Guide to the Family Papers of William S. Jackson, 1859-1889

Digital Research Library, University Library System

Summary Information
Biographical Sketch of William S. Jackson and Family
Scope and Content Notes
Arrangement
Administrative Information
Controlled Access Headings
Collection Inventory

Summary Information

Repository: Detre Library & Archives, Heinz History Center
Title: Family Papers of William S. Jackson
Creator: William S. Jackson, 1829-1889
Collection Number: MSS#69
Date [inclusive]: 1859-1889
Extent: 2.5 cubic feet (1 box and 6 separately bound manuscript volumes)
Language of Materials: The material in this collection is in English.
Abstract: William Stanford Jackson was a Pittsburgh and Idlewood, Pa. businessman of numerous trades during the mid to late nineteenth century. These diverse businesses included a veterinary practice, livery stables, and a hotel. These papers include personal journals and financial materials primarily relating to Jackson's business ventures.
Sponsor Note: 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.

Preferred Citation

Family Papers of William S. Jackson, 1859-1889, MSS #69, Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania.

Biographical Sketch of William S. Jackson and Family

William Stanford Jackson moved from Lancaster, Pennsylvania to Pittsburgh in 1849 at the age of twenty. He began several business ventures; unfortunately most were unsuccessful. His cattle dealing and veterinarian practice failed when a colleague absconded with profits and savings of the company. Destitute, Jackson was forced to turn the family's Greenwood home into a hotel, which was called the Idlewood Hotel and Cottages. Jackson married Katherine A. Morange (1836-) in 1859 and fathered three sons, Chevalier (1865-1958), Morange Stanford (1860- )and Shirls (1870-). Chevalier became a famous physician specializing in peroral surgery and endoscopy, eventually inventing the bronchoscope, a device that revolutionized laryngology and removes foreign objects from the esophagus. Besides the hotel, William managed the St. Charles Livery and Sales Stables located on Fourth Street near Smithfield Street, operated several coal mines and stone quarries and a harness and saddlery firm called Jackson and Frew. The elder Jackson died in the presence of his family at Idlewood while celebrating the Christmas holiday in 1889.

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Scope and Content Notes

The bulk of this collection consists of ledgers and registers associated with William S. Jackson's various businesses. However, the four private journals in Box 1 written by Stanford and Shirls reveal to the reader a personal account of daily activities and feelings about events including: the tragic death of their father, turning their home into a summer hotel, obtaining their first jobs, etc. The miscellaneous folder from Box 1 contains materials relating to promotion of the hotel, including dance cards and menus, maps and floor plans of the hotel, blank checks, receipts, and correspondence from Stanford to his mother (1886). The W.S. Jackson and Co. account records include cash disbursements and invoice records. The guest registers from the Idlewood Hotel and Cottages (1876-1889) will prove interesting to researchers investigating the lifestyle and social customs of the 1870s and 1880s. The daily register and trip daybooks from the St. Charles Livery and Stables (1871-1873) record customer's name, rental equipment used, and dates of rental. The stock ledgers from the Workmen's Mutual Savings Bank (1873-1874) record buyer's name, stock price, date of purchase and number of shares exchanged.

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Arrangement

The William Stanford Jackson Family Papers are housed in one archival box with additional volumes placed on the shelf and arranged alphabetically by title.

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Administrative Information

Publication Information

Digital Research Library, University Library System Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania, Summer, 1999

Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center
1212 Smallman Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
library@hswp.org

Revision Description

Converted from EAD Version 1.0 to EAD Version 2002 July 1, 2006

Restrictions on Access

This collection is open for research.

Restrictions on 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.