Collections : [University of Michigan William L. Clements Library]

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).

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.

The Morgan-McKoon correspondence primarily contains letters to May McKoon of Long Eddy, New York. Julia Morgan (later Royal), McKoon's sister, and Margaret A. McKoon, McKoon's daughter, wrote the majority of the letters from Portland, Oregon, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Julia discussed her experiences as an aspiring artist and her everyday life after her marriage, and Margaret McKoon wrote of her education, social activities, and other topics while living with her aunt and uncle.

The Morgan-McKoon correspondence (67 items) primarily contains letters to May McKoon of Long Eddy, New York, from her sister, Julia Morgan (later Royal); her brother-in-law, Osmon Royal; and her daughter, Margaret A. McKoon. Julia Morgan and Osmon Royal lived in Portland, Oregon, and Margaret McKoon lived with them in the early 1890s. The women discussed education, social activities, local travel, and their daily lives.

Julia Morgan wrote letters (often several pages in length) to May McKoon from December 1, 1886-February 5, 1912. Her early correspondence pertains to her experiences in Portland as she attempted to establish an artistic career, and she commented on exhibits, a studio, teaching classes, and aspects of her everyday life in Portland. After her marriage to Osmon Royal in 1888, her letters focused on her domestic life, including mentions of her son, also named Osmon. The elder Osmon Royal occasionally contributed to his wife's letters and individually wrote a few letters to his sister-in-law. In one, he commented on their recent move and he drew a floor plan of their new lodgings (March 22, 1891).

Margaret A. McKoon wrote regularly to her mother from February 28, 1889-January 5, 1893, while living with the Royal family in Portland, Oregon. She often discussed educational topics, such as her private instruction with Julia, her experiences at school, and her desire to attend Portland University. She also mentioned dresses and dressmaking, and described visits to Astoria, Oregon (September 12, 1891), and San Francisco, California (letter beginning January 15, 1892). Two of her letters mention a large Chinese funeral (October 26, 1890) and a presentation by an Eskimo woman (February 9, 1891). Other items are a letter from May McKoon to Margaret McKoon during a visit to Portland (September 21, 1905); a personal letter to May McKoon from a family member (August 25, 1909); and a letter from Harry Robbins to Don Viele of Buffalo, New York, about cross-country travel (June 5, 1907). The collection has a gap from 1893-1903.

This collection contains 3 letters (6 pages) that Sarah Butler Davis wrote to her sister, Eliza Eldredge, while studying under a private female tutor in Norwich, Connecticut, in the fall of 1815. Davis sent her regards to her family, who lived in Providence, Rhode Island, and discussed her life in Connecticut.

This collection contains 3 letters (6 pages) that Sarah Butler Davis wrote to her sister, Eliza Eldredge, while studying under a private female tutor in Norwich, Connecticut, in the fall of 1815.

On October 12, 1815, Davis reported that her trunks had been delayed, but that she had enjoyed her first days in Norwich, where she boarded and studied with a "Miss Hyde." Davis met the daughters of "General Huntington," one of whom, Nancy, also studied with Miss Hyde, and reported that a new local jewelry business, Coit & Mansfield, had been robbed. In her letter of October 25, 1815, she mentioned needing a new bonnet, as Miss Hyde's school moved from her home to a local meeting house. On November 11, 1815, she wrote that she had heard of her brother-in-law's return from a seafaring voyage, and inquired whether he had been caught up in a coastal storm. She mentioned that she was in the process of drawing maps of America and Europe, and had received a certificate from her instructor; she also reported that she had paid a "quarter of a dollar" to have a tooth extracted.