Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Cornelius Hedges Family papers, 1828-1945
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Hedges, Cornelius, 1831-1907
- Title
- Cornelius Hedges Family papers
- Dates
- 1828-1945 (inclusive)18281945
- Quantity
- 4.6 linear feet
- Collection Number
- MC 33
- Summary
- Cornelius Hedges (1831-1907) was a pioneer, miner and attorney who lived in Helena, Montana. This collection consists primarily of diaries (1849-1857, 1863-1893, 1906-1907), covering his education at Yale College, his travel to Montana Territory in 1864 via the Bridger Cutoff trail, and his participation in the Washburn-Doane Expedition of 1870 to what became Yellowstone Park. There is also incoming correspondence, financial records, legal documents, and materials from other family members.
- 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 open for research.
- Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Cornelius Hedges was born in Westfield, Massachusetts, October 28, 1831, the son of Dennis and Alvina Hedges. He attended Yale, receiving his A.B. in 1853 and his A.M. in 1855. He also attended Harvard Law School and was admitted to the bar of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In 1856, soon after his marriage to Edna Layette Smith of Southington, Connecticut, he moved to Independence, Iowa, where he practiced law and published and edited the Independence Civilian. In April 1864, Hedges set out, on foot, for the gold mines of Montana. He arrived at Virginia City in the late summer and placer mined there and at Highland Gulch until January, 1865, when he moved to Helena and the newer diggings at Last Chance Gulch. Here, he was employed with both mining and the law. Hedges returned to the "States" in the summer of 1866 to purchase a five-stamp mill for the operations of his partner, George Wood, and himself, and to bring his family back to Montana. He and his family resided in Helena thereafter, while he continued practicing law, speculating in mining claims, and working as a public servant.
His public and political services were many and varied. He was U.S. District Attorney for Montana Territory in 1871, first Territorial Delegate to Congress in 1874, a member of the 1884 Constitutional Convention, a State Senator from 1889-1893, the Republican Caucus nominee for U.S. Senator, 1899, and Secretary of the State Board of Sheep Commissioners, 1897-1906. For many years, Hedges was also an editorial writer for the Helena Herald, a charter member of the Montana Bar Association, and a member and president of both the Montana Historical Society and the Montana Society of Pioneers. He was a founder and lifelong supporter of the Helena Public Library. Cornelius Hedges had been a Mason since 1857 and was one of the founders of the first Masonic lodge in Montana. He was known, during his lifetime, as the "Father of Montana Masonry." As a Mason, Hedges held the office of grand secretary of the Montana Lodge from 1872 until just prior to his death. His broad interests also led him to join the Washburn Expedition of 1870, which explored and publicized the Yellowstone area. During the return from Yellowstone, it was Hedges who suggested the preservation of the area as a national park. In the subsequent two years, he was active in the movement to create the park, which was achieved in 1872. In 1903, he was an honored guest at the cornerstone laying ceremony for the large arch at the park entrance. Hedges died in Helena, April 29, 1907.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The focus of the collection is the series of Cornelius Hedges diaries (1849-1857, 1863-1893, 1906-1907). The rest of the collection, particularly the incoming correspondence, the financial records, and the legal documents, is supplementary in nature. The collection also contains materials of other members of the Hedges family, including: Cornelius Hedges' parents, Dennis and Alvina Hedges, his sister, Frances Atwater, his brother-in-law, Asa B. Clarke, his wife, Edna Smith Hedges, his sons, Wyllys, Henry, and Cornelius Jr., and his daughter, Edna Hedges Palmer. Other subgroups in this collection include materials for the Bald Butte Mining Company (during its period of receivership) and the Masonic Order.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of the Montana Historical Society. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collection. In some cases permission for use may require additional authorization from the copyright owners. For more information contact an archivist.
Preferred Citation
Item description and date. Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers. Montana Historical Society Research Center, Archives, Helena, Montana.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
This collection is arranged in 11 sub-groups: 1. Cornelius Hedges, 2. Frances Atwater, 3. Asa B. Clarke, 4. Cornelius Hedges Jr., 5. Alvina and Dennis Hedges, 6. Edna Smith Hedges, 7. Henry H. Hedges, 8. Wyllys A. Hedges, 9. Edna Hedges Palmer, 10. Bald Butte Mining Company, 11. Masonic Order. Series are arranged within each sub-group.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection
Cornelius Hedges Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Biographical Material |
||
Box/Folder | ||
1 / 1 | "He Went to Yale - 1849", by unidentified author |
1943 |
Incoming Correspondence |
||
Box/Folder | ||
1 / 2 | Frances Hedges Atwater [sister] |
1849-1862, undated |
1 / 3 | A-B (correspondents include Joshua Anderson;
[C.R.?] Bliss; D.W. Brooks; William H. Burr) |
1853-1896, undated |
1 / 4 | Asa B. Clarke and Margaret Hedges Clarke |
1852-1862 |
1 / 5 | C-D (correspondents include Charles Chessman; S.S.
Clark; William McNeill Clough; Connecticut and Montana Mining Company; William
Dryer) |
1853-1897 |
1 / 6 | James R. Dewey |
1850-1854, undated |
1 / 7 | F-G (correspondents include James Fergus; R.E.
Fisk; Edward B. Gillett |
1856, 1901-1902 |
1 / 8 | Alvina Hedges and Dennis Hedges [parents] |
1850, undated |
1 / 9-13 | Edna Smith Hedges [fiancee and later wife] |
1854-1856, 1858, 1866, undated |
1 / 14 | H-J (correspondents include N.O. Houghton; S.
Stoddard Johnston) |
1854, 1856 |
1 / 15 | Nathaniel P. Langford |
1894, 1905 |
1 / 16 | L-M (correspondents include R. Lawrence; C.G.
McCully; William Jobb) |
1853-1896, undated |
1 / 17 | Masonic Order (includes lodges in New York;
Livingston; Miles City; Mexico; Deer Lodge; and Olympia and Walla Walla, Washington) |
1873, 1895-1903 |
1 / 18 | P-S (correspondents include W.M. Pomeroy; Benjamin
F. Potts; J.M. Simons) |
1849, 1862, 1874 |
1 / 19 | Wilbur Fisk Sanders (includes letters of
introduction) |
1881, 1902 |
1 / 20 | Emma Smith [future sister-in-law] |
1855 |
1 / 21 | T-W (correspondents include George N. Watrous; A.
[M.?] Wheeler; A.D. White; T. Wilcox) |
1853-1867, 1903 |
1 / 22 | Unidentified |
1853, undated |
Outgoing Correspondence |
||
Box/Folder | ||
1 / 23 | Frances Atwater |
1900 |
1 / 24 | Cornelius Hedges, Jr. |
1877 |
1 / 25-27 | Alvina Hedges and Dennis Hedges [parents] |
1852-1853, 1862-1871, undated |
1 / 28 | Edna Smith Hedges [wife] |
1896 |
1 / 29 | Wyllus A. Hedges |
1874 |
1 / 30 | Edna Hedges Palmer |
1881 |
1 / 31 | Unidentified |
1869 |
Diaries |
||
Box/Folder | ||
1 / 32-33 | Diaries [3] |
January 1849- October 1851 |
2 / 1 | Diary |
October 1851- November 1855 |
2 / 2 | Diaries [handwritten copies in 10 notebooks] |
1849-1855 |
2 / 3 | Diary [includes notes and accounts] |
April 1853- May 1857 |
2 / 4-6 | Diaries [6 books; includes typescript copies of
portions] |
February 1863- November 1866, Mar 1867- December 1868 |
3 / 1 | Diaries [2 books; includes typescript copies of
portions] |
January 1869- October 1871 |
3 / 2-11 | Diaries [20 books] |
October 1871- December 1892 |
4 / 1 | Diaries [2 books] |
January-November 1893, August 1906- April 1907 |
Financial Records |
||
Box/Folder | ||
4 / 2 | Account of college expenses |
1849-1853 |
4 / 3 | Checks on First National Bank, Helena |
1869, 1873-1874 |
4 / 4 | Cornelius Hedges Estate |
1906-1911 |
4 / 5 | Life insurance policy and receipts |
1863-1872, 1893 |
4 / 6 | Notes paid and payable |
1857-1895 |
4 / 7 | Receipts and receipted bills |
1856-1895 |
4 / 8 | Statements of accounts |
1867-1869 |
4 / 9 | Stock certificates |
1889-1897 |
4 / 10 | Tax receipts
RESTRICTED
|
1860-1890 |
4 / 11 | Miscellaneous |
1865-1883, undated |
Legal Documents |
||
Box/Folder | ||
4 / 12 | Abstracts of mining properties and claims |
1865-1866, undated |
4 / 13 | Appointments: territorial commissioner; George
Chapman Estate administrator |
1869, 1882 undated |
4 / 14 | Certificate and licenses for practice of law |
1855, 1865-1871 |
4 / 15 | Certificate of mining claims filed |
1864-1866 |
4 / 16 | Contracts |
1867-1868, 1895 |
4 / 17 | Declarations of claims |
1865 |
4 / 18 | Deed and leases for Seven Mile Creek land |
1890-1894 |
4 / 19 | Deeds for city lots |
1869-1877 |
4 / 20 | Deeds for quartz lodes |
1882, 1892 |
4 / 21 | Homestead claim for city lots |
1896 |
4 / 22 | Power of attorney |
1866 |
4 / 23 | Quit-claim deeds for mining properties |
1865-1866 |
4 / 24 | Quit-claim deeds for miscellaneous properties |
1866-1886 |
4 / 25 | Sales agreements |
1863-1868, 1893 |
4 / 26 | Warranty deeds |
1865, 1891 |
Photographs |
||
Box/Folder | ||
4 / 27 | List of photographs transferred to the Photo
Archives |
undated |
Speeches and Writings |
||
Box/Folder | ||
4 / 28 | "A Chronological Dictionary" |
undated |
4 / 29 | Essays, debates, discussions, etc. (re history,
morality, honesty, England, vigilantes, the veto, Christian virtue, etc.) |
1851-1887, undated |
4 / 30 | Essays, debates, discussions, etc. (re land
ownership, formation of character, Mohammed, railroads, slave law, liquor law,
Jerusalem, etc.) |
undated |
4 / 31 | Essays, debates, discussions, etc. (re Christian
virtue, language, education, Constitution, third-party candidates, election of
Senators, manifest destiny, canal railroads, statesmanship, Presidential power,
progress in Montana, Lewis and Clark County, territorial school system, etc.) |
undated |
4 / 32 | Eulogy for Henry D. Washburn |
1871 |
4 / 33 | Examination question with outlined answer on
"Commerce with Japan" |
undated |
4 / 34 | Lecture notes (re civilization, metaphysics,
meteorology, philosophy, oratory, rhetoric, political economy, law, etc.) |
1853, undated |
4 / 35 | Speech delivered to the Masonic Lodge, Southington,
Connecticut |
1861 |
4 / 36 | Speeches (re education, Freemasonry, New England
Association) |
1874, undated |
4 / 37 | Translations of Classical works |
undated |
4 / 38 | Writings: "Lost in the Wilderness" (re rescue of
T.C. Everts during Washburn Expedition to Yellowstone); "Exclusion of Chinese";
"Memorial for Grant of Lands for University"; "Reminiscences of Early Days in
Helena"; "The Great Geyser Basin of the World" |
1871, undated |
Miscellany |
||
Box/Folder | ||
5 / 1 | Golden wedding anniversary invitations, etc. |
1906 |
5 / 2 | List of mining claims owned by Cornelius Hedges |
1865 |
5 / 3 | Masonic Order certificates, commissions, etc. |
1867-1895 |
5 / 4 | Masonic Order memorials, resolutions, etc. |
1907 |
5 / 5 | Plat of Hedges Addition, Helena |
1867 |
5 / 6 | Sally Pratt Estate |
1838-1860 |
5 / 7 | Resolution on location of state institutions |
undated |
5 / 8 | C.S. Sabin-Hart and Jamison business transactions |
1856-1857 |
5 / 9 | Yale College (includes examinations, commencement
rules, DeForest Prize) |
1850-1853, undated |
5 / 10 | Miscellaneous (includes Harvard certificates,
Montana Pioneers memorial for Cornelius Hedges, Montana Historical Society
certificate, business cards, campaign leaflets, etc.) |
1855-1907 |
Clippings |
||
Box/Folder | ||
5 / 11 | Cornelius Hedges (re activities, honors, tributes,
obituaries, etc.; includes small scrapbook) |
1866-1907, undated |
5 / 12 | Family members (includes Wyllys Smith, Leonard
Atwater, et al.) |
undated |
5 / 13 | Literary reviews, etc. (primarily New York
newspapers) |
1842-1856, undated |
5 / 14 | Montana politics and legislative actions |
1851, 1872, undated |
5 / 15 | Yellowstone National Park |
1880, undated |
5 / 16 | Miscellaneous |
1852-1899, undated |
Frances Atwater Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Incoming Correspondence |
||
Box/Folder | ||
5 / 17 | Margaret Clarke |
1853, 1866, 1882 |
Asa B. Clarke Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Incoming Correspondence |
||
Box/Folder | ||
5 / 18 | Nathaniel P. Langford |
1869 |
Financial Records |
||
Box/Folder | ||
5 / 19 | Receipt |
1875 |
Cornelius Hedges, Jr. Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Incoming Correspondence |
||
Box/Folder | ||
5 / 20 | B-G (correspondents include Connecticut Mutual Life
Insurance Company re death of Cornelius Hedges; F.H. Gillett) |
1907, 1920 |
5 / 21 | Henry Hedges; Wyllys Hedges |
1902, 1908 |
5 / 22 | H-K (correspondents include Montana Soldiers' Home;
R.H. Howey; Henry Knippenberg, re Constitutional Convention reunion; Jessie L.
Nelson) |
1899-1923 |
5 / 23 | Masonic Order |
1919-1920 |
5 / 24 | N-W (correspondents include Northern Pacific
Railway assistant land commissioner; John C. Smith; James A. Walsh, enclosing papers
of Jerry Embrey) |
1902-1903, 1920 |
Diaries |
||
Box/Folder | ||
5 / 25 | Diary (includes some notes and accounts) |
1893 |
Financial Records |
||
Box/Folder | ||
6 / 1 | Bank book |
1905-1920 |
6 / 2 | Notes and receipts |
1902-1919 |
6 / 3 | Tax receipts: City of Helena
RESTRICTED
|
1912-1924 |
6 / 4 | Tax receipts: Lewis and Clark County
RESTRICTED
|
1909-1920 |
6 / 5 | Tax returns: income
RESTRICTED
|
1917-1924 |
Legal Documents |
||
Box/Folder | ||
6 / 6 | Stockpooling agreement for Helena Ice Company |
1910 |
6 / 7 | Miscellaneous |
1902-1914 |
Miscellany |
||
Box/Folder | ||
6 / 8 | Constitution and bylaws of Helena High School
Alumni Association |
undated |
6 / 9 | Masonic Order memorial, etc. |
1921-1925 |
6 / 10 | Political ballots, tickets, etc. |
1892-1924 |
6 / 11 | Miscellaneous |
1887-1925, undated |
Clippings |
||
Box/Folder | ||
6 / 12 | Cornelius Hedges, Jr. obituaries |
1925 |
6 / 13 | Scrapbook (includes Constitutional Convention;
politics; etc.) |
1889-1894 |
6 / 14 | Scrapbook (politics; etc.) |
1891-1892 |
6 / 15 | Miscellaneous |
1898-1925, undated |
Alvina and Dennis Hedges Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Incoming Correspondence |
||
Box/Folder | ||
7 / 1 | A-B (correspondents include D.H. Atwater; W.R.
Bullard) |
1869, undated |
7 / 2 | Asa B. Clarke |
1865, 1867, 1874 |
7 / 3 | Margaret Clarke |
1854-1874, undated |
7 / 4 | C-G (correspondents include E.M.A. Chealey,
grand-daughter; Mary C. Green) |
1839, 1871-1875 |
7 / 5 | Dennis Hedges |
1869 |
7 / 6 | Edna S. Hedges |
1865-1866 |
7 / 7 | Amelia Wilcox |
undated |
Court Papers |
||
Box/Folder | ||
7 / 8 | Summons (re Massachusetts land dispute) |
1828 |
Financial Records |
||
Box/Folder | ||
7 / 9 | Receipts, etc. |
1874-1879 |
Clippings |
||
Box/Folder | ||
7 / 10 | Dennis Hedges obituary |
undated |
Edna Smith Hedges Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Incoming Correspondence |
||
Box/Folder | ||
7 / 11 | Margaret Clarke |
1862 |
7 / 12 | C-M (correspondents include Connecticut Mutual Life
Insurance Company re death of Cornelius Hedges; Mary [Green?]; Harold P. Moseley re
Cornelius Hedges Estate) |
1855, 1907, undated |
7 / 13 | Emily Barnes Smith |
1876-1877, undated |
Financial Records |
||
Box/Folder | ||
7 / 14 | Edna Smith Hedges Estate |
1912-1914 |
7 / 15 | Receipts |
1909-1910 |
7 / 16 | Tax receipts: City of Helena
RESTRICTED
|
1909-1911 |
7 / 17 | Tax receipts: Lewis and Clark County
RESTRICTED
|
1909-1911 |
Legal Documents |
||
Box/Folder | ||
7 / 18 | Appointment as executrix of Cornelius Hedges Estate |
1907 |
7 / 19 | Edna Smith Hedges will |
1910 |
7 / 20 | Emily Smith will |
1877 |
Miscellany |
||
Box/Folder | ||
7 / 21 | Sally Lewis Academy, Southington, Connecticut |
1857, 1922, undated |
7 / 22 | Emily Barnes Smith funeral transcript |
1908 |
Henry H. Hedges Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Incoming Correspondence |
||
Box/Folder | ||
7 / 23 | Alvina Hedges; Wyllys Hedges |
1908, undated |
Outgoing Correspondence |
||
Box/Folder | ||
7 / 24 | P.G. Schroeder |
1945 |
Financial Records |
||
Box/Folder | ||
7 / 25 | Accounting of shares owned in H. Hedges Sheep
Company (includes shares of Ida, W.A., and Edna L. Hedges) |
1886-1888 |
Clippings |
||
Box/Folder | ||
7 / 26 | Henry H. Hedges marriage to Dora C. Harris |
undated |
Wyllys A. Hedges Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Diaries |
||
Box/Folder | ||
7 / 27 | Diary |
1880 |
Financial Records |
||
Box/Folder | ||
7 / 28 | Miscellaneous |
1894-1908 |
Legal Documents |
||
Box/Folder | ||
7 / 29 | Agreement; deeds; notice of publication for proving
of will |
1880-1884, 1929 |
Speeches and Writings |
||
Box/Folder | ||
7 / 30 | Autobiographical sketch |
undated |
7 / 31 | "Cornelius Hedges" |
undated |
7 / 32 | "Sketch of an Indian Battle near Hedges, Montana,
1882" |
undated |
7 / 33 | "Bears"; "A Ghost Village"; "Historical Sketch
pertaining to Early Settlement of Great Falls" [photocopies] |
undated |
7 / 34 | "Historical Sketch of Incident Occurring at Great
Falls, 1880"; "Coyote" [photocopies] |
undated |
7 / 35 | "An Indian Battle near Yale, Montana, 1882";
"Friendly Bears"; A Speedy Descent"; "Reminiscences" [photocopies] |
undated |
7 / 36 | "A Montana Cloudburst"; "The Story of Montana";
"Mail Carrier Lost in Blizzard"; "Lost in Snow Storm" [photocopies] |
1926, undated |
7 / 37 | "Trailing sheep from California to Montana, 1881"
[includes photocopies] |
undated |
Miscellany |
||
Box/Folder | ||
7 / 38 | Certificate of Montana Society of Pioneers; Montana
Historical Society resolution |
1903, 1929 |
Clippings |
||
Box/Folder | ||
7 / 39 | Obituaries |
1929 |
Edna Hedges Palmer Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Incoming Correspondence |
||
Box/Folder | ||
7 / 40 | Anne McDonnell, Montana Historical Society
librarian |
1930 |
Diaries |
||
Box/Folder | ||
7 / 41 | Diaries (includes trip to Europe, 1890) [2] |
1878-1879, 1890 |
Financial Records |
||
Box/Folder | ||
7 / 42 | European trip |
1890 |
7 / 43 | Tax receipt: City of Helena
RESTRICTED
|
1923 |
Miscellany |
||
Box/Folder | ||
7 / 44 | "Historical Records indicate Jacobs and Bozeman
Should Share Honors in Establishing Routes for Travellers", by John G. Brown |
1923 |
Clippings |
||
Box/Folder | ||
7 / 45 | Edna Hedges Palmer obituaries |
1938 |
8 / 1 | Scrapbook |
undated |
8 / 2 | Montana history |
1935, 1939 |
Bald Butte Mining Company Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Incoming Correspondence |
||
Box/Folder | ||
8 / 3 | E.C. Olney |
1909 |
Outgoing Correspondence |
||
Box/Folder | ||
8 / 4 | Miscellaneous |
1909 |
Court Papers |
||
Box/Folder | ||
8 / 5 | Beattie vs. Bald Butte Mining Company |
1909, 1911 |
8 / 6 | Granting of petition to allow sale of receivers'
certificates |
1910 |
Financial Records |
||
Box/Folder | ||
8 / 7 | Gold bullion deposits |
1909 |
Legal Documents |
||
Box/Folder | ||
8 / 8 | Lease of workings to Jerry Lawler |
1908 |
Organization |
||
Box/Folder | ||
8 / 9 | Reorganization materials |
1909 |
8 / 10 | Stock certificates; stock transactions |
1891-1892, 1905, 1907 |
Masonic Order Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Outgoing Correspondence |
||
Box/Folder | ||
8 / 11 | Miscellaneous |
1919-1920 |
Financial Records |
||
Box/Folder | ||
8 / 12 | Receipts |
1925 |
Miscellany |
||
Box/Folder | ||
8 / 13 | Notes on the history of Masonry in Montana |
1920, undated |
8 / 14 | Membership lists, etc. |
1892, undated |
8 / 15 | Memorial to Nathaniel P. Langford |
1911 |
8 / 16 | Miscellaneous |
1887, undated |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Discoveries in geography
- Freemasons. Grand Lodge Of Montana
- Frontier and pioneer life--Montana
- Gold mines and mining--Montana
- Overland journeys to the Pacific
- School superintendents
- Steamboat travel--Missouri River
Personal Names
- Hedges, Cornelius, 1831-1907 (creator)
Geographical Names
- Europe--Description and travel
- Helena (Mont.)
- Helena (Mont.)--Economic conditions
- Helena (Mont.)--Education
- Highland Mining District (Mont.)
- Marysville (Mont.)
- Missouri River--Description and travel
- Virginia City (Mont.)
- Yellowstone National Park