Alfred P. Sawyer letters, 1875-1878 (majority within 1877-1878)
20 items
This collection contains 18 letters that Alfred P. Sawyer wrote to his parents in Franklin, New Hampshire, during his senior year at Dartmouth College (1877-1878). He commented on his coursework, social life, and Republican Party politics. Two additional letters pertain to boarding arrangements and to Sawyer's earlier college years.
In his first letter to his parents, Sawyer anticipated a visit home and reported that he had no examinations (June 10, 1875). Between September 2, 1877, and May 19, 1878, he wrote about life as a senior at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. He commented on his coursework in literature, history, religion, political economics, medicine, and other subjects, occasionally noting the names of his professors and lecturers. Sawyer's assignments included an essay on slavery, which he delivered orally on at least two occasions. In one letter, he discussed the relationship between scientific advancements and Christian theology (March 3, 1878). Some of Sawyer's letters pertain to his political beliefs and to the 1878 elections, in which he planned to vote a straight Republican ticket; Sawyer also described political cartoons by Thomas Nast (November 19, 1877) and mentioned New Hampshire party politics (January 7, 1878). Sawyer's letter of May 5, 1878, pertains to the transit of Mercury across the sun, and he discussed his preparations for viewing the event and the possible existence of an innermost planet ("Vulcan"). The final item, an undated letter from Mrs. N. A. Cook and Mrs. S. M. Turner in Hanover, New Hampshire, concerns the availability and cost of rooms and services in a boarding house.