1867-1916; bulk: 1901-1916
Guide to the Collection
Abstract
This collection consists primarily of business records and correspondence detailing William Tudor's investments in various gold and copper mining companies located in Arizona, Alaska, and Colorado.
Biographical Sketch
William Tudor was born to Frederic "The Ice King" Tudor and Euphemia Fenno Tudor on September 27, 1848. He was the fourth of six children. He attended Harvard University and graduated in 1871. He married Elizabeth Whitwell (b. 1851), daughter of William Scollay Whitwell and Mary Hubbard, in Paris, France, on May 24, 1873. Together they had five children: Henry Dubois, William, Elizabeth, Delia Aimee, and Mary.
William Tudor had an intense interest in his own genealogy and collected information on his Tudor ancestry. In 1896, he edited and published the diary of his great-great-grandfather, Deacon John Tudor, as Deacon Tudor's Diary. His primary occupation, however, was investing in mines. He served on the Boards of Trustees of many of the mining companies he invested in and held positions as an officer in many of them. In 1908, Tudor became the treasurer of the Salida Copper Company, in which he held a very large share. In July 1909, Salida Copper Company bought out Sedalia Copper Company. In October, Tudor traveled to Salida, Colorado, to inspect the companies' mines. In 1910, the Mountain Mining Company, a spin-off of the Salida Copper Company, was formed, and in January 1911, Tudor became its president. In 1913, Tudor became treasurer of the Shawmut Consolidated Copper Company.
Although Tudor owned homes in Hancock, New Hampshire, and Auburndale, Massachusetts, his primary business address was the St. Botolph Club in Boston. He did a great deal of traveling, inspecting mines in Juneau, Alaska, and Salida, Colorado, and he was married and had his first child in Paris, France. He painted for relaxation. William Tudor died in 1923.
Sources
For genealogical material, see:
Tudor, John. Deacon Tudor's Diary: or, "Memorandoms from 1709, &c., by John Tudor, to 1775 & 1778, 1780 and to '93"; A record of more or less important events in Boston, from 1732 to 1793, by an eye-witness. Ed. William Tudor. Boston: Press of W. Spooner, 1896. Appendix.
Collection Description
The William Tudor papers consist of business correspondence; a large number of letters, telegrams, maps, notes, and receipts; the shareholder records of the Salida Mining Company and the Lake Superior Copper Company; personal letters and legal correspondence pertaining to the farm he owned in Draketown, Georgia; and a collection of notes and letters describing the Tudor genealogy.
The majority of the collection consists of letters, telegrams, newspaper clippings, receipts, diagrams, and notes detailing William Tudor's transactions and investments in various mining companies. Early focus is on the Windham Bay Mining Company and later on the Salida Copper Company, of which William Tudor was treasurer; the Sedalia Copper Company, where he served as director; the Mountain Mining Company; and Empire Mines. The Mountain Mining Company and Arizona and Georgia Development Company subseries contain the incorporation documents of these two companies.
The bulk of Tudor's personal correspondence consists of genealogical notes and letters documenting his research for the genealogical appendices in Deacon Tudor's Diary. There are also a few personal letters, receipts, and tax and duty records.
Detailed Description of the Collection
Expand allI. Business records, 1901-1916
A. Loose papers, 1901-1916
Arranged chronologically.
The bulk of this subseries consists of Tudor's business correspondence related to his investments in mines, including his failed investment in the Windham Bay Mining Company, a gold mining venture based in Juneau, Alaska, beginning in 1901, and his subsequent suit against the president of the company, W. M. Ebner. These records continue through 1909.
From 1909 to 1916, the records in this subseries reflect his investments in various mining companies, including the Salida Mining Company, Sedalia Mining Company, Mountain Mining Company, Empire Mines, Shawmut Consolidated Mining Company, Georgia and Tennessee Mining Company, and the Utah Copper Company. In early July 1909, the Salida Copper Company bought the Sedalia Copper Company, but continued to lease land from it, and in October 1910, the Mountain Mining Company paid $3,000 to the Salida Copper Company, although a majority was owned by the Salida Copper Company at the time. Much of the correspondence documents the interrelated nature of the mining industry among these companies.
In 1908 and 1909, Tudor's prospects improved. Salida Copper Company had promising assays from its mines, and he personally inspected them in September and October. By June of 1910, the company had run out of money for capital investments and levied an assessment of 5 cents per share. The officers of the company cast about for large investors. Between June 1910 and January 1912, a great volume of correspondence was sent between Tudor, Leslie Wead (president of Salida Copper Company), and numerous prospective investors. Some of the letters between November and January are rather sharp, as Wead and Tudor realize they have fallen victim to unfulfilled promises. In August 1912, another assessment was levied on the stock.
Loose business records, undated
Loose business records, 1901-1911
Loose business records, 1912-1915
Loose business records, 1916
Sedalia Copper Company claim map, undated
Sedalia Copper Company claim map, freehand, undated
Sedalia Copper Company and Salida Copper Company claim map, with notes, undated
Flyer: "Stocks by Auction," including Shawmut Consolidated Copper Company, with notes, 18 May 1910
Announcement of auction of forfeited Salida Copper Company stock from the Arizona Journal Miner, 23 Aug. 1910
B. Farm rent letters, 1901-1914
This subseries contains correspondence pertaining to William Tudor's tenanted farm in Draketown, Georgia, including letters and telegrams to and from his tenant, R. D. Blackman, and legal documents pertaining to Blackman's eventual bankruptcy.
C. Letters on timber, 1907-1911
This subseries contains papers related to land Tudor owned in Florida, including maps, letters, and telegrams. Letters pertain to Frank E. Crawford of the Florida Land Company's timber cutting on William Tudor's property, and the restitution and eventual lease of the property negotiated between them.
D. Leadville National Forest pipeline records, 1909-1912
This subseries contains letters, diagrams, and blueprints about a proposed pipeline for the Sedalia Copper Company through the Leadville National Forest in Colorado. Most of the letters are from the U.S. Forest Service and I. C. Terry, the surveyor hired by the Sedalia Copper Company, negotiating the right-of-way through the forest.
Correspondence and diagrams, 1909-1912
Blueprint: "Plat of Preliminary Survey for Pipe Line on Chalk Creek," by I. C. Terry, 1 Oct. 1909
E. Mountain Mining Company reports, 1910
This subseries contains assay notes and reports by William Tudor about the Montreal Mine owned by the Mountain Mining Company.
F. Arizona and Georgia Development Company papers, 1915
This subseries contains the articles of association for the Arizona and Georgia Development Company, a draft of the same with handwritten notes, an extra page of handwritten notes by William Tudor of his proposed changes to the draft articles, and one page of profitability projects for the company's mine.
G. Stockholder records, 1908-1910
Arranged alphabetically by shareholder.
This subseries consists of handwritten records of the transactions of Salida Copper Company shareholders and undated records of the number of shares owned by Lake Superior Copper Company shareholders.
Salida Copper Company, 1908-1910
Lake Superior Copper Company, undated
II. Personal papers, 1867-1916
A. Correspondence, 1916
Arranged chronologically.
This subseries consists of a postcard from William Tudor's daughter Elsa, sent from the Grand Canyon; a letter from the Suffolk County (Massachusetts) Probate Court regarding the estate of Henry Tudor; a letter from his daughter Mary Gray; and an undated letter from Samuel S. Gray, D.D. Also included are some letters pertaining to clothing storage.
B. Receipts and duties, 1916
This subseries consists primarily of receipts and duties paid for clothing imported from England.
C. Genealogical letters and notes, 1867-1915
This subseries contains letters and notes related to the Tudor genealogy. Letters consist primarily of inquiries to William Tudor about the Tudor genealogy. The notes were written by Tudor for use in the genealogical appendix of Deacon Tudor's Diary.
Letters, 1867-1915
Notes, undated
III. Printed material, 1889-1916
This series consists primarily of advertisements, pamphlets, catalogs, and other printed matter related to mining machinery and equipment. Also included are printed reports, maps, and a book entitled Details of Practical Mining, compiled from articles published in the Engineering and Mining Journal.
Loose printed material, undated
Loose printed material, 1889-1916
Topographic map of Georgia and Alabama by the U.S. Geological Survey, 1899
Printed map of western United States, 1908
Details of Practical Mining (New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1916)
Preferred Citation
William Tudor papers, Massachusetts Historical Society.
Access Terms
This collection is indexed under the following headings in ABIGAIL, the online catalog of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related persons, organizations, or subjects should search the catalog using these headings.
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Materials Removed from the Collection
Photographs from this collection have been removed to the William Tudor photographs (unprocessed). Photo. Coll. 500.116.
A sample of wire mesh from the Allis Chalmers Manufacturing Co. (Milwaukee, Wis.) has been removed to the MHS Artifacts Collection.