Collections

Henry Foster, a native of Sturbridge, Massachusetts, kept a diary (74 pages) while serving in a provincial regiment during the French and Indian War. Foster regularly composed diary entries between May 27 and October 29, 1758, while stationed in eastern New York. The volume also includes 10 pages of accounts kept by Abner Hubbard of Norwich, Vermont, whose daughter married Henry Foster's son.

Henry Foster, a native of Sturbridge, Massachusetts, kept a diary (74 pages) while serving in a provincial regiment during the French and Indian War. Foster regularly composed diary entries between May 27 and October 29, 1758, while stationed in eastern New York. The collection also includes 10 pages of financial accounts kept by Abner Hubbard of Norwich, Vermont, whose daughter married Henry Foster's son.

Henry Foster's diary consists of a chronological journal, with notes, fragments, and penmanship and mathematics exercises. He added several sections by sewing pages into the diary.

The diary primarily covers the period between May and October 1758, with one entry dated November 1758. Foster left his home in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, in late May 1758, and served with his regiment near Albany, Fort Edward, and Lake George, New York. He described life in camp, which included loading wagons and marching. He saw French prisoners of war, and described skirmishes, ambushes, and other encounters with the enemy. Foster wrote about his march to Lake George in the days before the Battle of Carillon (Battle of Ticonderoga), about the death and embalming of Lord George Howe (July 7, 1758), and about the engagement on July 8, 1758. An entry dated July 28, 1758, describes an ambush of a British convoy, which included women and children, near Fort Edward.

Foster was stationed at Diamond Island in Lake George, New York, throughout much of the summer of 1758. He noted the deaths of some soldiers due to drowning, and remarked about the weather, sick and wounded soldiers, punishments for crimes committed by soldiers, food, and other aspects of daily life. One page of the diary contains the first part of a letter written on February 2, 1757.

Abner Hubbard's accounts contain personal financial records that he kept while living in Norwich, Vermont, between 1808 and 1812. Most reflect his purchases of corn, food, and horse-related items. At least one man paid a debt to Hubbard with labor.

The Henry Foster diary and Abner Hubbard accounts are accompanied by Hubbard's leather wallet, in which the papers were originally housed.

A diary (Jan. 1, 1862-Apr. 30, 1863) kept while he was serving in Company D, 9th Michigan Infantry as corporal and sergeant (1861-1864), mostly in Tennessee. The brief entries tell of guard and picket duty and other daily activities in camp and on the march, of an occasional skirmish with the enemy, the weather, and church attendance. He also describes the battlefield of Stones River. Also includes miscellaneous papers relating to his military service and an address to the Grange, ca. 1870.

The journal of Henry Hayes, a surgeon with the 3rd U.S. Heavy Artillery, includes accounts of his activities and observations, as well as essays on natural theology, dreams, and hymns.

The Hayes diary is a very slender accounting of Henry Hayes' service with the 3rd U.S. Heavy Artillery (Colored), but contains a fine description of the botched execution of Thomas Martin Smith, found guilty of perjury and treason, the execution of three soldiers for the brutal rape of a woman, some brief comments on the gaudy dress and rudeness of African-American women, and a description of the accidental shooting death of the camp photographer. Hayes also included two rough sketches: a plan of the officers' quarters at Fort Pickering (overlooking the Mississippi River) and a sketch of the front view of those quarters.

The book in which Hayes' diary was kept had apparently once been used by him to take notes during a medical course at Dartmouth. It contains a 28 page essay on natural theology and the animal and vegetable world, plus a 3 page essay on dreams and foresight, and a 5 page essay to the "Editor, Musical World" on hymns.

Flint, Michigan industrialist; governor of Michigan, 1865-1868. Correspondence concerning land speculations, lumbering, and political activities; correspondence of his son primarily relating to estate and land holdings; speeches, notes and other papers detailing his gubernatorial administration; deeds and other papers concerning land purchases in Ohio, Iowa, and Michigan; newspaper clippings, biographical material and obituaries; journals, diaries, notebooks, letter book, political scrapbook, 1866-1869, executive journal of state of Michigan, 1865-1867, farm records and accounts; and photographs.

The Crapo papers have been arranged into the following series: Correspondence; Personal and Biographical; Political; Business records; and Miscellaneous (mainly financial). The collection relates primarily to the career of Henry H. Crapo with the files dating after 1869 pertaining to the business activities and political activities of his son W. W. Crapo.

In 1992, the bulk of the Crapo papers was microfilmed. This finding aid begins with a listing of the contents of the microfilm followed by a container listing of those portions of the collection which were not microfilmed. For reasons of preservation, the researcher should use the microfilm copy. Access to the original materials will be limited to the unmicrofilmed portions of the Crapo papers.

Henry Jackson McCord (1827-1917) was a California Forty-Niner who later fought in the Civil War with the 111th Ohio Volunteers, 1862-1865. His journals include two diaries describing his trip to California in 1849, a diary describing a return trip from San Francisco in 1853, and a duty roster from 1864.

The journals of Henry Jackson McCord include two diaries describing his trip to California in 1850, a diary describing a return trip from San Francisco in 1853, and a duty roster from 1864. The first, a diary and commonplace book, contains a few sketchy notes about the trip to California, some quotations, accounts, and lists of names. A second journal is a long account of McCord's voyage to California in the brig Orleans, in which he writes daily descriptions, and later account entries. The third journal has entries for the return trip from California by ship, but it is much shorter than the journal he kept on the outgoing voyage. A final journal contains accounts and duty rosters for 1864, during McCord's service with the 111th Ohio Volunteers in the Civil War.

The Henry J. McCance notebook chronicles the Irish businessman's tour of France (1849), business affairs in Belfast (1850-1851), and journey to New York City (1851). He noted specific events and sights from his travels and described the textile industry of the mid-19th century.

The Henry J. McCance notebook chronicles the Irish businessman's tour of France (1849), business affairs in Belfast (1850-1851), and journey to New York City (1851). An inscription in the front of the volume, dated August 1, 1849, reads, "Note Book of sayings & doings & General Memoranda." McCance first discussed his visit to Tours, France, where he saw President Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, whom he described (August 1, 1849), and also commented on his tour of the Colonie de Mettray, a juvenile prison (August 30, 1849). Additionally, he wrote out several recipes (September 3, 1849), though he made few entries the rest of the year. By January 1851, he had returned to Belfast, where he made observations on the textile industry, particularly in relation to the production of flax (January 3, 1851), and discussed business matters. On June 29, 1851, he embarked for the United States onboard the Africa. The remainder of the journal concerns his time sightseeing and working in and around New York City. Though he required time to adapt to local mannerisms, he enjoyed the Fourth of July celebrations (July 4, 1851) and visited sights around the city, including a rejuvenated neighborhood formerly known as a hotbed of crime (July 12, 1851). By late summer, he began to long for Ireland. On September 8, Henry expressed his desire to go home, and arranged for passage to Ireland. Two days later, he was convinced by others to seek business opportunities in the South, and he gave up his berth on the City of Glasgow (September 11, 1851). Henry’s entries in the notebook end abruptly on September 29, 1851.

The journal contains a pencil sketch of a man with a pickaxe (August 30, 1849), and a brief poem, signed H.J. McC., written in the back of the volume, November 17, 1849.

Henry P. Skinner of Hudson, New York, kept these 4 journals (approximately 6.5" x 8" and 200 pages each) between 1817 and 1824. In brief daily entries, Skinner recorded aspects of his everyday life, including his social activities, church attendance, and household expenses.

Henry P. Skinner of Hudson, New York, kept these 4 journals (approximately 6.5" x 8" and 200 pages each) between 1817 and 1824. Skinner wrote daily journal entries throughout much of his adult life, documenting his everyday experiences and expenses as an artisan and as head of household. He often mentioned his children and his wife Mary, and frequently attended religious services and social events. His occasional travels to New York City via the Hudson River are also briefly documented.

• 1818 July 6. Seeing a military salute to Major General Richard Montgomery as his remains were transported down the Hudson River by steamship (on their way from Quebec to New York City)
• 1818 October 30. Viewing John Trumbull's painting of the Declaration of Independence and a panoramic view of Paris in New York City
• 1822 October 13 and 1823 April 6. Hearing sermons delivered by African American preachers
• 1823 April 7. Seeing a man who was attempting to gradually lighten his skin
• 1824 September 16-17. Seeing Lafayette on his Grand Tour

Skinner recorded daily expenses, which often included food purchases and charitable donations, in the right margin of each page of the journal,. He compiled his total expenses annually, broken down by month. Skinner also recorded methods for preserving eggs, making a wash for plaster and stucco, and varnishing paper.

School teacher, Michigan Superintendent of Public Instruction; correspondence, subject files, photographs.

The collection is comprised of three series: Correspondence, Other Papers; and Photographs. Included in the collection are scrapbooks, diaries, autograph books, and other materials relating to his public life and various travels. The photographs include portraits of Pattengill and Pattengill family members; group portraits of reunions of students taught by Pattengill in Ithaca, Michigan; and a photo of the Pattengill home in Lansing, Michigan.

The collection includes two diaries, for 1864 and 1865. In the 1864 diary, Dean tells of directing and supervising men in erecting and operating sawmills and building storehouses, hospitals, bridges, etc. around Lookout Mountain and Chattanooga. He also writes of the move from there to the siege of Atlanta and the occupation of Atlanta; of deserters, prisoners, destruction of railroads, regimental inspections, and camp life in general; and of the return march to Chattanooga in six and one-half days. The 1865 diary (Jan.-June), kept while he was in Chattanooga, tells about the weather, building barracks, duties, social activities, the surrender of Lee, death of Lincoln, and mustering out. Also includes miscellaneous citations, commissions, legal documents relating to his military service and his work as regent, and a statement (notarized by Dean) of Victor C. Vaughan pertaining to the Douglas-Rose dispute, 1878.

The Henry Wight Diman collection is made up of correspondence, school essays, personal reading lists, and photographs related to Diman, a graduate of Brown University who later became United States Consul to Portugal.

The Henry Wight Diman collection is made up of correspondence (58 items), a diary, school essays (39 items), personal reading lists (7 items), and photographs (4 items) related to Diman, a graduate of Brown University who later became United States Consul to Portugal.

The Correspondence series (58 items) contains incoming and outgoing letters related to Henry Wight Diman, including many that he wrote and received while attending Brown University in the early 1850s. His most frequent correspondents were his brother, J. Lewis Diman, and his father, Byron Diman, who wrote from Newport and Bristol, Rhode Island. Henry Diman wrote about his college experiences and his leisure activities in Providence. Other correspondence includes letters to Henry Wight Diman from his cousin, Georgia Alden, a letter that he wrote to his father about his travels on the "Great Western Road" (April 21, 1856), and letters that he wrote while living and traveling in Portugal (August 1, 1864) and Morocco (April 10, 1865). In one undated letter, Henry's cousin Fannie commented on her anticipation of the end of the Civil War and her work at a military hospital.

The Diary belonged to Henry Wight Diman's mother, Abby Alden Wight Diman, who wrote daily entries between January 1, 1843-March 27, 1843. She discussed her social life, family news, church attendance, and other daily activities, such as the family's attendance at medical lectures from January 2-4.

The Essays series (39 items) contains academic essays that Henry Wight Diman composed while attending school in Bristol, Rhode Island, and Brown University. The early writings, written in the mid-1840s, are primarily descriptive. Diman's later compositions, particularly those from his collegiate studies, concern literature, Roman history, German history, British history, death, and the plays of William Shakespeare. Diman wrote a satirical piece entitled "The Cow Convention" for the [Bristol?] Phoenix (undated). The series includes a list of essay subjects for the 1854 spring term at Brown University.

The Book Lists series (7 items) concerns suggested readings in science, history, religion, travelogues, and biography. Others concern poetry, drama, and novels. One item is a list of books that Henry Wight Diman owned in 1840.

The Photographs series is comprised of 4 cartes-de-visite taken in Porto, Portugal, in the mid-1860s. Two portray Henry Wight Dimon in 1864 and 1865, and 2 depict Portuguese women.