A Rich Harvest

A photographic portrait of General Ord by notable Civil War-era photographer Mathew Brady

We reported in 1992 the donation of a collection of papers "relating to the celebrated American family, the Ords." The collection, it said, "spans the entire nineteenth century and includes a rich array of family letters . . . The Civil War, the gold rush, winemaking and farming in California, campaigns against native American Indians, and Reconstruction are only a few of the subjects covered."

Now the Ord Family Papers: Part 2, recently given by Edward W. Hutchinson and Judith L. Hutchinson, have been cataloged by the Special Collections Division. These provide a wealth of documentary material about members of the distinguished Ord family, especially Edward Otho Cresap Ord (1818-1883) and Edward Otho Cresap Ord II (1858-1923). This collection fills in details about the career of American Civil War notable Edward Otho Cresap Ord and includes his letters from California in 1848 touching on the Mexican War and the gold rush; his correspondence to his brother Doctor James Lycurgus Ord between 1848 and 1873; several photographs including one by Mathew Brady; and primary and secondary source research materials. There is more material on lifetime soldier and Spanish-American War veteran Edward Otho Cresap Ord II (1858-1923), including biographical material; some of his diaries, including his Spanish-American War diary; files regarding his land in Arizona; letters back and forth with Mexican leader Geronimo Trevino (1836-1914); documents from his military career across the western United States; information on his various inventions and patents; and a large amount of his correspondence dating from the 1870s to his death in 1923.

From Monterey, California on 29 June 1848, E. O. C. Ord wrote to his brother James L. Ord:

"The farmers around Suters [Sutter's mill] are reaping a rich harvest. 50 x 60 dol[lar]s for an ox or a b[ushe]l of corn and certain things in proportion. Nothing else new here except the gold."

This mention came just six months after the Sutter's Mill gold discovery and before the year associated with the gold rush, 1849.

Numerous Ord family members attended Georgetown College throughout its history, including James Ord (1800), James Lycurgus Ord (1835-1837), James Placidus Ord (1835-1837), John Stephen Ord (1850-1851), and James Cresap Ord (1864).

The Ord Family Papers: Parts 1 and 2 are open to be viewed by the public any time during Special Collections' regular hours of operation from 9 a.m. until 5:30 p.m.