Skip to main content

Tolles family papers

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS 1576

Scope and Contents

Collection contains correspondence of the Tolles family and James Tolles' overland diary from Rushville, Illinois, to California in 1849. Also included is a handwritten copy of the diary made by Tolles' granddaughter, Doris Beard, in 1933. Tolles traveled to California by ox team with his father and brother, Abraham and William Tolles. Daily entries are detailed and describe the nature of the journey and distances traveled. Tolles' company of 40-odd men traded with a group of 2,000 Dakota Indians, struggled with illness, and debated over whether to travel on the Sabbath. Tolles also stopped at Salt Lake City and gives a brief description. Tolles writes extensively about life in California: the rain, disappointing mines, and his work delivering mail. The bulk of the collection is letters between Tolles, his father and brother, and other family members still living in Illinois. James eventually settled in Reno, Nevada where he became a fruit grower. Much of the correspondence deals with family matters and James' struggle to make a living in the West. Dated 1849-1875.

Dates

  • 1849-1875

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Originals restricted due to condition. Photocopies of originals are available for public use.

Conditions Governing Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances. Permission to publish material from the Tolles family papers must be obtained from the Supervisor of Reference Services and/or the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Coordinating Committee.

Biographical / Historical

The Abraham Tolles (1793-1854) family consists of prospectors, pioneers, postman and farmers from Illinois, who later settled in California.

Abraham Tolles was born in Winchester, Tennessee, in 1793. He married Harriet Chrisman in 1809, and together they had eight children. In 1833 they moved to Rushville, Illinois, where Abraham ran the postal delivery system. Eventually, Abraham and Harriet moved out to California with the exception of one daughter, Mabel. Abraham died in 1854 in Marysville, California, and Harriet died in San Francisco in 1902.

Biographical / Historical

James S. Tolles (1826-1908) delivered mail, ran a general store, and grew fruit after settling in California and Nevada.

James Stewart Tolles was born on 2 August 1826 in eastern Tennessee. His parents, Abraham and Harriet Tolles, moved seven years later to Rushville, Illinois where they raised eight children. In 1849, at the age of twenty-two, James set out for California with his father and younger brother, John. With the exception of a married daughter, Mabel, the entire Tolles family eventually left Illinois and settled in the West.

James tried mining in California but found more success delivering mail. He operated “the James Tolles Express from the Feather River to San Francisco” until 1852. He also ran a general store. Five years later, in 1857, James married Martha J. Herring. They had three children: Luella, Stewart, and Linda.

James moved his family to Reno, Nevada in 1862. He pursued fruit farming and remained in Nevada until sometime between 1880 and 1900.

By 1900, James was a widower and had moved to Butte County, California to live with his daughter, Linda, and son-in-law, William Beard. James passed away on 24 July 1908 at Placer County, California.

Extent

2 boxes (1 linear ft.)

Language of Materials

English

Custodial History

Provenance of collection is unknown.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Source of acquisition is unknown.

Appraisal

Utah and the American West cultural, social, and religious history (19th Century Mormon and Western Manuscripts collection development policy IV.a.i.4, November 2013)

Existence and Location of Copies

Photocopies of originals are available in Box 2.

Processing Information

Processed; Ryan K. Lee; 2017.

Title
Register of Tolles family papers
Status
Completed
Author
Ryan K. Lee
Date
2017 November 21
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English in Latin script.

Repository Details

Part of the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Repository

Contact:
1130 HBLL
Brigham Young University
Provo Utah 84602 United States