Guide to the James Porteous Collection, , No online items

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1 No online items Processed by Jeanette L. Jurkovich; machine-readable finding aid created by James Lake Fresno City & County Historical Society Archives 7160 West Kearney Boulevard Fresno, California Phone: (559) Fax: (559) URL: Fresno City and County Historical Society. All rights reserved. MSS #004 1

2 Collection number: MSS #004 Fresno City & County Historical Society Archives Fresno, California Contact Information: Fresno City & County Historical Society Archives 7160 West Kearney Boulevard Fresno, California Phone: (559) Fax: (559) URL: Processed by: Jeanette L. Jurkovich Encoded by: James Lake 1999 Fresno City and County Historical Society. All rights reserved. Descriptive Summary Title: James Porteous Collection, Date (inclusive): , 1972 Collection number: MSS #004 Origination: Porteous, James, Extent: 9 boxes Repository: Fresno City and County Historical Society Fresno, California Language: English. Acquisition Papers of James Porteous, donated by his daughter, Mrs. Agnes Porteous Walker. Access Collection is open for research by appointment only. Publication Rights Copyright has not been assigned to the Fresno City and County Historical Society. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Society archivist. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Fresno City and County Historical Society as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader. Preferred Citation [Identification of item], James Porteous Collection, MSS #004, Fresno City and County Historical Society. Biography James Porteous was born in 1848, in Haddington, Scotland, the son of a wheelwright and blacksmith, William Porteous. In 1877, James Porteous moved to Fresno and established a wagon shop that would later become the largest agricultural implement business in the valley, Fresno Agricultural Works. James Porteous is best known for his role in the development and marketing of the Fresno Scraper. After developing and patenting several dirt-scrapers himself, he would purchase the rights to two additional scrapers--one patented by William Deidrick, and one patented by Abijah McCall and Frank Dusy. Porteous would combine the elements of these two scrapers MSS #004 2

3 with his own improvements and begin manufacturing the Fresno Scraper. This implement would play a vital role in the land-leveling, ditch-digging and road construction of the San Joaquin Valley and go on to be marketed throughout the world. The Fresno Scraper was used during WWI on the European front, and was used in the construction of the Panama Canal. Eventually, the bulldozer would bring the use of the Fresno Scraper to an end. At the time of his death, Porteous held 200 patents, including patents for 50 of his own inventions. In addition to his operation of Fresno Agricultural Works (now known as Fresno Ag), Porteous farmed 80 acres of tree fruit and vines and was active in Fresno's civic life. He was one of the founders of the YMCA, a charter member of the First Presbyterian Church, president of the Knob Hill Oil Company in Bakersfield, a member of the Fresno Chamber of Commerce, and an officer of the lodge of Odd Fellows. Porteous authored a volume of poetry entitled Death and the Reporter. Records indicate 1000 volumes were published and paid for by Porteous. Porteous became a citizen in 1879, and married Jenny Ritchie. (There is a discrepancy in their year of marriage. Fresno Past and Present, Vol. 23, No.4, indicates the wedding took place in 1895 yet personal correspondence alludes the wedding may have occurred in late December, 1900.) James and Jenny had 6 children, William, Mary, Agnes, Margaret, James Jr., and John. In 1916, the family moved to the prominent home that still stands at 1095 North Van Ness. Scope and Content The Porteous papers span , 1976 and contain correspondence, financial records, patents, and legal documents, printed material, Fresno Agricultural Works catalogs, photographs, a scrapbook, newsclippings, the manuscript and one hard-bound copy of Death and the Reporter. Abstract Photographs: Photo Boxes 1 and 2, files 1-80, Glass Negative Collection #004 Published Sources "James Porteous, Fresno's Forgotten Inventor," Fresno Past and Present. The Journal of the Fresno City and County Historical Society. Winter Volume 23 No.4. "James Porteous, 'History of the State of California and Biographical Record of the San Joaquin Valley, California'", by Prof. J. M. Guinn, A.M. The Chapman Publishing Co. Chicago Pg Death and the Reporter, by James Porteous, Monfort and Co. Printers, Cincinnati, Ohio, Correspondence ( ) Arrangement Arranged by date and includes personal correspondence ( ), correspondence from Scotland (1896) and Fresno Agricultural Works ( ). Patent and Patent Rights ( ) Additional Note Arranged by year and include patents for dirt scrapers, raisin stemmers, vineyard weed cutters, plows, raisin graders, fruit presses, rotary harrows, raisin and fig presses, combined plow and seeders, fruit graders, etc. File 41 holds patents held by other inventors ( ). File 42 holds a few separate unidentified patent drawings. Printed Material Includes Fresno Agricultural Works stationary, company calendars for , 1947, two company catalogs from c.1904 and 1906, a large catalog (assumed to be a salesman's) with photographs of equipment, a copy of Bill Porteous' yearbook for Fresno High School class of 1921, and newsclippings ( ). Financial Documents Includes various receipts and bills, including an accounting of taxes for , and a ledger book (1886) MSS #004 3

4 Literary Productions Literary Productions Includes correspondence relating to the publishing of Death and the Reporter ( ) indicating Porteous paid to have 1000 books published with proceeds to be donated to the Board of Foreign Missions. Several journals contain his handwritten manuscript of poetry. A paper entitled "Long Underwear," written by Agnes Porteous and a handwritten account of a person enduring the "London Blitz" is also included. Legal Documents Include correspondence ( ), mostly between Porteous and his patent attorneys, birth certificates, James Porteous' Letter of Intention/Naturalization, a partnership agreement between Tuttle and Porteous ( ), documents relating to the formation of Knob Hill Oil Company, legal disputes related to rights involved with the Raisin Stemmer, a patent held by William Porteous (son of James Porteous), abstracts of title for land bounded by Tulare, Kern, L, and M streets ( ). Scrapbook and Scrapbook Materials consist of one scrapbook containing various clippings of actresses. Photographs Include several photos of agricultural equipment, a photo of Fresno Agricultural Works parade float, a Fresno Agricultural Works promotional wagon, and numerous family photos. Correspondence Box Box 1, file 1 Personal incoming file 2 Letters from Scotland 1886 file 3 Fresno Ag. Works Incoming Patent/Patent rights Box Box 1, file Dirt Scraper file Dirt Scraper file Dusy/McCall Dirt file Hague Dirt Scraper file Raisin Stemmer MSS #004 4

5 Patent/Patent rights file Vineyard Weed Cutter file Lissenden Dirt Scraper file Plow file Diedrich Transfer of Scraper Rights file Raisin Grader file Patent Transfers file Dusy Transfer of Rights file McCall Scraper file Smith/Hopkins scraper file Raisin/Fig Press file Scraper Agreement Cancellation file Raisin Grader file Presses for packing fruit-denotovich MSS #004 5

6 Patent/Patent rights file Combined Plow/seeder file Draft Connection file Orchard Plow file Fruit Grader rights file Wagon gear file Disk Harrow file Raisin Stemmer rights file Steam Generator file Brush Chopper file Adjustable Truck file Revolving Harrows file Raisin feeder/sorter Box Box 2, file Vineyard Plow MSS #004 6

7 Patent/Patent rights file Raisin Stemmer file Tractor Wheels file Combination elbows file Vineyard disk plow file Non-leaking bearings file Scraper transfer of rts. file 41 Patents held by others ( ) various file 42 Patent Drawings, n.d. Printed Material Box Box 3, file 43 Stationary file 44 Calendars 1941, 1942 file 45 Calendars 1943, 1944 file 46 Calendars 1945, 1947 file 47 Catalogs c Catalog #6 file 48 Catalogs 1906 Catalog #7 file 49 Newsclippings ( ) various Financial Documents Box Box 3, file 50 Receipts/bills various file 51 Taxes MSS #004 7

8 Literary Productions Literary Productions Box Box 3, file 52 Correspondence file 53 Manuscripts n.d. Death and Reporter Sep. Sheet to Box 6 file 54 Manuscripts n.d. Long Underwear, London Blitz file 55 Bills/Receipts 1913 Legal Documents Box Box 3, file 56 Correspondence file 57 Birth Certificates file 58 Decl. of Intention/Naturalization 1877, 1879 file 59 Tuttle Porteous Prtnrshp file 60 Knob Hill file 61 General file 62 Raisin Stemmer file 63 Wm. Porteous Patent Miscellaneous Box Box 3, file 64 Prescription, landscape plan Legal Documents Box Box 4 General Financial Docs Box Box Lit Prod, Legal, and Printed Material Box Box 6 General Printed Material, Scrapbook Box Box 7 General Photographs Box Photo Box 1, Fresno Agricultural Works Building file 1 file 2 Man at drafting table Interior photos of showroom and shop file 3 Interior of store, counter area file 4 Interior of shop with 4 men file 5 Interior of shop with 3 men file 6 Interior of shop (1910) file 7 Interior of showroom file 8 Construction of Fresno Agricultural Works, courthouse and water tower in background file 9 Fresno Scraper file 10 Interior showroom, machinery file 11 flat bed wagon, rubber tire buggy c.1890's file 12 interior of showroom file 13 G. A. Gordon's Combine harvester c.1907 file 14 machinery c.1898, machinery file 15 Fresno Ag. Works parade float file 16 8-horse drawn earth packer, harrows MSS #004 8

9 Photographs file 17 harrows file 18 Fresno Scraper (So. Methodist Church in background) file 19 7 different photos of dirt-movers file 20 Fresno Vineyard Disk file 21 plows file 22 Porteous Header, plow file 23 parts file 24 Fresno Sulfur duster, Exterior of Fresno Ag. Works, Tractor pulling machinery file 25 oil well file 26 misc. equip file 27 Fresno Ag. Works staff photo and promotional wagon file 28 motorized wood reducers file 29 mechanized field equipment file 30 3 wheel wagon file 31 tree plow pulled by tractor file 32 portrait of children, Bill, Agnes, Margaret and Mary Box Photo Box 2, James Porteous file 33 file 34 Jenny Ritchie Porteous file 35 Jenny Porteous and Bill file 36 Jenny Porteous file 37 Margaret, James Jr., Agnes and Mary Porteous file 38 Mary, Margaret, and Agnes Porteous file 39 Mary, Bill, Margaret, Agnes, Jimmy Porteous file 40 Agnes, Margaret, Mary Bill Porteous file 41 Mary, Margaret, and Bill Porteous file 42 Mary Porteous file 43 Porteous children and Jenny file 44 Porteous children and auto c.1910 file 45 Bell Ritchie with Bill and Mary Porteous file 46 Porteous Children file 47 Mary Porteous (baby) file 48 Jenny and Mary Porteous file 49 Mary, Bill, and Jenny Porteous file 50 Mary, Bill and Jenny Porteous at the Cherry/Church Ranch file 51 Agnes Porteous file 52 Margaret Porteous (1907) file 53 Bill and Mary Porteous (1905) file 54 Jenny, Mary, Bill Porteous (1905) file 55 Proofs of Porteous children file 56 Porteous children file 57 Porteous children with Jenny file 58 Porteous children with Jenny file 59 Porteous children with Jenny file 60 Porteous home on Van Ness and T St. file 61 Bill Porteous file 62 Bill Porteous file 63 Bill Porteous file 64 Bill Porteous file 65 Mary Porteous file 66 Agnes Porteous file 67 Jenny Porteous at the beach file 68 Bill Porteous on a burro file 69 Mary Porteous on a burro file 70 Margaret Porteous on a burro file 71 Agnes and Jimmy Porteous on a burro file 72 Jack Porteous file 73 John (Jack) Porteous MSS #004 9

10 Photographs file 74 file 75 file 76 file 77 file 78 file 79 file 80 Ritchie Family Bell T. Ritchie grandchildren scrapbook page of photos misc. pictures agricultural implements Fresno Agricultural Works Exhibition MSS #004 10