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Collection

Connecticut Woman's travel diary, [ca. 1877-1881?]

1 volume

The Connecticut Woman's travel diary recounts the author's social activities during several weeks spent mingling with high society in New York City; Washington, D. C.; Aiken, South Carolina; and Charleston, South Carolina.

The Connecticut Woman's travel diary (56 pages) recounts the author's social activities during several weeks spent mingling with high society in New York City; Washington, D. C.; Aiken, South Carolina; and Charleston, South Carolina. Throughout her trip, she spent much of her time at balls and meeting with acquaintances and notable figures, among them Attorney General Charles R. Devens, a daughter or daughter-in-law of Zachary Taylor, and Admiral William Rogers Taylor. While in the capital, the author and her traveling companion, Isabella, made a trip to the White House to meet Mrs. Rutherford B. Hayes (p. 3). Though the diarist focused on social prestige and social customs, she reported her brief impressions of Forts "Sumpter" and Moultrie in Charleston (pp. 38-39).

Collection

Abbé Montesquiou journal, ca. 1798

102 pages

This travel account of Abbé Montesquiou was written in 1798 three years after his trip to American from 1758-1832. The journal covers Montesquiou's travels as well as his thoughts on America, Canada and the mid-Atlantic areas he visits.

Montesquiou's 'journal' is not a standard travel account: it goes beyond pure description to include discussions of the philosophy and the history, the people and government of the nation. The journal appears to have been written following the Abbé's return to France with internal evidence suggesting 1798 as the most likely date. Perhaps because of the time that had elapsed between his voyage and its writing, the journal includes as many opinions on his experiences in North America as it does actual description of what he has seen. Montesquiou is naturally analytical in his writing style, and he has a penchant for 'augmenting' his personal observations with views and opinions that appear to have been culled from written sources. Thus his discussion of the Philadelphia Yellow Fever epidemic of 1793 contains information that may have been derived from the opinions of contemporary scientists, and his discussions of the relative merits of monarchy and democracy are sufficiently generic that the American context seems almost incidental.

Montesquiou is generally an unsympathetic observer of the young United States; while he appreciates the scenery and the productivity of the nation he is strongly critical of the hypocrisy of 'Republican' slaveholders, of the nation's leaders -- particularly Washington and Jefferson. While he admires the Philadelphia prison system, he is repelled by what he considers the crass, ultra-capitalist sensibilities of Americans. Among the more interesting aspects of the 'journal' are his extended discussions of the prison system and a theory of crime and punishment, slavery, the American character, and democracy and monarchy.

Collection

John Parrish journals, ca. 1790-1793

6 volumes

The collection consists of five journals and one memoir that document Quaker missionary John Parrish’s travels throughout Pennsylvania, New York, Michigan, and Ohio from 1773 to 1793, during a treaty negotiations between the U.S. government and the Six Nations Iroquois.

The Parrish journals consist of six volumes that document relations with several Native American tribes during and following the Revolutionary War (1775-1783). He was present during the creation of a series of treaties that attempted to end the conflicts over land ownership, such as the Newtown Point Treaty of 1791 and another treaty negotiated at Sandusky, Ohio, in 1793. Parrish’s journals provide a great deal of insight into the often hostile and tenuous relationship between White people and Native Americans, while at the same time giving an idea of what daily life was like for men and women residing in these much contested territories.

Written during the late 18th century, the five journals are dated 1791 (1) and 1793 (4). The sixth item in the collection is a memoir that describes events occurring in 1773, yet appears to be written much later, possibly as early as 1790. Parrish traveled through Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Michigan and encountered many different Native American groups. The tribes with whom he had the most contact were the Shawnee, the Wyandot, the Seneca, the Stockbridge, the Chippewa, the Delaware, the Tuscarora, the Miami, and the Oneida. He also encounters many Native Americans who belong to the Moravian sect. Many of these tribes were part of the Six Nations Iroquois present at the treaty councils.

Each journal varies considerably in content, yet all contain very detailed descriptions. The memoir, which describes events occurring in 1773, documents Parrish’s journey to Newcomers Town in Ohio to meet with members of the Delaware tribe, most importantly Captain White Eyes and Chief Netawattwaleman. Traveling with fellow Quakers Lebulon Heston and John Lacy, the men embarked on the journey primarily as missionaries. Despite their intentions, however, the men become embroiled in the political volatility of the time. On his way to Newcomers Town, Parrish encountered Chief Logan (1725-1780), a Native American of the Mingo tribe, whose family was killed in what is known as the “Yellow Creek Massacre.” Logan, who delivered a speech referred to as “Logan’s Lament,” is quoted by Thomas Jefferson in his Notes on the State of Virginia and likewise verbatim in Parrish’s memoir. In addition to the Delaware tribe, Parrish also met members of the Shawnee and Wyandot tribes. The memoir is thought to have been written sometime after 1773, the earliest possible year date being 1790, given Parrish’s reference to historical information occurring after this time, such as the “Yellow Creek Massacre,” Dunmore’s War, and Thomas Jefferson as Secretary of State.

Parrish’s 1791 journal serves as a description of the Treaty of Newtown Point and the events leading up to it. Originally the council was to take place at Painted Post in New York, but was changed to Newtown Point due to the low water levels of the Tioga River. Over 600 Native Americans were present for the treaty, and Parrish faithfully records sentiments expressed regarding attitudes towards White people and land ownership. He was especially careful to document several interviews and speeches of prominent Native American leaders, such as the Stockbridge chief Hendricks, Pater of the Onieda tribe, the Seneca chief Red Jacket, and a chief named Cayasuter. In addition to describing Native American customs, attitudes, and the events that transpired during the council, the issue of alcoholism among the tribes proved to be a chief concern for Parrish. Consequently, he asked Col. Pickering to cease the distribution of whiskey at the council fearing that it was hindering the negotiation process while simultaneously making the Native Americans vulnerable and easily exploitable.

Ultimately the Newtown Point council was unsuccessful, and the three volumes dated 1793 relate another attempt by Pickering to secure peace with the tribes. Although the Six Nations had agreed with Pickering’s terms, the western tribes were still rebellious and discontented. This necessitated the scheduling of yet another council to form a treaty. In the first volume Parrish -- accompanied by Beverly Randolph, John Elliot, Joseph Moore, and Pickering -- traveled to Detroit as a point from which they could easily meet with several tribes, while being close to Sandusky on Lake Erie -- the site of the upcoming council. Parrish noted that the tribes insisted on Ohio as the eastern boundary for their lands, remaining persistent in their demand despite the abundance of gifts that Pickering bestowed upon them. The second volume is mainly a discussion of Native American customs and the problem of slavery, especially the multitude of white captives. The narrative of Parrish's departure from Detroit to attend the council appears at the end of the second and beginning of the third volume. This treaty too failed, the tribes rejecting Pickering’s gifts in lieu of the restoration of their lands. At the end of the third volume, Cornplanter (1750-1836) -- chief of the Seneca -- delivered a moving speech to President Washington on the selling of their lands. Parrish related how Cornplanter demanded of Washington, “Brothers of our Fathers where is the place which you have reserved for us to lie down upon?....all the Lands we have been speaking of belong to the Six Nations no part of it ever belonged to the King of England and he could not give it up to you” (1793, No. 3, p. 11, 13). The latter replied and a brief exchange ensued.

Parrish’s last journal entitled “Some Notes on Indian Affairs,” which also dates to 1793, seems to have been written after returning home from Detroit and Sandusky. Much of the information recorded serves as a summary of some of his work described in the previous journals, as well as commentary on the situation of the tribes. He discussed in particular the Gnadenhütten massacre. This massacre, carried out by Lt. Col. David Williamson (1749-1814) and 160 of his militiamen on March 8, 1782 near Gnadenhütten, Ohio, left approximately 96 Moravian Indians dead. Parrish deplored this and other crimes committed against the tribes.

Parrish wrote intelligently and clearly, alternating between descriptions of events and his personal thoughts. His religious beliefs figured prominently in his attitudes and opinions, and they informed his desire for social justice for Native Americans, as well as for African American slaves. Present in all these journals is his sympathy for the human suffering he encountered, which he hoped to see eradicated. These journals thus prove to be not only rich in historical information, but also detailed in the accounts of Parrish's quest for a more peaceful coexistence between whites and Native Americans.

Collection

Gerard B. Palmer journal, 1953

331 pages

The Gerard B. Palmer journal consists of short entries and sketches by a Unites State Navy Lieutenant at the end of the Korean War.

With the exception of a two week period in April, when engaged at Wonsan Harbor, North Korea, Gerard Palmer's diary entries are very short and slight. Many dates are left entirely blank, either for fear of censorship, lack of time, or simply from never having developed the regular habit of keeping a diary. Although scant in detail, the diary provides some information useful in reconstructing the chronology of U.S. naval operations on the North Korean coast during the final months of the Korean War, and Palmer's pen drawings of naval life are as entertaining as they are roughly hewn.

Of particular interest among the illustrations is Palmer's pencil-sketch plan of Wonsan Harbor, labeled confidential. This drawing indicates the positions of North Korean gun emplacements and the American base of Yo Do, as well as notes on the areas of operation for U.S. ships, and it is accompanied by the densest description in the diary, documenting the activities of the Owen during a period of relatively heavy action. Palmer's sketch of South Korean Marines huddled on shore during a covert raid to gather intelligence is also worth noting, as are the humorous pair of sketches of an officers' club and serviceman's club in Singapore.

Collection

Joe Sanford diary, 1949

1 volume

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.

Collection

U.S. Army Hospital Ship Marigold diary, 1944-1945

1 volume

The U.S. Army Hospital Ship Marigold diary concerns a payroll clerk's experiences on the Marigold during a tour of duty in the Pacific Theater in the Second World War. The diarist described daily life onboard the ship, discussed crew discipline, and noted the places he visited. Hand-drawn illustrations and maps depict the Marigold's voyage through the Panama Canal and sections of the Papua New Guinea coast.

The U.S. Army Hospital Ship Marigold diary (105 pages) concerns a payroll clerk's experiences on the Marigold during a tour of duty in the Pacific Theater in the Second World War. The diarist described daily life onboard the ship, discussed crew discipline, and noted the places he visited. Hand-drawn illustrations and maps depict the Marigold's voyage through the Panama Canal and sections of the Papua New Guinea coast.

The first entry is dated in Charleston, South Carolina, on October 9, 1944, just prior to the Marigold's departure for the Pacific Ocean. The diary covers the author's daily experiences and observations through May 5, 1945, including his descriptions of scenery and details about ship life. In mid-October, he wrote about and sketched the journey through the Panama Canal (pp. 2-10). In November, he reported that the 6th had been "cancelled" as the ship crossed the International Date Line (p. 26) and that the 11th had been celebrated for the armistice (p. 28). His comments on everyday routines and experiences included observations on passengers, the weather, crew discipline, submarine scares, and air raids. Further entries follow the ship's progress toward New Guinea and the Philippines, where he mentioned destroyed cities such as Manila and its harbor (pp. 90-95). At the time of the final entry (May 5, 1945), the Marigold had just passed Hawaii on its return journey to the United States.

In addition to the Panama Canal sketch, the diary has maps of the Marigold's layout (p. 18); Finchhaven, Papua New Guinea (p. 29); the port at Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea (p. 38); and Hollandia Bay, Papua New Guinea (p. 58).

Collection

Mormon World War II Soldier's diary, 1944-1945

1 volume

An anonymous Mormon airman kept this diary while serving with the 15th Air Force in Italy during World War II. Entries pertain to the airman's daily activities, including bombing missions in Italy and Central Europe, and to his postwar plans.

An anonymous Mormon airman kept this diary (138 pages) while serving with the 15th Air Force in Italy between December 9, 1944, and March 24, 1945. The diary begins with biographical information about the author, a 19-year-old draftee from Houston, Texas. He occasionally mentioned his Mormon faith, expressing his desire to meet Mormon friends and his hope that he and his sister would both marry within the faith (March 11, 1945). Most entries pertain to the author's daily activities, which included visits to Taranto, attending movies and USO shows, and attending church services. He frequently discussed his participation in bombing missions over northern Italy and Central Europe, mentioning the presence of antiaircraft fire and, occasionally, damage to his and other planes; one crew was forced to land in Yugoslavia. The diary names multiple bombing targets. On several occasions, the diarist expressed his desire to return home and wondered about the health of his mother, father, and sister.

Collection

James R. Sturn diary, 1944-1945

1 volume

Seaman James R. Sturn kept this diary while serving onboard the destroyer Moale in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Sturn commented on sea life, reported the ship's movements, and described his experiences in multiple naval engagements.

Seaman James R. Sturn kept this diary (172 pages) while serving onboard the Moale in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Sturn commented on sea life, reported the ship's movements, and described his experiences in multiple naval engagements.

Before commencing regular diary entries, Sturn recapitulated his experiences in the United States Navy between March 1943 and November 1944. From around November 3, 1944-August 4, 1945, he wrote about daily life on the Moale, which was stationed in the Philippines, near various Japanese islands, and in Hawaii. Sturn noted the ship's movements, listed other ships in the Moale's task force, and reported news of sunken ships and battles. He witnessed kamikaze attacks and described the ship's engagements, which included action in Leyte Harbor, the Battle of Ormoc Bay, the invasion of Mindoro Island, the invasion of Luzon, and bombardment operations. Other entries pertain to Sturn's leisure activities and drinking habits at Ulithi Atoll and Pearl Harbor, where the Moale went for repairs in early 1945. After returning to the Pacific, the destroyer assisted with minesweeping and antiaircraft efforts around Okinawa and other Japanese islands.

Newspaper clippings and parts of the Moale's newsletter are pasted into the diary. Most reflect the Pacific Fleet's progress; one is an article by Ernie Pyle, and one has a drawing of male and female mermaids. Sturn pasted the Moale's daily orders from April 13, 1945, and May 13, 1945 into the volume's endpaper and first pages. Five unlabeled snapshots of a United States sailor and a note about Sturn's genealogy are laid into the volume.

Collection

U.S. Serviceman's diary, Italy, 1943-1945

1 volume

This diary pertains to a United States serviceman's experiences in Italy between October 1943 and September 1945. He kept records regarding his correspondence and commented briefly on his travels in the Mediterranean and some of his daily activities.

This pocket diary (95 pages) pertains to a United States serviceman's experiences in Italy between October 1943 and September 1945. The volume's inside front cover contains a partial itinerary of the soldier's European service, as well as a woman's photograph (cut out in the shape of her head). The diary entries are mostly arranged chronologically, with some small sections appearing out of place. The author regularly reported on his correspondence, particularly with a woman named Ann, and recorded addresses on the book's final 2 pages. Entries include brief comments about Mediterranean scenery, soldiers' leisure activities, and the end of the war. The author encountered Italian prisoners of war while in Morocco in late 1943, and a ship in his convoy was sunk by a German submarine while the author sailed from Morocco to Italy on the Liberty ship SS Jonathan Worth in December 1943.

Collection

Horace Miner collection, 1941-1992 (majority within 1941-1945)

0.5 linear feet

This collection contains military records, photographs, printed publications, maps, and ephemera related to Horace Mitchell Miner's service with the United States Army Counter Intelligence Corps in North Africa and Europe during World War II.

This collection contains military records, photographs, printed publications, maps, and ephemera related to Horace Mitchell Miner's service with the United States Army Counter Intelligence Corps in North Africa and Europe during World War II.

The Military Papers series (27 items) contains reports, orders, and other material related to campaigns in North Africa and Europe during World War II. The documents pertain to military personnel, orders, intelligence procedures and policies, counterintelligence operations, and the progress of the war in Central Europe. A small group of items pertains to a tea hosted by King George VI and the queen consort, Elizabeth, in November 1943. The series includes Miner's military identification, a translation of a "captured diary" (Lemiers, [Netherlands], September 16, 1944-September 29, 1944); a document promoting Otto Sulzbach to SS-Sturmbannführer of the Waffen-SS, signed by Heinrich Himmler (December 8, 1941), a signed note of thanks by Heinrich Himmler (undated), and a Counter Intelligence Directive for Germany issued by the 12th Army Group headquarters (April 18, 1945). Later items include a 1953 essay by Horace Miner about the actions of the II Corps in Tunisia and Sicily, printed letters from George H. W. Bush and Gordon R. Sullivan (October 1991), and a veterans' newsletter (July 15, 1992).

The Photographs and Maps series is comprised of photographs, printed and manuscript maps, a photographic aerial map, and a group of arranged and mounted photographs and colored manuscript maps.

The group of mounted photographs and maps respect the German invasion of France in 1940. The maps show the Wehrmacht's increasing progress through Belgium, Luxembourg, and France, and the photographs depict German soldiers, military cemeteries, German soldiers' graves, military equipment, destroyed buildings, and concrete bunkers. Some items are annotated in German. Two loose photographs are images of the Buchenwald concentration camp after Allied liberation, and a third shows a plaque donated to Clifton College by former members of the 1st United States Army's Headquarters Regiment in 1991.

The Printed Items and Ephemera series contains manuals, articles regarding military campaigns, propaganda, and other items related to North Africa, Italy, and Germany. One handbook and two manuals concern the Allied Forces' counterintelligence operations. La Favola Vera del Britanno, an illustrated book in Italian, is a work of propaganda in the form of a children's book, negatively depicting Great Britain. Three books about Hitler, the Nazi Party, and the SS were published in Germany between 1933 and 1940. Six items in the series are catalogued separately (see below). Ephemeral materials include items written in Arabic, a humorous poster regarding best practices for civilian blackouts, and United States, United Kingdom, and Romanian flags.

Collection

Victor Leroy Rushfeldt, Jr., Collection, 1941-1980s

approximately 114 photographs in 1 album, 1 diary, 1 VHS tape, assorted paper files

The Victor Leroy Rushfeldt, Jr., collection contains an assortment of materials including a diary, photograph album, paper files, and a VHS tape, all of which pertain to U.S. Army Air Corp pilot 1st Lt. Victory Leroy Rushfeldt, Jr.’s service in the 20th Combat Mapping Squadron during World War II.

The Victor Leroy Rushfeldt, Jr., collection contains an assortment of materials including a diary, photograph album, paper files, and a VHS tape, all of which pertain to U.S. Army Air Corp pilot 1st Lt. Victory Leroy Rushfeldt, Jr.’s service in the 20th Combat Mapping Squadron during World War II.

The diary (15 x 8.5 cm) contains entries written by Rushfeldt, Jr., during the year of 1941. In the first entry on New Year’s Day, Rushfeldt, Jr., expressed a desire to join either the United States Army or Navy as a pilot and wondered “where I will be next New Years?” After failing his physical service exam with the Navy due to “crooked teeth,” he decided to first finish securing his private pilot’s license before sending applications to the Army Air Corps on January 31. On March 8 1941, Rushfeldt, Jr., attended a physical exam for flying cadets at Fort Snelling where again he was told that they would not “O.K. my teeth” but was instructed to send a plaster dental cast to Washington, D.C. On March 21, he traveled to Abilene, Texas, before heading for San Diego, California by car on March 25. After hitchhiking to Los Angeles on April 4 he subsequently sought job opportunities in the area while staying at the home of a local couple, including applying for a position at the Lockheed Aircraft Co. and interviewing with the Vega Airplane Co., the latter of whom he felt he could’ve obtained employment with “except for the fact that I will probably be drafted soon.” On April 20, Rushfeldt, Jr., began hitchhiking back to Albert Lea, noting stops in Nevada, Colorado, Nebraska, and Iowa before arriving home April 27. On August 12, he recorded having completed his U.S. Army Air Corps physical exam while on August 15 he took his flight test for “Stage C of the secondary C.P.T.” Towards the back of the diary there are several phone numbers and addresses listed for friends and acquaintances as well as a “Brief History of My Flying Course” listing the duration and type (dual or solo) of Rushfeldt, Jr.’s training flights in Albert Lea from October 8 1940 to February 20 1941. Also of note are numerous entries involving women that Rushfeldt, Jr., was dating.

The photograph album (26 x 34 cm) contains approximately 114 images and is string-bound with brown covers. The album begins with a series of photos showing various young women, American servicemen in uniform, and older adults interacting at what appears to be a wedding reception. Subsequent photographs of interest include a portrait of fellow pilot Jerry Smith holding a large camera; images of various aircraft; portraits of various officers identified by pen inscriptions including “Lt. Connely,” “Lt. Everhardt,” “FO Luther,” “Lt. Raymer,” “Lt. Gireau,” “Capt. Lake,” “Lt. Thye,” “Lt. Riddle,” “FO Stone,” “Charles Enoch,” “Lt. Smith,” “Lt. Glenn Jensen,” and numerous photos (including group portraits) of Victor Rushfeldt, Jr.; images of campsites, barracks, and other buildings possibly in Nadzab, New Guinea; several images documenting the wreck of an F-7B aircraft nicknamed “Idle Curiosity” which crash landed on the Biak Island airstrip while Rushfeldt, Jr., was onboard; and several photographs of indigenous Papuans (including pictures of nude women and women breastfeeding animals). Also present are twenty-one images showing painted illustrations on the sides of various aircraft, many of which were designed Cpl. Al G. Merkling. Numerous illustrations involve nude or scantily clad women posing suggestively. Nicknames of documented planes include “The Wango Wango Bird,” “Photo Queen,” “Cherokee Strip,” “TS Sympathy Remembrance,” “I’ll Be Around,” “American Beauty,” “Hangover Haven,” “Little Joe,” “Round Trip,” “Liberty Belle,” “Patched Up Piece,” “Ready Willing and Able,” “Idle Curiosity,” “Pappy’s Passion,” “Sweet Sixteen,” “St. Louis Blues,” “V…-Sure Pop,” “The Rip Snorter,” “Bourbon Boxcar,” “Ole’ Tomato,” “Mission Belle,” and “Tail Wind.”

The paper files include an envelope of informational materials from the “Reunion Project Office b-24/50th Anniversary” related to the planning of a 1989 reunion event; an overseas document file case containing three souvenir buttons from the first and second 20th Combat Mapping Squadron reunion events in 1982 and 1984, several empty letter envelopes addressed to Rushfeldt, Jr., a register of Rushfeldt, Jr.’s vaccinations and other medical data from December 28 1941 to Jan 27 1945, and an official notice from March 7 1943 declaring that Rushfeldt, Jr., qualified as “Marksman” with a .45 caliber pistol after achieving a score of 106; and a vertical file containing numerous materials related to 20th Combat Mapping Squadron reunions, events, newsletters, and other documents, including a draft of “A Pictorial History of the 20th Combat Mapping Squadron, 6th Photo Group that Served so Honorably in the Southwest Pacific Area During WW II” consisting of photocopies of images donated by former squadron members and compiled by Maj. Lawrence E. Thibault, Sr.

The VHS tape purportedly contains footage of the "Idle Curiosity" crash on the Biak Island airstrip. Rushfeldt, Jr., was aboard this aircraft at the time of the crash.

Collection

Dominick Miele diary, 1941-1945

1 volume

This diary contains Dominick Miele's recollections of and information about his service in the United States Army from January 28, 1941-October 11, 1945. Miele, a member of the 47th Infantry Regiment and the 383rd Military Police Battalion, trained at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He participated in active combat in North Africa, Sicily, and mainland Italy, and served behind the lines in England and France.

This diary (1 volume) contains Dominick Miele's recollections of and information about his service in the United States Army from January 28, 1941-October 11, 1945. Miele, a member of the 47th Infantry Regiment and the 383rd Military Police Battalion, trained at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He participated in active combat in North Africa, Sicily, and mainland Italy, and served behind the lines in England and France.

Miele recorded details about his military experiences in a pre-printed diary entitled "My Life in the Service." The volume's inside covers bear printed illustrations of army and navy insignia, and each diary page includes a printed quotation, often pertaining to military service, democracy, or patriotism. The diary contains several labeled sections, as well as printed illustrations of soldiers. The first 3 sections list men and women whom Miele encountered while in the military: "My Buddies in the Service" (pp. 1-31), "Officers I Have Met" (pp. 33-41), and "Civilians I Have Met" (pp. 43-47). Miele and his friends recorded their names and notes about their relationships.

The main portion of the volume consists of Miele's recollections, including both retrospective narration and daily diary entries (pp. 53-118). Miele opened his account with a history of his life prior to his army induction, and commented on his distaste for Fort Dix, New Jersey, where he spent the first three days of his military career. After moving to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in February 1941, where he joined Company M of the 47th Infantry Regiment, Miele described daily life and training maneuvers, particularly after the United States's declaration of war against Japan, Germany, and Italy. Miele kept daily diary entries in early December 1941; on December 6, 1941, he wrote about Hitler's alliance with Mussolini (pp. 79-81). In October 1942, the 47th Infantry traveled to North Africa, where Miele discussed his experiences in the foxholes. He also participated in active combat in Sicily and mainland Italy until the Italian surrender in September 1943. Miele recounted his service in western Europe, beginning with his work with the 10th Replacement Depot in Litchfield, England, from May-October 1944. He then recorded his experiences with Company A of the 383rd Military Police Battalion in Cherbourg, France, and in Belgium, which included time guarding prisoners of war in Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge. Miele traveled around France during and after the final months of the war, and served with the 794th Military Police Battalion in Dijon, France, until September 1945, when he returned to the United States. He was discharged on October 11, 1945, and worked in a post office.

The final sections of the diary include a "Recipe for Happiness" (p. 208), a list of Miele's Italian military friends (pp. 210-211), a note from a friend (p. 212), addresses of family members and acquaintances (pp. 213-217), notable dates from Miele's military service (pp. 218-219), a list of gifts that Miele received in 1941 and 1942 (p. 220), a record of his travels during his early military service (pp. 224-227), and autographs (pp.228-229). The final pages contain printed instructions for giving first aid medical treatment.

Collection

William M. Muth collection, 1938-1946 (majority within 1939, 1942-1943)

46 items

The William M. Muth collection contains diaries, photographs, and documents concerning Muth's experiences in Germany and the Netherlands in 1939 and his United States Navy service in the Pacific from 1942-1943.

The William M. Muth collection contains 2 diaries, 40 photographs, 2 envelopes of photographic negatives, and 4 documents concerning Muth's experiences in Germany and the Netherlands in 1939 and his United States Navy service in the Pacific from 1942-1943.

William M. Muth wrote 2 Diaries. The first (5" x 8") pertains to his life and travels in Europe from January 1, 1939-November 7, 1939, with daily entries covering January 1-February 5, March 19-May 14, and August 13-November 7. Muth described his life in Munich, Freiburg, and Heidelberg, Germany, and his visits to Austria, Hungary, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Italy. He wrote about his daily activities and social life and occasionally commented on anti-Semitism and increasing international tension. Muth reacted negatively to an anti-Semitic lecture and other propaganda (January 25, 1939), though he admired Adolf Hitler's oratory skills (January 30, 1939). By late August, the United States Consulate recommended that American citizens leave Germany, and Muth discussed his efforts to leave while noting reports of Polish armament and German militarization. On August 26, he traveled to Amsterdam. His entries from the first week of September reflect his efforts to return to the United States amidst the outbreak of war after Germany's invasion of Poland. He reacted negatively to perceived British exceptionalism and to Great Britain's declaration of war. After a brief return to Germany to gather belongings, Muth sailed for Baltimore on the SS Black Falkon on October 25. He arrived around November 7, the date of his final entry.

Muth's second diary (3" x 5") contains brief daily entries about his experiences on the USS Curtiss from January 6, 1942-August 2, 1943. He was stationed in Hawaii, New Caledonia, and Australia, and traveled to ports such as Pearl Harbor, Palmyra Atoll, Nouméa, Sydney, Perth, and Adelaide. In addition to noting his activities, such as flights and games of tennis, he occasionally commented on his wife and marriage.

The Photographs and Negatives series is made up of 38 snapshots and 2 larger photographs of United States sailors, soldiers, military buildings, and aircraft, taken between 1941 and 1944. Several portraits and one of the large group photographs are labeled. One picture shows a mock medal, the "Distinguished Skragging Cross." Many of the photographs were taken in Perth, Australia. The 2 envelopes of photographic negatives primarily depict uniformed military personnel.

Cablegrams and Ephemera include 2 cablegrams that William M. Muth sent to his wife and father on November 30, 1943, with his request that they stop sending mail. The series also has Muth's photographic identification card from the International Student Club in Munich, Germany (1938/1939), and his naval aviator certificate (September 1941), which is housed in a leather wallet. The final item is a certificate of gratitude for Muth's World War II service (July 15, 1946).

Collection

Mary Alice Foley papers, 1937-1995 (majority within 1937-1945)

254 items (1 volume, 18 letters, 213 photographs, 22 miscellaneous items)

Mary Alice Foley and her parents, American residents of Manila, were interned by the Japanese during World War II in a camp at the University of Santo Tomas. This collection contains her mother's journal, 213 photographs of Mary Alice, her family, and her friends, school girl letters, manuscripts and publications created and received while in the camp, and materials created for internee reunions.

The collection contains a wide variety of items from before, during, and after the Foley family's internment. Ella Foley's journal, 213 photographs of Mary Alice, family, and her friends, school girl letters, manuscripts and publications created and received while in the camp, and materials created for internee reunions are all present. A number of loving cups from the Polo Club in Manila and several publications have been transferred to the Graphics and Book Divisions, respectively.

Chronologically, the first item is a diary Ella Foley kept from October 13, 1937 to July 8, 1938, covering the family's first stay in Manila. She began the diary the day before she and Mary Alice left New York to join Frank in Manila, so the first two months give an detailed description of the sea voyage, including an interesting description of the Panama Canal (1937 October 22). Many of the photographs with the collection are pictures from the various places the Foleys visited while traveling to and from Manila, including the Panama Canal, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Japan.

The diary describes what life was like for Ella during her husband's first journey to Manila. Ella was not happy in the Philippines and hoped that her husband would not accept a permanent job there. "Manila would be a terrible future home," she wrote in her diary on 1838 January 6. Ella did not have much to do, especially since the hotel staff took care of their apartment. She made friends with some other American couples living in the Philippines, such as Mae and Jerry Sheehan, possibly related to John Sheehan, a priest who was interned with the Foleys during the war. Ella interacted very little with native Filipinos. She kept herself busy by seeing a movie nearly everyday, shopping, going to the polo club, drinking cocktails (she was especially fond of "White Ladies"), and even gambling.

Ella was a devout Catholic, despite her gambling, and went to church every Sunday, and celebrated all the holidays. On Good Friday, she went to go see the "Flagellantes," although she was somewhat skeptical: "It looked like blood on his back but it might have been red paint" (1938 April 15). Ella hardly mentioned anything about Japanese aggression, only noting that Japan had bombed the American gunboat "Panay" (1937 December 13). On her way back from Manila in 1938, she even stopped in Japan, as well as Hong Kong and Shanghai.

Of the letters in the collection, ten of them were sent to Mary Alice by various schoolmates during the Foleys' second stay in Manila. During 1940-41, Mary Alice was pleased with her school and had an active social life, spending time with her friends at the Polo Club. Many of the pictures in her scrapbook and additional pictures were taken by her and her friends at the Polo club. Mary Alice and her pals were particularly interested in boys, and spent paragraphs discussing the behavior of boys in their class and parties they attended.

Mary Alice's sheltered teenage world was dramatically changed with internment. Items from the internment camp include: school work and a report card, showing Mary Alice's graduation from high school; 3 birthday and Christmas cards; a small diary kept by Mary Alice from April 22 to May 26, 1944; "Our Time," a satirical play of internment life, broadcast over the PA system in 1942; the September 1942 issue of "The Internitis," a newspaper published by internees; worksheets for Spanish verbs; an internment baseball program; a listing of camp rules from 1942; and a transcription of a speech made for her high school graduation.

Also from that time period are seven letters from the War Department to her mother's sister Irene McTeague and father's brother Joseph H. Foley; three camp form-letter postcards that Mary Alice and her mother sent to people in the United States; and an article about the camp from Life, September 7, 1942. Mary Alice later compiled the letters, the postcards, some photographs, the camp rules of 1942, and a brochure showing pictures of Santo Tomas into a scrapbook.

The play, "Our Time," (of which Mary Alice contributed the lyrics to one song) and "The Internitis" reveal the internees' life and their methods of coping with their loss of freedom and uncertainty in the future. The Japanese did not seem to censor the publications too strictly, so "Our Time" satirized life in camp through comments like, "Why clean any [more rooms]? We'll only be here for 3 days," and "that Venetian blind is a lot softer than this concrete to sleep on" ("Our Time," page 1). "The Internitis" has stories and articles relating to camp life, and reveals the wearing nature of being interned as well as the internees' efforts to create a normal life by building shanties for privacy and exchanging recipes.

The Christmas and birthday cards to Mary Alice and her mother try to be full of optimism and hope, with sentiments such as, "May this xmas be a nice one / Even though you are in here" (Betsy McRea, n.d.). Mary Alice, as recorded in her diary, kept herself busy by working at internment camp jobs, playing baseball, and taking college courses in "Economics, English Lit. & Psychology" (1944 May 25). She also recorded her weight in 1944, and noted how it had dwindled from 164 pounds on May 1, 1944 to 124 pounds on January 1, 1945.

The post-internment materials in the collection include a letter to Mary Alice from Rev. John Sheehan, who was also interned in Santo Tomas and in 1945 was touring the country speaking about his experiences. Finally, the collection contains photographs from the fortieth and fiftieth reunions of the Santo Tomas Internment Camp and a transcription of the speech given by Mary Alice at the fiftieth reunion. The speech gives some additional details of life in the camp.

Collection

Geo. F. Mahoney journal, 1930-1932

1 volume

The Geo. F. Mahoney journal pertains to Mahoney's travels around the western United States during the first years of the Great Depression. The journal records the places Mahoney visited, the number of miles traveled, and notes about some of Mahoney's experiences. The volume also has a letter to Mrs. Leon D. Stowell of Clifton Springs, New York, for whom Mahoney made this copy of the journal.

The Geo. F. Mahoney journal (65 pages) pertains to Mahoney's travels around the western United States from January 1, 1930-December 31, 1932. Mahoney regularly reported the names of cities or towns visited, miles traveled, and abbreviated names of railroad lines. Some entries include brief notes about Mahoney's experiences. The journal records several instances when Mahoney paid to travel by bus; presence in the same towns as famous figures such as Calvin Coolidge, Jack Dempsey, and Maurice Bellonte; and visits to landmarks or other places of interest. Mahoney commented on some strangers' or towns' level of generosity, complained that the city of Wichita, Kansas, did not tolerate outsiders (May 14, 1931), and occasionally reported encounters with police officers (who frequently objected to Mahoney's efforts to sell pencils) and railroad agents, who attempted to keep unauthorized riders off of trains. Entries throughout the book refer to individuals' inability to determine whether Mahoney was a man or a woman; the journal does not definitively settle the question.

The volume also has a 4.5-page letter to Mrs. Leon D. Stowell of Clifton Springs, New York, to whom this copy of the journal was sent. Mahoney expressed condolences for the death of Annie Johnson Flint and again referred to others' confusion over his or her gender.

Collection

David Nash collection, 1928-2008

3.25 lin. ft.

This collection is made up of diaries, correspondence, documents, scrapbooks, photo albums, negatives, yearbooks, awards, artifacts, and regalia of career U.S. Navy officer David Nash. Much of the content relates to Lieutenant Nash's naval career and his time as a prisoner of war in the Pacific during World War II.

This collection is made up of diaries, correspondence, documents, scrapbooks, photo albums, negatives, yearbooks, awards, artifacts, and regalia of career U.S. Navy officer David Nash. Much of the content relates to Lieutenant Nash's naval career and his time as a prisoner of war in the Pacific during World War II.

The Diaries include two volumes (380 pages) by David Nash, detailing his experiences as a prisoner of war for over three and a half years during World War II. These are illustrated copies made after the war from original diaries and notes (one of his shipmates buried the first portion of the original diary in a 5-gallon tin can on Luzon in order to recover it later). Lieut. Nash's almost daily entries reveal his activities, health, mentality and moods, plus information on the activity around him and any rumors or gossip. Most entries conclude with a note to his "darlings," his wife Honoria and daughter Julie. Detailed illustrations of the prison camps and ships appear throughout the diaries. Nash also included relevant drawings in the margins (guards, a shower, turkey dinner, himself reading, playing cards, etc.).

The first diary is an alphabet-sectioned ledger with 300 lined pages, covering December 1, 1941, to May 29, 1944. It also contains lists of USS Mindanao personnel and occupants of Barrack #9 Camp. The diary opens with two watercolor maps of the China Sea entitled "Cruise of U.S.S. Mindanao, 1941" and "Corregidor and Vicinity, 1942." David Nash described his time on Mindanao, stationed at Corregidor during its surrender and capture by the Japanese forces, and as a prisoner of war at Bilibid Prison, Cabanatuan, USAFFE Camp 91st Division, a second time at Bilibid Prison, and the Davao Penal Colony.

The second diary has 80 lined pages and spans October 13, 1944, to October 10, 1944. This volume continues Nash's account of life as a prisoner of war. He described his experiences on the hell ship Oryoku Maru, at Hoten Camp in Mukden, Manchuria, and during the camp's liberation on August 19, 1945.

The Naval Documents, Correspondence and Articles series contains letters, reports, newspaper clippings, personal notes, awards, an illustration, and ephemera relating to David Nash's naval career and POWs in general; the bulk of which ranges between 1934 and 2005. A portion of the documents in this series relate to the family of a fellow naval officer named Heisinger.

  • USS Hornet files: Nash's correspondence requesting aircraft reports, aircraft action reports from the Hornet's carrier air group 11 bombing the hell ships Nash was held on, and Hornet Club ephemera, 1944-1945, 1972-2000.
  • Prisoner of War files: Nash's postwar correspondence with a fellow POW, who wrote on the band and entertainers at one of Nash's camps. Other papers include reports on how to survive as a prisoner of war, healthcare for survivors, articles relating to prisoners of war, pamphlets on American Japanese internment camps and the misuse of the term 'internment,' and Nash's personal notes, 1972-2008.
  • Heisinger files: Correspondence between the Heisinger family and David Nash, printed materials relating to World War II, official Navy photographs, and personal photographs.
  • Awards and Commendations: Awards given to David Nash by the Navy and the President of the United States and correspondence upon his retirement from the Navy.
  • Illustration of USS Mindanao
  • Map of a Western Pacific Cruise and a pin-up.

The Scrapbooks series consists of two scrapbooks.

  • [Personal Moments, 1928-1948]. This scrapbook tracks David and Honoria's life from high school until 1948. Much of it focuses on David Nash's career and his time as a prisoner of war. It contains photographs, newspaper clippings, letters, awards, telegrams, and ephemera, with captions or notes on most pages. Of particular note are letters and telegrams to Honoria Nash from the Navy informing her on her husband's status as missing and later as prisoner of war.
  • "Scrapbook, Hong Kong 1939-Dec. 1964." This scrapbook primarily traces David Nash's naval career through photographs, newspaper clippings, invitations, and ephemera from 1939 to 1964. It includes a few references to his wife Honoria's volunteer work and his daughter Julie's engagement.

The Photographs series contains four photo albums and many negatives.

Subseries: Photo Albums

  • "Aug. 1939 to 1941 En Route and at Hong Kong." This album consists of personal photographs from David and Honoria's honeymoon in the Grand Canyon in 1939, their travels to Hong Kong by way of San Francisco and Honolulu, life in Hong Kong up until the evacuation of dependents in 1940 and his assignment on USS Mindanao in 1941. Other locations photographed include Kowloon, Shameen, Canton, and New Territories. Each page is captioned with a date and/or description. Also included in this album is an envelope with duplicates and a telegram to David Nash's father informing him that his son's name was on a list of personnel at Camp Hoten in Mukden, Manchuria.
  • [Navy Photos, 1952-1960]. This album contains 40 photographs from 1952 to 1960, highlighting various events in David Nash's career, changes in command, reunions, an inspection trip, and naval ceremonies. It also includes individual and group portraits with fellow officers and staff. Some photographs include descriptions and dates.
  • [Navy Photos, 1960-1961, 1966]. This album is comprised of U.S. Navy photographs, largely from the period of David Nash's Naval Intelligence posting. Additional images include aerial photographs, Navy ships, two postcards from 1966, a Navy certificate, and an envelope containing miscellaneous negatives and photographs. Many of the photographs include notes with names and descriptions.
  • "Navy 1959-1965." This album consists of personal photographs from David Nash's Navy assignments. The three primary groupings include "Corregidor & Ft. Hughes 1959," "Comdesron 5 Deployment 1960," and "District Intelligence Officer 1961-65." Locations featured are Thailand (including Bangkok), Singapore, Saigon, Philippine Islands, Hong Kong, and California. Most photographs include notes on locations and names.

Subseries: Negatives. This subseries contains negatives from photographs of wide-ranging dates and topics, all related to David Nash's personal life and career.

The Yearbooks series contains four Lucky Bag United States Naval Academy yearbooks from 1932, 1933, 1934, and a 50 Year Rendezvous USNA-1935 anniversary yearbook.

The Artifacts and Regalia series contains objects from David Nash's career including his desk name plate, two plaques, a naval uniform belt, a bronze star, dog tags, and various other uniform accessories (ribbons, medals, pins, buttons, etc.).

Collection

Phyllis Johnson diary, 1925-1929 (majority within 1925)

1 volume

Phyllis Johnson kept this pocket diary while attending grammar school and high school in Hartford, Connecticut, from January 1, 1925-February 4, 1929. She composed entries almost daily between January and September 1925, and commented on her experiences at school, her activities and travels during summer vacation, and her friends.

Phyllis Johnson kept this pocket diary while attending grammar school and high school in Hartford, Connecticut. She composed most of her brief entries from January 1, 1925-September 22, 1925, and wrote further entries sporadically between June 15, 1926, and February 4, 1929. She commented on her experiences at school, her activities and travels during summer vacation, and her friends.

Johnson had just turned 12 when she received her pocket diary, and wrote regularly about her experiences at school, church, and home throughout much of 1925. Though she succeeded academically and at one point achieved the highest marks in her grade, Johnson's teachers frequently reprimanded her for excessive talking. She often mentioned her male friends and acquaintances, and occasionally commented on her romantic feelings for them. Her social activities included attending baseball games, traveling to the beach, and dressing up with female friends. During the summer of 1925, she discussed her family's trips to the Mohawk Trail and the state of New York. She mentioned the Scopes trial in her entry of July 15, 1925 (pp. 196-197), suggesting a brief satirical prayer for atheists. After February 1926, Johnson wrote less frequently, but continued to list the names of her friends and significant changes in her life. The final pages of Johnson's diary contain notes, addresses, and sketches.

List of Pencil Sketches:
  • Arm patch (May 22, 1925, p. 271)
  • Pair of eyes (July 6, 1925, p. 187)
  • Phyllis Johnson dressed in fancy clothing and accompanying hat (July 9, 1925, p. 190)
  • Two girls dressed in circus uniforms (July 29, 1925, p. 210)
  • Floor plan of the Johnson family's new house (June 15, 1926, p. 271)
  • Three women's heads, shown in profile, and a woman's leg (undated, end of volume)
Johnson enclosed four items in her diary's back pocket:
  • A paper with her initials written in blood (see entry of January 12, 1925)
  • Diagrams of two classrooms, showing students' seats
  • A torn portion of an advertisement for Merriam cash boxes
  • Several blank sheets of paper from a small notepad
Collection

Ward Madison papers, 1923-1937 (majority within 1931-1937)

0.25 linear feet

This collection contains 153 items related to Ward Napier Madison, a native of Montclair, New Jersey, who participated in a missionary trip to Asia from September 1931-August 1932. The bulk of the material consists of letters, meeting minutes, and other documents about the Laymen's Foreign Missionary Inquiry Commission of Appraisal, which visited Sri Lanka, India, China, and Japan.

This collection contains 153 items related to Ward Napier Madison, a native of Montclair, New Jersey, who participated in a missionary trip to Asia from September 1931-August 1932. The bulk of the material consists of letters, meeting minutes, and other documents about the Laymen's Foreign Missionary Inquiry Commission of Appraisal, which visited Sri Lanka, India, China, and Japan.

The first item is Madison's typed 7-page account of his initiation into the Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity at Yale University in December 1923. Madison also compiled a typed diary during his trip to Europe in the spring of 1927. In May 1931, he applied for the position of secretary for the Laymen's Foreign Missionary Inquiry Commission of Appraisal's upcoming visit to Asia. Typed letters between the association's members, Madison, and others pertain to Madison's credentials and his health. Madison was accepted, and the bulk of the collection is made up of letters, meeting minutes, and cables about the group's travels. Madison retained copies of other members' correspondence, in which they described their experiences in Sri Lanka, India, China, and Japan. The commission periodically cabled Madison's mother, Louise N. Madison, about their progress, and Ward Madison wrote manuscript letters to his mother and to his grandfather, Charles F. Napier. Madison described missionary work, religion, and Asian politics, particularly the strained relationship between China and Japan. Madison wrote some of his letters on the backs of printed hotel menus, and he sent one photographic postcard with a picture of a hotel swimming pool in Colombo, Sri Lanka. After Madison's return to the United States in 1932, he corresponded with his grandfather about everyday life.

Collection

McKelligett family scrapbooks, 1922-1924

3 volumes

These 3 volumes pertain to the McKelligett family's annual automobile trips from their home in Warren, Massachusetts, to Québec, by way of New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, New York, and Ontario. The scrapbooks contain manuscript descriptions of the family's travels, occasionally accompanied by photographs, maps, and ephemera.

These 3 volumes (approximately 110 pages, 110 pages, and 65 pages, respectively) pertain to the McKelligett family's annual automobile trips from their home in Warren, Massachusetts, to the province of Québec, by way of New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, New York, and Ontario. The scrapbooks contain manuscript descriptions of the family's travels, occasionally accompanied by photographs, maps, and ephemera. The volumes are dated August 17, 1922-August 28, 1922; July 17, 1923-July 29, 1923; and August 14, 1924-August 20, 1924.

Each of the scrapbooks consists primarily of a narrative account of the McKelligetts' daily experiences, including a record of the car's total mileage, daily mileage, daily gas consumption, and daily mileage per gallon of gas. Expenses are recorded at the time of payment and in itemized lists at the end of each volume. The family took different routes each year, but visited some locations on multiple occasions. They attended religious services and celebrations at Catholic churches and cathedrals, including the Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré and Saint Joseph's Oratory in Québec, and visited natural landmarks such as the Old Man in the Mountain and Niagara Falls. The author often described the scenery and recorded brief stories about the family's activities, their campsites and hosts, and aspects of local culture, particularly in French-speaking areas. The travelogues also include mentions of encounters with other motorists and car maintenance issues such as flat tires.

Each of the volumes contains a printed map highlighting the McKelligett family's traveling route; the map in the first volume is extended by manuscript line drawings. Photographs include images of family members, their car, campsites, man-made landmarks, and natural scenery; most are personal photographs, though some commercial prints and newspaper clippings are also present. Additional items include souvenir scenes of New York lake regions and Toronto landmarks, a beer label from a Canadian brewery, a ticket for a trip across the Victoria Jubilee Bridge, and a receipt for a speeding ticket.

Collection

Rhoda B. Stoker diary, 1920-1935 (majority within 1924, 1933, 1935)

1 volume

This diary contains Rhoda B. Stoker's recollections of a car trip she took with her family in August 1935. They traveled from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Idaho, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, California, and Nevada. The volume includes family and travel photographs from 1920, 1924, 1933, and 1935.

This diary (1 volume) contains Rhoda B. Stoker's recollections of a car trip she took with her family in August 1935. They traveled from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Idaho, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, California, and Nevada. The volume includes family and travel photographs from 1920, 1924, 1933, and 1935. The volume, comprised of two ruled spiral notebooks bound together with yarn, contains around 170 pages of material: the first 46 pages (recto) are numbered 1-[46], and the remaining pages (verso) are numbered [47-183].

Stoker's narrative (pages 1-[46]) recounts the trip she took with her son Edwin and "Aunt Clara King" from August 4, 1935-August 20, 1935. The family traveled by car from their home in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Vancouver, British Columbia, and followed the Pacific Coast south to Los Angeles, California. On their return journey, they drove from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City via the Mojave Desert and Las Vegas, Nevada. Stoker recorded details about the group's experiences and expenses, including the names of restaurants they visited, the car's odometer reading, and the amount and cost of gasoline they purchased; she combined all trip expenses at the end of her account (p. [46]). Stoker described the scenery and cities they visited, including San Francisco and Los Angeles, and discussed traveling by car ferry.

Stoker pasted photographs and postcards into her diary, sometimes including descriptions of photos she intended to add. Most images have captions, which include information about the location, date, and photographer. The pictures depict the Stoker family, their companions, and scenery from trips to the Pacific Coast in the summers of 1933 and 1935, including the family's lodgings, redwood trees, bridges, steamers, car ferries, military boats and submarines, and the family's car. One series of photographs depicts animals (prepared with taxidermy) at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. Painted postcards and postcard sets show cities such as Tijuana, Mexico; San Diego, California; Portland, Oregon; Seattle, Washington; and Victoria, British Columbia, as well as scenes from California's Pacific coastline.

Collection

Marion E. Grusky Rucker collection, 1919-2017 (majority within 1940s-1950s)

0.5 linear feet

The Marion E. Grusky Rucker Collection contains materials reflecting on her service in the United States Navy Reserves from 1943 to 1954, her naval training and education, her promotions from ensign to lieutenant commander, and her work as a teacher and career consultant. A personal narrative describing attendance at a naval training exercise in 1945 and other items reflect aspects of sexism in the military during and following the Second World War.

The Marion E. Grusky Rucker Collection contains materials reflecting on her service in the United States Navy Reserves from 1943 to 1954, her naval training and education, her promotions from ensign to lieutenant commander, and work as a teacher and career consultant. A personal narrative describing attendance at a naval training exercise in 1945 and other items reflect aspects of sexism in the military during and following the Second World War.

The Correspondence Series contains letters sent to Marion E. Grusky Rucker, principally written in the 1950s and concerning her naval appointments, her coursework, and teaching opportunities, including her year abroad teaching with a Fulbright Scholarship. Several letters relate to her release from active duty and its impact on her coursework at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in 1953. One letter written by Donald Rucker to his mother announces his upcoming marriage to Marion E. Grusky. One undated letter written by Rucker's granddaughter is also present.

The Documents Series includes materials relating to Rucker's naval career, including personnel paperwork concerning her appointments, promotions, education, leaves and discharges, retirement, and other matters. The series also contains various instructions and orders, and authorization to wear the American Campaign Medal and American Theatre Victory Ribbon. The partially printed document appointing Rucker as a Reserve Officer at the rank of Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy in October 1956 uses male pronouns, indicating gendered expectations for the officer class. Personal affairs are also reflected, including the official change of her last name from Gradzinsky to Grusky in 1948, her work permit allowing her to teach in England in 1958, and her resume. Three passports date from 1958, 1970, and 1975.

The Writings Series consists of typed accounts, speech notes, drafts, and a eulogy. Two accounts produced by Rucker and her colleague Dorothy Weeks on September 14, 1945, detail a trip to Norfolk, Virginia, to attend training exercises aboard the U.S.S. Beverly Reid. They discuss how they circumvented sexism to secure travel arrangements to Norfolk, their accommodations, and observations of the ship and its crew. In Rucker's account she wrote, "The day before I called and called trying to get reservation on the Nats, but all I got with my feminine voice was the run around. Being persistant [sic] and determined, I had a man lend us his voice to persuade the WAVE that we had to have passage on the 4:30 Plane. Being a man, his charm did the trick and we were put on the list." She also referred to anxiety caused by a known rape, using bathrooms designed for men, men's curiosity over their presence, and embarrassment over a mishap with her purse while boarding the ship. "So here was Grusky rushing up the gangplank only to be jerked back by a feminine doodad. Naturally the men grinned." She also noted the captain showing her and Weeks a scrapbook that included photos, notes, and souvenirs relating to his tours, including documenting sexual encounters with women in various ports. The captain took their photo without warning, and Rucker reflected, "I suppose that we will be added to the collection. We hope our faces will not join the rouge's [sic] gallery or that we won't be classed as one of his conquests." The later typed version of Rucker's account includes an additional page of reminiscences about her service as a USNR Communications officer, with a final thought that, "A male first name may have permitted me to be sent (to the amusement of my CO) on some unusual assignments. i.e. being aboard a submarine and other small craft while on training maneuvers with rarely another WAVE in the group." Weeks' account parallels Rucker's, offering different details and perspectives on the trip.

The speech notes reflect Rucker's focus on women, their career development, goal-setting, and self-appraisal. Other notes document Rucker's biographical events, listing out employment and places she lived.

Lee Rucker Keiser's eulogy for her mother is included, entitled "A Four C's Woman of the World," commenting on Rucker's life and their relationship.

The Diary Series consists of one volume Rucker maintained during her year teaching in Norwich, England, from 1958 to 1959, describing daily life, work at the school, visits with her husband Donald who was working at Cambridge, and travels in Europe during vacations. A list of her cash account for the year and a list of school vacations for herself and Don are also present, and two photographs of Rucker are laid in to the volume.

The Printed Materials Series includes a copy of The Buckeye Way: A Unique Guide to Columbus and Franklin County (1974), written by Marion Rucker and Anne La Pidus, with a newspaper clipping about the publication laid in. Newspaper articles concerning Rucker's naval career, a copy of her obituary, and a printed remembrance produced following her death are also present.

The Photographs Series consists of 15 photographs. They depict Marion E. Grusky Rucker in uniform, both in formal portraits and informal snapshots with colleagues, at an Officer's Club dinner at Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, and at her graduation from the University of Michigan in 1963, as well as several personal photographs.

Collection

Howard A. Walsh papers, 1919-1982 (majority within 1927-1966)

0.75 linear feet

The Howard A. Walsh papers contain diaries, technical papers, and other material related to the life and work of Walsh throughout the first half of the 20th century.

The Howard A. Walsh papers contain diaries, technical papers, and other material related to the life and work of Walsh throughout the first half of the 20th century. The collection's six diaries cover the years 1925, 1926, 1928, 1929, 1930, and 1931, and primarily consist of brief daily entries chronicling Walsh's work for the Doble Engineering Company. As a knowledgeable engineer, he toured the country and worked on a number of different systems, and though his diaries primarily record his professional exploits, they also contain some personal comments. Several entries throughout October 1929, for example, chart his mounting financial losses during the stock market crash, which eventually amounted to at least $2,000.

An engineering notebook contains photographs and colored illustrations of 1920s-era electric transformers and other related equipment, as well as notes about their operation and technical specifications. A series of technical papers and memos complete his professional papers, and provide a picture of the industry in the mid-20th century. Other material in the collection includes a series of photographs and ephemera related to cars, motorcycles, and boats owned by Walsh throughout his life, as well as a draft of his autobiography about his experiences during World War I.

Collection

Bert C. Whitney diary, 1918-1919

1 volume

This 132-page diary chronicles the experiences of Bert C. Whitney, of Washington, Michigan, who served with the 304th Sanitary Train in France during World War I. Whitney described his transatlantic voyages, his experiences near the front line at Verdun in late 1918, and his travels around France after the armistice.

This 132-page diary chronicles the experiences of Bert C. Whitney, of Washington, Michigan, who served with the 304th Sanitary Train in France during World War I. Whitney described both of his transatlantic voyages, his experiences near the front line at Verdun in late 1918, and his travels around France after the armistice. The journal is housed in a leather wallet, and has a drawing of a flag on its inside cover.

Whitney began his account in early July 1918, while en route to Brooklyn, New York, where his regiment embarked for France on July 10. During his time at sea, he described the ships in his convoy, submarine scares, and daily life onboard the transport ship Lutetia. Shortly after their arrival at Brest on July 21, Whitney recounted his movements in France until mid-September, when he reached the front lines. Though he did not participate directly in active combat, he described life behind the lines and witnessed artillery barrages, gas attacks, and aerial battles. Near the end of the war, he remarked about the destruction of the area around Verdun and anticipated an armistice, particularly after he saw a German delegation on their way to meet with General John J. Pershing. On November 11, 1918, Whitney counted down the final minutes of active combat, noting the ferocity of the fire until the stroke of 11:00 a.m. After the armistice, he recorded his travels around France and his negative opinions of French soldiers. He embarked for the United States in the spring of 1919 and wrote his final entry on May 30, 1919, as the ship approached the United States. Enclosures include poppies taken from a battlefield (pressed into the volume around October 22, 1918), 2 military documents related to his promotion to sergeant, and a poem entitled "Romeo to Verdun," printed in the Romeo Observer.

Collection

John H. Harris diary, 1918-1919

1 volume

This diary of Corporal John H. Harris concerns his service with the United States Army's 145th Infantry Regiment in France and Belgium during World War I. The volume also contains lists of soldiers' equipment, battles in which Harris participated, and members in his first squad.

The 37-page diary of Corporal John H. Harris concerns his service with the United States Army's 145th Infantry Regiment in France and Belgium during World War I. The volume also contains lists of soldiers' equipment, the battles in which Harris participated, and members of his first squad.

Harris began his diary with a history of his service from his enlistment in the American Expeditionary Forces through his transfer to the 145th Infantry Regiment of the 37th Division. Between June 6 and June 15, 1918, he briefly commented on his travels in the United States, and he mentioned an extended training exercise for trench warfare on June 8, 1918 (p. 2). After sailing to France onboard the Leviathan in mid-June 1918, he described his experiences in active service in France and Belgium. As he traveled, Harris consistently recorded the names of towns and villages and noted that his unit continued to train throughout their time abroad.

Harris often fought in the trenches, and wrote about his experiences during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive (September 25-31, 1918, pp. 9-12). The 145th Infantry traveled through France and Belgium after the armistice, and Harris occasionally commented on his accommodations and meals. In early March 1919, he recorded his distaste for camp life near Brest, France (March 5 and March 16, 1919, pp. 27-28). Harris embarked for the United States on the Great Northern on March 26, 1919, and recalled some incidents during the journey, which included a small fire and a strong storm. After his arrival, Harris was stationed near New York City and in Ohio. He wrote his final entry on April 23, 1919, after his discharge and arrival in Akron, Ohio.

The diary entries are followed by the following sections:
  • List of battles in with Corporal John H. Harris participated during World War I (1 page)
  • Inventory of United States Army soldiers' clothing (1 page)
  • List of items that John H. Harris carried in his pack during World War I (3 pages)
  • Illustration showing the layout of soldier's pack during an inspection near Le Mans, France, ca. 1919 (1 page)
  • List of men in Corporal John H. Harris's first squad (1 page)
Collection

Hugo Walter Blumenthal diary, 1918

1 volume

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.

Collection

Julius Bromet papers, 1917-1919

0.5 linear feet

The Julius Bromet papers are made up of letters, postcards, and a diary that Bromet wrote while serving with the 305th Field Hospital (later the 305th Ambulance Company) during World War I. In his letters to his parents and brother, Bromet described his experiences at Camp Upton, New York, and in France; his diary pertains to his time in France during and after the war. The collection has four photographs.

The Julius Bromet papers are contains 145 letters and postcards and a diary that Bromet wrote while serving with the 305th Field Hospital (later the 305th Ambulance Company) at Camp Upton, New York, and in France during and after World War I. The collection also has 4 photographs: 2 photographs attached to the letter of December 7, 1917, and 2 in a separate series.

The Correspondence series consists of 145 letters and from Julius Bromet to his parents, Solomon and Annie Bromet; his brother, Louis Bromet; and "Minnie and Baby;" all letters were sent to his father's home in Brooklyn, New York. From March 7, 1917, to March 14, 1917, and again from December 9, 1917, to April 2, 1918, he wrote from Camp Upton on Long Island, New York, about his training and equipment. He also related rumors of his unit's upcoming transfer to Europe. After a brief period with the 152nd Depot Brigade in December 1917, Bromet returned to the 305th Field Hospital, which traveled to France via England in April 1918. In one 10-page letter from April 1918, he described his transatlantic voyage.

After his arrival in France around April 21, 1918, Bromet wrote about aspects of life near the front, including his account of witnessing a German and French "aeroplane fight" (July 26, 1918), and reported rumors that an armistice was imminent. After the war, he was stationed near Chaumont and Solesmes, France, where he described the scenery and conveyed the pleasures of sleep unhindered by the sounds of airplane raids and machine guns (November 12, 1918), though he admitted having an eerie feeling about the silence (November 14, 1918). He left France in May 1919. Two photographs of a soldier are enclosed in his letter of December 5, 1918. Illustrated postcards of various French scenes; new recruits at Camp Upton, New York (4 items, December 4, 1917); and several uniformed soldiers (3 items, undated). Bromet's co-workers sent him a postcard wishing him a safe return from the war (December 7, 1917).

Julius S. Bromet kept a Diary (53 pages) between April 6, 1918, and May 7, 1919, during his service in France. In daily entries, he noted the weather and interesting occurrences, such as a burial at sea during the voyage to France (April 18, 1918) and a close encounter with falling shrapnel (May 9, 1918). He also witnessed occasional air raids and unfavorably compared U.S. Army quarters to British quarters. He wrote his final entry just after arriving in Hoboken, New Jersey, on May 7, 1919, and expected to be mustered out within the next two days; he wrote down "Thurs May 8" but did not complete the entry. The diary also contains addresses and a list of letters that Bromet mailed home.

The Photographs series includes a portrait of a soldier, which is housed in a frame with the word "Welcome," illustrations of American flags, and the date (May 10, 1919), and a picture of a man and three women in a domestic environment. Two additional photographs are attached to the letter of December 5, 1918.

Collection

Stephen D. Brown diaries, 1917-1919

4 volumes

The Stephen D. Brown diaries (approximately 2,000 pages) pertain to the Pennsylvania soldier's service in the United States Army during the First World War. Daily entries are reconstructed from Brown's letters, notes, and ephemera, and cover his entire time in the army.

The Stephen D. Brown diaries (4 volumes; approximately 2,000 pages) pertain to the Pennsylvania soldier's service in the United States Army during the First World War. Daily entries are reconstructed from Brown's letters, notes, and ephemera, and cover his entire time in the army, from his enlistment in the Pennsylvania National Guard (July 13, 1917) to his return from France (July 1919).

Volume 1 (July 13, 1917-June 26, 1918) includes stories of camp life and of Brown's training at the Philadelphia Armory and Camp Hancock, Georgia. While in camp, he wrote of both military and non-military experiences and frequently expressed his opinions about the army. In the spring of 1918, Brown's unit embarked for Europe, where they continued to train prior to approaching the front lines.

Volume 2 (June 27-November 10, 1918) chronicles Brown's experiences near the front. Though he never participated in direct combat, he was subjected to heavy artillery fire and occasional gas attacks and took part in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive of September-November 1918. Brown detailed various aspects of military life and front-line warfare, such as shells passing overhead and the presence of vermin in captured German trenches.

Volume 3 (November 11, 1918-April 2, 1919) and Volume 4 (April 9-July 31, 1919) cover Brown's final months of military service, which he spent taking classes at the University of Toulouse (covered more thoroughly in Volume 4). On July 1, 1918, he left for the United States, and he reached Philadelphia on July 26, 1919.

Collection

Harold Kamp journal, 1917-1919

450 pages (2 volumes)

The Harold Kamp journal is an account of a young man's life serving in the United States Army in World War I, including time spent at the front lines.

Harold Kamp's diary from the First World War is well written, direct, and packed with action. Reflecting the active part taken by the 146th Field Artillery in three of the major offensives to involve American troops -- the Aisne-Marne, St. Mihiel, and Meuse-Argonne -- Kamp's diary provides a well-rounded sense of artillery service during the First World War, from training with shells to raining shells. A well educated man, Kamp was an accomplished writer, fond of displaying his interest in the ancient history of the fields over which he fought. At the same time, his diary is very economically written, conveying the intense fear and repulsion felt by a young man confronted by the horrors of modern warfare. At some point, probably after the war, Kamp's diary was edited by striking through or emending certain passages. In many cases Kamp's (?) efforts to strike through his writing did not fully obscure the original passage, and in deciphering these sections, it appears that the editing was aimed more at readability than censorship.

Kamp's writing conveys a particularly profound sense of the terror of modern, large-scale war and of the chaos and tumult of battle during his first exposure to fire in the Aisne-Marne offensive in July, 1918. His best writing, however, was reserved for the Meuse-Argonne offensive of September and October, and particularly for the entries of September 25, 26, and 27. On the 25th, contemplating the utter destruction near Verdun, Kamp's literary penchant worked strongly in his favor:

The guns are in position, four of them, on a roadway, where once the villagers gossiped and lived their daily life. But all that is past. Now every lane and street and corner is the retreat for a death dealing gun. How strange it is that no matter in what direction the eye may turn not a sign of human life is visible. A sort of nightmare seems to have taken hold on the war stricken area. Everything is as still as death; birds have f[org]otten their song, the trees no longer have life; little children have ceased their play.

The entry for September 26 is by far the longest in the journal, continuing for several pages. Begun when he was awakened by the first artillery salvoes marking the opening of the Meuse-Argonne offensive, Kamp's excitement is palpable, but the passage includes particularly detailed accounts of watching an American plane shoot down a German, and watching German planes bring down an observation balloon in a dramatic display. The entries throughout the Meuse-Argonne offensive are uniformly informative.

Collection

John F. Schneider diary, 1917-1918

1 volume

The John F. Schneider Diary is a single volume written by Lieutenant John F. Schneider, a medical corps soldier serving in France during World War I. His entries recount training and hospital life. The diary contains hand-drawn maps of hospital compounds and records of service pay. Enclosed are memoranda and special order notices, as well as newspaper articles on American victories in France.
Collection

Joseph Eve diary, 1916-1919 (majority within 1918-1919)

1 volume

This diary recounts the World War I experiences of Joseph Eve, who served in Battery F of the 101st Field Artillery Regiment during the final months of the war. Eve described his experiences at training sites in the United States, as well as while traveling through France during the months immediately following the war.

This 34-page diary, titled "My Diary while in the Army," recounts Joseph Eve's experiences with Battery F of the Battery F of the 101st Field Artillery Regiment during the final months of World War I. The volume, a running narrative, covers the entirety of Eve's military experiences, beginning with his departure from Salt Lake City on September 2, 1918, and concluding with his return on April 25, 1919. Eve first traveled to Camp Lewis, Washington, where he was formally inducted into the Army, and transferred to Fort Stevens, Oregon, on September 26. While in training, he reported frequent drilling, discussed some of his equipment, and reflected on his cross-country travels. He kept a list of major cities he traveled through both on his way to Oregon and between Oregon and Camp Merritt, New Jersey, where he embarked for Europe on the President Grant around October 28. After writing about the trip, during which a torpedo hit the President Grant's sister ship, the President Lincoln, Eve described the celebrations in France on Armistice Day, when he first arrived in the country.

The remainder of the diary concerns his movements throughout France in the following months. Eve often expressed his displeasure with the accommodations at French camps, and occasionally mentioned performing training exercises with trench mortars. At one camp, he saw a group of German prisoners of war; at another, he encountered veterans who laughed at his unit's prospects of becoming an occupation force. He also visited Paris and described the soldiers and ordnance around Metz, France, before returning to the United States onboard the Mongolia in April 1919. Eve's diary ends with his arrival in Salt Lake City on April 25, one day after his discharge from the Army at Fort Russell, Wyoming.

The final pages of the volume contain additional material, including 2 pages of financial accounts, a list of food items, and a 4-page list of cities Eve traveled through on his way from Shirley, Massachusetts, to Granger, Wyoming. Two pages contain rough sketches of the insignia of 42 infantry divisions of the United States Army, arranged in a grid according to divisional numbers. A ticket for the Paris Métropolitain and a contract between Joseph Bannister and Joseph Eve, granting Eve a lease on Bannister's farm in Grace, Idaho (October 1, 1916), are laid into the volume between the front cover and first page.

Collection

Tufts-Day papers, 1915-1920

2 linear feet

This collection is made up of correspondence, diaries, and other items related to Nathan Tufts, a native of Massachusetts who served in the United States Army during World War I, and his future wife, Dorothy Day of Connecticut.

This collection is made up of correspondence, diaries, and other items related to Nathan Tufts, a native of Massachusetts who served in the United States Army during World War I, and his future wife, Dorothy Day of Connecticut.

The Correspondence series (1.5 linear feet) comprises the bulk of the collection. Incoming letters to Nathan Tufts at the Taft School in Watertown, Connecticut, are dated as early as November 11, 1915. His correspondents included his mother, who wrote of life in New York City and Lawrence Park, New York, and Elbridge Stratton, a friend, who anticipated their matriculation at Yale. Dorothy Day received early letters from friends and family while she attended Miss Wheeler's School in Providence, Rhode Island. Friends and family continued to write letters until the late 1910s, and the Tufts received many letters of congratulation following their engagement around May 1918.

Tufts began corresponding with Day in the fall of 1916. He wrote about his experiences and activities at Yale and expressed his romantic feelings for her. After the declaration of war against Germany in April 1917, Tufts reported on his participation in drills and related activities for the Reserve Officers' Training Corps. He later described his training experiences at Camp Jackson, South Carolina, and Camp Zachary Taylor, Kentucky. In Kentucky, he commented on the Central Officers' Training School, travels in the South, fellow soldiers, camp life, and kitchen duty. After the Armistice, Tufts anticipated his return to civilian life and his future with Day; he returned to Yale in 1919 and wrote about vacationing in Maine. His final telegram is dated February 21, 1920. Enclosures include a postcard showing the Rocky Broad River (November 3, 1918) and photographs of a military camp (October 18, 1918).

The couple's other wartime correspondents included Corporal Francis Harrison, who discussed his preparation for front-line duty in France in August 1918, and "Clark," a friend of Dorothy, who served at the Plattsburgh Barracks after September 1917. Clark discussed his training at the Reserve Officers Training Camp and his later service in the 302nd Machine Gun Battalion at Fitchburg, Massachusetts. In his letter of October 6, 1917, he described his unit's preparations for military exercises in trench warfare, and his expectation that the infantry would "sit in trenches and fire once in a while" in France.

The Diaries series contains two items. Dorothy Day kept a daily diary (unbound) between January 17, 1916, and August 16, 1919, writing mostly about her social life and her relationship with Nathan Tufts. She sometimes remarked on news, such as the results of the 1916 presidential election and the country's declaration of war against Germany. In 1918, she wrote about Tufts's military career; some of her entries from this period are constructed as letters to him. Day usually wrote daily entries on one side of each page, copying quotations, poetry, and other miscellany on the reverse side. A calling card, a printed advertisement, a flower, and a photograph are laid into her diary.

The Nathan Tufts diary covers much of his active-duty service at Camp Jackson, South Carolina, and Camp Zachary Taylor, Kentucky. From August 18, 1918-November 14, 1918, he wrote intermittent journal entries, often addressed to Day, about his daily routine at Camp Jackson, military training exercises, other soldiers, the good reputations of Yale students and alumni, and the end of the war. Journal entries by Day, apparently mailed to Tufts, are interspersed among his later entries; her final journal-letter is dated January 23, 1919. A military pass, United States Reserve Officers Training Corps patch, and newspaper clippings (often of poems) are pasted into the volume.

The School Papers series (9 items) pertains to Nathan Tufts's education at the Taft School and at Yale College's Sheffield Scientific School. A group of printed entrance exams for Yale College and its Sheffield Scientific School, dated June 1914 (1 item) and June 1915 (5 items) contain questions related to Latin, American history, ancient history, and trigonometry. A printed exam given by the college entrance examination board from June 19, 1916-June 24, 1916, contains questions about American history, the German language, and English literature. An exam requiring a translation of lines by Virgil is dated 1916. A bundle of examinations and school documents belonging to Nathan Tufts includes Yale College's semi-annual examination for June 1917, with questions in subjects such as physics, history, English, German, and Latin; a printed course timetable and list of professors and classrooms for Yale College freshman during the 1916-1917 term, with manuscript annotations by Nathan Tufts; and a typed military examination for Yale students, given on June 4, 1917 or 1918. The subjects of the military examination are hygiene, military law, topography, and field artillery regulations and drill.

The Photographs, Newspaper Clippings, and Ephemera series contains around 50 items, including visiting cards, invitations, Red Cross donation certificates, and a printed program. Many of the newspaper clippings contain jokes or brief articles about World War I. A group of photographs includes a framed portrait of a United States soldier, a negative, and several positive prints.

Collection

Marie Louise Kellogg journal, 1915-1916

81 pages (1 volume)

Marie Louise's journal documents the few days her family spent in southern California and the automobile trip home along the Santa Fe Trail, through St. Louis, and on to Richmond, Kentucky in 1915. The trip was publicized by the Ford Motor Company.

Marie Louise's journal documents the few days her family spent in southern California and the automobile trip home along the Santa Fe Trail, through St. Louis, and on to Richmond, Kentucky. There are two later entries detailing two dances she hosted. Most of the daily entries are written in a staccato style that rarely gets beyond a laundry list of the day's activities. Still, a certain sense of an irrepressible teenage girl, who described eating while driving as "flying lunch," and had a penchant for olives, and a burning need for ice cream sundaes, peeks through. At the back of the volume she pasted in ephemeral items from the trip, including an advertisement for "The Clansman," which she saw at the Empress Theatre in San Diego, permission to visit a gold mine, and a sunflower. There are also several small newspaper clippings, mostly concerning the family's trip.

The Kelloggs stopped to see the sights along their route, including the gold mine, cañons, and the original twenty mule team wagon that ran into Death Valley. Marie Louise rarely did more than record action. A typical account reads, "Went to the Petrified Forest. Picked up some pieces of the wood," but she did occasionally notice and note the scenery: "At one of the turns sat an Indian woman. It was one of the most picturesque scenes I ever saw. the winding road, an adobe village and the sunshine down to the left and the black clouds, sharp curves and mountains up to the right" (pp.26, 32).

The tourists saw Mojave, Hopi, Navajo, and Pueblo Indians enroute, and bought beads from the Indians in the Mojave desert, and rugs and pottery from the Navajo. Marie Louise snapped photos all along the way. The Kelloggs preferred to stay at "Harvey Houses," as the many establishments along the way owned and run by Fred Harvey were called. The car behaved fairly well, meaning there were only a couple flat tires on the way home, and a few instances of engine trouble. Twice Marie Louise and her mama had to get out and push the car out of mud holes.

The Kelloggs stayed in Santa Fe for a few days, where they were shown the sights by a "perfectly lovely" librarian named Mrs. Wilson (p.34). The family also spent several days in St. Louis, detained on account of the severe rains. Marie Louise and her mama occupied themselves with vaudeville shows (one featured a "Japanese primadonna"), movies, malted milks, and clothes shopping (p.58). At one shop, the retailer was "looking up Daddy's credit in some listing book and so we looked up all the Richmond people and others. I looked up several people in Versailles of course and found that flowers must sell pretty well as they give the seller good credit" (p.54).

After they crossed the Missouri, Marie Louise wrote that they were "Back in hot biscuit country anyway," and she began to anticipate getting home (p.50). She hoped their arrival would get all sorts of attention. "Really when I get home if every time we stop anywhere every body around doesn't run out to look at us and the car, I shall feel very bad about it" (p.52). She got her wish when they pulled into Louisville: "Mr. Banks, head of the Ford Motor Company in Kentucky, had a regular reception, reporters, a photographer and all the clerks. Trying to get our picture in the Sunday paper! Heavens, what a excitement for Richmond if they do succeed!" (p.63). They did succeed, and the clipping is pasted in the journal.

Once home in Richmond, Marie Louise quickly caught up with her best friend Martha, and planned a dance for "about a dozen couples of her young friends," as the newspaper so gratifyingly reported. She weighed herself at the store while getting some cakes for the party, and noted "151. -- caused by sundaes, malted milk and Harvey Houses I suppose" (p.68). Marie Louise expressed her hopes for a boyfriend, and after describing three boys, she longingly admitted to herself, "I could easily lose my heart to any of those three if I only had half a chance" (p.71). In the next, and last entry, Marie Louise, now back at Margaret College, wrote about another dance, her "first real Versailles german" (p.74). She had the satisfaction of reporting that her escort, Grover, was a "wonderful dancer," and declaring, "my old flame absolutely disgusted me. Didn't even like him."

Collection

Woodrow D. Johnson papers, 1914-1946

234 items

The Johnson collection consists primarily of letters between W. D. Johnson and his wife, Jane, during the Second World War, but includes letters from family and friends as well. The collection provides perspectives on both the home front and the European war front.

The Johnson papers consist primarily of letters between W. D. Johnson and his wife, Jane, during the Second World War, but includes letters from family and friends as well. Johnson also kept a few miscellaneous issues of Stars and Stripes, a map of northeastern France, and a journal in which he wrote sporadically.

Both Johnson and his wife are keen and intelligent writers and observers. Their letters show the anxiety and concern for each other, but also give insight into the larger picture of the home front, the war, and family and friends.

This collection has two main points of interest. First is the home front, described eloquently by Jane. She went to work immediately after Johnson left for training in Missouri, and quickly found a reasonably well-paying job at the Katharine Gibbs School. Although her salary was far less than that earned by women working in the war plants, Jane still brought home $160 per week. Her letters are filled with discussion of the effects of rationing and the constant scramble to find consumer goods and foodstuffs. Her letters also suggest how women whose husbands or boyfriends had been sent overseas banded together to create tight-knit social circles.

The second area of interest is the war front. Johnson writes to his wife frequently, though he rarely speaks of the horrors of the front. Partly because the Army censored his outgoing mail, Johnson rarely mentioned specifics about military events, but his journal and manuscripts chronicle his experiences in France and Belgium, and provides some useful information on the battles he survived, including the Battle of the Bulge. The contrast between his letters to his wife and his journal makes an interesting and useful comparison.

Johnson's letters indicate a dislike of different nationalities, particularly detested the French: "Gee, I love the French. They're so lazy, so dirty, so unworthwhile, they whimper and whine." Elsewhere, he wrote "The French have thoroughly sacked the country, we're perfect gentlemen compared to the Russians and the French." After witnessing the atrocities at Nordhausen, he concluded that the Germans were completely unworthy of sympathy. Letters received from Johnson's friend, Lt. Col. J. B. Coolidge stationed in the Philippines, provide insightful commentary on racial perceptions of the Japanese and Koreans. "The Jap is not so much hated for what he does but he is despised as a human being. His own ruthlessness and his inhuman methods so that the passion has become an automatic reaction."

The W. D. Johnson collection also illustrates the attitudes of enlisted men toward officers. Johnson considered his officers among the worst pillagers in France and Germany, and opined that the "Army suffers inefficiency beyond imagination because it does not enjoy sufficient public sanction to go all the way with its measures -- must continuously compromise."

Collection

Hazel L. Sloan motorcycle journal, 1914

2 items

The Hazel L. Sloan motorcycle journal chronicles six trips taken near Youngwood, Pennsylvania, by the young woman and several of her friends in the summer of 1914. The journal is accompanied by a pencil sketch of an Indian motorcycle.

The Hazel L. Sloan motorcycle journal chronicles six trips taken near Youngwood, Pennsylvania, by the young woman and several of her friends in the summer of 1914. During that summer, the fifteen-year-old rode out on both Indian and Thor motorcycles, accompanied by her friends Ralph, Mabel, and Lawrence, and she cheerfully related their adventures in her notebook. Tire blowouts and other mechanical failures plagued the riders throughout their adventures, and the riders often found themselves additionally hampered by the weather or by poor road conditions; despite these mishaps, however, Hazel maintained a happy attitude and fully relished "the good times of the summer of 1914" (November 8, 1914). She recounted six day-long trips taken between September 20, 1914, and November 8, 1914, when a light snowfall forced an abrupt end to the journey and, moreover, signaled the conclusion of the riding season. Based in Youngwood, Pennsylvania, the cyclists visited Derry, Bear Rocks, Connellsville, Ligonier, New Stanton, Ruffsdale, and Jeannette, and postponed an October 25 venture due to a broken machine. The small, cloth-bound pocket notebook originally belonged to Samuel Francis Sloan, Hazel's father, and bears an illustration of a man and a steer on its cover. The journal is accompanied by a pencil sketch of an Indian motorcycle.

Collection

Nellie J. Cross journal, 1912-1928 (majority within 1912-1913)

1 volume

This volume contains brief diary entries and financial accounts by Nellie J. Cross of Orange, Massachusetts. From December 1912-Februrary 1913, she recorded daily notes about a trip to southern California, where she visited an aunt who lived near Los Angeles.

This volume (71 pages) contains brief diary entries and financial accounts by Nellie J. Cross of Orange, Massachusetts. Pages 1-49 consist of her travel diary, dated December 24, 1912-February 17, 1913. She and her husband Joseph traveled to California by railroad, passing through New York and the Midwest. She noted their daily activities in the Los Angeles area, which included trips to the city and its suburbs, most frequently Pasadena and Santa Ana. On January 1, 1913, the couple went to the Rose Parade. Nellie's "Aunt Vesta" often accompanied them on social outings, which included sightseeing and trips to the "motion pictures." On February 10, 1913, Nellie and Joseph Cross left California for a return trip through Texas, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Washington, D.C. They saw a funeral procession, the arrival of a group of Native Americans at El Paso, and African American houses in Louisiana and North Carolina. They arrived home on February 17, 1913.

The volume's remaining pages have addresses for residents of several states, primarily in the Northeast, and accounts between Nellie J. Cross and her brother, George A. Hill (pp. 70-71). In 1921, Hill borrowed money to purchase a car from the Stanley Motor Car Company, and Nellie recorded occasional notes about his repayments until around 1928.

Collection

William A. Bates journal, 1912

1 volume

The William A. Bates journal chronicles Bates' travels through Scotland and England in July 1912.

The William A. Bates journal chronicles Bates' travels through Scotland and England in July 1912. In a series of daily diary entries, Bates covered the entire trip, including his transatlantic passages on the Baltic and Oceanic. Bates and two companions, John S. Bates and Dudley Bates Lawrence, set off on the Baltic on July 3, 1912, and spent 8 leisurely days onboard making acquaintances and playing shuffleboard. The author pleasantly noted a large number of Yale graduates also making the trip, and discussed the trio's indecision regarding their upcoming plans. On July 11, the passengers arrived in Liverpool, and the three companions made their way to Glasgow by train, where they began a month of sightseeing around Scotland and England. As the group journeyed across the country to Edinburgh, Bates paid particular attention to the landscape, and often noted golf courses and cricket pitches. After spending a few days in Edinburgh, the travelers went to St. Andrews, where they spent two days on its legendary golf links (July 16-17), and then on to North Berwick, where they again played golf. On July 21, they left Scotland for York, where they viewed the city's cathedral, and moved onward to Cambridge, where Bates recorded his impressions of university students and of the pleasant town. After arriving in London on July 25, they spent several days touring local landmarks, including the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey, where they attended a church service. Following a week filled with theatrical outings and museums, the three companions boarded the Oceanic in Southampton on July 31. During the return journey, Bates noted several aspects of life on the ship, including his first-class view over the steerage deck and the presence of several Olympians onboard.

Collection

Emilie M. Bennett and Phoebe Baker Grand Tour diary, 1910

1 volume

The Emilie M. Bennett and Phoebe Baker Grand Tour diary chronicles a 1910 journey through England, Holland, Germany, Austria, and France.

The Emilie M. Bennett and Phoebe Baker Grand Tour diary chronicles a 1910 journey through England, Holland, Germany, Austria, and France. The diary, embossed with "My Trip Abroad" in gold on its cover, was presented to Emilie M. Bennett and Phoebe Baker by Margaret Burton on May 24, 1910, just prior to their Grand Tour of Europe. The volume contains supplemental information for overseas travelers, including color illustrations of semaphore and national flags, information on nautical terms and sailing, conversion charts for time and currency, a loose printed map of the world, and instructions on how to play shuffleboard, complete with a diagram. The authors added a list of hotels and of people they met during the trip. In the first entry, made on June 8-13, 1910, Emilie and Phoebe wrote about their experiences traveling to London on the Lusitania, and pasted in several printed illustrations. They wrote daily about social and sightseeing activities, including descriptions of scenery, hotels, and local food; the authors frequently visited art collections and attended musical and theatrical performances, and recorded general impressions of Europe. The two companions felt as if they "were really in a foreign land" from the time they were in London until they reached The Hague, Holland, and throughout the remainder of the trip to Germany, Austria, Hungary, and France. They returned to New York on the Oceanic in late September.

Collection

Edith Murphy travel journal, 1907

1 volume

Edith Maude Murphy wrote daily diary entries while traveling from her home in Lincoln County, Nebraska, to Kansas and Colorado in the summer of 1907. Murphy traveled with her aunt and uncle, Maude and Edward Murphy, and her cousins Myrtle, Bertha, Fulton, Milton, and Nevah (or Nivah).

Edith Maude Murphy wrote 72 pages of daily diary entries while traveling from her home in Lincoln County, Nebraska, to Kansas and Colorado from June 25, 1907-August 13, 1907. She accompanied her aunt and uncle, Maude and Edward Murphy, and her cousins Myrtle, Bertha, Fulton, Milton, and Nevah (or Nivah) of Brady, Nebraska to Colorado Springs, Colorado. She titled her diary "A Trip to the Middle West."

In her first entry, Murphy commented on the family's traveling wagon, which was driven by two ponies, and their supplies, which included a tent, cooking utensils, clothing, and food. Throughout the diary, she described towns in southwest Nebraska, northwest Kansas, and central Colorado, sometimes mentioning interactions with local residents. The Murphy family occasionally met with acquaintances or relatives such as Joe Murphy, who joined them for part of the trip. While heading west, the Murphys followed the Rock Island Railroad and other railroad lines, and Edith often made observations about the weather and scenery. She collected rocks and Native American artifacts. In her entry of July 4, she discussed Independence Day celebrations in Goodland, Kansas, and the increased police presence. The party neared Pike's Peak on July 10 and ascended the mountain on July 19. On July 27, Murphy noted her birthday and resolved to maintain her dignity despite aging. The Murphys remained near Colorado Springs for several days in mid- to late July, and returned home by way of northeast Colorado. Edith reached home on August 13.

The final 2 pages contain signatures by May Gustafson and Edith Maude Murphy, various scribbles, and a brief poem. The volume was originally intended as a "Local Medical Examiner's Record" for the "Supreme Tent Knights of the Maccabees O.T.W."

Collection

Frederick Lafferty diaries, 1906, 1941-1946 (majority within 1941-1942)

7 items

This collection is made up of 5 diaries that Frederick Lafferty composed while serving with the United States Army during World War II. Lafferty, who worked in a communications unit, described his experiences at Camp Edwards, Massachusetts; Victoria, Australia; New Caledonia; and Guadalcanal.

This collection is made up of 5 diaries that Frederick Lafferty composed while serving with the United States Army during World War II. Lafferty, who worked in a communications unit, described his experiences at Camp Edwards, Massachusetts; Victoria, Australia; New Caledonia; and Guadalcanal. The volumes cover March 24, 1941, and November 17, 1942, with detailed entries for January 20, 1942-August 11, 1942, and October 1, 1942-November 17, 1942.

Lafferty began his first diary with his enlistment and early training in the United States, and started keeping regular entries in late January 1942, after his deployment overseas. In a note to Helen dated August 15, 1942 (pp. 27-29), Lafferty indicated his desire for her to read his diary. He anticipated an upcoming assignment, and shared his belief in military service as a duty to one's country.

Lafferty wrote about his experiences onboard the transport ship Santa Elena while traveling from the United States to Australia via the Panama Canal; his stay in Ballarat and Melbourne, Australia; and his journey to New Caledonia, where he remained for several months. As a member of a communications unit, he often worked in a "message room" and reported rumors of upcoming maneuvers and news of recent battles; his unit worked in cooperation with French radio operators. He heard, and related, stories of Marines who had participated in combat against Japanese forces.

Lafferty's diaries primarily reflect aspects of soldiers' daily lives, such as meals and the poor quality of the food, mail, inspections, leisure activities, and religious habits. A Catholic, he often reported his discussions with priests, attended mass, and prayed the rosary. He also occasionally discussed air raids and training exercises.

Lafferty's final diary almost exclusively concerns his active participation during the Guadalcanal campaign. This diary also has a list of items the soldiers carried (pages 34-35).

Non-textual matter includes a picture of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Winston Churchill posed next to the Statue of Liberty and the flags of the United States and Britain (cover of the 3rd diary). Also, an entry is written on the inside of a Philip Morris cigarette package (laid into the 5th diary).

Two of the diaries contain enclosures:

  • Volume 1
    • Printed maps of Ballarat, Australia [ca. 1942]
    • La France Australe, New Caledonia newspaper (August 13, 1942)
  • Volume 5
    • Recipe for developing film (undated)
    • United States Army bulletin regarding military information and artillery practices, "Sterling Brand" Grape Juice, and battle precautions (August 9, 1942)
    • Real photograph postcard from Fred to Mrs. Eliza Lafferty, Boston, Massachusetts (September 4, 1906)
    • New Caledonia stamp [ca. 1942]

The collection holds two loose items. The first is a letter from Frederick Lafferty to his sister Helen about his intention to send her his diaries after the conclusion of the war. The other is a printed program for a memorial service held by the Elks of Boston, Lodge No. 10. Frederick Lafferty is recognized in a list of "Deceased Brothers," 1945-1946.

Collection

Helen Moorhouse collection, 1906, [1915]

33 items

The collection consists of a 172-page diary, composed in the summer of 1906 (July 3-Sept. 2) about Helen Moorhouse’s experience as a hired musician at a hotel on Cape Cod, and a series of 32 letters that Moorhouse wrote from the Nichewaug Inn in Petersham, Massachusetts, to Alice E. Brown, the woman with whom she was romantically involved, in the summer of 1915.

The collection consists of a 172-page diary, composed in the summer of 1906 (July 3-Sept. 2) about Helen Moorhouse’s experience as a hired musician at a hotel on Cape Cod, and a series of 32 letters that Moorhouse wrote from the Nichewaug Inn in Petersham, Massachusetts, to Alice E. Brown, the woman with whom she was romantically involved, in the summer of 1915. The diary includes numerous photographs, concert programs, and other clippings related to her summer. Both the diary and correspondence reflect Moorhouse’s interests in music, botany, art, and reading.

I. Diary, 1906

Helen Moorhouse’s 172-page diary from the two months she spent as a contracted musician at the Hotel Mattaquason in Chatham, Massachusetts, in the summer of 1906 offers a detailed account of daily life at a summer resort on Cape Cod.

Positioned somewhere between the hotel’s wait-staff and guests, Helen and her fellow trio members, Mary Molly Durgin and E. Isabel Foster, performed twice each day, but otherwise seem to have spent much of their time reading, sewing, and going on outings to the beach or into the village of Chatham. The diary entries record these activities, along with anecdotes about the hotel guests and employees, with particular attention paid to how the music the trio prepared and performed was selected and received. Other figures that appear throughout the diary are Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Wilkey, the Hotel Mattaquason’s proprietors; hotel guest Mrs. Edward Arthur James, of Chicago, and her son Sydney L. James, a violinist who often played with the Middlesex Trio over the course of the summer; Miss Ellen L. Cabot, a hotel guest who frequently commented on the trio’s music; Miss Haddock, a guest who also performed music; and Mr. Middlemass, the hotel’s head waiter and a student at Harvard. Other entries of note include a lengthy description of ice on the Great Lakes (29-31), the visits of an Armenian trader to the hotel (59; 113), a description of meeting journalist Lillian Whiting, who wrote The House Beautiful (83), and the complaints of an old crank of a Women’s Club Woman (99-103).

The journal contains various pieces of ephemera related to the concerts, activities, and places described in the written entries. These additions include 65 photographs (18 of which are cyanotypes), of beach scenes, the village of Chatham, the hotel, and its guests and staff; 2 real photo postcards; 2 hand-drawn sketches, one a diagram of her room and the other the view from her window; 2 news clippings; 6 concert programs from the Middlesex Trio’s performances at the Mattaquason; 3 visiting cards; 4 dinner menus from the hotel; a letter of music recommendations from Mr. Herbert H. White; and several other miscellaneous pieces of the hotel’s promotional literature. A couple of the photographs show men outfitted in dresses to play a hybrid game of baseball and tennis with the ladies of the hotel (132-133).

Moorhouse seems, in part, to have kept the diary as a record of the summer to share later with her parents, who were themselves vacationing for part of the summer at the shore in Mattapoisett, Massachusetts.

II. Correspondence, [1915]

This portion of the collection consists of thirty-two letters that Helen Moorhouse wrote between the end of June and mid-August 1915 to Alice E. Brown, a widow with whom she was romantically involved.

Moorhouse was in the midst of a nine-week contract to perform as a member of a music trio at the Nichewaug Inn in the central Massachusetts town of Petersham, while Brown was at home in Melrose, just outside Boston. During their time at the Nichewaug, Moorhouse and her fellow musicians, Susie Wells and a Miss Wilson, tended to practice music or paint landscape scenes in the mornings and performed each afternoon and evening in the hotel’s music room. The letters also reveal her keen interest in botany, art, and reading. In particular, she spent much of the summer reading the works of American philosopher John Fiske, whose son was the proprietor of the Nichewaug, as well as a history of architecture.

Moorhouse’s account of her days at the Nichewaug are interspersed with outpourings of longing for Alice, her Dear Heart, and candid reflections about how the couple was negotiating the familial and financial terrain of their relationship. News about Brown’s two children, Effie and George, as well as Moorhouse’s aunts feature prominently in the correspondence. A couple of the letters additionally contain Moorhouse’s thoughts on current events, including World War I, women’s suffrage, and the status of Native Americans living on reservations. In one of the letters, she included sketches of British war posters that a group of women fundraising for Belgian refugees had brought to the hotel to display and sell.

Collection

Helen L. Wild diary, 1906

1 volume

Helen L. Wild kept this diary immediately following the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. Wild described the state of the city, fires, her family's experiences, residential and commercial displacement, and other effects of the event on the city and its residents.

Helen L. Wild, a San Francisco teenager, kept this diary, titled "The San Francisco Earthquake, Being the Impressions of One H. Wild Who Stood it all Even to Eating Relief Food and Is, So Far, Alive to Tell the Tale," during and in the days following the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. Wild described the state of the city, fires, her family's experiences, residential and commercial displacement, and other effects of the event on the city and its residents.

Wild began the diary on April 18, 1906, with a description of the earthquake and immediately resulting fires. Later that day, she visited some heavily damaged sections of the city, including the downtown business district, and commented on the flames then engulfing Market Street and other areas. She and her family temporarily evacuated their home and slept in a tent alongside others at a local park. Wild continued to write throughout the following weeks and reported on aspects of the rebuilding process, such as relief efforts and the gradual restoration of normalcy. She also included some personal reflections about the disaster. Wild maintained the diary until May 2, 1906.

Collection

R. W. Benson journal, 1905–1906

54 pages

This journal describing a train trip through the South and a winter spent in Florida was compiled by R. W. Benson from letters written to her daughter.

This journal describing a train trip through the South and a winter spent in Florida was compiled by R. W. Benson from letters written to her daughter, Miss Clara Benson of Wellesley, Mass. Mrs. Benson might have copied her letters before sending them, but it seems more likely that she borrowed the letters at a later date in order to create a book recording her winter "dropped into a world of orange trees." Mrs. Benson also pasted in the postcards she sent to her daughter, as well as some wildflowers she had enclosed in one letter.

Seven of the cards are picture postcards of places Mrs. Benson visited. She took pains to place herself within the context of the scene depicted: "We circumnavigated the citadel. We walked where you see a man walking," she noted on the front of the postcard of the Tampa Bay Hotel. On two cards illustrating scenes from Havana, R. W. Benson made intriguing allusions to living in or taking an extended visit to Cuba in 1867. Two of the actual letters to Clara are included as well. There is a gap from January 27, the last copied letter, to April 8, the date of the next, and final letter, indicating that this journal does not represent the complete correspondence. Two calling cards, an envelope of pressed wildflowers, and a New Year's greeting are laid in the volume.

Mrs. Benson's letters do not progress in a linear fashion, but often return to and retell the same stories in quite different ways. Some events obviously upset her. When two ladies dawdled in the dressing-room on the train, she was in an "awful flurry" to dress herself and Lydia before the train reached Tampa. She also mulled over losing her pocket-book at the Hotel minutes before departing for Thonotosassa. More pleasant recollections were also repeated in her letters. She was enraptured by the young William Draper, "the 'saving grace' in our 'Old Folk's Concert,'" often mentioning his willingness to help and his broad shoulders.

Delight in the natural world fills her letters, from more traditional observations of the lovely view of the lake to curious descriptions of how the oranges looked "quite social in the nice top-sail breeze" one day and "sullen and belligerent" in the "glimmering sun" of a still day. She described twilight, "which as usual in southern climes is short," as "a mere wave of the hand." When writing about a walk among "frequent cypresses with their mourning moss trailing," she stopped her narrative of the walk to reflect that while "on the other trees the long trailing moss swaying in the wind seems quite a cheerful decoration, on the cypress it seems like mourning."

R. W. Benson also discussed the temperature in great detail, no doubt reveling in the balmy weather she was experiencing. She often mentioned what layers of underwear she had either removed or put on: "I prophesied we would soon discard all underwear, but when I had taken a sponge bath I found I wanted some underclothes, after all."

Collection

William E. Lewis journal, 1903

1 volume

William E. Lewis recorded daily diary entries about his experiences in the United States Army's 7th Cavalry Regiment from March to September 1903. He commented on aspects of life at Camp George H. Thomas, such as drill, an extended trip to an off-site firing range, and military personnel.

William E. Lewis recorded around 150 pages of daily diary entries about his experiences in the United States Army's 7th Cavalry Regiment from March 2, 1903-September 8, 1903. He commented on aspects of life at Camp George H. Thomas in Chicamauga, Georgia, such as drill, an extended trip to an off-site firing range, and military personnel.

Lewis titled his diary "Happenings of the Seventh Regiment of Cav. stationed at Camp Geo. H. Thomas Chickamauga Park." Lewis regularly recorded discharges, illnesses, promotions, and transfers. He occasionally provided background information on soldiers such as "Private Beatty," a Civil War veteran (April 10, 1903); Juan Otero, a Cuban native who was born in Spain (April 15, 1903); "Quartermaster Sergeant Crombie," a member of the 7th Cavalry during the Battle of Little Bighorn (June 5, 1903); and Frederick Toy, a champion marksman and veteran of the Battle of Wounded Knee (June 9, 1903). The diary reports officers' suspicions about civilians selling moonshine to soldiers (June 16, 1903) and a band member's dishonorable discharge and sentence to hard labor for "instrumental insubordination" (July 9, 1903).

Other entries focus on daily camp activities, which included training exercises such as the "monkey drill" and firing practice. On one occasion, the regiment held an athletic competition (June 17, 1903), and Lewis often mentioned baseball games between teams of soldiers. From late July to late August, the 7th Cavalry Regiment marched to an off-site firing range. Entries from this period name the towns where the regiment camped and describe aspects of the march. Lewis shared a story about soldiers' attempt to capture a "wild dog" (August 16, 1903).

The book has 1 poem by Lewis, "The Regulars" (March 21, 1903), and his thoughts about the human desire to experience life from different perspectives (for example, as a member of a different race) (April 8, 1903). In his entry of June 25, 1903, he commemorated the anniversary of the Battle of Little Bighorn.

Collection

Charles H. Davey diary, 1902

1 volume

Charles H. Davey received this pre-printed daily pocket diary from his mother Ella Chamberlain Davey on Christmas Day 1901, at which time he was 13 years old. Davey kept daily entries throughout 1902, documenting his school attendance, almost daily reading (though he almost never mentioned book titles), visits to the library, and recreation such as skating on the river and swimming in the creek. He also documented his chores, which included sawing wood, cutting ice, planting, and harvesting. Laid into the back endpapers are one invitation to a gift-giving party, and three pencil illustrations of railroad engines and cars.

Charles H. Davey received this pre-printed daily pocket diary from his mother Ella Chamberlain Davey on Christmas Day 1901, at which time he was 13 years old. Davey kept daily entries throughout 1902, documenting his school attendance, almost daily reading (though he almost never mentioned book titles), visits to the library, and recreation such as skating on the river and swimming in the creek. He also documented his chores, which included sawing wood, cutting ice, planting, and harvesting.

Near the beginning of the volume, Davey wrote down identifying information, such as his age, height, and clothing sizes (hat, hosiery, collar, cuffs, shoes, shirt, and drawers). He also identified his mother as an emergency contact. Laid into the back endpapers are one invitation to a gift-giving party, and three pencil illustrations of railroad engines and cars. One similar pen illustration of a train is on the rear pastedown. Two of the coal cars are marked, one reading 700 and the other 4004.

Collection

Mrs. H. C. Adams diary, 1901-1916

1 volume

This pocket diary contains entries written by Mrs. H. C. Adams between 1901 and 1916. Most of the volume is Adams' narrative of her visit to the 1901 Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo with her friend Alice, describing buildings and exhibits of the Exposition as well as their excursions into the cities of Buffalo and Syracuse.

This pocket diary contains entries written by Mrs. H. C. Adams between 1901 and 1916. Most of the volume is Adams' narrative of her visit to the 1901 Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo with her friend Alice, describing buildings and exhibits of the Exposition as well as their excursions into the cities of Buffalo and Syracuse.

Mrs. Adams recorded what she saw in many of the buildings, including the "living villages" of the Exposition. They included "genuine" homes of people from the Philippines, Africa, and Japan, as well as Inuit (called Esquimaux Village) and Indigenous North American tribes. In the Japanese Village (called Fair Japan) Mrs. Adams observed a band consisting mostly of women and made note of a theater purported to be the finest in the world. She saw more singers, dancers, and theater productions in the Philippine Village, mentioning some religious practices happening there.

Below is a partial list of exhibits and attractions mentioned by Mrs. Adams:
  • A chair made of horns
  • A list of fish present in the Fishery Building
  • The largest tanned elephant hide in the world (500 pounds)
  • A gold bed
  • A statue representing a Quaker
  • Moveable wooden feet
  • A bear made of raisins
  • An elephant made of English walnut
  • Wood from each U.S. state and from some foreign countries
  • A theater named The Land of the Midnight Sun
  • A house made of butter

During her trip, Adams also visited the Temple of Music, where President William McKinley (1843-1901) was shot. Following Mrs. Adams' diary entries are several lists of names. One is attributed to the Teachers' Institute in November 1906, containing women's names, cities, and states. A similarly formatted list, dated October of 1909, is titled "Institute," but has Xs beside the names. The final list, titled "[Bonnie?] Beach Sandy Creek NY" and dated December 1913, appears to have signatures of individual people.

At the end of the volume is a single-page entry dated January 1927: a list of baked goods with amounts and apparent prices listed.

Collection

Mrs. H. C. Adams diary, 1901-1916

1 volume

This pocket diary contains entries written by Mrs. H. C. Adams between 1901 and 1916. Most of the volume is Adams' narrative of her visit to the 1901 Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo with her friend Alice, describing buildings and exhibits of the Exposition as well as their excursions into the cities of Buffalo and Syracuse.

This pocket diary contains entries written by Mrs. H. C. Adams between 1901 and 1916. Most of the volume is Adams' narrative of her visit to the 1901 Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo with her friend Alice, describing buildings and exhibits of the Exposition as well as their excursions into the cities of Buffalo and Syracuse.

Mrs. Adams recorded what she saw in many of the buildings, including the "living villages" of the Exposition. They included "genuine" homes of people from the Philippines, Africa, and Japan, as well as Inuit (called Esquimaux Village) and Indigenous North American tribes. In the Japanese Village (called Fair Japan) Mrs. Adams observed a band consisting mostly of women and made note of a theater purported to be the finest in the world. She saw more singers, dancers, and theater productions in the Philippine Village, mentioning some religious practices happening there.

Below is a partial list of exhibits and attractions mentioned by Mrs. Adams:
  • A chair made of horns
  • A list of fish present in the Fishery Building
  • The largest tanned elephant hide in the world (500 pounds)
  • A gold bed
  • A statue representing a Quaker
  • Moveable wooden feet
  • A bear made of raisins
  • An elephant made of English walnut
  • Wood from each U.S. state and from some foreign countries
  • A theater named The Land of the Midnight Sun
  • A house made of butter

During her trip, Adams also visited the Temple of Music, where President William McKinley (1843-1901) was shot. Following Mrs. Adams' diary entries are several lists of names. One is attributed to the Teachers' Institute in November 1906, containing women's names, cities, and states. A similarly formatted list, dated October of 1909, is titled "Institute," but has Xs beside the names. The final list, titled "[Bonnie?] Beach Sandy Creek NY" and dated December 1913, appears to have signatures of individual people.

At the end of the volume is a single-page entry dated January 1927: a list of baked goods with amounts and apparent prices listed.

Collection

German Travel diary transcripts, 1901, 1904

2 volumes

The author (or authors) of these diaries traveled from Vienna, Austria, to the United States and back in the summer and fall of 1901 and from Bremen, Germany, to the United States and back in the summer and fall of 1904. The first volume mostly concerns the author's meetings with businessmen and contains descriptions of engineering works, factories, and machinery. The second volume pertains to the author's travels around the United States, including visits to Colorado, California, and Yellowstone National Park.

These typed transcripts of German language travel diaries (2 volumes) concern 2 visits to the United States by a group of Austrians or Germans in the early 20th century. Volume 1 (356 pages), entitled "Reise-Tagebuch 1901," pertains to the author's trip to the United States from Vienna, Austria, and back from August 19, 1901-November 8, 1901. The account covers the author's journey from Austria to England and his subsequent travel from England to the United States onboard the Campania. Once in the United States, the author spent most of his time in New York City, where he met with businessmen. The diary reflects his interest in engineering and machinery; it contains descriptions of steam shovels, canals, reservoirs, drills, and other inventions. The author, who was based in New York, visited Washington, D.C., and made an extended trip west through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, and Illinois. The final entries recount his return voyage on the Deutschland. Some of the entries, particularly those written during the return trip, list the time in the author's current location and in Europe.

Volume 2 (343 pages) describes the author's round-trip journey to the United States from Bremen, Germany, between June 25, 1904, and September 27, 1904. After sailing to New York on the Kaiser Wilhelm II, the author wrote about his time in New York City, where he commented on factories and industries. Much of the volume is devoted to the author's travels in New York and, later, throughout the West. Before leaving New York, he watched a baseball game and visited Niagara Falls. He then headed for the Mississippi River and subsequently discussed the scenery in places such as Missouri, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and California. The diary includes mentions of mines, Mormons, and the Grand Canyon. The author took the Great Northern Railway to Yellowstone National Park, where he remarked on the geysers and other scenery, and then continued eastward through cities including Saint Paul, Chicago, Columbus, and Pittsburgh. The final entries recount his return to Bremen.

Collection

J. M. Clinch journal, 1901-1903

1 volume

The J. M. Clinch journal (65 pages) records the watchmaker's trips to Liverpool and London in the summers of 1901 and 1903, as well as his visits to clockmakers and to various sights around Great Britain. He noted details of the chronometer industry, kept a journal of three transatlantic sea voyages, and recorded his impressions of places he visited with his companions, Eliza and Alice, throughout England and Scotland.

The J. M. Clinch journal (65 pages) records the watchmaker's trips to Liverpool and London in the summers of 1901 and 1903, as well as his visits to clockmakers and to various sights around Great Britain. The first portion of the journal (pp. 1-22) contains records of Clinch's meetings with clockmakers in Liverpool and London from April 27, 1901 to May 6, 1901, and from May 26, 1903 to May 30, 1903. He noted his impressions of the clock making industry, then in decline, and listed his orders for parts. These are followed by several addresses and notes (pp. 19-21), and the remainder of the volume chronicles Clinch's voyages to and from Europe, as well as his leisure activities in England and Scotland. These entries are presented in several distinct sections and, though not ordered chronologically, they are dated, with those from 1901 numbered Parts I-VI. Clinch briefly related his daily activities onboard transatlantic steamers, and kept a record of his sightseeing activities and travels through England and Scotland with two female companions, Eliza and Alice. He also described a trip to the Azores, which he visited en route to Liverpool in May 1903.

Collection

Ethel and Nina Newton diaries, 1900-1901

2 volumes

Ethel and Nina Newton kept 2 daily diaries about their life in a farm in Amanda, Ohio, in 1900 and 1901. The sisters primarily wrote about their daily activities, which included farm work, housework, and attendance at school. They occasionally commented on holidays and political events.

Sisters Ethel and Nina Newton kept 2 daily diaries about their life on a farm in Amanda, Ohio, in 1900 and 1901. Their entries pertain to their daily activities, which included farm work, housework, and attendance at school.

Ethel and Nina filled one composition book each: Ethel wrote from February 28, 1900-August 7, 1900 (103 pages) and Nina wrote from August 25, 1900-April 4, 1901. The girls recounted their daily activities at home, on the farm, and in school. They mentioned the farm work of their father and other laborers, who tended to potatoes, corn,, other crops, and livestock. Their mother cooked, sewed, and did other household work, sometimes assisted by the girls. Nina frequently documented the names of the books and magazines she and the other members of the family read. Both girls attended school, did homework, and went to Sunday school. The diaries include occasional mentions of newsworthy events, such as the census-taker's visit (June 2, 1900), a local girl's death (June 16, 1900), and Washington's birthday (February 22, 1901). Nina commented on her father's intention to vote for William McKinley and celebrated the Republicans' local and national victories (November 6, 1900-November 7, 1900). On several holidays, including Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day, she enclosed or copied dinner menus.

Collection

Louis G. Monté collection, 1899, 1907 (majority within 1899)

2 volumes

The Louis G. Monté collection is made up of 2 diaries about Americans traveling in Europe in the summer of 1899. Monté and another traveler wrote entries about sightseeing in England, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. Both journals have pencil drawings of people encountered and each doubles as a scrapbook with photographs, tickets, programs, and other ephemera.

The Louis G. Monté collection is made up of 2 diaries about Americans traveling in Europe in the summer of 1899. Monté and another traveler wrote entries about sightseeing in several European countries, and both used their journals as scrapbooks.

Louis G. Monté wrote daily diary entries between July 5, 1899, and August 26, 1899 (Volume 1, pages 5-73). He described his journey from Charlestown, Massachusetts, to England on the steamer New England and arrived on July 14. He saw the sights in London, England; Paris, France; Aix-la-Chapelle (Aachen), Cologne (Köln) and Düsseldorf, Germany; and Amsterdam and Haarlem, Netherlands. He often visited museums and commented on local architecture and customs. Monté's brief final entries pertain to his return journey from Antwerp, Belgium, to New York on the steamer Southwark. Monté also used his book as a scrapbook for photographs and ephemera (pages 1-4 and 1a-36a; not all pages are used), and he wrote notes about French, English, and German currency on pages 2-4. The book's endpapers and cover also have items pasted in, such as tickets, programs, advertisements, and other ephemera. Photographs primarily depict scenes and people in the Netherlands, and numerous drawings illustrate people he encountered during his European travels. Pages 21a-22a (Volume 1) contain an essay on English architecture.

The second diary (unattributed) covers the author's travels from August 3, 1899-August 16, 1899 (pages 1-33), with photographs, stamps, tickets, train schedules, and other ephemera interleaved with the journal entries (pages 34-55 and 1a-55a; not all pages are used). The author drew pictures of people and wrote notes. He visited the same locations as Monté and sketched a nearly identical image of a woman in Aix-La-Chappelle, Germany (Vol. 1, p. 19a; Vol. 2, p. 2). Most of the pasted-in ephemera items pertain to travels in the Netherlands.

Collection

Jenny Olin papers, 1898-1911

39 items and 8 photographs

Jenny Olin taught at a mission school on Kusaie, one of the Caroline Islands in the South Pacific. Her letters home to her friends describe her life and work with the girls in the mission school and the Kusaie natives who lived and worked with her.

Jenny Olin's thirty letters from Kusaie, dating from November 16, 1898 to March 21, 1910, are directed to her friends, Bessie and Annie Turner in Thomaston, Conn. Olin's lengthy letters describing her life and work with the girls in the mission school and the Kusaie natives who lived and worked with her are a pleasure to read. There are also two letters to Bessie from Miss Hoppin, written in July 1911, during Olin's final illness. There is a letter to Bessie, translated by Olin, from an island woman named Mareta, who had been "adopted" by Bessie, thanking her for some presents. There are two letters to Olin. The collection also includes a nineteen page copy of a journal she kept while touring the Marshall Islands, a ten page, unfinished manuscript about the life of Jenny Olin, some notes probably compiled by the unknown author of the sketch, a printed map of the world, showing the Missions of the American Board in 1884, and eight photographs of missionaries and the children of the mission.

The life Olin described was impossibly difficult, with inadequate shelter, clothing, food, or comforts of any sort. The native crops were fair but the supply was erratic. In this period, cyclones and tidal waves twice devastated both housing and much of the food crops. The mission depended on ships bringing mail and supplies but the visits were infrequent and unreliable. Yet in the face of these obstacles, these letters are shot through with humor, and with a feeling of purposefulness and devotion. Olin believed the natives, who were generally good-natured and appreciative, desperately needed her help, and there is the sense that for Olin, doing her work as well as possible was its own reward. As a result, she made light of her difficult situation: "I am well though often I feel cross, so presume I am not living in such repose of mind as I ought to. Can't you give me a sure recipe for keeping sweet tempered? I assure [you] I need one. Only I might do the way the natives do with the medicines we give them -- take a dose or two, and finding no great improvement, stop taking it" (1907 November 6).

Missionaries commonly thought of native peoples, both children and adult, as playful young innocents, and Olin was no exception: "These folks are just like children," Olin commented. "I wish you could know them, you would enjoy them" (1906 August 20). The islanders and the missionaries had high regard and affection for one another. Olin wrote about giving her students presents on holidays and birthdays, and making gifts if no supplies had arrived. She had many pets, including kittens, a pigeon, and a little wild chicken, which had been presented to her by the natives.

When provoked, Olin was capable of slinging sharp barbs. Her account of the people on board ship when she returned from her furlough to the States is in stark contrast to her fond descriptions of her "charges." There was a senatorial party from the U.S., including Sen. and Mrs. Hill of Connecticut and "many whom I do not care for in the least, among the latter is Miss Alice Roosevelt who ought to have a mother along to take care of her. She impresses me as decidedly loud, in many ways" (1905 July 22).

In 1902 the 50th anniversary of the missions on Kusaie was celebrated. The island people built the missionaries a small house and prepared a feast. 188 men were needed to carry all the food: breadfruit, taro, pork, pigeon, fwa fwa (which the men had made from breadfruit), sugar cane, corn beef and bread. Foods also occasionally available on the island included, bananas, papaya, coconuts, b'abai, eels, crabs, and clams. Once the school children caught 200 fish by poisoning the water deep down with a native vine that caused the fish to surface and be easily caught. Although the fish died from the poison, the people who ate the fish were not affected. The missionaries also had some livestock, including a milk cow, chickens, and pigs. Staples such as flour, beans, rice, potatoes, peanuts, raisins, and canned goods were all imported.

Even if food was plentiful, it could perish quickly in the face of the elements. After a cyclone had caused starvation on nearby islands, Olin put the islands' plight in perspective by alluding to the ongoing Russian famine: "I could not sleep after reading it. Starvation is so much worse when you are cold also . . . . When will the poor Russians get their rights?" (1907 June 25) Continual dampness also made it difficult to preserve food and even seed. Supplies from the States were equally unreliable, for it could take over a year from the date they were ordered for them to actually arrive.

In December 1903, Olin, eighteen girls from her school, and seventeen Marshall Islands boys, plus others, set out for an adventurous tour of the Marshall Islands on the Vine. There were five staterooms for forty-six people. The purpose was to visit other missions, replace the staff in some missions, and enable the young people who had been attending school at Kusaie to visit their homes. While on the islands, new members were admitted to the church, baptisms and marriages were performed, and other passengers were landed or added to the company on board. Seas were very rough, decks and staterooms were inundated often, cargo shifted to and fro, people got seasick and provisions were inadequate. The captain had to be kept from drinking at sea and from upsetting the natives on shore. The ship was too small for the many passengers and gear was old and needed repairs and replacements frequently.

The missions usually had a medical doctor and his family, but no dentist was available. More serious illnesses and dental problems required trips to Hong Kong, Sydney, or a return to the States. The excessive rainfall at Kusaie (24 ft. of rain per year) made malaria a constant threat. In 1909 Miss Olin went to Hong Kong to have her remaining teeth removed and plates made, taking the precaution of getting two sets. She also was fitted for new glasses, for hers had been broken awhile before. While in Hong Kong she also shopped for clothes, materials for sewing shoes, furniture, and of course, provisions. Olin noted that they "do not usually catch cold from the weather down here but have regular importation of influenza everytime the steamer comes, and then everybody on the island takes it" (1907 June 25).

The missionaries were not the only white people on the islands. The traders, responsible for importing goods and influenza, also interfered with the local flow of life. The King in Lelu, the village where the natives had built a small house and a church for Olin, made problems for his people and for the missionaries. "The King is getting old and is puffed up with a sense of his own importance, which the trader helps to puff," Olin reported (1907 November 6). In addition to these transients, there were several men who had settled there, including "6 white men on the island stayed from the Horatio," who married natives, although the English and the Germans had some marriage laws and restrictions, and the missionaries were far from enthusiastic about such unions (1899 April 15). In March 1910, Olin wrote of the pressing need to visit other islands. "It will be far from a pleasure trip. If there were no one but natives to run up against it would be all right, but white folks have a way of making things uncomfortable for one another sometimes. I wish it were not so, it is not a very flattering remark to make about white folks, but really, natives are generally easier to get along with. I wonder if you will think I have been quarreling with all my associates. I have not, really, but am quite peaceable at present" (1910 March 21)

All through the years there was worry about the future of the missions, questions of consolidating, having one mission on one island only, joining the Germans, who had an effective missionary program (the island was German territory), coping with inadequate funds for supplies, ships, and lumber for buildings. The disastrous earthquake in San Francisco was one of the factors involved in the decision to keep the school in Kusaie, "for lumber and vessels to bring it down have risen to twice their former price" (1907 January 16). In 1906 only two missionaries were left to care for twelve young students from the Giebero Islands and thirty from Kusaie. In these lean times, seventy natives brought supplies of food, prepared food, and collected $6.00 for Miss Olin. Olin, pictured here with a group of German missionaries, stated that she would stay and work with the Germans, even if the American Board pulled out.

An epidemic of dysentery broke out on Kusaie in February 1909. At least four people died, and Olin was seriously ill. Once she recovered, her letters focused more on her health; "I have never been so thankful that I am well, as this last year. It certainly is one of the greatest blessings" (1910 March 21). Her recovery might have been only partial, for she succumbed again to illness in 1911. Miss Hoppin wrote to the Turner's on Olin's behalf. "Jenny is very ill and very brave. No one else thinks she will recover . . . . Letters do her so much good though she cannot answer them" (1911 July 15). Hoppin persisted, "I will not let myself quite give up hope. We seem to need her so much in our work" (1911 July 21). Olin died in the latter part of 1911.

Collection

Albert F. Gudatt journal, 1898-1904 (majority within 1898-1902)

1 volume

This 154-page volume is Albert F. Gudatt's journal of his experiences serving with the United States Army's 2nd Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the Spanish-American War, with the United States Army's 33rd Volunteer Infantry Regiment in the Philippines during the Philippine-American War, and with the Manila police between 1901 and 1902. Later entries concern his work with the Market Street Railway in San Francisco, California, between 1902 and 1904.

This 154-page volume is Albert F. Gudatt's journal of his experiences serving with the United States Army's 2nd Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the Spanish-American War, with the United States Army's 33rd Volunteer Infantry Regiment in the Philippines during the Philippine-American War, and with the Manila police between 1901 and 1902. Later entries concern his work with the Market Street Railway in San Francisco, California, between 1902 and 1904.

The Albert F. Gudatt journal dates from May 15, 1898-February 16, 1904, and consists of a combination of recollections in narrative form and discrete journal entries, which primarily reflect his experiences during the Spanish-American War and during his time in the Philippines.

Albert F. Gudatt began writing shortly after leaving his home in Victoria, Texas, to enlist in the United States Army. He described his journey to Covington, Louisiana, where he became a member of Duncan N. Hood's "Second Immunes," the 2nd Volunteer Infantry Regiment. Gudatt detailed his experiences while in training at Covington and while serving in Cuba, where he noted the prevalence of tropical diseases.

He joined the 33rd Volunteer Infantry Regiment and traveled to the Philippine Islands, where he wrote about marches, local people, military life, and engagements between United States forces, including his own unit, and insurgents. He also experienced earthquakes and commented on political and social events.

After 1900, Gudatt wrote shorter entries concerning his pay, his correspondence habits, and American military personnel. After November 1901, he worked with the police in Manila, and commented on a cholera epidemic in the spring of 1902. After returning to the United States in late 1902, Gudatt found work with San Francisco's Market Street Railway. In occasional entries dated until 1904, he discussed some of his experiences and mentioned significant events, such as a potential strike and a coworker's suicide.

The final pages contain a copied passage from the Monroe Doctrine (pp. 152-153) and a partial list of books in Manila's American library (p. 154).

Collection

Elsie F. Weil collection, 1897-1926 (majority within 1913-1926)

1.5 linear feet

This collection contains incoming correspondence and other items related to Elsie F. Weil of Chicago, Illinois, and New York City, including many passionate letters from Weil's close friend Gertrude Emerson, who wrote about her foreign travels, life in New York City, and her deep bond with Elsie. Other friends and, to a lesser extent, family members, wrote to Elsie about their daily and social lives in New York City, Chicago, and Boston. Additional materials include two of Elsie's diaries, articles written by Elsie F. Weil and Gertrude Emerson, and ephemera.

This collection (1.5 linear feet) contains incoming correspondence and other items related to Elsie F. Weil of Chicago, Illinois, and New York City, including many letters from Weil's close friend and fellow writer Gertrude Emerson. Other friends and family members wrote to Elsie about their daily and social lives in New York City, Chicago, and Boston. Additional materials include two of Elsie's diaries, articles written by Elsie F. Weil and Gertrude Emerson, and ephemera.

The bulk of the collection is comprised of Elsie F. Weil's incoming correspondence. The first group of items consists of letters that Elsie's father Jacob, brother Leo, and mother Pauline sent to her from 1897-1907. Jacob and Leo Weil offered advice, and Pauline Weil provided family news from Chicago while Elsie lived in Lafayette, Indiana, around 1904. In 1913, Elsie received letters about her career as a writer, often mentioning specific articles. Additional professional correspondence appears throughout the collection.

Gertrude Emerson began writing to Elsie Weil in January 1914, and remained Weil's primary correspondent through the early 1920s. Her early letters pertain to her life in Winnetka, Illinois, where she taught at the Girton School. Emerson encouraged Weil to pursue a career in writing, discussed her own work, and shared news of her family. In the spring of 1914, she described a trip to New York City. During their periods of separation, Emerson expressed her desire to reunite with Weil and proposed plans for their shared future. Her letters include passionate declarations of her love for Weil and her devotion to their friendship, and she often referred to her desire to hold Weil, offering a birthday kiss in her letter postmarked April 26, 1915. She also spoke of her wish to travel around the world, though her mother prohibited transatlantic travel in 1915 on account of the growing threat from German submarines ([May 7, 1915]).

Weil and Emerson traveled together to Korea, Japan, and China in 1915 and 1916, and the collection includes a series of typed letters that Weil addressed to an unspecified group in early 1916. She described their travels between locations, shared observations about local cultures, and reported on their daily activities. A newspaper article about their trip, printed in Japanese, is filed in with the correspondence (December 15, 1915, 3 copies). Weil later received letters and postcards from acquaintances in Asia, particularly in late 1916. Gino Merchiorri, a soldier, wrote two letters to Weil about his experiences in the United States Army during World War I.

Gertrude Emerson moved to New York City in late 1916 after being hired by Asia magazine, and often wrote to Weil, who remained in Chicago, about her life there. She commented on her social life and her friends, who included the writer Ernestine Evans and the naturalist William Beebe. In 1919, she traveled to British Guiana (present-day Guyana), stopping shortly, mid-voyage in the Virgin Islands and Barbados. Before her arrival in South America, she described her sea travel and the Caribbean cities and islands she visited. While in Guyana, Emerson described the scenery and everyday life, particularly with regard to Indian "coolie" workers and their culture. After her return to New York City that fall, she discussed her social life, Elsie's articles for Asia, and their shared New York apartment.

Emerson wrote another series of travel letters while visiting Japan, the Philippines, Malaysia, and India in 1920 and Mexico in 1924. While in India, she met with Mohandas Gandhi and commented on Indian politics. Though she consistently voiced her love for Weil throughout her correspondence, other topics came to dominate her correspondence. By the mid-1920s, Emerson had fallen in love with a man named Kim, whom she considered marrying. Some of her later letters, including several undated items, are written on long sheets of thin, illustrated paper. Other illustrated items include a brief typed essay with a watercolor depiction of a Flemish portrait (enclosed with her letter of February 9, 1914) and a sketch of the view outside of her window in Winnetka (undated).

Elsie Weil received smaller groups of letters from other friends from the mid-1910s to mid-1920s, including Rose Wilder Lane, who described her life in Mansfield, Missouri, in the late summer and early fall of 1919. She shared her fondness for the scenery of the Ozarks, discussed her career as a writer, and told anecdotes about her experiences. She later wrote about travels in Europe and her life in Paris, France, where she briefly described international relations between the Allied powers just after World War I. She also commented on female involvement in political issues. Blix Leonard of Boston, Massachusetts, and Elmer Stanley Hader of New York City frequently illustrated their letters; some of their sketches and drawings are humorous and cartoonish. Weil also corresponded with Kenneth Durant and Ernestine Evans. Some of Weil's New York correspondents expressed their support for the Bolshevik Revolution in 1919.

The collection includes 3 diaries. The first, which has the title "My Trip Abroad" and "Elsie F. Weil" stamped in gold on its front cover, was intended for use during a trip abroad; Weil used it only to record the name of her ship, the SS Manchuria, and the date of her departure, September 19, 1922. The other two diaries contain brief entries respecting Weil's daily activities for 1920 and 1925, with some significant gaps between entries. These diaries often refer to Weil's social acquaintances, including Gertrude Emerson, "Rose," and others.

The collection's 6 photographic prints include 3 views of Gertrude Emerson on horseback and 1 of Emerson posing outdoors. The other pictures show an unidentified man posing outdoors in a suit and a Buddha statue in a Tokyo temple.

Additional items include magazine and newspaper articles by Gertrude Emerson, Elsie F. Weil, and Ernestine Evans, largely concerning travel to Asia; instructions related to creating flower arrangements; and unused bookplates belonging to Elsie F. Weil, bearing an Asian-style illustration of boats on water. Other visual materials include picture postcards from East Asian countries and a series of postcards from Wisconsin. The final items are a Christmas card and an advertisement once inserted in a newspaper.

Collection

Charles W. Hughes diaries, 1896-1911 (majority within 1896-1898, 1905-1908)

5 volumes

This collection contains five daily pocket diaries kept by Charles W. Hughes of Ladoga, Indiana, around the turn of the 20th century. The diaries chronicle the daily events and concerns of a middle-class family, including business affairs, politics, clubs, and sports teams.

This collection contains five daily pocket diaries kept by Charles W. Hughes of Ladoga, Indiana, around the turn of the 20th century. The diaries chronicle the daily events and concerns of a middle-class family, including business affairs, politics, clubs, and sports teams. The diaries cover 1896-1898, 1905-1906, and 1908-1911.

Hughes primarily reported on events around his home in Lagoda, Indiana, but maintained interest in national politics as well. He often mentioned the results of sporting contests and his attendance at various cultural events, including a visit to the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show in 1896. Some entries mention local news, such as crimes and deaths, often in detail. Hughes sometimes wrote about national and international politics and events, such as the 1896 presidential election and the Spanish-American War. The diaries also pertain to the activities of Hughes's wife and children and to family vacations. On one occasion, they saw a group of convicts working on a large plantation in Bobo, Mississippi (July 8, 1908). Hughes added information to "Memoranda" sections in each volume, such as financial accounts.

Collection

William L. Hill journals, 1896-1899

2 volumes

The William L. Hill journals contain detailed daily accounts of life onboard the armored cruiser USS Brooklyn from December 1896-July 1899. Hill reported on several significant incidents during the Spanish-American War, and his journals include a firsthand description of the Battle of Santiago.

The William L. Hill journals contain detailed daily accounts of life onboard the armored cruiser USS Brooklyn from December 1896-July 1899. The first volume has 152 pages, of which the first 13 are blank, and the second volume has 161 pages, with 4 pages of tables at the back of the book.

The first volume, entitled "Cruise of the U.S.S. 'Brooklyn,' Extracts from letters written by Boatswain Wm. L. Hill. U.S. Navy," consists of daily entries that Hill wrote from December 19, 1896-September 17, 1898, and December 14, 1898-December 31, 1898. He first chronicled his experiences as the Brooklyn sailed to Great Britain for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897 and along the East Coast of the United States before the Spanish-American War. On March 28, Commodore Winfield Scott Schley was given command of the ship, which became the flagship of his "Flying Squadron." After arriving in Cuba in May, the Brooklyn participated in various blockades, and Hill sketched a map of actions in Santiago Harbor (June 4, 1898). After the Battle of Santiago, Hill graphically described the death of George H. Ellis and reported the shelling the Brooklyn encountered throughout the engagement (July 3, 1898). Hill later recorded the ship's course around Cuba, particularly near Havana, and its return to New York.

Hill wrote the second volume, titled "U.S.S. Brooklyn, Notes on Cruise 1897 to 1899," from February 2, 1897-July 24, 1899. These journal entries cover many of the same events as those in the first volume and are frequently more factual. At the back of the volume are tables providing the number of miles sailed between ports and the time it took the ship to travel, as well as the number of tons of coal it used in 1897, 1898, and 1899.

Collection

Agnes B. Laidlaw diary, 1896

1 volume

Agnes B. Laidlaw described her daily activities in New York City from February 11, 1896, to June 20, 1896, in her diary. She frequently discussed her love of painting, social life, and thoughts about romantic love.

In her diary (125 pages), Agnes B. Laidlaw described her daily activities in New York City from February 11, 1896, to June 20, 1896. She composed daily entries between February 11 and June 7, and one additional entry on June 20. Laidlaw lived in Manhattan's Upper West Side, where she attended dinner parties, dances, and other events. She commented on her acquaintances, which included both men and women, and recorded her thoughts about romantic relationships and love (such as her discomfort with second marriages, June 6, 1896, pp. 121-122). On March 9, she recalled meeting a man on a streetcar, to whom she found herself instantly attracted (pp. 30-31). Laidlaw wrote about her fondness for painting and her attendance at French classes. Her social activities included visits to restaurants, concerts, and other performances. On one occasion, she hosted a dinner party, and her diary includes a diagram of attendees' positions at a table (May 14, pp. 87-89). The first 2 pages contain reminiscences about Laidlaw's childhood.

Collection

New York lawyer's journal, 1895-1906 (majority within 1902-1906)

1 volume

The New York Lawyer's Journal, which contains an account of the author's activities during the years 1895 and 1902-1906, includes discussions of 'horse racing and travel to Europe, as well as observations about several members of New York City's upper class.

The New York Lawyer's Journal (115 pages), which contains an account of the author's activities during the years 1895 and 1902-1906, includes discussions of 'horse racing and travel to Europe, as well as observations about several members of New York City's upper class. Roughly half of the pages are typed, and newspaper clippings are interleaved.

The author often mentioned Joseph Pulitzer, a close friend with whom he travelled to Jekyll Island, Georgia (1895); Bar Harbor, Maine (1904); and Europe (1906). Early entries also reveal his friendship with Russian painter Vasily Vereshchagin. The author wrote to Theodore Roosevelt in an effort to get Vershchagin a commission for a painting of the Battle of San Juan Hill and reacted to news of Vershchagin's death. The author's visits to Europe included trips to Ireland, France, Germany, Belgium, and Holland, where he described the local people and architecture. In the final pages of the journal, he wrote about his European trip with "J. P." (likely Joseph Pulitzer), and his disappointing visit with novelist Henry James. Though preoccupied with social news and horse racing, the author sometimes wrote about domestic and international political issues, such as Irish nationalists' efforts to revive the Gaelic language.

The journal has been dis-bound. Newspaper clippings include an article about Vereshchagin (November 9, 1902) and results of a recent horse race (August 29, 1903). A blank form from the Chief Bureau of Navigation is enclosed.

Collection

Albert Brown Hale diaries, 1894-1931 (majority within 1912-1931)

13 volumes

Albert Brown Hale, a shoemaker and factory foreman from West Newbury and Haverhill, Massachusetts, kept these 13 diaries between 1894 and 1931. He regularly recorded daily events, such as his work experiences, social life, and family news.

Albert Brown Hale, a shoemaker and factory foreman from West Newbury and Haverhill, Massachusetts, kept these 13 diaries between 1894 and 1931. He regularly recorded daily events, such as his work experiences, social life, and family news.

Each diary is a pre-printed daily diary: the 1894 volume is "The Standard Diary;" the remaining volumes (1912-1931) were published by the Pfister & Vogel Company. Hale wrote lengthy entries each day, describing the day's events, and inserted important names, places, subjects, and events in block letters for emphasis. Hale's writing details his activities, particularly his shoemaking work, routine manual tasks, and his social life. Throughout 1894, he kept a record of the number and types of shoes he made each day. Hale frequently called on friends, attended community events, and traveled around Massachusetts. Many entries reflect his involvement with Haverhill's local Masonic Lodge. In his later diaries, he reported some of his son's activities. Though Hale focused primarily on his personal experiences, he occasionally wrote brief lines about important news events, such as developments during World War I and United States presidential elections.

Collection

New Hampshire travel diary, 1894, 1911 (majority within 1894)

1 volume

The New Hampshire travel diary concerns a journey taken by three men from Amesbury, Massachusetts, to Mount Washington and surrounding areas in central New Hampshire. The diarist recorded the names of towns visited by the party and described scenery and natural features.

The 24-page New Hampshire travel diary (September 12, 1894-September 26, 1894) concerns a journey taken by three men from Amesbury, Massachusetts, to Mount Washington and surrounding areas in central New Hampshire. The diarist recorded the names of towns visited by the party and described scenery and natural features.

Frank Hibbs, Dan Couch, and George Thomell traveled with two horses and a small dog. The diarist recorded the towns through which they passed and mentioned the group's nightly campsites. After traveling along New Hampshire's southeastern border with Maine, they went north and west through towns including Laconia, Campton, and Woodstock. They headed east around the mountains after reaching Franconia, bound for Mount Washington and, at the end of the diary, Tuckerman's Ravine. The travelers occasionally encountered acquaintances from Amesbury. The diary includes descriptions of historical sites and natural landmarks the group passed, including a 17th-century house (September 13, 1894, page 4), Vice President Henry Wilson's birthplace (September 13, 1894, page 5), the Old Man in the Mountain (September 21, 1894, page 17), Mount Washington (September 23, 1894, page 20), and Glen Ellis Falls (September 26, 1894, page 24). The diarist described the Flume Gorge near Franconia, New Hampshire, at length in his entry of September 20, 1894 (pages 13-15). The dates of 2 funerals held in 1911 are listed on a single page that follows the entries.

Collection

J. H. Lawson collection, 1893-1896

4 items

The J. H. Lawson collection is made up of two diaries, one notebook, and one cabinet card photograph portrait marked "J. M. Lawson." The first diary dates from September 30, 1893, to October 8, 1893, and documents schoolteacher J. H. Lawson's trip to the Chicago World's Fair (Columbian Exposition). He was a detailed observer, writing about his train travel from Dayton, Pennsylvania, to Chicago; he provided impressions, details, and figures for the exhibits he visited, sometimes writing while standing at the exhibit itself. He described concession stands, logistics of navigating the fair, the city, architecture, and more. The diary concludes with a 2-page description of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. The second diary contains very brief entries from 1894 and 1896 respecting cutting oats and teaching at "the academy," with several pages dedicated to a list of members and dues for the "L.L.S.", of which Lawson served as treasurer. The notebook contains J. H. Lawson's notes on The Iliad.

The J. H. Lawson collection is made up of two diaries, one notebook, and one cabinet card photograph portrait of Lawson. The first diary dates from September 30, 1893, to October 8, 1893, and documents schoolteacher J. H. Lawson's trip to the Chicago World's Fair (Columbian Exposition). He was a detailed observer, writing about his train travel from Dayton, Pennsylvania, to Chicago; he provided impressions, details, and figures for the exhibits he visited, sometimes writing while standing at the exhibit itself. He described concession stands, logistics of navigating the fair, the city, architecture, and more. The diary concludes with a 2-page description of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show.

The second diary contains very brief entries from 1894 and 1896 respecting cutting oats and teaching at "the academy," with several pages dedicated to a list of members and dues for the "L.L.S.", of which Lawson served as treasurer. The notebook contains J. H. Lawson's notes on The Iliad.

Collection

Clarence G. Nicholson World's Columbian Exposition travel journal, 1893-1894

1 volume

This journal contains Clarence G. Nicholson's recollections about his trip from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Chicago, Illinois, in September 1893. Nicholson described his daily activities during the journey west, in Milwaukee, and at the World's Columbian Exposition. The volume contains numerous commercial photographs, advertisements, and other items related to Nicholson's travels.

This journal (32cm x 27cm, 433 pages) contains Clarence G. Nicholson's recollections about his trip from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Chicago, Illinois, in September 1893. The narrative was written in 1894. Nicholson described his daily activities during the journey west, in Milwaukee, and at the World's Columbian Exposition. The volume contains numerous commercial photographs, advertisements, and other items related to Nicholson's travels. Nicholson's manuscript travel narrative occupies around 328 pages with ephemeral items pasted in. He wrote at length about the scenery during his railroad trip, often mentioning meals and accommodations. This first part of the volume includes watercolors, photographs, clippings, and advertisements depicting Pennsylvania scenery. While in Milwaukee, Nicholson and the other travelers visited breweries, art galleries, and other points of interest; he also wrote about the differences between the Midwest and the East Coast and about the city's artistic culture. Accompanying visual materials show Milwaukee buildings, examples of local beer bottles, and works of art. On September 23 or 24, the party split, with Nicholson and his father heading for Chicago, where they spent the next week.

Nicholson's recollections of his experiences at the World's Columbian Exposition comprise the bulk of the text, accompanied by a variety of illustrations. He describes in detail numerous state, international, and thematic buildings; exhibit halls and displays; sights along the Midway Plaisance; and the fairgrounds. He and his father also visited other areas of Chicago. Clippings, advertisements, and other ephemeral items are included throughout the volume, including numerous commercial photographs and illustrated views of the World's Columbian Exposition. Other items include exposition admission tickets, a menu, and a group of synthetic cords. Visual materials show the interiors and exteriors of large exhibit halls, state and international buildings, the Peristyle, the Ferris Wheel, and exhibits along the Midway Plaisance; a few photographs and prints show the grounds illuminated at night. The final pages of the journal contain Nicholson's thoughts upon leaving the exposition for the final time and a brief description of his return trip to Philadelphia.

Collection

Louise Fitz journal, 1893

1 volume

This volume contains Louise Fitz's description of her trip from Boston, Massachusetts, to the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois, and to Niagara Falls in May 1893. In Chicago, she and her traveling companions visited the major exhibit halls, state and international buildings, and the Midway Plaisance. Photographs and travel ephemera are laid into the volume.

This volume (121 pages) contains Louise Fitz's description of her trip from Boston, Massachusetts, to the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois, and to Niagara Falls in May 1893. Between pages 5-97, Fitz wrote journal entries about her daily sightseeing activities on every other page; the opposite pages contain photographs and ephemera related to her travels. The final pages contain laid-in commercial photographs of Washington, D.C., and personal photographs of Trenton Falls in upstate New York.

Fitz's journal entries recount most of her trip, from the time she left Boston on May 17, 1893, to her visit to Niagara Falls on May 26, 1893. While in Chicago, she and her companions frequented the World's Columbian Exposition; she described multiple visits to the grounds and specific exhibits in the larger halls, noting the use of electric lighting and appliances. Fitz commented on her visits to state and international buildings, the Midway Plaisance, and a local museum. After departing Chicago, Fitz traveled by train to Niagara Falls. Fitz placed commercial photographs on the pages facing her journal entries. The images are primarily views of the exposition's major exhibit halls. Other items pasted or laid into the volume include a printed map of the fairgrounds and surroundings, newspaper clippings, a used ticket book and ticket stubs, a program from a musical concert, advertisements, and artificial flowers. A letter from a representative at the exposition's Massachusetts State Building provides the text of inscriptions on the Transportation Building and the "Golden Door" (August 31, 1893).

Collection

Columbian Exposition diary, [1893]

1 volume

This volume (12 pages) contains detailed descriptions of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois. The author commented on exhibits, provided personal reactions to them, and reflected generally on the fair. Brief discussions of crowds, childcare, and women's involvement are also included.

This volume (12 pages) contains detailed descriptions of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois. The author commented on exhibits, provided personal reactions to them, and reflected generally on the fair. Brief discussions of crowds, childcare, and women's involvement are also included. Some of the attractions mentioned include:

  • Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building, in particular exhibits on Japan, Italy, France, Russia, Germany, and Austria
  • United States Government Building
  • Fisheries Building
  • Children's Building
  • Art Galleries
  • Horticultural Building
  • Agricultural Building
  • Dairy Building
  • Machinery Hall, with a brief aside about "industrial education" for African Americans
  • Krupp Gun Pavilion
  • Electricity Building
  • Forestry Building
  • Shoe and Leather Building
  • Anthropology Building
  • Administration Building
  • Transportation Building
  • Choral Hall
  • Music Hall
  • Woman's Building
  • Convent of La Rábida
  • Columbus' Caravel
  • Foreign Government Buildings

Collection

Lake George (N.Y.) Camping Journal, 1892

1 volume

This volume is a typed journal of a group's canoe and camping trip on Lake George, New York, in the summer of 1892. The typescript is illustrated with 21 photographs of the campers, their equipment, and the scenery.

This volume is a 27-page typed journal of a group's canoe and camping trip on Lake George, New York, in the summer of 1892. The typescript is illustrated with 21 photographs of the campers, their equipment, and the scenery.

The Lake George camping party consisted of at least seven acquaintances: Charles W. Byrnes, Alice B. Byrnes, William L. Brown, Georgia B. Sumner, Edwin W. Andrews, Maybelle Ramsay, and R. C. Sargent. Maybelle and a man referred to as "the Doctor" left the group partway through the trip. The account, titled "Wotlarks: A Camping Journal," opens with an epigraph by William Henry Harrison Murray, followed by 24 pages of recollections. The campers embarked from Caldwell, New York, on July 31, 1892, spent 2 weeks on the lake, and then boarded a train for Boston from the area around Fort Ticonderoga on August 13, 1892.

The author of this typescript (possibly camper William L. Brown), described the scenery, meals, and notable incidents. He or she also quoted poems by P. Buchanan Read and Isaac Ogden Rankin. The 7 party members signed the final page of the typescript. Twenty-one photographs, pasted onto sturdy boards between pages of the journal, depict scenery around Lake George, the campers in their canoes, men and women posing with guns, a man fishing, the group near their tents, and other scenes.

The volume includes a carefully drawn or traced manuscript map of Lake George, marked with the places that the campers visited.

Collection

Chris H. Jorgensen notebook, 1891-1959

1 volume

Chris H. Jorgensen, a Danish immigrant who lived in Harlan, Iowa; California; and New Braunfels, Texas, kept this notebook from 1891 to 1959. He wrote in English and Danish languages, Pitman shorthand, and some version of English abbreviation. Jorgensen used the notebook to document genealogy and family relationships, listing out birth, marriage, and death dates as well as relatives' names and locations. He also maintained other lists relating to purchases of automobiles, household appliances, and clothing, with added specifics such as dimensions, mileage, and where they were acquired. The volume includes a list of books kept from 1893 to 1958 documenting Jorgensen's wide-ranging interests in religion, literature, philosophy, and sciences. Jorgensen also included very brief diary entries from 1895 to 1908 and 1947 to 1959, primarily noting places he worked, including lumber camps and vineyards in California. Two photographs, presumably of Jorgensen, are laid into the volume.

Chris H. Jorgensen, a Danish immigrant who lived in Harlan, Iowa; California; and New Braunfels, Texas, kept this notebook from 1891 to 1959. He wrote in English and Danish languages, Pitman shorthand, and some version of English abbreviation. Jorgensen used the notebook to document genealogy and family relationships, listing out birth, marriage, and death dates as well as relatives' names and locations. He also maintained other lists relating to purchases of automobiles, household appliances, and clothing, with some specifics such as dimensions, mileage, and where they were acquired. The volume includes a list of books kept from 1893 to 1958 documenting Jorgensen's wide-ranging interests in religion, literature, philosophy, and sciences. Jorgensen also included very brief diary entries from 1895 to 1908 and 1947 to 1959, primarily noting places he worked, including lumber camps and vineyards in California. Two photographs, presumably of Jorgensen, are laid into the volume.

Jorgensen's notebook features multiple lists documenting his life, such as a timeline of his life from birth to 1938 when he moved to New Braunfels, Texas. Several sections of the volume are dedicated to Jorgensen genealogy, listing out family births, deaths, marriages, names of cousins, and other notable events like his father's naturalization as an American citizen on September 13, 1887. Other lists document the type of transportation he owned, when they were acquired, as well as purchasing details and their mileage. He also listed out dates and details about goods he purchased, like hats, watches, typewriters, electric washers, glasses, pens, and more, sometimes with their dimensions. He listed out businesses and medical practitioners, particularly optometrists, he appears to have frequented. He copied some of his official documents, like licenses, his naturalization certificate, and a warranty deed. Some of these copies provide physical descriptions of Jorgensen.

Chris Jorgensen wrote lists of publications he owned or read from 1893 through 1958, including books, periodicals, and other texts. He read deeply from religious works, with several relating to spiritualism, Mormonism, Unitarianism, Catholicism, Swedenborgianism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Atheism, Seventh Day Adventism, Christian Science, and others. Other publications relate to California, science and agriculture, temperance, almanacs and geography, education and music, philosophy and ethics, and more. Jorgensen was also actively reading literature, ranging from classics like Aristotle, Milton, Dante, and Shakespeare to contemporary works by Harriet Beecher Stowe, Jack London, Robert Louis Stevenson, Oscar Wilde, Arthur Conan Doyle, Jules Verne, Willa Cather, H. G. Wells, Friedrich Nietzsche, Richard Wright, among many others.

Jorgensen titled two sections of the notebook "diaries," writing brief entries from 1895 to 1908, after he moved to California. He primarily recorded the lumber camps, vineyards, and other places where he worked. He also wrote about items he purchased and notable events like natural occurrences and workplace accidents. The diary entries begin again in 1947 and continue until 1959, with brief notes about places he may have been, various businesses and purchases, and some events like the end of rationing in 1947, the 1948 presidential election, a lunar eclipse, among others.

Portions of the notebook are challenging to decipher, as they are written in a combination of Pitman shorthand, Danish, English, and a currently unidentified form of English abbreviations. Some of these entries appear to include dates and some form of financial accounting. Jorgensen appears to have a particular interest in ethnology, natural history, and books, as references written in standard English appear intermixed with Pitman shorthand entries relating to these topics. Some of the entries appear to document visits to Chicago for the 1893 Columbian Exposition, and another to a county fair in Iowa, seeming to note exhibits or content seen.

Several thumb prints made in ink are present in the volume, as well as several stamps used for his name and address. One features a bicyclist falling off his bike. Two photographs are laid into the volume, presumably of Jorgensen.

Collection

Chris H. Jorgensen notebook, 1891-1959

1 volume

Chris H. Jorgensen, a Danish immigrant who lived in Harlan, Iowa; California; and New Braunfels, Texas, kept this notebook from 1891 to 1959. He wrote in English and Danish languages, Pitman shorthand, and some version of English abbreviation. Jorgensen used the notebook to document genealogy and family relationships, listing out birth, marriage, and death dates as well as relatives' names and locations. He also maintained other lists relating to purchases of automobiles, household appliances, and clothing, with added specifics such as dimensions, mileage, and where they were acquired. The volume includes a list of books kept from 1893 to 1958 documenting Jorgensen's wide-ranging interests in religion, literature, philosophy, and sciences. Jorgensen also included very brief diary entries from 1895 to 1908 and 1947 to 1959, primarily noting places he worked, including lumber camps and vineyards in California. Two photographs, presumably of Jorgensen, are laid into the volume.

Chris H. Jorgensen, a Danish immigrant who lived in Harlan, Iowa; California; and New Braunfels, Texas, kept this notebook from 1891 to 1959. He wrote in English and Danish languages, Pitman shorthand, and some version of English abbreviation. Jorgensen used the notebook to document genealogy and family relationships, listing out birth, marriage, and death dates as well as relatives' names and locations. He also maintained other lists relating to purchases of automobiles, household appliances, and clothing, with some specifics such as dimensions, mileage, and where they were acquired. The volume includes a list of books kept from 1893 to 1958 documenting Jorgensen's wide-ranging interests in religion, literature, philosophy, and sciences. Jorgensen also included very brief diary entries from 1895 to 1908 and 1947 to 1959, primarily noting places he worked, including lumber camps and vineyards in California. Two photographs, presumably of Jorgensen, are laid into the volume.

Jorgensen's notebook features multiple lists documenting his life, such as a timeline of his life from birth to 1938 when he moved to New Braunfels, Texas. Several sections of the volume are dedicated to Jorgensen genealogy, listing out family births, deaths, marriages, names of cousins, and other notable events like his father's naturalization as an American citizen on September 13, 1887. Other lists document the type of transportation he owned, when they were acquired, as well as purchasing details and their mileage. He also listed out dates and details about goods he purchased, like hats, watches, typewriters, electric washers, glasses, pens, and more, sometimes with their dimensions. He listed out businesses and medical practitioners, particularly optometrists, he appears to have frequented. He copied some of his official documents, like licenses, his naturalization certificate, and a warranty deed. Some of these copies provide physical descriptions of Jorgensen.

Chris Jorgensen wrote lists of publications he owned or read from 1893 through 1958, including books, periodicals, and other texts. He read deeply from religious works, with several relating to spiritualism, Mormonism, Unitarianism, Catholicism, Swedenborgianism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Atheism, Seventh Day Adventism, Christian Science, and others. Other publications relate to California, science and agriculture, temperance, almanacs and geography, education and music, philosophy and ethics, and more. Jorgensen was also actively reading literature, ranging from classics like Aristotle, Milton, Dante, and Shakespeare to contemporary works by Harriet Beecher Stowe, Jack London, Robert Louis Stevenson, Oscar Wilde, Arthur Conan Doyle, Jules Verne, Willa Cather, H. G. Wells, Friedrich Nietzsche, Richard Wright, among many others.

Jorgensen titled two sections of the notebook "diaries," writing brief entries from 1895 to 1908, after he moved to California. He primarily recorded the lumber camps, vineyards, and other places where he worked. He also wrote about items he purchased and notable events like natural occurrences and workplace accidents. The diary entries begin again in 1947 and continue until 1959, with brief notes about places he may have been, various businesses and purchases, and some events like the end of rationing in 1947, the 1948 presidential election, a lunar eclipse, among others.

Portions of the notebook are challenging to decipher, as they are written in a combination of Pitman shorthand, Danish, English, and a currently unidentified form of English abbreviations. Some of these entries appear to include dates and some form of financial accounting. Jorgensen appears to have a particular interest in ethnology, natural history, and books, as references written in standard English appear intermixed with Pitman shorthand entries relating to these topics. Some of the entries appear to document visits to Chicago for the 1893 Columbian Exposition, and another to a county fair in Iowa, seeming to note exhibits or content seen.

Several thumb prints made in ink are present in the volume, as well as several stamps used for his name and address. One features a bicyclist falling off his bike. Two photographs are laid into the volume, presumably of Jorgensen.

Collection

Journal of our Trip Through Europe, 1891

1 volume

The Journal of Our Trip Through Europe chronicles the European travels of Americans "Billie" and "Blanche" in the summer and fall of 1891.

The "Journal of our trip through Europe" (147 pages) chronicles the European travels of Americans "Billie" and "Blanche" from July 22, 1891-October 7, 1891.

The diary concerns the travelers' transatlantic voyages on the City of Paris (July 1891) and Friesland (October 1891) and their experiences in London, Paris, Rome, other Italian cities, several German cities, and Brussels. They spent most of their time enthusiastically sightseeing, but were frustrated in Italy when attacked by pickpockets (September 6, 1891). In Paris, they visited the catacombs and witnessed a suicide at the Eiffel Tower (August 24, 1891). The diary records visits to art museums throughout Europe, such as the Louvre and the Vatican Museums, and notes the travelers' impressions of architecture and public sculptures.

Collection

Laura Prime Jay diaries, 1890-1893

3 volumes

This collection is made up of 3 diaries kept by Laura Prime Jay between January 1, 1890, and May 30, 1893. Jay discussed her life in New York City, her social activities, and visits to New Haven, Connecticut; Rye, New York; and Northeast Harbor, Maine.

This collection is made up of 3 diaries kept by Laura Prime Jay between January 1, 1890, and May 30, 1893. The first two volumes contain daily entries dated January 1, 1890-December 31, 1890, and the third volume contains daily and sporadic entries dated January 1, 1891-Mary 30, 1893. Jay dedicated the diary to her cousin, Edith Van Cortlandt Jay, and wrote brief statements regarding her reasons for maintaining a diary.

Most entries focus on Jay's daily life in New York City, where she attended school, took dancing lessons, and participated in social activities, often accompanied by her brothers Pierre and John and her cousin Edith. She attended religious services at Saint Thomas's Church with her family. Jay recorded the names of the books she read and reported on family illnesses and other news, such as the death of her grandfather, John Clarkson Jay, in November 1891. Jay sometimes visited New Haven, Connecticut, where she attended dances at Yale University. The Jay family, along with cousins and other relatives, spent much of their summers at "The Locusts" in Rye, New York, and at the Kimball House in Northeast Harbor, Maine, where they participated in outdoor activities such as swimming and boating. The diaries include descriptions of the family's journeys between New York City, Rye, and Northeast Harbor. In 1890, the Jays also spent time in and near Jaffrey, New Hampshire, where they climbed Mount Monadnock.

Each of the volumes, particularly the third, contains additional ephemera items laid or pasted in, including monthly lists of Christian feast days and other holidays. Most of the ephemeral items are programs from church services and musical performances. Additional items include dance cards, visiting cards, invitations, a receipt, and seating charts from social dinners.

One sheet of paper laid into the third volume contains drawings of a man (possibly a monk), a soldier ("Tritan"), and a woman. The third volume also has a colored illustration of three people in a canoe next to the heading "This Old House Gay at Last." Newspaper clippings pertain to events at Yale University and to the death of John Clarkson Jay.

Collection

Emma Catherine Brown diaries, 1889-1892, 1895-1896

2 volumes

This collection is made up of two diaries (223 pages total) by Emma Catherine Brown, a young Pennsylvania Quaker woman, from 1889 to 1892 and 1895 to 1896. She documented weather and daily life in Chester County, Pennsylvania, and Cecil County, Maryland. She described Quaker services, social gatherings, and visits of family and friends. Of particular note are references to temperance meetings and women's suffrage groups.

The first diary chronicles the years 1889 to 1892. The entries primarily concern local weather conditions, household chores, and social calls made and received by friends and numerous family members living in the area. She made brief mentions of other social news, including illnesses, dental procedures, visiting peddlers, and funerals. The diary contains a short death notice of Sarah E. Brown (d. June 29, 1891). The volume also documents Emma Brown's attendance at Religious Society of Friends meetings and First Day School. She also briefly mentioned a possible lease of chrome to the Tyson Mining Company. At the conclusion of 1892, Brown and her "Mamma" rented out their house in Oxford, Pennsylvania, and moved to Kennett Square to keep house for her Uncle Edward. Brown used the Quaker method of naming days (First Day, Second Day, etc.) throughout.

Emma Brown began her second diary, 1895-1896, with a promise for less discussion of the weather. She moved back to Oxford with her mother in 1895 and continued recording the comings and goings of Brown, her friends, and relations. The diary documents social events including parties, drives, sociables, entertainments, overnight stays, and picnics, including a detailed entry of a trip to Brandywine and viewing Revolutionary War sites. Brown regularly attended Quaker meetings as well as the occasional service of other denominations. She was a member of temperance organizations including the Keeley League and the Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU). Brown traveled by train semi-frequently and attended lectures and meetings regarding women's suffrage and the debate over using a gold or silver standard. Caleb Darlington Cope, Brown's future husband, was a frequent household guest. Brown served as Secretary and Substitute Teacher of the First Day School in Kennett Square and "Secretary Protem [sic]" in Oxford. Brown and her mother rented a new house in Oxford in January 1896. Other entries contain mentions of two fires in town, a Republican meeting, and Election Day festivities.

Collection

George and José Bill papers, 1888-1947

1 linear foot

The George and José Bill papers contain essays, lectures, notes, prescriptions, and correspondence related to the medical practices of George Bill and his son, José Penteado Bill, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Much of the material relates to unconventional medical practices and to topics in metaphysics. The collection also holds a series of astrological charts and notes.

The George and José Bill papers contain essays, lectures, notes, prescriptions, and correspondence related to the medical practices of George Bill and his son José Penteado Bill, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The Correspondence and Documents series holds material related to George E. Bill's medical practice, including several letters written to his son during the 1920s. In one letter, he encouraged his son to avoid surgery for his granddaughter Audrey, and instead offered a dietary cure (February 1, 1922); in other letters, he discussed a "rhythometer" and the use of electricity as a medical cure.

The Essays, Lectures, Notes, and Speeches series is divided into several subseries. An unknown author compiled the Miss Doubleday gynecology notes while attending a lecture by Miss Doubleday; the notes include diagrams.

The Lectures on metaphysics consist of 13 lectures delivered by George Bill between November 2 and December 16, 1912, predicated upon a Law of Correspondence, "a General Law underlying the behavior of all Matter and the Spirit of Matter" (November 7, 1912). He mentioned magnetism, toxins thought to affect thoughts, and the polarity between elements of life (light, heat, and electricity) and death (darkness, cold, and magnetism), between which existence resides (November 6, 1912).

A series of Astrology charts and notes contains several charts copied from the work of Karl Anderson, as well as manuscript essays and projections.

Additional Essays, Lectures, Notes and Speeches concentrate primarily on medical topics, and most often concern pseudo-scientific conjectures and treatments outside the realm of conventional medicine. The series contains published articles as well as typed and manuscript drafts; some topics are hypnotism, the medical uses of electrical current, the human subconscious and its role in medicine, infrared therapy, and mental toxins and antitoxins.

A large number of Retained copies of prescriptions showcase a variety of medical treatments ordered by the Bills throughout the late-19th and early-20th century, including both conventional and homeopathic treatments.

The José Penteado Bill papers contain an assortment of material, including, but not limited to, scientific and medical notes, as well as a printed roster of the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association (July 1947). Other items are a traveling journal compiled in 1917 and a document giving Bill's grades from his second year of study at Harvard Medical School (1912). The Diaries subseries includes a partially-filled diary of José P. Bill from 1910, as well as a 1924 diary chronicling medical appointments; the latter was obtained in France and contains supplemental information in French. The Notes and notebooks subseries contains notes on José Penteado's engagements, patients, and prescriptions. Also included is a prescription notebook and pad.

The Printed Items series holds seven items. These are Keeley's Secrets, a publication on theosophy written by Mrs. Bloomfield Moore, with manuscript annotations (July 10, 1888); two medical journals; a scientific article; a pamphlet entitled "The Policy and Purpose of the Harrisburg Republican Club" (1902); a portion of an examination given to doctors at Clark University about "Diseases and Cures in Childhood" (December 1896); and a card on medicines, poisons, and antidotes. George Bill wrote the article, "The Relation of Hypnotism to the Subconscious Mind" (New York Medical Journal, May 1, 1897), an article entitled "Some Considerations Relative to the Therapeutic Application of the Electrical Current" (New York Medical Journal, November 13, 1897), and "The Conductivity of Human Radio-Activity" (Journal of the Allied Medical Associations of America, August 1919).

The Poems and Blank Stationery series contains pieces of blank stationery from Dr. George E. Bill's office in Harrisburg, PA, as well as two poems.

Collection

New York Woman's travel journal, 1888-1889

1 volume

The New York Woman's travel journal chronicles two trips undertaken by a woman and her father. In March and April 1888, the pair traveled across the country to New Orleans, and in June 1889 to Scotland and England.

The New York Woman's travel journal chronicles two trips undertaken by a woman and her father. In March and April 1888, the pair traveled across the country to New Orleans (pp. 1-52), and in June 1889 to Scotland and England (pp. 54-93). The cover of the volume bears a silver inlaid illustration entitled "Composition," and opens with the father and daughter embarking on a Pullman car on March 19, 1888, bound for "the West" from Jersey City. During their railroad journey, they traveled through Philadelphia, Indianapolis, and St. Louis, where they remained for a short stopover before heading south. Between St. Louis and Little Rock, their train collided with another vehicle, killing an engineer and delaying their arrival in the Arkansas capital, where they stayed for an additional week. The 12-page narrative of this leg of the trip is colored by anecdotes and descriptions of fellow passengers, and is followed by a lengthy account of the pair's time in Vicksburg, Mississippi, and in New Orleans. In Vicksburg, the tourists made note of Civil War-era caves used during the city's siege, and visited a Civil War cemetery, which the author found profoundly moving. Once in "thoroughly Southern" New Orleans, the writer described in detail the sights and sounds of the city, and frequently mentioned popular tourist destinations; she also noted the "swarms of little darkies" and other African Americans she encountered throughout her time in the city. She and her father left New Orleans on the steamboat Knickerbocker on April 19, and returned to New York via the Gulf of Mexico and along the Atlantic Coast; upon her return, she reflected briefly on the positive impact the trip had on her worldview.

The second portion of the volume is titled "Letters written during our stay in England and Scotland in the summer of 1889," and is about the author's transatlantic voyage from New York to Glasgow on the State of Georgia, and the opening stages of her European adventures. After writing about the pleasant 12-day voyage, the diarist described several sights throughout Scotland, including a detailed depiction of Edinburgh Castle, complete with a brief history of the structure. York was their next destination, and they moved thence by rail to London, where sightseeing resumed in full force. The pair, along with a traveling companion named Leslie, proceeded to take in a thorough tourist's view of London, including several bus trips around the city and the requisite visits to St. Margaret's Church and Westminster Abbey. While in Europe, the author often reflected on how easily she was identified as an American, and on local social customs. The volume also recalls a visit to the British Museum to see the Magna Carta (pp. 92-93), but its final entry, dated July 4, 1889, is cut off just as the author catches a glimpse of Queen Victoria at a garden party.

Collection

Helen S. Ledyard drawing book and journal, 1887-1890

2 volumes

This collection is comprised of a drawing book and an illustrated journal that Helen Lincklaen Seymour Ledyard kept from 1887-1890. She discussed and drew scenes from her daily life in Cazenovia, New York.

This collection is comprised of a drawing book and an illustrated journal that Helen Lincklaen Seymour Ledyard kept from 1887-1890. She discussed and drew scenes from her daily life in Cazenovia, New York.

The first volume is Ledyard's drawing book, entitled "Chronicle's and Chroma's." It contains 43 watercolors, 4 ink drawings, and about 25 pencil sketches. Captions accompany most of the images (dated 1889-1890). Much of the artwork depicts scenes from activities such as dinner parties, balls, picnics, and a wedding. Other pictures show everyday scenes such as carriages, boxers, men and women in formal dress, and buildings. One drawing, labeled "Dynamite Danger," illustrates an explosion, and another represents a production of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado. Ledyard often labeled pictures of herself and several acquaintances.

Helen Ledyard's journal ("Memoirs of Me") is dated December 19, 1887-February 22, 1888, and most pages have ink illustrations. The diary entries span 54 pages, with around 10 pages of additional sketches and notes in the back. In her daily writings, Ledyard discussed her social activities, which included meetings with family and friends and frequent visits to Syracuse, New York. She often participated in winter outdoor leisure activities, such as tobogganing and ice skating. Laid into the volume are a diagram of a football team on-field position ("The Seats of the Mighty"), a small watercolor landscape, and a page of ink sketches.

Collection

Edward R. Wilbur, Jr. journal, 1887-1889

1 volume

This volume contains diary entries and essays about sea travel between New York City and San Francisco, railroad travel between California and Florida, and life in Florida during the late 1880s. The volume also includes drawings, several incomplete acrostic poems about Grover Cleveland, two laid-in essays, and a list of theatrical performances.

This volume (80 pages) contains diary entries and essays about sea travel between New York City and San Francisco, railroad travel between California and Florida, and life in Florida during the late 1880s. The volume also includes drawings, several incomplete acrostic poems about Grover Cleveland, and a list of theatrical performances.

The bulk of the volume consists of diary entries and essays about the author's trip from New York City to San Francisco on the St. David between July 13, 1887, and December 17, 1887 (pp. 1-39); his time in San Francisco from December 1887 to January 1888 (pp. 41-46); his visit to the New Almaden quicksilver mine in December 1887 (pp. 47-50); his railroad trip from San Francisco to Jacksonville, Florida, in January 1888 (pp. 52-58); and his life in Florida from January 1888 to May 1889 (pp. 59-61). The diary of the voyage on the St. David documents weather conditions; sightings and captures of birds, porpoises, and fish; and leisure activities (such as card playing). When describing San Francisco, the author noted the population density of Chinatown and the city's preference for gold bits over paper money and pennies. During his visit to the New Almaden mine, he descended into a shaft, where he saw Mexican laborers carrying ore to the surface, a mule that had been underground for around a year, and a group of miners preparing a blast.

The author's account of his railroad voyage from California to Florida focuses on the cold temperatures and snowfall that caused him to miss all but one of his intended connections. During the trip, the author stopped at and briefly described Salt Lake City, Denver, Kansas City, and St. Louis. A clipping from a Denver & Rio Grande Railway circular contains a description of the route. While in Florida, the author noted how little Lake Geneva, his primary residence, had changed since his visit four years previously; he also commented on the effects of a yellow fever epidemic.

The travel writings are followed by a group of unfinished acrostic poems utilizing the name "Grover Cleveland" (pp. 62-65), an excerpt of dialogue (pp. 67-68), and a list of plays and theaters, including several that starred Edwin Booth (pp. 75-80). Pages 71-74 have been removed from the volume. Two loose essays laid into the book concern the purchase of hunting dog and a story about the author's travels with an itinerant dentist named Henry Carter. The names John Moore (Brooklyn, New York), Edward R. Wilbur, Jr. (New York City), and Mrs. Samuel Clemens are written on the final page of the volume.

The volume contains several illustrations, including a laid-in watercolor drawing of a sailor making a sail onboard the St. David. Drawings of "A Frisco Beauty" (p. 40) and "From the Car Window (Injuns)" (p. 57) are pasted into the book; the latter drawing shows Indians standing near a group of tepees. A sketched outline of part of a horse (p. 64) is drawn directly into the volume. The author's description of his trip to the New Almaden mine is illustrated with ink drawings of a canyon, the buildings over a mineshaft, and the mine's condenser.

Collection

Sarah and Edward Ogden travel diaries, 1886-1908

9 volumes

The Ogden collection consists of diaries written by Sarah and Edward Ogden detailing trips to places in Europe, Russia, the United States and Mexico from the years 1886 to 1908.

The Sarah and Edward Ogden diaries consist of seven diaries written by Sarah Ogden, one expense book kept by Edward Ogden, and one other diary, possibly written by Edward Ogden. The diaries span the years from 1886 to 1908.

A trip taken from 1886-1887 was to Europe, and the destinations were as follows: England (June 1886); Germany (July 1886); Austria and Switzerland (August 1886); France (September 1886); Spain (October 1886); France (the end of 1886, and early 1887); Italy (March 1887); Denmark (June 1887); St. Petersburg and Moscow (July and August, 1887); England (September and October, 1887); and then back to the United States. The trip taken from 1889-1890 was from New Jersey to Seattle, then south to Vera Cruz, Mexico, and back north again to New Jersey. The trip in 1891 was south to Florida. The final trip in 1908 was also to Europe -- Amsterdam, Coblenz, and Bologne.

Collection

Charles A. S. Robbins diaries, 1886-1888

2 volumes

Future grocer and amateur botanist Charles A. S. Robbins kept these two pre-printed daily diaries at the ages of 13 through 15, while living in Stoughton, Massachusetts, 1887-1888. Robbins attended school and frequently found himself in trouble for conversing, whispering, laughing, playing with matches, drumming on his desk, and otherwise disrupting class. He regularly checked books out of the local library and wrote about books and reading. He enjoyed time with his male and female friends, sleighing, sledding ("coasting" on town streets), and skating. Sometimes he fought with or threw stones at other boys. He played marbles, baseball, football, and hockey (played with a "polo stick"). Robbins also roamed about, watched local ball games, visited the beach, and went sailing and kite flying. He worked on local farms, picking cherries and grapes, and chopped wood. At home, his family played checkers and young "Gertie" got into mischief.

Future grocer and amateur botanist Charles A. S. Robbins kept these two pre-printed daily diaries at the ages of 13 through 15, while living in Stoughton, Massachusetts, 1887-1888. Robbins attended school and frequently found himself in trouble for conversing, whispering, laughing, playing with matches, drumming on his desk, and otherwise disrupting class. He regularly checked books out of the local library and wrote about books and reading. He enjoyed time with his male and female friends, sleighing, sledding ("coasting" on town streets), and skating. Sometimes he fought with or threw stones at other boys. He played marbles, baseball, football, and hockey (played with a "polo stick"). Robbins also roamed about, watched local ball games, visited the beach, and went sailing and kite flying. He worked on local farms, picking cherries and grapes, and chopped wood. At home, his family played checkers and young "Gertie" got into mischief.

Collection

Alice L. Gardner diary, 1886

1 volume

This partially printed, annual daily diary was kept by 12-13 year old Alice L. Gardner of Warren, Rhode Island, over the course of 1886. Her brief entries reflect on social matters, local news, church activities, games, school, dance, theater, and musical lessons.

Alice L. Gardner noted her family's travels to Providence, Boston, and other nearby locales, for social visits, shopping, and other matters. She remarked on her and her family's attendance of theatre and musical performances. While at times she only notes going to "the Opera," she occasionally names the performances. Some of the shows she mentioned include The Mikado (January 2), Francesca da Rimini (January 16), Victor, the Blue-Stocking (May 8), The Old Homestead (October 9), The Merry Wives of Windsor (October 27), and The Jilt (December 18).

Alice Gardner's entries relating to her schooling pertain to exercises, exams, absences of teachers and classmates, and more. At times she names the texts assigned to her for school work or pieces she was to learn for musical lessons. She noted playing piano, taking up banjo lessons, dancing, and singing. She also frequently mentioned playing games with family friends, including whist, backgammon, casino, among others.

The diary also includes brief mentions of notable events, such as the marriage of Grover Cleveland (June 2) and the Charleston earthquake (September 22). At least two entries reflect racial attitudes. Her entry for October 22nd described a party which included racial and ethnic costumes. Alice also noted when Le Bing, a Chinese man, opened a laundry (November 9).

The section for "Cash Accounts" at the back of the diary includes several entries, principally for October to December for purchases of candy, food, and ribbon. Several addresses are also included at the back of the volume, as well as one entry in the section to record letters received and answered.

Four disbound notebook pages are housed in the pocket at the back of the volume. They include a musical notation, mathematical notes, a tongue-twister about snuff, a list of birthdays, quotations and proverbs, and drawings. Drawings represent a six-pointed star, a small pig and donkey, clocks and wall hangings, and a "Newport Girl," "Crescent Park Girl," and "Boston Girl" wearing different styles of dress.

A clipping of hair bound in a pink ribbon and a sample of grass are laid in the volume.

Collection

Douglas MacArthur collection, 1885-1983 (majority within 1917-1919)

885 items

The Douglas MacArthur collection is made up of military documents related to General Douglas MacArthur and the 42nd (Rainbow) Division during the first World War, and miscellaneous letters, documents, photographs, published works, and one diary illuminating various aspects of the General's public career and personal life.

The MacArthur collection contains 885 letters, documents, photographs, and published works dating from March 23, 1885, to July 5, 1983. The bulk of the material (710 items) consists of military documents and manuscript notes from September 8, 1917 to January 27, 1919.

The military materials include general orders, field orders, field messages, memoranda, intelligence, and communications, related to the U.S. 42nd Division (The Rainbow Division), A.E.F., founded in 1917. The majority of the collection falls during the period of time from late 1917 to early August 1918, when Douglas MacArthur was Chief of Staff for the 42nd Division. Documents from military units that fought alongside the 42nd Division (both French and American), the U.S. Chemical Warfare, and the Intelligence Divisions -- as well as various German, French, and American communications -- are included. Organizational documents, such as training schedules, and march tables, are also present. A considerable number, if not all, of these materials must have been approved or viewed by MacArthur, and many of the items in this collection bear his initials or the initials of his information assistant, William Hughes, Jr. From early August 1918 until the armistice was signed on November 11, 1918, MacArthur acted as the commanding officer for the 84th Infantry Brigade, and several military orders bear his name.

Seventy-six letters in the collection (located in Box 1) are either from Douglas MacArthur or pertain in some way to him. Six of these items, dated 1904, pertain to MacArthur and Florence Adams, whom he met in the Philippines, including a 46-page diary MacArthur wrote to Adams while he was on board a ship from Manila to the United States. Five letters, dated 1921 and 1925, are written by MacArthur to Louise Brooks who became Mrs. Douglas MacArthur in 1922. These letters contain both romantic content as well as personal reflections on the events in MacArthur's life at the time. Also included are nine letters from MacArthur to Hamilton Fish, Jr., dated 1921-1934. The remainder of the correspondence is a miscellaneous collection of letters written by Douglas MacArthur, Jean MacArthur, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Harry S. Truman, and others.

The Douglas MacArthur collection also contains a notebook kept by Kenneth A. Sutherland, veteran of the 42nd Division, which contains a selection of items related to the Division's post-war activities and reunions; 40 aerial photographs and negatives taken by the 91st Reconnaissance Squadron, October 10, 1918; several photographs of Douglas MacArthur; thirteen published works by or about the General; and other miscellaneous materials.

Collection

Adam Ludewig diary, 1885

1 volume

Adam Ludewig, an Alpena, Michigan, bookseller's clerk in his early 20s, recorded information about his activities, interactions, and the weather in this pre-printed daily Excelsior diary. He provided very brief notes on his work in the store; documentation of church and Sunday school attendance; remarks on letters, notes, and visits by young women; the books he read; painting lessons; and other subjects. He frequently abbreviated names and other words, occasionally wrote sentences with old German script, and sometimes encoded words with pigpen cyphers.

Adam Ludewig, an Alpena, Michigan, bookseller's clerk in his early 20s, recorded information about his activities, interactions, and the weather in this pre-printed daily Excelsior diary. He provided very brief notes on his work in the store ("All well / Busy in Store"); documentation of church and Sunday school attendance; and mentions of letters, notes, and visits by young women—with occasional afterthoughts such as "poor girl is to have a tooth pulled this morning" or "I do not know what to do. Time will be my best support." He noted the books he read, from "Titcomb's Letters to Young People, Single and Married" to Goethe's "The Sorrow of Young Werther." He painted and studied French. Ludewig frequently abbreviated names and other words, occasionally wrote sentences with old German script, and sometimes encoded words with pigpen cyphers. Seven small pen and ink drawings are scattered within the volume.

Civic and other organizational work mentioned in the diary include financial support for the German Aid Society and the Arbeiterverein, and attendance at evening Masonic Lodge meetings (identified in the diary only as drawings of oblong squares in quotation marks). He became Secretary and noted that he paid $1.00 for life insurance from the Masons (for $1,500 coverage).

Collection

Peter A. Sickal diary, 1884-1886

1 volume

Peter A. Sickal, a teacher and farmer from Banner, Kansas, maintained this pocket diary between January 1884 and August 1886. He held teaching positions at Abilene, Prairie Union, and Banner, Kansas. While teaching, Sickal noted school attendance, his students' progress and disobedience, examinations, and occasionally distributing prizes and candy. He frequently commented on weather, his agricultural work, construction on his home, attendance at Sunday School, and management of his military pension and hernia. He was politically involved, commenting on local elections and attending Republican gatherings. The diary includes several references to receiving letters from relatives in Italy and San Francisco.

Peter A. Sickal, a teacher and farmer from Banner, Kansas, maintained this pocket diary between January 1884 and August 1886. He held teaching positions at Abilene, Prairie Union, and Banner, Kansas. While teaching, Sickal noted school attendance, his students' progress and disobedience, examinations, and occasionally distributing prizes and candy. He frequently commented on weather, his agricultural work, construction on his home, attendance at Sunday School, and managements of his military pension and hernia. Sickal commented on notable events, like the development of railways, attending the play "Spy of Atlanta" (February 16, 1884), and a coroner's inquiry (February 7, 1885). He was politically involved, commenting on local elections and attending Republican gatherings (July 12, 1884; October 4, 1884; August 29, 1885), but made few comments about broader state or national affairs beyond some anxiety about the 1884 Kansas election (November 8, 1884) and the funeral of Ulysses S. Grant (August 8, 1855). The diary includes several references to receiving letters from relatives in Italy and San Francisco, and a number of addresses are written at the back of the volume.

Collection

Henshaw and Gaspar family collection, 1880-1958

3 volumes

This collection is comprised of a scrapbook, a diary, and an autograph album related to the family of Elizabeth Henshaw Gaspar Brown. The scrapbook contains newspaper clippings and ephemera regarding Horace W. Henshaw of Chicago, Illinois, and his immediate family and descendants. The diary and autograph album belonged to Elizabeth H. G. Brown, his granddaughter.

This collection is comprised of a scrapbook, a diary, and an autograph album related to the family of Elizabeth Henshaw Gaspar Brown. Many items relate to Brown's grandfather, Horace W. Henshaw of Chicago, Illinois; to his parents, Horace and Martha Montgomery Henshaw; and to his daughter, Marguerite Henshaw Gaspar.

The Diary is a partially completed five-year line-a-day volume kept by Elizabeth Henshaw Gaspar from 1930-1934. Her brief diary entries largely concern her education, social life, and other daily activities.

The Autograph Album belonged to Elizabeth Henshaw Gaspar. The entries are dated largely in 1925 and they include contributions from teachers at the Lake View Institute in Chicago, Illinois. Most writers included brief personal messages to "Betty," including one entry in French.

The Scrapbook first belonged to Horace W. Henshaw in the 1880s. The majority of its contents are newspaper clippings, though ephemeral items such as programs, a Christmas cards, advertising cards, stamps, and ticket stubs are also present. The programs concern events held in England around 1880-1881. A group of ephemeral items, several clippings, and some visual materials relate to steamship travel and the St. Clair Tunnel Company. Also included are a copy of Horace W. Henshaw's will, a brief biography of Henshaw, and condolence letters and telegrams regarding his death in 1925. The two card photographs are portraits of Horace W. and Lily Henshaw. Other visual materials include a clipping with an image of a locomotive, clippings with printed drawings of animals, and a comic strip set on a golf course.

The scrapbook's newspaper clippings date from the early 1880s to 1958. Many are obituary notices, birth announcements, and similar articles regarding members of the Henshaw, Gaspar, and Brown families. Several items relate to Horace W. Henshaw's business career in Chicago, Illinois, and to the American Farm Products Company. A copy of the W. F. Roos Company's Daily Trade Bulletin is laid into the volume (July 22, 1905). Among the items that relate to the Civil War are a reprint of the Gettysburg Address and a facsimile reproduction of a letter from General Ulysses S. Grant to General Simon Bolivar Buckner (original dated February 16, 1862).

Collection

William Brunton journal, 1880-1885

1 volume

The William Brunton journal contains an autobiographical sketch and diary notes that Brunton, a Unitarian minister from Boston, composed for his son, Herbert Rogers Brunton, about the boy's childhood. He described his son's temperament and daily activities during his first 10 years of life.

The William Brunton journal contains an autobiographical sketch and diary notes that Brunton, a Unitarian minister from Boston, composed for his son, Herbert Rogers Brunton ("Bertie"), about the boy's childhood. He described his son's temperament and daily activities during his first 10 years of life.

The volume, entitled "Remembrances of The Early Days of Herbert Rogers Brunton," is approximately 100 pages long. Its first 17 pages consist of William Brunton's autobiographical sketch about his childhood in England and first years in the United States. He described his schooling, his early entry into the work force, his alcoholic father, and his early religious training in Manchester, England. William moved on to an examination of Herbert's personality and kept semi-regular diary entries from April 4, 1880-December 31, 1885. The diary concerns Herbert's development, primarily through anecdotes. Herbert, described by his father as a "Mother's boy," frequently traveled to the family's farm near his grandparents' home in Braintree, Vermont (purchased in March 1880), and often voiced a dislike of schooling despite frequently excelling in his studies. The diary also recounts the family's health and activities, such as Nellie's many illnesses and annual Christmas celebrations. Several personal letters, written to Herbert and to Nellie by her parents, have been bound into the second half of the volume, along with a receipt for a suit and cap from a clothing company. A few poems are posted into the later pages. Additional material includes two children's sketches, sketches "done by Mamma when you had the scarlet fever 1885," and a manuscript poem, "For His Grave."

Collection

Charles B. Armstrong diary, 1877-1880

1 volume

The Charles B. Armstrong diary details the religious aspects of a Methodist minister's daily life during the late 19th century.

The Charles B. Armstrong diary details the religious aspects of a Methodist minister's daily life in New York during the late 19th century. Armstrong composed the volume between September 1, 1877, and April 1880, and stated, "to the…interests which pertain to my work and what-ever may be [desirable] to remember…will this record be kept." The diary consists primarily of brief entries encapsulating his work in the ministry. Armstrong often mentioned ideas for sermons, including relevant Biblical passages, and occasionally transcribed longer excerpts from these sermons. Throughout this period, Armstrong was involved in many aspects of his church, and detailed church meetings, prayer meetings, and his involvement in local life; for example, he often recorded funerals he attended or at which he preached. At the end of the diary, Armstrong kept several financial records, including accounts with parishioners and lists of gifts and collections.

Other records include:
  • List of Names of Those for Whom I Pray Daily
  • Rechord of Funerals Attended at Clintonville 1878-1880 [sic]
  • Rechord of Baptism on Clintonville [Charge] 1878-8[0] [sic]
  • Marriage Rechord of Clintonville NY [1878-1880] [sic]
  • Calls Made on Clintonville Charge 1878-9
Collection

Nova Scotia diary, 1877-1879 (majority within 1877)

1 volume

The Nova Scotia diary chronicles the daily life of a carpenter and small farmer throughout much of 1877. The volume also contains several pages written in mock-African American dialect and several drawings.

The Nova Scotia diary chronicles the daily life of a carpenter and small farmer throughout much of 1877. The author began his diary on March 18, 1877, by relating his different activities at the beginning of the planting season. His crops were corn, potatoes, and turnips, and he also raised and sheared sheep. Throughout the year, the diarist reflected on various events in the life of his small, intimate community, which included many visits from neighbors, occasional picnics, and short vacations. He hosted a meeting of several "county lodge" delegates, and assisted other farmers with planting and harvesting their crops. In addition to attending Easter church services and celebrating the Queen's birthday, he noted the beginning of the 1st Provincial Expedition in Kentville, which opened in October. Though the author concluded his entries on October 21, 1877, he appended a number of births and marriages for the years 1877-1879. The final four pages of the book contain an imitation of an African American dialect, and include a caricature of two well-dressed African Americans sitting before a fireplace. Other drawings in the book include a pencil map of Shaw's Point, drawn before the construction of a railroad; a map of "Grandfather's place" previous to its 1862 sale; and floor plans for the upper and lower floors of "W Spurr's house," 1862.

Collection

Joseph E. Taylor journal, 1876

1 volume

This journal recounts Joseph E. Taylor's experiences onboard the Andrew Jackson during a voyage from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Bremen, Germany, in September 1876. Taylor illustrated his journal with pictures of the ship's sails and interior.

This journal (35 pages) recounts Joseph E. Taylor's experiences onboard the Andrew Jackson during a voyage from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Bremen, Germany, in the fall of 1876. Under the command of J. C. Bartlett, the ship left Philadelphia on September 3, 1876. The Andrew Jackson reached the English Channel on September 25 and approached Germany in early October, as Taylor composed his final journal entry. Taylor described the voyage, including events such as bird and porpoise sightings, and made notes about the Gulf Stream. The journal also includes several sketches of the ship's interior (pp. 1, 3-4), accompanied by detailed descriptions. A small printed map laid into the volume shows the "Saloon and Cabin Plan of the American Steam Ship Co.'s Steam Ships 'Pennsylvania,' 'Ohio,' 'Indiana,' 'Illinois.'"

Collection

Jalett Griffith diaries, 1875-1888

5 volumes

Jalett Griffith of Hamlin, New York, and Gobles, Michigan, kept annual diaries about his farm labor, crops, and daily activities in the 1870s and 1880s. This collection is made up of his diaries for 1875, 1877, 1883, 1885, and 1887.

Jalett Griffith of Hamlin, New York, and Gobles, Michigan, kept 5 diaries about his daily life as a farmer in 1875, 1877, 1883, 1885, and 1887. The volumes are Excelsior pocket diaries, and Griffith wrote his 1885 journal in a diary with pre-printed dates for the year 1884. Each journal begins on January 1 and ends in January or February of the following year, with extra entries written on pages intended for memoranda and accounts. The first 4 items concern Griffith's life in Hamlin, New York, and the final item is divided between his time in Hamlin and, after April 1887, in Gobles. Griffith's brief daily entries pertain to farming life and to crops such as barley, oats, beans, potatoes, and corn. He mentioned trips to Brockport, New York, visits with family members and friends, and family and local news, as well as consistently noting weather conditions. Alice Foster Griffith, Jalett's wife, wrote brief notes in at least one of the diaries, and each volume contains financial records related to farm work. A recipe for a concoction made of lard and snuff appears in the back of one volume.

Collection

Sophia Miller diary, 1875-1876

1 volume

This 242-page diary documents the daily life of Sophia "Sofa" Miller, of Albion, Michigan, from 1875 to 1876. A devout Baptist, Miller recorded her attendance at various church services and meetings, her personal religious thoughts, and copies of hymns. She also chronicled the weather, household chores, and social activities.

This 242-page diary documents the daily life of Sophia "Sofa" Miller, of Albion, Michigan, from 1875 to 1876. She frequently recorded weather observations, details about her sewing work, and social calls received and made. As a devout Baptist, much of her social life centered on attending church services, prayer meetings, and choir practices. Miller was a teacher for Sabbath School, secretary of the Albion Baptist Women's Missionary Circle, and Vice Grand for the local Rebekah's lodge. Miller's relatives were also members of the Good Templar Society for temperance.

Miller copied several letters into the diary, including two to The Herald and Torchlight (a Baptist newspaper published in Kalamazoo). She also copied a number of hymns, including "Take My Life and Let It Be" and "I am Trusting, Wholly Trusting." Major events noted include house remodeling, visiting boarders, and Miller's niece, Altha, coming to live in her house while attending Albion College. Several entries concern rumored affairs, including one involving Miller's husband. The last page of the diary shows a recipe for chocolate cake.

Collection

Eliza Ross journal, 1875

1 item

Eliza Ross wrote a daily diary for her child (or children) while traveling from Boston, Massachusetts, to Ipswich, England, on the Havilah in the fall of 1875. She commented on weather patterns, meals, aquatic animals, the ship's crew, and visits to the shore.

Eliza Ross wrote a 26-page daily diary for her child (or children) while traveling from Boston, Massachusetts, to Ipswich, England, on the Havilah from August 21, 1875-October 13, 1875. She commented on weather patterns, meals, aquatic animals, the ship's crew, and visits to the shore. The journal is written on loose pages.

Most entries focus on Ross's daily experiences and activities, and she often mentioned the meals she ate on the ship and (later) on shore. At sea and in port, Ross observed birds, fish, and dolphins, and she commented on the scenery during the Havilah's travels along Britain's southern shore. On one occasion, several men onboard caught a hawk (September 19, 1875). Ross discussed some aspects of the crew's daily routine, characterized the captain as a disciplinarian (September 29, 1875), and reported her "conclusion that a woman is no use at sea" (August 26, 1875). When the Havilah arrived at the Isles of Scilly, Ross and her traveling companion, George, telegraphed her mother to inform her of their safe arrival. Ross described the Isles of Scilly, though she did not visit the shore (September 27, 1875-September 28, 1875), and her shore excursions near Falmouth (September 29, 1875-October 1, 1875) and Ipswich (October 4, 1875-October 13, 1875).

Collection

Charles Everett Adams diaries, 1874-1940

39 items (2.25 linear feet)

The Adams collection consists of 25 diaries kept by Charles Everett Adams, M.D., describing his life from age 11 to age 77. The diaries provide details about his family, education, employment, interests, and activities, including medical school, gymnastics, forestry, and the impact of the automobile, phonograph, and radio on family life in the 1920s.

The collection consists of 25 diaries (5500 pages) written by Charles Everett Adams between 1874 and 1940. They provide a highly descriptive account of his life from age 11 to age 77, with the exception of the missing diaries of his 13 trips to Europe. The diary entries record Adam's daily activities invariably starting with a report of the weather and including his exercise; what he read, bought, and sold; people encountered; and deaths in his home town. At times he compulsively kept track of the ambient temperatures, sometimes three times a day, and of the books he read and the number of pages for each.

Of particular interest is the impact of the automobile, phonograph and radio upon Adam's life. His first automobile trip was in 1907, which he found wearing and dizzying. In 1912 he bought his own car, and by 1920 he owned two cars and his wife Carrie learned how to drive. In 1923 a phonograph entered the Adams' household and became a regular part of their evening activities until it was replaced with a radio.

The nine notebooks contain school notes, quotations, gymnastics routines, and a register of guests at summer camp. The collection also contains a report of the 50th reunion of his Bowdoin class of 1884, which graduated 25 out of a freshman class of 44. The report contains biographies of the entire class of 1884.

Collection

Charles and Ida Humphreys diary, 1874

1 volume

The Charles and Ida Humphreys diary (140 pages) chronicles the newlywed couple's vacation along the Mississippi River between March and June 1874. The diary, which contains entries composed by both Humphreys, contains commentary on life in the South during Reconstruction.

The Charles and Ida Humphreys diary (140 pages) chronicles the newlywed couple's vacation along the Mississippi River between March and June 1874. The diary, which contains entries composed by both Humphreys, contains commentary on life in the South during Reconstruction. While traveling onboard the steamer Glencoe, Charles and Ida Humphrey recorded their observations about the landscape and about the people they encountered, including black plantation workers. They also noted the region's declining economy. The Mississippi River region faced substantial flooding, and, as a consequence, the Humphreys were forced to remain in Greenville, Mississippi, for much of their trip.

Collection

Archibald Philip Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery journal, 1873

1 volume

The Archibald Philip Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery journal chronicles the future British Prime Minister's travels in the United States in 1873. Rosebery visited New York City, Salt Lake City, Chicago, Ottawa, Montréal, and Boston.

The Archibald Philip Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery, journal chronicles Rosebery's travels through the United States in 1873. He began the journal on October 1, 1873, in New York City, with a detailed description of his journey to the United States from London, via Dublin, on the Russia, "supposed to be the fastest of the Cunard ships" (p. 3). He related his experiences in detail, including a particularly vivid description of the New York Stock Exchange during the Panic of 1873 (p. 12). On October 7, Rosebery prepared to depart New York for Salt Lake City, which he reached by train five days later. During the journey, he described places and scenery, including Chicago and the Platte River (pp. 31-42). On October 14, he met Brigham Young (p. 57), and he remained in Utah until the 16th of that month. Following another transcontinental train voyage, Rosebery stayed in Chicago for two days, then left for Niagara Falls and Ottawa, Canada (pp. 79-109). He remained in Canada until November 5 (pp. 109-118), when he departed for Boston and New York (pp. 118-125). Aside from a weeklong visit to Washington, D. C., from December 2-10 (pp. 183-206), he remained in New York for the rest of his American tour. He returned to Europe on the Russia in mid-December (pp. 224-254).

Rosebery peppered his journal with descriptions and occasional commentary, but focused primarily on specific experiences and conversations. The earl met many prominent Americans during his stay in North America, including senators, Supreme Court justices, and other political figures, and described a lecture given in Brooklyn by Henry Ward Beecher (pp. 143-147). Beecher did not impress the Englishman, who called him "a buffoon without the merits of a buffoon. He has neither force nor ornateness of diction," though "after…I was introduced to him…in conversation he impressed me more favourably" (pp. 146-147). During his time in Washington, D.C., Rosebery saw "the original draught of the Declaration of Independence in Jefferson's handwriting" and a number of other important historical artifacts, and shared his opinion of a George Washington portrait (p. 202). Other notable experiences in New York included a visit to a trial, to the Tombs prison (pp. 28-30), and to "the Girls' Normal School" (p. 151).

Collection

Buttolph family collection, 1872-1924 (majority within 1872-1890)

3 volumes

The Buttolph family collection contains two diaries and an account book chronicling the experiences and expenses of Larnard D. and Florence W. Buttolph of Corfu, New York, in the late 1800s. Florence W. Buttolph's 1872 diary concerns her social life in rural New York, Larnard D. Buttolph's 1873 diary covers his experiences working in California, and an account book reflects Larnard's farm expenses between 1882 and 1890.

The Buttolph family collection contains two diaries and an account book chronicling the experiences and expenses of Larnard D. and Florence W. Buttolph of Corfu, New York, in the late 19th century. Florence's diary (80 pages), kept between March 10, 1872, and September 28, 1872, relates her social life and daily experiences, including visits to neighbors and attendance at school; she frequently helped her mother around the house, and knitted in her spare time.

The first 40 pages of Larnard’s diary contain addresses and a correspondence record, and the remainder of the volume is a daily diary kept between April 8, 1873, and January 15, 1874, reflecting his experiences traveling by train to California and working at a mill in the northern part of the state. The first few entries, dated in April, cover his transcontinental railroad trip, during which he wrote about his impressions of Iowa, Nebraska, and Wyoming. He reached California by the end of that month, and spent the remainder of the year working various jobs near Sacramento, including mill work and ranching. Though he made some money and was able to travel to San Francisco in December, he decided to return to New York in mid-January 1874.

The final item is Larnard's account book, covering farm expenses between 1882 and 1889, with a few 20th-century items laid in. The first few pages reflect the general state of his finances in 1882 and 1883, and more specific later accounts cover his transactions with local butchers, shearers, and laborers; some record purchases and others sales. Among the items laid in is a printed document for stockholders, entitled "The Pennsylvania Railroad System in 1923" (May 15, 1924).

Visual material includes an ink drawing of a bird and butterfly, as well as tintypes and other photographs of Buttolph family members and anonymous individuals.

Collection

Edward P. Smith journal, 1872

1 volume

The Edward P. Smith journal pertains to Smith's experiences in Massachusetts and England from 1871-1872. He discussed his social activities, job offers, guest sermons he delivered after becoming a licensed preacher, and his intention to visit France. He also described fellow passengers from his voyage to England in the spring of 1872, including General Daniel Sickles and the explorer Paul du Chaillu.

The Edward P. Smith journal (82 pages), written in London on May 9, 1872, contains Smith's retrospective account of his experiences in Massachusetts and England between October 1871 and the spring of 1872.

The volume begins with Smith's recollections about his voyage from England to the United States on the Aleppo in October 1871. After arriving in Massachusetts, he mentioned his theological studies, which culminated with a license to preach (p. 7). Smith preached guest sermons in multiple Massachusetts churches while attempting to find a teaching job. During a visit to Concord, Massachusetts, he commented on the town's history and prominent residents, and drew a manuscript map of its landmarks (p. 38). The Worcester County Free Institute of Industrial Science hired Smith to teach modern languages. He desired to improve his knowledge of French by travelling to Paris and he solicited advice from Harvard professors such as James Russell Lowell and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (pp. 42-43).

Smith sailed for Liverpool onboard the Adriatic in late April 1872 and described some of his fellow passengers, including General Daniel Sickles and the explorer Paul Du Chaillu, who shared stories of his travels in Africa and Scandinavia. After arriving in Liverpool, Smith continued to London, where he attended a concert at Royal Albert Hall, also attended by members of the British royal family (pp. 78-80). The journal ends mid-sentence. A 7-page manuscript essay, "Decline and Fall of the Merovingian," is laid into the volume.

Collection

Hiram B. Crosby journal, 1872

1 volume

This journal reflects the experiences of Hiram B. Crosby, a New York City lawyer, during his trip to Michigan's Upper Peninsula in the fall of 1872. As part of a prospecting party, Crosby analyzed the potential for iron mines near Iron Mountain, Michigan. He recorded his impressions of local scenery, commented on his daily activities, and described the area's Native American settlements and peoples. The volume contains 24 pen and ink drawings.

This 127-page journal reflects the experiences of Hiram B. Crosby, a New York City lawyer, during his trip to Michigan's Upper Peninsula in the fall of 1872. As part of a prospecting party, Crosby analyzed the potential for iron mines near Iron Mountain, Michigan. Crosby began the journal on September 26, 1872, as he left New York City, traveling by railroad to Menominee, Michigan, via Sandusky, Ohio, and Chicago, Illinois. While in Ohio, he visited Jay Cooke on Lake Erie's Gibraltar Island (September 30, 1872), and pasted a pressed flower from the island onto the journal's first page.

After his arrival in Menominee, Crosby joined the members of his party and together they started out for Iron Mountain, where they planned to inspect specific areas for iron mining potential. In daily journal entries, Crosby recorded details of the group's travels along the Sturgeon and Menominee Rivers, particularly regarding local scenery and people. A few days into the trip, he fell from his horse while attempting to shoot a partridge, and suffered a fractured wrist (October 4, 1872); despite his injury, the trip proceeded smoothly, aided by the expertise of local Native Americans the group hired to make camp and guide the mining party. Crosby and the others frequently traveled by canoe, and he often described the guides and local Native American settlements, particularly at "Bad Water," near Iron Mountain.

On October 10, 1872, the explorers reached Iron Mountain and proceeded to examine the area. They set out again for Menominee shortly thereafter, and reached the town on October 15. There, Crosby inquired about the prices of shipping iron ore to Cleveland by boat (October 16). From Menominee, Crosby traveled to Escanaba, Marquette, and Houghton, Michigan, before heading to Detroit, which he described in several entries in late October. Crosby wrote the final entry in Detroit on October 26, 1872.

Three items are inserted into a flap in the front cover of the journal: 2 assurance tickets for Hiram B. Crosby from the Railway Passengers Assurance Company (November 14, 1872) and an advertising card for the Douglass House in Houghton, Michigan. A printed view of Marquette, Michigan, is pasted onto page 108 of the journal.

The journal also includes 24 pencil and ink drawings depicting scenes from Crosby's travels in the Upper Peninsula. See the Additional Descriptive Data section of this finding aid for an index of the illustrations.

Collection

Charles H. Hosmer collection, 1870-1885

0.25 linear feet

The Charles H. Hosmer collection is made up of a diary (365 pages, 1877), 13 stereoscopic photographs (1872-1877), and a published volume (1870) related to the Hosmer's career as an assistant surveyor with the United States Coast Survey. The diary covers his experiences working along the Banana River in Florida and in Bar Harbor, Maine.

The Charles H. Hosmer collection is made up of a diary (365 pages, 1877), 13 stereographs (1872-1877), and a published volume (1870) related to Hosmer's career as an assistant surveyor with the United States Coast Survey.

The Diary is a partially printed Excelsior pocket diary for the year 1877, with each page devoted to one day. Hosmer wrote brief daily entries, covering his experiences on a surveying expedition along Florida's Banana River onboard the steamer Steadfast; his journeys to Bar Harbor, Maine, and Chicago, Illinois; and his daily life in Bristol, Rhode Island, between his travels.

From January to mid-May, Hosmer wrote from the Steadfast along Florida's eastern coast. He frequently visited Titusville and often recorded his successful duck hunting excursions. Entries also pertain to his hydrographical work for the United States Coast Survey, other workers onboard the ship, and Hosmer's acquaintances. He discussed his railroad journey home to Bristol, Rhode Island, various aspects of his social life, and later working journeys to Bar Harbor, Maine, and other locations. Memoranda at the back of the volume include a list of letters written by Hosmer, an address list, and tide gauge statistics recorded along the Banana River (1876 and 1877) and in Maine (undated).

A collection of 13 black-and-white Stereoscopic Photographs depict three-dimensional scenes from the southern United States and from Taunton River, Massachusetts, and Rockford, Illinois.

The scenes include:
  • Photographs of Bonaventure Cemetery, Savannah, Georgia (3 items)
  • Pavilion Hotel, Savannah, Georgia (undated)
  • Fort Sumter (1872)
  • The Charleston Hotel, Charleston, South Carolina (undated)
  • A storefront in Rockford, Illinois (undated)
  • John R. Porter residence, Rockford, Illinois (undated)
  • Surveying equipment and men at a camp near Taunton River, Massachusetts (2 items, September-October 1876)
  • Number 707 Glen House, [Littleton, New Hampshire?] (undated)
  • United States Steamship Bavataria [sic] (undated)
  • Burnham slate quarry (undated)

The Printed Publication is a copy of United States Coast Survey. Memoranda Relating to the Field-Work of the Secondary Triangulation, written by Richard D. Cutts and published by the Government Printing Office in 1870. The text includes related tables. Charles Hosmer's name is printed on the front cover. A 10-page packet of manuscript documents laid into the book, contains Hosmer's descriptions of flagstaffs and signals "Between New Rochelle and Greenwich" (3 pages); tables recording several geographical positions with brief copied notes from G. Bradford (6 pages, June 1885 and undated); and a letter to Charles Hosmer from C. O. Bontelle of the C. & G. Survey (1 page, June 1, 1885). Bontelle's letter contains a small diagram showing old and new Bessel data lines, used in surveying.

Collection

Robert Dayton Williams journal, 1870

1 volume

The Robert Dayton Williams journal recounts the author's voyage to Europe on the steamer Australia in September 1870. Williams described stormy weather, seasickness, daily activities, and navigation errors during the ship's passage from New York to Glasgow. The journal entries are accompanied by ink drawings.

The R. Dayton Williams journal (21 pages), entitled "Yankee Vandals Abroad, or Our Trip to Europe," is an account of the author's voyage from Albany, New York, to Glasgow, Scotland, from September 15, 1870-October 1, 1870.

The journal begins with a 2-page preface in which Williams pays tribute to the advances in nautical travel between the 1770s and 1870s and explains his reasons for visiting the British Isles. The account opens with the Williams' trip from Albany to New York, accompanied by family members, and their search for Anna's trunk on the day they were to set sail; a humorous poem recounts the latter episode. The preface and opening remarks are followed by daily entries dated September 17, 1870-October 1, 1870, during the Australia's time at sea. The opening lines of many entries, including the preface, are colored or otherwise illustrated. Illustrations (see list below) accompany most of the entries.

During the transatlantic journey, Williams commented on the food, the scenery, and his pastimes, which included games of quoits and backgammon with the captain and other passengers. Early in the voyage, the ship encountered stormy seas, which resulted in flooded passenger cabins, injuries to members of the ship's crew, and prolonged seasickness. Williams described cod fishermen along the Grand Banks of Newfoundland and compared the Anchor Line's ships with the faster vessels of the Cunard Line. Entries often report the distance the Australia had traveled and the remaining distance to Derry, Ireland, the ship's first destination. On September 29, Williams mentioned the captain's recent navigational error, which led to confusion about the ship's current position and course; the mishap resulted in a slight delay, though the course was later corrected. In his entry of September 30, Williams recalled the Hibernia, an Anchor Line steamer that had remained missing for four weeks after being blown to sea in a gale off the coasts of Ireland and Scotland. The same day, the Australia reached Derry and soon left for Glasgow, where Williams and his wife disembarked on October 1. A printed drawing of the Australia and a newspaper clipping about the Williams' journey are pasted into the first page of regular entries, and the entry of September 30 contains a table of observed latitude and longitude for September 19, [1870]-September 28, [1870].

List of pen and ink drawings (excluding embellished text)
  • Two men searching for Anna Williams's trunk at the Wescott's Express freight office (page 7)
  • A man and a woman on the deck of the Australia (page 7)
  • Log floating at sea (page 8)
  • Australia and other ships engulfed by stormy seas (page 9)
  • The Williams' stateroom on the Australia (page 10)
  • A man "Before and After Sea Sickness" (page 11)
  • Codfish (page 11)
  • Rings and target from game of quoits (page 12)
  • "Cod Fishing on the New Foundland Banks" [sic] (page 13)
  • Driftwood board (page 13)
  • "Mr Brown's Circus Blanket," a colorful coat (page 14)
  • "Forecastle Passengers" (page 17)
  • Sounding line (page 19)
  • Map of British Isles and coast of Holland, Belgium, and France, showing the Australia's erroneous and corrected courses (page 20)
Collection

Amanda Easterday diary, 1869-1876 (majority within 1869)

1 volume

This diary chronicles the daily experiences and personal reflections of Amanda C. Easterday, a young woman who lived near Middletown, Maryland, in 1869. Easterday reflected on her loneliness and discussed her activities, which included prayer meetings and apple picking.

This diary (109 pages) chronicles the daily experiences and personal reflections of Amanda C. Easterday, a young woman who lived near Middletown, Maryland, in 1869. Easterday reflected on her loneliness and discussed her activities, which included prayer meetings and apple picking.

Daily entries cover April 25, 1869-November 15, 1869, and two later entries document Easterday's wedding on April 25, 1876. Easterday frequently opened entries with a weather report, which sometimes affected her outlook on the day. She attended prayer meetings and other social events in Frederick, Maryland, and mentioned the "little fellow" who often accompanied her on her way home. Though she had visits from friends, she often mentioned her loneliness and other melancholy emotions. Other experiences included seeing "the red men turn out" (p. 17), reading "The Red Knife; or, Kit Carson's Last Trail" (p. 26), and apple picking during the fall harvest (p. 66). Two later notes, dated April 25, 1876, and April 26, 1876, concern Easterday's wedding, including a list of guests in attendance (p. 109).

Collection

S. Jane Hayward diary, 1869-1872

1 volume

Sarah Jane Hayward of Gilsum, New Hampshire, kept this diary between January 1, 1869, and December 31, 1872. In almost-daily entries, she commented on various aspects of her life, including social visits, religious meetings, and her work at a textile mill.

Sarah Jane Hayward of Gilsum, New Hampshire, kept this diary between January 1, 1869, and December 31, 1872. In almost-daily entries, she commented on social visits, religious meetings, and her work at a textile mill.

Hayward worked at two textile mills, having quit her previous job for a position at "Collins' Mill" in June 1870, where she worked at a tricot loom. She commented on female millworkers and noted the days on which she, or other women, found substitutes. In August 1872, she mentioned the effects of a dispute over three workers who had been fired; later, most of the mill's German employees left work. Much of Hayward's diary pertains to her social life, which included frequent visits to, and from, friends and family members. She often interacted with a "Mr. Learoyd" (possibly her future husband) and, in September 1872, discussed her efforts to discourage an unwanted suitor. Though she considered his marriage offer, she believed that his children would make too much noise for her mother to bear (September 20, 1872). When community residents died, Hayward noted their ages and death dates. She and her mother hosted and attended prayer meetings, occasionally all-female, and Hayward frequently recorded the subjects of church sermons she attended, relevant Bible verses, and the names of the pastors. On one occasion, Hayward described an interaction with an itinerant woman: after she and her mother took the woman in, Hayward discovered that a gold pin of hers had gone missing (November 16, 1869). Following the diary are 4 pages of quotations and poetry on various subjects, including religion and marriage.

Collection

Willard T. Perrin diary, 1869

1 volume

Willard T. Perrin kept this pocket diary while attending Harvard University in 1869. Perrin wrote about daily activities such socializing with friends and family, attending church, playing baseball, and traveling around Massachusetts.

Willard T. Perrin kept this pocket diary while attending Harvard University in 1869. The diary contains supplemental printed information and labeled sections for each date, laid out 3 entries to a page. Perrin wrote irregularly throughout the year; the final pages contain additional notes and memorandums such as addresses, a debate question, an illustrated geometry problem, and Perrin's body measurements.

Most of Perrin's entries pertain to his social life and activities, such as Sunday school and services in Methodist, Congregational, and Unitarian churches. He frequently visited with members of his family and sometimes traveled to Waltham, Lowell, and other Massachusetts towns, often as a member of Harvard's baseball team; the diary records several results from games in which Perrin participated. Perrin sometimes noted events of interest such as a birthday party for his 80-year-old aunt (January 16, 1869), a viewing of the Aurora Borealis (April 15, 1869), the National Peace Jubilee and the dedication of a soldier's monument (July 15-20, 1869), and the inauguration of Charles W. Eliot as President of Harvard University (October 19, 1869).

Collection

Ohio Bookseller's diary, 1869

1 volume

The Ohio Bookseller's diary chronicles the experiences of a travelling book salesman in southwestern Ohio during the early months of 1869. He also recorded accounts, poetry, and quotations throughout the year.

The Ohio Bookseller's diary chronicles the experiences of a travelling salesman in southwestern Ohio during the early months of 1869; he also recorded accounts, poetry, and quotations throughout the year. The author consistently wrote brief daily entries between January 1 and March 8, 1869, chiefly noting his efforts to make sales, often with little success. The diarist faithfully recorded the names of acquaintances with whom he stayed, and mentioned seeing several old college friends during his time in Yellow Springs. Daily entries ended on March 8, 1869, though the author occasionally added accounts, often related to corn, as well as poetry and quotations. On one date, he drew a a music staff, labeled with note names, and recorded facts about the Bible and about the death of George Washington.

Collection

William Quitman Wilkins diary, 1869

1 volume

William Quitman Wilkins kept this daily diary from January 1, 1869, through April 27, 1869, largely while attending medical school at the University of Louisiana and receiving clinical training at the Charity Hospital of New Orleans. He reported on case studies, operations, recommended treatments, pharmaceuticals, post mortem examinations, tests, and other aspects of his education. Wilkins also reported on his evening and weekend social activities, including attendance at concerts, operas, "varieties," Mardi Gras, and other events.

William Quitman Wilkins' kept this daily diary from January 1, 1869, through April 27, 1869, largely while attending medical school at the University of Louisiana (now Tulane University) and receiving clinical training at the Charity Hospital of New Orleans. He reported on case studies, operations, recommended treatments, pharmaceuticals, post mortem examinations, tests, and other aspects of his education. Wilkins kept his diary in a pre-printed "Patent Self Closing Diary for 1869."

The physicians he studied under included Drs. Frank Hawthorn, J. D. or S. M. Bemiss, Stanford E. Chaille, Warren Stone, and others. Examples of conditions represented in Wilkins' notes include dysentery "from alcoholic poison," pneumonia, typhoid, gangrene of the penis, delirium tremens from the use of opium, malaria, syphilis, constipation, chorea (in a ten year old), opium poisoning, suffocation from hemorrhage, and other ailments. He also wrote of smallpox vaccination and amputations. In one instance, he witnessed an African American woman's operation for "skirrus" (i.e. scirrhous) cancer of the breast (February 27).

In the evenings and on weekends, he attended concerts, "varieties," operas, and plays. He met Tom Thumb and visited Henry Clay's monument on Canal Street (January 9), watched James Robinson & Son (January 18), attended a performance of Fire Fly (January 21), assisted in the wedding of his aunt Sallie and uncle John (January 28), reported on Mardi Gras (February 9), and witnessed the Fireman's Festival and Parade (March 4).

W. Q. Wilkins had apparently received a gunshot wound in his leg/hip and toward the end of the term he underwent surgery to remove bone fragments (March 12). He left New Orleans on March 18, and arrived home in Oxford, Mississippi, the next day. After his arrival, he suffered for weeks with chills, a fever, and leg abscesses. During this time, he briefly mentioned family visitors, reading, taking invoices of drugs, and much bedrest. On April 3, Dr. Isom (possibly Dr. Thomas Dudley Isom [1816-1902]) removed two more bone fragments from his leg. By April 27, his health had improved and he began to study his textbooks once again.

The final 24 pages of the diary contain notes for one of Dr. Chaille's tests, lists of medicines, Medical Association of Lafayette County's fees for various medical treatments, names and addresses, and other notes.