Montana State University Library, Merrill G. Burlingame
Special Collections
P.O. Box 173320
Bozeman, MT 59717-3320
United States
Phone (406) 994-4242
Fax (406) 994-2851
http://www.lib.montana.edu/archives/
University Archivist
spcoll@www.lib.montana.edu
Collection 1137, MtBC, us
Jeffers family
Jeffers Family Collection
1868-1975
.6 linear feet
The Jeffers Family Collection includes transcriptions or
photocopies of diaries, ledgers, correspondence, interviews, historical essays and
reminiscences related to the Jeffers, Ennis and Chowning families of Madison County,
Montana. Of particular interest for livestock and grazing history are the nomination
documents and associated materials for Myron Jeffers membership in the Cowboy Hall of Fame,
including a transcript of his 1871 cattle drive diary. Also contributing to this area of
interest are the record books of Charles W. Chowning of the Montana Cattle Company. The
balance of the collection includes: a history of the Madison Valley Women's Club; papers of
the Fairweather Pioneer Society of Madison County with minutes, financial records and
membership roles and several histories; some financial records and clippings about the
Trinity Episcopal Church, Jeffers MT and Trinity Guild; and a ledger of the Ennis Storage
and Freighting has been transcribed. A scrapbook of clippings of articles on Montana history
and one typed article by Judge Lew L. Callaway written in 1923-34 and a booklet of a news
series in the Butte Miner by Frank D. (Sand Bar) Brown in 1927 collected by Winifred Jeffers
are present. There are also five photographs and negatives of family members.
Collection materials are in English
Biographical Note
Myron D. Jeffers was born in Hadley, New York in 1833. When he was 21 he headed west and
after several endeavors in 1864 he began freighting merchandise from Corrine, Utah to
Virginia City, MT. In 1869 he purchased cattle in Texas and drove the herd to Virginia City
for sale. On a third trip in 1871, instead of selling the herd, he kept it and established a
ranch near Ennis, MT. where the community of Jeffers was later established. In 1872 his
younger brother Joshua Burton "Burt" Jeffers joined him and they formed a partnership which
lasted until 1880. Later, they were major members of a cattle pool which grazed its herd
near Park City, Montana on the Yellowstone River. The winter of 1886-1887 caused major loses
and by 1893 the pool was dissolved and the herd was sold. Myron married Florence Switzer in
1878 and Burt married her sister Suzie Switzer in 1880. The girls had crossed from Iowa to
the Madison Valley with their parents as children. Myron and Florence had 5 sons including
Paul born in 1882 and Fayette "Fay" born in 1885. Burt and Suzie had a son Lawrence in 1889.
"Fay" Jeffers and Winifred Chowning were married in 1918. Winifred was the daughter of
Charles W. Chowning and Jennie Winifred Ennis Chowning of Ennis and the granddaughter of
William Ennis the founder of Ennis, MT. William Ennis had a general store in Ennis until his
death in 1898. With his death, C.W. Chowning and Jennie returned to Ennis to run the general
store she inherited from her father. Paul Love was one of the clerks at the store and his
memories of Ennis and musical events are in the collection. Mrs. Fay (Winifred Chowning)
Jeffers was the principle collector of family and neighborhood history. Her mother Jennie
and she were both Post Mistresses in Ennis and involved in the Trinity Church and its
women's Guild, Madison Valley Woman's Club and the Fairweather Pioneer Society.
This collection includes transcriptions or photocopies of diaries, ledgers, correspondence,
interviews, historical essays and reminiscences related to the Jeffers, Ennis and Chowning
families of Madison County, Montana. Of particular interest for livestock and grazing
history are the nomination documents and associated materials for Myron Jeffers membership
in the Cowboy Hall of Fame, including a transcript of his 1871 cattle drive diary. Also
contributing to this area of interest are the record books of Charles W. Chowning of the
Montana Cattle Company. The balance of the collection includes: a history of the Madison
Valley Women's Club; papers of the Fairweather Pioneer Society of Madison County with
minutes, financial records and membership rolls and several histories; some financial
records and clippings about the Trinity Episcopal Church, Jeffers MT and Trinity Guild; and
a ledger of the Ennis Storage and Freighting has been transcribed. A scrapbook of clippings
of articles on Montana history and one typed article by Judge Lew L. Callaway written in
1923-1934 and a booklet of a news series in the Butte Miner by Frank D. (Sand Bar) Brown in
1927 collected by Winifred Jeffers are present. There are also five photographs and
negatives of family members.
This collection is open for research.
Collection 1137 is a consolidation of several accessions donated by Mrs. Fayette (Winifred
Chowning) Jeffers between 1964 and 1985. These accession numbers were originally assigned as
68, 69, 74, 209, 210, 389, 580, 840, 874, 1137, and 1196. Additional donated items from Paul
Jeffers in 1964 were assigned accession number 131. Mrs. Lawrence (Jo) Jeffers also in 1964
donated other Jeffers family documents which were assigned accession numbers 130 and 211. In
1979, Collection 389 was reported to the National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections
(NUCMC) and given entry number 79-669. That same year Collection 131 was reported to NUCMC
and given entry number 79-642. Nearly all of these materials are either photocopies or
transcriptions of original documents solicited by former Montana State University librarian
Minnie Paugh to supplement information the history of agriculture in Montana counties. After
reproduction the items were returned to the various donors. The present location of the
originals is unknown.
This collection was processed 2008 August 1
Jeffers, Myron D.,
1833-1900
Jeffers, Paul,
1882-1971-Interviews
Jeffers, Winifred Chowning,
1895-1990-Interviews
Love, Paul,
1906-1984-Interviews
Brown, Frank D. (Frank Dean),
1845-1931
Callaway, Llewellyn Link,
1868-1951
Chowning, Charles W.,
1860-1934
Chowning, Jennie,
1863-1951
Ennis, Katherine,
1835-1931
Jeffers, Myron D.,
1833-1900
Jeffers, Susie L. Switzer, b.
1859
Jeffers, Winifred Chowning,
1895-1990
Chewning family
Chowning family
Ennis family
Jeffers family
Chowning family
Ennis family
Episcopal
Church-Montana-Jeffers
Fairweather Pioneer
Society-Archives
Madison Valley Women's
Club-History
National Cowboy Hall of Fame
and Western Heritage Center
Fairweather Pioneer
Society
Montana Cattle
Company
Trinity Episcopal Church
(Jeffers, Mont.)
Trinity Episcopal Church
(Jeffers, Mont.)-Trinity Guild
William Ennis Storage and
Freighting
Ennis
(Mont.)-History
Jeffers (Mont.)-Religious life
and customs
Madison County
(Mont.)-History
Cattle drives-United States
Cattle trade-Montana
Episcopalian women-Montana-Jeffers-Societies
and clubs
Freight and freightage-Montana
Frontier and pioneer life-Montana-Madison
County-Societies, etc
Ranchers-Montana-Madison
County-Diaries
Ranching-Montana-Madison County
Women in church work-Montana-Jeffers
Women-Montana-Madison
County-Interviews
Women-Montana-Madison County-Societies and
clubs
Diaries
Essays
Family papers-Montana-Madison
County
Photographs
Reminiscences-Montana-Madison
County
Business records-Montana
Interviews-Montana-Madison County
Home and
Family
Pioneers
Ranching
Religion
Retail
Trade
Women
Montana
Photographs
Scrapbook
1/1
Typescript
of diary, Myron D. Jeffers' cattle drive
1871
1/2
Typescripts of Myron D. Jeffers
correspondence
1871-1893
1/3
Photocopies of 2 letters to Myron D. Jeffers
1871
1883
1/4
Nomination of Myron D. Jeffers to Cowboy Hall of Fame
and photocopy of certificate
1961
1/5
Transcript of taped interview with Paul Jeffers about
his father Myron D. Jeffers
1964
1/6
Typescripts of reminiscences of Susie L. Switzer Jeffers
and a hand drawn map
circa 1935
1/7
Photocopied correspondence of Jeffers family
members
1871
1879
1897
1900
1/8
Typed reminiscences of Katherine Ennis
1930
1/9
Transcribed entries of ledger book of William Ennis
Storage and Freighting, Ft. Benton
1869-1877
1/10
Photocopied and original newspaper clippings about Ennis
and Jeffers families
1931-1971
1/11
Photocopies of four pocket record books of C.W.
Chowning, manager for the Montana Cattle Co.
1889
1890
1892
1/12
Audio tape - interviews of Mrs. Fay (Winifred Chowning)
Jeffers and Paul Love
1975
1/13
Transcription: interviews of Mrs. Fay (Winifred
Chowning) Jeffers and Paul Love
1975
1/14
Jennie Chowning- family history and historical essays on
Madison County and Montana
1915-1951
1/15
Receipts and financial materials of Trinity Guild of the
Trinity Church, Jeffers, MT
1915-1927
1/16
Histories of Trinity Mission Church, Jeffers MT and
Trinity Guild
1879-1950
1/17
Newspaper clippings and newsletter articles about
Trinity Guild and noted members
1941-1952
1/18
"History of the Madison Valley Woman's Club, 1920-1964"
Pauline E. Clark and Jo Jeffers
1964
1/19
Journal - Fairweather Pioneer Society of Madison County:
constitution, bylaws, minutes
1940-1951
1/20
Fairweather Pioneer Society membership cards, dues paid
by members, correspondence
1940-1951
1/21
Photographs:1- aandb,2) Myron D. Jeffers;3) Katherine
Ennis;4) Jennie Chowning and Susy Jeffers;5) Trinity Guild members at 60th anniversary
meeting and all negatives (1-5)
2/1
Scrapbook - newspaper clippings of Judge Lew L.
Callaway's Madison County articles
1923-1934
2/2
Typescript of "March 7, 1977" by Lew L.
Callaway
circa 1929
2/3
Butte Miner series "The Wolfers of the Yellowstone" by
Frank D. (Sand Bar) Brown
1927