Title: John Hawkins Rountree Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1826-1907

Creator:

• Rountree, John Hawkins, 1805-1890

Call Number: Platteville Mss G; Platteville Micro 7; Micro 560

Quantity: 1.4 c.f. (4 archives boxes) and 1 reel of microfilm (35mm)

Repository:

Housed at the Southwest Wisconsin Room and Area Research Center, Ullsvik Hall, University of Wisconsin-Platteville; owned by the Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

UW-Platteville Southwest Wisconsin Room / Platteville Area Research Ctr. (Map)

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

Abstract:

Papers of Rountree, founder of Platteville, Wis., including military papers, 1826-1852; papers, 1828-1852, on lead mining, land sales, and transactions of a general store; and miscellaneous papers, 1826-1907, including reminiscences and a journal kept by Mrs. Rountree.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-pltv000g

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A native of Kentucky, John H. Rountree entered the Wisconsin lead region in 1827 from Montgomery County, Illinois. He prospected during the summer of 1827 and in November began mining on the site of Platteville. This founder of Platteville established furnaces and made pig lead of his ore. He opened a store to supply local miners, sold and gave away building sites on lands he claimed, and in 1835 platted the town. He engaged in mining, mercantile pursuits, farming, and public employments most of his life.

The larger portion of the Rountree papers were destroyed in a fire; what is included in this collection are fragments of the business and military papers, the earliest of which are a series of his commissions as a public officer, beginning with those in Illinois in 1826, and closing with his commission as major general in 1852. With the commissions is the muster roll of his company of mounted volunteers in the Blackhawk war, in which he served as a captain.

The business papers begin about 1828, shortly after his coming to Wisconsin. There are two volumes of letter books, containing copies of letters he sent, 1828-1852. These pertain to his lead mining activities, and many of them are written to companies in St. Louis, New York, and Boston, and pertain to sale and prices of lead, and purchases of supplies which Rountree desired to make. Many have also to do with the purchase and sale of lands, and payment of taxes on his holdings. Beginning about 1842 the letters are headed “Wisconsin Land Agency,” an agency for looking after land affairs of other owners of land, paying their taxes for them for a charge, collecting rents, and so on. Some refer to suits against Rountree as a result of the sinking of the steamboat Dubuque in 1837. He was an insurance agent for a Connecticut company, and there are some letters in that connection, and some testimony taken in regard to one or two fire losses, especially the burning of Samuel Virden's store.

The volumes of financial records are somewhat confused, but relate to his various activities as land agent, insurance agent, merchant, and farmer. In the fifties he operated a general store in Platteville, and was apparently interested in the lumber company of Rountree and Clise. He was also a large dealer in and shipper of livestock. Many of the entries in the financial records are payroll entries for labor hired. Rountree was a large employer of labor all his life.

Part of one of the financial volumes contains election clippings, giving the votes for various offices and parties, and is indicative of his interest in politics. There is also a scrapbook of general clippings. (Note: There are no volumes numbered Volume 1 and Volume 2.)

The box of miscellaneous unbound papers contains the military commissions, several license bonds and licenses for smelting, a few returns to the United States government for minerals received and lead manufactured, a typewritten copy of “remembrances” written by Rountree in 1870, an account of incidents in the life of Rountree connected with Madison written by Louise P. Kellogg in 1907, a letter to D. S. Durrie by Rountree in 1877, giving certain information in regard to permits issued by the United States government to lead miners, and a copy of regulations prescribed for lead mining in 1828 by the United States superintendent of mines.

Acquisition Information

Presented by John J. Jewett, 1902; S. W. Traber, 1905; Ellen L. Whiteheard, 1925 and 1938, Laura Rountree, 1954, and Richard Goodell, 1987.

Processing Information

Processing revised by Mary Freymiller, 1990.

Platteville Mss G Box   1 Folder   1	Remembrances of J. H. Rountree, 1826-1870
Box   1 Folder   2	Greeting from Victoria, Queen of England, to Major Hawkins Rountree
Box   1 Folder   2	Biographical sketch of General Rountree prepared for his daughter's use, November, 1907
Box   1 Folder   2	Incidents of life connected with Madison
Box   1 Folder   3	Correspondence regarding loan of Rountree papers which burned
Box   1 Folder   3	Reminiscences, 1870s
Box   1 Folder   3	Miscellaneous papers, 1826-1907
Box   1 Volume   3	Miscellaneous financial records and election clippings, 1828-1881 Note: Boards are loose.
	Miscellaneous financial records
Box   1 Volume   4	1851-1881
Box   2 Volume   5	1855-1886
Box   2 Volume   6	1883-1887
Box   2 Volume   7	Ledger, 1853-1877
Platteville Micro 7/Micro 560	Microfilm copy
Platteville Mss G Box   2 Volume   8	Index to ledger, vol. 7
Box   2 Volume   9	Inventory and miscellany, 1854-1872
Box   2 Volume   10	Daybook, 1866-1887
Box   3 Volume   11	Letter Book, 1828-1847
Box   3 Volume   12	Letter Book, 1847-1852
Box   3 Volume   13	Cash book and miscellaneous, 1852-1887
Box   4	Ledger of lands owned by John H. Rountree, 1836-1889 Note: An unnumbered volume
Box   4 Folder   1	Mrs. John H. Rountree's Journal Note: Contains miscellaneous items