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Bard family papers

 Collection
Identifier: MVC028

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of correspondence, financial records, ledgers, account books, photographs, notes, and daybooks. The correspondence includes both family and business letters. Topics covered are wide-ranging and largely related to the family's business ventures throughout Ventura County and Southern California. The Bard family's wealth was accumulated through land ownership and development, stock farms, and investments in oil and water utilities. The papers shed light on the relationships and business dealings of one of the most influential families in Ventura County history. Most of the boxes have detailed inventories of their contents.

Dates

  • circa 1850-1964

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE: Open for research. All requests to access materials must be made in advance by contacting the Research Library staff via email: library@venturamuseum.org.

Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

Property rights to the physical object belong to the Museum of Ventura County. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where the museum does not hold the copyright.

Biographical / Historical

The Bard family traced their ancestry back to Ireland, from where an ancestor emigrated in 1741 and settled in Pennsylvania. Thomas Bard was born on December 8, 1841, in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. A trained lawyer, he worked for the Pennsylvania Railroad Company under Thomas Scott, who had invested in land in what would later become Ventura County. Following the Civil War, Bard travelled to Ventura County in 1865 to oversee Scott's property. Bard was a member of the Board of Supervisors of Santa Barbara County between 1868 and 1872.

He married Mary "Mollie" Beatrice Gerberding in San Francisco on April 23, 1876. They had eight children. Thomas Bard also served as California Senator (Republican) from Feb 7, 1900, to March 3, 1905. He was also one of the founders of the Union Oil company. Thomas Bard and the Bard family also played a central role in the expansion of Port Hueneme. Thomas Bard died on March 5, 1915, at the family home in Berylwood, Hueneme.

Cephas "Little" Bard, Thomas's brother, was born on April 7, 1843. He was a doctor and practiced medicine in Pennsylvania until 1865, at which time he moved west to join his brother Thomas Bard. He was the first American physician to take up practice in what is now Ventura County. When the county was established in the early 1870s, Dr. Bard was elected coroner. Dr. Bard served 20 years as county physician and surgeon. He was also president of the Ventura County Pioneer Society, and his collection of curios formed the basis for what would eventually become the Museum of Ventura County.

On January 1, 1902, the Elizabeth Bard Memorial Hospital was opened to the public. The Bard brothers established it as a memorial to their mother. The building is now known as the Elizabeth Bard Memorial Building and is located at 121 N. Fir Street, on the corner of Fir and Poli Streets. Dr. Bard passed away on Sunday April 20, 1902.

Bard Mansion, located at Naval Base Ventura County, Port Hueneme, was constructed in 1912 and was known as Berylwood. The mansion was built as a family home for Thomas Bard. It was turned into a historic site in 1977. The family established the Berylwood Investment Company as a holding for the family's wealth.

Extent

82.45 Cubic Feet : (52 boxes, 118 ledgers)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

The Bard family is one of the most influential families in Ventura County history. The family moved to the area from Pennsylvania by Thomas R. Bard in the 1860s. He was soon followed by his brother, Cephas "Little" Bard, who was a trained medical doctor. Thomas R. Bard was involved in local politics and went on to serve as a senator in the U.S. Senate. Dr. Bard practiced medicine in Ventura County and his collection of curios served as the basis for what would eventually become the Museum of Ventura County's holdings. Thomas R. Bard's family home, Berylwood Mansion, now on the naval base at Hueneme, was designated a historic site in 1977. The brothers established Elizabeth Bard Memorial Hospital in memory of their mother.

The collection consists of correspondence, financial records, ledgers, account books, photographs, notes, and daybooks. The correspondence includes both family and business letters. Topics covered are wide-ranging and largely related to the family's business ventures throughout Ventura County and Southern California.

Organization and Arrangement

The collection is organized into the following series. In some cases, additional notes on arrangement have been added at the series level. Original order has been maintained where possible. See Other Finding Aids for a PDF inventory of Series 1-12.

This collection has been arranged in the following series:

  • Series 1: Bard family correspondence, 1883-1964
  • Series 2: Berylwood Investment Company records, 1907-1952
  • Series 3: Berylwood Stock Farm records, 1912-1964
  • Series 4: Business records, 1880-1935
  • Series 5: Graham-Loftus Oil Company records, 1897-1943
  • Series 6: Land and oil, 1864-1960
  • Series 7: Notes and mortgages, 1872-1931
  • Series 8: Papers and ledgers, 1850-1915
  • Series 9: Simi Land and Water Company records, circa 1800s-1900s
  • Series 10: Southside Improvement Company, 1883-1910
  • Series 11: Thomas Robert Bard papers, 1890-1917
  • Series 12: Richard Bard papers, 1880-1917
  • Series 13: Ledgers, 1883-1954
  • Physical Location

    Stored off-site and advance notice required for timely retrieval. Please contact the Research Library reference desk prior to your visit at library@venturamuseum.org.

    Other Finding Aids

    Inventories for Series 1-12 are available in this legacy finding aid Series 1-12 Inventory. Boxes 1-17 were processed by former staff to the item or folder level and there are more descriptive inventories for those boxes. The Beryl B. Bard correspondence (1895-1951) and Beryl B. Bard and Richard Bard (1896-1939) sets of correspondence in Series 1 are in Box 1 and Box 2. Consult with the library before requesting boxes as some of the box numbers in the legacy finding aid may be outdated.

    All books in Boxes 46-52 are listed this Bard Family Books Inventory document.

    Provenance/Source of Acquisition

    Bard family; gift; 1983. Archie Bard; gift; 1979, 1996. Mrs. Richard Bard; gift; 1978. Joanna B. Newton; gift; 1993. Pat Sales; gift; 1981.

    Related Materials

    Dr. Cephas "Little" Bard was a well-known member of the Bard family. His papers are a separate collection (MVC026) and are at the MVC Research Library. The finding aid for the collection is available on the MVC's OAC page.

    Processing Information

    Processed by former museum staff. Processing of unprocessed and accruals by Krystell Jimenez, 2021, with assistance from Nicholas Lawrence and Isabel Cline, 2021-2022.

    Creator

    Title
    Finding aid for the Bard family papers, 1850-1864
    Status
    Completed
    Author
    This finding aid prepared by former museum staff and Krystell Jimenez, 2021.
    Date
    June 2021
    Description rules
    Describing Archives: A Content Standard
    Language of description
    English
    Script of description
    Latin
    Sponsor
    This finding aid was made possible in part through funding from the County of Ventura and the Heritage Fund at the Ventura County Community Foundation.
    Edition statement
    This finding aid was updated in July 2022.

    Repository Details

    Part of the Museum of Ventura County Repository

    Contact:
    100 East Main Street
    Ventura, CA 93001
    (805) 653-0323