Laramie Republican

AHJ_ah00109 Inventory of the Jesse Converse papers, circa 1860s-1939 Converse (Jesse) papers Processed by D.C. Thompson The creation of the EAD-version of this finding aid was made possible through a grant from the National Historic Publications and Records Commission. University of Wyoming. American Heritage Center.

American Heritage Center Dept. 3924, 1000 E. University Avenue University of Wyoming Laramie, WY 82071 Phone: 307.766.2574 Fax:307.766.5511 Email:ahcref@uwyo.edu URL:http://ahc.uwyo.edu/

2006

University of Wyoming

Finding aid encoded by Ann Mulfort April 2006 Finding aid is in English Collection Summary Converse, Jesse, 1861-1939 Jesse Converse papers circa 1860s-1939 00109 1 cubic ft. (2 document boxes, 1 slim document box + oversize) University of Wyoming. American Heritage Center. English The collection includes a personal scrapbook and ledger, correspondence and other materials related to this Laramie, Wyoming businessman and community leader’s freemasonry activities. Also included are news clippings, photographs, an 1891 certificate of membership in the Laramie Fire Department, a journal, a glass negative camera, and miscellaneous other materials. Biography of Jesse Converse

Nelson Jesse Converse (1861-1939) was a Laramie, Wyoming, businessman and community leader. He was born in Anamosa, Iowa. His father died before he was six, and his mother, Mary, later married W.E. Wilcox. The family moved to Laramie, Wyoming, in 1867, where Wilcox operated a jewelry store. Mary Wilcox was a member of the 1870 jury which was famous as the first petit jury to include women. Converse took over the jewelry business from his stepfather in 1881 and retired in 1906 to build and operate the Converse office building in Laramie. He served one term as Albany County Representative to the Wyoming State Legislature in 1909. Converse also served as a trustee of the Albany Mutual Building Association from 1893 to 1918 and was active in several fraternal organizations. He was named Most Eminent Grand High Priest of the Grand Chapter of Wyoming Royal Arch Masons in 1910. In 1887 Converse married Katherine Reynolds. Katherine’s sister Laura married Harvey Chaplin (whose brother, William, was editor of the Laramie Republican), and the Chaplin and Converse families maintained close ties.

Scope and Content

The collection includes a personal scrapbook and ledger, correspondence and other materials related to Converse’s freemasonry activities, news clippings, an 1891 certificate of membership in the Laramie Fire Department, a journal describing a trip to Alaska in 1925, a glass negative camera, and miscellaneous other materials. The scrapbooks contain a variety of information on events and people of interest to the Converse family, including obituaries of Thomas J. Canada, janitor at the Converse Building. Also, many of the other documents and photographs appear to have been formerly assembled as a scrapbook, which has since been taken apart and cut into separate pieces.

The photographs include portraits of the Converse, Reynolds and Chaplin families, portraits of friends, including Thomas J. Canada in Masonic uniform, views of the Converse Jewelry Store, the Converse Building, and street scenes in Laramie, and photographs taken during hunting and fishing trips and during vacations in Yellowstone, Colorado, and Alaska.

The collection also contains news clippings, photographs, and correspondence relating to the settlement and distribution of Edward Ivinson’s estate. Ivinson was a pioneer banker and businessman in Laramie and an associate of Converse, who served as an executor of Ivinson’s estate.

Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes, and the collection is open to the public.

The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.

Related Materials

There are no other known archival collections created by Jesse Converse at the date of processing.

Acquisition Information

The Jesse Converse papers were received from Katherine (Mrs. Jesse) Converse in 1949, 1950, and 1951.

Processing Information

The collection was processed by D. Claudia Thompson in January 2002 and updated by D. Claudia Thompson in March 2017.

Preferred Citation

Item Description, Box Number, Folder Number, Jesse Converse papers, circa 1860s-1939, Collection Number 00109, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

Access Terms Ivinson, Edward, 1830-1928. Royal Arch Masons. Grand Chapter (Wyo.) Freemasonry--Wyoming--Laramie. Laramie (Wyo.) Alaska--Description and travel. Wyoming--History--To 1889. Wyoming--History--1890-1918. Wyoming--History--1919-1945. Photographs. Businessmen. Freemasons. <?xm-replace_text {Title as Subject}?> Business, Industry, Labor, and Commerce Businesses and Corporations Social Life and Customs City and Town Life Clubs and Societies Wyoming Container List Series I. Papers

Arranged alphabetically by folder title. Contains scrapbooks, journal of trip to Alaska in 1925, correspondence and other documents regarding fraternal organizations, materials on the Ivinson estate, etc.

1 Autograph Album of Jesse Converse, contains poetry and inscriptions 1881-1884 1 Cash Book of Jesse Converse 1924-1938 1 Cash Book and Scrapbook of Jesse Converse: news clippings, photographs, and documents pasted over cash book entries 1887-1939 1 Certificates: American Defense Society; Republican National Committee 1918, 1936 1 Correspondence – General 1909-1937 1 Ivinson Estate news clippings, legal documents 1928-1929 1 Ivinson Memorial Home – Correspondence 1927-1928 1 Ivinson Memorial Home – Scrapbook 1930-1937 1 Journal of Trip to Alaska: Converses, Gramms, A.C. Jones; probably written by Otto Gramm; includes photographs 1925 1 Masons – Correspondence (also includes Elks) 1889-1938 1 Masons – Documents: programs, directories, reports, biography of Jesse Converse, eulogy of H.D. Beemer, etc. 1878-1919 1 Masons – Eastern Star, includes eulogy of Martha Stickney 1931-1932 1 Miscellaneous programs, invitations, menus, etc. 1884-1930 1 News Clippings – Jesse Converse 1912-1937 1 News Clippings – Miscellaneous: historical, obituaries, etc. 1904-1922 1 Scrapbook Pieces 1931-1937, undated 2 Scrapbook Pieces – Yellowstone Park undated Series II. Photographs

Arranged alphabetically by folder title. Includes portraits of Converse, Chaplin, Reynolds, and related families, portraits of friends, views of Laramie, photographs taken during hunting trips and vacations, postcards acquired during Masonic inspection tours.

2 Album: portraits from Converse/ Reynolds/ Chaplin family album circa 1870s- circa 1900s 2 Chaplin Family circa 1870s- circa 1900s 2 Cody, William F. "Buffalo Bill" (hunting camp at head of Shoshone River; with George Beck and others in oil field) 1901, undated 2 Converse, Jesse and Katherine circa 1870s-circa 1920s 2 Friends: Horace Beemer, Tom Canada, Franchion Downey, Greenwood Family, A.C. Hogbin and others in Laramie and elsewhere circa 1860s-circa 1920s 2 Grand Lake, Estes Park, & Steamboat Springs (Colorado) 1923 2 Horses undated 2 Hunting and Fishing 1901, undated 2 Lakes – Brooklyn, Marie, Silver, Telephone undated 2 Laramie – Buildings and Street Scenes, includes Converse Jewelry, Converse Building, Laramie Furniture, UP depot, etc. circa 1880s-1930 3 Laramie – Fraternal Groups: Masons and military undated 3 Laramie – Parade undated 3 Rapid City (South Dakota) Presbyterian Church and High School undated 3 Reynolds/ Yelton Families circa 1880s-circa 1900s 3 Teton Mountains: photographs by Crandell undated 3 Walden (Colorado) Oil Camps 1927 3 Wilcox, Mary Converse circa 1880s 3 Wyoming – Miscellaneous: Globe Hotel (Wheatland, Wyo.); State legislature; unidentified house undated 3 Wyoming – Postcards: Casper; Cody; Douglas; Fort Steele; Fort Washakie; Lander; Rawlins; Riverton; Sheridan; Wheatland; some with notations regarding Masonic inspections 1909-1921, undated 3 Yellowstone National Park and Vicinity undated Series III. Artifacts and Oversize Material

No arrangement. Contains certificate of membership in Laramie Fire Department and glass negative camera.

Oversize folder Laramie Fire Department Certificate of Membership of Jesse Converse 1891 Artifact Storage Camera – Glass Plate: Magazine Cyclone no. 5 made by Western Camera Mfg. Company of Chicago, Illinois undated