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.
