Van Steenwyk Family Papers

Contents List

Container Title
(Series 1)
Series: Gysbert van Steenwyk, Sr.

Scope and Contents

The Gysbert van Steenwyk, Sr. Materials contain correspondence, financial records, C.C. Washburn estate, organizations, and legal documents. The correspondence includes business as well as personal correspondence particularly from van Steenwyk's nephew Ernest F. C. Klokke. The business correspondence dates from 1863-1902 and includes letters to and from van Steenwyk. Among the people with whom van Steenwyk corresponded are U. S. Congressman Jeremiah M. Rusk and Wisconsin governors Edward Salomon and Cadwallader C. Washburn. Much of the correspondence from the three men mentioned deals with the construction of a railroad bridge at La Crosse.

The financial records of Gysbert van Steenwyk, Sr. date from 1850-1903, the year of the final distribution of his estate. With the exception of a list of Batavian Bank depositors and La Crosse Lumber Co. tax book, the records document his personal finances, including land purchases and stocks, bonds, and rental property records.

A third group of records relate to van Steenwyk's role as one of the executors of the Cadwallader Colden Washburn estate. C. C. Washburn was a Civil War general, governor of Wisconsin, lumber baron, and industrialist. The materials consist of correspondence, including some letters from Washburn's daughter, Jeanette (Washburn) Kelsey; financial records, including a general inventory of the estate and a summary of its assets; and legal documents produced in the course of settling the estate, especially relating to provisions made for Washburn's invalid wife, Jeanette.

Financial records of organizations in which van Steenwyk, Sr. was active make up another series. They consist of a treasurer's book from the Brotherhood of St. Andrew, and a cash book and ledger from the La Crosse Theater Co. A collection of legal documents, including van Steenwyk's commissions as Dutch Consul for Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan, and warranty deeds make up a fifth series.

Finally, there are a number of miscellaneous items such as an 1841 journal written in Dutch with the translated title, "Writings About Diverse Subjects in Alphabetical Order," a speech given by van Steenwyk at the end of his term as mayor (1873), and minutes of transit railroad meetings. Sadly an undated travel diary is missing from the collection having never been returned from an exhibit loan.

(Subseries 1.1)
Subseries: Correspondence
Business
Box 1
  Folder 1
, 1854-1856
Box 1
  Folder 2-10
, 1863-1884
Box 1
  Folder 11
, 1885-1902
Box 1
  Folder 12
Military, 1864
Box 1
  Folder 13
Rusk, J. M., 1874
Box 1
  Folder 14
Salomon, Edward P., 1863-1865
Box 1
  Folder 15
Washburn, Cadwallader C., 1867-1874
Personal
Box 2
  Folder 1-3
, 1860-1870
Language:
In Dutch
Box 2
  Folder 4-6
, 1871-1874
Box 2
  Folder 7-11
Klokke, Ernst C., 1863-1870
(Subseries 1.2)
Subseries: Financial Records
Box 2
  Folder 12
Journal, 1850-1861
Receipts
Box 2
  Folder 13-15
General, 1854-1874
Box 2
  Folder 16
Box 3
  Folder 1
Land, 1854-1874
Box 3
  Folder 2
Tax returns, 1864
Box 3
  Folder 2
Batavian Bank depositors, 1873
Box 3
  Folder 3
La Crosse Lumber Company tax book, 1879-1880
Box 3
  Folder 4
Ledger, 1890
Stocks, bonds & rental property records
Box 3
  Folder 5
, 1883-1899
Box 3
  Folder 6
, 1899-1902
Box 3
  Folder 7
Estate account book, 1903
Box 3
  Folder 8
Indexes to ledgers, undated
(Subseries 1.3)
Subseries: Washburn Estate
Box 3
  Folder 9
Correspondence, 1883-1886
Box 3
  Folder 10
Kelsey, Jeannette Washburn, 1872-1874
Financial records
Box 3
  Folder 11-12
Bank statements, 1882-1886
Box 3
  Folder 13
Stocks and bonds, 1889-1892
Volume 1
General inventory, 1887
Box 4
  Folder 1
Summary of assets, 1888
Box 4
  Folder 2
Report and final account, 1889
Box 4
  Folder 3-4
Legal documents, 1873-1885
Box 4
  Folder 5
Logging contracts, 1882-1885
(Subseries 1.4)
Subseries: Organizations
Box 4
  Folder 6
Brotherhood of St. Andrew Treasurer's book, 1900-1902
La Crosse Theater Company
Box 4
  Folder 7
Cash book, 1889-1904
Box 4
  Folder 8
Ledger, 1889-1904
(Subseries 1.5)
Subseries: Legal documents
Box 4
  Folder 9
Oversize 13
  Folder 1
Commissions from Dutch government, 1867-1868
Box 5
  Folder 1
Oversize 13
  Folder 2
Warranty deeds, 1855-1884
(Subseries 1.6)
Subseries: Miscellaneous
Box 5
  Folder 2
Writings About Diverse Subjects in Alphabetical Order lesson book, 1841
Language:
In Dutch
Box 5
  Folder 3
Portraits
Box 5
  Folder 4
Speech, 1873
Box 5
  Folder 5
Transit railroad meeting minutes, 1873
(Series 2)
Series: Mariette (Nichols) van Steenwyk
Scope and Contents

The Mariette (Nichols) van Steenwyk series contain genealogy, correspondence, financial records, and records of the Home for the Friendless. The genealogy materials trace Mariette van Steenwyk's ancestors back to the Revolutionary War. The primary families involved are Averill, Nichols, and Whittlesey. There are also materials that relate specifically to Matilda Averill Nichols, Mariette van Steenwyk's mother, and to Chester Averill. The correspondence is almost entirely personal in nature. It consists of letters between Mariette's parents, Mathilda and David P. Nichols, and from other relatives, especially her brother Starr Nichols. There are two letters dated 1873 from the U.S. Ambassador to Russia that tell of his experience in being presented to the Russian Court. The correspondence dates from 1825-1927 and is in chronological order.

Mariette van Steenwyk's financial records date from 1902, after the death of her husband. They include a record of investments made from 1903-1905, records of another estate of which Mariette was a beneficiary (1906), and income tax records and returns from 1905-1926, with gaps. Materials from the Home for the Friendless are a treasurer's book from 1900-1907, and bills, receipts, and cancelled checks dated 1907-1909. Two miscellaneous items, a mission organization dues book (1896-1898) and an undated address book complete the materials pertaining to Mariette van Steenwyk.

Genealogy
Box 5
  Folder 7
Averill, Nichols and Whittlesey families
Box 5
  Folder 8-9
Averill, Chester
Box 7
  Folder 10
Averill, Matilda, 1838
Correspondence
Box 5
  Folder 11-18
, 1825-1903
Box 6
  Folder 1-3
, 1904-1927
Financial records
Box 6
  Folder 4
Investments, 1903-1905
Box 6
  Folder 5
Benedict estate, 1906
Oversize 13
  Folder 3
Box 6
  Folder 6
Income tax records, 1905, 1921-1927
Home for the Friendless
Box 6
  Folder 7
Treasurer's book, 1894-1907
Box 6
  Folder 8
Bills and receipts, 1902-1909
Box 6
  Folder 9-10
Cancelled checks, 1907-1909
Box 6
  Folder 11
Church mission organization dues book, 1896-1898
Box 6
  Folder 12
Address book, undated
(Series 3)
Series: Gysbert van Steenwyk, Jr.
Scope and Contents

The Gysbert van Steenwyk, Jr. series relates almost entirely to his many business interests, in the form of correspondence; education; business interests; financial records; and miscellaneous. Correspondence has been divided into business correspondence, dating from 1909-1958, and personal correspondence, from 1895-1925. Personal correspondence consists mainly of letters from his mother Mariette van Steenwyk and from his college friends. The education subseries consists exclusively of class notes taken during 1893-1897 when he was attending Yale University. The subseries titled business interests contains financial records of the La Crosse Boot and Shoe Manufacturing Co. (1899-1925), balance sheets of the La Crosse Rubber Mills (1905-1929), and miscellaneous reports from other local and national companies from the era. Van Steenwyk's financial records include bank account records and a ledger from 1902-1905, income tax records (1915-1929), property tax records (1905-1930), and a record of his employees' wages and social security tax withheld from 1951-1962.

Correspondence
Box 7
  Folder 1-8
Business, 1909-1958
Box 7
  Folder 9-12
Personal, 1895-1925
Box 8
Box 7
  Folder 13-16
Box 9
Class notes, 1893-1897
Business interests
Box 10
  Folder 1-2
La Crosse Boot and Shoe Manufacturing Company
Box 10
  Folder 3
Oversize 13
  Folder 4
La Crosse Rubber Mills, 1905-1911
Box 10
  Folder 4-5
Miscellaneous company reports
Financial records
Box 10
  Folder 6
Bank accounts, 1902-1905
Box 10
  Folder 7
Ledger, 1902-1905
Oversize 13
  Folder 5
Box 11
  Folder 1
Income tax records, 1915-1929
Box 11
  Folder 2-3
Property tax records, 1905-1930
Box 11
  Folder 4
Record of employee wages and social security taxes, 1951-1962
Box 11
  Folder 5
Portraits
Box 11
  Folder 6
Miscellaneous
(Series 4)
Series: Grace (Pettingill) Hogan van Steenwyk
Scope and Contents

The majority of the Grace (Pettingill) Hogan van Steenwyk series consists of a correspondence file that dates from 1922-1972. The letters are almost entirely personal. The bulk of the correspondence dates from 1922-1925, and consists of letters from her first husband, James C. Hogan. Included with them are letters and segments of letters by Grace in response which may have been drafts of her letters.

Other materials relating to Grace van Steenwyk include two account books dating from June-November 1916, and from 1949-1951; an undated address book, and two brief diaries, one dated 1918 and the other kept from Jan. 1-Feb. 10, 1923. Also available are Pettingill Family records (1802-1947) that were photocopied from the family Bible.

Box 11
  Folder 7-11
Series: Correspondence, 1922-1972
Box 11
  Folder 12-13
Account book, 1916, 1949-1951
Box 11
  Folder 14
Address book, undated
Diaries
Box 12
  Folder 1
, 1918
Box 12
  Folder 2
, 1923 January-February
Box 12
  Folder 3
Pettingill family records
Oversize 13
  Folder 6
Hogan, James C. death certificate, 1925
Box 12
  Folder 4
Portrait
(Series 5)
Series: Ella May (van Steenwyk) Cassels
Scope and Contents

The papers available that pertain to Ella May (van Steenwyk) Cassels are very limited and include brief correspondence from 1895; two cashbooks (1902-1903; 1903-1904); and a ledger from 1902-1903.

Box 12
  Folder 5
Correspondence, 1895
Financial records
Box 12
  Folder 6
Cashbook, 1902-1903
Volume 2
Cashbook, 1903-1904
Box 12
  Folder 7
Ledger, 1902-1903
(Series 6)
Series: Miscellaneous Records
Oversize 13
  Folder 7
Oversize materials
Box 12
  Folder 8
Cookbook, undated
Box 12
  Folder 9
Family portrait, undated