Benjamin Stark was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, June 26, 1820, the
eldest son of sea captain Benjamin Stark, of New London, Connecticut.
Apparently his mother died when he was quite young and his father remarried;
his step-mother, Charlotte Stark, was the mother of his three half-brothers,
William, Richard, and Charles. Stark attended school at New London, then at age
fifteen started his business career with a New York counting-house. In 1845, he
sailed for the Oregon Territory with Capt. Nathaniel Crosby, Jr. aboard the
bark
In Oregon, Stark purchased an interest in the land claim of Asa
Lawrence Lovejoy, owner of half the town site of Portland, Oregon. Much of
Stark's future was to depend upon this fortunate acquisition. During the years
1846-1848 he sailed on the
Using his Portland land claim as a good part of his equity, Stark
entered into partnership with Edward and John Sherman of New York to ship
merchandise to California and capitalize on the gold rush boom. Sherman &
Stark sent a load of lumber and other goods to California on the
Stark was appointed to fill out the unexpired term of Oregon Senator Edward D. Baker, who was killed at the Battle of Ball's Bluff. Stark served in the Senate from February through December, 1862. During this period his wife and son, Benjamin III, moved to New London, and Stark joined them there after his Senatorial term expired. In 1864 he was an Oregon delegate to the National Democratic Convention at Chicago, and in 1868 was a Connecticut delegate to the New York convention. He continued to make his home in New London, but retained his valuable property interests in Portland until his death in 1898.
The Benjamin Stark papers, 1829-1894, include correspondence and subject files. Issues covered include both business and family matters. Correspondence, 1829-1894, includes family letters from Benjamin Stark's parents, Captain Benjamin and Charlotte Stark; his brothers, Richard, William, and Charles; his wife, Elizabeth (Molthrop) Stark; and his cousins. Other correspondents include: John Adair, James Nelson Burnes, Asahel Bush, Samuel Barlow, Samuel F. Butterworth, John H. Couch, George L. Curry, Matthew P. Deady, Thomas Jefferson Dryer, Charles T. Griffith, Edward Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin Harding, Edward S. Kearney, David Logan, S. P. McCurdy, David McLoughlin, James W. Nesmith, James O'Meara, John K. Osgood, Orville C. Pratt, Simeon G. Reed, Alonzo A. Skinner, Sabin Smith, Isaac I. Stevens, William Strong, Clement L. Vallandingham, John Whiteaker, and George W. Wylie.
Subject files contain lawsuit papers, business accounts, Masonic papers, papers of the Columbia River Steam Navigation Company, and papers of Couch & Company. Included are receipts, correspondence, newspaper clippings, notes, and account ledgers. There are also a number of letters and accounts from Ladd & Tilton, 1862-1878.
The collection is arranged in the following series:
The collection is open to the public.
The Oregon Historical Society is the owner of the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from the Research Library before any publication use. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.
Benjamin Stark Papers, Mss1155, Oregon Historical Society Research Library
Origin of the bulk of the collection is unknown. Letters from John K. Osgood (1863 May 27) and Robert Owen (1863 Apr. 25) gifts of Robert J. Chandler, 1987 Sept. Photocopies of letter to William Stark (1853 Sept. 13) and photocopies of 23 letters (1845-186) to members of the Stark family, gifts of Dale Forster, 1986 Dec. 12 and 1989 June.
Some letters in the collection are copies of originals in the Yale University Library, New Haven, Ct.
The 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:
For William S. Ladd and Ladd & Tilton Bank, see Series C.
Includes letters from Edward Sherman, Frederick Sherman, and John S. Sherman.
Photocopies of letters that were sold at auction by Christie's, London, 1986. Formerly designated as Mss 1155-1.
Collection of letters formerly designated as Mss 1155-2. Includes letters, 1829-1859, from Benjamin Stark to his parents, Charlotte and Captain Benjamin Stark as well as letters from Jane Hogart, William Stark, William C. Crump, Claudius Monell,and Charles Griffith.
Includes letter of November 15, 1845, written from Oregon City and discussing the issue of U.S. sovereignty over the Oregon Territory.
Includes land ownership map of a block in Portland bounded by Oak, Pine, Front and First Streets, circa 1878.
Manuscripts. Includes speech for July 4, 1854; speech on internal improvements; and speech on Ben Butler.