Lewis’ personal and business correspondence from 1893-1908 were stored in a Whitney-Woodline Trunk Co. container with a removable shelf. The papers were organized chronologically with the year placed on the top of the twine that loosely bound the papers. The bottom row contained a series of business organization units called “THE SHANNON BINDING CASE” with receipts from 1890s to 1900s. This collection contains letters, telegrams, postcards, invoices, checks, and other personal papers to Lewis Moulton from the Fenno family (Lewis’ cousins), Irving Moulton (Lewis’ brother) C.K. Cohn & Company, First National Bank, J.M. Griffith Company, and Richard Egan.
These papers were stacked together and sealed off until historians reopened the trunks with the Moulton family. The trunks with personal papers were kept by Louise Moulton Hanson at her home in Santa Barbara for decades before they were moved back to Orange County. The Whitney-Woodline Trunk. Co. unit was manufactured in Los Angeles that was located at 343-345 South Spring street. They moved their retail department to 419 South Spring street. Lewis likely acquired this trunk while residing in Los Angeles in the 1890s when he had an apartment.
