Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
John B. Herford papers,, 1862-1953
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Herford, John B.
- Title
- John B. Herford papers,
- Dates
- 1862-1953 (inclusive)18621953
- Quantity
- 1.2 linear feet
- Collection Number
- MC 394
- Summary
- This collection consists of the records of erstwhile cowboy and eventual Billings lawyer, John B. Herford, and includes correspondence (1862-1953) between John (Jack) Herford, Susan Herford and their children; financial records (1899-1952) dealing with general Herford family business; a subject file (1918-1931) primary concerned with Beatrice Herford, Jack's sister and a well-known stage actress; poetry (n.d.) written by Jack Herford; and miscellany (1900-1950) predominantly clippings.
- 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
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
John (Jack) Brooke Herford was born in England (Yorkshire West Riding) in 1858 to Reverend Brooke Herford and his wife Hannah. He had eight brothers and sisters: William, Helen, Lucy, Mary, Oliver, Laura, Hannah, and Beatrice. Jack's oldest brother, William, immigrated to the U.S. in the 1870's, settling in New Mexico and starting his own sheep ranch. In 1876, the rest of the Herford family followed suit, settling briefly in Chicago, Illinois. Jack worked on his brother William's sheep ranch for a time, but by the 1880's had established a ranching operation of his own on the Musselshell River.
Around 1885, Jack married Ms. Susan Whitney, daughter of Billings Post Master, Lucius Whitney. The couple would eventually have three children: Helen, Whitney, and Brooke. Jack studied for and passed the bar, serving as the Yellowstone County Attorney from 1894 to 1896, and the Yellowstone County Sheriff in 1908. He would eventually move the family to Billings 1911, practicing law there until his death. Jack also served in the Third United States Volunteer Cavalry during the Spanish American War, and in the Canadian Expeditionary Forces in World War I. Jack died in Billingsin 1923.
Helen Herford studied in Germany and Massachusetts before returning to Montana to teach school and work on her parent's ranch. In 1929, she and her cousin Helen Underwood Wellington formed a partnership to create a dude ranch near Limestone, Montana. The Swining H Ranch, as it was called, operated until 1937. By 1940, Helen was working as an independent artist in Limestone. Helen Herford died in Stillwater County in 1971.
Whitney Herford worked as a bookkeeper in a bank in his 20s, and served in both World War I and World War II. By 1930, Whitney had moved to Lake Grove, Oregon, where he worked as a truck drive for a fuel company. He married a women named Lucia and the couple had four children: Beatrice, Ruth, Lucius, and Jack. Brooke, the youngest of the Herford children, served in World War I, like his older brother Whitney. After the war, he moved back to Billings and lived with his mother Susan and sister Helen. He was still living with them in Billings in 1940, working for an estating crew there. No death date could be found.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
This collection consists of out-going, general, and miscellaneous correspondence (1862-1953) between John and Susan Herford and their children, and some written to and from Beatrice Herford; financial records (1899-1952) including bills, receipts, and the final Will and Testament of Reverend Brooke Herford, John's father; a subject file Beatrice Herford (1918-1931), which includes play reviews, some typed copies of Ms. Herford's monologues, and a few pieces of material published by Ms. Herford; the writings of John Herford, including poetry, and a piece entitled "Cow Camp Sketches on a New Range;" and miscellany (1900-1950), which includes a photograph of John B. Herford.
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]. Name of Collection. Collection Number. [box and folder number]. Montana Historical Society Research Center. Archives. Helena, Montana.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Biographical materialReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
1 / 1 | Includes census data, copies of
draft cards, etc. (also includes Last Will and Testament of Brooke Herford,
John's father) |
n.d., 1899 |
Outgoing correspondenceReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
1 / 2 | John B. Herford (Correspondents
include: John Herford to his mother and father, Hannah and Brooke, and to his
wife, Susan) |
1877-1906 |
1 / 3 | John B. Herford (Transcripts of
letters in Folder 1 / 2) |
|
1 / 4 | Helen Herford (Correspondents
include: Aunt Laura and Uncle Herman, Katherine Reynold, Mary Herford, Aunt,
Elizabeth Herford, Aunt) |
1903-1930 |
General correspondenceReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
1 / 5 | John Herford (Correspondents
include: William Hankinson, William Herford, Susan Herford, Mary Rogers, Helen
Herford, Paul J. Morgan, Arthur L. Stein) |
1862-1934 |
1 / 6 | Susan Herford (Correspondents
include: Helen Herford, John Herford, Brooke Herford, Whitney Herford, Agnes
Burtoro) |
1889-1938 |
1 / 7 | Susan Herford (Correspondents
include: Lucy Whitney, Helen Herford, Gertrude Whitney, Brooke Herford, “Nanny”
Herford, Beatrice Herford, Laura Weisse, Anonymous representative of the Klu
Klux Klan writing to Mrs. Herford regarding the behavior of her daughter,
Helen, and relating to a man named Eiden or Edens) |
n.d. |
2 / 1 | Helen Herford (Correspondents
include: Hannah Herford, Susan Herford, Helen Ward, Philip Coolidge, Whitney
Herford, Elmo Brocon, Scott Wainwright, Merle Bowers, Bissell Brooke, Laura
Hills, Edmund Pound, Kula Arnold) |
1895-1953 |
2 / 2 | Helen Herford (Correspondents
include: Rollo and Helen Underwood, John Herford, Merle Bowers, Susan Herford,
Katherine Reynold, Whitney Herford, Marion Chapple, two anonymous letters to
Helen regarding going around with “that Scab Eiden” similar to the letters sent
by the KKK to Mrs. Herford) |
n.d. |
2 / 3 | Whitney Herford (Correspondents
include: Susan Herford, Helen Herford, Ethel Rogers, Edith Rogers, Constance
"Connie" Chapple, Brooke Herford (son of John)) |
1905-1915 |
2 / 4 | Whitney Herford (Correspondents
include: Beatrice Herford, Susan Herford, Constance Chapple) |
n.d. |
2 / 5 | Brooke Herford (Correspondents
include: Helen Herford, Anonymous letter from the Klu Klux Klan to Brooke
Herford regarding the behavior of his sister Helen with the “dirty scab”
Eden) |
1902-1905 |
2 / 6 | Beatrice Herford (Correspondents
include: Hannah Herford, Brooke Herford (her father), Henry P. Binney, Oliver
Herford (her and John’s brother)) |
1890-1952 |
Miscellaneous correspondenceReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
2 / 7 | Correspondents include: Sidney,
Gretel, Brigitta Weisse, Alice, D.B. Herford, Monte, Merle Bowers, P.J. Morgan,
Mrs. Hayward, Polly, T.W. Parsony, F. Smith |
1881-1952 |
2 / 8 | "Orphaned" correspondence pages (
authorship unknown) |
n.d. |
Financial recordsReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
3 / 1 | Bills, receipts, etc. |
1910-1952 |
Subject FilesReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
3 / 2 | Beatrice Herford
(typed/hand-written stage monologues, play reviews, etc.) |
1918-1931 |
WritingsReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
3 / 3 | John B. Herford (Poetry, "Cow
Camp Sketches on a New Range") |
n.d. |
MiscellanyReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
3 / 4 | Includes, clippings, small
account/note book, Fortnightly Club invitation, Newton Charity Horse Show
program, Middlesex School Graduation Dance dance card, and poetry |
|
3 / 5 | Miscellaneous photographs,
including one of Jack B. Herford |
n.d. |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Actresses--United States.
- Lawyers--Montana.
Corporate Names
- Canada--Canadian Army--Canadian Expeditionary Force.
Geographical Names
- Billings (Mont.)
- Musselshell River (Mont.)
- Yellowstone County (Mont.)