Justus Steinberger papers, 1852-1867

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Steinberger, Justus, 1825-1870
Title
Justus Steinberger papers
Dates
1852-1867 (inclusive)
1852-1859 (bulk)
Quantity
1.75 cubic feet, (3 legal document cases, 1 flat box (11x14), 3 oversize folders (16x20))
Collection Number
Coll 686
Summary
Papers of Justus Steinberger (1825-1870), particularly from his time in the 1850s working for Adams & Co. and then for the Pacific Mail Steamship Co. Steinberger was an agent for Adams & Co. in Portland, Oregon; he later became an officer in the U.S. Army.
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

Collection is open for research.

Languages
English

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Justus Steinberger was born in Pennsylvania in 1825, and was named for Dr. Justus Dunott of Philadelphia. In the 1850s, he worked in Portland as an agent for Adams & Co. and the Pacific Mail Steamship Company. At the outbreak of the Civil War, he was appointed colonel, with the authority to raise a regiment in the Washington Territory and California. For a brief period in 1862, he was commander of the District of Oregon. Steinberger remained in the military following the war, becoming an officer in the regular U.S. Army's pay department. He was killed in 1870 when his horse threw him in Helena, Montana. He was buried at Fort Shaw, Montana.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The collection consists of correspondence and records from Justus Steinberger's career in the 1850s as the Portland agent for Adams & Co. and for the Pacific Mail Steamship Company. Included are letters both to and from Steinberger, reports Steinberger wrote, a journal Steinberger kept in 1858, a letterpress copy book of letters written between 1852 and 1861, and ship manifests and receipts.

While a large bulk of the collection's loose correspondence is with the Pacific Mail Steamship Company's president, William H. Davidge, and agents Andrew B. Forbes and William F. Babcock, it also includes letters to Steinberger from prominent figures of the Oregon Territory such as Joseph Lane, Asahel Bush, Benjamin Alvord, and George H. Atkinson. The correspondence also includes numerous letters from Rufus Ingalls, who was then a captain but would become Chief Quartermaster of the Army of the Potomac during the Civil War. Of particular note is a letter from Lane dated October 18, 1858, which includes a copy of a letter that Lane sent to Asahel Bush that same day, breaking off contact between Lane and Bush. The letterpress copybook includes letters addressed to Attorney of Oregon Amory Holbrook. An additional item of interest is an 1867 letter that Ulysses S. Grant wrote to Senator Henry Wilson, vouching for Steinberger's character.

Other Descriptive InformationReturn to Top

Collection was designated Mss 74 prior to 2018.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.

Preferred Citation

Justus Steinberger papers, Coll 686, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

Collection is arranged in two series: Series A. Correspondence; Series B. Other papers.

Acquisition Information

Acquired from unknown source in either May or June 1946 (Lib. Acc. 29287).

Related Materials

Records of Adams & Co. are designated Mss 751, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Related Materials

Some additional papers of Steinberger's are held at the Special Collections and University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries, Eugene, Oregon.

Preservation Note

Original letterpress copybook requires assistance to view, and researchers are encouraged to use typescript copies instead. Contact library staff for assistance.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Series A:  Correspondence, 1855-1867,   (bulk 1856-1859) Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Subseries 1: Letters to Steinberger
Most letters from Andrew B. Forbes and William F. Babcock are signed as "Forbes & Babcock, agents."
1856-1859
Box Folder
1 1-2
Typescript copies of 1856-1859 letters
undated
1 3
Typescript copies of undated letters written circa 1857-1859
undated
1 4
Letter from Forbes and Babcock
1855 May 18
1 5
Letters
1856-1857
1 6-11
Letters
1858 February-October
1 12
Letter from Joseph Lane, including copy of letter from Lane to Asahel Bush
1858 October 18
1 13-14
Letters
1858 November-December
1 15
Letters
1859 January
2 1-2
Letters
1859 February-April
2 3-5
Letters
1859 July-November
2 6
Undated letters, mostly from either Rufus Ingalls or Captain William Dall
circa 1857-1859
Subseries 2: Letters from Steinberger
Most letters are addressed to either Andrew B. Forbes and William F. Babcock or to William H. Davidge. Letters are copies not sent by Steinberger, as indicated by instances where two different letters occupy the same sheet. Many letters also have words, phrases, or sections crossed out, suggesting that these were initial drafts of letters that Steinberger sent.
1858-1859
Box Folder
2 7-12
Letters
1858 March-December
2 13-14
Letters
1859 January-April
2 15
Letters
1859 June-October
Subseries 3: Other correspondence
1867 February 20
Folder
Oversize 1
Letter from President Ulysses S. Grant to Senator Henry Wilson, vouching for Steinberger's character
1867 February 20

Series B:  Other papers, 1852-1861,   (bulk 1852-1859) Return to Top

Other Descriptive InformationReturn to Top

Initial journal entry is misdated as 1848. Typescripts give inaccurate page numbers for letterpress copybook entries up to November 10, 1852.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
2 16
Loose account book pages
1854-1855
Folder
Oversize 2
Account with Forbes and Babcock
1858-1859
Box Folder
2 17
Bank book
1859 August-September
3 1
Journal
1858 June-September
4
Letterpress copy book
1852-1861
Folder
3 2
Typescript of letterpress copybook entries from July 1852-April 1853
undated
3 3
Pacific Mail Steamship Company records (primarily documents relating to individual ships)
1858-1859
3 4
Receipts and bills
1858-1859
3 5
Reports, primarily addressed to Forbes and Babcock or to Davidge
1858 May 21-July26
3 6
Typescript copies of reports
undated
3 7
Ship manifests and receipts
1858-1859; undated
Folder
Oversize 3
Ship manifest
1858-1859

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Business enterprises--Oregon--Portland--19th century
  • Shipping--West (U.S.)

Personal Names

  • Babcock, William F. (William Fitzpatrick), 1820-1885
  • Davidge, William H. (William Hathorn Stewart), 1825-1877
  • Forbes, Andrew B. (Andrew Bell), 1824-1902
  • Ingalls, Rufus, 1818-1893
  • Lane, Joseph, 1801-1881
  • Steinberger, Justus, 1825-1870

Corporate Names

  • Adams & Co. (Express company)
  • Forbes & Babcock (San Francisco, Calif.)
  • Pacific Mail Steamship Company

Form or Genre Terms

  • administrative records
  • correspondence
  • financial records
  • letterpress copybooks
  • reports