Brassey Family Papers, 1877-1929

The photocopied letters almost entirely addressed to Mrs. Racina Smith Brassey. Four letters appear to be from friends in Virginia or Colorado, 1877-1888. Nine letters, written from 1884 to 1887, are from Smith's sister, Arvie, and were written from Canyon Ferry, Montana. Seven additional letters, written from 1882-1884 are from Arvie at Fort Logan, Montana. The latest letter, dated 1915, is from Forrest Charters to his father, James, written from the Los Angeles Military Academy. Some of the letters copied so poorly that library personnel prepared typed transcripts, and these have been placed in a separate folder. The copy photographs are of members of the Brassey and Charters families, and their homes. The photocopied scrapbook in folder four contains obituary clippings for Edward Brassey, other Racina Smith Brassey, and members of the Charters family, along with information on the towns of Grass Range and Lewistown. An original stock certificate for the Magpie Mining Company is included.

Office files from the American Loan and Investment Company (ALIC), the American Land Company, the Toland Land Company, and the Banker's Reserve Deposit Company provide annual statements of profit and loss, along with some legal claim case files. One folder of printed material contains brochures and pamphlets issued by the Northern Pacific Railway Company and other real estate dealers for farmland throughout northern and central Montana. The bulk of the files in this series are from the ALIC and are alphabetically arranged mortgage applications, farm leases, and contracts covering a wide variety of customers primarily in the Fergus County, Montana area. Some mortgage applications give considerable detail on the types of structures and movable property on the farms, along with hand drawn sketches of the land showing cultivated acreage, pasturage, watercourses, and farm buildings. Some files contain original homestead certificates issued by the General Land Office after the owners completed their claim requirements.