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[NB: This is a TEMPORARY finding aid for an IN-PROCESS collection; some restrictions apply]. The Handy Papers document the lives and professional activities of four generations of the Handy Family of Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware. The collection largely revolves around James Henry Handy (1789-1832), Isaac William Ker Handy (1815-1878), Moses Purnell Handy (1847-1898), Sarah Matthews Handy (1845-1933), Frederick Algernon Graham Handy (1842-1912), Egbert G. Handy (1858-1938), Rozelle Purnell Handy (1871-1920), Sarah V. C. Handy (1876-1963), and H. Jamison Handy "Jam Handy" (1886-1983). The Handy family were largely educated, politically active, literary southerners, who were a part of many of the social and intellectual currents of especially the mid- and late-19th century. The papers offer resources for study of the Civil War, particularly its effect on Virginia civilians and southern prisoners of war at Fort Delaware; the history of southern families; late nineteenth-century American politics; Presbyterian history; late nineteenth-century newspaper journalism; the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, 1892-93; and genealogy. In its current, temporary housing, the papers include 30 boxes of correspondence, 27 boxes of family papers and topics files, six boxes of World's Columbian Exposition papers; eight boxes of photographs, plus separately housed images; four boxes of newspapers and newspaper clippings; 12 boxes of Jam Handy and Jam Handy Organization papers; 60 boxes of scrapbooks; and six boxes of books and serials (plus many loose books and other printed items).

[NB: This is a TEMPORARY finding aid for an IN-PROCESS collection. This current scope note pertains almost entirely to Handy family papers acquisitions of the 1980s (an estimated 60-65 boxes of the total 153 boxes). Among the in-process materials are 60 boxes of scrapbooks, largely kept by Rozelle P. Handy and Sarah V. C. Handy].

The Handy Papers document the lives and professional activities of four generations of the Handy Family of Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware. The collection largely revolves around James Henry Handy (1789-1832), Isaac William Ker Handy (1815-1878), Moses Purnell Handy (1847-1898), Sarah Matthews Handy (1845-1933), Frederick Algernon Graham Handy (1842-1912), Egbert G. Handy (1858-1938), Rozelle Purnell Handy (1871-1920), Sarah V. C. Handy (1876-1963), and H. Jamison Handy "Jam Handy" (1886-1983). The Handy family were largely educated, politically active, literary southerners, who were a part of many of the social and intellectual currents of especially the mid- and late-19th century. The papers offer resources for study of the Civil War, particularly its effect on Virginia civilians and southern prisoners of war at Fort Delaware; the history of southern families; late nineteenth-century American politics; Presbyterian history; late nineteenth-century newspaper journalism; the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, 1892-93; and genealogy.

In its current, temporary housing (see the box listing in this finding aid), the papers include 50 boxes of correspondence, 26 boxes of family papers and topics files, six boxes of World's Columbian Exposition papers; eight boxes of photographs, plus separately housed cased images; four boxes of newspapers and newspaper clippings; 12 boxes of Jam Handy and Jam Handy Organization papers; 60 boxes of scrapbooks; and six boxes of books and serials (plus many loose books and other printed items).

The following is a former description by Curator of Manuscripts Galen Wilson, for the Handy Family Papers acquisitions of the 1980s (50-60 boxes of materials):

"Isaac Handy's fondness for history led him to the belief that he lived at an important moment in the life of the nation, and every wrinkle of the sectional crisis of the 1850s and 60s seemed to confirm. His correspondence and diaries from the eve of the war through its conclusion are a reflection of a well-educated southerner's reaction to the events unfolding about him and provide insight into the development of his political sympathies. Even after his arrest in July 1863 and his incarceration at Fort Delaware, Handy remained conscious of being part of "history in the making," not only continuing his twenty-five-year habit of keeping a diary, but in planning for a future book on Fort Delaware, soliciting memoirs of war service from his fellow prisoners. Handy saved these manuscripts, plus the correspondence he received while in prison (much of it from Confederate civilians), pasting them into two large scrapbooks. These have been disbound and the material cataloged item-by-item and interfiled chronologically in the collection's correspondence. Drafts and copies of the book which Handy wrote about his confinement, United States Bonds, are present in the collection.

Among the many individual areas of American Civil War interest are Isaac W. K. Handy's description of the battle between the ironclads Monitor and Merrimac, and the journal which Moses Handy kept during his service in the Confederate army in 1865. The soldiers' reminiscences collected by Isaac Handy at Fort Delaware include several exceptional accounts, including biographical and autobiographical sketches of M. Jeff Thompson, the mayor of St. Joseph, Missouri, turned "Swamp Rat" militia commander. Thompson played a major role during the summer of 1861 in defending Missouri's slave system from John C. Frémont's emancipation proclamation.

Other Civil War war-related materials include Isaac Handy's 1861 sermon on "Our National Sins" and fast-day sermons from the same year. The reminiscences of a myriad of former Confederate officers are scattered throughout Handy's correspondence of the late 1870s, all intended to be used in a history of the war planned by the Philadelphia Times. Also present is some documentation of Frederick A. G. Handy's father-in-law, Edwin Festus Cowherd, a Confederate soldier.

While the Handy collection provides thorough documentation of life among the eastern Handys, it also contains a significant body of correspondence from the westward sojourn of Isaac and Mary Jane Handy from 1844 to 1848. Isaac and his wife wrote over 100 letters from Missouri, in which they described the powerful ideological lure of the west, their family's adjustment to new surroundings, and the social and political climate of the old southwest. An index to these letters, prepared by Isaac Handy, is present, along with an original binding. Isaac's diary for the years spent in Missouri provides a valuable point of comparison for the letters.

Political and social commentary flows throughout most of the collection, from Jesse Higgins' campaign for reform of the federal legal and judicial systems, 1805-1806, through the fin de siècle political interests and involvements of Moses Handy.

The political impact of Reconstruction plays a major role in the collection, particularly in the letters of Congressman Samuel Jackson Randall (1828-1890) of Pennsylvania. The election of 1896 is well documented and the collection includes much correspondence with the Republican President-maker Mark Hanna. For his efforts on behalf of the Republican Party in this election, Moses Handy had hoped to net a foreign consulate through Hannah but was disappointed. Handy's transition from Confederate soldier to Republican politico is subtly documented and provides an interesting case study in political opportunism.

The Handy Family Papers are an important resource for the history of the Presbyterian Church during the 19th century. The 2nd Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C., was a major focus of James Henry Handy's life, and the early history of this congregation is well documented in correspondence dating from the 1820s. Rev. Daniel Baker was the first pastor of the congregation, and although Baker's tenure was controversial, James remained a close friend of Baker's for the rest of their lives. The collection thus contains items concerning Baker and his relationship with the 2nd Church, and several letters written by him after he left to assume a pastorate in Savannah, Georgia.

Isaac Handy's vocation as a Presbyterian minister and his avocation as an historical researcher merge in this collection, deepening the documentation of the church. Perhaps spurred by being asked to contribute some biographical sketches to William B. Sprague's Annals of the American Pulpit, Handy sought out primary documents relating to the colonial Presbyterian clergy and congregations. Aspects of his own career in the church is documented through a scattered series of letters from former parishioners--many of which were received during his imprisonment at Fort Delaware--and in letters written by Isaac to his sons. A thick file of Isaac's sermons is present, several of which were published. Among these sermons is "The Terrible Doings of God" (23:31), which concerns the Yellow Fever Epidemic near Portsmouth, Virginia, in 1855. He delivered this eulogy at a Baptist church for members of several different Portsmouth churches. Handy earned acclaim during the crisis by staying to help the victims rather than fleeing to safer ground.

Isaac Handy's literary flair was inherited by Frederick and Moses, and both pursued careers in newspapers. Moses' career is more thoroughly documented than Frederick's, and much of the correspondence written between 1869 and 1890 concerns Moses' efforts in the newspaper business. There are several folders of general newspaper correspondence dating from 1865 to 1897, an entire box of unsorted clippings by and about the Handys, and boxes of mounted clippings of Moses, Sarah, and Rozelle Handy's published writings. Journalistic endeavors of other family members are also present.

One of Moses Handy's greatest claims to fame was his role as chair of Department O (Publicity and Promotion) for the Columbian Exposition in Chicago, 1893. His involvement with the Exposition is documented in correspondence, reports, financial papers, brochures, photographs, and memorabilia. The advertising campaign begun in 1890 has been cited as the prototype of modern publicity strategies, and the Handy Papers offer an unparalleled view into the inner workings of the key department. The collection also contains information about the San Francisco Mid-Winter Exposition (1893), a sort of subsidiary event to the main Chicago attraction, and the general correspondence for 1891-93 contains some references to the World's Fair.

Isaac Handy's lifelong ambition was to publish "The Annals and Memorials of the Handys and their Kindred." Beginning in the 1850s, he gathered genealogical data on all descendants of "Samuel Handy, the Progenitor," an Englishman who emigrated to Maryland to farm tobacco. Three drafts of this work, in increasing thickness, were completed in 1857, 1865, and the 1870s. Isaac was prepared to publish the work in the 1870s and had an advertising flier printed, but when subscriptions did not meet expectations and Handy died in 1878, the project foundered. The manuscript then passed to Moses Handy, whose own intentions for publishing the book never reached fruition, possibly due to his untimely death at the age of fifty. In 1904, Isaac's youngest surviving son, Egbert, acquired the manuscript from Moses's widow, Sarah Matthews Handy, but his publication plans did not gather momentum until 1932.

With a great deal of vigor, Egbert attempted to update the manuscript, now sixty years out of date, and had a new advertising circular printed. Again, death removed the Annals' main advocate. The manuscript remained in the possession of Egbert's widow, Minerva Spencer Handy, and in the 1940s she gave it to Frederick A. G. Handy's widow, Lelia Cowherd Handy, then living in Arlington, Virginia. Before her death in 1949, Leila entrusted the material to her granddaughter Mildred Ritchie. The Clements Library acquired the manuscript from Mrs. Ritchie along with other family papers. A century and a third after Isaac began the project, the Annals were published by the Clements Library in 1992. The Handy Family Papers contain various drafts of the manuscript, plus many notes and letters concerning its publication."

[NB: This is a TEMPORARY finding aid for an IN-PROCESS collection. This current scope note pertains almost entirely to Handy family papers acquisitions of the 1980s (an estimated 60-65 boxes of the total 153 boxes). Among the in-process materials are 60 boxes of scrapbooks, largely kept by Rozelle P. Handy and Sarah V. C. Handy].

The Henry Yates Thompson papers contain the letters, diaries, and lectures of Thompson, an Englishman who visited the United States in 1863 and witnessed several battles in the Chattanooga Campaign, while making observations on politics, slavery, and education.

The Henry Yates Thompson papers contain 38 letters, 6 diaries, 4 documents, 2 maps, and 43 printed items (including newspaper clippings), spanning 1863-1928.

The Correspondence series covers 1863-1918, with bulk centering around 1863-1866. Thompson wrote the vast majority of letters home to his parents and siblings, while he traveled the United States and Canada; he filled his correspondence with thoughtful observations on slavery, the Civil War, women's education, and comparisons between England and the United States. On July 29, 1863, he noted the objections to the military draft by "copperheads" in New Hampshire and commented unfavorably on them. In late summer, he remarked about the Canadian support for the Confederacy (August 7, 1863); the growth of slavery, which he believed had been slowed by objections from the North (August 15, 1863); meeting abolitionist Samuel J. May (September 1, 1863); and the "marks of quiet industry" that he saw in free African Americans in the North. On September 29, 1863, he wrote a long, detailed letter about a visit to a "colored camp" in Baltimore, in which escaped slaves trained and drilled in front of Yankee officers. He also recorded the comments of several slave owners, who discussed the escape of slaves and expressed doubt that slaves would fight. In several letters, dated November 23 and December 3, 1863, Thompson described several battles in the Chattanooga Campaign at the side of Ulysses S. Grant. He wrote about the intensity of firing, expressed horror at the injuries and deaths he saw, and gave his impressions of Grant. Thompson also wrote about slaughterhouses in Chicago and the benefits of co-education to women (October 16, 1863), a journey to the Isles of Shoals (September 12, 1863), and the people he met in Keene, New Hampshire (July 23, 1863).

The letters postdating 1863 document Thompson's failed attempts to establish a lectureship on American history at Cambridge in 1865. On May 16, 1907, he declined a revival of the idea by Cambridge, citing possible objections from Harvard and the diminishing need for such an academic collaboration.

The Diaries series contains four volumes, which cover July-December 1863, with overlap in periods and events covered between volumes. As in his letters, Thompson wrote frankly about slavery and abolition, American politics, education, and various places that he visited. He also enclosed letters and ephemera related to these, such as tickets, pamphlets, advertisements, and clippings, which remain with the volumes. In Volume I (July 10-November 3, 1863), Thompson discussed the circumstances of Lincoln's election (pp. 3-4), a visit to Niagara Falls (p. 45), and the National Bank system (p. 53). Volume II (September 13-November 13, 1863) contains another account of the Battles for Chattanooga (pp. 22-31), and discussion of slavery and both sides of the conflict. Volume III (September 25-November 26, 1863) describes travels through Missouri with a German friend, and also covers the Battle of Chattanooga, but more briefly and informally. It may have served as a field notebook. Volume IV (November 15-December 15, 1863) contains further discussion of the Chattanooga Campaign and the war, as well as a description of people that Thompson encountered during his travels to Brooklyn, New York.

The Lecture Notebooks series contains two items: a rough draft and an apparent final draft of a speech on the Battles for Chattanooga, given by Thompson at Harrow School on March 7, 1865. The lecture gives a very detailed description of many aspects of the battle, including troop movements, casualties, supplies, and the role of the United States Sanitary Commission.

The Documents series contains an 1862 "Requisition for Forage" for the Confederacy, and essays entitled "Then and Now at the University of Cambridge" (1918) and "The American Lectureship" (n.d.).

The Maps series contains just one item: a manuscript map illustrating the geography and positions of troops at Chattanooga on November 23, 1863.

The Printed Materials series, spanning 1865-1941, primarily contains printed materials related to Thompson's proposed lectureship on American history at Cambridge. Also included are several obituaries for Thompson, and a book by Christopher Chancellor, Thompson's great-nephew, containing excerpts from the diaries and letters. Published in 1971, the book is entitled, An Englishman in the American Civil War: The Diaries of Henry Yates Thompson, and is housed in the Clements Library's Book Division.

The James R. Woodworth papers contain the letters and diaries of a Union soldier in the 44th New York Infantry during the Civil War (1862-1864). Woodworth provides detailed reflections on life as a soldier and on his regiment's part in the battles of Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg.

The James R. Woodworth papers (151 items) contain the letters and diaries of a Union soldier in the 44th New York Infantry during the Civil War (1862-1864). The collection consists of 143 letters, four diaries, one poem, and a bundle of 37 envelopes. In both the letters and the diaries, Woodworth provided detailed reflections on life as a soldier, his regiment's part in the battles of Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg, and the horrors of war.

The Correspondence series (143 items) consists of 122 letters from James Woodworth to his wife Phebe, five from Phebe to James, three from friends and relatives to James, one from a friend to Phebe, and 12 fragments written by James and Phebe.

Woodworth's letters to Phebe contain descriptions of his war experiences. Topics include foraging, gambling, homesickness, lice, prostitutes, singing, sickness (fever, dysentery, smallpox, typhus fever, scarlatina), food (alcohol, beans, beef, bread, coffee, and hardtack), and opinions on religious matters. Woodworth was well educated and a skillful writer who often provided emotional and perceptive observations on life in his regiment and the aftermath of battles. Woodworth also frequently discussed his wife's struggles on the home front, raising their young son and running their farm in Seneca Falls, New York. This series also contains a printed poem by William Oland Bourne entitled "In Memoriam, Gettysburg, July 1-4, 1863."

The Diaries series (4 volumes, 426 pages) contains Woodworth's wartime diaries covering the period from his arrival in Virginia in October, 1862, to a few weeks before his death in 1864. Though the entries are often brief, they provide complementary information for the letters and often fill in gaps concerning travel and troop life. Of particular note are Woodworth's reflections on the battles of Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg.

The third diary contains two additional items, stored in a pocket in the back of the volume. One item is a small volume entitled "The Soldier on Guard," which explains the responsibilities of a Union soldier on guard duty (64 pages). The other is a 3-page printed item entitled "Rules for Dr. Gleason's Patients," which contains advice for healthy living.

"Notes for a Journal of a Pedestrian Tour" is a 112-page account of a group's walking trip from Baltimore, Maryland, through northern Maryland, southern Pennsylvania, and eastern West Virginia in the late summer of 1816.

"Notes for a Journal of a Pedestrian Tour" is a 112-page account of a group's walking trip from Baltimore, Maryland, through northern Maryland, southern Pennsylvania, and eastern West Virginia in the late summer of 1816.

The account, written after the journey, is divided into 12 titled chapters chronicling the group's experiences. Notes pertain to the scenery and acquaintances the group encountered, both old and new. Group members "Suffolk" and "Sidney" left Baltimore on August 6, 1816, and traveled to Frederick, Maryland, by way of the Patapsco River. There, they picked up their luggage, sent ahead by stage. They proceeded west toward the mountains and entered West Virginia just before September; they stayed at Harper's Ferry and Bath (Berkeley Springs). After several weeks traveling by foot, the men joined two Baltimore companions, "Manly" and "Moreton," on a trip down the Potomac River toward "George Town." The party then returned to Baltimore. In its rendering of dialogue and descriptions of scenery, the account often adopts a prose style similar to that found in fictional narrative. The volume has colored ink drawings of several men and women gathered around a roaring fire and the "Falls of Potomac." The author also included a poem by the travelers, entitled "An Evening on Potomac" (pages 97-109).

• Chapter 1: Introduction (pages 1-5)
• Chapter 2: The Peerless (pages 6-16)
• Chapter 3: The Maid of Benvoirloch (pages 16-42)
• Chapter 4: Frederick Town (pages 43-47)
• Chapter 5: The Misfortune (pages 47-53)
• Chapter 6: Harper's Ferry (pages 53-57)
• Chapter 7: The Cave (pages 57-69)
• Chapter 8: The Thunderstorm (pages 70-78)
• Chapter 9: The Merriest on the Border (pages 78-87)
• Chapter 10: The Descent (pages 88-109)
• Chapter 11: The Conclusion (pages 109-112)

The diary of William Moulton is a record of a literate and observant civilian accompanying a friend, Capt. Melville C. Wilkinson, of the 107th N.Y. Infantry, as he traveled from Elmira, New York, to Alexandria, Virginia.

The diary of William Moulton is a record of a literate and observant civilian accompanying a friend, Capt. Melville C. Wilkinson, of the 107th N.Y. Infantry, as he traveled from Elmira, N.Y., to Alexandria, Va. The diary is an engaging and insightful record of war-time Washington and the life of officers in the camps defending the capitol. Moulton was simultaneously enthusiastic about seeing the capitol and thrilled at the ability to use his social contacts from Elmira to navigate the maze of red tape besieging the city.

While waiting in Washington for a pass, Moulton visited the Navy Yard, where he saw the ironclad Passaic (called Monitor No. 2), under heavy guard. He managed to board the Passaic simply by ignoring sentries, strolling up to the ship and asking an officer to come aboard. Moulton's description of the ship, however, is intentionally slight, so as not "to give aid & comfort to the rebels." After being asked to leave by an irritated sentry, Moulton roamed around the Navy Yard, and described the bustle of activity there in the manufacture of weapons and munitions. Later, he visited a number of the most popular tourist attractions, including the Patent Office, the Washington Monument (for which he gives a nice description), the White House, and the Smithsonian. In each place, he was careful to note the objects of historical and cultural interest, and most of all, as he put it, the "machinery, machinery, machinery. That's all I have to say." Through the influence of friends from Elmira, Moulton gained entrance to the capitol building on Christmas day. He remained unimpressed with the members of the House of Representatives: "such laziness, such inactivity, such political dishonesty & trickery should make even the members blush."

In one of the more interesting passages in the diary, Moulton wrote of visiting friends in the camp of the 141st N.Y. Regiment. His description of the visit (December 20-21) gives a strong impression of the camaraderie amongst the officers of the regiment and at the same time of the stress and boredom they must felt in a forward camp. Moulton was even (apparently) allowed to go out on picket duty where he overlooked the no man's land between Union and Confederate-held territory, where civilians needed passes even to enter onto their own property. The diary includes less extensive descriptions of Baltimore and Alexandria, of war-torn Harpers Ferry, Norfolk, Fortress Monroe, and Philadelphia.

Moulton's friend Wilkinson was discharged from the 107th Regiment on 23 January, 1863, suggesting that the two may have been visiting Virginia to finalize arrangements for Wilkinson's discharge. In August, 1863, Wilkinson reenlisted in the 7th Veteran Reserve, where he remained for the balance of the war.

In this volume, Philadelphia pharmacist Peter Williamson transcribed his descriptions of 4 bird-hunting trips he took around the 1830s, his daughter Sarah's account of a trip taken from Philadelphia to northeastern New York in 1828, and genealogical information obtained from three Williamson family Bibles.

In this volume, Philadelphia pharmacist Peter Williamson transcribed his descriptions of 4 hunting trips he took between 1829 and 1832 (16 pages), his daughter Sarah's account of a trip taken from Philadelphia to northeastern New York in 1828 (5 pages), and genealogical information obtained from three Williamson family Bibles (9 pages)

The volume's first section recounts hunting trips Peter Williamson took around Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. The first, entitled "An Excursion to the Chesapeake" (pages 1-10), covers his experiences hunting birds near the Delaware and Chesapeake Canal. Williamson recalled the trip in a humorous tone, and described his bad hunting luck. He and his companion, "C.," encountered a nearby family, with whom they shared a meal, and later hired local residents to serve as guides. Instead of assisting the hunters, however, the guides failed to retrieve fallen game, forcing Williamson and his companion to purchase birds previously shot by the locals. This account was published in The Cabinet of Natural History and American Rural Sports, vol. 1 (Philadelphia, 1830), pages 118-120.

The account, entitled "Journal of Sport for 1832 by one who has heretofore never been very fortunate in securing an unusual quantity of Game" (pages 11-15) describes Williamson's bird hunting trip near Thompson's Point, New Jersey, on March 22, 1832. In addition to his hunting activities, Williamson recalled a mishap with his dearborn carriage, in which the vehicle was nearly swamped by floodwaters on a country road. The trip was ultimately successful, as Williamson and his colleague shot 16 birds. The remaining stories (pages 16-17) also recount bird-hunting excursions. The first took place in the Delaware River near League Island and Maiden Island on April 14, 1832, and the second near Chesapeake City, Maryland, on an unknown date. The hunters sought ducks, geese, swans, and wading birds.

Peter Williamson's daughter Sarah wrote an account of a family trip from Philadelphia to northeastern New York in the summer of 1828, when she was 9 years old; his transcription is in this volume. The 5-page narrative, entitled "A Trip to Saratoga and Lake George," begins with the author boarding the steamboat Pennsylvania, which hit a sloop only an hour into its journey. After arriving at Bordentown, the family traveled to a town called Washington, where they embarked on a steamboat for New York City. Sarah briefly gave some impressions of the scenery and listed some of her sightseeing destinations in New York City. The Williamsons soon left for Albany aboard the steamboat Independence, and from there to Troy and Saratoga. Along the way, she recorded impressions of the Catskill Mountains and West Point. After arriving in Saratoga, the Williamson family visited several local springs, and Sarah mentioned seeing workmen boring for salt and an encampment of Oneida Indian families. On her way to Lake George, she described Glens Falls and other natural features in the area. She also visited the remains of Fort George and Fort William Henry, and briefly reflected on nearby gravesites and on a massacre that took place during the French and Indian War. The remainder of the account is a brief description of the family's return route to Philadelphia.

The final section of this volume consists of 9 pages of genealogical information that Peter Williamson copied from 3 family Bibles. Most entries consist of birth, death, and marriage dates. He explicitly mentioned his father and grandfather. Peter Williamson wrote this section of the journal on October 26, 1874.