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Collection

Adelaide Davis, Album of Remembrance, 1859-1864 (majority within 1859-1861)

1 volume

This album contains autographs of the acquaintances of Adelaide Harris Davis of Cambridge, Massachusetts, collected between 1859 and 1864. Adelaide was a student at Elizabeth Cabot Cary Agassiz's day school, and received autographs from Elizabeth Cabot Cary Agassiz, Louis Agassiz, and Alexander Agassiz, who taught at the school, as well as friends, primarily female. The volume also has several black-and-white engravings. A circular letter is laid in and a tuition receipt is housed separately.

This album (101 pages) contains autographs of the acquaintances of Adelaide Harris Davis of Cambridge, Massachusetts, collected between 1859 and 1864. The front and back covers are decorated with imprinted artistic details and text reading "Album of Remembrance;" the album was printed by Leavitt & Allen of New York. Charles F. D. wrote a note on the first page celebrating many of Adelaide's virtues and recording his presentation of the album to her on February 22, 1859. Most of the acquaintances who signed the album were female, and some noted their locations or the date. Adelaide collected a majority of the signatures between 1859 and 1861 and one in 1864. Most signers were from Cambridge, Massachusetts, but contributors also came from New York, Vermont, and Iowa, as well as other towns in Massachusetts. Some included short mottos, such as Augusta M. Stevens, who inscribed a Shakespeare quotation (p. 55).

Eight signers included brief poems, most often about friendship:
  • [Miel] E. Berlancourt (poem in French) (p. 19)
  • Alice C. Gates (p. 23)
  • Francena Danforth ("Sweet be her dreams, the fair, the young," by Barry Cornwall) (p. 47)
  • Lizzie Howe ("Watch and pray! The world deceiving…," by M. A. Dodd) (p. 57)
  • "Belle" (p. 61)
  • Sarah A. Manoun (p. 63)
  • Sarah C. Fisher (p. 67)
  • Carrie L. Fisher (p. 75)
Four members of the Agassiz family signed the book:
  • L. E. Agassiz (p. 79)
  • E[lizabeth] C[abot Cary] Agassiz (p. 79)
  • A[lexander] Agassiz (p. 83)
  • Li. Agassiz (p. 93)

Several black-and-white engravings depict women at leisure and other scenes. An undated circular letter laid into the volume appeals to former students of the Agassiz day school to contribute to a gift prior to the school's having to close on June 26, 1862, because of the Civil War. A receipt, housed separately, records Eliphalet Davis's payment of $37.50 for one quarter's tuition at the Agassiz school (June 27, 1861).

Collection

Bird family papers, 1821-1947 (majority within 1879-1941)

2.25 linear feet

Online
The Bird family papers are made up of correspondence, documents, ephemera, and other materials related to members of the Bird family of East Smithfield, Pennsylvania.

The Bird family papers are made up of correspondence, documents, ephemera, and other materials related to members of the Bird family of East Smithfield, Pennsylvania. A number of letters written between George Niles Bird and Frances Rowe depict their lengthy, occasionally difficult, courtship in the late 19th century. Letters from other friends and family members are interspersed, including a letter from Hope Rowe recounting the funeral of President James A. Garfield (October 9, 1881).

Nancy N. Bird's correspondence consists primarily of incoming personal letters. Nancy's cousins wrote many of the letters, with the family's religiosity influencing much of their writing. The Bird family papers include many of Nancy N. Bird's speeches, including a series of talks delivered to fellow members of the Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) between 1886 and 1912. She discussed temperance, religion, and topics of local interest, including the history of Smithfield, Pennsylvania. Nancy N. Bird's printed materials consist primarily of ephemera, programs, and newspaper clippings, largely related to her work with the WCTU and to the Bradford Baptist Association. Also present are three items written by Nancy: a short book entitled A History of the Sunday Schools in East Smithfield, PA. Since 1822, and two copies of The History of the Baptist Church of East Smithfield, PA. Other materials related to Nancy include journal pages, a photograph, and Sunday School papers.

Helen Bird's letters, written to her mother, chronicle her year at the West Chester Normal School, 1912-1913, and include frequent complaints about the atmosphere, the people, and the food.

Materials relating to George Bird consist primarily of incoming correspondence from friends and from his cousin Geraldine ("Jerry"). Jerry, who financially supported George during his time at Pennsylvania State University, also offered advice and updates on her academic life at Cornell University, while George's friend Eugene Edgar Doll discussed his experiences at the University of Chicago and his patronage of the arts. The collection also includes reports from George Bird's early studies and from his time at Pennsylvania State.

Personal letters from other members of the Niles and Bird families include early letters from Hannah Niles to her husband Samuel, and letters addressed to George N. Bird, his wife Frances, and their daughter-in-law Carrie. Two printed letters from "Robert and Bernie" in Impur, India, describe the country and their educational and missionary work; on January 7, 1921, they mentioned Gandhi's non-cooperation movement.

The collection contains diaries and journals, account books, and albums. The diaries include an 1844 unsigned journal, Hannah Minor Niles' 1866 diary, Nancy Niles Bird's 1851 diary, and Carrie M. Bird's 1921 diary. An account books tracks John Bird's expenses between 1846 and 1858, and a record book kept by Nancy Niles Bird includes the meeting minutes from the Soldiers Aid Society during the Civil War and household accounts. George Bird's autograph album covers the years 1879-1881 and Nancy Niles Bird's scrapbook, kept between 1850 and 1925, contains newspaper articles about her mother Hannah, members of the Bird family, and acquaintances from Pennsylvania and Kansas.

Other miscellaneous items include a printed map, a document related to the military chapel at Ellington Field, Texas, genealogical items, and manuscript poems.

Collection

Clara McCarron autograph album, 1887-1893

1 volume

This autograph album contains 33 signatures from male and female acquaintances of Clara McCarron of Detroit, Michigan, which she collected between 1887 and 1893.

This autograph album contains 33 signatures from male and female acquaintances of Clara McCarron of Detroit, Michigan, which she collected between 1887 and 1893. Many of McCarron's friends wrote quotations, poetry, and other brief messages beside their names. Minnie Doran (April 1, 1887) and Grace Maley (June 2) shared brief humorous thoughts on marriage, and Chikanori Tomohira's message is accompanied by a note in Japanese (January 23). Some signatures are accompanied by sets of dates. The volume was originally manufactured as a diary, with pre-printed lines for each calendar date. Colored illustrations for each month are accompanied by brief "birthday wish[es]." The book's cover has a relief illustration of a hand, writing on paper with a pen.

Collection

Clement Stewart autograph album, 1864

1 volume

This volume contains autographs and notes that Clement Stewart collected from fellow students at the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) in March 1864.

This volume contains autographs and notes that Clement Stewart collected from fellow students at the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) in March 1864. The front cover bears a gold-tooled illustration of a book of "Autographs," lying on a table beside a quill pen and inkwell; both covers have additional decorative tooling.

Stewart wrote the names of those he wished to contribute on blank pages of the volume before approaching his friends for their remarks, and many commented on the number of sheets he had assigned for them. Most wrote in letter format and gave their campus addresses with their signatures. They reminisced about college, referring to Stewart's "Moral Show"; "class politics" (related to the college); social activities; the first time they met Stewart; and aspects of Stewart's character. Some offered advice. Auxenicus Mari Piña Venezuela Hildreth Dickeson's note is a pun about the military draft ("Well, may you prosper in life & also in getting out of the draft for you might catch a cold."). The majority of these friends graduated with Stewart in 1864, though some underclassmen also contributed to the album.

Collection

Edwin F. Belden friendship album, 1851-1866, 1886

1 volume

The Edwin F. Belden friendship album contains autographs (sometimes accompanied by poems or other inscriptions), newspaper clippings, and biographical notes by and related to New York politicians, Civil War soldiers, and other individuals. Photographs are also included.

The Edwin F. Belden friendship album (25cm x 18cm, 141 pages) contains autographs (sometimes accompanied by poems or other inscriptions), newspaper clippings, and biographical notes by and related to New York politicians, Civil War soldiers, and other individuals. Included are 112 salted paper and 3 albumen photographic portraits. The album has a hard cover with Belden's name and a decorative border stamped in gold on the front. Plates on the inside of the front and back covers feature a patriotic eagle and banner with the slogan "The Federal Union it must be preserved" and of a building used as "Republican Head Quarters" in 1860.

The first 37 pages contain signatures from members of the New York State Assembly, where Belden was a messenger in the early 1850s. Some politicians accompanied their signatures with brief personal message for Belden, often including well wishes and advice. Many signers recorded the name of the district they represented, and most dated their contributions April 16, and 17, 1851. This section of the album is followed by other autographs that Belden solicited in the mid-1850s, as well as an endorsement from his employers Lemuel Jenkins and C. Ten Broeck (November 22, 1852, p. 41).

The remaining contents, dated 1860-1866, are comprised of small photographic portraits, brief biographical notes, inscriptions, autographs, and newspaper clippings related to a variety of individuals, including many men who served in the Civil War. One page of individual full-length portraits represents members of the Albany Zouave Cadets with military equipment and musical instruments. Belden labeled most of the photographs and often included notes about the subjects' dates of death. Several entries include copied correspondence, inscriptions and autographs, and obituaries or other news articles. Contributors included former New York Governors Washington Hunt and John A. King; General William Tecumseh Sherman; and Samuel Streeter, a former delegate representing Albany at The Colored Men's Convention of 1840 (also pictured, October 30, 1860, p. 63). A letter from William F. Russell, a former member of the state legislature, is laid into the volume after the autographs (April 19, 1886).

Collection

Edwin Whitefield collection, 1884-[1890]

Approximately 200 items

This collection is made up of manuscript essays and writings, original artwork, and printed proof sheets by Edwin Whitefield, an artist who specialized in bird's-eye views and landscapes in North America. The manuscripts largely concern Whitefield's travels in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the Dakota Territory, as well as Whitefield's interest in the Bible.

This collection (approximately 200 items) contains 24 manuscript essays and writings, original artwork (approximately 40 items), and around 140 printed proof sheets by artist Edwin Whitefield between the 1840s and 1880s. The collection also includes 2 autograph albums that Mabel Whitefield kept between 1876 and 1883.

The Manuscripts series (24 items) contains essays, charts, notes, and fragments; a draft of Edwin Whitefield's The Bible Its Own Interpreter; and 2 autograph albums kept by Mabel Whitefield. The essays mainly relate to Whitefield's travels in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and the Dakota Territory in the 1840s and 1850s; Whitefield described landscapes, and some of his writings refer to specific drawings. A series of essays concerns immigration to Minnesota, including several short pieces about opportunities for settlers. Whitefield's other writings include an argument for increasing workers' wages; a letter about his son's conduct; notes about the Bible; 2 manuscript tables of the populations of major U.S. cities at each national census between 1790 and 1890; and a copied extract from the Encyclopedia Britannica about Moses.

Edwin Whitefield's The Bible Its Own Interpreter manuscript (approximately 220 pages) is made up of notes and clippings about passages from scripture and Biblical subjects. The volume contains a preface, index, and printed title page. Mabel Whitefield kept her 2 autograph albums, which contain inscriptions and poetry from family and friends, between 1876 and 1883.

The Original Artwork series is made up of Edwin Whitefield works, including 2 oil paintings; approximately 35 graphite, ink, and watercolor sketches; and 2 sketchbooks. One oil painting (1885, 20"x16") is a country landscape with a man herding cows over a bridge. The other painting (undated, 30"x20") is a mountain landscape, with a man and cows resting beside a river or lake. Approximately 35 individual graphite, ink, and watercolor sketches depict houses, bridges, landscapes, and buildings. Whitefield identified many of the views as locations in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Edwin Whitefield's 2 sketchbooks contain illustrations of buildings, persons, and bird's eye views of cities and landscapes.

The Printed Items series includes proof sheets from the 1880, 1882, and 1889 editions of The Homes of Our Forefathers (approximately 75 colored or tinted lithographs), approximately 65 colored lithographs of botanical specimens by Whitefield, and one printed view of Newburyport, Massachusetts.

Collection

Emily A. Bellair autograph album, 1861-1878 (majority within 1861-1864)

1 volume

The Emily A. Bellair autograph album contains signatures and poetry of many of Emily's acquaintances in the early 1860s. Emily Bellair was from Detroit.

The Emily A. Bellair autograph album contains signatures and poetry of many of Emily's acquaintances throughout the early 1860s. She received the book, whose decorative cover bears the title "Wreaths of Friendship," from W. E. Gentle, who inscribed a two-page letter proclaiming the pair's friendship. Family members also contributed autographs and poetry, including several poems dedicated specifically to Emily that explored themes of friendship and parting. Her brother, Albert F. R. Arndt, wrote a poem from Cairo, Illinois, after he had "gone off to the seat of War." (March 16, 1862). The final page contains a copy of "Auld Lang Syne," as well as several shorter poems that are darker in mood than the other verses.

The autograph album also contains six black and white illustrations:
  • "Escape of Carrara"
  • "Wreaths of Friendship," depicting a ship in a stormy sea
  • "The Bird Trap"
  • "The Bride"
  • "Kishna"
  • Unlabeled: A scene with a tree-lined pond
Collection

Emory L. Smith Normal Music Institute autograph album, 1861

1 volume

The Emory L. Smith Normal Music Institute autograph album contains autographs and inscriptions from the institute's instructors and students, who signed their names, wrote brief inscriptions, and quoted music.

The Emory L. Smith Normal Music Institute autograph album contains 21 autographs and 2 autographed visiting cards that Smith collected in North Reading, Massachusetts, from August 14, 1861-August 20, 1861. Some of the signers, who included instructors and male and female students, wrote brief personal messages and/or copied bars of music. Small photographic portraits are pasted directly into the volume beside five entries. The red leather cover has a decorative design around the border; the title "Autographs" is part of a gilt design on the front cover that includes a wreath, an autograph book, and a quill.

Collection

Friendship and Autograph Album collection, 1826-1944 (majority within 1826-1908)

37 volumes

The Clements Library's collection of individual friendship and autograph albums (the ones that are not part of larger bodies of family papers) dates primarily from the second half of the 19th century. The creators of these albums sought out friends, family, schoolmates, public persons, and others to write signatures, sentiments, poetry, extracts from books and serials, personal sentiments, and more. Contributions often emphasize ties of friendship, exhortations to seek love, happiness, or Christian religious salvation. Most of the volumes in this collection were compiled in the Northeast United States and areas in the Midwest, with urban and rural areas represented. The greater number of the albums were kept by young women and the bulk of the signers were also female. Contributors occasionally illustrated pages with calligraphic designs, trompe l'oeil visiting cards, animals, flowers, and themes that had particular significance to their relationship with the keeper of the album. The volumes in this collection are largely decorative blank books adorned with tooled covers, sometimes containing interspersed engravings of religious, literary, historical, and landscape themes. Some include pasted-in photographs, die-cuts, or stickers.
Collection

Henrietta Walker autograph album, 1900-1902, 1945, 1964

3 items

The Henrietta Walker autograph album contains 48 autographed cards signed by presidents, politicians, and other famous people in the early 20th century. The collection also includes a Christmas card sent to Walker by Colonel F. W. Marshall, and a letter to Walker from Barry Goldwater.

The Henrietta Walker autograph album contains 48 autographed cards signed by presidents, politicians, and other famous people in the early 20th century. Of note are cards signed by Helen Keller and by William McKinley, the latter on a card from the "Executive Mansion, Washington." The collection also includes a Christmas card sent to Walker by Colonel F. W. Marshall (1945) and a letter to Walker from Barry Goldwater (July 27, 1964). Autographs were written on cards measuring approximately 4"x2". The cards are dated and many contain notes on the location where the autograph was acquired.