Guide to the Collection on the Kidnapping of Henry Hanson and J. W. Reid in Durango, Mexico, 1927 July-1935 July SPEC.RARE.0338 Finding aid prepared by David Mezick Ohio State University Libraries Special Collections

1858 Neil Avenue Columbus, OH, 43210

2024 October This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2024-10-18T16:14-0400 English Describing Archives: A Content Standard Collection on the Kidnapping of Henry Hanson and J. W. Reid in Durango, Mexico SPEC.RARE.0338 Ohio State University Libraries Special Collections 0.38 Cubic feet 1927 July-1935 July The Cristero Rebellion was fought in Mexico from 1926-1929 when Catholic rebels attempted to overthrow the Mexican government. On March 1, 1929, Henry B. Hanson and J. W. Reid, who worked for the San Nicolas Mining and Milling Company, were kidnapped by Mexican rebels in Durango, Mexico. The Collection on the Kidnapping of Henry Hanson and J. W. Reid in Durango, Mexico, dated 1927 July-1935 July, contains correspondence, newspaper clippings, and other materials related to the kidnapping of Hanson and Reid. (3) legal file folders; (1) 2.5” letter document box; (1) oversize folder English, Spanish Unknown Arrangement of Materials

The collection is arranged chronologically with materials from the same date arranged alphabetically by folder title.

Acquisitions Information

Accession No. RARE.2024.0069; Purchased, 2014 December

Preferred Citation

[identification of item], Collection on the Kidnapping of Henry Hanson and J. W. Reid in Durango, Mexico, SPEC.RARE.0338, Rare Books and Manuscripts Library, Ohio State University

Access to Materials

Materials in this collection are available for use, but may be used in the Thompson Library Special Collections reading room only.

Use of Materials

Materials in this collection may be protected by copyright, and are made available for research and educational purposes. In general, the OSU Libraries do not own the copyright for materials from our collections and cannot grant copyright permissions for these materials. The user is responsible for making a final determination of copyright status. If copyright protection applies, permission must be obtained from the copyright holder to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exceptions to the law. Works in the public domain are not protected by copyright and do not require permission to use.

Processing Information

Processed by: David Mezick, 2024 October; Finding aid written by: David Mezick, 2024 October

Historical Note

The Cristero Rebellion was fought in Mexico from 1926-1929 when Catholic rebels attempted to overthrow the Mexican government. The conflict began when President Plutarco Elías Calles tried to limit the power of the Catholic Church in Mexico.

On March 1, 1929, Henry B. Hanson, an American mining engineer, and J. W. Reid, from Winnipeg, Manitoba, were kidnapped by Mexican rebels in Durango, Mexico. The rebels demanded a ransom in exchange for Hanson and Reid, who both worked for the San Nicolas Mining and Milling Company. After negotiations involving Mexican and United States government officials, a ransom was paid and the two men were released on April 3rd.

Scope and Contents

The Collection on the Kidnapping of Henry Hanson and J. W. Reid in Durango, Mexico, dated 1927 July-1935 July, contains materials related to the kidnapping of Henry B. Hanson and J. W. Reid by Mexican rebels in Durango, Mexico during the Cristero Rebellion. The materials mostly consist of correspondence and newspaper clippings. The correspondence includes letters and telegrams to and from Hanson’s family members and from United States government officials. Also included is a statement written by Hanson about his experiences, and poetry related to the event. There is one item from before the kidnapping, dated July 1927, which is a birthday message that Hanson likely received while working in Mexico.

Hanson, Henry B. Reid, J. W. Correspondence Cristero Rebellion, 1926-1929 Kidnapping victims--Mexico--Durango--20th century Kidnapping--Mexico--Durango--20th century Kidnapping--Mexico--Durango--Press coverage--20th century Mining corporations--Employees--20th century Newspaper clippings Revolutionaries--Mexico--20th century Snider (Beatrice Roberts) “En Las Sierras to Henry Hanson on his Birthday” poetry 1 1 1927 July 2 Bergman telegram to the International News Service 1 2 1929 March Newspaper clippings RARE Shared 3 1 1929 March Hix (Ina Rae) “A Bandit Raid in Verse” poem and newspaper clipping 1 3 1929 March-April Newspaper clippings 1 1929 March 2 Newspaper clippings 1 4 1929 March 2-April 6 Schelin (Mrs. Harry) telegrams 1 5 1929 March 5-19 Envelope to Mrs. Henry B. Hanson 1 6 1929 March 9 Hanson (Elmer C.) telegrams 1 7 1929 March 9-13 Letter to Henry B. Hanson 1 8 1929 March 10 Letters to A. M. Hanson 1 9 1929 March 10-30 Bonnet (Ellis A.) telegram to Elmer Hanson copies RARE Shared 3 2 1929 March 11 Bonnet (Ellis A.) correspondence to Elmer Hanson 1 10 1929 March 11-20 Hanson (Henry B.) “Statement Regarding the Raid on Vacas Mine and Kidnapping of Hanson and Reid” 1 11 after 1929 April 3 Summers (John W.), United States Representative letter 1 12 1929 April 9 Schelin (Harry) letter to Mrs. Elmer C. Hanson 1 13 1930 December 20 "Mining Man Was Held by Rebels" newspaper clipping copy RARE Shared 3 3 1933 June 4 Hanson (Henry B.) poetry 1 14 1935 June-July