Forbes Barclay correspondence , 1840-1873
Table of Contents
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Barclay, Forbes, 1812-1973
- Title
- Forbes Barclay correspondence
- Dates
- 1840-1873 (inclusive)18401873
- Quantity
-
0.1 linear feet, (2 folders)
- Collection Number
- A 008
- Summary
- Forbes Barclay (1812-1873) was a physician with the Hudson's Bay Company at Fort Vancouver and later mayor of Oregon City, Oregon. The collection consists of family correspondence and letters regarding land claims in Oregon City.
- Repository
-
University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives
UO Libraries--SCUA
1299 University of Oregon
Eugene OR
97403-1299
Telephone: 5413463068
spcarref@uoregon.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open to the public. Collection must be used in Special Collections and University Archives Reading Room. Collection or parts of collection may be stored offsite. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives in advance of your visit to allow for transportation time.
- Additional Reference Guides
-
See the Current Collection Guide for detailed description and requesting options.
- Languages
- English
Historical Note
Forbes Barclay, Scottish-born physician, fur trader, and civil servant, was born on December 25, 1812 in the Shetland Islands, Scotland. He studied medicine in Edinburgh and received his medical diploma by the Royal College of Surgeons, London, on July 5, 1838. In the spring of 1840 he sailed to Fort Vancouver, where he became a surgeon in the service of the Hudson's Bay Company.
After retiring from the Hudson's Bay Company in 1850, Barclay moved to Oregon City, Oregon, where he became an American citizen and was involved in civic activities. He died there in 1873.
For more information, see the National Park Service webiste for Fort Vancouver and Forbes Barclay at: http://www.nps.gov/fova/historyculture/dr-forbes-barclay.htm
Source: Fort Vancouver National Historic Site web page, National Park Service: http://www.nps.gov/fova/index.htm
Content Description
The collection consists of thirty-six letters and legal documents. Fourteen letters are from parents and other family members in Lerwick, Shetland Islands. A letter from Adam W. Dundas (1847) and two drafts of letters from Barclay to James Douglas (1849) and Peter Skene Ogden (1851) concern a contested land claim in Oregon City. One letter from Ogden (1851) concerns the proposed marriage of Angele Black and Alexander Pambrun. Most of the legal documents refer to the land claim contest between Barclay and Douglas.
Abstracts of selected documents in the Barclay collection are included below. The number of pages and type of manuscript are indicated. "ALS" stands for "autographed letter signed," meaning the complete letter is included, along with the signature of the writer. "AL [incomplete]" means that the letter is written in the hand of the letter-writer, but that it has a page or pages missing. "[n.p.]" means that "no place" is indicated for the location of the recipient or, in some cases, the location of the letter-writer.
Administrative Information
Return to TopDetailed Description of the Collection
-
Description: Barclay (Forbes) correspondence
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Land tenure--Oregon--Oregon City
- Pioneers--Oregon
Personal Names
- Douglas, James, 1803-1877
- Ogden, Peter Skene, 1790-1854
Geographical Names
- Lerwick (Scotland)
- Oregon
- Oregon City (Or.)
Form or Genre Terms
- Correspondence
Occupations
- Pioneers
