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Robert Craig Wallace Papers, 1872-1928

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Wallace, Robert C., 1837-1928
Title
Robert Craig Wallace Papers
Dates
1872-1928 (inclusive)
Quantity
3 linear feet of shelf space
Collection Number
MC 221
Summary
Robert Wallace (1837-1928) was a Helena, Montana, grocery store owner, and partner in the Elkhorn Queen Mining Company. Collection consists primarily of records (1884-1892) of the Davis and Wallace and the R.C. Wallace Company grocery businesses, including ledgers, invoices, and inventories. There are also subgroups for the Dearborn Land and Livestock Company, Elkhorn Queen Mining Company and the W.C. Gillette Company, and for the personal papers of Robert Wallace and his partner James L. Davis.
Repository
Montana Historical Society, Library & Archives
Montana Historical Society Research Center Archives
225 North Roberts
PO Box 201201
Helena MT
59620-1201
Telephone: 4064442681
Fax: 4064445297
mhslibrary@mt.gov
Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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Biographical Note

Robert Craig Wallace was born in Ayrshire, Scotland, on February 26, 1837, the son of John and Agnes (Craig) Wallace. When Robert was seven, the family emigrated to the United States, settling in Detroit. Robert left school at age fifteen and went to work for a grocery where he worked for seven years. In 1860 he opened his own grocery, but when the Civil War began the following year Wallace enlisted. He served two terms of enlistment in the First Michigan Volunteer Infantry and the Fifth Michigan Cavalry, participating in the battles of Bull Run, Gettysburg, Wilderness, Appomattox, and others. He was captured at Hawkhurst Mills in 1863, and exchanged after a few months in Libby Prison near Richmond. He was discharged with the rank of major. After the war Wallace worked briefly as a traveling salesman for a tobacco company and as a clerk for a steamer line, and then in 1869 moved to Helena, Montana Territory. After working as a clerk in several stores Wallace opened his own grocery in 1871. In 1872 he took in as a partner James L. Davis. The grocery operated as Davis and Wallace until Robert Wallace bought out his partner's interest in 1883. The grocery continued as R.C. Wallace and as the R.C. Wallace Company. After Wallace died in 1928, the store was operated by his son David until it closed in 1940. In addition to his grocery business, Wallace was involved in the Union Bank and Trust Company, the Elkhorn Queen Mining Company, and numerous ranching and mining interests. Robert Wallace was active in the Republican Party, serving in the 1883 territorial legislature, and as Helena's first city treasurer and a city alderman. He was a member of the Masons, the Grand Army of the Republic, the United Workmen, the Loyal Legion, and the Caledonia Club. In 1875 Robert C. Wallace married Ellen M. Shaw. They had a son David and a daughter Margaret. Ellen Shaw died in 1890. Robert Craig Wallace died October 21, 1928.

James L. Davis was born in New Jersey around 1838. After the Civil War he lived for a period in Nebraska and moved to Helena by 1870. After selling his interest in Davis and Wallace, he became partners with Charles Jefferis in another grocery business. During 1889-1890 he returned to the R.C. Wallace grocery as a clerk. In 1890 he married Annie Cassidy. They had two children.

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Content Description

The Robert Craig Wallace Papers contain six subgroups. Robert Craig Wallace's personal papers include financial records (1873-1916), legal documents (1873-1911) and miscellany (1884-1892), including items relating to his son David's education at Michigan Military Academy. James L. Davis' personal papers consist primarily of invoices (1873-1911) for purchases he made. The bulk of the collection consists of financial records (1873-1899) for the Davis and Wallace/R.C. Wallace Company grocery business, including account ledgers, invoices, and inventories. There are also incoming correspondence (1873-1881) dealing with orders, legal documents (1876-1877), minutes (1897-1928), of the board of directors, and miscellany. The Dearborn Land and Livestock Company records consist of incoming correspondence (1911-1920) and financial records (1920-1915) The Elkhorn Queen Mining Company records consist of minor financial records and legal documents (1905-1921) and a stock transfer journal (1886-1907). The W.C. Gillette Company records consist of financial records (1910-n.d.) and legal documents (1910).

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

by series and subgroup

Acquisition Information

Acquisition information available upon request

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Detailed Description of the Collection

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

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Subject Terms

  • Grocery trade--Montana
  • Land companies--Montana
  • Mines and mineral resources--Montana--Jefferson County
  • Scottish Americans--Montana

Geographical Names

  • Elkhorn (Mont.)--industries
  • Helena (Mont.)--commerce--grocery trade


2004

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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