oregon
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January 3, 1878; January 9, 1878 |
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National Metropolitan Bank, Washington, DC. Inquiry re lost check
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March 8, 1875 |
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Nesmith, James M. Political and railroad matters
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1864-1868 |
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New York Life Insurance Co. Acknowledgements and bills
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1872-1878 |
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Nordhoff, Charles. Inquiry re: Aurora Colony for article for Harper’s Magazine
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January 14, 1878 |
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Noris, William. Introducing Frank Shilbauer
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June 26, 1878 |
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Noyes and Fairweather. Charter of ship Coloma
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July 10, 1879 |
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O’Brien, R.G. Re: Edward Giddings
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February 22, 1875 |
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Ogden, W.B. Introducing George Wright
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December 11, 1875 |
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Owen, H.C. Swamp lands
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September 29, 1876; April 23, 1877; April 25, 1877 |
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Paige, H.C. Receipt for tax payment
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February 2, 1879 |
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Palmer, Joel. Appreciation for political honor
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April 9, 1870 |
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Parker, J.G. Note for endorsement
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March 7, 1874 |
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Pierce, E.G. & Co., San Francisco. Re: shipment
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June 25, 1878 |
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Plummer, C.B. University of Washington job; notes due
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April 5, 1879; April 27, 1879; April 29, 1879; May 17, 1879 |
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Porter, David W. Bond signature request
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February 9, 1863; August 26, 1863 |
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Pratt, Henry K. Introducing S.L. Bayles, Keokuk, Iowa
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September 4, 1878 |
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