Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
John F. Calbreath papers, 1839-1931
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Calbreath, John F. (John Franklin), 1854-1939
- Title
- John F. Calbreath papers
- Dates
- 1839-1931 (inclusive)18391931
- Quantity
- 1.35 cubic feet, (3 document cases)
- Collection Number
- Mss 1027
- Summary
- Papers of John Franklin Calbreath, an Oregon physician and state senator, including family letters of Sidney and Mianda Smith, John U. Smith, and Irene Smith Calbreath; political letters from John H. Mitchell and George W. McBride; a copy of an 1839 overland journal of Sidney Smith; accounts and notebooks of John Franklin Calbreath; and biographical and genealogical materials.
- Repository
-
Oregon Historical Society Research Library
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR
97205
Telephone: 503-306-5240
Fax: 503-219-2040
libreference@ohs.org - Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open for research.
- Languages
- English
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
John Franklin Calbreath (1854-1939) was a physician, farmer, Oregon state senator, and superintendent of the Oregon State Insane Asylum (now the Oregon State Hospital). He was born in Weston, West Virginia, the son of a planter whose lands were ruined during the Civil War. In 1864, the family moved to Iowa, and the following year they traveled overland to Oregon, settling at first in Benton County. John remained in the area when his family moved to eastern Oregon, and after starting a farm, he began studying medicine in 1872. He married Irene Smith of Yamhill County in 1874, and the couple eventually had two daughters, Helen and Mary Evelene.
After receiving his degree from Toland Medical College (later part of the University of California, San Francisco) in 1875, Calbreath entered a medical practice with a Dr. Littlefield in Lafayette, Oregon. In 1886 , he moved to McMinnville and entered a partnership with Dr. E. E. Goucher. After a course of study in New York City in 1896, he returned to Oregon and moved to Salem in 1900, where he became the superintendent of the state psychiatric hospital. Calbreath was active in Republican party politics and served in the Oregon State Senate in 1895 and 1897. He went to St. Louis in 1896 as a delegate to the Republican National Convention, supporting William McKinley for the presidency. Around 1910, he moved to Portland, where he died in 1939.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The collection includes family letters of Sidney and Mianda Smith, John U. Smith, and Irene Smith Calbreath; political letters from U.S. Senator John H. Mitchell and U.S. Senator George W. McBride, 1896-1897; business and family papers and letters of John Franklin Calbreath; and Calbreath-Smith genealogical materials. Also included is a copy of the 1839 overland diary of Sidney Smith; biographical materials about J. F. Calbreath and Daniel Bailey, great-grandfather of Helen Calbreath; papers relating to Masonic activities; five account books; and a copy of Western Cycling and Recreation, 1897, containing an article about the McMinnville Cycling Association, which was headed by John F. Calbreath.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Preferred Citation
John F. Calbreath papers, Mss 1027, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Restrictions on Use
The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in the following series:
- Series 1: Biographical and genealogical materials, 1839-1931
- Series 2: Correspondence, 1858-1903
- Series 3: Documents, ephemera, and other materials, 1860-1902
- Series 4: Account books, notebooks, and ledgers, 1857-1928
Acquisition Information
Gifts of Mary Evelene Calbreath, August 1963 (Lib. Acc. 9851), and the estate of Mary Evelene Calbreath, care of William J. Masters, May 1972, (Lib. Acc. 12245).
Related Materials
The Oregon Historical Society Research Library holds additional materials relating to John F. Calbreath and the Calbreath family. These include: a number of photograph albums and scrapbooks, which are designated Albums 330, 331, 332, 333, and 327; additional photographs of the Calbreath family in Photo File #201, the Cartes-de-visite photographs (Org. Lot 500), and the Cased photographs collection (Org. Lot 1414); and scrapbooks of Helen and Mary Evelene Calbreath in the Performing Arts Collection, Mss 1523.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Series 1: Biographical and genealogical materials, 1839-1931Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 1 | 1-6 | Biography of John Franklin Calbreath by his daughter, Helen (manuscript) |
undated |
| 1 | 7 | Reminiscences relating to Irene Smith Calbreath, Daniel Bailey, Betsy Munson, and Sidney Smith
Includes transcript of overland diary of Sidney Smith, 1839; and Western Cycling and Recreation, June 1897, with article on John F. Calbreath and the McMinnville Cycling Association.
|
1839-1931 |
| 1 | 8 | Family genealogy |
1891-1902; undated |
Series 2: Correspondence, 1858-1903Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 1 | 9 | Letters to the family |
1858-1899 |
| 1 | 10 | Letters to the family |
1885-1903 |
| 1 | 11 | Calbreath family letters |
1868-1902 |
| 1 | 12 | General family letters |
1874-1897 |
| 1 | 13 | Letters to John F. Calbreath |
1896-1897 |
| 1 | 14 | Political letters |
1896-1899 |
| 1 | 15 | Letters to John F. Calbreath from John H. Mitchell |
1896-1897 |
| 1 | 16 | General letters |
1864-1902 |
Series 3: Documents, ephemera, and other materials, 1860-1902Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 1 | 17 | Bills, receipts, and other financial records |
1871-1899 |
| 1 | 18 | Legal documents
Includes prospectus for Dyea Development Company Limited, Dyea, Alaska.
|
1860-1902 |
| 1 | 19 | Masonic papers |
1885-1897 |
| 1 | 20 | Notes, poetry, and other writings
Includes John F. Calbreath's thesis, "The essentials of typhoid fever."
|
undated |
| 2 | 1 | Lecture admission cards, Willamette University and Toland Hall, University of California |
1873; 1875 |
Series 4: Account books, notebooks, and ledgers, 1857-1928Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 2 | 2 | Account books (2 volumes) |
1857-1858; circa 1879-1899 |
| 2 | 3 | Prescription book |
circa 1877-1878 |
| 2 | 4 | Patient prescription book |
1881-1882 |
| 2 | 5 | Notebook with notes of operations and other medical matters |
undated |
| 2 | 6 | Ledger |
1861-1863 |
| 2 | 7 | Cash book |
1891 June 18-November 30 |
| 3 | 1 | Cash book |
1917 |
| 3 | 2 | Cash book |
1918 |
| 3 | 3 | Ledger |
1928 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Legislators--Oregon
- Medicine--Practice--Oregon--19th century
- Overland journeys to the Pacific
- Physicians--Oregon
Personal Names
- Bailey, Daniel
- Calbreath, Irene Smith
- Calbreath, John F. (John Franklin), 1854-1939
- McBride, George Wycliffe, 1854-1911--Correspondence
- Mitchell, John H. (John Hipple), 1835-1905--Correspondence
- Smith, John U.
- Smith, Mianda
- Smith, Sidney, 1809-1880
Family Names
- Calbreath family
- Smith family
Form or Genre Terms
- correspondence
- diaries
- ledgers (account books)
- notebooks
Other Creators
-
Personal Names
- Calbreath, Helen (author)
Trudy Williams and Geoffrey Wexler
2006; revised 2023
