Collections

This collection is made up of a letter, drawings, maps, and newspaper clippings related to David Wyrick's discovery of inscribed stones in a Native American burial mound near Newark, Ohio, in 1860.

This collection is made up of a letter, drawings, maps, and a newspaper clipping related to David Wyrick's discovery of inscribed stones in an Indian burial mound near Newark, Ohio, in 1860. The items were once bound together under the title "Hebrew Inscriptions alleged to have been dug up in Ohio, U.S.A." Wyrick wrote an 8-page letter to William Brockie, editor of The Sunderland Times, on September 8, 1860, about his archaeological exploits. He recounted his actions on June 29, 1860, the day of his discovery, describing the Newark burial mounds and the Hebrew-inscribed "Keystone" he discovered there. Wyrick addressed the possibility that he had been the victim of a hoax, but ultimately expressed his belief that the stone was a genuine ancient artifact, possibly a relic of one of the Lost Tribes of Israel. His letter also refers to the draining of a nearby artificial pond, the durability of the logs located on its floor, and the discovery of several skeletons in a burial mound.

Wyrick's letters contain references to enclosed drawings and maps (which are present in the collection). Four colored drawings include two- and three-dimensional views of each of the Keystone's four inscribed faces, a diagram of the burial mound where Wyrick unearthed the artifact, and a cross-section of a mound containing several skeletons. Three of the manuscript maps are overhead views of the Newark earthworks, including copies of maps by Caleb Atwater (1820) and Squier and Davis (1848), and Wyrick's own detailed map (1860). A final manuscript map is a view of an artificial lake near Utica, Ohio (undated). Some of the visual materials have lengthy captions written on the verso.

The final items in the Wyrick collection are two newspaper clippings published in The Sunderland Times on October 6, 1860, regarding the Wyrick excavation. One article reprints several lengthy quotations from Wyrick's letter to William Brockie, and the other contains translations of the stone's Hebrew inscriptions.

The George A.C. Barnett papers consists of a set of letters written to a woman named "Dotty" between November 30, 1864, and December 25, 1864, while Barnett was serving as 1st Lieutenant in the 17th New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry.

The correspondence of George A.C. Barnett consists of a set of 27 letters written to a woman named "Dotty" between the dates of November 30, 1864, and December 25, 1864. The letters were written from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Just as Barnett arrived in Tennessee, the railroad was cut, making it impossible to send or receive mail. As a result, Barnett collected his daily correspondence, numbered each page, and eventually sent the batch of letters as a collected work. The letters, totaling 192 pages, describe Barnett's daily activities, thoughts, and feelings.

A small printed etching of the Three Graces is affixed to the November 30th letter. Pen and ink drawings illustrate the letters of December 18th (a man in tall boots), 19th (a pair of elegant "breeches"), and 20th (a horse).

The collection consists of twenty-one illustrated letters written by Hank Hanft around 1919 to his approximately five-year-old brother Robbie, likely in or near Wisconsin. The letters were written using block letters, likely to assist a young child's ability to read them, and feature the use of pencil, crayon, and watercolors to produce drawings and paintings. The illustrations include scenes of fishing, farming, and hunting, and objects such as animals and plants, boats, and household and agricultural goods. Hank also wrote moralizing stories, often about animals or children.

The collection consists of twenty-one illustrated letters written by Hank Hanft around 1919 to his approximately five-year-old brother Robbie, likely in or near Wisconsin. The letters were written using block letters, likely to assist a young child's ability to read them, and feature the use of pencil, crayon, and watercolors to produce drawings and paintings. The illustrations include scenes of fishing, farming, and hunting, and objects such as animals and plants, boats, and household and agricultural goods.

Hank also wrote moralizing stories, often about animals or children, with lessons such as, "Never Be Late," "Always Go to Sunday School," "When You Fight, Soak the Other Boy, But Don't Talk and Swear About It," among others. Two items relate to witches, one a watercolor painting of a Halloween scene with a witch flying on a broomstick and the other a short story about an old lady who refused to eat and turned into a witch. Only one letter is dated in the collection, written from Hank to his father on May 3, 1919, requesting financial support to cover housing costs, suggesting Hank may have been a young adult or attending school away from home.