Cage 143

Henry Harmon Spalding

Papers, 1836-1936

The papers of Henry Harmon Spalding, pioneer missionary, his wife Eliza Hart Spalding, and son, Henry Hart Spalding, were secured by Dr. Clifford M. Drury from scattered sources, often from members of the family, as he was preparing biographies of Pacific Northwest Missionaries in the 1930s. His biography of Spalding appeared as Henry Harmon Spalding (Caldwell, Caxton Printers, 1936) Parts were the gift of Horace H. Spalding, 1959. This collection probably was first arranged in the 1940s and a container list from the 1960s has been retained with the collection.

Number of Containers: 3

Linear Feet of Shelf Space: 1.5

Approximate Number of Items: 175

Arrangement and Description

The correspondence of Henry Harmon Spalding consists of three letters written prior to 1842, one by Mrs. Spalding; a letter from Alvin Thompson Smith at Tualatin Plains in 1843; and eight letters to general O.F. Marshall (1791-1891) of Wheeler, New York during the 1870s (these letters were originally collected be Rev. Samuel Wheeler Pratt, an early biographer of Whitman, whose descendants turned them over to Drury); and a letter to Chief Spokane Garry which was found by Drury in Garry's Bible which was in the possession of a grand-daughter in 1935.

There are nineteen photographs in this collection, of which most are copy negatives or copy photoprints. However, there are three small photographs taken at the Frank G. Abell studios in Portland, Oregon of the second Mrs. Spalding, and the Rev. and Mrs. J.S. Griffin, probably circa 1880.

In addition to clippings concerning Spalding and other missionaries collected by a great grand-daughter, the ledgers and accounts of Spalding's son Henry Hart Spalding (1839-1898) of Almota, Washington, are included. Among these is a school composition book of the 1850s which has been used as a scrapbook for the elder Spalding's newspaper lectures of the 1860s.

Photocopies and transcripts of the Spalding material in this collection and in the collections of other transcription of Eliza Hart Spalding material in this collection and in the collections of other institutions are also present. One item of interest is a transcription of Eliza Hart Spalding's diary of 1836-1840 which may be considered the original diary in the Whitman College Museum. Both items apparently are from family sources.

This collection was described by C.M. Drury in the Oregon Historical Quarterly 42: 269 (September, 1941) and reported to the National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections (64-1254).

Series List

Container List:

Box Folder Description
Series 1 - Correspondence of H.H. Spalding, 1836-1874
1 1 Spalding, Henry Harmon, Letter, October 2, 1836, Fort Walla Walla, to William and Edward Porter, Prattsburgh, New York, with note by Eliza Spalding.
    2 l. holograph signed.
  2 [Spalding, Eliza Hart], letter, May 5, 1840, Clearwater, to Mr. and Mrs. Bridges, Prattsburgh, New York.
    7 l. ms. (incomplete)
  3 [Spalding, Henry Harmon] letter, September 11, 1841, Colvile, to [Elkanah Walker?]
    1 l. ms. (incomplete)
  4 Smith, Alvin Thompson, letter, March 9, 1843, Tualatin Plains to Henry Harmon Spalding, Clearwater.
    2 l. holograph signed.
  5 Spalding, Henry Harmon, letter, May 2, 1870, Brownsville, Oregon, to O.F. Marshall, Wheeler, New York.
    2 l. ms. [signature removed] with envelope.
    1 l. ms. copy.
  6 Spalding, Henry Harmon, letter, August 4, 1870, Brownsville, Oregon, to O.F. Marshall Wheeler, New York.
    1 l. holograph signed, with envelope.
    1 l. ms. copy.
  7 Spalding, Henry Harmon, letter, December 30, 1870, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to O.F. Marshall [Wheeler, New York]
    2 l. holograph signed, with envelope.
    1 l. ms. copy
  8 Spalding, Henry Harmon, letter, [March 16, 1871] Troy, Pennsylvania, to O.F. Marshall, Wheeler, New York.
    1 l. holograph signed with envelope.
  9 Spalding, Henry Harmon, letter, [March 16, 1871] Troy, Pennsylvania, to O.F. Marshall, Wheeler, New York.
    1 l. holograph signed with envelope.
  10 Spalding, Henry Harmon, letter, April 22, 1871, Athens, Pennsylvania, to O.F. Marshall, Wheeler, New York.
    1 l. holograph signed, with envelope.
  11 Spalding, Henry Harmon, letter, November 13, 1873, Kamiah, Idaho Territory, to O.F. Marshall, Wheeler, New York.
    2 l. holograph signed.
    1 l. ms. copy.
  12 Spalding, Henry Harmon, letter, January 22, 1874, Kamiah, Idaho, to O.F. Marshall, Wheeler, New York.
    1 l. holograph signed, with envelope.
  13 Spalding, Henry Harmon, letter, March 28, 1874, Kamiah, Idaho, to Garry, Chief of Spokanes, Spokane Falls, Idaho Territory.
    1 l. holograph signed, with envelope.
    Series 2 - Photographs
  14 Henry Harmon Spalding portraits
    A. Sketch of Spalding, n.d.
    1 copy negative 17.5 x 12.5 cm. (contact print from nitrate 12-80)
    1 copy photoprint 18 x 12 cm.
    B. Erichson, Moscow, Idaho
    H.H. Spalding, n.d.
    1 copy negative 17.5 x 12.5 cm. (contact print from nitrate 12-80)
    C. Spalding, n.d.
    1 glass copy negative 12.5 x 10 cm.
    D. Allured, Steve
    Sketch of Spalding, ca. 1968.
    1 film negative 12.5 x 10 cm.
    1 photoprint 25.5 x 20.5 cm.
  15 Spalding Children
    A. Amelia Lorene Spalding Brown, n.d.
    1 copy photoprint 18 x 13 cm.
    B. Amelia Lorene Spalding Brown, n.d.
    1 copy photoprint 18 x 13 cm.
    C. Henry Hart Spalding, n.d.
    1 copy photoprint 18 x 13 cm.
    D. Eliza Spalding Warren, n.d
    1 copy photoprint 18 x 13 cm.
    E. Martha Jane Spalding Wigle, n.d.
    1 copy photoprint 18 x 13 cm.
  16 Other Photographs
    A. Frank G. Abell, Portland, Oregon
    Rachel J. Spalding, n.d.
    1 photoprint 10.5 x 6 cm.
    B. Frank G. Abell, Portland, Oregon
    Desire C. Griffin, n.d.
    1 photoprint 10.5 x 6 cm.
    C. Frank G. Abell, Portland, Oregon
    John Smith Griffin, n.d.
    1 photoprint 10.5 x 6 cm.
    D. Joanne Spalding and the first printing press in the Northwest, 1936.
    1 copy negative 12.5 x 10 cm. (Note: Missing, 6/7/2004)
    E. [Mary Catherine Warren Spalding, ca. 1935]?
    1 photoprint 17 x 12 cm.
    F. Anniversary ceremonies of the arrival of Spalding. November 29, 1936, Old Spalding Indian Mission, Spalding, Idaho.
    1 photoprint 13 x 18 cm.
    G. Illustration of the Spalding mission cabin in Memoirs of the West, p. 16.
    1 film negative 12.5 x 10 cm. (Note: Missing, 6/7/2004)
    H. Tombstones and monuments of Henry and Eliza Spalding, ca. 1936?
    4 photoprints 9 x 14.5 cm.
    I. A.T. Lacey, Spokane, Washington
    Plaque in Spalding Presbyterian Church, Spalding, Idaho.
    1 photoprint 20 x 25 cm.
 
  17 Series 3 - Clippings, ca. 1919-1936, collected by Mrs. J.F. Blakemore. Approx. 100 items.
Series 4 - Papers of Henry Hart Spalding, 1855-1888.
  18 John J. Larwood, letter, December 22, [?], Colfax, Washington, to H.H. Spalding, Almota, Washington, re: land claim notices and road plats.
    1 l. ms. signed, with envelope, and 1 l. ms. map of Spalding Road near Almota.
  19 Notebook of Henry Hart Spalding, November 5, 1855, Tualatin Academy which has been used as a scrapbook for clippings of lectures of Henry Harmon Spalding, 1866-1869.
    1 v.
  20 Wheat warehouse ledger, 1887-1888, Almota, Washington.
    1 v.
  21 General merchandise ledger, 1885-1888, Almota, Washington.
    1 v.
Series 5 - Photocopies
  22 Spalding, Henry Harmon, letter, September 20, 1836, Fort Vancouver, to David Green, Boston.
    18 p. ms. (photocopy)
  23 H.H. Spalding's journal while travelling from Fort Vancouver to the Nez Pierce country and back - extracts - September 21, 1836-October 31, 1836.
    7 l. ms. (photocopy)
2 24 Letters of H.H. and E.H. Spalding, 1840-1850.
    5 items ms. (photocopy)
  25 Spalding, Henry Harmon, letter, September 26, 1846, Clear Water, to Dudley Allen, Kinsman, Ohio, as published in the Ohio Observer of November 17, 1847.
    4 l. photocopy and typescript transcription.
  25a Spalding, Henry Harmon, letter, July 11, 1836, Rendezvous, Headquarters of the Colorado, as published in the National Intelligencer, Washington, D.C., October 26, 1836.
    2 l. photocopy.
  26 A sequence of letters between H.H. Spalding and Peter H. Burnett concerning the Whitman Massacre as published in the Oregon American and Evangelical Unionist, 1848-1849.
    21 l. (photocopy)
  27 Lectures by Rev. H.H. Spalding, early Oregon Missions -- their importance in securing the country to Americans. [Number one published in the Walla Walla Statesman, February 9, 1866]
    38 p. typescript transcript (photocopy of Mss 1201, Oregon Historical Society)
  28 [Spalding, Henry Harmon] History of Indian Affairs among the Nez Perces, no. 6. The Pacific (San Francisco) June 22, 1865.
    1 item clipping (photocopy)
  28 Spalding, Henry Harmon. Lectures by Rev. H.H. Spalding, early Oregon Missions, number 37. States Rights Democrat (Albany, Oregon, January 11, 1868.
    1 item clipping (photocopy)
Series 6 - Transcriptions
  29 Correspondence and papers of H.H. Spalding, copied by C.M. Drury, ca. 1934. Approx 375 l. typescript.
  30 Letters and papers of Reverend Henry Harmon Spalding, 1833-1874.
    Copied at the State College of Washington, 1942.
    489 p. typescript bound.
  31 Spalding, Eliza Hart. Diary, February 1, 1836-June 8, 1840.
    94 l. ms. transcription (in her own hand?)
  32 Diary of Mrs. H.H. Spalding, 1836-1840. "The following is a copy of the diary kept by Mrs. H.H. Spalding which was presented to the Whitman College by her daughter, Mrs. Eliza Spalding Warren, Aug. 3, 1916, Whitman Museum no. 5796."
    22 l. typescript (carbon)
Series 7 - Miscellany
  33 A. Wheeler, W.L., letter, ca. March 3, 1936, to C.M. Drury about Spalding in New York.
    4 l. holograph signed.
    B. Howes, W.W., First Assistant Postmaster General, letter, November 22, 1934, to C.M. Drury re; postmasters of Brownsville, Oregon, Lapwai and Spalding, Idaho.
    1 l. typescript
    C. St. John, Emily Porter. Chart of the Bridges, Van Valkenburgh and St. John families illustrating provenance of the Spalding letter of 1840 to the Bridges, ca. 1935.
    1 l. ms.
    D. Drury, C.M. Statements of Provenance, 1936.
    4 items, typescript signed.
    E. Spalding Collection container list, ca. 1960s.
    5 l. typescript.
3   Oil paiting on canvas, 26 x 36cm. The first church service of the Whitmans and the Spaldings at South Pass, 1836. Used as an illustration (opp. p. 64.) in Eliza Spalding Warren's book Memoirs of the West. Portland, Oregon, Marsh Publishing Company, [1916]
    Subsequently owned by Marcus Whitman Spalding.
Oversize   Portrait of Henry Harmon Spalding, n.d.
    1 charcoal drawing 51 x 41 cm.
    Portrait of Henry Harmon Spalding, n.d.
    1 charcoal drawing 51 x 41 cm.
    Allured, Steve
    Portrait of Henry Harmon Spalding, ca. 1968.
    1 ink drawing 36 x 28 cm. (photocopy)
    Christian Observer, Philadelphia, October 28, 1848
    Prattsburgh Advertiser, Prattsburgh, New York, March 26, 1869.
    Front page only (photocopy)
    Prattsburgh Advertiser, Prattsburgh, New York, May 28, 1869.
    Front page only (photocopy)
    Prattsburgh News, Prattsburgh, New York, January 31, 1895.