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Table of Contents

Collection Summary

Biographical Sketch

Scope and Content

Restrictions

Administrative Information

Related Material

Inventory of the Blazer Family Papers, 1864-1965

Archives and Special Collections, New Mexico State University Library

Email:  archives@lib.nmsu.edu
URL:  http://archives.nmsu.edu



© 2000

The Board of Regents. New Mexico State University.

Biographical Sketch

Joseph Hoy Blazer was born August 20, 1828, in Washington County, Pennsylvania, the son of David Blazer and Sara Hoy Blazer. The family moved to McDonough County, Illinois in 1836. Blazer's father died in 1837, but the rest of the family lived in Illinois for several years. Blazer worked as a riverman, floating timber, wheat, corn, beef, and pork down the Mississippi on rafts. He studied dentistry in St. Louis, and when his mother died, he moved to Mt. Pleasant, Iowa and set up his practice there.

Blazer married Lucy Jobes in 1853; to this couple were born three children, Ella (Mrs. George Hedges), Almer Newton, and Emma S. (Mrs. John Howard Thompson). Blazer continued to practice dentistry until rheumatism forced him to give up his profession.

In 1861 Blazer enlisted as a sergeant in Company E of the First Iowa Cavalry. When a horse fell on him, breaking a rib which punctured a lung, he was given a disability discharge. He then secured a commission as sutler and continued with his regiment until it was disbanded at Shreveport, Louisiana in 1865.

Blazer bought six of the quartermasters' teams and wagons, which, with the four used in his sutler business, gave him a train of ten. His freighting trips brought him to El Paso (then Franklin), Texas in 1866. Here he contracted small-pox and spent the winter in El Paso.

By spring Blazer was able to work again and filled a government contract to go to Chihuahua, Mexico for a load of corn and deliver it to Fort Sumner, New Mexico. As he passed through the Tularosa Canyon, he became interested in a settlement, including a sawmill, which had been established before the Mexican War. The rights to the property had been acquired by three men: George W. Nesmith, George M. Kenyon, and Elias D. Ryan. Blazer traded his wagon train for the Ryan interest, and took over operation of the mill.

In 1868, on one of his trips back to Mount Pleasant, Blazer found his wife very ill with tuberculosis. They agreed that moving to the southwest would be advantageous to her health, so Blazer returned to New Mexico and began negotiations for more property. The purchase of Nesmith's share was finalized October 8, 1869. Lucy died on the first of November that year, and though Blazer returned to Iowa for her funeral, he did not have his children come to New Mexico until October 1877.

In 1870 the mill was burned, presumably by Indians, and since Blazer did not have enough money to rebuild, he took in as a partner George H. Abbott of El Paso. With Abbott's financial assistance a new sawmill was built and lumber production resumed. Before this time, the mill had been called Nesmith's Mill; after about 1870 it was known as Blazer's Mill.

Blazer bought sole interest in the sawmill in 1877, and built a gristmill in 1882. He had also built a large, two-story adobe house, and when it was completed in 1877, he sent for his children. His daughter Ella, with her husband and baby daughter, his son Almer, age twelve, and daughter Emma, age nine, made the journey to their new home in Mescalero.

In 1880, Blazer arranged for the services of Miss Julia McWade as governess for the children; two years later they were married. When Ella died in 1889 Julia raised the five Blazer grandchildren as her own.

Blazer was appointed forage agent, and furnished forage to military troops until that agency was discontinued. He was postmaster of South Fork, the first post office in what is now Otero County. When Lincoln County was organized, he was one of the commissioners appointed by the governor.

Besides furnishing lumber to the Mescalero Agency and the settlers in the area, Blazer supplied the military posts at Forts Selden (Fort Selden, New Mexico), Bliss (El Paso, Texas), Davis (Fort Davis, Texas), Stanton (Fort Stanton, New Mexico), and Sumner. He was licensed as a trader on the Mescalero reservation in 1874.

According to Ruidoso author Eve Ball, Blazer "did far more to establish a peaceful relationship with the Indians than was accomplished by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. And he did much to reconcile the arbitrary decisions of agents with the Indians . . . . Dr. Blazer was one of few men who remained neutral during the Lincoln County War. He served on many juries before, after, and during it; and he was able to prevent trouble among the factions on more than one occasion . . . . " Joseph H. Blazer died October 29, 1898.

A. N. Blazer worked with his father in the mill and trading post, and finally took over their operation. In addition he was both a writer and an inventor. A. N. Blazer married Belle Blackford in 1888, and to this couple were born four children: Paul Almer, Noel Edison, Vida Myrtle, and Howard who died at age fourteen. Belle died in 1917. A. N. Blazer was married in 1918 to Miss Clara M. Smith, who died of pneumonia only eight months after their marriage. Miss Fannie Dennis became A. N. Blazer's third wife and remained a loving companion until his death in 1949.

In 1887, Emma married Dr. John Howard Thompson, the first physician assigned to the reservation; they moved to El Paso three years later. Thompson practiced medicine here until 1923, when he retired and the couple returned to Mescalero. They had no children. Emma died in 1950.

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Scope and Content

The Blazer Family Papers document a century (1864-1965) of varied activities by a pioneer family living on land in the Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation in southern New Mexico. In 1867, Joseph H. Blazer took over the operation of a sawmill which was important economically to the region, and in 1878 was the scene of one of the battles of the Lincoln County War. The significance of this collection is enhanced by the family's proximity to the Mescalero Apaches, its ties with New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, Las Cruces, New Mexico, particularly professors Hugh Megalone Milton II and Ralph W. Goddard, and the creative productions of family members. One of the most important segments of the collection is comprised of some five hundred photographs.

The Blazer Family Papers consist of eleven linear feet of materials (ca. 2,476 items) and have been arranged in eight series, five of which are by family member: Joseph Hoy Blazer, Almer Newton Blazer, Joseph's son; Emma Blazer Thompson and John Howard Thompson, Joseph's daughter and son-in-law; Paul A. Blazer, Almer's son; and Noel E. Blazer, Almer's son; the seventh series is a Miscellany. Within each of the first six series the documents are divided into sub-series such as correspondence, financial documents, legal documents, etc., where applicable. Photographs make up the eighth series.

The materials in the Joseph H. Blazer series cover the years 1864-1901 and include correspondence and financial and legal records which pertain primarily to the acquisition and early operation of the water-powered sawmill and grist mill. One item of interest is a copy of an agreement made in 1877 between the town of Tularosa and the settlers of Tularosa Canyon regarding construction of a ditch to bring water to the town from the Tularosa River.

A. N. Blazer followed his father in the operation of the mill, so the mill records are continued as financial documents in the third series. He also became a licensed Indian trader, as his father had been, and took over the management of the family farm. The family's many legal struggles over water and land are well documented by his carefully preserved records and correspondence.

A. N. Blazer was a writer and had several articles and stories published in such periodicals as New Mexico Magazine and Frontier Times. However, he was never able to find a publisher for his two major works, "Los Jirones" and "Santana." These stories are based on his personal knowledge of life among the Mescalero Indians and present much information about their beliefs and activities. The richest source of information regarding the Mescaleros' customs and rituals, however, is found in his correspondence with artist-author William Robinson Leigh. Leigh wrote a novel, "Little Foot," based on information supplied by A. N. Blazer about the Mescalero Indians' way of life. (This novel also was never published.)

A. N. Blazer was a thirteen-year-old witness to a gunfight at Blazer's Mill involving Billy the Kid. There is little in the collection concerning this episode with the exception of his account, published in the Alamogordo News, July 16, 1928, and a transcript of remarks made by A. N. Blazer and George Coe at a public meeting in Mescalero in 1932. There is more material concerning Billy the Kid in Paul A. Blazer's correspondence, but it doesn't deal specifically with this gunfight.

A. N. Blazer devoted more than fifty years to the invention and improvement of the Blazer Internal Combustion Rotary Engine and held patents on its various parts. The Blazer Spiral Engine Company was incorporated in 1906. In 1909 it licensed the Sullivan Machinery Company of Boston, Massachusetts, to make, sell and use the rotary engine known as the Blazer Spiral Engine. The Blazer Spiral Pump was made and distributed by the Humphryes Manufacturing Company of Mansfield, Ohio in 1910. Tests of this pump were conducted at New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts in 1927.

The papers in the fourth series include a history by Thompson entitled, "Makers of El Paso," which Charles Leland Sonnichsen attempted to publish after Thompsons death.

Paul A. Blazer's papers include his correspondence with William Vincent Morrison, an El Paso attorney and history enthusiast, who supported "Brushy Bill" Roberts's claim to be Billy the Kid. There are copies of Morrison's correspondence with others as well. Also of interest in this series are the records relating to Paul A. Blazers position as water commissioner of Tularosa Canyon, 1936-1939.

Noel E. Blazer received a degree in mechanical engineering from New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts in 1921. The subject of his thesis was the Blazer Spiral Engine, invented by his father. Most of Noel E. Blazers correspondence, which covers the period 1924-1947, was conducted with his father and a great deal of it concerned the engine.

The Miscellany series contains documents which were generated by people other than the family members mentioned above. Particularly notable are copies of letters written by Indian agents of the Mescalero Apache Agency, 1876-1904, and a Mescalero vocabulary supplied by Percy Bigmouth, 1931-1932.

The Photographs series includes several fine examples of the work of New Mexico Territorial photographers and present early views of the Mescalero Indian Agency and surrounding area. There are a number of Indian portraits, one of which is purported to be the "First Photo of Mescalero Apaches 1870."

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Restrictions

Access and Use Restrictions

This material may be examined by researchers under supervised conditions in the Search Room.

Copy Restrictions

Limited duplication is allowed for research purposes. User is responsible for compliance with copyright and other applicable statutes.

Paul A. Blazer and Arthur Blazer have assigned copyrights of works by Blazer family members, excepting "Santana" and "Los Jirones," to New Mexico State University. Copyrights for any other literary productions belong to the authors or their legal heirs and assigns.

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Administrative Information

Blazer Family. Papers. Ms 110. Archives and Special Collections. New Mexico State University Library.

RG78-55 Gift of Paul A. Blazer

RG80-89 Gift of Paul A. Blazer

RG81-38 Gift of Mrs. Paul Blazer

RG81-51 Gift of Paul A. and Fay Blazer

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Related Material

William Allen Family. Papers. Ms 109. Archives and Special Collections. New Mexico State University Library.

The Blazer Family. Papers. University of Arizona Library, Tucson, Arizona.

Blazer's Mill. Business records. University of New Mexico Library, Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Goddard, Ralph Willis. Papers. Ms 112. Archives and Special Collections. New Mexico State University Library.

The William Robinson Leigh Papers. Thomas Gilcrease Institute of American History and Art Library, Tulsa, Oklahoma.

New Mexico State University. College of Engineering. Records. Hobson-Huntsinger University Archives. New Mexico State University Library.

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Description of Series/Container List

Family Records, 1845-1924

(2 folders)

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Joseph H. Blazer Papers, 1864-1901

CORRESPONDENCE, 1871-1892

(3 folders)

Letters received, arranged chronologically, and copies of letters sent, contained in a letter book. There is one original letter sent which was returned.

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FINANCIAL DOCUMENTS, 1871-1889

(9 folders)

Daybooks, ledger, employee time book, production records, bills, receipts and statements, primarily pertaining to the lumber and gristmills.

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LEGAL DOCUMENTS, 1864-1901

(1 folder)

Deeds, contracts, agreements, referees's report, power of attorney, tax notice, copy of bill presented to the Grand Jury for Lincoln County, New Mexico, and printed copies of United States Executive Orders.

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NOTES REGARDING MESCALERO AGENCY, 1888-1895

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A.N. Blazer Papers, 1883-1966

CORRESPONDENCE, 1905-1928

(1 folder)

Letters received and copies of letters sent, arranged chronologically, and employees' time. The documents pertain primarily to the lumber and gristmills, but also to the store and farm.

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FINANCIAL DOCUMENTS, 1883-1922

(11 folders)

Daybooks, journals and ledgers. Some volumes were also used for commercial letter forms and the records of sales, production.

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LEGAL DOCUMENTS, 1896-1966

(16 folders)

Includes homestead certificate, deeds, agreements, wills, inventories of estates, testimony, depositions, briefs, petition, claim, court order, decree, land patent, land plats, releases, abstracts of title, and relative correspondence. They pertain to use of the water in the Tularosa Ditch, small land claims located on the Mescalero Indian Reservation, right-of-way for a highway through the reservation, and other family matters. The documents are arranged chronologically within the subject.

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LITERARY FILE, 1928-1960

(23 folders)

Notes, manuscripts of "Los Jirones" (in several versions). "Santana" and other unpublished stories, as well as his correspondence with publishers, 1928-1941, and with William Robinson Leigh,1931-1960. Series also includes a speech made June 12, 1932.

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PATENTS AND INVENTIONS, 1897-1949

(39 folders)

Measured drawings, patents, descriptions, reports and correspondence relating to his several inventions and improvements, particularly on engines.

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MISCELLANY, 1900-1975

(4 folders)

Includes notes, postal receipts, newspaper clippings and the program from a testimonial to Dean Ralph W. Goddard.

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Emma Blazer Thompson and J. Howard Thompson Papers, 1874-1954

LETTERS RECEIVED, 1874-1949

(7 folders)

Arranged chronologically.

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FINANCIAL DOCUMENTS, 1924-1954

(3 folders)

Include tax receipts, stock certificates, extension agreement, wills, decree and correspondence relating primarily to land owned by Emma B. Thompson, and the settling of her estate.

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THOMPSON FAMILY RECORDS, 1881-1930

(2 folders)

Thompson family history, and diploma and biographies of J. Howard Thompson.

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LITERARY PRODUCTIONS, 1907-1945

(2 folders)

Speeches by J. Howard Thompson and a history of El Paso which was printed after his death by C. L. Sonnichsen.

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EUROPEAN TRIP, 1908

(2 folders)

Programs, maps, diaries and notebooks. (One diary also describes a trip to Mexico in 1900, news of the flood in Galveston, Texas, in September 1900, and a trip to a missionary convention in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1904).

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PRINTED MATERIALS, 1904-ca. 1916

(1 folder)

Programs, household hints and recipes.

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MISCELLANEOUS, 1907-1942

(1 folder)

Stock certificate, cemetery deed, ration book

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Paul A. Blazer Papers, 1936-1965

CORRESPONDENCE, 1937-1965

(3 folders)

Letters received and copy of letter sent, arranged chronologically. Also includes copies of William Vincent Morrison's correspondence supporting "Brushy Bill" Roberts's claim to be Billy the Kid.

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WATER COMMISSIONER REPORTS, 1936-1939

(1 folder)

Reports, court orders, lists, and correspondence relating to his position as water commissioner of Tularosa Canyon. Also includes "A Short History of Irrigation on the Tularosa River."

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MISCELLANEOUS, 1926-1954

(7 folders)

Other materials include a land plat, recognition of service in the Armed Forces, receipts,hunting permits, notes which include biographical information and a critique of C. L. Sonnichsen's Tularosa, and a newspaper, the Tularosa Centennial of May 1960.

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Noel E. Blazer Papers, 1906-1964

CORRESPONDENCE, 1924-1947

(6 folders)

Letters received and copies of letters sent, arranged chronologically. Much of the correspondence, which was almost entirely conducted with his father Almer, pertains to the Blazer Engine and includes charts, tables and diagrams as enclosures.

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LEGAL DOCUMENTS 

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LITERARY PRODUCTIONS, 1921

(1 folder)

Thesis, New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts.

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PATENTS AND INVENTIONS, 1935-1947

(2 folders)

Description of a "Pin or Peg Holder" and two research reports issued by Westinghouse Electric Corporation.

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INSURANCE POLICY, 1922

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PRINTED MATERIAL, 1906-1922

(4 folders)

Other materials include an insurance policy, his high school diploma, a mathematical data handbook, and a book entitled The Roosevelt Bears.

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Miscellany, ca. 1871-ca. 1951

(8 folders)

Includes items written by or about other family members, typed transcripts of letters written by Mescalero Apache Indian Agents, a transcription of the "Mescalero Vocabulary" supplied by Percy Bigmouth, certificate, oil painting, newspaper clippings, maps of the Mescalero Indian Reservation, and W. H. Jackson's book, Among the Rockies.

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Photographs, ca. 1880-1935

Comprised of daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, tintypes, albumen prints, silver bromide andother silver prints, stereo views, panoramic views, and copy prints. Also includes mounted prints, cabinet cards and cartes de visite. New Mexico Territorial photographers represented include Edwin A. Bass, A. J. Buck, Dana B. Chase, Charles W. Marks,Almeron Newman, A. Frank Randall and Ben Wittick. The photographs primarily portray family members, Blazer's Mill, the Blazer Spiral Engine, the Mescalero Indian Agency, and other views of Mescalero and Apache Indians, many of which were made in the late nineteenth century.

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