Francis Lyman Worden Papers, 1852-1940

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Worden, Francis Lyman, 1830-1887
Title
Francis Lyman Worden Papers
Dates
1852-1940 (inclusive)
Quantity
19.25 linear feet, (10 boxes, 1 oversize box, and 85 oversize volumes)
Collection Number
Mss 021
Summary
Francis Lyman Worden was a founder and prominent businessman of Missoula, Montana. This collection includes personal, biographical, correspondence, financial, and legal records generated or collected by Francis L. Worden, Worden family and friends, employees of Worden and Company, and associates of Worden family businesses prior to 1900.
Repository
University of Montana, Mansfield Library, Archives and Special Collections
Archives and Special Collections
Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library
University of Montana
32 Campus Dr. #9936
59812-9936
Missoula, MT
Telephone: 406-243-2053
library.archives@umontana.edu
Access Restrictions

Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of Archives and Special Collections, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, and The University of Montana-Missoula.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for creating this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historic Publications and Records Commission. Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Francis Lyman Worden was born in Vermont in 1830 and attended school in Troy, New York. He began clerking in a store when he was fourteen. In 1852, he went to San Francisco, California, and clerked in another store there. He then went to Oregon, mined for a year, and settled in The Dalles, where he participated in the Indian wars of 1855. He worked as clerk in the Indian Department under Isaac J. Stephens. He moved to Walla Walla, Washington Territory and opened a store there. He was also postmaster of Walla Walla for two years.

In 1860 he formed a partnership with Christopher P. Higgins and they located in Hell Gate, Washington Territory. Soon afterward, they moved their business to Missoula, Washington Territory, and started the first store in that town, Worden and Company.

In 1862, prospectors discovered gold on Gold Creek east of Missoula, and Worden and Higgins went to that area to supply the mining camps until 1863. They then moved to Deer Lodge and opened the first store in that town. In 1864, they built a sawmill and gristmill, and in 1866 completed a milling operation. In 1868, they sold their interests in Deer Lodge and, with Washington J. McCormick, laid out 100 acres of the townsite of Missoula, Montana Territory.

Worden and Company prospered and by 1865 the company’s holdings also included a saw and gristmill on the present site of Missoula. Worden and Higgins laid out the townsite, built bridges, established a water works and bank, and generally fostered the town’s growth. Both men were active in territorial politics and had diverse side interests. Worden and Company were clearly the dominant mercantile establishment in Western Montana until the late 1870s when Eddy, Hammond and Company entered into serious competition. In July, 1886, in attempt to gain more capital, Worden and Company merged with Murphy, Hart and Company, a general merchandise company, to form Murphy-Worden and Company. In 1902, the Murphy-Worden Company was replaced by Murphy-Greenough and Company, which continued exclusively as a grocery store in the same location.

Worden married Lucretia Miller at Frenchtown, Montana Territory, in 1866. They had seven children: Lucina L., Henry O., Carrie M., Louise M., Frank L., Horace B., and Ruth M. Worden died on 5 February 1887; Mrs. Worden died in 1913 at the age of sixty-one.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

This collection includes personal, biographical, correspondence, financial, and legal records generated or collected by Francis L. Worden, Worden family and friends, employees of Worden and Company, and associates of Worden family businesses prior to 1900. Collection materials provide insights into Worden family assets and relations, Worden and Company daily operational practices, the long-term financial developments of Missoula's first general merchandiser, and Montana's early political processes and cultural history. Included are some of the earliest records of commercial activity in the Clark Fork River valley and documents providing details on the founding and early history of Missoula.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

Researchers are responsible for using in accordance with 17 U.S.C. and any other applicable statutes. Copyright not transferred to The University of Montana.

Preferred Citation

[Name of document or photograph number], Francis L. Worden Papers, Archives and Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana-Missoula.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

The collection is divided into three subgroups, then fifteen series:

Subgroup 1: Francis L. Worden, 1852-1940, 0.5 linear feet

Series I: Family Papers, 1848-1940, 7 folders

Series II: Correspondence, 1852-1885, 9 folders

Series III: Financial and Legal, 1852-1898, 6 folders

Series IV: Subject Files and Printed Materials, 1854-1898, 8 folders

Subgroup 2: Worden and Company, 1860-1892, 3.75 linear feet and 79 volumes

Series V: Correspondence, 1871-1886, 0.5 linear feet

Series VI: Legal, 1866-1891, 3 folders

Series VII: Financial, 1859-1892, 3.0 linear feet and 79 volumes

Subgroup 3: Other Businesses, 1864-1915, 0.75 linear feet and 6 volumes

Series VIII: Alex Dow, 1901-1904, 2 folders and 2 volumes

Series IX: Arthur H. Ross, 1870-1874, 0.25 linear feet

Series X: G. A. Baker, 1875, 1 folder

Series XI: William G. Cooke and Company, 1864-1865, 1 folder

Series XII: Murphy-Greenough Company, 1903, 1 folder

Series XIII: Dilassus and Rice, 1875-1876, 1 volume

Series XIV: Unidentified Store, 1878-1885, 1 folder

Custodial History

Most of the materials in the collection remained in possession of the Worden family until donation to the Archives.

Acquisition Information

The main portion of the collection (former LC 21) was received from the Joseph Dixon family in 1953. Two ledgers were purchased from Stan Cohen in 1985. Three volumes (former SC 277) were transferred from the Missoula Public Library in 1985. Additional materials (former LC 211) were received from Jane Worden Muchmore McAlear in 1987; only one ledger was included in this collection, with the remainder processed as Mss 382, the papers of Worden's son, Frank.

Processing Note

The records were originally processed as four separate collections: LC 21, LC 211, SC 244, and SC 277 and labeled as Worden and Company Records. In 2004, the collections were combined, fully described, and re-titled the Francis L. Worden Papers.

Separated Materials

During 2004 reprocessing five volumes from LC 211 (directly related to the business enterprises of Frank L. Worden, second son of Francis L. Worden) were seperated from Mss 21, assigned a distinct manuscript number (Mss 382), and fully described.

Related Materials

Records of the Worden and Company successor company, Murphy-Worden and Company, are located in collection Mss 568 at the K. Ross Toole Archives.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Subgroup 1:  Francis Lyman Worden, 1852-1940 and undatedReturn to Top

0.5 linear feet

This subgroup contains personal, biographical, correspondence, financial, and legal documents from Francis L. Worden and his descendents.

Container(s) Description Dates
Series I: Family Papers
7 folders (1 oversize)
This series contains typescripts of a letter from Francis L. Worden to an uncle and other documents presenting biographical information on the Worden family in Missoula. Among these documents are Francis L. Worden's commission as Missoula Post Master, an 1878 stage coach ticket, an invitation to Cina Worden's wedding, documents from Francis L. Worden's involvement with the Universalist congregation of Troy N.Y., newspaper clippings, a Missoula City Historical office report on the house Francis L. Worden built on Pine Street, and short biographical descriptions of the Worden family and descendents. This last sequence includes correspondence from Horace B. Worden encouraging his nieces and nephews to participate in documenting the contemporary generations of Worden family descendents as a contribution to Missoula's 75th anniversary celebrations.
1848-1940
Box/Folder
1/1
Typescripts of a Letter from Frank L. Worden
1861
1/2
Worden Family Documents
1860-1887
OS11/1
Clippings
1887
1/3
Frank L. Worden House
1938
1/4
Worden Family Biographies
1939-1940 and undated
1/5
Donation Receipts, Universalist Society, Troy, New York
1848-1852
1/6
Science Course Notebook, Horace B. Worden
volume 126
1899
Series II: Correspondence
9 folders
This series contains correspondence records collected and generated by members of the Worden family, particularly Francis L. Worden. Correspondents include some of the most prominent political figures and business operations in the Pacific Northwest.
1852-1885
Box/Folder
1/7
Letters of Introduction
1852
1/8
Assistant to U.S. Treasurer
1866
1/9
N. Connolly
1864-1865
1/10
C.P. Higgins
1878
1/11
John Mullan
1863-1885
1/12
P.W. Nesmith
1857
1/13
Northern Pacific Railroad Company
1883
1/14
General
1860-1885
1/15
Outgoing
1866-1883
1/16
Detached Envelopes and Blotting Paper
undated
Series III: Financial and Legal
6 folders
This series contains financial and legal documents generated by the Worden and Company. Materials include family insurance records, a limited sequence of business records from Francis L. Worden's activities prior to arriving in western Montana, location notices and personal contracts for financial investments outside of Worden and Company operations, and estate records for both C.P. Higgins and Francis L. Worden--including court records resulting from a challenge to Worden's will. These records provide insights into Worden family assets and relations.
1852-1898
Box/Folder
1/17
Insurance Records
1871-1888
1/18
Receipts and Balance Sheets
1854-1861
1/19
C.P. Higgins Estate
1890-1898
1/20
Francis L. Worden Estate
1889-1893
1/21
Location of Notices
1884-1886
1/22
Contracts
1852-1865
Series IV: Subject Files and Printed Materials
8 folders (1 oversize)
This series contains a mix of professionally printed materials and handwritten documents. Materials detail some of the Worden family's social and business associates as well as reflecting their personal interests in Montana's political process and cultural history.
1854-1898
Box/Folder
1/23
Clippings
1854-1862
1/24
Calling Cards and Broadslides
undated
1/25
Apportionment of Montana Territorial Representatives
undated
OS11/2
Organization of Missoula County
1861
1/26
A History of Missoula
undated
1/27
Research on Personal Interests
undated
1/28
Senate Report on Pacific Railroads
1869
1/29
Political Advertisement, George Higgins
1898

Subgroup 2:  Worden and Company, 1860-1892 and undatedReturn to Top

3.75 linear feet and 79 oversize volumes

This subgroup contains correspondence, legal, and financial records generated by Worden and Company leaders and employees. These records provide significant insights into the operational practices and economic developments of Missoula's first general merchandiser.

Container(s) Description Dates
Series V: Correspondence
0.5 linear feet
This series contains five volumes of outgoing correspondence from Worden and Company personnel to clients, suppliers, other mercantile operators, and political leaders. These materials provide insights into Worden and Company business practices, organizational structures, and operational adjustments in response to changing economic conditions, particularly the opening of Eddy, Hammond and Company's Front Street (Missoula, Montana) store in 1877.
1871-1886
box-volume
2/1
Outgoing
October 1871 - August 1872
2/2
Outgoing
March 1878 - December 1878
2/3
Outgoing
December 1878 - September 1879
2/4
Outgoing
January 1883 - May 1883
2/5
Outgoing
February 1885 - November 1886
Series VI: Legal
3 folders (1 oversize)
This series contains legal documents generated by Worden and Company and related business ventures of Francis L. Worden and C.P. Higgins. Materials include the Missoula Load mining claim submitted by C.P. Higgins and other seminal Missoula businessmen, an extensive file of property indentures and real estate claims acquired by Worden and Company, and a sequence of stock representation proxy statements and power of attorney declarations--including several transferring business decision authority from Worden family members to Francis L. Worden's son, Frank L. Worden.
1866-1891
Box/Folder
OS11/3
Missoula Load Mining Claim
1887
3/1
Property Indentures and Claims
1866-1889
3/2
Stock Proxies and Power of Attorney Declarations
1882-1891
Series VII: Financial
3.0 linear feet and 79 oversize volumes
This series contains financial records generated by Worden and Company, Missoula, Montana, and direct subsidiaries of this business. The series includes 16 subseries of bound volumes ranging from general ledgers to daily transaction registers, from store inventories to federal requisition registers. The series also includes business insurance records, receipts issued by both Montana Territorial and State officials for supply requisitions, notes from store clients authorizing representatives to charge supplies on account, and Worden family stock certificates issued by the Murphy-Worden Mercantile Company--the direct successor to the Francis L. Worden and C.P. Higgins partnership. Subseries 2 includes a day book (volume 6A) that contains the first entries for the Worden and Company store at Hell Gate, Montana. These records detail the daily operational practices and long-term financial developments of Missoula's first general merchandiser.
1859-1892
Subseries 1: General
1863-1892 and undated
Box/Folder
3/3
Balance Sheets
1858-1878
3/4
Financial Statements
1867-1887
3/5
Financial Notebook
1878
3/6
Insurance Records
1881-1885
3/7
Receipts, Territory/State of Montana
1866-1892
3/8
Receipts and Supply Requests
1872-1888 and undated
3/9
Stock Certificates, Murphy-Worden Mercantile Company
1886-1889
Subseries 2: Day Books, Series A
1859-1882
Volume
OS11/6A
August 1859 - February 1862
OS11/6B
February 1862 - January 1864
7
October 1864 - December 1865
8
January - September 1866
9
October 1866 - May 1867
10
June - December 1867
11
October 1867 - April 1868
12
May - October 1868
13
October 1868 - June 1869
14
September 1868 - March 1869
15
June - December 1869
16
January - July 1870
17
January - April 1870
18
May - July 1870
19
August - November 1870
20
August - December 1870
21
January - August 1871
22
September 1871 - April 1872
23
December 1872 - November 1873
24
November 1873 - November 1874
25
November 1874 - July 1875
26
July 1875 - March 1876
27
March - December 1876
28
December 1876 - December 1877
29
December 1877 - October 1878
30
October 1878 - August 1879
31
September 1879 - August 1880
32
September 1880 - September 1881
33
October 1881 - November 1882
Subseries 3: Day books, Series B
1872-1885
Volume
34
January 1872 - October 1873 and September 1875 - April 1876
35
August 1873 - March 1875
36
October 1873 - April 1875
37
April - September 1875
38
November 1875 - December 1876
39
May 1876 - July 1877
40
December 1876 - May 1878
41
July 1877 - June 1878
42
June 1878 - March 1879
43
July 1878 - March 1879
44
March 1879 - February 1880
45
April 1879 -February 1880
46
February 1880 - February 1881
47
February 1880 - January 1881
48
January - October 1881
49
February - November 1881
50
October 1881 - July 1882
51
December 1881 - August 1882
52
July 1882 - January 1883
53
August 1882 - January 1883
54
January - August 1883
55
February - September 1883
56
February - September 1884
57
April - October 1884
58
October 1884 - May 1885
59
November 1884 - August 1885
60
May - December 1885
Subseries 4: Cash Sales Books
1865-1884
box-volume
4/61
November 1865 - February 1869
4/62
March 1869 - December 1871
4/63
October 1875 - February 1878
4/64
March 1878 - June 1880
4/65
June 1880 - August 1881
4/66
August 1881 - 1882
5/67
March 1883 - April 1884
5/68
February - September 1884
5/69
September - November 1884
Subseries 5: Cash Books
1867-1883
box-volume
5/70
1867-1870
5/71
1871-1876
6/72
1877-1883
Subseries 6: Purchases Journal
1860-1886
box-volume
6/73
July 1860 - April 1865
6/74
1865-1870
6/75
January 1871 - August 1876
6/76
September 1876 - May 1880
Volume
77
January 1879 - December 1882
box-volume
7/78
April 1880 - January 1883
7/79
February 1883 - February 1885
7/80
February 1885 - June 1886
Subseries 7: Trial Balance Book
1865-1885
box-volume
7/81
November 1865 - November 1867
Volume
7/82
October 1869 - December 1876
83
January 1877 - October 1878
84
November 1878 - November 1882
85
December 1882 - July 1885
Subseries 8: Account Ledger
1877-1882
Volume
86
October 1877 - December 1878
87
1879
88
January 1880 - June 1882
Subseries 9: General Ledger
1863-1883
Volume
89
September 1863 - November 1865
90A
Also archived on microfilm; researchers are encouraged to view these materials on microfilm before requesting the original bound volume.
1867-1868
90B
Index for Volumes 91 and 92
91
1869-1870
92
1871
93
Index for Volumes 94 and 95
94
1874
95
1875-1876
96
Index for Volume 97
97
1877-1878
98
Index for Volume 99
99
1879
100
Index for Volumes 101
101
1881-1883
Subseries 10: General Journal
1869-1881
Volume
102
1869-1871
103
1872-1876
104
1877-1881
Subseries 11: Inventory Book
1870-1886
box-volume
8/105
1870
8/106
1880
8/107
1882-1883
8/108
1886
Subseries 12: Expense Journal
1886
box-volume
8/109
1866
Subseries 13: Bills Payable and Recivable
1865-1870
box-volume
8/110
1865-1870
Subseries 14: United States Requisistions Register
1876-1877
box-volume
8/111
1876-1877
Subseries 15: Mill Blotter
1871-1879
box-volume
8/112
1871-1879
Subseries 16: Check Book
1878-1879
box-volume
9/113
1878-1879
Subseries 17: Individual Account and Delivery Books
1866-1884 and undated
box-volume
9/114
Individual Account Book, M. Flynn
undated
9/115
February - June 1884
9/116A
June - November 1884
9/116B
Flouring Mill
December 1866 - January 1870
9/116C
1877-1880

Subgroup 3:  Other Businesses, 1864-1915Return to Top

0.75 linear feet and 6 oversize volumes

This subgroup contains financial records from businesses owned by or affiliated with the Worden family. Except where noted in the series descriptions, insufficient records exist in this collection to define the exact relationship between these businesses and the Worden family.

Container(s) Description Dates
Series VIII: Alex Dow
2 oversize volumes and 2 folders
This series contains financial records generated by Alex Dow, a businessman affiliated with the Worden family.
1901-1904
Volume
117
General Ledger
January 1901 - January 1902
118
General Ledger
March 1902 - May 1904
9/119A
Inventory Book
1902
9/119B
Check
1901
Series IX: Arthur H. Ross
0.25 linear feet
This series contains financial records generated by Arthur H. Ross, a businessman affiliated with the Worden family.
1870-1874
box-volume
9/120
Cash Book
August 1870 - January 1873
9/121
Account Ledger
September 1871 - April 1873
10/122
General Ledger
December 1871 - February 1874
Series X: G.A. Baker
1 folder
This series contains an account ledger generated by G.A. Baker, a general merchandiser who sold his business to the Worden family in 1876.
1875
box-volume
10/123
Account Ledger
1875
Series XI: William G. Cooke and Company
1 folder
This series contains a general ledger generated by William G. Cooke and Company, a business affiliated with the Worden family.
1864-1865
box-volume
10/124
General Ledger
1864-1865
Series XII: Murphy-Greenough and Company
1 folder
This series contains an inventory record generated by Murphy-Greenough and Company, a grocery store successor to Worden and Company at the mercantile's original location.
1903
box-volume
10/125
Inventory
1903
Series XIII: Dilassus and Rice
1 oversize volume
This series contains an account ledger generated by Dilassus and Rice, a general store affiliated with the Worden family.
1875-1876
Volume
128
Account Ledger
1875-1876
Series XIV: Unidentified Store
1 folder
This series contains one bound volume of financial records from an unidentified business affiliated with the Worden Family. The business was a general merchandising operation and was likely located within an American Indian reservation in the Pacific Northwest.
1878-1885
box-volume
10/127
Cash Sales Book
1878 - 1885

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Frontier and pioneer life --Montana--Missoula
  • General stores--Montana --Missoula
  • Grocery trade--Montana -- Missoula

Family Names

  • Worden family

Geographical Names

  • Clark Fork Valley (Mont. and Idaho)--Commerce
  • Missoula (Mont.)--Commerce
  • Missoula (Mont.)--Economic conditions
  • Missoula (Mont.)--History
  • Missoula (Mont.)--Politics and government

Form or Genre Terms

  • Business records -- Montana--Missoula
  • Family papers--Montana --Missoula
  • Financial records -- Montana--Missoula
  • Legal documents--Montana --Missoula
  • Personal papers--Montana --Missoula

Occupations

  • Businessmen--Montana --Missoula

Other Creators

  • Personal Names
    • Baker, G. A., db. ca. 1835
    • Dow, Alexander, ca. 1825-1891
    • Ross, Arthur H., d1839-1872
    Corporate Names
    • Dilasus and Rice
    • Murphey-Worden and Company (Missoula, Mont.)
    • Murphy-Greenough and Company (Missoula, Mont.)
    • William G. Cooke and Company
    • Worden and Company (Missoula, Mont.)