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The Amos Bradbury papers contain letters largely from Amos Bradbury to his mother Miranda Stanhope and brother Samuel Bradbury, Jr., which provide a valuable account of life in central California during the Gold Rush era.

The Amos Bradbury papers contain 67 letters largely from Amos Bradbury to his mother Miranda Stanhope and brother Samuel Bradbury, Jr., written between 1848 and 1863. His letters provide a valuable account of life in central California during the Gold Rush era. The collection holds 51 letters from Bradbury, 2 early letters from his brother Samuel, 9 letters from his mother, and 4 letters from Bradbury's friend Joseph B. Leonard. The letters track Bradbury’s movements between San Francisco (1850), Stanislaus (1851), Mountain Ranch (1852), Indian Gulch (1853-1857), Stanislaus River (1856-1860), and Mokelumne City, California (1862).

Bradbury’s earliest letters were addressed from Boston, where he worked in the shipping trade as a first mate. He first mentioned the idea of going to California in a letter to his mother from July 11, 1849. By September 28 of that year, he was at sea on his way to California and, by the next letter, dated January 3, 1850, was in Valparaiso, Chile, after traveling around Cape Horn. In his letter of April 28, 1850, written from San Francisco, he stated his intention not to pan for gold, but to start a store near the mines.

Along with Bradbury’s letters from 1850 and 1851 are 4 items from Joseph B. Leonard, Captain of the Boston ship Grotius, who was in San Francisco at the same time as Bradbury. These letters a were addressed to Miranda Stanhope and, for the most part, reported the safety and well being of her son Amos, and described some of the dangers of California life. Leonard's son, and a man named George Moore, accompanied Bradbury to the mines.

Amos settled in Stanislaus, California, in early 1851. In his letter of March 13, 1851, he described women near the mines: "Excepting indian squaws they are very numerous, although not any handsome." By 1852, Amos was running a successful public house in Mountain Branch, California, with George Moore, though by the end of the year, their business partner had abandoned the establishment. By early 1853, Amos owned three claims around Indian Gulch, California, and expressed renewed confidence to his family that he would discover gold. In his letter to his brother Samuel, of February 10, 1853, he explained the work involved in prospecting. On February 22, 1853, however, he mentioned to his mother that he was finding little gold. He continued prospecting this plot for a number of years and in the November 5, 1854, letter wrote "the height of my ambition is to get gold enough to make us all comfortable."

Bradbury scraped by on meager findings over the next five years. As early as July 13, 1860, in a letter to his brother, he mentioned the idea of running a ferry on the Stanislaus River, and by April 22, 1862, Bradbury reported to his mother that he had, in fact, pursued this line of work in Mokelumne City, California. By then he had made two trips up to Lockeford, California, which was 60 miles further up stream than any steamer had gone before. In his next letter, he mentioned that he had been made master of the Pert and intended to travel to San Francisco on a weekly basis. Bradbury was also master of the steamer the Fanny Ann (August 14, 1863). By February 25, 1863, he discussed buying a store, and that he had chopped off his "little toe."

This collection also includes 9 letters from Miranda Stanhope, Amos's mother, who expressed relief at hearing of her son’s good health, and shared news from Old Town, Maine. Her letters are emotional and demonstrate deeply-held religious beliefs. These letters may be unsent drafts, since they rarely contain signatures or addresses, and some of them are unfinished and two are undated. Of note is her letter to Amos of June 15, 1863, in which she discussed "the beautiful war" and the effect it has had on "the poor Negroes…[who] tear with their teeth, when deprived of their arms. Their very instinct, prompts to liberty or death." She went on at length about the desire of the Southerners to "perpetuate slavery...the worst system the world ever knew" and described slavery as an eternal sin: "Yes greatly have they injured us; but theirs is infinite, not ours."

The lone item in the Miscellaneous series is a two-page document written by Bradbury, which is possibly a fragment or draft of a letter, which is dated but not directed to a specific person.

This collection is a single pre-printed 1860 daily diary kept by Austin E. Lyon of Dundee and Tecumseh, Michigan, largely documenting his April-May 1863 travel from Southeast Michigan to California, via Detroit, Windsor, Niagara Falls, Rochester, Northville, Poughkeepsie, New York City, the steamer North Star, and across Panama (17 pages). The account ends around the time his ship reached Cape St. Lucas, May 24, 1863. Lyon tended to describe the various landscapes he viewed during his travels, focusing particularly on Northville, New York, where he visited family. He also wrote about seasickness, playing games with fellow travelers, and attendance at church. On April 28, 1863, he wrote about the arrival of the 7th and 8th Infantry in New York City to great fanfare. Twelve pages at the opening and closing of the volume are filled with accounts, notes, and lists, dating from 1862 to 1866.

This collection is a single pre-printed 1860 daily diary kept by Austin E. Lyon of Dundee and Tecumseh, Michigan, largely documenting his April-May 1863 travel from Southeast Michigan to California, via Detroit, Windsor, Niagara Falls, Rochester, Northville, Poughkeepsie, New York City, the steamer North Star, and across Panama (17 pages). The account ends around the time his ship reached Cape St. Lucas, May 24, 1863. Lyon tended to describe the various landscapes he viewed during his travels, focusing particularly on Northville, New York, where he visited family. He also wrote about seasickness, playing games with fellow travelers, and attendance at church. On April 28, 1863, he wrote about the arrival of the 7th and 8th Infantry in New York City to great fanfare.

Twelve pages at the opening and closing of the volume are filled with accounts, notes, and lists, dating from 1862 to 1866. Among them are documentation of financial transactions in Dundee, Michigan, 1862; an accounting of miles traveled from Panama to San Francisco in May 1863; and notes about his work for Goodfellow and for the Manhattan Company in Austin, Nevada, 1865-1866.

The pencil that Austin Lyon used to write his diary is still tucked into a holder in the diary.

This volume contains D. Coffin's daily account of the first leg of a sea voyage from New York City to California, covering the progress of the clipper ship Grecian between New York and Cape Horn in early 1852. The journal also includes drawings of scenery made during the voyage, newspaper clippings, penmanship exercises, and children's sketches.

This volume contains a 20-page daily account of the first leg of D. Coffin's voyage from New York City to California, covering the progress of the clipper ship Grecian between New York and Cape Horn in early 1852. The journal also includes 18 coastal profiles drawn in pencil during the voyage. A newspaper clipping at the beginning of the volume concerns the clipper ship Grecian's arrival in San Francisco. It provides names of passengers, names of three people who died during the voyage, a list of goods shipped onboard, and names of consignees.

The journal begins on February 19, 1852. The following day, Coffin arrived in New York, where he purchased a ticket for the ship Grecian, which set sail on March 2. In his first entry, he detailed the ship's specifications, including its size and number of passengers. He kept a daily record of weather and events onboard and frequently mentioned his negative opinion of "immoral" passengers who enjoyed alcohol and gambling. Several of the entries concern medical problems, such as the death of passenger John Morrison from smallpox on March 12, the author's own bout with side and bowel pain, and several other cases of smallpox reported by the ship's doctor on March 21. Though many passengers suffered from illness, they were allowed to go onshore after the ship's arrival at Rio de Janeiro on April 12. Coffin wrote lengthy descriptions of the fort and the city, including its geographical surroundings and a visit by the emperor. On April 15, he reported on local markets and made brief observations about slaves. The Grecian departed Rio de Janeiro on April 19 and Coffin's continued to make daily entries until April 24.

Newspaper clippings, penmanship exercises, and children's sketches make up the rest of the volume. The first 42 pages have pasted-in newspaper clippings of proverbs, humorous anecdotes, informational articles, news articles, and poetry. The creator pasted the clippings over earlier, mostly inaccessible pen writing. Some of the clippings relate to farming, housekeeping, nature, and recent gold discoveries. Two of the articles are a report on a lecture given by Lucy Stone on women's rights, and a brief feature on an "Emancipation Movement in Virginia."

Penmanship exercises and notes (two dated 1862 & 1888), signatures, and children's sketches (three associated with Edna Jane Coffin) are scattered throughout the volume. A pencil sketch of a three-masted sailing ship was signed by Mathew Doyle.

This collection contains correspondence, legal documents, financial records, and other material related to the family of Frederick Kislingbury, who died during Adolphus Greely's expedition to the Arctic in the early 1880s. The majority of the material pertains to disputes over Kislingbury's estate, the custody of his children, and his sons' later lives.

This collection contains correspondence, legal documents, financial records, and other material related to the family of Frederick Kislingbury, who died during Adolphus Greely's expedition to the Arctic in the early 1880s. The majority of the material pertains to disputes over his estate, the custody of his children, and his sons' later lives.

The Correspondence and Documents series (around 500 items) comprises the bulk of the collection. Before embarking on Adolphus Greely's Lady Franklin Bay Expedition in August 1881, Frederick Kislingbury signed several personal checks, received postcards from the Army Mutual Aid Association, and corresponded with acquaintances about his finances. On August 17, 1881, he wrote a letter to his sons about his upcoming voyage, and he marked the expedition's proposed landing point on a printed map of the Arctic regions. Soon after his father's departure, Harry H. G. Kislingbury received letters and legal documents regarding a package that his father had sent to him before leaving for the Arctic. Several other letters pertain directly to the expedition. In a letter to Kislingbury dated January 20, 1882, Adolphus Greeley criticized Greely's sleeping habits during his "enforced stay with this command" and discussed the circumstances that led to Kislingbury's initial dismissal for insubordination in 1881. A copied letter from Captain W. M. Beebe about the Neptune's attempted rescue mission (July 17, 1882) and a printed letter confirming the failure of the 1883 relief expedition (September 14, 1883) are also present.

The bulk of the series is made up of incoming letters, legal documents, and financial records to Charles Lamartine Clark, a Detroit resident who served as Kislingbury's estate executor. The material primarily concerns the estate's finances and the custody of Kislingbury's sons. Clark often corresponded with the Army Mutual Aid Association, and the collection has a copy of its 4th annual report (1883). John P. Kislingbury and William H. Kislingbury, Frederick Kislingbury's brothers, wrote to Clark from Rochester, New York. They argued over custody of the Kislingbury children, their brother's funeral and burial, and his financial affairs, though their later correspondence was more cordial toward Clark. Clark also owned an account book covering Kislingbury's relationship with Riggs & Co. from 1881-1884. Some items from 1885 concern a pension that the United States Congress awarded to his sons and related efforts to certify their ages.

After 1885, Harry H. G. Kislingbury wrote letters to Clark about his experiences at the Michigan Military Academy in Orchard Lake, Michigan. Clark also received letters about Harry's conduct from the school's superintendent. Harry later wrote about his life in San Francisco, California, and Flagstaff, Arizona, in the late 1880s.

Wheeler Kislingbury wrote several lengthy personal letters to Charles L. Clark in 1913 and 1914, mentioning his life in San Francisco, California, expressing regret over his uncles' actions following his father's death, and discussing the possibility of publishing his father's diary. Additionally, one letter describes an encounter with Adolphus Greely in which the officer refused to talk to Wheeler after discovering that he was Frederick Kislingbury's son (May 7, 1913). Douglas E. L. Kislingbury wrote a brief personal letter to Clark from Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1917, and Wheeler wrote 2 letters to Clark's wife from Winslow, Arizona, in 1919.

Henry H. G. Kislingbury kept a Diary (100 pages) while traveling from New York to San Francisco onboard the St. Mark between December 6, 1886, and April 22, 1887. Kislingbury wrote about the ship's crew, the weather, the scenery, and the captain's family, who were passengers on the voyage.

The Cass School (Detroit, Mich.) and Michigan Military Academy Papers pertain to the education of two of Frederick Kislingbury's sons. Two report cards from the Cass School in Detroit, Michigan, provide information on Walter Kislingbury's academic progress in 1883. The remaining 25 loose items are report cards and receipts concerning Harry H. G. Kislingbury's academic progress, conduct, and finances during his time at the Michigan Military Academy, 1884-1886. He also kept an account book while attending the school.

The Photographs series (5 items) contains portraits of Charles L. Clark, his wife Georgina Frazer Clark, and a group portrait of Clark with Walter Frederick Kislingbury and Wheeler Kislingbury. Frederick Kislingbury carried the carte-de-visite of Charles L. Clark during the Greely expedition.

A manuscript Menu lists the meals consumed by the Greely expedition on each day of the week.

The Printed Items series is comprised of 2 items: a copy of the Sunday Morning Herald with an article about Frederick Kislingbury's death (July 20, 1884) and Harry H. G. Kislingbury's copy of Emory Upton's Infantry Tactics Double and Single Rank. Adapted to American Topography and Improved Fire-Arms (Revised edition, 1884).

The Fremont Mining and Trading Company diary is a small bound notebook (54 pages) recounting the adventures of a member of the "Fremont Trading and Mining Company" formed in 1849 to search for California gold.

The Fremont Mining and Trading Company diary is a small bound notebook (54 pages) recounting the adventures of one of its members. The company was formed in 1849 by subscribers who wanted to search for gold in California. The author made almost daily entries during the ship’s six-month voyage to San Francisco, then wrote more sporadically during the period of the company’s successful search for gold in the Feather River north of Sacramento and the author's return as far as Panama in March 1851. In the back of the diary, the diarist registered the members, their ages, homes, and occupations. He also listed the daily logs of longitude, latitude, and miles traveled for their long trip, as well as names of the officers and crew, all but two of whom were also shareholders. The author failed to identify himself; John F. Jordan is written inside the cover of the book, but he is not listed as a member of the trading company.

The adventurer arose at 5 A.M. on March 27, 1849, three miles from Glastonbury, Connecticut (near Hartford), went overland to Hartford, and took a steamboat to New York City. He leveraged twelve shares in the Company as surety for a $400 note, payable in one year, accompanied by a paid-up life insurance policy for $1,000 to one Benjamin Cook. They sailed from New York on April 1l. Their route took them within sight of the Canary Islands, then on to their first landing in Rio de Janeiro. There, many of the company went ashore nightly to get drunk, much to the author’s disgust. He noted that the US Navy ship Brandywine was in the harbor, the Emperor and Empress of Argentina rode around in a carriage, and that he went upriver to buy 2,000 oranges for about $10 for the ship. On June 13, after the crew loaded 20 casks of water, the Selma took off to round the Horn, a stormy trip with ice-covered decks.

The second stop was at Valparaiso on August 8, where they encountered an English man-of-war, said to be carrying several hundred pounds of gold dust from California, consigned to a house in Boston. He attended a Protestant church to hear a sermon preached by David Trumble, son of John Trumble of Colchester, Connecticut. Finally on October 5, 178 days since leaving New York, they arrived in San Francisco. The author went ashore on Sunday and reported that the city had two Methodist churches, and one each of Episcopal, Presbyterian, Congregational, and Baptist churches. The cooks and stewards promptly deserted ship and then sued for back wages, which, after a court hearing, were denied. Members of the company had to take over their duties, such such as cooking for 86 men. Such desertions were common when ships arrived in California.

Some stayed on ship and sought odd jobs in the city, while other members formed small parties and set off upriver to Sacramento. The author left ship on October 22, when he slept on land for the first time in more than six months. Eventually, they brought their ship up the river, in time for them to stay on it during a disastrous January flood. People were rescued from windows and roofs; 70 or 80 residents lodged on board their ship at $3 a night, $5 or $6 a day, and $30-40 a week. Members established a mining camp about 35 miles from Sacramento, which was quite successful financially, although many of them became sick and three died.

Claims were purchased by members of the company in both the Yuba and Feather Rivers and were thoroughly mined. Even the rivers that ran through the city of Sacramento yielded little gold. By February 1850, the members of the company were so dissatisfied that they broke up. The author sold his tools for $50, then joined members Smith and Ransom to borrow $200 for the purchase of a mule; they started off by themselves to a new claim. Through March and April they were able to recover from $300 to $1,000 a week. On March 30, the author returned to Sacramento and found their old company in disarray. He described several scenes of violence, and mentioned encounters with deer, grizzly bears, and beaver.

On June 8, he wrote that all their claims were worked out, but that they had recovered about $3,300 so far. In July he joined a new company of 14 men to build wing dams in order to divert river water, thereby opening up new sites for panning. As a result, by September they mined gold worth $665 per miner, including a 4-oz. piece that he had found. In October, the company disbanded for the winter, whereupon the author resumed digging on the banks by himself, recovering from $12 to $15 worth of gold a day.

He wanted to go back to Sacramento for the winter, but stayed away when he learned that the city was reporting 60 cases of cholera a day. He and Walter Griswold built a cabin near Centerville, intending to spend the winter there. They heard reports that one man had dug 40, 30, and 18 pounds of gold on three successive days. He also mentioned that Indians killed two men; they buried one of them alive, and roasted the other one.

In January 1851, the new company sold the claim and the cabin. The author went to Sacramento and then to San Francisco, where he boarded the Adrian, mastered by George Scott, and paid $75 for passage to Panama. The ship left on January 24, 1851. The diary ends without explanation, when the ship was near Panama on March 28, 1951.

Henry Jackson McCord (1827-1917) was a California Forty-Niner who later fought in the Civil War with the 111th Ohio Volunteers, 1862-1865. His journals include two diaries describing his trip to California in 1849, a diary describing a return trip from San Francisco in 1853, and a duty roster from 1864.

The journals of Henry Jackson McCord include two diaries describing his trip to California in 1850, a diary describing a return trip from San Francisco in 1853, and a duty roster from 1864. The first, a diary and commonplace book, contains a few sketchy notes about the trip to California, some quotations, accounts, and lists of names. A second journal is a long account of McCord's voyage to California in the brig Orleans, in which he writes daily descriptions, and later account entries. The third journal has entries for the return trip from California by ship, but it is much shorter than the journal he kept on the outgoing voyage. A final journal contains accounts and duty rosters for 1864, during McCord's service with the 111th Ohio Volunteers in the Civil War.

This journal contains a narrative account of John H. Parsell's journey from New York to California, via Panama and Mexico, in late 1875, including a description of San Francisco, California. Parsell wrote the account for his "Uncle Peter" in August 1876.

This journal (57 pages) contains a narrative account of John H. Parsell's journey from New York to California, via Panama and Mexico, in late 1875, including a description of San Francisco, California. He wrote the manuscript on pages numbered 33-89; the remaining pages have been torn out of the volume.

The first section (pages 33-61) is comprised of Parsell's travel recollections, which he composed for his uncle beginning on August 19, 1876. On November 30, 1875, Parsell boarded the steamer Colon, bound for Panama. After reaching Panama on December 10, 1875, he took a train across the isthmus to Panama City, where he boarded the steamer Grenada, bound for Mexico and California. On December 24, 1875, he arrived in San Francisco. Parsell commented on ocean travel and life at sea, such as the religious thoughts that ocean travel inspired in him, the racial composition of the ships' crews, the night sky and navigation, and the flora and fauna of the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean. He remarked on scenery along the coasts of the United States, Bahamas, Cuba, Panama, Nicaragua, and Mexico, and described the following cities where his ships docked: Aspinwall (now Colón) and Panama City, Panama; and Acapulco, Manzanillo, and Mazatlan, Mexico. In Acapulco, he mentioned the merchants who sailed alongside departing ships selling goods to passengers (p. 54), and he later shared his distaste for Catholic priests and countries that embraced Catholicism (p. 57).

On pages 61-89, Parsell described life in San Francisco, discussing the prevalence of divorce, popular leisure activities, restaurants and saloons, the city's public squares and churches, and the cable cars. He provided a description Chinatown and the city's Chinese population, commenting on relationships between Chinese immigrants and other segments of the population, religious customs in Chinatown, and ethnic theater performances. The final pages concern Parsell's visit to a friend in Santa Rosa, California.

This collection contains letters between Kirk Cunningham of Mobile, Alabama, his wife Mary, and his brother John of Lancaster, Massachusetts. Kirk Cunningham wrote a series of letters to his wife while seeking work in San Francisco, California, in 1854 and 1855, and to his brother while living in Mobile, Alabama, during the years leading up to the Civil War. His letters concern economic matters, philosophy, and politics. John Cunningham wrote about his life in Massachusetts.

This collection (70 items) contains letters between Kirk Cunningham of Mobile, Alabama, his wife Mary, and his brother John of Lancaster, Massachusetts; a few additional letters relate to their extended family in Illinois.

The first 2 letters are addressed to Leonard Farwell of Lancaster, Massachusetts, by William Hall and his nephew Benjamin, who discussed a financial dispute in 1807. A quitclaim deed dated May 29, 1813, relates to land transferred from Isaac Brooks to Samuel Brooks in Worcester County, Massachusetts. The bulk of the remaining correspondence is addressed to or written by Kirk Cunningham, a Scottish immigrant living in Mobile, Alabama, and, briefly, San Francisco, California. On September 10, 1842, he wrote to Mary Waugh of New York City, describing a business venture and urging her to consider his marriage proposal. In a letter dated June 18, 1846, he wrote to his brother John about a man who had accompanied him to Alabama, noting his companion's declining health, death, and burial by a local Jewish merchant.

Between October 18, 1854, and September 13, 1855, Cunningham wrote to his wife Mary and to his brother John while traveling to and living in San Francisco, California, where he unsuccessfully sought work. He described the city and the local economy and discussed financial affairs with his wife. After his return to Mobile, he corresponded most frequently with his brother, who reported back about his health and sometimes discussed religion. Kirk Cunningham suggested remedies for John's health problems, including a diagram of a proposed "shower-bath" (December 26, 1858), and provided news of the southern economy throughout the late 1850s. On May 13, 1855, he noted reading Andrew Jackson Davis's The Great Harmonia (1852); his following letters reflect his growing interest in Spiritualism.

In 1860, Cunningham began commenting on political matters, noting the effects of John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry and "Seward's doings" on Southern politics (February 26, 1860), and sharing his thoughts on secession (July 29, 1860) and Lincoln's election to the presidency (October 20, 1860). On April 26, 1861, he reported that Mobile residents expected to hear news of a large battle for control of Washington, D. C., and that local military units had begun drilling. After reconnecting with his brother in 1865, Cunningham discussed the hardships that Mobile residents experienced during the war (May 7, 1866) and otherwise remarked on the postwar South. In his last letter, dated June 19, 1868, he expressed uncertainty about his future prospects and quoted extracts from Andrew Jackson Davis's Arabula (1868).

Other letters include a family update from George Kennedy in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to his uncle, William George of County Antrim, Ireland (May 7, 1849), and letters between members of the Haskell family of Boston and Ipswich, Massachusetts. The "Extracts from a letter written to John Cunningham - Dunfermline Scotland - by my father John Cunningham," contains genealogical information on the Cunningham family (December 1, 1880).

The Nehemiah Baden collection pertains to Lieutenant Baden's service at the United States Army arsenal at Baltimore, Maryland, from the mid-1810s to the early 1820s. The bulk of the papers is correspondence that Baden and other officers received respecting ordnance and other supplies. The collection also includes a receipt book concerning labor and supplies purchased for the Baltimore arsenal in 1816; a volume containing copied orders issued and received by Nehemiah Baden during his time as commander of the Baltimore Arsenal; and a log book of the bark Clara Louise's journey from Boston, Massachusetts, to Portland, Oregon, in 1873.

This collection (1.5 linear feet) pertains to Lieutenant Nehemiah Baden's service at the United States Army arsenal at Baltimore, Maryland, from the mid-1810s to the early 1820s.

The Correspondence series consists of 29 volumes of bound letters concerning ordnance, arsenals, and general supplies for the United States Army, organized by department of origin. Most items are addressed to Nehemiah Baden at the Baltimore arsenal; a few early items are addressed to Captain Jos. H. Rees, also at Baltimore. Many correspondents mentioned finances, and some letters include accounts and other financial records. Other items pertain to ordnance supplies such as cannon, powder and shot, artillery wagons, and to other supplies such as clothing. A few concern laborers and soldiers' accommodations. Some correspondents commented on other arsenals and military posts, including the Frankford Arsenal in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Fort McHenry, also in Baltimore. Most correspondents represented various departments of the United States government and United States Army. For more information on each bundle and the departments represented, see the Detailed Box and Folder Listing below.

The Receipt Book and Letter Book series consists of two separate volumes. The receipt book contains partially printed receipts pertaining to payments for labor and supplies purchased by the Baltimore arsenal from January 8, 1816-July 24, 1816. The letter book contains copied orders and circular letters issued and received by Nehemiah Baden at the Baltimore arsenal. The military correspondence concerns finances, personnel, and recommended procedures for performing certain tasks. Some items pertain to courts martial and other disciplinary issues.

The Clara Louise Log and Anahuac Account Book is a single volume divided into two sections: a log recounting the voyage of the bark Clara Louise from Boston, Massachusetts, to Portland, Oregon, from December 6, 1871-July 25, 1873 (55 pages), and accounts with crew members on the Anahuac from April 1883-July 1883 (approximately 35 pages). William H. Summers commanded both ships. Daily log entries concern the progress of the Clara Louise as it sailed between ports such as Boston, Massachusetts; Valpraiso, Chile; San Francisco, California; Iquique, Peru (present-day Chile); Honolulu, Hawaii; and Portland, Oregon. The top of each log page includes a brief proverb or piece of trivia. The sailors' accounts largely regard their purchases of clothing items and tobacco.

Samuel B. Morse, a Baptist pastor, kept this journal while teaching at Urania College in Glasgow, Kentucky, and Pacific Methodist College in Vacaville, California, during the Civil War, as well as throughout his studies at Newton Theological Seminary in Newton Centre, Massachusetts, in the late 1860s. He commented on his social life, described his travels between the East and West Coasts of the United States, and mentioned military and political developments during the Civil War.

Samuel B. Morse, a Baptist pastor, kept this journal (460 pages) while teaching at Urania College in Glasgow, Kentucky, and Pacific Methodist College in Vacaville, California, during the Civil War, as well as throughout his studies at Newton Theological Seminary in Newton Centre, Massachusetts, in the late 1860s. He began the diary on January 1, 1861, describing his life in Kentucky and his love for "Miss Mary." He reported on the secessions of Alabama and Louisiana (January 11, 1861 and January 25, 1861), expressed his hope that Abraham Lincoln "may prove better than the people think him to be" (March 4, 1861), and observed the growing animosity between the North and South (March 19, 1861). On April 2, 1861, he mentioned his wish to move to California, and over the next few weeks described his journey onboard a "California Steamer." After his arrival, he wrote about his social life, particularly his courtship with Mary Isabel Wilson.

Morse occasionally commented on the war and politics, including the First Battle of Bull Run (August 3, 1861), the Battle of Corinth (April 15, 1862), the Emancipation Proclamation (August 25, 1862), the Battle of Fredericksburg (December 17, 1862), the Battle of Vicksburg (July 9, 1863), and the 1864 presidential election (November 8, 1864 and November 12, 1864). On April 3, 1865, he reflected on the capture of Richmond; on April 15, 1865, he mourned the death of Abraham Lincoln and, mistakenly, William Henry Seward. He wrote less frequently after the war, but provided an account of his May 1866 journey to Massachusetts, via Nicaragua, to study at Newton Theological Seminary in Newton Centre; there, he heard Charles Dickens give a reading (April 3, 1868). He returned to California by railroad (August 16, 1869), and ended his journal on December 30, 1869, 2 months after his wife and daughter joined him in California.

The journal contains 4 enclosures, including 2 tintypes of a young girl and a printed portrait of Samuel B. Morse. A lock of hair from Mary Page, whom Morse courted during his time in Kentucky, is taped onto the journal's last page.