William Wright (1829 1898), also known as Dan DeQuille - papers acquired from the family.
The papers described here are a sampling of some of the last remnants held by the descendants of William Wright (Dan DeQuille). Celebrated as a prominent historical figure from the Comstock, Wright is also revered in West Liberty Iowa, where he met and married Caroline Coleman, and where many of his family still lived until at least the mid-1950 s. Wright died there in 1898, having spent most of his adult life elsewhere. The provenance of these papers: William Wright to daughter Mell (Wright) Evans, to her daughter Irma (Evans) Morris, to her son Evans Morris, to his sister Marjory (Evans) Anderson, to a bookseller s son in Columbus, Ohio, to the present owner. Along with original manuscript material are many photocopies of original material, including six letters from Samuel Clemens. These may, or may not, have been made as the originals were sold or donated. Also present: Three or four files of manuscript and photocopy family correspondence relating to William Wright from other family members, scholars, and some friends. Marginalia, p.60, India and Her Neighbors Copies of some scholarly papers on Wright. Virginia City promotional pamphlets and a few copies of the second version of The Territorial Enterprise, revived in 1952 by Beebe and Clegg. Lots of newspaper clippings with Wright interest, mostly from the 1940 s and 50 s. The papers are enclosed in seven or eight file folders. When stacked up, the stack measures about four inches.
Original manuscript notes made from Wright s reading in South Asian customs.
Sport and Work on the Nepaul Frontier; Twelve Years Sporting Reminiscences of an Indigo-Planter, by Maori. Franklin Square Library, No.35, January, 1879. Wright s copy, with his home-made quarter cloth and paper wrappers, titled in his hand. Some ticks in the margin. At least two remarks in this book are noted in Wright s original manuscript notes the references on p.32 to where the rhinoceros is to be found, and which social classes are allowed to eat rhino meat (all of them).
Wright s copy, India and Her Neighbors, by W.P. Andrew The Seaside Library, No.437, about 1878. With some ticks in the margins, and he has written gold mines and drawn an arrow to a line on p.60 that refers to an area in the Himalayas where gold was being mined.
Example of marginal tick, p.5, India and Her Neighbors.
Example of marginal tick, p.43, Sport and Work on the Nepaul Frontier.
Photocopies, notes on South Asia customs. This is page one of six. Beinecke Finding Aids lists manuscript notes on the Middle East.
Photocopy, The Nizam of Zim-Zim, clean copy, page 1 of 3 1/4 pages in Wright s hand. Apparently a fragment. This cataloguer can find no evidence that the story was ever published. The original manuscript, with many more of Wright s papers, are held by the Beinecke Library at Yale. The Beinecke purchased them from the William Reese Co., of New Haven, a prominent Americana bookseller.
Photocopy, autograph letter, signed, from Samuel Clemens to Dan DeQuille. This is one of six letters in photocopy, held by William Wright s family. When copied, these were apparently the only ones remaining to the family. All known letters, including these six, from Clemens to Wright can be seen at the Mark Twain Project, Letters, online. The last known location of all these six was the James S. Copley Library, La Jolla, California. The Copley sold them at a series of Sotheby s auctions in 2010 and 2011. At left, September 17, 1864 (the year supplied by the Mark Twain Project, U.C. Berkeley). One page, the signature was cut off by the photocopier operator.
January 28 (1876). Three pages (p.3 not shown here), again the signature cut off.
July 14, 1865. One page.
Stenographic letter, signed by Clemens, January 5, 1876. Three pages. The last two letters, not shown here, are dated: Hartford, September 17, (1875), two pages. Hartford, November 29, (1876), two pages.
Mrs. William Wright, (Caroline Coleman Wright) Original carte de visite photograph, front and back.
On the left, an envelope containing various family records; below, an attempt at genealogy.
Paint recipe, for Flesh tints. Aunt Lou Wright s writing. Aunt Lou was one of Wright s daughters.
Photocopies of Notes, dated December 26, 1880. In Dan s hand. About 93 pages. Looks like mostly rough drafts of stories or articles, with many corrections. Some may be transcriptions from various publications. A few pages are of periodical clippings. Shown here is the title page.
Photocopies, another bundle of Notes, about 55 pages. Undated, but about 1882-1884. In Dan s hand. Disorderly, on many topics. A large number of disconnected sentences separated by lines. They look like ideas for stories or articles, perhaps written down so they won t be forgotten. Many of them are crossed out, as though rejected or perhaps the ideas have been implemented. Some are notes taken from books read. Shown here is the top page on the pile.
Photocopy, The Washoe Club. This is page one of six. This cataloguer can find no evidence it was ever published. The original manuscript, along with several other Wright papers, was given by the family to the Historical Society of Iowa in 1988.
Photocopy, seemingly a letter to Dan from an un-named early settler in the Washoe territory: The first time I ever heard the name Washoe applied to this territory was in the winter of 1853 The narrative continues with various schemes, crimes, deaths, murders, up to the discovery on the Comstock. But, after three pages, it abruptly halts. Shown is the first page.
Close-up of the preceding. Did Chap Schaffer own the first bowling alley in California? Or is this one of the hoaxes Wright was famous for? Chap did become a Judge in Sierra County; one source says he was already a Judge by 1850 (Chauncey Canfield, editor, Diary of a Forty-Niner, Houghton, Mifflin, 1920).
Photocopies, envelope containing letter to Dan, and selfaddressed stamped envelope to encourage a response. The letter solicits contribution of an article to the Psychical Society Circular describing an experience he shared with Mark Twain involving telepathy.
Photocopy, paid receipt from the Union Hall Hotel, Hartford, 1875. Wright spent some time with Clemens, who lived in Hartford, while he was writing The Big Bonanza, which was published in 1876.
Photocopy, letter from the Carson Mint, 1875, ending Love to you and Mark.
Original typed letter, signed, from Frank M. Flack to Dan s granddaughter asking for any information she might have to help with the PhD thesis he is preparing on Mark Twain and the New York Tribune. One sheet, two pages.
Letter from Cecil Gage Tilton, author of William Chapman Ralson: Courageous Builder, 1935. He had a PhD in Economics from Harvard, had taught Economics at the University of Connecticut and University of Hawaii. He was apparently at this time (1953) still working on the history of the development of the West. Page one of three.
Page two of three
Page three of three
Mr. and Mrs. Cecil Gage Tilton Finis