Back to top

University of Michigan William L. Clements Library

See More About This Repository

Address:

909 South University Avenue
Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
clements-reference@umich.edu

Knap-Whitney family letters, 1848-1886, 1940

Navigate the Collection

Using These Materials

Info for Visitors

How to Request

Ordering Reproductions

Download PDF Finding Aid
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research.

More ...

Summary

Creator:
Hough, Lydia Hasbrouck and Mary Averell Knap, 1836-1907
Abstract:
This collection consists of incoming letters sent to Mary Averell Knap of Brownsville and Ogdensburg, New York, between 1850 and 1862, and letters sent to her granddaughter, Lydia Averell Hasbrouck, of Ogdensburg, New York, in 1885 and 1886 by her cousin, Thomas Whitney Brown. The correspondence concerns daily life, occasional references to the Civil War, literature, and Brown's attempts to gain admission to the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University).
Extent:
0.25 linear feet
Language:
English
Authors:
Collection processed and finding aid created by Meg Hixon, August 2012

Background

Scope and Content:

The Knap-Whitney family letters consist of approximately 88 letters. The correspondence addressed to Mary Averell Knap includes 4 outgoing and approximately 75 incoming personal letters dated between 1848 and 1864. Her parents, friends, cousins, and other family members commented on their daily lives, with occasional references to the Civil War. Mary Knap's father, Thomas Knap, informed his daughter about his life in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the fall of 1850, and occasionally discussed the sermons he heard. After 1850, Mary's correspondents primarily included her cousins and friends. In the mid-1850s, Maria M. Campbell (later Smith), a cousin, wrote about her education and social life at St. Mary's Hall, Burlington, New Jersey, and in October 1858 discussed her relocation to Fort Mason, Texas (resultant from her husband's affiliation with the United States Army's Second Cavalry). Susie P. Willene wrote of her life in "Frankford," and in one letter she shared her distaste for recent political developments in South Carolina, despite her southern heritage (June 22, 1855). Other friends reported social news, such as marriages and, in one instance, the author's secret engagement. Knap also received letters from several men, including one written in German.

Though Mary Knap continued to receive letters throughout the Civil War, her correspondents primarily focused on personal matters, such as her cousin Will's efforts to establish a forge at Fort Pitt, Pennsylvania. Others described a visit to an army encampment in Washington, D.C., and mentioned a soldier's aid society.

Mary A. Knap also wrote 4 letters to George Whitney in 1857, about her life in Brownsville and his unreciprocated romantic advances.

The correspondence sent from Thomas Brown Whitney of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to his cousin, Lydia Averell Hasbrouck of Ogdensburg, New York, includes 8 letters dated from 1885 and 1886 and 1 letter dated in 1940. He shared family news and stories, and commented on his daily life. An avid reader, he frequently discussed literature and literary figures, such as Lords Tennyson and Byron, and occasionally copied poetry into his letters. Whitney enjoyed fencing, and drew several figures fighting in his letter of December 26, 1885. After September 1885, the letters concentrate on his desire to attend College of New Jersey (now Princeton University), and he wrote of his studies, college entrance exams, and classes in Latin. On April 6, 1886, he voiced his concerns about "hazing and general fighting" at Princeton. His letter dated March 23, 1940, reflects on a bout of "grippe" and attitudes towards the Second World War, including German anti-war sentiment.

Biographical / Historical:

Mary Averell Knap was born in Brownsville, Jefferson County, New York, on February 21, 1836, the daughter of Thomas Loomis Knap and Mary Averell. She had four siblings: Joseph Moss, James George, Thomas Loomis, and Emmeline Eliza. Her father worked as a lead manufacturer, and he moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1850, where he worked for an iron foundry. Mary lived with her mother in Brownsville and Ogdensburg, New York, throughout much of the remainder of the 19th century. She died around 1907.

Lydia Averell Hasbrouck, the daughter of Louis Hasbrouck and Emmeline Knap, lived in Ogdensburg, New York. She had five siblings: Mary, Louis, Philip, Thomas, and Louise. In 1901, she married Benjamin Kent Hough, a graduate of Cornell University's Sibley College.

Thomas Brown Whitney was born in June 1869, the son of James and Elizabeth Whitney of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He had three siblings: Asa, Annie, and Emma. Whitney joined the sophomore class at the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) in the fall of 1886, and graduated in 1889 with a degree in business. After his graduation, he lived with his family in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Lydia Averell Hasbrouck and Thomas Brown Whitney were cousins.

Acquisition Information:
1996, 2002, 2022. M-4243.2, M-4243.11, M-7690 .
Processing information:

Cataloging funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC). This collection has been processed according to minimal processing procedures and may be revised, expanded, or updated in the future.

Arrangement:

The collection is in chronological order.

Rules or Conventions:
Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Contents

Using These Materials

Info for Visitors

How to Request

Ordering Reproductions

Download PDF Finding Aid
RESTRICTIONS:

The collection is open for research.

USE & PERMISSIONS:

Copyright status is unknown

PREFERRED CITATION:

Knap-Whitney Family Letters, William L. Clements Library, The University of Michigan

Back to top

Collection

Knap-Whitney family letters, 1848-1886, 1940
Request
Total components 1
Last indexed 2023-08-09