This collection contains 7 scrapbooks compiled at the turn of the 19th century by members of the Hecox family, the particular relatives of Adna and Margaret Hecox who first arrived in California in 1846. The scrapbooks vary in size, and consist of news articles, trade cards, images and other ephemera pasted into various books. The largest of these scrapbooks has received the greatest amount of research attention. According to local researcher Frank Perry, it was very likely assembled by naturalist and lighthouse keeper Laura J.F. Hecox., the ninth of Adna and Margaret’s ten children. It reflects her many interests including natural history, lighthouses, poetry, pioneers, coins, Christianity, and the lives of family and friends. Collection of scrapbooks created by Laura Hecox who was an amateur naturalist and Santa Cruz Lighthouse sumervisor in the late 1880s. Scrapbooks contained items written from 1880 to 1900 and include topics such as fauna and flora of Santa Cruz, obituaries of well-known residents of the area, and the pioneer history of Santa Cruz. She also took a deep interest in children, treatment of the hearing impaired, scientific discoveries, and major events of the time. Features in this volume include poetry, coins, alphabets and codes, animals, long sections from various books, and early presidents.