Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Wilbur F. Sanders papers, 1883-1907
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Sanders, Wilber Fisk, 1834-1905
- Title
- Wilbur F. Sanders papers
- Dates
- 1883-1907 (inclusive)18831907
- Quantity
- 0.2 linear feet
- Collection Number
- 2523
- Summary
- The Wilbur F. Sanders Papers consist of letters and cards received by him in response to an invitation for the sliver wedding anniversary celebration of Harriet and Wilbur Sanders on October 27, 1883. The collection also includes a scrapbook of mounted newspaper clippings pertaining to the anniversary observance, Sanders' political activities, and obituaries of Sanders and members of his extended family. Five photographs of Wilbur F. Sanders, Louis P. Sanders and Sidney Edgerton complete this collection.
- 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
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Wilbur Fisk Sanders was born in Leon, New York on May 2, 1834. He began his career as a schoolteacher in New York and Ohio where, in 1856, he completed his training as an attorney. Sanders served as a first lieutenant in the sixty-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the early years of the Civil War. In 1863, he joined the rush to the gold fields of Bannack and Virginia City in what would later become Montana Territory. He was active during the vigilante activity of 1864, and afterwards practiced law in Virginia City and Helena. In addition to his interests in mining and stock raising, Sanders also embarked on a political career in the new territory. He was defeated in four separate elections for the territorial delegate to the U.S. Congress, but later served as a delegate in the territorial legislature from 1873 to 1879. After Montana achieved statehood, Sanders was elected as a Republican to the United States Senate and served from January 1, 1890, to March 3, 1893, but was unsuccessful in his bid for reelection. He married Harriet P. Fenn on October 27, 1858 and the couple had at least three sons, James, Wilbur, and Louis. Louis P. Sanders (1870-1940) attended Harvard University, served with the First Montana Infantry Volunteers as an officer during the Spanish-American War and also became an attorney. Wilbur Fisk Sanders died in Helena on July 7, 1905.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The Wilbur F. Sanders papers consist of letters and cards received by him in response to an invitation for the sliver wedding anniversary celebration of Harriet and Wilbur Sanders on October 27, 1883. Respondents include James Fergus, William A. Clark, Benjamin F. Potts, and Davis Willson. The letters and cards had been mounted on highly acidic black paper with corresponding typed transcriptions placed in proximity to the originals, but they have been removed from these mountings due to preservation concerns. As a result, the response letters and cards have been placed in odd numbered folders 1-13 and even numbered folders contain the transcriptions found in the preceding folder. The collection also includes a scrapbook of mounted newspaper clippings pertaining to the anniversary observance, Sanders' political activities, and obituaries of Sanders and members of his extended family. Five photographs of Wilbur F. Sanders, Louis P. Sanders and Sidney Edgerton complete this collection.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Folder | |||
1 | Letters and cards, correspondents A-E | ||
2 | Transcriptions of folder 1 | ||
3 | Letters and cards, correspondents F-K | ||
4 | Transcriptions of folder 3 | ||
5 | Letters and cards, correspondents M-S | ||
6 | Transcriptions of folder 5 | ||
7 | Letters and cards, correspondents T-W | ||
8 | Transcriptions of folder 7 | ||
9 | Letters and cards, various names | ||
10 | Transcriptions of folder 9 | ||
11 | Letters and cards, various names | ||
12 | Transcriptions of folder 11 | ||
13 | Calling cards with no transcriptions | ||
14 | Scrapbook | ||
15 | Loose clippings | ||
16 | Photographs #1-5 | ||
photographic-print | |||
16 | 1 | Wilbur Fisk Sanders, photograph by Matthew Brady [removed to oversize storage] | circa 1868 |
16 | 2 | Sidney Edgerton | circa 1865 |
16 | 3 | Louis P. Sanders in woman's costume for Harvard's Hasty Pudding Review | circa 1880s |
16 | 4 | Louis P. Sanders in military uniform | 1989 |
16 | 5 | Louis P. Sanders | circa 1900s |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Personal Names
- Clark, W. A. (William Andrews), 1839-1925--Correspondence
- Edgerton, Sidney, 1818-1900--Correspondence
- Fergus, James, 1813-1902--Correspondence
- Potts, Benjamin F. (Benjamin Franklin), 1836-1887--Correspondence
- Sanders, Harriet Peck Fenn--Marriage
- Sanders, Louis P., 1870-1940--Photographs
- Sanders, Wilber Fisk, 1834-1905--Marriage
- Willson, Davis, 1841-1915--Correspondence
Family Names
- Sanders family
- Saunders family