Collection is open for research.
The collection is arranged in three series:
James Monroe Blossom (1817-1891) was a native of Monmouth, Maine, and a descendant of passengers on the Mayflower. After living in Ohio, he came overland to Oregon with his wife and children in 1852 or 1853, settling in Portland and eventually entering the hardware business with E. J. Northrup. He served on the City Council in 1857. In 1864, he moved to Boise, Idaho, where he ran a general mercantile store. He died in Portland in 1891.
Blossom's son, James Monroe Blossom, Jr., was born in 1853 and came overland to Oregon from Indiana with his parents. Growing up in Portland, he attended law school and worked as a law clerk. Due to a lung condition, he moved to Hood River, Oregon, in 1891, then farmed a 40-acre tract nearby until 1910. He accumulated a substantial book collection, which he left to Hood River County library, the state library, and the Oregon State Penitentiary after his death in 1918.
Sources: "Portland, Oregon: its history and builders," by Joseph Gaston (Chicago and Portland: S. J. Clarke, 1911), vol. II, p. 723-725; "J. M. Blossom was unique character," Hood River Glacier, August 1, 1918; "Blossom Estate Closed," Oregonian, July 24, 1919.
Blossom family papers, Mss 746, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
The collection consists of four sets of records: account books of James Monroe Blossom's store in Boise, Idaho, 1864-1866; account books of James Monroe Blossom, Jr., detailing grocery and clothing sales in Douglas County, Oregon, 1871-1873; a ledger of mining claims in Jackson County, Oregon, 1853-1856; and docket books from an unidentified Oregon circuit court, probably that of Jackson County, dating from 1861-1881. The connection between the court records and the Blossom family is unclear, but they may have been kept by James Monroe Blossom, Jr. when he served as a law clerk. Also included is an account book of 1855-1857 that includes details on the sale of apples; letters of recommendation for Robert Blossom, 1896-1897; and various membership certificates.
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.
Includes certificates for: membership in the Pilgrim Society; Ancient Order of United Workmen Memoriam; Oregon Charter of the Grand Army of the Republic; charter of the Native Daughters of Oregon; charter, Oregon United Spanish War Veterans.