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The James Fergus Family papers are divided into four subgroups: James Fergus; Andrew Fergus; Fergus Live Stock and Land Company; and miscellaneous. Papers (1857-1971) include biographical materials, incoming correspondence, outgoing correspondence, general correspeondence, financial records, legal documents, subject files, and miscellany., This collection is divided into four subgroups: James Fergus; Andrew Fergus; Fergus Live Stock and Land Company; and Miscellaneous., The James Fergus Subgroup includes biographical material (n.d.); incoming correspondence (1860-1900, n.d.) consisting of both personal and business correspondence; outgoing correspondence (1861-1899, n.d.), including letters to family, friends, and newspaper editors; financial records (1857-1897, n.d.), consisting of two ledgers of the Cone Butte and Moccasin Roundup (also referred to as the Moccasin and Cone Butte Roundup) which was a local cattlemen's association organized in 1884 for which Fergus served as secretary and president; legal documents (1884-1910); subject files (1889-1904), concerning the distribution of James Fergus' estate and the purchase of John H. Ming's horses; writings (1876-1892); miscellany (1858-1898, n.d.), including notebooks which include a wide variety of entries such as a list of fruit trees planted, descriptions of daily events, a list of hired men, costs of purchases, shopping lists, etc.; and clippings (1899, 1900, n.d.)., The Andrew Fergus Subgroup includes incoming correspondence (1881-1918, n.d.) containing both business and personal correspondence; outgoing correspondence (1886-1916); court papers (1910, 1919); minor financial records (1878-1911); legal documents (1879, 1906-1916) which are primarily crop leases; and miscellany (1879-1900), consisting primarily of notebooks which include brief entries of daily activities and counts of cattle by brand., The Fergus Live Stock and Land Company Subgroup includes general correspondence (1908-1923); financial records (1859-1931); legal documents (1895-1934); minutes (1895-1931); and miscellany (1898-1908). The subgroup contains material which pertains to James and Andrew Fergus' business interests including small amounts of financial material concerning James Fergus' business in Minnesota and the Fergus' ranching operations near Helena and in the Judith Basin. In addition to this financial material, the subgroup contains a small amount of correspondence and legal documents which concern the Company generally. Correspondence and legal documents which are addressed or pertain specifically to James or Andrew Fergus are filed in the appropriate subgroup. See particularly the correspondence in the Andrew Fergus Subgroup from Harry H. Marks., The Miscellaneous Subgroup is divided into eight series: incoming correspondence (1884-1912, n.d.), which is primarily personal correspondence of the Fergus and Gilpatrick families; outgoing correspondence (n.d.) of George Gilpatrick; miscellaneous correspondence (1887-1912), neither to nor from the Fergus family, or unidentified; financial records (1870-1872); legal documents (1898, 1921,1929); writings (n.d.); miscellany (1881-1931); and clippings (1870-1928, n.d.). (Manuscript Collection 28)