Guide to the Magee Family Papers, 1790-1952 DAR.1968.01
Arrangement
Repository
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Title
Magee Family Papers
Creator
Magee family
Collection Number
DAR.1968.01
Extent
26.77 Linear Feet(32 boxes manuscript material and 19 boxes photographic material)
Date
1790-1952
Abstract
This collection of correspondence, land plot drawings, receipts and photographs records the lives of prominent Pittsburgh citizens Judge Christopher Magee and his wife Elizabeth, and their children, Jane, Walter, and Christopher Magee, Jr. The Magee Family Papers document land development undertaken by the Magee and Watson families in Pittsburgh from the 1790s to the 1890s. Also present are Watson family papers relating to land sales and development conducted by Christopher's mother, Jane Watson, grandfather Andrew Watson, Jr., and uncle Robert Watson.
Language
English
.
Author
Angela Manella.
Publisher
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Address
University of Pittsburgh Library System Archives & Special Collections Website: library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections Business Number: 412-648-3232 (Thomas) | 412-648-8190 (Hillman) Contact Us: www.library.pitt.edu/ask-archivist URL: http://library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
Biography
The Magee and Watson families were among the early settlers and developers of Pittsburgh. In the early nineteenth century, they were joined by the marriage of hatter Christopher Linem Magee (1786-1839) and Jane Watson (1796- 1880). The Watson family purchased and developed land in Pittsburgh, leasing lots to relations in the Wylie and Black families, as well as other neighbors. Jane and Christopher Magee had four children, including Christopher (1829-1909).
Christopher graduated from the Western University of Pennsylvania, where his uncle, Robert Watson, had been chancellor, with a bachelor's degree in 1848. Later, he earned his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1852. He was elected to the state legislature in 1856.
In 1859 Christopher married his cousin, Elizabeth Louise McLeod (1836-1902) of Staten Island, New York, and they resided on Grant Street in Pittsburgh. Elizabeth Louise, known to her family as Louisa, made extended trips to the east coast to visit her family throughout her marriage to Christopher. Later in life, she summered in Jacksonville, Florida, and various resorts in New Jersey and New York.
Christopher and Louisa had seven children, five of whom lived to adulthood: Margaret (1861-1894), Christopher, Jr. (1863-1951), Jane (1869-1880), Julia (1871-1921) and Walter (1874-1952). Margaret was survived by her husband, Kier Mitchell, and daughter, Louise. Louise attended Misses Shipley's School in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, with the financial assistance of her grandfather. Christopher, Jr. earned his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania and was employed by a Pittsburgh firm. Walter, called "Doc" by his siblings, traveled extensively in Europe and Asia. Little about Margaret, Jane or Julia is found in this collection or in secondary sources.
Christopher Magee was appointed to the Court of Common Pleas No. 2 of Allegheny County in 1885. He was active in the community as an incorporator of Shadyside Academy, Pittsburgh Hospital for Children, and the Allegheny Cemetery. He was a member of the Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce, the University Club of Pittsburgh, the Delta Phi Club of New York City and the Pennsylvania Forestry Association. Christopher was involved in the Democratic Party, serving on the Allegheny County Finances Committee.
The extended Magee family had prominent members not mentioned in this collection. For example, William A. Magee, mayor of Pittsburgh, was a cousin of Judge Christopher Magee. Also, Christopher Lyman Magee (1848-1901), was a Republican Party political leader in Pittsburgh whose home became the maternity hospital that is now UPMC Magee Women's Hospital.
Scope and Content Notes
This collection of photographs and manuscripts relate to the nuclear and extended family of Christopher and Louisa Magee. There is a great deal of family correspondence, most notably letters between Christopher and Louisa from their courtship and marriage in the 1850s until her death in 1902. Louisa also received many letters from her family in New York state, including letters from her Aunt Sue (whose last name is not indicated in the letters), and her father, Reverend John M. McLeod.
The collection also contains letters from their sons, Walter and Christopher, Jr., and their granddaughter, Louise. Christopher, Jr. corresponded with his mother during her various trips to New York, and Walter sent his father many letters from his travels abroad. Louisa also received letters from her relations in the Wylie family. Most of these letters relate to the health, work and travel of family members. Financial issues are sometimes mentioned. Some of the letters document a major family outing to the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, attended by Louisa, her son Walter, her sister-in-law Jane, and her granddaughter Louise.
In addition to family correspondence, a small group of letters and mailings related to Christopher's mother, Jane Watson Magee, can be found in this collection. Stock certificates in the Algonquin Company, a Montana mining operation, and the Coal Hill Military Co. are present.
The collection also contains extensive handwritten notes on cases argued by Christopher early in his career, and cases he heard as judge of the Court of Common Pleas. The collection includes the certificate of Judge Magee's appointment to the Court of Common Pleas No. 2 of the Fifth Judicial District in 1885, as well as his legal degree, and that of his son, Christopher, Jr., from the University of Pennsylvania.
Extensive receipts document the purchase of household goods, utilities and payment of taxes and insurance. Many of these materials are undated and fragmentary, although it is clear that they relate to Magee and Watson family purchases from the late eighteenth through the early nineteenth century. A substantial portion of the receipts from both the Watson and Magee families relate to domestic purchases, including food, utilities, clothing, and household goods.
The collection contains materials on land development in Pittsburgh, including large land plot diagrams related to the properties of Andrew Watson in the late 1700s and of Robert Watson and his sister Jane in the 1800s. Indentures and maps of Andrew Watson and Robert Watson's properties, land sales and leases from 1828 to 1881 are in the collection. The papers of Andrew Watson include a 1796 license issued by Thomas Mifflin to open a Public House, and the certificate of his appointment as Justice of the Peace in 1798. Additional Watson family papers relating to land sales were collected by the Darlington family as the Hugh Henry Brackenridge and Andrew Watson Papers, 1784-1827 (see Related Materials).
The collection also contains non-manuscript items, including a family bible, a scrapbook of newspaper clippings about the early years of flight, and pairs of spectacles. It is unclear to which family member these items belonged. A number of photographic formats are present, and multiple large photo albums in which family members are identified, including Jane Watson Magee, Judge Christopher Magee, Walter Pollack Magee, Elizabeth Louise McLeod Magee, and other family members.
Arrangement
The collection has been arranged by creator and format. The Magee and Watson family papers have been arranged in separate series.
Series I. Magee Family Papers, 1798-1952
Series II. Watson Family Papers, 1795-1901
Series III. Receipts, 1790-1910
Series IV. Family Material, Oversized, 1791-1906
Series V. Photographic Materials, 1850-1915
Access Restrictions
No restrictions.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Elizabeth Louise McLeod Mitchell and Geoffry Conklin to the Darlington Memorial Library in 1968.
Previous Citation
Magee Family Papers, 1790-1952, DAR.1968.01, Darlington Collection, Special Collections Department, University of Pittsburgh
Preferred Citation
Magee Family Papers, 1790-1952, DAR.1968.01, Darlington Collection, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Angela Manella in July 2007.
Copyright
No copyright restrictions.
Related Material
Hugh Henry Brackenridge and Andrew Watson Papers, 1784-1827, DAR.1937.04, Darlington Collection, Archives & Special Collections Department, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Separated Material
Large manuscript materials, such as maps and other diagrams, are stored separately in flat cases to accommodate their size. Bound materials, including scrapbooks and ledgers, are also stored separately from manuscripts. These materials are indicated as "Oversize" throughout the finding aid.
Custodial History
This collection was located in the Darlington Memorial Library in the University's Cathedral of Learning until 2007 when it was moved to the ULS Archives Service Center for processing, storage, preservation and service. However, it remains in the custodianship of the ULS Special Collections Department.
Subjects
Corporate Names
Pittsburgh Junction Railroad Company
Coal Hill Military Company
Algonquin Company
Shadyside Presbyterian Church (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Bellefield Club (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Personal Names
Watson, Robert
Watson, Andrew
Magee, Christopher
Magee, Elizabeth Louise
Magee, Christopher
Magee, Jane (Watson)
Magee, Christopher L.
Family Names
Watson family
Magee family
Geographic Names
Pittsburgh (Pa.)
Genres
Legal documents
Correspondence
Receipts (Financial records)
Photographs
Family papers
Other Subjects
Real estate developers -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
Judges -- Pennsylvania
Lawyers -- Pennsylvania
Real estate development -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
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