FM MSS 28
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Overview of the Collection | |
| Creator: | Swilling, Jack, 1830-1878 |
| Title: | John William (Jack) Swilling Collection |
| Inclusive Dates: | 1830-1978 |
| Quantity: | 5 Boxes (1.5 Linear Feet) |
| Abstract: | This collection contains a variety of primary and secondary source materials compiled by historians Mark Shields and Geoffrey P. Mawn, including biographical manuscripts, research notes, articles, correspondence, genealogies, and records of military service. Of particular interest is a journal from the Phoenix Ditch Company chronicling financial dealings from 1870 to 1883. |
| Identification: | FM MSS 28 |
| Language: | Material in English |
| Repository: | Arizona State University Library. Greater Arizona Collection P.O. Box 871006 Tempe, AZ 85287-1006 Phone: (480) 965-4932 E-Mail: archives@asu.edu Questions? Ask An Archivist! |
Soldier, prospector, entrepreneur, and gentleman John William (Jack) Swilling was born in South Carolina on April 1, 1830. He spent the formative years of his life in the South before enlisting in the military in 1848 and serving in the Mexican-American War. In 1854, he sustained a painful head injury that would affect him for the rest of his life. He married and had a child in Alabama as before moving West. Swilling joined the ox train of the El Paso-Fort Yuma (Leach) Wagon Road at that time and later served as captain of the Gila Rangers, a militia formed to respond to Indian attacks in the Gadsden Purchase area. In 1860, Swilling settled in the Pinos Altos area and joined the Arizona Guard. His unit was integrated into the Confederacy's fighting forces during the Civil War, but Swilling had deserted by July 1862. Swilling continued prospecting in the Gila and Hassayampa River areas and married Trinidad Escalante of Tucson in April of 1864.
After numerous other mining and farming ventures, Swilling settled in the Salt River Valley in 1867, founded the first ditch company, and constructed the canals that would feed the township that was to become Phoenix. In addition to ditch construction, Swilling served as Justice of the Peace, postmaster, and president of the county's Democratic Convention. He later moved to Black Canyon and started a successful mining company before he retired, mainly due to the growing discomfort associated with earlier injuries and substance abuse issues. In April of 1878 Swilling went to exhume the remains of friend Jacob Snively for Christian burial. During this journey he and two friends were accused of an armed stagecoach robbery and held for a pre-trial hearing. Although eventually found innocent, Swilling died in custody on August 12, 1878 while awaiting trial.
Chronology (Submitted by Al Bates in 2011) | ||
| 1847 June 30 | Enrolled for service in the Mexican War | |
| 1848 July 13 | Discharged | |
| 1852 | Married Mary Jane Gray of Wetumpka, Alabama | |
| 1853 April 2 | Birth of his daughter Elizabeth Price Davis Swilling | |
| 1854 | Suffers serious head injury | |
| 1865 April 1 | Leaves wife and daughter for unknown reasons/destination | |
| 1958 April 13 | At Fort Belknap, Texas joins Leach Wagon Road Company | |
| 1860 January | Leads Gila Rangers in pursuit of Indian stock thieves | |
| 1863 May | Guides Joseph R. Walker party to gold near today's Prescott | |
This collection contains a variety of primary and secondary source materials compiled by historians Mark Shields and Geoffrey P. Mawn, including biographical manuscripts, research notes, articles, correspondence, genealogies, and records of military service. Of particular interest is a journal from the Phoenix Ditch Company chronicling financial dealings from 1870 to 1883.
The collection is organized into two series and alphabetically and chronologically within.
To view this collection, make an appointment at least five business days prior to your visit by contacting Ask an Archivist or calling (480) 965-4932. Appointments in the Wurzburger Reading Room at Hayden Library (rm. 138) on the Tempe campus are available Monday through Friday. Check the ASU Library Hours page for current availability.
Arizona State University does not own the copyright to this collection. We recognize that it is incumbent upon the researcher to procure permission to publish information from this collection from the owner of the copyright.
The families of Mark Shields and Geoffrey P. Mawn donated these papers to the Arizona Historical Foundation.
[Identification of item], John William (Jack) Swilling Collection, FM MSS 28, Arizona State University Library.
The Arizona Historical Foundation transferred these materials to the Arizona Collection in 2012.
| Series I: Primary Sources | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 1 | 1 | Arrest and Death, 1878-1879 | |||||||||
| 1 | 2 | Career, 1857-1878 | |||||||||
| 1 | 3 | Civil War Service, 1861-1962 | |||||||||
| 1 | 4 | Irrigation and Canal Company Land Claim and Plans, 1867-1964 | |||||||||
| 1 | 5 | Miscellaneous Research Notes, Undated | |||||||||
| 1 | 6 | News Clippings, 1860-1957 | |||||||||
| 1 | 7 | Phoenix Ditch Company Journal, 1870-1883 | |||||||||
| 1 | 8 | Swilling Genealogy/Family History, 1792-1963 | |||||||||
| Series II: Secondary Sources | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 2 | 1 | Arizona Guards Materials and Notes, 1861-1862 | |||||||||
| 2 | 2 | Articles, Notes, and Maps, 1857-1860 | |||||||||
| 2 | 3 | Family History and Early Years, 1830-1856 | |||||||||
| 2 | 4 | Jack Swilling Manuscripts, 1939-1973 | |||||||||
| 2 | 5 | News Clippings, 1873-1978 | |||||||||
| 2 | 6 | Prospecting Career, 1863-1867 | |||||||||
| 2 | 7 | Various News Items, 1867-1873 | |||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 3 | 1 | Geoffrey Mawn Correspondence, 1973 | |||||||||
| 3 | 2 | Jack Swilling: A Re-Evaluation, 1973-1976 (Early Versions with Notes) | |||||||||
| 3 | 3 | Jack Swilling: A Re-Evaluation, 1976 | |||||||||
| 3 | 4 | Jack Swilling Materials: Notes, Maps, Articles, and Water Rights Information, 1872-1927 | |||||||||
| 3 | 5 | John William Swilling: A Study, Undated | |||||||||
| 3 | 6 | Promoters, Speculators, and the Selection of the Phoenix Townsite, Undated | |||||||||
| 3 | 7 | The Swilling Legacy/Swilling Articles by Earl Zarbin, 1978 | |||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 4 | 1 | Mark Shields Research Notes, Undated (Index Cards) | |||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 5 | 1 | Mark Shields Correspondence, 1947-1966 | |||||||||
| 5 | 2 | Shields Correspondence: Elizabeth M. Stover (Swilling Grandniece), 1949-1964 | |||||||||
| 5 | 3 | Shields Correspondence: Dr. Benjamin Sacks, 1962-1966 | |||||||||
| 5 | 4 | Shields Correspondence: Nona Barrick, 1961-1966 | |||||||||
| 5 | 5 | Shields Correspondence Regarding Butterfield Overland Co., 1947-1964 | |||||||||
| 5 | 6 | Correspondence Regarding Swilling's First Marriage, 1947-1963 (1 of 2) | |||||||||
| 5 | 7 | Correspondence Regarding Swilling's First Marriage, 1947-1955 (2 of 2) | |||||||||
| 5 | 8 | Shields Correspondence with Senator Carl Hayden, 1947-1961 | |||||||||
| 5 | 9 | News Clippings, 1861-1963 | |||||||||
| 5 | 10 | Mark Shields Manuscripts, Undated | |||||||||