Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Allen and Lewis records, 1853-1931
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Allen and Lewis (Portland, Or.)
- Title
- Allen and Lewis records
- Dates
- 1853-1931 (inclusive)18531931
- Quantity
- 2 cubic feet, (2 document cases, 1 flat box, 4 oversize folders, 4 custom boxes)
- Collection Number
- Mss 786
- Summary
- Records of a mercantile firm of Portland, Oregon, founded by Cicero Hunt Lewis and Lucius H. Allen. The records date mainly from the late 19th and early 20th century and include financial ledgers, business correspondence, real estate and land records, contracts, stock certificates, and materials relating to the widening of West Burnside Street in downtown Portland, due to construction of the Burnside Bridge. Also includes papers relating to George Good.
- 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
-
The collection is open to the public.
- Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Historical NoteReturn to Top
The wholesale grocery firm of Allen and Lewis was a prominent fixture of the commercial scene in Portland, Oregon, from the 1850s through the early 20th century. Beginning as one of the town's only general stores in 1851, the firm was founded by Cicero Hunt Lewis (also known as Cicero Horatius Lewis) and Lucius H. Allen. Lewis (1826-1897) was a native of Cranbury, New Jersey, and after his arrival in Portland he began a rapid rise to prominence. In 1857 he married Clementine Couch, daughter of pioneer John Heard Couch, who had platted the city's northern section. Lewis was also involved in a number of important Oregon ventures in addition to his mercantile firm, including the Oregon Central Railroad, the Willamette Bridge Company, and efforts to establish telegraph service between Portland and San Francisco.
Long after Lewis's death, in 1924, property owned by his heirs at Front Avenue and West Burnside Street was subject to appropriation by the the City of Portland due to the construction of the approach to the new Burnside Bridge.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The records date mainly from the late 19th and early 20th century and include financial ledgers, business correspondence, real estate and land records, contracts, and stock certificates. Also included are materials relating to the widening of West Burnside Street in downtown Portland in preparation for the construction of the Burnside Bridge, which involved property owned by the Pioneer Real Estate Company and the heirs of Cicero Hunt Lewis; and papers relating to George Good. Of special interest is the original partnership agreement between Allen and Lewis, signed in 1853; and a notebook, circa 1887-1888, detailing wholesale prices of grocery items.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
The Oregon 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 prior to any use of reproductions. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use of reproductions may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright holders.
Preferred Citation
Allen and Lewis records, Mss 786, Oregon Historical Society Research Library
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in two series:
- Series A: Account books and ledgers, 1858-1930
- Series B: General financial and land records, 1853-1931
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.
Series A: Account books and ledgers, 1858-1930Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1/1 | Journal (old volume 1) |
1905 November-1906 July |
| 1/2 | Journal to private ledger (old volume 2) |
1898-1930 |
| 1/3 | Papers found in above ledger |
1927; undated |
| 3/1 | Ledger (old volume 3) |
1858 February 1-1862 January 31 |
| 4/1 | Ledger (old volume 4) |
1865-1867 |
| 1/4 | Private ledger (old volume 5) |
1898-1930 |
| 5/1 | Private ledger (old volume 6) |
1898-1904 |
| 6/1 | General ledger (old volume 7) |
1905-1908 |
| 7/1 | Invoice book |
1858-1861 |
| 1/5 | General ledger (old volume 8) |
1912-1925 |
| 1/6 | Papers found in above ledger |
1912-1925 |
| 1/7 | Ledger balances, with total produce sales and
commission; and trial balances |
1896-1913 |
| 1/8 | Tax and insurance register, including mortgages (old
volume 9) |
1893-1910 |
| 1/9 | Papers found in above register |
1898-1906 |
| 1/10 | Eugene branch account book, including general
ledger, journal, capital stock, profit & loss (old volume 10) |
1913-1925 |
| 2/1 | Handbook of merchandise and prices (old volume
11) |
circa 1887-1888 |
| 2/2 | Real estate and tax record (old volume
12) |
1910-1931 |
| 2/3 | Papers found in above ledger |
1903-1927 |
Series B: General financial and land records, 1853-1931Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 2/4 | Partnership papers of Lucius H. Allen and Cicero
Hunt Lewis |
1853-1897 |
| 2/5 | Correspondence and receipts for purchase of
stock |
1867-1896 |
| 2/6 | Business contracts and papers
Includes contracts with D. S. Baker, 1887, and with Hawaiian
Commercial & Sugar Co., 1896; and papers concerning land on Puget Sound,
1868-1870.
|
1868-1896 |
| Oversize folder 1 | Stock certificates |
1893-1925 |
| 2/7 | Deeds |
1874-1910 |
| Oversize folder 2 | Federal land grant certificates |
1872-1906 |
| 2/8 | Abstracts of title |
1881-1911 |
| Oversize folder 3 | Mortgage |
1881-1882 |
| 2/9 | Abstract of estate of Margaret West |
1911 |
| 2/10 | General papers
Includes: bank statements of U.S. National and First
National Banks
|
1897-1927 |
| 2/11 | Pioneer Real Estate Company--Papers concerning
widening of West Burnside Street and construction of the Burnside
Bridge |
1924 |
| Oversize folder 4 | Pioneer Real Estate Company--Blueprints and maps
relating to the widening of West Burnside Street |
1924 |
| Oversize folder 3 | Pioneer Real Estate Company--Blueprints and maps
concerning property owned by the company and Lewis Investment
Company
Includes plat of Wilson's Addition in Northwest Portland,
1881.
|
circa 1881-1920 |
| 2/12 | Papers relating to George Good |
1873-1913 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Grocers--Oregon--Portland
- Merchants--Oregon--Portland
- Streets--Oregon--Portland
Personal Names
- Allen, Lucius H.--Archives
- Good, George
- Lewis, Cicero Horatius--Archives
Corporate Names
- Allen and Lewis (Portland, Or.)--Archives.
- Burnside Bridge (Portland, Or.)--History.
- Pioneer Real Estate Company (Portland, Or.)
Geographical Names
- Portland (Or.)--History
- West Burnside (Portland, Or.)
Form or Genre Terms
- Deeds
- Ledgers (accounts)
- Maps
