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

This volume is an account of thirteen '49ers traveling from New England to California during the gold rush. Comstock describes their journey from New York, on the brig Empire, to Vera Cruz, Mexico, and from there overland through Mexico City to San Blas on the Pacific; for the last leg, they sailed to San Francisco. When they arrived in California, they went up the San Joaquin River to Stockton and Merced.

This volume records the daily experiences of Comstock's group as they travelled to California, styling themselves the G. M. Speculating Club. The group went by stage to Troy, then by railroad to New York. There they elected officers and purchased equipment (at inflated prices), which they shipped on a schooner headed around the Cape. On February 18, 1849, they left on the Brig Empire, along with 53 others, 30 men to a cabin, to sail for 22 days to Vera Cruz. Along the way they experienced storms and sea-sickness. On February 27, he wrote, “No tongue can express, no language can portray the awful sublimity of a Thunder storm at sea[;] none but those who have witnessed can realize or even imagine its grandeur.”

Upon arrival in Mexico on March 12, they purchased a wagon, horses, and mules for their trek. Parties of as many as 47 men were departing almost daily. Along the route they encountered cemeteries and battlefields of the Mexican War, which had ended the previous year. They encountered resentful, larcenous people and endured sand fleas and hunger on their 46-day trek. Comstock estimates their distance at 469 miles.

After selling their few remaining horses and mules for a quarter of the purchase price, they embarked for San Francisco on April 29, on the schooner Jacklin, along with 30 or 40 others. Once at sea, they discovered that the Captain had overloaded his ship, and that the food and sleeping accommodations were not sufficient; Comstock remarked that the cooks were terrible. Beset by headwinds and calms, the brig took 32 days to reach San Francisco, by which time the passengers were limited to a pint of water per day and nothing to eat but bread, beans, and rice. At one point the captain so feared mutiny that he tried, unsuccessfully, to sequester all of the passengers’ arms.

San Francisco was teeming with men from all over the world, who arrived daily by the hundreds. The group changed their original plans to sail up the Sacramento River, and instead went up the San Joaquin on a schooner of the same name. On board were several deserters from the Navy. "Deserters are frequent, the Gold Mania having spread among the sailors & causing many of them to leave their $16 per month on Gov vessels and seek their fortunes at mines among scores of other adventurers” (June 11, 1849). The ship had to be “warped,” by placing the anchor forward in a small boat and pulling the ship up to it for miles, but on June 14 they arrived at Stockton, a town of several hundred people, most of whom slept in tents. From there they proceeded in three groups by stage and on horseback for 80 miles to get to the “diggings,” where they worked in two shifts, but only placer-mined a disappointing $10 a day in gold flakes.

They soon dissolved the organization, when one member decided to return to San Francisco. Comstock and a few others were exploring the Merced River when Sherman took an early-morning bath in the stream, slipped on moss-covered rocks into deeper water, and drowned. They buried him near the camp.

This 88-page journal recounts Healy's travels from his home in Middlebury, New York, to northeastern Illinois between May 30 and July 13, 1838. The journal contains notes on his steamship voyages on the Great Lakes, descriptions of his overland travels and experiences in Illinois, and prayers and other religious reflections. This diary is a handwritten copy made by Horace Healy in 1841.

This 88-page journal recounts Healy's travels from his home in Middlebury, New York, to northeastern Illinois between May 30 and July 13, 1838. This diary is a handwritten copy made by Horace Healy in 1841.

Healy departed from Middlebury on May 30, 1838, with a friend, Hosea Wilson, and reached Buffalo the following day, where the men boarded the steamer Anthony Wayne, bound for Chicago via the Great Lakes. Healy kept a brief daily record of distances he traveled and the steamer's stops, until his arrival at Chicago on June 9. There, he took leave of Wilson. Along the way, Healy visited Fort Mackinac, Michigan, and described some of his fellow passengers. Upon his arrival in Illinois, he set out to visit acquaintances living southeast of Chicago, and then traveled westward and northward throughout the area for the rest of the month. A devout man, he recorded his religious activities, his attendance at church services, prayers, and religious thoughts.

The journal also contains brief descriptions of a few settlements, such as Naperville and Rockford, and of life on the Illinois prairie. One man at a camp meeting along the DuPage River mentioned his missionary work with local Native Americans (June 24, p. 38). On June 25, Healy left for home, though he remained in Chicago for several days awaiting a steamer; during this time, he visited Fort Dearborn and other sights. He boarded the Anthony Wayne on June 28, and spent a few days in early July near Detroit, Michigan, where he visited his brother Freeborn's grave in Macomb County (July 6, pp. 66-67). On July 10, he took the Clinton to Buffalo, where he arrived on July 12, his daughter's 14th birthday. The entry for July 12 also contains Healy's lamentation on the sinking of the steamboat George Washington on Lake Erie less than a month before (pp. 81-82). Healy arrived home in Middlebury on July 13, 1838.

Horace Healy transcribed this copy of his journal on October 21, 1841.

H. W. Blumenthal, a Jewish sailor in the United States Navy, kept this diary in November and December 1918. He wrote several times each day about many aspects of his military service and the politics of the Balkan Peninsula at the end of World War I.

H. W. Blumenthal, a Jewish sailor in the United States Navy, kept this diary (approximately 70 pages) from November 7, 1918-December 17, 1918. He wrote several times each day about many aspects of his military service and the politics of the Balkan Peninsula at the end of World War I. The front cover has a United States Navy seal stamped on the front, as well as the title "Cattaro," the date November 7, 1918, and the initials "H. W. B." A printed sheet containing information about five captured Austrian vessels is laid into the front cover.

Blumenthal commented in depth about his assignments, meetings (with American naval officers and others), his desire to obtain information about naval operations, and other aspects of his military service. He wrote briefly about the navies of Austria-Hungary, Great Britain, and France, as well as the Austrian and Italian armies. Much of the diary focuses on the politics of the Balkan Peninsula during and just after the end of World War I, particularly with regard to attempts to establish what would become the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

Diary by a 20-year-old teacher from New York, containing observations made during an 1853 stay in Mississippi, including thoughts on slavery, African American churches, Southern culture, and the outbreak of a yellow fever epidemic from which he died. The volume also contains a eulogy in a different hand for Mary Lyon, founder of Mount Holyoke.

The 79-page James A. Marshall diary covers July 5-August 27, 1853, during which time Marshall traveled around Mississippi before falling ill with yellow fever and dying on September 5. An unknown person removed 54 pages of writing preceding the July 5 entry. Marshall’s diary contains lengthy and opinionated daily entries, many of which probe Southern society, which, as a New Yorker, he found quite foreign. In one entry, Marshall criticized Southern women: “indulgence certainly is a distinguishing characteristic of the southern lady. Physical exercise they all are averse to and if they even drop their handkerchief upon the floor at their feet, if no servant or gallant is near to pick it up…it must lie there until one comes to restore it” (p. 73). In another entry, Marshall expressed surprise that Uncle Tom’s Cabin was available in Mississippi, writing, “it seems the people here are not ‘afraid’ of reading such books, or having them circulated” (p. 75).

Marshall had an interest in African Americans, and on several occasions, visited a “Colored People’s Church, Methodist I inferred,” but criticized the service for its loudness, comparing it to a “meeting of the shaking Quakers” (p. 85). On July 23, he gave details of a slave auction that he attended: “One girl was sold for eight hundred and eighty dollars, only 16 years old and quite good looking. The man who bought her made no scruple of telling his object in buying her” (p. 98). Despite his special interest in African Americans, his opinions were paternalistic, and he expressed support for slavery, even speculating about owning a plantation himself: “It really would be very interesting it seems to me to have, as all the large planters have, a family of several hundred at ones control: not because of the power allowed, but to feel the satisfaction of being a tender Master to them, and to feel that all their interest were united and to enjoy the pleasure of giving them pleasure” (p. 117).

At the end of the diary, Marshall mentioned the yellow fever epidemic that would kill him within weeks, writing, “I shall not stop at Natchez on account of the Quarantine which has been established both at N. and Vicksburg on account of the prevalence of yellow fever… I am convinced that there is little if any danger to any one who uses due caution in diet” (103).

The volume also contains a 7-page eulogy on Mary Lyon, the founder of Mount Holyoke College, seemingly written by someone who knew her personally. The essay describes Lyon’s personality, manner of dress, and recounts things she said to her students. Also laid into the volume is a religious meditation.

James Alexander Sprowl, a young man from Gibson County, Ind., enlisted in the Union army on October 21st, 1861, and was assigned to Company B of the 58th Indiana Infantry. His journal contains brief daily entries from March 26th through September 14th, 1862. Sprowl's descriptions are spare, but while lacking detail, they do give an impression of the rough edges of life in the service.

The Sprowl journal is pocket-sized and contains brief daily entries from March 26th through September 14th, 1862. Sprowl's descriptions are spare, but while lacking detail, they do give an impression of the rough edges of life in the service. The best sections in the journal are those that deal with the tense month spent in the siege of Corinth, and the much easier days of foraging through eastern and central Tennessee.

The James Mease journal documents two trips taken by Mr. Mease of Philadelphia: the first to eastern Pennsylvania in 1835 and New York State and the second to Washington, D.C. in 1841.

James Mease kept his journal during two separate periods: during a trip through eastern Pennsylvania and New York state, August-September 1835 (pp. 1-62), and during a journey to Washington, D.C., in the summer of 1841 (pp. 63-75). Laid into the volume is a half-sheet containing a partial letter by Mease to one of his sons and some travel notes.

Although the journal is not signed, it has been attributed to Mease because of direct references it makes (pp. 16, 71) to his essay "Description of Some of the Medals Struck..." The handwriting was subsequently shown to match other Mease manuscripts in the Clements Library. Mease's On Utility of Public Loan Offices and Savings Funds by City Authorities (1836) is of interest in that the journeys recorded in the first part of the Clements Library's journal appear to have been taken to gather information for that work.

Two themes run throughout Mease's journal. The first is his strong sense of history. Mease was careful to note historical events which had occurred on sites he was visiting -- making reference both to events which he had witnessed and about which he had read. The second theme is his interest in people, particularly the "common man." Mease enjoyed the friendship and society of some of the most noted persons of his day, yet he was fascinated by a visit with an ordinary citizen, exploring that person's life story, which he would record in his journal.

This volume (67 pages) is an English translation of Jean Bon Saint-André's journal of his experiences with the French Navy during the Battle of the First of June in 1794.

This volume (67 pages) is an English translation of Jean Bon Saint-André's journal of his experiences with the French Navy before, during, and after the Battle of the First of June, Floréal 27-Prairial 18, 1794 (roughly mid-May to early June in the Georgian calendar). The volume is titled "Long Live the Mountain: A concise Journal of the Cruize of the fleet of the [French] Republic commanded by Rear Admiral Villaret kept daily by Jean Bon St. André the Representative of the People on board the Montagne." The book once belonged to Louisa Catherine Altamont.

The first page has a chart of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd French squadrons, with the names of frigates, ships of the line, and their commanders. Prior to the battle, Saint-André provided detailed information about the French fleet's movements from Brest to the Atlantic Ocean, where they encountered the British Royal Navy. He recorded copies of the reports that he sent to the Committee of Public Safety, in which he documented the fleet's progress, and discussed damage sustained by French ships during the engagement.

This 72-page journal chronicles J. E. Guild's travels from Boston to Washington, D. C.; Baltimore, Maryland; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during February and March 1843. Guild described his daily social activities, which included attending parties, meeting with acquaintances, and interacting with prominent individuals, including United States Supreme Court justices.

This 72-page journal chronicles J. E. Guild's travels from Boston to Washington, D. C.; Baltimore, Maryland; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during February and March 1843. Guild described his daily social activities, which included attending parties, meeting with acquaintances, and interacting with prominent individuals, including United States Supreme Court justices.

Guild left his home in Boston, Massachusetts, in early February, and arrived in Washington, D. C., on February 10, 1843. While in Washington, he wrote about his visits to the Capitol and recorded his impressions of political figures, such as Supreme Court justices John McLean and Henry Baldwin. Guild traveled to Baltimore on February 15 and to Philadelphia on February 22. In each city, he wrote about his social affairs, which included large gatherings and private meetings with acquaintances. He often mentioned his interactions with local women. Guild also reported his opinions about Baltimore and Philadelphia and, to a lesser extent, his experiences while traveling between cities. He returned to Boston on March 4, 1843.

Joe Sanford of Stockton, California, summarized his weekend activities for the year 1949 in this typed diary. He traveled to various places in northern California, took camping trips with friends, participated in outdoor activities, and attended dances and plays. Some entries reflect racial tensions in Stockton.

Joe Sanford of Stockton, California, summarized his weekend activities for the year 1949 in this typed diary (134 pages). The diary's frontispiece is a poem by Nick Kenny entitled "Youth."

Though he occasionally mentioned his schoolwork and grades, Sanford wrote most frequently about his social life and leisure activities, almost all of which involved his friend Glenn. They and other friends went camping, attended theatrical performances (often at the College of the Pacific) and dances, and participated in outdoor activities throughout the year. Sanford traveled around northern California, writing about trips with friends and family to Mount Diablo (April 1949), Yosemite National Park (June 1949), Santa Cruz (July 1949), and the "Old Hearst Ranch" (August 1949). He played saxophone in the school marching band and briefly participated in the Sea Scouts during the summer. Some entries refer directly or indirectly to Mexican and African-American residents of Stockton, including Sanford's attempts to communicate with persons who "spoke Mexican" and the presence of African Americans at a December school dance. Some clipped images of locations that Sanford visited and unidentified individuals participating in fishing and similar outdoor activities are pasted into the volume. Sanford's diary also contains pencil sketches of a man painting on a ladder, a birthday cake, and other subjects. A program from a school talent show is also pasted in.

John Byrd Hall, Jr., of Fredericksburg, Virginia, was a Confederate soldier who enlisted in the Fredericksburg Light Artillery (Capt. Pollock's Company Virginia Light Artillery) on August 6, 1861. His short diary, covering a 43-day period between August 10th and September 20th, 1861, describes his time spent at Camp Braxton near Aquia Creek, Va. He did not see combat during this time, but filled his days with drills, guard duty, reading books, a "Philos Lodge" discussion group, prayer meetings, and chess. This diary is a handwritten copy of the original made by Capt. John P. Reynolds, a Union officer, in 1888.

The back cover of this diary declares it to be "a copy of a Rebel diary." The copy was made in 1888 by "J.P. Reynolds, formerly a Capt. in the 19th Mass." from the original, at that time, in the possession of Mrs J. C. F. Because it is a handwritten copy of a handwritten manuscript, the transcription may have errors. For example, the name "Stallard" is written as "Stalland," and the name "Thorburn" as "Therburn." This could have been the mistake of Hall or Reynolds, or both. A single drawing on the first page of the diary is a Christian cross with the letters IHS.

This is a short diary covering a 43-day period between August 10th and September 20th, 1861. It starts the day John B. Hall, Jr., first arrives at "Camp Braxton" near Aquia Creek, Va., joining his younger brother Marshall and several other friends from Fredericksburg. They do not see combat during this time, but fill their days with drills, standing guard, and waiting for something to happen. John spent a good portion of his leisure time reading moral philosophy, the Bible, the works of Goldsmith, and history books (Napoleon and Charlemagne), although he did read Edgar Allen Poe's "The Gold Bug" while on furlough in Fredericksburg. He and some of the other soldiers formed a "Philos Lodge," where they engaged in frequent discussions. He also attended the prayer meetings held in one of the mess tents. Chess was popular, and after playing three games in one day, he decided to cut back on the amount of time he spent at the chess board.