mss0170.xml Finding aid for James Maxwell papers1860-1949(bulk dates 1867-1900) University of Delaware Library, Special Collections University of Delaware Library
Newark, Delaware 19717-5267 Phone: 302-831-2229 Fax: 302-831-6003 URL: http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/
Date encoded (2010 March 3) Finding aid encoded 2010 March 3 English James Maxwell papers1860-1949(bulk dates 1867-1900) Special Collections Department, University of Delaware Library
Newark, Delaware 19717-5267 Phone: 302-831-2229 Fax: 302-831-6003 URL: http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/
 Maxwell, James Riddle, 1836-1912. James Maxwell papers1860-1949 1867-1900 MSS 170 5 linear feet (844 items) The James R. Maxwell papers consist of the personal, professional, and family papers of James Maxwell, a resident of Newark, Delaware, and a civil engineer who worked for significant railroads in the American West and South America in the late 19th century. Materials in English and Spanish. University of Delaware Library - Special Collections Source

Gift of Homer Riddle Lee, 1961-1965.

 Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

 Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

Use of materials from this collection beyond the exceptions provided for in the Fair Use and Educational Use clauses of the U.S. Copyright Law may violate federal law. Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. Please contact Special Collections Department, University of Delaware Library, http://www.lib.udel.edu/cgi-bin/askspec.cgi

 Citation

MSS 170, James Maxwell papers, Special Collections, University of Delaware Library, Newark, Delaware.

 Shelving Summary Box 1, 3-11: Shelved in SPEC MSS manuscript boxesBox 2: Shelved in SPEC MSS record center cartonsBox 12: Shelved in SPEC MSS oversize boxes (17 inches)Box 13: Shelved in SPEC MSS manuscript boxes (1 inch)Box 14 (removals): Shelved in SPEC MSS shoeboxesRemovals: Shelved in SPEC MSS oversize boxes (32 inches)Removals: Shelved in SPEC MSS oversize mapcases Processing

Processed by Kim Sebold, 1989. Revised by Kelly Baum, February 1994. Encoded by Thomas Pulhamus, March 2010, and Lora J. Davis, September 2011.

 Biographical Note

James Riddle Maxwell, a resident of Newark, Delaware, and a civil engineer who worked for significant railroads in the American West and South America, was born in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, in 1836.

He attended Hyatt's Military Academy at Chester and then studied at Delaware College and Polytechnic College in 1860. After he graduated in 1862, Maxwell moved to Newark, Delaware, where he began his career as a civil engineer. Employed first by the Pennsylvania Railroad, he later traveled to the western United States as chief of an exploration and survey party for the Union Pacific and Northern Pacific railroads. Maxwell preserved this experience in an unpublished manuscript titled "Incidents in an Engineer's Life in the Far West."

In 1870 Maxwell married Harriet (Hattie) Mitchell (1836-?) and subsequently moved to Peru where he worked for several years. Maxwell was chief engineer of the Chimbota Railroad and the Obras Publicos; he also served as chief engineer of the Central Railroad of Peru which was commonly called the Oroya railway. With a summit at 15,666 feet above sea level, the Oroya railway climbed higher than any other in the world. On December 22, 1874, four years after arriving in Peru, the Maxwell's only daughter, Jane (Jennie), was born. Both Hattie and James Maxwell recount their experiences in Peru in personal diaries, letters, and notebooks.

In 1902, Maxwell retired from engineering and returned to Newark, Delaware, where he compiled personal and professional reminiscences of his career in the West and Peru. After a few years of failing health, he died at his home Wilkins Terrace, on April 7, 1912.

Biographical information derives from material in the collection, including an undated obituary in Box 7, F17.

Scope and Content Note

The James R. Maxwell Papers consist of the personal, professional, and family papers of James Maxwell, a resident of Newark, Delaware, and a civil engineer who worked for significant railroads in the American West and South America in the late 19th century.

The collection spans the dates 1860-1949, with the bulk of the material from 1867-1900, and illuminates Maxwell's and his family's experiences in Delaware, the American West, Peru, and other countries through which they traveled.

The Maxwell Papers include his student lecture notes; professional notebooks and drawings; diaries and accounts; and manuscripts for essays, speeches, and an unpublished autobiography. Family papers include household account books; diaries and albums kept by Hattie Maxwell and her daughter; and genealogical material. Also housed in the Maxwell papers are printed materials, primarily relating to professional engineering, and a collection of photographs and lithographs. In addition to family photographs, there are commercially produced photographs of scenery and native peoples in the West and Peru, as well as photographs taken of railroad construction and a set of lithographic prints commissioned by the Union Pacific during western surveys of 1864 and 1865.

 Arrangement

I. Correspondence, 1867-1921 A. Personal and business, 1867-1921 B. Hattie Maxwell to James Maxwell, 1883-1900C. James Maxwell to Hattie Maxwell, 1886-1900D. Hattie Maxwell to her mother and sister, 1873-1882 II. Diaries of James Maxwell, 1867-1912 III. Student notebooks of James Maxwell, 1860-1862IV. Account books and personal finances, 1868-1922V. Papers related to engineering and railroads, 1854-1899VI. Family papers, 1855-1936 A. Hattie Maxwell B. Jane (Jennie) MaxwellC. MiscellaneousVII. Printed materialsVIII. Manuscripts by James Maxwell

Selected Search Terms Personal Names Maxwell, James Riddle, 1836-1912. Maxwell, Harriet (Hattie) Mitchell, b. 1836. Corporate Names Delaware College. Union Pacific Railroad Company. Topical Terms Civil engineering--History--19th century. Railroads--History--19th century. Geographic Names Newark (Del.)--History--19th century. West (U.S.)--History--19th century.Peru--History--19th century. Form/Genre Terms Correspondence. Diaries.Notebooks.Account books.Photographs.Maps.Books.Clippings (information artifacts)Journals (accounts)Manuscripts (document genre)Albums.Ephemera.Business records.Financial records. Occupation Civil engineers. Detailed Contents List Series I. Correspondence 1867-1921 circa 200 items Subseries I.A. Personal and business 1867-1921 77 items

Arranged chronologically. Generally directed to either James or Hattie Maxwell. James' correspondents include his father, H.M. McCartney, Edward Flint, Lucy Flint, and Henry Riddle. Hattie's include Lucy Flint, Carey Atkinson, Gertrude Parker, and Hattie's sister Amanda. Also contains letters from James Maxwell to various businessmen.

 1 F1 1867-1876 1 F2 1877-1880 1 F3 1881-1888 1 F4 1888-1894 1 F5 1899-1906 1 F6 1906-1921 1 F7 undated Subseries I.B. Hattie Maxwell to James Maxwell 1883-1900 59 items

Arranged chronologically. Written and sent from Newark, Delaware, to James while he was on assignment for the Union Pacific Railroad in the West and in Peru; generally concerning daily life and family news.

 1 F8 1883 June-1883 August 1 F9 1888 August-1888 September 1 F10 1888 October-1888 November 1 F11 1888 November-1888 December 1 F12 1889 January-1889 February 1 F13 1889 March-1900 March Subseries I.C. James Maxwell to Hattie Maxwell 1886-1900 32 items

Arranged chronologically. Written by James while on assignment to Peru and Montana, concerning railroad progress and daily life.

 1 F14 1886 April, 1887 February-1887 April 1 F15 1887 April-1887 July 1 F16 1887 July-1887 December 1 F17 1890 December-1900 March Subseries I.D. Hattie Maxwell to mother 1873-1882 32 items

Arranged chronologically. Primarily letters posted from Peru.

 1 F18 1873 December-1874 January 1 F19 1874 January-1874 February

Includes some letters to Hattie's sister.

 1 F20 1874 February-1874 April 1 F21 1874 May-1874 July

Letters to mother and sister in a hand-sewn notebook.

 1 F22 1874 July-1875 November, 1882 August Series II. Diaries of James Maxwell 1867-1912 20 items

Arranged chronologically. Record of daily events and expenses from travel in the American West and Peru, primarily discussing progress of railroad projects.

 2 F1 1867

Railroad progress, establishment of the town of Cheyenne, Wyoming, brief mention of Indian attacks.

 2 F2 1868

Railroad progress, movement of camps, expenses.

 2 F3 1869

Travel by stagecoach to Salt Lake City, Utah; daily labor, weather reports; memoranda pages contain notes on elevation between Omaha and Sacramento.

 2 F4 1870

Work progress, lines run, weather, expenses; Oregon, Idaho, western territories. Postage stamp enclosed in rear pocket of the diary.

 2 F5 1871

Work progress, weather, calculations; enclosures.

 2 F6 1872

Travel to and arrival in Peru; enclosures.

 2 F7 1873

Notes arrival of letters from home.

 2 F8 1874

Work progress in Peru.

 2 F9 1880

Includes addresses; home life in Delaware; travel to Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., New York, Kansas, and Danville, Ohio.

 2 F10 1883

Work progress, camp life, expenses; locations in Boise and Pocatello, Idaho; Butte, Montana; and Utah.

 2 F11 1886

Entries primarily inventories.

 2 F12 1900

Travel to South America; boat trip returning to the United States with stops at Cartagena, Colon, Panama, Costa Rica; home life in Newark, Delaware.

 2 F13 1901

Work trip to Tuscaloosa; travel to Philadelphia, New York; home life in Newark; weather reports.

 2 F14 1902

Weather, daily reports in Newark.

 2 F15 1903

Weather, miles walked daily in Newark.

 2 F16 1904

Weather, miles walked daily, Hattie's illness, trip to Chicago.

 2 F17 1905

Weather, recovery from an illness, trip to Cleveland.

 2 F18 1906

Weather, addresses, monthly accounts with magazine subscriptions.

 2 F19 1907

Building a new home, weather, addresses, magazine accounts.

 2 F20 1912

Few entries: weather, addresses, magazine accounts.

 2 F21 undated Series III. Student notebooks 1860-1862 8 items

James Maxwell's autograph notes taken during various courses while enrolled at Delaware College and the Polytechnic College. Titles from covers of notebooks.

 2 F22 Lectures by Dr. Kennedy on physics 1860 2 F23 Lecture on Chemistry 1861 2 F24 Lecture on Physics 1860-1861

Laid in is a letter from Maxwell to his sister with response to her views of President Abraham Lincoln.

 2 F25 Lecture on Chemistry 1861-1862 2 F26 Lecture on Geology and Mineralogy 1862 2 F27 Lecture on Industrial Physics 1862

Includes student essays by Maxwell on "Parallels in Rhetoric" with such topics as the United States and England, eloquence of the bar and the pulpit, Napoleon, and Washington.

 2 F28 Notes on Differential Calculus undated

Also contains an essay titled "The Means of Supplying Cities and Towns with Water."

 2 F29 Notes on Astronomy undated Series IV. Accounts and personal finances 1868-1949 8 items

Monthly expenses for individuals and household, maintained by Maxwell until his death in 1912 and thereafter by Jane, his daughter. Record of daily expenses as well as groceries, clothing, household goods, and a few luxury items.

 3 F1 Monthly account book 1868

Includes Western Union telegram from J. Blierkinsderfer, Jr., June 3, 1868.

 3 F2 Monthly expense book 1908-1911 3 F3 Monthly expense book for groceries 1911-1915 3 F4 Monthly expense book 1911-1915 3 F5 Record book of stocks and bonds 1912-1949

Pocohontas Consolidated Collieries, General Gas and Electric, General Motors, Metropolitan Edison Co., and Pennsylvania Railroad.

 3 F6 Monthly expense book for groceries 1915-1919 3 F7 Monthly expense book 1916-1922 3 F8 Monthly expense book for groceries 1920-1922 Series V. Papers related to engineering and railroads 1854-1899 4 F1 Henck, John. Field Book for Railroad Engineers. New York: D. Appleton and Company. 1854 4 F2 Haswell, Chas. H. Engineers and Mechanics Handbook. New York: Harper and Brothers, Publishers. 1870 4 F3 Accompilation of rules and formulas [1871] 4 F4 Ferro-Carril: Chimbote  Juaraz Recuay. Lima. 1872 4 F5 Sketchbook profiling the Chimbotea Railroad [1872-1874] 4 F6 Notebook detailing railroad construction in Peru and American railroad fares 1874-1880 4 F7 Notebook detailing the Danville, Onley, and Ohio River lines in Illinois 1879-1880

Includes notes on the Nicaraguan Canal.

 4 F8 Notebook containing daily progress reports 1880 January-1880 March 4 F9 Notebook containing observations of the Peruvian Railroad [1882]

Includes some inserts.

 4 F10 Notebook detailing railroads in the western United States 1888

Includes some inserts.

 4 F11 Spanish diagram recording progress on tunnel construction 1892 4 F12 Notebook concerning railroad construction 1899 5 F13 Notebook on railroad routes and their construction undated 5 F14 Sketchbook of engineer's drawings undated 5 F15 Engineering notebook concerning various railways and bridges undated

Includes some inserts.

 5 F16 Notebook concerning engineering and railroad routes undated 5 F17 Notebook containing mathematical formulas undated 5 F18 Engineering sketchbook undated 5 F19 Oversized engineering sketches and tables 1883-1906 5 Union Pacific Railroad 1867-1871 5 F20 1867-1870

Includes a payroll account, weather record, accounting table, and a map

 5 F21 1871

Includes survey reports, weather records, a supplementary report, and a monthly property return report

 5 Peruvian Railroads circa 1875 5 F22 circa 1875

Includes survey reports, progress reports, measurements, specifications for construction, and estimates of work remaining.

 Miscellaneous 1877-1901 5 F23 Part 1 1877-1901

Includes a payroll account, a time roll account, a construction agreement, and a report for a proposed extension.

 5 F24 Part 2 1877-1901

Includes documents on food rations for workers, procedures for surveying, and a map.

 Series VI. Family papers 1855-1936 56 items Subseries VI.A. Hattie Maxwell 1855-1876 6 F1 The Prize Album, a compilation of poems written to Hattie by her friends 1855-1858 6 F2 Personal diary 1873 6 F3 Personal diary [1873] 6 F4 "A History of Jennie's life while in Peru" 1874 December-1876 April Subseries VI.B. Jane (Jennie) Maxwell 1913-1936 6 F5 Student handbook containing notes on literature, poetry, mathematics, and Indian names undated 6 F6 Personal diary 1913-1914 Life in Newark, Delaware 1930-1936, undated 6 F7 Memorandum notebook 1930 6 F8 Notebook containing a collection of sayings, phrases, and quotes 1935-1936 6 F9 Prosebook containing notes on music undated 6 F10 Notebook containing geographical information on Newark undated 6 F11 Letters, clippings, obituary of Emiline Mitchell undated Subseries VI.C. Miscellaneous circa 1891, undated 7 F12 Accordion folder containing newspaper clippings undated

Inserts include a map of the lot where the Newark Trust Building was erected and a related note; and a map of the land condemned for the new school house, accompanied by a summary of the land status.

7 F13 Preservation copies of newspaper clippings and inserts undated 7 F14 Address book undated 7 F15 Memoranda and address book [circa 1891]

Includes notes on railroad stations, tunnels, etc.

 7 F16 Handwritten family tree and family register undated

Contains information about descendants of Samuel Young, the Greenleaf family, and ancestors of Harriet (Mitchell) Maxwell.

 7 F17 Obituaries, notes, notebooks, and other miscellany undated

Obituaries (including James R. Maxwell and John Flint), a Spanish notebook, notes, announcements, notebook of home remedies, articles, letters, poems, and transcript of a lecture on school districting.

 Series VII. Printed material circa 1869-1913 8 F1 Ferro-Carril a la Oroya: Estudios Comparativos de las Propuestas Presentadas al Supremo Gobierno. Lima. 1869 8 F2 Ferro-Carriles: Apuntes sobre las Mejoras Materiales Aplicables a la America Latina. Lima. 1869 8 F3 Ferro-Carril de Arequipa: Documentos, Relativos a esta Empresa. Lima. 1869 8 F4 Inaguguracion del Ferro-Carril de Mollendo a Arequipa. Lima. 1871 8 F5 Memoria sobre Las Obras Publicas del Peru. Lima. 1874 8 F6 Reglamento del Travellers' Club. Lima. 1875 8 F7 Salazar, Manuel M. Gramatica Castellana. Lima. 1873 8 F8 Dictionary of Indian Tongues. Victoria, V.I.: Hibben & Carswell. 1865 8 F9 Hand book of the First Exposition of Monarchs and Beauties. Three Northern Galleries, Philadelphia. undated 8 F10 Maxwell, James R. "Railway Construction in the Peruvian Andes." Proceedings of the Engineers' Club of Philadelphia. 1895 July 12 3 copies 8 F11 Proof sheets for "The Builders" by Evelyn Gunn. 1908 November

Includes a letter and a copy of the poem.

 8 F12 "In the Wonderland of Peru." National Geographic 24:4. 1913 April 8 F13 Oversize material undated

Includes Poiree Needle Dam Plan and Festival Schedule.

 Series VIII. Manuscripts by James Maxwell "Incidents in an Engineer's Life in the Far West" undated

Autobiographical account of Maxwell's experiences working on the Union Pacific Railroad. Includes Indian attacks, travel, work of the railroad survey crews, and daily life in the West.

 9 F1 Holograph, pp. 1-85 undated 9 F2 Holograph, pp. 86-182 undated 9 F3 Holograph, pp. 183-235 undated Miscellaneous essays undated 9 F4 At the Zoo undated 4 pp. 9 F5 Biography of Benjamin Disraeli undated 15 pp. 9 F6 Biography of Louisa May Alcott undated 8 pp. 9 F7 Central America undated 11 pp. 9 F8 Climatic Influences [of India] As Compared with That of Our Own Country undated 17 pp. 9 F9 Edmund Greenleaf undated 3 pp. 9 F10 Effect on Commerce undated 7 pp. 9 F11 The Fisheries of Japan undated 16 pp. 9 F12 George Francis Train undated 5 pp. 9 F13 Ireland undated 14 pp. 9 F14 Jim Spikehook undated 1 p. 9 F15 A Long Ride undated 2 pp. 9 F16 Lower California undated 9 pp. 9 F17 The Makers of the Panama Canal undated 11 pp. 9 F18 Milan undated 12 pp. 9 F19 Mules undated 3 pp. 9 F20 Our Third War with Great Britain undated 4 pp. 9 F21 Peru undated 16 pp. 9 F22 Thomas Babington Macauley undated 9 pp. 9 F23 Tristram Coffin undated 11 pp. 9 F24 William Hickling Prescott undated 17 pp. 9 F25 William Morris undated 7 pp. Series IX. Photographs and lithographs circa 1860s-1890s 10 F1 Family and acquaintances undated 15 items

Family and colleagues from studios in Wilmington and Philadelphia, including James R. Maxwell, Harriet M. Maxwell, Jane (Jennie) R. Maxwell; and A.L. Kennedy, president of the Polytechnic College.

 10 F2 Colleagues undated 8 items

Four portraits from the studio of E. Courret and two from the studio of Ricardo Villaalba, both in Lima. Also includes a portrait of Thomas C. Darant, "vice- president and general manager of the Union Pacific R'y when it was being built."

 Near Salt Lake City undated 5 items

"Taken at the Gallery of Crockwell & Ottinger, agent for copying and enlarging pictures...Salt Lake City."

 10 F3 Silver Reef undated 10 F3 Company's office & melting room, Stormont Mill undated 10 F3 Stormont Mill undated 10 F3 General View Stormont Mill undated 10 F3 Horsting Works Buckeye Mine, Stormont Company undated Views on the Union Pacific Railway undated 6 items 10 F4 "Published by T.H. Rutter, Butte, Montana" undated 10 F4 St. Lawrence Mine, Butte undated 10 F4 Twin Falls, Shoshone undated 10 F4 88. Bridal Veil Falls, Shoshone undated 2 copies 10 F4 101. Twin Falls undated 10 F4 unidentified undated 10 F5 Idaho undated 6 items

Owghie Land and Irrigation Company, Dam and Canal on Bu? River, Idaho

 Northern Pacific Rail Road, Seattle undated 5 items 10 F6 Engineer camp on Northern Pacific undated 10 F6 Engineering party No. 2 1870 August 10 F6 Engineering party No. 3 undated 10 F6 Camp Maxwell, N.P.P.R. Eng Corps near Seattle, W.T. undated 10 F6 C.S. Kidder's party, N.P.R.R. Seattle 1870 August 10 F7 Railroad labor undated 2 items North American Indians undated 8 items 10 F8 Arapahoe undated 10 F8 Omaha undated 10 F8 Pawnee undated 2 items 10 F8 Pawnee squaw undated 10 F8 Punkak Sioux undated 10 F8 Snake undated 10 F8 Winnebago squaw undated Mormons, Salt Lake City undated 7 items 10 F9 Brigham Young undated 10 F9 Zion's Cooperative Mercantile Institution undated 10 F9 Entrance to Brigham Young's grounds undated 10 F9 The Temple as it is to be undated 10 F9 View of Brigham Young's house and grounds undated 10 F9 The Theatre undated 10 F9 Tithing Office undated Exposition undated 11 items 10 F10 unidentified undated 10 F10 Avenue of the entrance to Exposition undated 10 F10 Avenue of Grey (barefooted) Friars undated 10 F10 Entrance to Exposition undated 10 F10 Alameda undated 10 F10 View of Exposition grounds undated 10 F10 Entrance to Cemetery undated 10 F10 Lower side of Plaza, Lima undated 10 F10 Bath House at Chorillos undated 10 F10 Bay of Callao undated 10 F10 Callao 1872 10 F11 Lima, Retratos Album and postcards circa 1872 11 items

Photographers Richardson y Salazar, Courret Hermanos. Including one photograph, "Cathedral of Lima, revolution of June 1872" which shows a crowd in front of the cathedral; and three photographs of "antique pottery."

 10 F12 Lima, V.L. Richardson, photographer undated 6 items

One image of "Virgin and Child" not attributed to VLR.

 Lima, Ricardo Villaalba, photographer undated 33 items 10 F13 [Priest and Indian child in prayer] undated 10 F13 Bull fighter undated 10 F13 Choloo, half Indian undated 10 F13 Indian girl in her Sunday dress undated 10 F13 Indian in his Sunday costume undated 10 F13 Indian man and woman undated 10 F13 Indians in Holiday costume undated 10 F13 Aymari, Indian girl at Puno undated 10 F13 Indian girl near Cazco undated 10 F13 Indian of the Interior undated 2 items 10 F13 Indian of the Andes, peaceful undated 10 F13 Peaceful Indians undated 10 F13 Indians of Bolivia undated 10 F13 Chanchos or wild Indians undated 4 items 10 F13 Indian women selling fruit undated 10 F13 Musicians undated 10 F13 Man and wife undated 10 F13 Wife and child undated 10 F13 Porter undated 10 F13 [Man carrying cut reeds] undated 10 F13 Milk woman of La Paz, Bolivia undated 10 F13 Indian porter undated 10 F13 Aquador or water carrier undated 3 items 10 F13 Indian and llamas undated 3 items 11 F14 Chuquicara 1874 3 items

One photograph captioned "Jennie Riddle Maxwell was born at Chuquicara, December 22, 1874."

 11 F15 Central Railroad of Peru undated 8 items 11 F16 Ferro Carril del Peru 1892 5 items

One photograph captioned "West face of Galera Tunnel at the summit of the Andes, elevation over 15,600 ft."

 11 F17 On the way to Cartagena undated 1 item

"Group on S.S. Alene (Liverpool) on way to Carthagina"

 11 F18 Asheville, North Carolina undated 2 items 11 F21 Photograph album circa 1899

Includes photographs of Chimbote Railroad, Central Railroad of Peru; Kingston, Jamaica; and Cartagena, 1899.

 Lithographs undated

Both sets produced by the Major & Knapp Eng. Mfg. & Lith. Co, Broadway, N.Y.

 11 F19 Union Pacific Rail Road, Survey of 1864 undated 11 F20 Union Pacific Rail Road, Survey of 1865 undated 12 Photographs undated 57 items

Various photographs of Peru, mounted on boards, 8 1/2 x 9 1/4 inches

 13 Miscellaneous undated

Picture frames, covers of writing tablets, etc.