Guide to Papers of James R. Mellon,1857-1932

Repository
Heinz History Center
Title
Papers of James R. Mellon,
Creator
Mellon, James Ross--1846-1934.
Collection Number
MSS#214
Extent
.25 cubic feet (1 box)
Date
1857-1932
Date
1860-1864
Abstract
James R. Mellon was one of the eight children of Judge Thomas ellon (1813-1908), Mellon Bank founder and patriarch of the Mellon family of Pittsburgh, and Sarah (Negley) Mellon (1817-1909). These papers include correspondence, diaries, writings, and miscellaneous materials, primarily documenting James Mellon's youth and education through his early twenties.
Language
The material in this collection is in English.
Author
This guide to the collection was originally prepared by Kim Fortney on October 4, 1995. Revisions occurred to the finding aid as a part of the encoding process inSpring, 1999.
Sponsor
This finding aid has been encoded as a part of the Historic Pittsburgh project, a joint effort of the University of Pittsburgh and the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Funding for this portion of the project has been donated by the Hillman Foundation.
Publisher
Heinz History Center
Address
1212 Smallman St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
library@heinzhistorycenter.org
URL: https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org

Biographical Sketch

James R. Mellon was one of the eight children of Judge Thomas ellon (1813-1908), Mellon Bank founder and patriarch of the ellon family of Pittsburgh, and Sarah (Negley) Mellon (1817-1909). James became a successful businessman, banker, prominent citizen, and philanthropist. Born January 14, 1846, James spent his childhood at the family home at 401 N. Negley Avenue in the East Liberty neighborhood in Pittsburgh's East End. James Mellon attended Jefferson College (now part of Washington and Jefferson College) in Canonsburg (Washington County), Pennsylvania, and received an A.B. degree in 1863. After graduation, James lived briefly in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he obtained a position with the law offices of Finches, Lynde, and Miller in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Leavenworth, Kansas, where he met his future bride, Rachel Hughey Larimer. Eager to establish himself before being married, James returned home to lease the Osceola Coal Works from his father. After successful management of that company, he sold the Coal Works in 1867 and set up a lumber yard and builders supply business with his brother, Thomas Mellon (1843-1899), in East Liberty. Shortly thereafter, James Mellon married Rachel and brought her to Pittsburgh.

For a short time in 1870, James and Thomas Mellon managed the East End Bank of T. Mellon and Sons, the company which, under brother Andrew Mellon's (1855-1937) supervision, became one of the region's largest banks. James also founded the City Deposit Bank, becoming its president in 1898, and helped the family to finance the building of the Ligonier Valley Railroad, completed in 1877. Active in the community, James Mellon served on the boards and as an officer for numerous organizations, including the Western Pennsylvania Hospital, Allegheny County Juvenile Court Farm, Athalia Daly Home for Working Girls, and the East Liberty Presbyterian Church. Mellon's club memberships included the Duquesne, University, and Automobile Clubs, as well as the Theta Delta Chi fraternity. James and Rachel Mellon had three children: William Larimer (1867-1949), a banker with Mellon Bank who became chairman of Gulf Oil Corporation; Lucille, who married George S. Hasbrouck, Jr.; and Thomas Alexander, who entered the construction business. James Mellon and his family lived at 400 Negley Avenue, across the street from James's parents. They also owned a mountain estate, Rachelwood, outside New Florence (Westmoreland County), Pennsylvania, and a winter home in Palatka, Florida. In James' later years, he donated a library to the town of Palatka and built an all-faith church, Church in the Wilderness, on his mountain estate. James died on October 20, 1934.

Scope and Content Notes

These papers include correspondence, diaries, writings, and miscellaneous materials, primarily documenting James Mellon's youth and education through his early twenties. The correspondence includes many letters written between James Mellon and other family members, including his father, Judge Thomas Mellon. Of note are letters that shed light on James' years at Jefferson College, his brief stays in ilwaukee and Leavenworth, and his return to Pittsburgh. Included among the correspondence are his reaction to the death of his nine-year-old brother Samuel in 1862; his involvement in mischief at college (November 1862; the progress of his studies; descriptions of Milwaukee; discussions of his search for employment; his position in the law office of Finches, Lynde, and iller; his consideration of joining a company of 100-day militia in Wisconsin (May 1864); and other interesting topics. The correspondence of 1881 is largely concerned with his brother George's battle with tuberculosis at a time when George and his parents were living in Aiken, Georgia. Other correspondence includes letters between James and his mother, his brothers George and Richard (Dick), and other family members, as well as a small amount of letters from outside the family. The diaries were recorded between 1857 and 1859 and contain almost daily accounts of his activities from ages eleven to thirteen. In the diary, James recorded information on the school lessons and leisure activities of an upper-class child in mid-19th century Pittsburgh. A number of pages have been torn from one of the journals. The writings include a copy of a 17-page reminiscence of the East Liberty Presbyterian Church from 1850-1870 that James wrote in 1932. The original document was placed in the cornerstone of a new church built by his brother, Richard, and his wife, Jennie (King) Mellon. In that history, James includes basic historical information about the church along with his own personal experiences, a description of the area near the church and his parents' home. The miscellaneous materials include a business card, a cancelled check, a receipt, an unsigned copy of a deed, and a collection of photocopies of the title pages of school books that had belonged to Sarah Jane (Negley) Mellon and Judge Thomas Mellon. James's son, Thomas, gave the collection to his father as a Christmas gift in 1931.

Arrangement

The James R. Mellon Papers are housed in one archival box and are arranged alphabetically by folder title with miscellaneous materials arranged to the rear. These materials were recieved in two accessions and were combined into one body of materials in 1995.

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

These materials were received in two accessions.

Acc# 1932.130, Gift of James R. Mellon 1932.

Acc# 1932x, Gift of Thomas Mellon II 1932.

Preferred Citation

Papers of James R. Mellon, MSS# 214, Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania, Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Kim Fortney on October 4, 1995.

Revision and rearrangement for the encoded version of the finding aid provided by Jennifer Marshall in January 1999.

Conditions Governing Use

Property rights reside with the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permissions to reproduce or publish, please contact the curator of the Archives.

Subjects

    Corporate Names

    • East Liberty Presbyterian Church (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
    • Washington and Jefferson College (Washington, Pa.)

    Personal Names

    • Mellon, Andrew, 1855-1937
    • Mellon, George, 1860-1887
    • Mellon, Richard, 1858-1933
    • Mellon, Sarah (Negley), 1817-1909
    • Mellon, Thomas, Judge, 1813-1908
    • Mellon, Thomas, 1843-1899

    Geographic Names

    • Canonsburg (Pa.) -- Education
    • East Liberty (Pittsburgh, Pa.) -- Social life and customs
    • Kansas -- Description and travel
    • Pittsburgh (Pa.) -- Commerce
    • Pittsburgh (Pa.) -- Social Life and Customs
    • Wisconsin -- Description and travel

    Other Subjects

    • Banks and banking -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
    • Lawyers -- Wisconsin
    • Presbyterian Church -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
    • Student life -- Pennsylvania -- Canonsburg
    • Student life -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
    • Tuberculosis -- Patients -- Georgia
    • Universities and colleges -- Pennsylvania -- Canonsburg

Container List

Diaries, 1857-1859
Containers
Box 1, Folder 5
Writings, 1932
Containers
Box 1, Folder 6
Miscellaneous Materials, 1850-1931
Containers
Box 1, Folder 7