The Joseph Kiser collection is of particular value because of the material it contains dealing with Kiser's trip to California and his venture into the hotel business there. There are six letters Kiser wrote to his brother and friends back home from various points along the way to California in which he gave a careful account of the route, a description of the country through which he passed, an idea of the rigors of the trip, and an overall picture of what it was like to make a trip to California in 1850. In addition to the very informative letters describing the overland journey across the plains, there are two diaries in which Kiser recorded a daily account of his journey. One of the diaries is written in pencil and is difficult to read; the other is written in ink and is very legible. It may very well be that Kiser made the ink copy after his trip.
There are also eight letters to his brother and friends back home Kiser wrote during his stay in California. The letters reveal more information about the trip across the plains and the hotel business venture, and also give an adequate description of the conditions in the area in 1850-1851. Of particular value and interest is the register of Kiser's hotel. The register is signed by all the lodgers who stayed, notes where they are from, and in a column designated “remarks,” the fortune hunters made notations, which although only one or two lines, tell stories of failures and successes both. The diaries previously mentioned tell about Kiser's trip back to Ohio via San Francisco, the Isthmus, and New York.
The collection also contains some account books of the general stores Kiser operated in West Liberty and Oregon. There are a series of letters dealing with his land holdings in Osceola, Iowa, and some letters dealing with the Bonsack estate in Virginia.
Finally, there is a folder of genealogical material compiled by Daniel Elliot Kiser, the son of Joseph C., consisting of notes, letters, newspaper clippings, etc., on the Bonsack and Kiser families; and watercolor paintings done by family members, circa 1850, including Elizabeth Bonsack Kiser.
