Robert G. Marmon Papers
Collection
Identifier: MSS-990-BC
Scope and Content
The Robert G. Marmon Papers consist of correspondence, military documents, assorted documents related to the Pueblo of Laguna and surveying books. These materials relate primarily to the life and career of Robert G. Marmon of Laguna, New Mexico. The small collection of correspondence includes two letters related to railroad water use at Laguna and a replacement cattle receipt and memo. The military records include pension and pay claims related to members of the “Marmon Battalion” of New Mexico Militia. Pay and muster rolls and an ordnance report are also included. The surveying books include field notes and an 1880 text on railroad engineering. The collection also includes a number of oversize items, among them three documents appointing Robert G. Marmon as deputy surveyor in New Mexico, four certificates of commission of Robert G. Marmon in the New Mexico Militia and an 1896 muster roll of the “Marmon Battalion”.
An unpublished manuscript of an autobiography of Robert Gunn Marmon was donated to the Center for Southwest Research by Mr. Dale Gunn and added to the collection in November 2018.
An unpublished manuscript of an autobiography of Robert Gunn Marmon was donated to the Center for Southwest Research by Mr. Dale Gunn and added to the collection in November 2018.
Dates
- 1879-1944
Language of Materials
English
Access Restrictions
The collection is open for research.
Copy Restrictions
Limited duplication of CSWR material is allowed for research purposes. User is responsible for compliance with all copyright, privacy, and libel laws. Permission is required for publication or distribution.
Biography / History
Robert Gunn Marmon was born on October 21, 1848, in Zanesfield, Ohio. Orphaned as a young boy, he and his older brother Walter moved to Kenton, Ohio to live with their maternal grandmother, Isabel Gunn. Robert later studied civil engineering at Northwestern Ohio Normal School and worked for two years as a surveyor. In 1872, Robert left Ohio to join his brother Walter at Laguna Pueblo in New Mexico. There, Robert served as schoolteacher and postmaster (after the opening of the Laguna Post Office in 1879) and operated a trading post. In 1880, Robert Marmon was elected governor of Laguna Pueblo, the first Anglo to hold that position. In 1882, the territorial governor of New Mexico granted permission for the organization of a troop of Laguna volunteers to protect against Apache and Navajo raids. Robert G. Marmon was commissioned as an officer of this troop of the New Mexico Militia, known as the Marmon Battalion, which engaged in the Apache campaigns of the 1880s. Robert G. Marmon had eight children with two wives, Agness Anaya (1860-1891) and, following Agness’s death in childbirth, her sister Maria Anaya (1872-1962). Robert G. Marmon is the grandfather of photographer Lee Marmon and the great-grandfather of author Leslie Marmon Silko. Robert G. Marmon died in 1933.
(Additional sources: Marmon, Lee, and Tom Corbett. Laguna Pueblo: a Photographic History. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2015.)
(Additional sources: Marmon, Lee, and Tom Corbett. Laguna Pueblo: a Photographic History. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2015.)
Extent
1 box (.5 cu.ft.) and 1 oversize folder.
Abstract
The Robert G. Marmon Papers consist of correspondence, military documents, assorted documents related to the Pueblo of Laguna and surveying books. These materials relate primarily to the life and career of Robert G. Marmon of Laguna, New Mexico.
- Title
- Finding Aid of the Robert G. Marmon Papers, 1879-1944
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- C. Geherin
- Date
- © 2018
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid is in English
Revision Statements
- Monday, 20210524: Attribute normal is missing or blank.
Repository Details
Part of the UNM Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections Repository
Contact:
University of New Mexico Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections
University Libraries, MSC05 3020
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque NM 87131
505-277-6451
University of New Mexico Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections
University Libraries, MSC05 3020
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque NM 87131
505-277-6451