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Cornelius Hedges Family papers, 1828-1945

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Hedges, Cornelius, 1831-1907
Title
Cornelius Hedges Family papers
Dates
1828-1945 (inclusive)
Quantity
4.6 linear feet
Collection Number
MC 33
Summary
Cornelius Hedges (1831-1907) was a pioneer, miner and attorney who lived in Helena, Montana. This collection consists primarily of diaries (1849-1857, 1863-1893, 1906-1907), covering his education at Yale College, his travel to Montana Territory in 1864 via the Bridger Cutoff trail, and his participation in the Washburn-Doane Expedition of 1870 to what became Yellowstone Park. There is also incoming correspondence, financial records, legal documents, and materials from other family members.
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
Access Restrictions

Collection open for research.

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

Cornelius Hedges was born in Westfield, Massachusetts, October 28, 1831, the son of Dennis and Alvina Hedges. He attended Yale, receiving his A.B. in 1853 and his A.M. in 1855. He also attended Harvard Law School and was admitted to the bar of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In 1856, soon after his marriage to Edna Layette Smith of Southington, Connecticut, he moved to Independence, Iowa, where he practiced law and published and edited the Independence Civilian. In April 1864, Hedges set out, on foot, for the gold mines of Montana. He arrived at Virginia City in the late summer and placer mined there and at Highland Gulch until January, 1865, when he moved to Helena and the newer diggings at Last Chance Gulch. Here, he was employed with both mining and the law. Hedges returned to the "States" in the summer of 1866 to purchase a five-stamp mill for the operations of his partner, George Wood, and himself, and to bring his family back to Montana. He and his family resided in Helena thereafter, while he continued practicing law, speculating in mining claims, and working as a public servant.

His public and political services were many and varied. He was U.S. District Attorney for Montana Territory in 1871, first Territorial Delegate to Congress in 1874, a member of the 1884 Constitutional Convention, a State Senator from 1889-1893, the Republican Caucus nominee for U.S. Senator, 1899, and Secretary of the State Board of Sheep Commissioners, 1897-1906. For many years, Hedges was also an editorial writer for the Helena Herald, a charter member of the Montana Bar Association, and a member and president of both the Montana Historical Society and the Montana Society of Pioneers. He was a founder and lifelong supporter of the Helena Public Library. Cornelius Hedges had been a Mason since 1857 and was one of the founders of the first Masonic lodge in Montana. He was known, during his lifetime, as the "Father of Montana Masonry." As a Mason, Hedges held the office of grand secretary of the Montana Lodge from 1872 until just prior to his death. His broad interests also led him to join the Washburn Expedition of 1870, which explored and publicized the Yellowstone area. During the return from Yellowstone, it was Hedges who suggested the preservation of the area as a national park. In the subsequent two years, he was active in the movement to create the park, which was achieved in 1872. In 1903, he was an honored guest at the cornerstone laying ceremony for the large arch at the park entrance. Hedges died in Helena, April 29, 1907.

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Content Description

The focus of the collection is the series of Cornelius Hedges diaries (1849-1857, 1863-1893, 1906-1907). The rest of the collection, particularly the incoming correspondence, the financial records, and the legal documents, is supplementary in nature. The collection also contains materials of other members of the Hedges family, including: Cornelius Hedges' parents, Dennis and Alvina Hedges, his sister, Frances Atwater, his brother-in-law, Asa B. Clarke, his wife, Edna Smith Hedges, his sons, Wyllys, Henry, and Cornelius Jr., and his daughter, Edna Hedges Palmer. Other subgroups in this collection include materials for the Bald Butte Mining Company (during its period of receivership) and the Masonic Order.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of the Montana Historical Society. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collection. In some cases permission for use may require additional authorization from the copyright owners. For more information contact an archivist.

Preferred Citation

Item description and date. Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers. Montana Historical Society Research Center, Archives, Helena, Montana.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

This collection is arranged in 11 sub-groups: 1. Cornelius Hedges, 2. Frances Atwater, 3. Asa B. Clarke, 4. Cornelius Hedges Jr., 5. Alvina and Dennis Hedges, 6. Edna Smith Hedges, 7. Henry H. Hedges, 8. Wyllys A. Hedges, 9. Edna Hedges Palmer, 10. Bald Butte Mining Company, 11. Masonic Order. Series are arranged within each sub-group.

Location of Collection

1:3-6

Acquisition Information

Acquisition information available upon request.

Separated Materials

Photographs separated to Photo Archives. See inventory below for more information.

Related Materials

Diaries same as MF 119.

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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

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Discoveries in geography
  • Freemasons. Grand Lodge Of Montana
  • Frontier and pioneer life--Montana
  • Gold mines and mining--Montana
  • Overland journeys to the Pacific
  • School superintendents
  • Steamboat travel--Missouri River

Personal Names

  • Hedges, Cornelius, 1831-1907 (creator)

Geographical Names

  • Europe--Description and travel
  • Helena (Mont.)
  • Helena (Mont.)--Economic conditions
  • Helena (Mont.)--Education
  • Highland Mining District (Mont.)
  • Marysville (Mont.)
  • Missouri River--Description and travel
  • Virginia City (Mont.)
  • Yellowstone National Park

Finding aid prepared by MHS staff
2005

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

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