Title: Ellis B. Usher Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1850-1917

Creator:

• Usher, Ellis B. (Ellis Baker), 1852-1931

Call Number: Wis Mss DA

Quantity: 9.8 c.f. (15 archives boxes, 20 flat boxes, and 1 card box)

Repository:

Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

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

Abstract:

Papers of Ellis Baker Usher, a La Crosse, Wisconsin, newspaperman, historian, and Democratic Party leader, consisting of political correspondence, and records of his newspaper business and of several local organizations with which he was involved. Most of the incoming correspondence is for the years 1887-1888, and deals primarily with details of the management of the William Henry Harrison Presidential campaign, and includes letters from Edward C. Wall, William F. Vilas, and Frank P. Coburn. Usher's correspondents in 1896 and shortly after included an increasing number of Stalwart Republican leaders in Wisconsin, among whom were Joseph Babcock, Ira Bradford, John Esch, and Elisha Keyes. Other correspondents include Wendell Anderson, Edward Bragg, Will Brawley, Joshua Dodge, Charles Felker, Charles Jonas, John Knight, John L. Mitchell, George Peck, and Clarence Snyder. The Journalism papers, 1872-1899, concern the La Crosse Liberal Democrat and its successor, the La Crosse Morning Chronicle. The early records were created by Usher, but the volumes of letters sent and financial records dating from the 1890s were created by Manager T. A. Goodrich. Papers dealing with La Crosse history include correspondence from John Esch, James H. Davidson, and others concerning the Upper Mississippi River Improvement Association and from Charles E. Brown about the Wisconsin Archaeological Society; there are also clipping scrapbooks concerning both organizations. Records which were collected rather than created by Usher include a register of federal ad valorum taxes paid by La Crosse businesses during the Civil War which give individual occupations, the value of items produced, and the assessment.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-wis000da

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Acquisition Information

Presented by Ellis B. Usher, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and by George R. Gilkey, La Crosse, Wisconsin, 1964 and 1965. Also includes former SC 2363 donated by Dorothy P. Barlow, Monticello, Wisconsin, August 1, 1953. Accession Number: M64-307, M65-017

Processing Information

Re-processed by Carolyn Mattern, 2008.

Wis Mss DA	Correspondence Received
Box   1 Folder   1	Newspaper correspondence, 1882-1886
	Political correspondence
Box   1 Folder   2-7	1876-1888, August
Box   2 Folder   1-5	1888, May-August
Box   3 Folder   1-5	1888, August-September
Box   4 Folder   1-4	1888, October
Box   5 Folder   1-5	1888, October
Box   6 Folder   1-2	1888, October-1892, June
Box   7 Folder   1-7	1892, July-1896, July
Box   8 Folder   1-6	1896, August-October
Box   9 Folder   1-6	1896, October-December
Box   10 Folder   1-3	1897-1898
Box   11 Folder   1-6	1899-1914
	Political Records
	Letterbooks
Box   15 Folder   9	1887, April 6-1888, April 4 (Volume 5)
Box   16	1888, April 4-September 27 (Volume 7)
Box   17 Folder   1	1888, September 28-1892, February 8 (Volume 8)
Box   17 Folder   2	1892, February 8-1894, May 12 (Volume 11)
Box   18 Folder   1	1894, June 21-1897, February 11 (Volume 15)
Box   18 Folder   2	1896, September 11-December 17 (Volume 18)
Box   19 Folder   1	1896, September 15-1897, January 25, John B Webb, Secretary (Volume 19)
Box   19 Folder   2	1896, October 7-1900, June 10 (Volume 20)
Box   20 Folder   1	1896, October; 1900, June 11-1901, March (Volume 21, Part A) and , 1904-1905 (Volume 21, Part B)
	Miscellaneous records
	1888
Box   12 Folder   1	Campaign expenses
Box   12 Folder   2	Telegrams
Box   12 Folder   3	General accounts (Volumes 42-51)
Box   12 Folder   4	Miscellaneous campaign reports
Box   12 Folder   5	, 1892 campaign miscellany
	1896
Box   12 Folder   6	County contact book
Box   12 Folder   7	Paid bills (Volumes 52-53)
Box   12 Folder   8	Miscellany
Box   19 Folder   2	Scrapbook (Volume 36)
Box   12 Folder   9	1897, Paid bills
Box   12 Folder   10	, Undated campaign lists
	Newspaper Records
	Letterbooks
	Usher (General)
Box   21 Folder   1	1875, May 31-1879, February 18 [A] (Volume 1)
Box   21 Folder   2	1879, February 19-1880, May 26 [B] (Volume 2)
Box   22 Folder   1	1881, May 6-1883, June 4 [D] (Volume 3)
Box   22 Folder   2	1883, January 4-1884, February 15 (Volume 4)
Box   23	1887, May 30-1888, November 22 (Volume 6)
	Goodrich, T. A. (Manager)
Box   24	1890, October 29-1891, April 12 (Volume 9)
Box   25	1891, July 15-1892, August 2 (Volume 10)
Box   26	1892, August 5-1893, June 27 (Volume 12)
Box   27	1893, June 30-1894, May 23 (Volume 13)
Box   28	1894, May 23-1895, June 15 (Volume 14)
Box   29	1895, June 18-1896, June 2 (Volume 15)
Box   30	1896, June 2-1897, July 3 (Volume 17)
Box   31	1897, July 9-1898, June 30 (Volume 22)
Box   32	1898, June 30-1899, September 1 (Volume 23)
Box   33 Folder   1	Private letterbook, 1893-1900 (Volume 33)
Box   13 Folder   1-2	Indexes to letterbooks (Volumes 34-37)
Box   13 Folder   3-7	Lists of subscribers, 1899, undated (Volumes 25-27)
Box   13 Folder   8	Chronicle Publishing Co., Stock certificate, 1898
Box   13 Folder   9	Mailing lists, undated (Volume 31)
	Bills
Box   33 Folder   2	, 1889-1895 (Volume 32)
Box   34	1895, June 22-1898, April 9
	La Crosse Liberal Democrat
Box   35 Folder   1	Advertisers, 1872-1876 (Volume 29)
Box   35 Folder   2	Cash book, 1872-1875 (Volume 30?)
Box   35 Folder   3	Subscription book, 1872-1877 (Volume 28)
	La Crosse History Papers
Box   14 Folder   1	19th Wisconsin poll lists, Co. C, November 4, 1862
Box   14 Folder   2	Black River Falls history
Box   36	La Crosse and Omaha Railway Company, Minutes, June 5, 1879 (Volume 40)
Box   14 Folder   3	La Crosse Cemetery Association, 1864
Box   36	La Crosse Civil War tax lists, 1862-1863 (Volume 54)
Box   14 Folder   4	La Crosse Grant Club, 1868
Box   14 Folder   5	La Crosse Soldiers Aid Society, 1863
Box   14 Folder   6	La Follette and Lincoln Steffens article, 1904
Box   14 Folder   7	Personal miscellany
Box   14 Folder   8	Perry Centennial clippings, 1911-1913
Box   14 Folder   9	Surveyors notebook, 1850, 1863 (Volume 41)
	Upper Mississippi River Improvement Association
Box   14 Folder   10	Correspondence, 1903-1917
Box   14 Folder   11-12	Mississippi River clippings, 1903-1919
Box   15 Folder   1-2	Mississippi River clippings, continued
Box   15 Folder   3	Water power clippings, 1909-1911
Box   15 Folder   4	Von Humboldt, Baron, Facsimile letter, 1856
Box   15 Folder   5	Wisconsin Sons of the American Revolution, 1909
	Wisconsin Archaeological Society
Box   15 Folder   6	Correspondence, 1909-1916
Box   15 Folder   7-8	Scrapbook and clippings, 1907-1914