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Alderson Family collection, 1865-1939

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Alderson family
Title
Alderson Family collection
Dates
1865-1939 (inclusive)
Quantity
2 linear feet
Collection Number
0891
Summary
The Alderson Family Collection contains diaries, letters, literary productions, scrapbooks, printed materials and photographs created by or pertaining to: William W. Alderson, E. Lina Alderson Houston, Matthew W. Alderson, Mary Long Alderson, and Myrtle Alderson Griswold. Subjects include: Montana journalism; mining in Montana and South America; the temperance movement; women's suffrage; the history of Bozeman and the Gallatin Valley.
Repository
Montana State University Library, Merrill G. Burlingame Special Collections
Montana State University-Bozeman Library
Merrill G Burlingame Special Collections
P.O. Box 173320
Bozeman, MT
59717-3320
Telephone: 4069944242
Fax: 4069942851
Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research.

Languages
Collection materials are in English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities
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Biographical Note

The William W. Alderson family was one of the first families to settle in the Gallatin Valley before the city of Bozeman was established. William White Alderson (1831-1906) was born in England and came to America at the age of 17. In 1864, he left his wife, Frances (1834-1910) and four children in Wisconsin and with his brother, John, headed for the gold mines of Montana. On the way the Aldersons decided to settle in the Gallatin Valley and take up farming. One of the first settlers of Bozeman, William W. Alderson, serving as the secretary of the Gallatin Claim Association, was the person who suggested "Bozeman" as the name of the town after John Bozeman. Later in 1866 Alderson's family joined him in the new town and in 1873 he was named as the government agent for the Milk River Indian Reservation. On his return to Bozeman in 1877 he became the editor of the Avant Courier newspaper, a position he held for most of his remaining life. William and Frances had nine children in all, among whom were Matthew (1855-1916), and E. Lina, who married Shaff Houston. Matthew became a newspaperman himself, first working as the business manager for the Avant Courier and later editing papers in Helena and Butte. After the death of his first wife he married Mary Long of Massachusetts. While Matthew pursued his interests in journalism and mining, Mary engaged in her own career as a suffragette and temperance crusader. Matthew toured South America shortly before his death to investigate mining claims and that same year Mary was elected president of the Women's Christian Temperance Union (WTCU). Matthew and Mary had at least one daughter, Myrtle, who married Belgrade resident J. H. Griswold, a veteran of the first World War.

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Content Description

The Alderson Family Collection contains diaries, letters, literary productions, scrapbooks, printed materials and photographs created by or pertaining to: William W. Alderson, E. Lina Alderson Houston, Matthew W. Alderson, Mary Long Alderson, and Myrtle Alderson Griswold. Subjects include: Montana journalism; mining in Montana and South America; the temperance movement; women's suffrage; the history of Bozeman and the Gallatin Valley. Organizations mentioned are the Women's Christian Temperance Union, the Montana Press Association, and the National American Woman Suffrage Association. Correspondents include William W. Alderson, Mary Long Alderson, and Susan B. Anthony. The collection has been arranged in eight series based on document type.

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Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

[Creator Name], [Date of Creation], [Brief Description of Object], Folder [#], Box [#], [Collection Name], [Collection #], Montana State University (MSU) Library, Bozeman, MT

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

Series 1 Biographical Materials, circa1890-1973

Series 2 Correspondence, 1869-1921

Series 3 Diaries, 1877-1916

Series 4 Literary productions, circa 1890-1939

Series 5 Legal and financial documents, 1865-1872

Series 6 Printed materials, 1883-1930

Series 7 Scrapbooks and scrapbook materials, 1886-1939

Series 8 Photographs, circa 1880s-1916

Acquisition Information

Several accessions pertaining to Alderson family members were merged to form this collection: numbers 14, 21, 106, 550, 562, 1062, 1065, 1074, 1223, and 1338. Most of these accessions were donated to Special Collections by Myrtle Alderson Griswold (Mrs. J. H. Griswold) in 1970 and 1976. Merrill G. Burlingame deposited some materials in the 1960s (accessions 106 and 550). Margaret Gee donated accessions 562 to Special Collections in the spring of 1968. Wilbur Betts of Bozeman, Montana donated accession 1223 in June, 1978. Miscellaneous additional material was donated by Willis D. Griswold of Belgrade, Montana, on June 14, 1990.

Processing Note

This collection was processed 2009 February 24

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Detailed Description of the Collection

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Subject Terms

  • British Americans--Montana--Bozeman (Mont.)
  • Journalism-Montana
  • Mines and Mineral Resources--Montana
  • Mines and Mineral Resources--South America
  • Temperance-Montana
  • Temperance-United States-Societies, etc
  • Women
  • Women--Suffrage--United States
  • Women-Suffrage-Montana

Personal Names

  • Alderson, Mary Long, 1860-1940
  • Alderson, Matthew W., 1855-1924
  • Alderson, William W. (William White), 1831-1906
  • Anthony, Susan B. (Susan Brownell), 1820-1906--Correspondence
  • Griswold, Myrtle Alderson
  • Houston, Elizabeth Lina Alderson

Corporate Names

  • Montana Press Association
  • National American Woman Suffrage Association
  • Woman's Christian Temperance Union

Geographical Names

  • Bozeman (Mont.)
  • Bozeman (Mont.)--History
  • Gallatin River Valley (Wyo. and Mont.)-History
  • Montana

Form or Genre Terms

  • Albums (Books)
  • Diaries
  • Diaries
  • Diaries--Montana
  • Family papers--Montana--Bozeman
  • Photographs
  • Photographs
  • Scrapbooks

Kim Allen Scott
2009

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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