Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Decius S. Wade family papers, 1853-1905
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Wade, Decius S., b. 1835
- Title
- Decius S. Wade family papers
- Dates
- 1853-1905 (inclusive)18531905
- Quantity
- 1.9 linear feet of shelf space
- Collection Number
- MC 54
- Summary
- Decius Wade was Montana Territorial Supreme Court Justice and former Andover, Ohio, attorney, judge, and legislator. Collection (1853-1905) includes a Wade family genealogy; correspondence with Vice President Schuyler Colfax, Charles W. Kellogg, and various family members, concerning his legal and family concerns; writings, and other materials. Also included are papers for five other family members: Bernice Galpin Wade, Charles H. Wade, Clare Wade Safford, Lucia Wade, and Marcia Wade.
- Repository
-
Montana Historical Society, Library & Archives
Montana Historical Society Research Center Archives
225 North Roberts
PO Box 201201
Helena MT
59620-1201
Telephone: 4064442681
Fax: 4064445297
mhslibrary@mt.gov - Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open for research.
- Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Decius S. Wade was born in Andover, Ohio, January 23, 1835, the son of Charles H. and Juliet Spear Wade. He was educated in local schools, studied law with the firm of his uncle, Senator Benjamin F. Wade, and was admitted to the Ohio Bar in September 1857. He practiced law at Jefferson, Ohio, until 1860, when he was elected probate judge for Ashtabula County. He held this position until 1867. Wade was elected to the Ohio State Senate in 1869, and served until 1871, when his appointment as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Montana Territory was confirmed.
Decius Wade's appointment to the Supreme Court can be traced to his family's influence with the national Republican administration. Two of his uncles, Edward and Benjamin F. Wade, were multi-term members of Congress, and his first cousin, Nellie Wade, was the wife of Schuyler Colfax, Vice President in the Grant Administration.
Wade's Supreme Court appointment was extended three times. At the end of this service in 1887, he began the practice of law in Helena, Montana. When Montana achieved statehood, Wade was appointed to the Codification Commission to systematize laws for the new state. He again returned to private law practice in 1892. In 1895, Wade and his family returned to the family farm, "Little Medford," near Andover, Ohio, where he retired.
Bernice Galpin and Decius S. Wade were married June 3, 1863. They had one child, Clare Lyon Wade. Their daughter graduated from Wellesley in 1890 and later married William E. Safford, a noted government botanist.
Decius S. Wade died at his home in Andover, August 4, 1905.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
Decius S. Wade's papers constitute approximately half of this collection. These materials include general correspondence, writings and clippings reflecting Wade's legal career, his interest in politics, his experiences in Montana, and family matters. Other family members represented in the collection are Decius Wade's wife, Bernice Galpin Wade; his daughter, Clare Wade Safford; his sister, Lucia Wade; and his cousin, Marcia A. Wade. There are also fragmentary materials of other Wade and Safford family members. Schuyler Colfax's correspondence with Wade family members documents his later political career and the period of Grant Administration scandals.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
The Montana Historical Society is the owner of the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from the Research Library before any reproduction use. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.
Preferred Citation
Item description and date. Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers. Montana Historical Society Research Center, Archives, Helena, Montana.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection
Wade Family Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
Biographical Materials
|
||
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1 / 1 | Wade family genealogy by
Captain Abner T. Wade |
1895 |
Decius S. Wade Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
Incoming Correspondence
|
||
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1 / 2 | Schuyler Colfax
|
1871, 1876 |
| 1 / 3 | C-T (correspondents
include David Henry Cuthbert; Charles W. Kellogg; Anne Safford; B.H. Tatem)
|
1889-1904 |
| 1 / 4 | U.S. Justice Department; U.S.
State Department |
1871-1901 |
| 1 / 5 | Benjamin F. Wade
|
1857 |
| 1 / 6 | Bernice Galpin Wade
|
1876, 1886 |
| 1 / 7 | C.R. Wade |
1864 |
| 1 / 8-10 | Clare L. Wade
|
1879-1894 |
| 1 / 11 | Edward Wade |
1858 |
| 1 / 12 | Juliet Spear Wade
|
1889 |
Outgoing Correspondence
|
||
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1 / 13 | Charles W. Kellogg
|
1904 |
| 1 / 14 | William E. Safford
|
1904-1905 |
| 1 / 15 | Clare L. Wade [married
name Clare Safford] |
1901, 1904 |
| 1 / 16 | Bernice Galpin Wade
|
1862, 1901 |
| 1 / 17 | Lucia Wade |
1861-1905 |
Court Papers
|
||
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1 / 18 | Estate of J.C. Ricker
appellant's brief and argument (Decius S. Wade attorney for Executor)
|
1892 |
| 1 / 19 | Resolutions re death of
Decius S. Wade |
1905 |
Financial Records
|
||
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1 / 20 | Mining stock
certificates; recording receipt |
1872, 1885 |
| 1 / 21 | Certificates of
appointment and appreciation |
1863, 1890, 1892 |
Speeches and Writings
|
||
| Box/Folder | ||
| 2 / 1 | Lectures: "Necessity for
Codification"; "The Philosophy of History"; "Trial by Jury" |
1875, 1894 |
| 2 / 2 | Speeches: "The Future of
Our Country"; "Minority Representation"; "Decoration Day at Jefferson, Ohio";
"Gentlemen of the Grand Jury"; eulogies |
1861-1885 |
| 2 / 3 | Writings: "The
Influences that Direct and Control Civilization"; "The Influence of the Bible
upon Civil Government" |
1873 |
| 2 / 4 | Writings: "The Common
Law" |
undated |
| 2 / 5 | Writings: "Labor";
"Ancestors and Heirs"; "A Scrap of History"; "The Evolution and Power of the
Missionary Spirit"; "The Hay-Pauncefote Treaty" |
1867-1900, undated |
| 2 / 6 | Writings: in
Criminal Law Magazine
|
1881-1886 |
Miscellany
|
||
| Box/Folder | ||
| 2 / 7 | List of Ohio
legislators; railroad passes; Custer County resolution; etc. |
1870-1886, undated |
Clippings
|
||
| Box/Folder | ||
| 2 / 8 | Decius S. Wade
|
1872-1905, undated |
| 3 / 1 | Scrapbook: politics
|
1869-1905 |
| 3 / 2 | Miscellaneous
|
undated |
Bernice Galpin Wade Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
Incoming Correspondence
|
||
| Box/Folder | ||
| 3 / 3 | C-L (correspondents
include Penelope Chessman; Annie E. Cuthbert; Mary Galpin; Cornelius Hedges;
Edna L. Hedges; Miriam H. Hunt; Hiram Knowles; Mary C. Knowles; includes
letters re death of Decius S. Wade) |
1905, 1912 |
| 3 / 4 | Clare L. Wade
|
1885 |
Outgoing Correspondence
|
||
| Box/Folder | ||
| 3 / 5 | Penelope Chessman
|
1895 |
Charles H. Wade Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
Incoming Correspondence
|
||
| Box/Folder | ||
| 3 / 6 | To Charles H. Wade from
Schuyler Colfax; Clare L. Wade; Whig State Central Committee, Columbus, Ohio;
Frank Wade |
1846, 1871-1883 |
Financial Records
|
||
| Box/Folder | ||
| 3 / 7 | Tax receipts
|
1839-1863 |
Legal Documents
|
||
| Box/Folder | ||
| 3 / 8 | Miscellaneous
|
1832-1835 |
Clippings
|
||
| Box/Folder | ||
| 3 / 9 | Charles H. Wade obituary
|
1885 |
Clare L. Wade Safford Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
Incoming Correspondence
|
||
| Box/Folder | ||
| 3 / 10 | C-W (correspondents
include Penelope Chessman; Cara P. Ellis; Alice C. Fletcher; Aunt Longman [?];
Helen Nicolay; Sara E. Power; Lydia A. Tatem; T.J. Walsh) |
1890-1926 |
Outgoing Correspondence
|
||
| Box/Folder | ||
| 3 / 11 | William E. Safford
|
1904-1916 |
Diaries |
||
| Box/Folder | ||
| 3 / 12 | Diary of trip to Chicago
World's Fair (also contains academic notes) |
1893 |
Writings |
||
| Box/Folder | ||
| 3 / 13 | School papers
|
1877-1893, undated |
Miscellany
|
||
| Box/Folder | ||
| 4 / 1 | Invitations; certificate
|
1902-1905, undated |
Clippings
|
||
| Box/Folder | ||
| 4 / 2 | Clark L. Wade - William
E. Safford marriage |
1903 |
Lucia Wade Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
Incoming Correspondence
|
||
| Box/Folder | ||
| 4 / 3 | Nellie Wade Colfax
|
1885-1906 |
| 4 / 4 | Schuyler Colfax
|
1881-1887 |
| 4 / 5 | F-W (correspondents
include Annie Howells Frechette [?]; "Frank"; Lizzie Weston) |
1871-1911 |
| 4 / 6 | Bernice Galpin Wade
|
1901-1906 |
| 4 / 7 | Clare L. Wade Safford
|
1889-1901; 1904-1906 |
| 4 / 8 | Marcia Wade |
1917 |
Marcia Wade Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
Incoming Correspondence
|
||
| Box/Folder | ||
| 4 / 9-10 | Nellie Wade Colfax
|
1853-1888 |
| 4 / 11 | Schuyler Colfax
|
1868-1873 |
| 4 / 12 | H-W (correspondents
include Kinkie [?] Hollinger; Emma Loura; "Mother"; Maggie G. Wade;
unidentified) |
1870-1888 |
| 4 / 13 | Lucia Wade |
1878-1888 |
Miscellaneous Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
Incoming Correspondence
|
||
| Box/Folder | ||
| 4 / 14 | Robert Safford
|
1821, 1836, 1841 |
| 4 / 15 | William Safford
|
1904, 1916 |
| 4 / 16 | Benjamin F. Wade from
"Frank" |
1854 |
| 4 / 17 | Mrs. Wade from Schuyler
Colfax |
1868-1872 |
| 4 / 18 | Susan Wade from Nellie
Wade Colfax |
1869-1872 |
| 4 / 19 | Nellie Wade Colfax; John
K. Fox; F.S. Wade |
1885, undated |
Legal Documents
|
||
| Box/Folder | ||
| 4 / 20 | Truman L. Hodge;
miscellaneous |
1883, 1887, 1923 |
| 4 / 21 | Robert Safford
|
1793-1823 |
Speeches and Writings
|
||
| Box/Folder | ||
| 4 / 22 | Schuyler Colfax: "The
Landmarks of Life" |
1883 |
| 4 / 23 | Benjamin F. Wade
notebook |
1852, 1859 |
| 4 / 24 | Unidentified
|
1853, undated |
Miscellany
|
||
| Box/Folder | ||
| 4 / 25 | Schuyler Colfax memorial
|
1885 |
| 4 / 26 | Petition for appointment
of William E. Safford as Governor of Guam |
1900 |
Clippings
|
||
| Box/Folder | ||
| 4 / 27 | Schuyler Colfax
|
1873, 1884, 1885 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Courts--Montana.
- Genealogy
Personal Names
- Wade, Decius S., b. 1835 (creator)
Geographical Names
- Europe--Description and travel.
- Helena (Mont.)--Politics and government.
- Ohio--Politics and government.
- United States--Politics and government
Finding aid prepared by MHS staff,
1974, revised by Ellie Arguimbau, 1997.
2006
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
