Collections

This collection is made up of 23 letters that Charlotte York wrote to her fiancé and husband, Stiles P. York, in the mid-19th century. She discussed her life in Tarrytown, New York, while her husband was in New York City.

This collection is made up of 23 letters that Charlotte York wrote to her fiancé and husband, Stiles P. York, in the mid-19th century. She discussed her life in Tarrytown, New York, while her husband was in New York City.

Charlotte wrote 5 letters from November 6, 1845-March 22, 1852, and 18 undated letters during the couple's courtship and after their wedding. In one undated letter, identified as "Thursday 2 o'clock," Charlotte anticipated their upcoming wedding and her transition from single to married life, and she later wrote one letter on their anniversary, May 12. Before and during their marriage, she reflected on her feelings for her husband and on her role as a housewife. She also reported the weather conditions and provided news about her neighbors and family members, particularly her mother and her sister Alletta. One letter is about her visit to Newburgh, New York, in March 1852. Charlotte occasionally referred to the Tarrytown Female Seminary, which she ran out of her home, and the collection includes a manuscript advertisement for her services, accompanied by a list of references.

The William Yardley Mathematics and Surveying Exercise Book contains solved geometric, trigonometric, and surveying exercises, including practical problems and illustrated examples that feature drawings of buildings, animals, and landscape elements.

The William Yardley Mathematics and Surveying Exercise Book contains solved geometric, trigonometric, and surveying exercises, including practical problems and illustrated examples that feature drawings of buildings, animals, and landscape elements. Calligraphic lettering appears throughout.

One letter written by Harry [Crockett?] to his mother, Mrs. L. F. Crockett, from Portland, Maine, on October 8, 1903, is laid into the volume. Written on John W. Perkins Company, Wholesale Druggists, illustrated stationery, the letter comments on family matters, business, and deaths of acquaintances, including one gentleman who was killed by an electric car.

The Wood family papers contain correspondence and other items related to the family of James A. Wood of Lebanon, Connecticut, and his descendants from the mid-19th to the early 20th century. Much of the content pertains to education, family news, and politics.

The Wood family papers (4 linear feet) contain correspondence and other items related to the family of James A. Wood of Lebanon, Connecticut, and his descendants from the mid-19th to the early 20th century.

The Correspondence series comprises almost all of the collection. Early items are incoming letters to James A. Wood, Rebecca D. Pillsbury (later Wood), and their daughter, Helen Elizabeth Wood, from family members and acquaintances. James A. Wood's siblings wrote with updates on their lives, such as Caroline E. Wood's teaching career in numerous towns throughout New York. Rebecca D. Pillsbury also received letters from her brothers and sisters, and both Wood's and Pillsbury's correspondents discussed family matters, religion, and local news. Margaret Ann's letter of December 3, 1860, concerns her affection for a deceased baby sister, and an unidentified author's letter of September 4, 1861, describes the recent death of a grandmother. James A. Wood received an increasing amount of business-related correspondence, including letters from Charles W. Pierce, in the 1870s.

After the 1870s, most letters are addressed to Rebecca D. Wood and her daughter, Helen Elizabeth Wood. Rebecca's children often wrote letters to their mother, and Helen received letters from cousins and friends from around the East Coast. George P. Wood, Helen's brother, often shared stories of his young son James and of his life in Baltimore, Maryland; Washington, D. C.; and Peekskill, New York. In one letter, George included a map showing the location of his home in Washington, D. C. (November 13, 1899).

In addition to family and social news, letters occasionally referred to current events. "Dana," one of Helen E. Wood's cousins, wrote from his United States Army post during World War I (December 28, 1917), and other friends discussed the impact of the war. Among Helen's correspondents were Ida McCollister of New Hampshire and Harry Sawyer, an old friend who shared news of his life in Kearney, Nebraska. In one later letter, George P. Wood expressed some of his political views about the 1924 presidential election (October 27, 1924). Correspondence was less frequent after Helen E. Wood's death in 1933, with most incoming letters addressed to Winchester R. Wood of Lynn, Massachusetts, a member of the family's Connecticut branch. Undated items include similar family correspondence, as well as one letter written on a printed program for the Public Meeting of the Philadelphian Society at Kimball Union Academy at Meridian, New Hampshire, on June 12, 1878.

The Essays series includes an "Autobiography of a Sofa," written by R[ebecca] D. Pillsbury, as well as a manuscript draft of the "Common School Repository...Published semi-monthly by L. J. Boynton & R[ebecca] D. Pillsbury," containing 8 pages of short pieces attributed, often only by first name, to various contributors.

Among the six Receipts, addressed to A. Wood (1 item) and Helen E. Wood (5 items) are two receipts for Helen E. Wood's educational expenses and two slips crediting her account at Citizens National Bank, Boston.

Maps and Blueprints comprise 7 items. These are several drawings of house layouts, one map showing the locations of two buildings, and two blueprints.

The Newspaper Clippings series has 6 items, one of which is an article entitled "What They Say: How Girls of Various Cities Behave When They are Kissed."

The Ephemera series contains 52 Christmas cards, greeting cards, postcards, calling cards, programs, and other printed items. Specific items include 2 Red Cross membership cards, a pamphlet advertising The Art of Living Long by Louis Cornaro, and a blank order sheet for Sears, Roebuck and Co. from the 1920s.

This collection contains correspondence, a school notebook, and other material related to Howard W. Wiltse, a native of Hannibal, New York, who graduated from the University of Michigan Law School in 1861.

This collection (13 items) contains correspondence, a school notebook (approximately 200 pages), and other material related to Howard W. Wiltse, a native of Hannibal, New York, who graduated from the University of Michigan Law School in 1861.

Howard W. Wiltse entered the University of Michigan Law School in 1859, the year it was founded, and graduated in 1861. From November 29, 1859-December 18, 1860, he composed class notes in a copy of Clayton's Quarto Diary for 1859. Wiltse's notes are based on lectures by the school's three professors (James V. Campbell, Thomas B. Cooley, and Charles I. Walker) and concern a wide range of legal topics, including civil law and criminal law, with an emphasis on economic practices; individual lectures often pertain to legal precedent. A dried fern leaf is laid into the volume.

Letters (10 items), a financial document (1 item), and a newspaper (1 item), once laid into the volume, also relate to Howard W. Wiltse's experiences in New York and Michigan. He wrote 2 letters to an unidentified brother in March 1852 and April 1855 about his experiences teaching school in a town called Burns, and he wrote 7 letters to other family members between May 1859 and April 1862. Wiltse discussed his studies at the University of Michigan Law School, the cost of his schoolbooks, and his legal career in Big Rapids, Michigan. In one letter, written on stationery depicting five of the university's buildings, he mentioned the turbulent political situation just before the Civil War (February 19, 1861). Later items include a financial document (April 3, 1874) and a letter from a man named Charles to a woman named Nettie (September 3, 1886). Howard W. Wiltse also sent his family the first issue of the Mecosta County Pioneer (April 17, 1862).

This collection is made up of letters by Amos Lawrence (1786-1852), his son Amos Adams Lawrence (1814-1886), and his brother Abbott Lawrence (1792-1855). They discussed financial and business matters, politics, and personal news.

This collection is made up of letters by Amos Lawrence (1786-1852), his son Amos Adams Lawrence (1814-1886), and his brother Abbott Lawrence (1792-1855). One engraved portrait of Abbott Lawrence and a letter by S. K. Lothrop acknowledging the death of Abbott Lawrence completes the collection. The Lawrences addressed subjects such as Henry Clay, the National Republican Party, education and schools, cotton mills, and national finance. Later items pertain to Amos Adams Lawrence's business affairs, including the construction of railroads in Massachusetts. A printed obituary for the elder Amos Lawrence is pasted into one letter (January 6, 1836). For more information on each item, see the Detailed Box and Folder Listing.

This collection is made up of personal letters addressed to Caleb A. Wall of Worcester, Massachusetts. Several items pertain to his time at the Friends' school in Providence, Rhode Island, including correspondence from former schoolmates such as Joseph W. Aldrich.

This collection is made up of 8 letters addressed to Caleb A. Wall of Worcester, Massachusetts, from May 15, 1835-December 31, 1850. The first two letters, written by Caleb's brother Joseph, concern arrangements for Caleb's return home from the Friends' school in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1835 and 1837. In 1839, David Slade wrote to Caleb Wall about his experiences at the school after Wall's departure. Joseph W. Aldrich, a fellow student, wrote 4 of the remaining letters from the school and from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he later lived. Aldrich reminisced about their time in Providence, shared news of the school, commented on the happiness of his marriage, described a recent gathering of Haverford School alumni, and discussed his life in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; he taught languages at the Haverford School in 1850. The final item, a letter from T. W. Butterfield, invites Wall to work at Butterfield's office in Worcester (December 20, 1845).

This collection is primarily made up of letters that Joseph Stokes received while attending the Westtown School in Chester County, Pennsylvania, in the early 1840s. His parents, Nathaniel Newlin and Nancy Evans Stokes, wrote most of the letters, though he also corresponded with aunts, cousins, and friends. Most items pertain to family news from Westfield, New Jersey, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

This collection is primarily made up of letters that Joseph Stokes received while attending the Westtown School in Chester County, Pennsylvania, in the early 1840s. His parents, N. N. (Nathaniel Newlin) and N. E. (Nancy Evans) Stokes, wrote most of the letters from their home in Westfield, New Jersey; N. N. Stokes also wrote from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After 1842, some of the letters are addressed to both Joseph and John Stokes; one undated item is addressed to Anna Stokes, who also attended the Westtown School.

The Stokes family letters largely concern personal news of family members and friends, including members of the Stokes, Bispham, Lippincott, and Sharpless families, some of whom lived in Moorestown, New Jersey. They reported on the state of their farm in Westfield, where they raised cattle and hogs, and grew wheat, oats, potatoes, and corn. Some of the letters contain academic advice for Joseph and, later, his brother John. As the eldest of his siblings, the parents encouraged Joseph to set a good example; they once chastised John for the content of a previous letter (February 16, 1844). The letter of January 28, 1842, includes a description of a recent episode in which several members of the Stokes family fainted as a result of a gas leak in their stove. Joseph's aunts, cousins, and friends wrote similar letters, requesting news of his time at school and discussing their lives in New Jersey and Pennsylvania; one cousin reported on his pet pigeons and squirrel. Some of Joseph's friends reminisced about their time at Westtown School.

This collection is made up of personal letters that Samuel Abbot Smith received from friends and family members while attending Phillips Exeter Academy, Harvard College, and Harvard Divinity School in the mid-1800s. His correspondents discussed their daily activities, Smith's education, and other subjects.

This collection is made up of 10 personal letters that Samuel Abbot Smith received from friends and family members while attending Phillips Exeter Academy, Harvard College, and Harvard Divinity School in the mid-1800s. The first letter, written by Horatio H. Whitten of "Great Falls," mentions Whitten's new schoolteacher and local factories (November 6, 1843). The letter includes a small drawing of a face in profile.

Samuel Abbot Smith's grandfather, Abiel Abbot, and his "Aunt Abby" wrote 5 letters to Smith from Peterborough, New Hampshire, between October 15, 1844, and January 9, 1853. They provided news of their lives and of family members' and friends' health and activities. Abby referred to social groups, her religious activities, Smith's education, and, on one occasion, fashionable summer coats (May 25, 1846). Abiel Abbot advised his grandson to read Roman history and take courses in elocution. He also provided suggestions for his grandson's salutatory address and discussed Samuel's mother's finances. In one letter, he shared his distaste for political mass meetings (October 15, 1844). Abiel and Abby's final letter encloses a German-language letter from Marie A. Peabody to Samuel Abbot Smith.

Smith received 2 letters from "Mother," likely his father's second wife and widow, Elizabeth Dow, on September 10, 1848, and July 9, 1849. Writing from Exeter, New Hampshire, she noted the recent anniversary of her husband's death; mentioned her attendance at a lecture by "Bushnell" that touched on Calvinism and other tops; and discussed her plans to travel to Cambridge, Massachusetts, for her son's graduation from Harvard College. She shared a story of an acquaintance who had served in the Mexican War and reported that the man desired a Canadian revolution so he could earn a commission as captain in a New York militia company.

Smith's final correspondent, Julius Crone, wrote twice from Peterborough, New Hampshire, on October 6, 1850, and February 21, 1851. He discussed his work, local news, a meeting of a social group (the "R. C."), and his envy for Smith, who was associated with "amiable scholars" such as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. He expressed his concern for Smith's health and his desire that Smith could continue his studies despite his ailments.

The collection consists of six penmanship and cypher books kept by William L. Shimer, Susanna M. Shimer, and Nathan M. Shimer of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the 1840s and 1850s and one alphabet card with lower-case and upper-case letters. The blank books include illustrated covers and several have calligraphic titles for their sections. Four of them are dated and range from 1846 to 1853. The cypher books include exercises for arithmetic, fractions, accounting, and weights and measures, with many examples relating to practical issues like farming, business, and estates. Penmanship exercises include the copying of moral proverbs, common business abbreviations, strings of letters, and phrases. Two of the penmanship books are associated with writing systems: George J. Becker's The American System of Penmanship, and Bayson, Dunton and Scribner's National System of Penmanship.

The collection consists of seven penmanship and cypher books kept by William L. Shimer, Susanna M. Shimer, and Nathan M. Shimer of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the 1840s and 1850s and one alphabet card with lower-case and upper-case letters. The blank books include illustrated covers and several have calligraphic titles for their sections. Five of them are dated and range from 1846 to 1853. The cypher books include exercises for arithmetic, fractions, practical geometry, accounting, and weights and measures, with many examples relating to practical issues like farming, business, and estates. Penmanship exercises include the copying of moral proverbs, common business abbreviations, strings of letters, and phrases. Two of the penmanship books are associated with writing systems: George J. Becker's The American System of Penmanship, and Bayson, Dunton and Scribner's National System of Penmanship.

• Uriah Hunt & Son, Booksellers, Philadelphia
• Leary's Cheap Book Store, Philadelphia
• Brower, Hayes & Co., Booksellers and Stationers, Philadelphia
• Henry J. Oerter's Cheap Book & Stationery Store, Bethlehem
• Crosby & Ainsworth, Publishers, Boston

The cover of William L. Shimer's 1848 exercise book includes an inscription "L. Shimer, Co. A 10 reg. Militia Pa." William L. Shimer's 1850-1852 cypher book includes notations that he was attending the Gen. Taylor school and was being instructed by A. Stout, as well as geometrical drawings, calligraphic headings, and a pen-and-ink drawing of an eagle's head holding a banner that reads, "Let teh Stars and Stripes proudly float over you."

This collection consists of a manuscript schoolbook that belonged to Abraham P. Sherril in the mid-1810s and 4 daybooks that Sherril kept between 1837 and 1850. The schoolbook contains rules and example problems in subjects such as mathematics, business finance, and surveying, as well as examples of a daybook and double-entry ledger. The daybooks concern sales of foodstuffs, cloth, and other items in Pike, New York, from the 1830s-1850s.

This collection consists of a manuscript schoolbook and 4 daybooks. The Schoolbook (145 pages) contains 118 pages of notes and example problems concerning mathematics, business finance, and surveying, dated at East Hampton, New York, from March 1815-March 1818. Many of the geometrical and surveying problems are illustrated, and financial problems pertain to subjects such as European currencies and calculation of interest. The schoolbook also includes a copied poem. The final 27 pages provide examples of a daybook (January 1, 1819-January 31, 1819, 11 pages) and double-entry ledger (January 1, 1819-May 29, 1819, 16 pages). The same accounts are represented in each of these sections, and most pertain to sales of foodstuffs and fabrics. The 4 Daybooks (June 22, 1837-May 29, 1850, 765 pages) record Sherril's accounts with customers in Pike, New York. He sold foodstuffs such as butter, spices, and tea; household goods such as brooms and nails; clothing and fabrics such as calico; and other items, such as tobacco and soap.