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Collection

Amos Hall orderly book, 1813-1893 (majority within 1813-1814)

6 items

This 108-page orderly book belonged to Major General Amos Hall, who commanded a New York militia unit near Buffalo, New York, during the War of 1812. The volume contains general orders and communications between Hall and other commanding officers stationed in western New York between December 24, 1813, and April 10, 1814. Two newspaper articles, published as late as 1893, are pasted on the book's final pages. The orderly book is accompanied by 4 copies of 2 reports of the United States House of Representatives in the 1840s, concerning financial claims John R. Williams made for property lost during the Niagara campaign of the War of 1812. Also included are a belt and attached buckle.

This 108-page orderly book belonged to Major General Amos Hall, who commanded a New York militia unit near Buffalo, New York, during the War of 1812. The volume contains general orders and communications between Hall and other commanding officers stationed in western New York between December 24, 1813, and April 10, 1814. Two newspaper articles, published as late as 1893, are pasted on the book's final pages. The orderly book is accompanied by 4 copies of 2 reports of the United States House of Representatives in the 1840s, concerning financial claims John R. Williams made for property lost during the Niagara campaign of the War of 1812. Also included are a belt and attached buckle.

The Orderly Book contains copies of general orders and correspondence issued daily between December 24, 1813, and December 29, 1813 (pp. 1-20), as well as orders and correspondence issued less regularly between January 10, 1814, and April 10, 1814 (pp. 20-108). Entries are composed in a number of different hands. Most orders were issued at American headquarters in Batavia, Buffalo, and Williamsville, New York, and from other unnamed posts in the Niagara region. The first order pertains to Hall's assumption of command of troops assembled near Buffalo. Throughout the following months, he issued and received orders about several aspects of the campaign in western New York, such as troop movements, troop numbers, and developments in the war. Other topics include the transfer of prisoners of war (January 10, 1814, pp. 40-41) and the hire of local Native Americans (December 27, 1813, pp. 11-12).

A copy of Amos Hall's certificate of membership in the Society of the Cincinnati is laid into the volume (July 4, 1786), and 2 newspaper clippings are pasted on its final pages: "In Olden Times. Robert Sutcliff's Travels in the Genesee Country" (Stephen B. Ayers, Post-Express, February 28, 1893) and "Interesting Sketch of Gen. Amos Hall" (Myron S. Hall, the Journal, undated).

The Government Publications series is comprised of 2 copies each of 2 printed reports issued by the United States House of Representatives, concerning claims John R. Williams made against the United States government for property destroyed by the British Army in December 1813 (Report No. 102, February 7, 1845) and for land near Detroit, Michigan (Report No. 5, December 20, 1847).

The Realia item is a belt with its original buckle still attached. The buckle depicts a grenade over the number "100," and originally belonged to a member of the British Army's 100th Regiment of Foot grenadiers.

Collection

Autumn (Barque) abstract log book, 1845-1849

1 volume

This volume contains extracted log entries from the Barque Autumn's whaling voyage from Stonington, Connecticut, to the Indian Ocean and South Pacific between 1845 and 1849. Captain Edwin Augustus Perry commanded the vessel. This abstract log provides a condensed version of the official log, only documenting days the crew saw or captured whales. The volume contains 48 pencil drawings of whales and whaling scenes.

This volume contains extracted log entries from the Barque Autumn's whaling voyage from Stonington, Connecticut, to the Indian Ocean and South Pacific between 1845 and 1849. Captain Edwin Augustus Perry commanded the vessel. This abstract log provides a condensed version of the official log, only documenting days the crew saw or captured whales. The coverless volume contains 24 handwritten pages with 48 pencil drawings depicting whales and whaling scenes. The author of the log is unidentified, but a laid-in slip of paper contains a written statement of recommendation for promotion of second officer Zelotes Leonard Almy from Master Edwin A. Perry. The bottom half of the last page contains financial records and notes from Mr. Almy dated 1866.

Leaving from Stonington, Connecticut on November 12, 1845, the Barque Autumn sailed south around the eastern coast of South America. After making port in Rio de Janerio in March 1846, they sailed east toward the Indian Ocean reaching the Cape of Good Hope toward the end of April 1846. By November 1846 the Autumn had sailed off the southern coast of Australia and toward New Zealand. In 1847 and 1848, the Autumn sailed across the Pacific Ocean along the equator. The log concludes off the coast of Chile.

The top of each right hand page begins with the header "Remarks on board the Barque Autumn"; later in the log this header is supplemented by " E. A. Perry Master." A typical entry appears in the following format:

[Day of the Week]

[Month, Day, Year]

[These twenty-four hours commences with…]

[…So ends the day. Latitude and Longitude coordinates]

[Sketch if applicable]

The abstract's entries follow the standard content for whaling logs, documenting wind direction, weather conditions, ship location, and crew activities. The entries include type of whales spotted, number of whales, number of whaleboats lowered, and whether or not the crew succeeded in capturing whales. The whales tended to evade capture on account of adverse weather conditions or lack of daylight. Entries made note of where and when they made port or dropped anchor. The Autumn encountered other whaling vessels and recorded their point of origin, destination, and the amount of whale products onboard. Toward the end of the expedition, the vessel stopped to trade and replenish supplies.

Besides the inherent challenges of whaling, Captain Perry faced setbacks, such as steering into a coral reef in Matavai Bay and dealing with a fire in the cargo hold set by two crewmembers during repairs (entry dated February 27, 1847). Desertions were a recurring issue, two crewmembers deserted on August 31, 1846, and by January 7, 1848, the entire crew had deserted.

The volume contains 62 entries from November 1845 to May 1849, and are broken down as follows:

1845 (1 entry)
  • November 12
1846 (19 entries)
  • January 3 and 28
  • March 1
  • April 14
  • May 30
  • June 5, 6, and 15
  • July 1 and 15
  • August 1, 6, and 31
  • October 25
  • November 18
  • December 1, 11, 24, and 29
1847 (26 entries)
  • February 27
  • April 22
  • May 2, 7, 12-14, 23, 25, 28, 29, and 31
  • July 11, 17, and 26
  • August 8
  • September 1, 19, and 21
  • October 4, 6, 7, 10, and 26
  • November 15
  • December one undated entry
1848 (11 entries)
  • January 7 and 27
  • March 29
  • April 15
  • May 6
  • June 27
  • July 29
  • August 8
  • September 10
  • December 4 and 8
1849 (5 entries)
  • January 6 and 16
  • February 14
  • March 24
  • May 2

The 48 pencil drawings illustrate the success or failure to capture whales. The illustrations depicting a whale belly up with the head and tail above water meant that a whale was spotted or pursued, but evaded capture. Entries accompanied by a drawing showing the whale's entire body meant that a whale was captured and killed. The sketches demonstrate artistic skill in the shading of the whales and ocean waves and in panoramic whaling scenes. One illustration of interest, on page 20, depicts a whale's tail slamming down upon a whaleboat, capsizing the vessel and sending six crewmen into the ocean. The crewmembers shirts are spot colored in brown ink.

Vessels mentioned by name include:

  • Spoke with Ship Ansel Gibbs (December 1, 1846).
  • Spoke with Ship from New Bedford (May 7, 1847).
  • Spoke with the Ship Marialah of Fairhaven (March 1, 1846).

Other entries of interest include:

  • "saw plenty of wright whales but we did not lower for we did not want them" (November 18, 1846)
  • "not liking the harbour we took our anchor put to sea we ware bound to pitcairns island to get potatoes when on the night of the 28th the land about 60 miles off our lee quarter six tahitian natives stole a boat and runaway it being dark they where soon out of sight we stood on diferant tacks until morning the boat not being in sight and thinking it a wild goose chase to follow them we hauled our wind to the northward" (October 26, 1847).
Collection

Blanding-Carpenter papers, 1818-1854 (majority within 1841-1852)

0.25 linear feet

The Blanding-Carpenter papers contain the incoming and outgoing correspondence of the families of Noah Blanding of Attleboro, Massachusetts, and James Blanding of Rehoboth, Massachusetts. Correspondents include friends and family members from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New York.

The Blanding-Carpenter papers contain 70 incoming and outgoing letters of the families of Noah Blanding of Attleboro, Massachusetts, and James Blanding of Rehoboth, Massachusetts. Correspondents include friends and family members from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New York.

Family and local news were frequent topics of conversation, as were illnesses and their treatments. Several friends reported news of acquaintances' teaching careers around New England. Others mentioned their travels, particularly within Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and some mentioned people who were considering a move to California during the Gold Rush. Though based in Bristol County, Massachusetts, each family received letters from a variety of locations, and several recipients spent time in Seekonk, Massachusetts; Providence, Rhode Island; and Brooklyn, New York. On one occasion, Nancy A. Blanding wrote her sister Elizabeth about a party she attended in Brooklyn (January 28, 1847). Childcare was also discussed; for example, Susannah Carpenter Blanding, then married to Nathaniel Arey (or Avrey), wrote about the growth of her children, and included a pattern for a child's stocking (September 12, 1852).

Collection

Bradford (N.H.) School record book, 1806-1829

1 volume

This volume contains meeting minutes pertaining to the administration of a school in Bradford, New Hampshire, in the early 19th century. Residents of District No. 4 discussed funding for building repairs, firewood, beginning dates of school sessions, and other administrative matters.

This volume (58 pages) contains meeting minutes pertaining to the administration of a school in Bradford, New Hampshire, from December 22, 1806-April 6, 1829. Residents of District No. 4 met semi-annually and annually to discuss issues such as building maintenance, the construction of a chimney, the supply of firewood, and the opening dates of school terms; some entries include associated costs. The attendees began each meeting by electing officers, who often remained consistent from year to year. At their meeting of April 3, 1809, attendees decreed that parents would be held responsible for any damage that their children did to the school. Later minutes refer to schoolmistresses' board. The volume also contains the copied text of a formal meeting notice dated February 18, 1828.

Collection

Bristol (Me.) cobbler daybook, 1836-1844

1 volume

A currently unidentified cobbler from Bristol, Maine, kept this daybook between 1836 and 1844, recording the names of customers, their purchases, and amounts charged. Customers purchased shoes, boots, and leather, paid for the labor of making or repairing footwear, and repair work on items like harnesses and halters.

A currently unidentified cobbler from Bristol, Maine, kept this daybook between 1836 and 1844, recording the names of customers, their purchases, and amounts charged. Customers purchased shoes, boots, and leather, paid for the labor of making or repairing footwear, and repair work on items like harnesses and halters. Several newspaper clippings of poems are pasted or laid into the volume, and the inside front cover bears several inscriptions by Annie Ervine.

Collection

Bucks County (Pennsylvania) Agricultural commonplace book, 1815-1829

1 volume

This commonplace book, produced by an anonymous farmer from the Bucks County, Pennsylvania, region primarily contains passages relating to farming and husbandry. Along with farming accounts and documentation of livestock, agriculture, and dairy production, the commonplace book also features material on the Agricultural Society of Bath. Newspaper clippings comment on medicine, recipes, and farming. Illustrations of fences, sheep, floor plans, property drawings, and a detailed diagram of the "cropping plan" for 1826 appear in the volume.

The creator of the volume references European agricultural societies, data and agricultural systems, and popular agriculturalists, such as George Culley (1735-1813) and Charles de Lasteyrie (1759-1849). The volume provides detailed information on growing crops, managing soil, and tending to livestock.

Collection

Cambridge (N.Y.) account book and journal, 1806-1808

1 volume

This volume contains financial records, journal entries, planting lists, and other content related to a farmer and fur trader in the early 19th century.

This volume is comprised of financial records, journal entries, planting lists, and other content related to a farmer and fur trader in the early 19th century.

Financial accounts are divided into 3 sections:
  • Undated list of prices for animal skins, "Expences Coming to Pennsylvania," and "Expences at the quitting" (1 page)
  • Chronological accounts (11 pages, February 1806-March 1806; September 1806-November 1806; and undated)
  • Double-entry accounts (9 pages, February 1806-May 1806)

Several individuals, including Sidney Wells, Matthew Gibson, and Daniel Whipple, are represented in both chronological and double-entry records. Most entries pertain to skins from mink, muskrat, and martin, and to manual labor tasks such as cutting grubs, drawings logs, and rafting. Other accounts concern sundries, a knife, a watch, and "a Balance between Guns."

The volume contains 3 pages of notes and journal entries about the author's travels from Cambridge to towns in Pennsylvania (2 pages, February 1806-July 1806); and from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Lansingburgh, New York, via New Jersey and New York City (1 page, August 1806). His notes refer to travel by land and water.

Two pages concern crops planted at Cambridge in May 1808, including potatoes, beans, cabbage, corn, peas, beets, and oats. The volume also has an 8-page list of names and numbers; drawings of a compass rose and geometric shapes; signatures of James Peters and Lydia M. Peters; a very rough sketch of an "apple machine" (apparently for coring or peeling and apple) below which is written the name "George Washington"; and page of manuscript sheet music for the "Duke of Halstein's March."

Collection

Canadian Evangelist journal, 1848-1849

1 volume

The Canadian Evangelist journal chronicles the daily activities of an anonymous Protestant evangelist during a nine-month missionary journey from Quebec to Scotland and England. Both in Canada and abroad, the author made frequent visits to schools, prisons, taverns, and churches of different Christian denominations.

The Canadian Evangelist journal (94 pages) chronicles the daily activities of an anonymous Protestant evangelist during a nine-month missionary journey from Quebec to Scotland and England. Both in Canada and abroad, the author made frequent visits to schools, prisons, taverns, and churches of different Christian denominations.

The diary begins on October 25, 1848, in Quebec, and the first entries reflect the author's everyday activities, which included visiting local residents and collecting funds for an unnamed society. On November 5, 1848, he embarked for Glasgow, Scotland, on the Erromango. During the voyage, he preached to sailors and passengers, conducted Sunday church services, and spent much of his leisure time writing and reading. After his arrival in late November, he visited local prisons, asylums, and schools; distributed religious tracts in taverns and barbershops; and attended temperance meetings, particularly in London. The schools he visited included Hebrew institutions. On Sundays, he attended Protestant religious services, and he also commented on Catholic in Montréal and London (May 25, 1849). In addition to corresponding with numerous religious leaders and members of the peerage, he also composed essays addressed to local newspaper editors. While in Britain, the author visited Greenock, Glasgow, and Edinburgh, Scotland, and Liverpool, Manchester, Stockport, Birmingham, London, Uxbridge, Bristol, Bath, and Brighton, England. The author sailed from Glasgow to Montréal in August 1849, and arrived on August 31. The final entries concern the author's daily activities in Montréal until October 24, 1849.

Collection

Carver Tract documents, 1796-1836 (majority within 1796)

6 items

This collection is made up of legal documents and memorandums pertaining to the chain of ownership of a 2,000 acre property. The tract was a part of the land allegedly granted to Jonathan Carver from the Naudowessie Indians during his 1766-1768 journey to present-day Wisconsin and Minnesota.

This collection (6 items) consists of legal documents and memorandums pertaining to the chain of ownership of a 2,000 acre property. The tract was a part of the land allegedly granted to Jonathan Carver from the Naudowessie Indians during his 1766-1768 journey to present-day Wisconsin and Minnesota.

The first 2 partially printed documents, numbered 188 and 189 and signed by John C. Fox, Simeon Avery, and Ezekiel Webb, each grant 1,000 acres of the Carver land to the bearer (February 6, 1796). The third item is an indenture to transfer the land from Benoni Adams to James W. Howard, both of New York City (September 12, 1796). In a document dated November 8, 1836, Seth Whalen of Milton, New York, granted Isaac Nash power of attorney for dealing with the same property. The final 2 items are manuscript memorandums listing the chain of ownership of these 2,000 acres and binding a group of Vermont residents to the Carver heirs for the sum of $200,000. The first memorandum includes small drawings of the tortoise and snake totems of the Naudowessie chiefs who allegedly granted the lands to Jonathan Carver.

Collection

Commonplace Book, 1846-1857

1 volume

This commonplace book contains 21 poems, 1 pressed flower, and 4 pages of manuscript music. Items originally laid in the volume, a map of United States Army encampments near Corpus Christi, Texas, and a drawing of a Spanish house in St. Augustine, Florida, are housed separately. Many of the poems relate to romance, and 3 are attributed to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

This commonplace book contains 21 poems, 1 pressed flower, and 4 pages of manuscript music. Most poems are 1-2 pages in length, and the longest is 4.5 pages. Five poems are accompanied by epigraphs, including one in Greek from Aeschylus's Oresteia, one from a Latin elegy by Sextus Propertius, and one from Chaucer's Anelida and Arcite. The book is divided into three sections, with 56 blank pages separating the first two sections, and 1 page separating the final two sections.

The first section (24 pages) contains 12 poems, three of which were inspired by the poetry of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832). Subjects include nature, knights of "A hundred Years ago," and love. The second section (22 pages), entitled "Poems under various dynasties," has 9 poems about a man's love, grief, loss, and longing for his beloved. The third section (4 pages) consists of manuscript sheet music for 3 songs

The book came with two illustrated items. Two manuscript maps were drawn on the same page by Ann Maine Wells: a view of the "Camp of the Army of Occupation, Texas," near Corpus Christi, Texas; and a portion of the Texas Gulf Coast shoreline from the Rio Grande to Corpus Christi. The second item is an ink drawing by W. H. B. of an "Old house at St. Augustine" built of coquina stone and plaster (1857).

List of poems:
  • First section
    • "Little Mosses, Golden Mosses"
    • "Daiduchus" (with German epigraph from Goethe’s poem "An den Mond")
    • "At the Ford"
    • "A Hundred Years Ago"
    • Untitled ("O foolish flowers!...")
    • Untitled ("It is over; let me rest...")
    • "From Goethe"
    • "Evening" (with note: "On Lake Horicon")
    • Untitled ("Yesterday is dead!...")
    • Untitled ("I drew it to its full soft length...")
    • "From Goethe"
    • "From Goethe (Book of Zuleikha)" (with Greek epigraph from Aeschylus's Prometheus Bound)
  • Second section: Poems Under Various Dynasties
    • Untitled ("Ours is a simple tale of love...")
    • Untitled ("Thou art my morning and my evening star...")
    • Untitled ("Evening shades are falling...")
    • Untitled ("Winter's in love with the springtime...")
    • Untitled ("I have a little darling, a winsome little pet...")
    • Untitled ("Oh gentle, uncomplaining face...") (with Greek epigraph from Aeschylus's Libation Bearers)
    • Untitled ("Dear, forgive me if I weep...") (with Latin epigraph from Propertius's Elegiarum)
    • Untitled ("Without a word, without a sign...") (with penciled epigraph from Chaucer's Anelida and Arcite)
    • Untitled ("Ah, the fearless little heart...")
  • Third section
    • "Melody" (with lyrics)
    • "Nevermore" (without lyrics)
    • "Would thou wert here!" (without lyrics)