The William W. Alderson family was one of the first families to settle in the Gallatin Valley before the city of Bozeman was established. William White Alderson (1831-1906) was born in England and came to America at the age of 17. In 1864, he left his wife, Frances (1834-1910) and four children in Wisconsin and with his brother, John, headed for the gold mines of Montana. On the way the Aldersons decided to settle in the Gallatin Valley and take up farming. One of the first settlers of Bozeman, William W. Alderson, serving as the secretary of the Gallatin Claim Association, was the person who suggested "Bozeman" as the name of the town after John Bozeman. Later in 1866 Alderson's family joined him in the new town and in 1873 he was named as the government agent for the Milk River Indian Reservation. On his return to Bozeman in 1877 he became the editor of the Avant Courier newspaper, a position he held for most of his remaining life. William and Frances had nine children in all, among whom were Matthew (1855-1916), and E. Lina, who married Shaff Houston. Matthew became a newspaperman himself, first working as the business manager for the Avant Courier and later editing papers in Helena and Butte. After the death of his first wife he married Mary Long of Massachusetts. While Matthew pursued his interests in journalism and mining, Mary engaged in her own career as a suffragette and temperance crusader. Matthew toured South America shortly before his death to investigate mining claims and that same year Mary was elected president of the Women's Christian Temperance Union (WTCU). Matthew and Mary had at least one daughter, Myrtle, who married Belgrade resident J. H. Griswold, a veteran of the first World War.
The Alderson Family Collection contains diaries, letters, literary productions, scrapbooks, printed materials and photographs created by or pertaining to: William W. Alderson, E. Lina Alderson Houston, Matthew W. Alderson, Mary Long Alderson, and Myrtle Alderson Griswold. Subjects include: Montana journalism; mining in Montana and South America; the temperance movement; women's suffrage; the history of Bozeman and the Gallatin Valley. Organizations mentioned are the Women's Christian Temperance Union, the Montana Press Association, and the National American Woman Suffrage Association. Correspondents include William W. Alderson, Mary Long Alderson, and Susan B. Anthony. The collection has been arranged in eight series based on document type.
Series 1 Biographical Materials, circa1890-1973
Series 2 Correspondence, 1869-1921
Series 3 Diaries, 1877-1916
Series 4 Literary productions, circa 1890-1939
Series 5 Legal and financial documents, 1865-1872
Series 6 Printed materials, 1883-1930
Series 7 Scrapbooks and scrapbook materials, 1886-1939
Series 8 Photographs, circa 1880s-1916
This collection is open for research.
Several accessions pertaining to Alderson family members were merged to form this collection: numbers 14, 21, 106, 550, 562, 1062, 1065, 1074, 1223, and 1338. Most of these accessions were donated to Special Collections by Myrtle Alderson Griswold (Mrs. J. H. Griswold) in 1970 and 1976. Merrill G. Burlingame deposited some materials in the 1960s (accessions 106 and 550). Margaret Gee donated accessions 562 to Special Collections in the spring of 1968. Wilbur Betts of Bozeman, Montana donated accession 1223 in June, 1978. Miscellaneous additional material was donated by Willis D. Griswold of Belgrade, Montana, on June 14, 1990.
This collection was processed 2009 February 24
[Creator Name], [Date of Creation], [Brief Description of Object], Folder [#], Box [#], [Collection Name], [Collection #], Montana State University (MSU) Library, Bozeman, MT
Biography of Mary Long Alderson (1860 - 1940), written by her daughter Myrtle Alderson Griswold and a related oral history tape prepared by Griswold in 1973; Matthew W. Alderson's personal handwritten reminiscences; Mary Long Alderson's reminiscences of her meetings with Louisa May Alcott and a temperance convention. Mary Long Alderson's writings are typed transcriptions prepared either by her daughter, Myrtle or Merrill G. Burlingame from originals whose location is unknown. The cassette tape in folder 1 has been removed for separate storage.
Correspondence of Mary Long Alderson with individuals and organizations concerned with the major social issues of the period, 1900-1921, including the cigarette law (of Montana), the National American Woman Suffrage Association and the National Women's Christian Temperance Union (W.C.T.U.); also the Montana Women's Christian Temperance Union. Included are two letters from Susan B. Anthony to Mary Alderson and a partial copy of an original manuscript by Mary describing the history of woman suffrage in Montana written for inclusion in The History of Woman Suffrage. Also contained in this series is a letter from William W. Alderson to his brother Jonathan in which William describes his plans for working with editor Horatio N. Maguire of the Pick and Plow, Bozeman's first newspaper, and to become an Indian agent to the Flathead nation.
Matthew Alderson's Milk River Agency journals, 1877 - 1880 (typed transcript likely prepared by Merrill G. Burlingame from originals whose location is unknown); Matthew Alderson's diary of his gardens, 1911 - 1912; diary of Matthew Alderson's trip to South America, including a diary, expense account, Western Union Traveler's Cable Code and Foreign Money Tables, a flyer from a Columbian Hotel, and a map of the Caribbean Sea.
Manuscript essays and poetry on various topics written by Matthew Alderson, Mary Long Alderson, and Myrtle Alderson Griswold. The first folders are writings by Matthew pertaining to early Montana journalists; mining in Montana; the Helena, Montana "Hangman's tree," and poetry. Mary Long Alderson's work, "A Half Century of Progress for Montana Women, 1934" is actually a typed transcript likely prepared by Merrill G. Burlingame from an unknown original. The biography of Mrs. William J. (Rosa Parker) Beall of Bozeman by Mary Long Alderson is a photocopy of a poor original at the Montana Historical Society. Myrtle Alderson's physics lecture notes from her days at Helena High School, 1907 are included, along with biographies of James Henry Gallop (1834 - 1914); James' wife, Rachel C. Chidester Hutchinson Gallop (1841 - 1922); Rachel's son from her first marriage, Frank Hutchinson (1866 - 1901); and Frank's wife, Catherine L. (Kate) Reichman Hutchinson (1873 - 1938). The author of these last four biographies is unknown and could either be Griswold or Merrill G. Burlingame.
Although the legal and financial documents kept by the Aldersons are not extensive, they give a general overview of the cost of equipment, goods, hardware, food and other materials necessary for life in Bozeman, Montana during that time. Items listed include: grass seed, matches, tobacco, a purse, hat, boots, scythe stones (for sharpening blades), and a Spencer carbine. Food items are also listed and include: raisins, salt, tea, eggs, fish, sugar, apples, and pepper.
Books, pamphlets and brochures written or collected by Matt Alderson, Mary Long Alderson, or Myrtle Alderson Griswold. Topics include journalism, general literature, science, and temperance. Books are either inscribed or contain presentation cards.
[Newspaper]
Scrapbooks kept by Matthew and Mary Alderson and E. Lina Alderson Houston consisting of newspaper clippings from the Avant Courier and other Montana newspapers. Many of the articles appearing in the Avant Courier were written by Matt W. Alderson and Mary Long Alderson. Several postcards, valentines, legislative visitor passes, and ribbons are some of the other scrapbook materials included in this series.
letterhead stationary, Colored illustration of the Montana State Flower, "Lewisia redivia"
Photographs, includes a number of individual photos of mines and photographs of various Alderson family members; included is a album with numerous images of Hyalite Canyon, outside Bozeman, MT (formerly called Middle Creek Canyon), in addition to photos of mining sites in the Madison County area, ca. 1897. Montana places photographed include: Brother Jonathan Mine, Goldsmith Mine, Grubstake Mine, Hot Spring Canyon, Iron Rod Mill, Maiden Rock, Moffet, Mohegan Mill, Monitor Mine, Richmond Flat, Parrot, Penobscott Mill, Revenue Mine, Schmidt and John's Mill, Silver Star, Sterling, and Southern Cross. Photographs 71-149 are of locations in South America, especially La Viborita Mine, Amalfi, Columbia, 1916. The last three pictures in this series are images of J. H. Griswold's World War I army unit.