Francis Lyman Worden Papers

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)
18521940
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

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