Cage 381 Guide to the Edward Baumeister Papers 1890-1911 Baumeister (Edward) Papers Finding aid prepared by Patricia M. Gourd Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Washington State University Libraries Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections © 2012
Pullman, WA 99164-5610 USA (509) 335-6691 http://www.wsulibs.wsu.edu/masc/ mascref@wsu.edu
Finding aid encoded by Mark O'English 2003 Finding aid written in English. Washington State University Libraries, Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections
Pullman, WA 99164-5610 USA (509) 335-6691 http://www.wsulibs.wsu.edu/masc/ mascref@wsu.edu
Cage 381 Baumeister, Edward Edward Baumeister Papers 1890-1911 1 container. .5 linear feet of shelf space. 390 items. .5 ft. Summary Incoming correspondence concerning political, business, and personal matters. Correspondents include Governor S.G. Cosgrove, U.S. Representative F.W. Cushman, Washington State Bank Examiner J.L. Mohundro, and Lewiston merchant J.P. Vollmer. Collection materials are in English

Edward Baumeister was born in Saxe-Weimar, Germany on June 24, 1848. He and his family emigrated in 1854 and settled in New York City where he attended public schools. In April 1860 he and his brother, Maximilian Baumeister (1840-1909), moved to California and then, in 1863, to Walla Walla, Washington, where they worked for 19 years as barbers and then two years as real estate and insurance agents. Edward moved to Lewiston, Idaho in 1885 and worked for seven months at John P. Vollmer & Co., a general store. In the fall of 1885 he again moved, to nearby Asotin, Washington, where he built a general store just outside of the town. This later became the new location for the modern city of Asotin and the business center for Asotin County.

The general store also served some of the functions of a bank for the community and in 1900 Edward established the first bank in Asotin County. In 1908 he sold the general store, but retained the bank. Edward Baumeister has been called the father of Asotin and from 1901-1905 served as state senator for Asotin, Garfield, and Columbia Counties.

The Edward Baumeister papers consist of incoming correspondence dating from September 28, 1890 through January 17, 1911, but also include newspaper clippings, published material, and other papers. The papers concern the political, business, and personal life of Edward Baumeister principally for the period between 1901 and 1905 when he served as state senator from Asotin, Garfield, and Columbia Counties. Principal correspondents include: Washington State Governor S.G. Cosgrove; U.S. Representative Francis W. Cushman; Washington State Bank Examiner J.L. Mohundro; mechanical engineer, Frederick Egner; Baumeister's banking partner, John P. Vollmer; and Baumeister's nephew, Emil Baumeister. Also included is the will of Maximilian Baumeister, Edward's brother.

Baumeister arranged his correspondence alphabetically and this arrangement has been maintained; each alphabetic section has been arranged chronologically. Baumeister filed correspondence from Emil Baumeister under "M" and this arrangement has been retained. Maximilian Baumeister's will has been placed at the end of the collection.

This collection is open for research use.

[Item Description]. Cage 381, Edward Baumeister Papers . Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.

The papers of Edward Baumeister of Asotin, Washington were donated to Washington State University Libraries by Mrs. Anona Staley Barnes, March 14, 1978. (78-6)

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Baumeister, Edward, 1848- --Archives Cosgrove, Samuel G., 1847-1909 Cushman, Francis W., 1867-1909 Mohundro, J. L., d. 1914 Vollmer, John P., 1847-1917 Banks and banking--Washington (State)--Asotin--Records and correspondence Legislators -- Washington (State)--Correspondence Washington (State). Governor (1909 : Cosgrove) Government and Politics Washington (State)

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Correspondence 1 / 1 A. May 10, 1890-March 2, 1908 14 items. 1 / 2 B. February 12, 1902-January 17, 1911 21 items. 1 / 3 C. March 25, 1896-April 5, 1909 46 items. 1 / 4 D. February 9, 1903-August 30, 1907 8 items. 1 / 5 E. September 28, 1890-May 13, 1910 68 items. 1 / 6 F. January 24, 1903-December 28, 1903 6 items. 1 / 7 G-J. January 26, 1903-April 23, 1908 11 items. 1 / 8 K. January 21, 1903-January 8, 1906 9 items. 1 / 9 L. February 7, 1903-December 2, 1907 19 items. 1 / 10 M. June 10, 1892-October 22, 1908 36 items. 1 / 11 N. December 18, 1902-December 31, 1903 8 items. 1 / 12 O-Q. July 31, 1901-March 14, 1908 18 items. 1 / 13 R. February 5, 1900-June 11, 1907 18 items. 1 / 14 S. February 3, 1903-February 7, 1908 25 items. 1 / 15 T. November 22, 1902-March 26, 1908 50 items. 1 / 16 U-V. December 30, 1902-November 26, 1907 17 items. 1 / 17 W-Z. September 5, 1900-February 26, 1909 14 items. 1 / 18 Will of Maximilian Baumeister, July 17, 1909 1 item.