John and Mary Webster Perit Huntington letters
Scope and Contents
Collections include copies of 9 letters addressed to "Ma" and "Pa." These letters are both written by John and his wife Mary to their parents. Letters include such topics as farming, land, health, business updates, spouses, homesickness, and life in Oregon.
Dates
- Creation: 1855-1860
Creator
- Huntington, John Webster Perit, 1831-1869 (Person)
- Huntington, Mary, 1834-1878 (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open to the public. Collection must be used in Special Collections and University Archives Reading Room. Collection or parts of collection may be stored offsite. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives in advance of your visit to allow for transportation time.
Conditions Governing Use
Property rights reside with Special Collections and University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries. Copyright resides with the creators of the documents or their heirs. All requests for permission to publish collection materials must be submitted to Special Collections and University Archives. The reader must also obtain permission of the copyright holder.
Biographical / Historical
John Webster Perit Huntington, publisher, lawyer, teacher, farmer and Superintendent of Indian Affairs in Oregon, was born on July 5, 1831 in Norwich, Connecticut. A versatile and well educated young man, he joined a group of men who bought a ship, loaded it with mining equipment and sailed around Cape Horn to San Francisco in 1850. Once in California they sold the ship and mining equipment and dispersed. Huntington traveled to Yoncalla, Umpqua County (now Douglas County), Oregon, where he took a land claim in Hayhurst Valley in 1852.
In 1857 Huntington met and married Mary Applegate, daughter of Charles Applegate. Through the Applegate connection, Huntington became associated with the Republican Party and served as an Oregon state legislator in 1860. Because of his work in the Republican Party in Oregon, he was brought to the attention of President Abraham Lincoln and appointed as the Superintendent of Indian Affairs in Oregon.
Under Huntington's tenure as Superintendent, treaties were signed with various Indian tribes including the Snake and Warm Springs tribes. Due to his efficiency and duty to the Union, President Andrew Johnson appointed him to a second term in 1867. This last term ended in the Spring of 1869 and on June 3, he unexpectedly died at the age of 37.
Source: Northwest Digital Archives
http://nwda-db.wsulibs.wsu.edu/findaid/ark:/80444/xv94065
Extent
0.1 linear feet (1 container) : 1 folder
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
John Webster Perit Huntington (1831-1869), publisher, lawyer, teacher, farmer and Superintendent of Indian Affairs in Oregon. In 1857 Huntington met and married Mary Applegate (1834-1878), daughter of Charles Applegate. Collections include copies of 9 letters addressed to "Ma" and "Pa." These letters are both written by John and his wife Mary to their parents between 1855 and 1860.
Processing Information
Collection processed by staff.
This finding aid may be updated periodically to account for new acquisitions to the collection and/or revisions in arrangement and description.
Subject
- Title
- Guide to the John and Mary Webster Perit Huntington Letters
- Status
- Preliminary Description
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by University of Oregon Libraries, Archivists' Toolkit Project Team and Jenn Newby
- Date
- 2012
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English
Repository Details
Part of the University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives Repository
