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Daniel Freeman Family Papers. CSLA-21. Series Descriptions
Daniel Freeman Family Papers. CSLA-21. Series Descriptions
THE THOMAS AND DOROTHY LEAVEY CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF LOS ANGELES RESEARCH COLLECTION
DANIEL FREEMAN FAMILY PAPERS (CSLA-21)Series Descriptions
COLLECTION TITLE AND NUMBER: Daniel Freeman Family Papers, 1849-1957. CSLA-21
COLLECTION SIZE: 116 archival document boxes, 35 document boxes, 20 flat files
ACCESSION NUMBER: 2002.35
The Daniel Freeman Family Papers have been divided into twelve series based on subject or type of materials. The original order of the collection was difficult to determine because of the disordered state in which the bulk of the materials arrived at the Research Collection. To read the series descriptions, select the following links.
Series 1: Business and Stockholding Companies | Series 2: Freeman/Howland Property Records | Series 3: Financial Records | Series 4: Correspondence | Series 5: Ranchos Centinela and Sausal Redondo Acquisition Records | Series 6: Legal and Business Records | Series 7: Canadian Business Interests |Series 8: California National Guard | Series 9: Publications | Series 10: Photographs and Family History | Series 11: Glass Slides | Series 12: Maps, Architectural Drawings
To view the box and folder lists (indices of series' or subseries' arrangement and content), select the series or subseries title below.
SERIES 1: BUSINESS AND STOCKHOLDING COMPANIES
This series has been divided into four subseries that contain either land development companies or business companies that Daniel Freeman originated, or else companies in which he or Charles Howland or Grace Howland held stock. To view the box and folder lists (indices of series or subseries arrangements and content) select the following subseries titles.
Subseries A: Centinela Land Company. Inclusive dates: 1874-1887. Subseries size: 4 archival document boxes, 1 oversize box.
This subseries contains significant holdings on the first attempt to develop a town based on the Rancho Centinela and Rancho Sausal Redondo. This was the Centinela Land Company, with its directorship of Daniel Freeman, F. P. F. Temple, John S. Slauson, O. W. Childs, among others. Other names of note mentioned in this subseries include John G. Downey. This subseries contains loose correspondence, list of company stockholders, advertising brochures, surveying contracts, receipts and bills, and stock certificates. Especially valuable is the incoming company correspondence bound in a ledger (Box 3), which documents the company's history and close relationship with the California Immigrant Union.
Subseries B: Centinela-Inglewood Land Company. Inclusive dates: 1875-1906. Subseries size: 21 archival document boxes, 20 oversize boxes, 1 flat file.
The correspondence, sales records, receipts, vouchers, sales contracts, and partnership agreements (some bound in ledgers) of this subseries directly document the origins of Inglewood, California, under the promotion of the Centinela-Inglewood Land Company, organized in 1887, with Daniel Freeman one of its principal stockholders. The Centinela and Sausal Redondo ranchos, and the "Stuart Tract" of Daniel Freeman served as the nucleus of Inglewood's development. Because the directors of the company included Judge Charles Silent and Dan McFarland, material on their development of Redondo Beach was included in the record keeping of the Centinela-Inglewood Land Company. After the company lost steam, Daniel Freeman acquired its holdings in 1890 (for which see Box 1, Folders 1-2) and continued the development of Inglewood. The researcher interested in the post Centinela-Inglewood Land Company history of Inglewood is advised to consult Series 2, which has documentation on Daniel Freeman's subsequent development of Inglewood. Box 5ov of Series 3 contains a ledger of Daniel Freeman business interests, including some entries on the Centinela-Inglewood Land Company; Box 4 of Series 4 contains letter press books with copies of letters related to the company. Some holdings in this subseries, such as the ledgers in Boxes 19 and 21, consist of, besides Centinela-Inglewood Land Company records, information on sales or other property transactions (by Daniel Freeman?) after the dissolution of the company.
The title searches and certificates of title in Box 7, Folders 1-2 do not pertain strictly to the activities of the Centinela-Inglewood Land Company, but also include personal property of Daniel Freeman. The materials came together; thus, the original order was left undisturbed.
Besides names previously mentioned, others of note in this series include William H. Bonsall, George I. Cochran, O. W. Childs, John C. Ainsworth, and Lionel A. Sheldon.
Subseries C: Stockholding Companies. Inclusive dates: 1897-1932. Subseries size: 4 archival document boxes, 4 oversize folders.
This subseries consists of financial reports, some correspondence, and some meeting minutes of utility, life insurance, and development companies, mainly in operation from the 1890s through the 1910s, in which Daniel Freeman, Charles Howland, and Grace Freeman Howland had invested. Among the companies were the Long Beach Bath House and Amusement Company, Maclay Rancho Water Company, Seaside Water Company, San Pedro Water Company, Pacific Mutual Life Insurance Company, and Southern California Edison. This subseries is especially useful for understanding how Los Angeles business leaders such as George I. Cochran, Charles Drake, Frederick and May Rindge created, in addition to their other business interests, these companies in the era before water and power utilities came completely under Los Angeles municipal control.
Subseries D: Brick Companies. Inclusive dates: 1888-1897. Subseries size: 4 archival document boxes, 4 oversize folders, 2 flat files.
In this subseries are the records of the Daniel Freeman and Charles Howland business, Continuous Brick Kiln Company of Inglewood, established in 1888, as well as the Southern California Continuous Kiln Company and the Inglewood Brick Company. Series holdings include construction contracts, stock certificates, correspondence, articles of incorporation, and transfers of the patent for a special means for making brick, from which came the name of the company (continuous brick kiln). Of special interest are contracts to supply brick for the building of the Los Angeles Orphanage Asylum and the Bradbury Building, a Los Angeles landmark. For these see, Box 1, Folder 6. Box 5ov of Series 3 contains a ledger of financial records for Daniel Freeman business interests, including some information on this company.
SERIES 2: FREEMAN/HOWLAND PROPERTY RECORDS: MORTGAGES, LEASES, DEEDS, AND PROPERTY AGREEMENTS. Inclusive dates: 1875-1932. Series size: 6 archival document boxes, 1 oversize box, 1 flat file. 
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(To view the box and folder list indexing the arrangement of this series' contents in boxes and folders, select the preceding series title.)
This series contains mortgages, deeds and quitclaim deeds, leases and property agreements (usually labeled indentures) related to the Freeman family's property holdings. It is one of the more important series of the Daniel Freeman Family Papers, for it contains extensive documentation concerning Daniel Freeman's development of Inglewood after the end of the Centinela-Inglewood Land Company and his management of the other lands of the Ranchos Sausal Redondo and Centinela for such activities as farming. Besides Daniel Freeman, there exist records of the property holdings of other Freeman family members, principally Charles Howland and Grace Howland, and to a lesser extent, Archibald Freeman, Charles Freeman, Nora Freeman, and Phoebe Amelia (Phebe in the records) Freeman. The records related to Grace Freeman Howland, though, often represent property transactions of Charles Howland acting in the name of his wife. Besides the area of Inglewood, there are records related to Port Ballona (cf. Box 2, Folder 6; Box 3, Folder 3) and properties in downtown Los Angeles (cf. Box 2, Folder 7; Box 5, Folder 15).
Names of note in this series include Charles Silent, Walter S. Maxwell, Arthur J. Hutchinson, and Mary Haynes.
SERIES 3: FINANCIAL RECORDS. Inclusive dates: 1868-1947. Series size: 35 archival document boxes, 5 oversize boxes. back to top
(To view the box and folder list indexing the arrangement of this series' contents in boxes and folders, select the preceding series title.)
This series contains bills, checks, vouchers, receipts, invoices, account books, cash books and statements of account related to the business and personal purchases of Daniel Freeman, Grace Howland, and Charles Howland. These materials, some which are bound in ledgers, cover everything from the operations of Daniel Freeman's agribusiness--eg, purchase of farm implements and receipts for major grain sales (Box 4, Folders 1, 3)--to the leisure activities of the family, such as trips to Europe (Box 4, Folder 8). This series also contains materials related to the Temple and Workman Bank, a major financial institution in Los Angeles until its dramatic collapse in 1875. In Box 4, Folder 10, are bills to Grace Howland from Dr. Elizabeth Follansbee, the first woman physician in Los Angeles. This series also contains an accounts payable ledger of Daniel Freeman (Box 34), with some entries dating from 1870 when he still lived in Canada; but the majority of entries date after 1873, and the final come from 1906. Thus the ledger was placed in this series. The same is true for the business ledger found in Box 25 concerning Freeman's Rancho barley crops and Canadian business accounts.
Subseries A is joint correspondence and bills files of Daniel Freeman, Charles Howland, and Grace Howland, covering the years 1888-1954. These materials had been filed alphabetically and chronologically in binders, an arrangement clearly indicating a filing system; hence, this subseries. The binders were badly deteriorating, which forced the separation of their contents; they are now housed in sixteen archival document boxes. To view the box and folder list for Subseries A, select the following link: Series 3, Subseries A: Joint Correspondence and Bills Files.
SERIES 4: CORRESPONDENCE. Inclusive dates: 1863-1955. Series size: 4 archival document boxes, 1 oversize folder. back to top
(To view the box and folder list indexing the arrangement of this series' contents in boxes and folders, select the preceding series title.)
Business (chiefly incoming), telegrams, and some personal correspondence make up this series, mostly concerning the business activities of Daniel Freeman and, to a lesser extent, Charles Howland. There is only scant correspondence related to the personal lives of the Freemans. Letters from Arthur J. Hutchinson are of great interest for their description of events in Los Angeles in 1876 and 1877 (Box 2, Folder 11). Correspondence from Los Angeles lawyer and Daniel Freeman's fellow developer Moses Langley Wicks is found in Box 1, Folders 5 and 6. Also of interest is the correspondence from the artist Carl Browne concerning the painting of a cyclorama (Box 1, Folder 13).
Also found in this series are letter press books (Boxes 3 and 4) containing press copies of correspondence penned by Daniel Freeman before his move to California in 1873, as well as such subsequent activities as the purchase of the Rancho Centinela and Sausal Redondo. The "Letter Book" (1863-1880) holds copies of Daniel Freeman's outgoing correspondence before he moved to California and then from the beginnings of his residence in California, including that touching on the acquisition of the Ranchos Centinela and Sausal Redondo. The "Penn Letter Book" (1880-1885), also in Box 3, contains Daniel Freeman's outgoing correspondence related to the purchase of the ranchos and business activities, including those Freeman was still conducting in Canada, although now a Californian. Thus, the topics of these letter press books overlap with those of Series 5 (Ranchos Centinela and Sausal Redondo Acquisition Records) and 7 (Canadian Business Interests). Box 4 contains letter press books with copies of letters related to the Centinela-Inglewood Land Company. Since the purpose of these letter press books was to record the general correspondence of Daniel Freeman, and not that of only one activity, they were placed in this series.
SERIES 5: RANCHOS CENTINELA AND SAUSAL REDONDO ACQUISITION RECORDS. Inclusive dates: 1860-1890. Series size: 1 archival document box, 1 oversize box. back to top
(To view the box and folder list indexing the arrangement of this series' contents in boxes and folders, select the preceding series title.)
This series includes deeds, correspondence, checks, an abstract of title, and other legal documents related to the Daniel and Catherine Freeman acquisition of the Ranchos Centinela and Sausal Redondo from Sir Robert Burnett. Included are copies--but not the original--of the original lease between Sir Robert Burnett and Catherine Freeman and also a copy of the agreement granting Catherine Freeman the right to purchase the ranchos. These agreements included the purchase of the "Stuart Tract," a plot of land also under Sir Robert's ownership. This series also contains legal documents pertaining to Daniel Freeman's purchase of the ranchos after his wife's death, which extended over a period of years (1881-1885). For additional information on the Freemans' acquisition of the ranchos, also consult the letter press books in Box 3 of Series 4.
SERIES 6: LEGAL AND BUSINESS RECORDS. Inclusive dates: 1874-1946. Series size: 7 archival document boxes, 3 oversize boxes, 1 flat file. back to top
(To view the box and folder list indexing the arrangement of this series' contents in boxes and folders, select the preceding series title.)
Providing insights into Daniel Freeman's and Charles Howland's businesses other than land and property development, this series contains contracts for grain and fruit sales, ledgers recording harvests on the Freeman Rancho, power of attorney documents, judicial rulings involving Daniel Freeman, construction contracts (including those for the Church of Holy Faith in Inglewood built by the Howlands), and ledgers with insurance records. In this series are the exhibit registers for the Southern California exhibits at Chicago's in 1891 and 1892 (Boxes 2ov and 3ov). Particularly noteworthy is the Robert Burnett accounting ledger re Rancho Centinela expenses (1873), with later entries (by Daniel Freeman?) re wheat and grape production and rainfall (Box 6).
a href="SiteManager?ctfn=hierarchy&fnno=10&sid=3998&lang=en&sslinkid=14" title="Home » LMU » Library » Collections » Archives and Special Collections » CSLA Research Collection » Daniel Freeman Family Papers » Daniel Freeman Family Papers. CSLA-21. Collection Description » Daniel Freeman Family Papers. CSLA-21. Series 7, 9, 10, 11, 12">SERIES 7: CANADIAN BUSINESS INTERESTS. Inclusive dates: 1849-1919. Series size: 1 archival document boxes, 1 oversize box, 1 flat file. back to top
(To view the box and folder list indexing the arrangement of this series' contents in boxes and folders, select the preceding series title.)
In this series are found correspondence, financial records, and company minutes related to Daniel Freeman's Canadian businesses, including those after his move to California, such as a coal mine and lumber mill in Vancouver. Also part of this series is the correspondence of Charles Howland regarding his family in Toronto. Additional information on Daniel Freeman's Canadian interests and life is found in the letter press books of Box 3 of Series 4, and in Series 3, Box 34, an accounts payable ledger of Daniel Freeman, with some entries dating from his residence in Canada.
SERIES 8: CALIFORNIA NATIONAL GUARD. Inclusive dates: 1890-1916. Series size: 4 archival document boxes, 2 oversize folders, 3 flat files. back to top
(To view the box and folder list indexing the arrangement of this series' contents in boxes and folders, select the preceding series title.)
This series' holdings document Charles Howland's career in the California National Guard; found here are general orders, ordnance lists, correspondence, publications, and company administrative papers. This series also includes a photograph of the National Guard Company in which Archibald C. Freeman, son of Daniel Freeman, served (Box 1ov, Folder 1).
SERIES 9: PUBLICATIONS. Inclusive dates: 1878-1957. Series size: 7 archival document boxes, 1 oversize box, 3 flat files. back to top
(To view the box and folder list indexing the arrangement of this series' contents in boxes and folders, select the preceding series title.)
This series accounts for the miscellany of publications that came with the Daniel Freeman Family Papers. They include agricultural college experiment station bulletins, evidencing Freeman's intention to keep informed of modern farming practices (Boxes 1 and 2). Also noteworthy are newspapers such as that of the Workingman's Party of San Francisco (flat file).
SERIES 10: PHOTOGRAPHS AND FAMILY HISTORY. Inclusive dates: 1894-1918. Series size: 1 archival document box. back to top
(To view the box and folder list indexing the arrangement of this series' contents in boxes and folders, select the preceding series title.)
The Freeman Family Papers contain a small number of photographs, but only one portrait of Daniel Freeman. The photographs in folders 3, 4, and 5 are albumen photographs mounted on cards. There is, in this series, also a notebook with genealogical records of Daniel Freeman's family.
SERIES 11: GLASS SLIDES. Series size: 1 archival document box. back to top
(To view the box and folder list indexing the arrangement of this series' contents in boxes and folders, select the preceding series title.)
This series consists of digital prints made from scanned images of glass slides. Their subjects include Grace Howland and other Freeman family members at the Daniel Freeman estate in Inglewood (the "Centinela"). The quality of the images on the prints varies, as does the quality of the original from which they were scanned. The emulsion of some slides was cracking or beginning to bubble, thus resulting in a scan of poor image and print of corresponding quality. The glass slides are all undated.
SERIES 12: MAPS, ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS. Inclusive dates: 1871-1911. Series size: 1 oversize box, 8 flat files. back to top
(To view the box and folder list indexing the arrangement of this series' contents in boxes and folders, select the preceding series title.)
This series consists of miscellaneous maps and architectural drawings. Of particular interest for the history of the Freeman family are the plans for the Freeman mansion and maps of Inglewood streets.
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