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Seven letters exchanged by members of the Goodrich family primarily concern news from New Haven, Connecticut, in the early 19th century. Andrew T. Goodrich, a publisher in New York City, also provided his mother and sister with thoughts on his church and recent War of 1812 victory celebrations.

Seven letters exchanged by members of the Goodrich family primarily concern news from New Haven, Connecticut, in the early 19th century. Andrew T. Goodrich, a publisher in New York City, received 3letters and 1 fragment from his mother Eunice and sister Sarah, and wrote 1 letter each to Sarah and his mother. Eunice Goodrich also wrote 1 letter to Andrew's sister Frances.

Andrew's incoming correspondence includes a 3-page letter from his sister Sarah M. Goodrich, in which she presented her opinions on an unidentified mutual acquaintance (August 4, 1810). She wrote of her high regard for the man, influenced by his mannerisms and religious views, and expressed her pleasure upon hearing that her brother felt the same way. She also included a brief poem. In a second letter, (September 21-25, 1816), Sarah described activities on board the the sloop Franklin as she traveled from a New York harbor up the Hudson River. Andrew's mother Eunice (2 pages) shared social news from New Haven, Connecticut, where his family continued to live after he moved to New York City. Eunice Goodrich addressed an additional letter (1 page, written in 1802) to her daughter Frances ("Fanny"), and lamented the death of her son Charles. Andrew also received a copied fragment of a letter regarding his brother's death.

Andrew T. Goodrich's letter to his mother concerned a recent business opportunity, and the effects of their separation (November 16, 1811). In a letter dated October 24, 1813, Andrew discussed a recent sermon by John Brodhead Romeyn; a potential substitute preacher, Alexander McLeod, who would only preach if they permitted him to use a Scottish psalter (Goodrich noted he would rather sell his pew and quit the church); and celebrations of recent War of 1812 victories.

This collection contains the incoming and outgoing correspondence of Charlotte and Martha Wray, sisters who lived in Washington County, New York; Detroit, Michigan; and Iowa in the 19th century. The letters span Martha's time as a schoolteacher in Detroit, Michigan; Charlotte's work as a teacher in Albany, New York; and Charlotte's experiences in Iowa prior to the Civil War.

This collection contains approximately 110 letters, of which Charlotte Wray wrote about 90 to her sister Martha. Additionally, Martha and Mary Jane Wray each wrote 1 letter, and Charlotte and Martha Wray received about 18 letters from cousins and other family members. Charlotte's letters discuss her experience as a schoolteacher and her life in Albany, New York, and in Iowa, where she lived after the late 1840s. Charlotte's letters also include content on the arrival of new immigrants, her declining health, and her husband's medical practice during the Civil War.

The earliest items in the collection include a 1-page essay by Mary Jane Wray, Charlotte and Martha's sister, titled "of Solitude" and dated September 18, 1839, and a poem Charlotte wrote about her sister. The correspondence begins on May [15], 1842, with a letter from Martha about her arrival and teaching in Detroit. When Mary Jane traveled to Detroit in 1844, she wrote home about the birth and first weeks of her son Van (August 25, 1844).

Charlotte wrote approximately 20 letters to Martha after moving to Albany, New York, around October 1845, where she taught school. She gave news about her life and friends in Albany, such as her intent to turn down a marriage proposal (January 19, 1846) and student expenses at the New York State Normal School (March 15, 1846). In a later letter from Albany, written around the summer of 1846, she explained her reasons for leaving the school, based on the belief that she could earn more money sewing.

After June 22, 1847, Charlotte wrote approximately 70 letters to Martha describing her married life with Thomas. They moved to Garnavillo, Iowa, in the summer of 1847. She informed her sister about life in Iowa, including her travels, the experiences of other new immigrants, and her homes in Garnavillo, Farmersburg, and Monona. Charlotte also discussed married life and her husband's medical practice. She reflected on the Civil War in two letters, mentioning the draft, financial aspects of the war, and her husband's wartime medical practice (August 21, 1862, and February 1863). Following Charlotte's death around March 1863, Martha received 7 letters from her brother-in-law, who described Charlotte’s final sickness and death (March 31, 1863) and the devastating impact on the family.

This collection contains 7 letters related to members of the Currier family of Freeport, Maine, and Amesbury, Massachusetts. Sally Currier, Ann Currier, and Sarah Ann Currier received letters from family members and friends regarding news from Freeport and Bangor, Maine, as well as news of student life at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

This collection contains 7 letters related to members of the Currier family of Freeport, Maine, and Amesbury, Massachusetts. Sally Currier received the first letter from her sister-in-law, Polly Collins of South Hampton, New Hampshire, who sent condolences on the death of Currier's husband (May 10, 1819). Sarah Ann Currier of Amesbury, Massachusetts, received 5 letters from cousins and acquaintances, who wrote about their daily lives in Maine and shared family news. J. Follansbee addressed one letter to Sarah Ann, care of Joseph Follansbee of Washington, D. C., and described his life at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania (January 9, 1843). Anne M. Dunn sent Currier a copy of a letter written by Joshua Follansbee to Dr. Daniel and Martha Sewall concerning the death of his "dear Louisa," including a description of her final illness (February 3, 1844). Mary A. Cushing of Freeport, Maine, wrote of local schools in an undated letter. One additional letter to Ann Currier, then living with Sarah Soule of Amesbury, contains updates on family and friends in Freeport (December 31, 1840).

This collection contains 18 letters, a musical score, and a poem related to the Fitch family of Hornchurch, England, and their temporary move to the United States in the early 19th century. Sarah and Eliza Jane Fitch wrote to their English relatives about the misfortunes they encountered while living in North America, and family members provided news from England.

This collection (20 items) contains 18 letters, a musical score, and a poem related to the Fitch family of Hornchurch, England, and their temporary move to the United States in the early 19th century. Sarah and Eliza Jane Fitch wrote to their English relatives about the misfortunes they encountered while living in North America, and family members provided news from England.

Sarah and Eliza Jane Fitch corresponded with Sarah's sister, Jane Bonus of Hornchurch, England, about their difficulties in Maryland and Massachusetts. They discussed family deaths, local epidemics, and news, such as the mutiny on the Globe (January 4, 1825). Other correspondence includes a letter Frederick Charles Fitch received from his mother while he sailed on the Weymouth (May 25, 1826), and a letter he wrote to her from Bonavista (now Boa Vista), Cape Verde Islands, describing local scenery and his sailing experiences (August 5, [1826]). Eliza Jane also received 2 letters from Jane Bonus, who reported news of Eliza's cousins and provided other updates from Hornchurch. Another relative of the Fitch family, Charles Cove, wrote 3 letters to Sarah Fitch in 1828 and 1829, in which he urged her to return to England. The collection also contains a letter that a Fitch family member wrote to a friend about a voyage from North America to England (September 1829).

The collection's additional items are 2 letters that Charles Cove and John Pytches Revett exchanged regarding Cove's desire to marry Revett's daughter (1843), a letter Jane Bonus wrote to Emily Fitch about local news (September 26, 1845), an undated poem commemorating Horatio Nelson's military victories, and an undated manuscript score for a song entitled "The Dove," written by B. Orme and T. Colkin of the 84th Regiment.

The Clements Library's collection of individual friendship and autograph albums (the ones that are not part of larger bodies of family papers) dates primarily from the second half of the 19th century. The creators of these albums sought out friends, family, schoolmates, public persons, and others to write signatures, sentiments, poetry, extracts from books and serials, personal sentiments, and more. Contributions often emphasize ties of friendship, exhortations to seek love, happiness, or Christian religious salvation. Most of the volumes in this collection were compiled in the Northeast United States and areas in the Midwest, with urban and rural areas represented. The greater number of the albums were kept by young women and the bulk of the signers were also female. Contributors occasionally illustrated pages with calligraphic designs, trompe l'oeil visiting cards, animals, flowers, and themes that had particular significance to their relationship with the keeper of the album. The volumes in this collection are largely decorative blank books adorned with tooled covers, sometimes containing interspersed engravings of religious, literary, historical, and landscape themes. Some include pasted-in photographs, die-cuts, or stickers.

The Clements Library's collection of individual friendship and autograph albums (the ones that are not part of larger bodies of family papers) dates primarily from the second half of the 19th century. The creators of these albums sought out friends, family, schoolmates, public persons, and others to write signatures, sentiments, poetry, extracts from books and serials, personal sentiments, and more. Contributions often emphasize ties of friendship, exhortations to seek love, happiness, or Christian religious salvation. Most of the volumes in this collection were compiled in the Northeast United States and areas in the Midwest, with urban and rural areas represented. The greater number of the albums were kept by young women and the bulk of the signers were also female. At least one volume was kept by an African American man, Lewis G. Mosebay. Contributors occasionally illustrated pages with calligraphic designs, trompe l'oeil visiting cards, animals, flowers, and themes that had particular significance to their relationship with the keeper of the album. The volumes in this collection are largely decorative blank books adorned with tooled covers, sometimes containing interspersed engravings of religious, literary, historical, and landscape themes. Some include pasted-in photographs, die-cuts, or stickers.

This collection is made up of correspondence, speeches, a travel diary, and a published history related to the family of General George S. Patton. The bulk pertains to Patton's parents, George S. Patton, Jr., and Ruth Wilson Patton, and to his sister, Anne W. Patton ("Nita"), though items written by and addressed to General Patton are also present.

This collection (0.75 linear feet) is made up of correspondence, speeches, a travel diary, and a published history related to the family of General George S. Patton.

The largest selection of correspondence pertains to George S. Patton, Jr., and Ruth Wilson Patton. Letters written by Patton to Wilson during their courtship and after their marriage provide news of his life, work, and travels. Some items mention their son Georgie (George S. Patton III). Patton also wrote letters to his family, including five to his mother while participating in the punitive expedition to Mexico in 1916. Letters written by Nita Patton largely concern her experiences while living in London, England, in 1919. Some of her letters refer directly to her acquaintance and relationship with John J. Pershing, whom she met during a visit to New Mexico after the punitive expedition of 1916.

Multiple letters written by George S. Patton, Jr., relate to the future general's admission to and studies at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, in the 1900s. Patton provided his son with personal advice and encouragement, and news from home. The collection includes miscellaneous family letters, addressed to and exchanged between numerous family members between the 1870s and 1890s.

The Patton family papers contain a daily diary of Nelly Davenport and her father's trip to Antigua from December 1789-1790, taken in an attempt to improve Nelly's ailing health. The diary and an accompanying description relate Nelly Davenport's final illness, medical treatments, and death.

A selection of George S. Patton, Jr.'s, speeches is included in the collection. Most were delivered while Patton attended the Virginia Military Institute in the late 1870s, including his valedictorian speech. The speeches concern topics such as the Civil War, the Battle of New Market, and politics. One later item, the text of a speech delivered before the Sunset Club on November 25, 1904, concerns interactions between African Americans and Europeans, particularly with regard to black slavery and suffrage in the United States.

The Henry Murfey letter book contains copies of 12 letters addressed to Henry, of Cleveland, Ohio, ostensibly from his deceased sister and father via a spirit-writing medium. The letters date from December 28, 1855, to September 20, 1856. The longest and most revealing of the letters details the experience of his sister Mary's physical death, her arrival at a "large spiritual temple," and her introduction to a spirit guide named "Flora." Mary then described her visit to the planet Saturn and its inhabitants.

The Henry Murfey letter book is a wallet-size, leather bound notebook containing 12 letters recorded over 54 handwritten pages and dating from December 28, 1855, to September 20, 1856. The letters are each addressed to Henry Murfey of Cleveland, Ohio, ostensibly from his deceased sister Mary (11) and father John (1) via a spirit-writing medium.

The letters are written in reverse chronological order, with the final letter located at the beginning of the letter book. The longest and most revealing of the letters details the experience of Mary's physical death, her arrival at a "large spiritual temple," and her introduction to a spirit guide named "Flora." Mary then described her visit to the planet Saturn and its inhabitants. Later letters assured Henry of the veracity of their communication and assured him that she often thought of him and communicated with him through the movement of inanimate objects. Several letters are undated, including one by Murfey's father John. The final three pages contain a crossed-out note, a recipe for an herbal remedy, and random calculations.

This collection contains the incoming personal correspondence of Horace Gair Chase and his wife, Ellen Marian Sherwin, throughout the mid-1800s. The Chases received letters from friends and family members, including cousins, siblings, and parents, who described their lives in Illinois, New York, and New Hampshire. Some correspondents, including Horace's father, shared their political opinions, particularly during the Civil War.

This collection contains 157 incoming letters to Horace Gair Chase and his wife, Ellen Marian Sherwin, during the mid-1800s, as well as a calling card.

Much of the earliest correspondence is made up of letters to "Hodge" (Horace G. Chase) from his brothers and father, who wrote after his move to Chicago in 1852. Many describe travel between New Hampshire and Illinois; in one letter, Horace's brother Charley compared the costs and itineraries of several travel routes (June 17, 1852). The elder Horace Chase often provided his sons with news of family members and acquaintances in Hopkinton, New Hampshire.

After 1859, much of the correspondence is addressed to Ellen Marian Sherwin, both before and during her 1860 marriage to Horace G. Chase. Friends and cousins wrote of their daily lives in Chicago and New York, and other topics, such as the death of Ellen's brother Edwin (August 5, 1861). Several writers mentioned the Civil War, most frequently expressing fervent devotion to the Union cause despite being occasionally disheartened. A few letters from this period are composed on patriotic stationery. After the war, Ellen's brother Johnny wrote from the USS North Carolina, offering his support for a Lincoln monument in Chicago and sharing the news of a friend's suicide (May 28, 1865). One item is a calling card for Mrs. T. E. Chandler.

The Blandina Diedrich Collection is a selection of manuscript items compiled by her son Duane Norman Diedrich and dedicated to her memory. The content of these letters, sermons, documents, and other materials reflect the life and interests of Blandina Diedrich (1903-1996), most prominently subjects pertinent to Christianity, home, and the family.

The Blandina Diedrich Collection is a selection of manuscript items compiled by her son Duane Norman Diedrich and dedicated to her memory. The manuscripts reflect the life and interests of Blandina Diedrich, most prominently Christianity, home, and the family. Items include sermons from prominent ministers or preachers of different Protestant denominations, documents related to church operations and discipline, letters by prominent and everyday persons respecting their faith and beliefs, correspondence of missionaries, and reflections on religion's role in all manner of human endeavor.

The collection is comprised of over 260 letters, manuscript sermons and hymns, documents, and other items. For a comprehensive inventory and details about each item in the collection, please see the box and folder listing below.

This collection contains letters that Mary C. Young of Cambridge and Waltham, Massachusetts, received from her brother and sister-in-law, Gorham and Mary Blake, who lived in Georgia and in Oakland, California. Gorham Blake wrote of his mining interests in California and Georgia, and later described his life in Oakland. After his death, his widow frequently corresponded with Young, about her late husband's life and her own health. The collection also includes 6 portraits of Blake family members.

This collection contains 50 letters that Mary C. Young of Cambridge and Waltham, Massachusetts, received from her brother and sister-in-law, Gorham and Mary Blake, who lived in Georgia and in Oakland, California. The collection also includes 6 cartes-de-visite of Blake family members.

The Correspondence series comprises the bulk of the collection. In his first letter (6 pages), Gorham Blake described his recent journey to the Dardanelles Mine in Placer County, California, which took him across the Great Plains and the deserts of Nevada (August 16, 1864). Two letters he wrote from the Loudsville Camp in White County, Georgia, mention his local mining interests, the weather, and a recent earthquake (September 6, 1886, and January 5, 1887). Having received a medical degree around 1877, he occasionally offered medical advice. The bulk of Blake's correspondence is dated between 1895 and 1897, as he described his life in San Francisco and Oakland, California. He commented on political issues such as the Southern economy and the nation's upper class, and discussed his mining interests in Georgia and California. Some of his letters address religion and spiritualism, and toward the end of his life he focused more prominently on his life and on news of his extended family. His last letter fragment is postmarked April 6, 1897.

Mary Young's cousin wrote a condolence letter about Gorham's death on December 17, 1897, and enclosed a handwritten invitation to the funeral and a lengthy printed pamphlet on Masonic funeral rites. Gorham's widow Mary composed most of the remaining correspondence, discussing her husband's life and death as well as her finances, which were affected by her ownership of at least one mine in Georgia. Her final letter is dated January 4, 1901.

Charles Husband, an employee of the Alameda County Treasurer's Office and a friend of the Blakes, wrote 3 letters, including descriptions of Gorham Blake's ailing health (December 14, 1897) and funeral (December 27, 1897). M. Louise Warren wrote one letter to Edward J. Young, about her desire to purchase a statuette of "Wesley" (November 25, 1905).

• Mary C. Blake (1862)
• Gorham Blake (May 15, 1866, and two undated)
• Frank Blake (undated)
• James Blake (undated)