Arthur Bronson papers

Arthur Bronson papers, 1829-1871 (bulk 1833-1844).

Descriptive Inventory for the Collection at Chicago History Museum, Research Center

By Robert D. Kozlow, 1962; rev. by Heather Leslie, 2011

Please address questions to:

Chicago History Museum, Research Center

1601 North Clark Street

Chicago, IL 60614-6038

Web-site: http://www.chicagohistory.org/research

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Title: Arthur Bronson papers [manuscript], 1829-1871 (bulk 1833-1844).

Main Entry: Bronson, Arthur, 1801-1844

Inclusive Dates: 1829-1871 (bulk 1833-1844).

Size:

3 linear ft. (5 boxes); approximately 3,000 items

1 microfilm reel; neg.; 35 mm (Camera neg. of Frederic Bronson land book)

Access: Collection is open for research use.

Provenance statement: Most of the collection has been at Chicago Historical Society for a long time. Some items were acquired in a purchase from Dicke in 1949.

Terms governing use: Copyright may be retained by the creators of items, or their descendents, as stipulated by United States copyright law, unless otherwise noted.

Please cite this collection as: Arthur Bronson papers (Chicago History Museum) plus a detailed description, date, and box/folder number of a specific item.

The descriptive inventory contains the following sections:

Biographical note,

Summary description of the collection,

Detailed description of some topics in the collection,

List of online catalog headings about the collection,

Arrangement of the collection,

List of contents of the collection.

Biographical/historical note:

Arthur Bronson (1801-1844) was a New York City financier who speculated in lands in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Michigan. He came to Chicago for the first time in the winter of 1832-1833 from New York and soon was in contact with other leading businessmen and local land-owners. He was among the first speculators in Chicago real property. Bronson also donated over two hundred volumes to one of Chicago's first Sunday schools.

Summary description of the collection:

Correspondence, land conveyances, accounts, receipts, abstracts of title, deeds, mortgages, leases, foreclosure papers, indentures, and other legal documents, mostly relating to Bronson's real estate business and transactions in Chicago, elsewhere in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Michigan. Correspondents include agents, land speculators, and many businessmen especially in Chicago and in Milwaukee. Topics include land speculation, sales of lands after effects of the Panic of 1837 reached Chicago, canal lands, surveys, preemption claims, and day to day operation of Bronson's business. Bronson's association with Chicago politician Hiram Pearson, ca. 1835-1844, is represented by over 100 items. The collection also includes information about land holdings of Beaubien family members and of Billy Caldwell, some early Native American residents of the Chicago area; a few items relate to the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad Company; and papers, ca. 1839-1844, detail the financing, construction, and furnishing of the elegant Chicago hotel known as the Lake House.

The collection is arranged in two parts: part one is miscellaneous papers in chronological order, and part two is composed of papers involving well-known businessmen, divided into folders by name and the folders filed alphabetically.

Detailed description of some topics in the collection:

Collection includes a 20,000 dollar bond for Canal Block no. 1, June 13, 1838, signed by many leading businessmen; also a statement of leased lots in Block 1 and an account of rents from Jan. 1 to Nov. 1, 1840; and abstracts of title for lots in Block 1. Abstracts of title for lots 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 in Block 1; mentions Eleanor Wolcott, David Hunter, Maria Hunter, Arthur Bronson, Charles Butler, Frederick Bronson, William B. Ogden and Royal Stewart. There are documents regarding lots in the Kinzie Addition (claimed obtained by fraud); and documents and letters regarding early Wisconsin: tax receipts and miscellaneous items pertaining to different counties.

The collection also includes information about some of the early Native American residents. There are memos of the lands assigned to or claimed by the Beaubiens, showing the deficiencies, December 12, 1835. There is a list of conveyances made by Billy Caldwell of portions of the area known as the Caldwell Reservation, lying on the North Branch of the Chicago River, Cook County, Illinois. There is an abstract of the conveyances made by Billy Caldwell of certain tracts reserved to him by the Treaty of Prairie du Chien in 1829; and a letter from Richard Hamilton to John Kinzie relative to Mr. Bronson managing all matters pertaining to interests in the Caldwell Reservation; a copy of the original patent from the United States to Billy Caldwell, June 1839; and a copy of the Partition Deed signed by Caldwell, Richard Hamilton and others, with an attached map of the sections reserved.

In 1835 John Temple wrote to Bronson that he is astonished at the growth of the city and at the demand for property in Chicago. On Feb. 27, 1834, Temple wrote to Bronson that politicians in Springfield expressed interest in passing legislation to subsidize canal or railroad construction in Illinois with lands and tolls. There are several letters in the Temple folder regarding the Kinzie and Beaubien lots and a copy of a charter for a Chicago cemetery.

A few items related to the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad Company.

Papers, ca. 1839-1844, detail the financing, construction, and furnishing of the elegant hotel known as the Lake House for 100,000 dollars at the corner of Kinzie Street, Rush Street, and Michigan Street in Chicago in 1835. Gurdon Hubbard, John H. Kinzie, General David S. Hunter Dr. W.B. Egan, and Major James B. Campbell were responsible for building the Lake House. It was sold under a foreclosure of mortgage some years later

Several letters by Charles Butler concern property in Indiana near LaPorte; other items concern litigation about later ownership of Archibald Clybourn's 12-acre farm (Harry S. Doolittle vs. A. Clybourn, Bronson Executive).

Men with whom Bronson was associated in business included:

Abbott, Lucius

Arnold, Isaac

Beaubien Family.

Burch, Isaac H.

Bushnell, Orsamus

Butler, Charles

Caldwell, Billy

Clark, John A.

Clybourn, Archibald

Denniston, Garret V.

Dickey, Hugh T.

Egan, William B.

Ellis, Albert G.

Forbes, Stephen

Fullerton, Alexander

Goodrich, Grant

Grant, James

Gholson, Kercheval

Hamilton, Richard J.

Hubbard, Gurdon S.

Joy, J. F.

Judson, Leander

Hale, Mervin

Kinzie, Robert

Kinzie, John

Kinzie, James

Lathrop, E. M.

Moore, Henry

Newberry, Walter

Murray, James B.

Ogden, William B.

Ogden and Jones

Pearson, Hiram

Peas, James H.

Russell, Samuel

Taylor, Edward

Temple, John

Temple, Peter

Tillson, John, Jr.

Whiting, W. L. (first treasurer of the Board of Trade)

Wright, John S.

Wright and Goodrich

List of online catalog headings about the collection:

The following headings were placed in the online catalog.

Subjects:

Bronson, Arthur--Archives.

Butler, Charles, 1802-1897.

Caldwell, Billy, 1780-1841.

Egan, William B. (William Bradshaw), 1808-1860.

Fullerton, Alexander N.

Hubbard, Gurdon Saltonstall, 1802-1886.

Kinzie, John Harris, 1803-1865.

Newberry, Walter Loomis, 1804-1868.

Ogden, William B. (William Butler), 1805-1877.

Owen, Thomas Jefferson Vance, 1801-1835.

Pearson, Hiram, 1811- ?

Sedgwick, Robert.

Temple, John C.

Galena and Chicago Union Railroad Company.

Lake House (Hotel : Chicago, Ill.)

Capitalists and financiers--New York (State)--19th century.

Fur trade--Illinois.

Real estate business--Illinois--Chicago--19th century.

Real estate investment--Illinois--Chicago--19th century.

Real estate investment--Illinois--19th century.

Real estate investment--Wisconsin--Milwaukee--19th century.

Real estate investment--Wisconsin--19th century.

Real estate investment--Indiana--19th century.

Real estate investment--Michigan--19th century.

Land subdivision--Illinois--Chicago--19th century.

Land titles--Registration and transfer--Illinois--Cook County--19th century.

Indian land transfers--Illinois--19th century.

Milwaukee (Wis.)--Commerce--19th century.

Prairie Du Chien (Wis.)--Treaties.

Chicago (Ill.)--Commerce--19th century.

Form/genre:

Abstracts of title.

Contracts.

Deeds.

Indentures.

Leases.

Legal documents.

Maps.

Microfilm.

Receipts (financial records)

Surveys.

Tax records.

Co-creator:

Bronson, Frederic, 1802-1868.

Butler, Charles, 1802-1897.

Caldwell, Billy, 1780-1841.

Pearson, Hiram, 1811- ?

Temple, John C.

Kinzie, John Harris, 1803-1865.

Wright, John S. (John Stephen), 1815-1874.

Arrangement of the collection:

The papers are arranged in two groups. The first group consists of miscellaneous papers placed in chronological order, and the second group concerns Bronson’s dealing with various well-known real estate dealers. Those are arranged alphabetically.

List of contents of the collection:

Series 1. Miscellaneous papers in chronological order:

box 1

folders:

1 Correspondence, etc., 1833-1869

2 Correspondence, etc., 1833-1869

3 Correspondence, etc., 1833-1869

4 Correspondence, etc., 1833-1869

5 Correspondence, etc., 1833-1869

6 Correspondence, etc., 1833-1869

7 Correspondence, etc., 1833-1869

8 Correspondence, etc., 1833-1869

9 Correspondence, etc., 1833-1869

10 Correspondence, etc., 1833-1869

11 Correspondence, etc., 1833-1869

12 Correspondence, etc., 1833-1869

13 Correspondence, etc., 1833-1869

Series 2. Bronson's dealings with businessmen, land speculators, etc., arranged alphabetically by name:

box 2

folders:

14 Abbot, Lucius (Michigan), items 1834-1847

15 Beaubien, Medart (Michigan), items 1833-1839

16 Betteys, Alonzo (Indiana), items 1835

17 Bower, John (Wisconsin), items 1846-1848

18 Brand, Alexander (Chicago), items 1844

19 Bushnell, Orasmus (Chicago), items 1838-1840

20 Butler, Charles (Chicago), items 1833-1840

21 Catlin, John (Wisconsin), items 1842-1844

22 Clark, John A. (Wisconsin), items 1836-1839

23 Clybourn, Archibald (Chicago), items 1835-1844

24 Daniels, Lyman J. (Michigan), items 1835-1838

25 Denniston, Garret V. (Wisconsin), items 1836-1862

26 Denniston, Garret V. (Wisconsin), items 1836-1862

27 Dickey, Hugh (Chicago), items 1837-1857

28 Egan, William B. (Chicago), items 1835-1840

29 Ellis, Albert G. (Wisconsin), items 1835-1845

30 Ellis, Albert G. (Wisconsin), items 1835-1845

31 Fleming, John (Illinois), items 1833

32 Forbes, Stephen (Chicago), items 1837-1841

33 Fullerton, Alexander N. (Chicago), items 1836-1844

34 Grant, James (Chicago), items 1835-1840

35 Hamilton, Richard J. (Chicago), items 1833-1846

36 Hubbard, Gurdon S. (Chicago), items 1841-1842

box 3

folders:

37 Hubbard, Thomas H. (Chicago), items 1847

38 Joy, James F. (Michigan), items 1855-1864

39 Judson, Leander (Wisconsin), items 1836-1838

40 Kinzie, James (Chicago), items 1833-1835

41 Kinzie, John H (Chicago), items 1833-1842

42 Kinzie, John H (Chicago), items 1833-1842

43 Kinzie, John H (Chicago), items 1833-1842

44 Kinzie, Robert A. (Chicago), items 1833-1842

45 Mattocks, John (Chicago), items 1867-1871

46 Murray, James B. (Illinois), items 1837-1859

47 Newberry, Walter L. (Chicago), items 1839-1862

48 Ogden, William B. (Chicago), items 1842-1844

49 Ogden and Fleetwood (Chicago), items 1858-1867

50 Ogden and Jones (Chicago), items 1844-1852

51 Ogden and Jones (Chicago), items 1844-1852

52 Ogden and Jones (Chicago), items 1844-1852

53 Ogden and Jones (Chicago), items 1844-1852

54 Owen, Thomas J. V. (Chicago), items 1833

55 Pearson, Hiram (Chicago), items 1835-1844

56 Pearson, Hiram (Chicago), items 1835-1844

57 Pearson, Hiram (Chicago), items 1835-1844

58 Pearson, Hiram (Chicago), items 1835-1844

59 Rees, James H. (Chicago), items 1854

60 Russell, Samuel (Chicago), items 1840-1843

box 4

folders:

61 Sedgwick, Robert (Chicago), items 1835-1836

62 Taylor, Lathrop M. (Indiana), items 1833

63 Temple, John C. (Chicago), items 1833-1836

64 Temple, Peter (Chicago), items 1833-1838

65 Tillson, John (Illinois), items 1841-1845

66 Whitney, W. L. (Chicago), items 1841-1842

67 Wright, John S. (Chicago), items 1848-1859

68 Wright, Truman G. (Chicago), items 1835-1838

69 Wyman, William (Wisconsin), items 1829-1836

70 Billy Caldwell Reservation (Illinois) items

71 Lake House (Chicago), items 1839-1848

72 Lake House (Chicago), items 1839-1848

73 Lake House (Chicago), items 1839-1848

74 Lake House (Chicago), items 1839-1848

75 Lake House (Chicago), items 1839-1848

box 5

oversize volumes:

Chicago tax sale list, items 1838-1843

Land title book, 1833-1840 (Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Michigan) - Frederic Bronson

Mainly consists of mortgage records and land purchasing activities of Arthur Bronson, Frederic Bronson, and Isaac Bronson. Includes mortgage records and land purchasing activities of Oliver Bronson as well. Also includes descriptions of the various mortgages and lands purchased. Land coverage ranges from Indiana (including Evansville and Mishawaka), Illinois (including Chicago), Michigan (including Kalamazoo), and Wisconsin Territory (including Milwaukee). Under contract purchasers of land for the Bronsons include John P. Sheldon, Lyman J. Daniels, Thomas C. Legate, William N. Gardnier, Cogswell K. Green (of Niles), Lucius Lyon, Archibald Clybourn, Stephen Forbes, and William B. Ogden. Those paying mortgages to the Bronsons include Alexander and Mary Ely, Lucius Lyon, De LaFayette Wilcox, Hiram Pearson, John H. Kinzie, Robert A. Kinzie, Richard Hamilton, Stephen Forbes, William B. Ogden and many others. Most of the mortgages listed were paid to Arthur Bronson. Real estate business associates of the Bronsons include John Ward and S. Knapp.

Throughout the book are various land lists, such as lands belonging to the heirs of Theodorus Bailey, lands belonging to Frederic Bronson opposite St. Louis bought through the agency of Martin Thomas, lands sold to Alexander L. Ely in Michigan, and lands belonging to Mrs. Mary Hale. Included is a description of the lands owned by Samson Wilder in Evansville, Indiana. Also includes descriptions of lands belonging to Arthur Bronson on Laporte (or Door) Praire and Rolling Praire in Indiana and a stock farm known as "The Two Brothers" owned by Arthur and Frederic Bronson in the Wisconsin Territory. There is also a deed for land in Chicago between Arthur Bronson and Frederic Bronson and a deed between Hugh Dickey to Author Bronson.

Note: A negative microfilm (135 exposures) of the Frederic Bronson Land Book was microfilmed for the Chicago History Museum by the Newberry Library in June 1978.