Harriet P. F. and Wilbur F. Sanders papers, 1883-1907

Wilbur Fisk Sanders was born in Leon, New York, on May 2, 1834. He began his career as a schoolteacher in New York and Ohio where, in 1856, he completed his training as an attorney. Sanders served as a first lieutenant in the 64th Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the early years of the Civil War. In 1863, he joined the rush to the gold fields of Bannack and Virginia City in what would later become Montana Territory. He was active during the vigilante activity of 1864, and afterwards practiced law in Virginia City, Montana, and Helena, Montana. In addition to his interests in mining and stock raising, Sanders also embarked on a political career in the new territory. He was defeated in four separate elections for the territorial delegate to the U.S. Congress, but later served as a delegate in the territorial legislature from 1873 to 1879. After Montana achieved statehood, Sanders was elected as a Republican to the United States Senate and served from January 1, 1890, to March 3, 1893, but was unsuccessful in his bid for reelection. Wilbur Fisk Sanders died in Helena, Montana, on July 7, 1905.

Harriet Peck Fenn Saunders was born in Talmadge, Ohio, on April 25, 1834, the daughter of Joseph Fenn and Nancy Carothers Fenn. She attended college in Painesville, Ohio, probably at the Willoughby Female Seminary (now Lake Erie College). Harriet and Wilbur married on October 27, 1858, and the couple had three surviving sons: James, Wilbur, and Louis. A devout Presbyterian, Harriet was a prominent church worker. She was also active in many Helena, Montana, women's clubs and causes, including the women's suffrage movement. Harriet P.F. Saunders died on September 23, 1909, while visiting her son, attorney Louis P. Sanders (1870-1940), in Butte, Montana. The couple are buried in Forestvale Cemetery in Helena, Montana.