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This collection is primarily made up of Benson J. Lossing's incoming and outgoing correspondence concerning his writings about and interest in numerous subjects in American history. Essays, newspaper clippings, and ephemera are also included.

This collection is primarily made up of Benson J. Lossing's incoming and outgoing correspondence (179 items, 1850-1904) concerning his writings about and interest in numerous subjects in American history. Essays, newspaper clippings, and ephemera are also included (18 items, 1849- ca. 1884).

The Correspondence series (179 items) mostly contains incoming letters to Lossing about his career as a historian. Some writers thanked Lossing for sending them copies of his books or otherwise commented on his works, such as his Pictorial Field-Book of the War of 1812. Others offered biographical details on historical figures, notes on family genealogies, and information about historical events. Some older correspondents provided firsthand accounts of events, and other writers shared information about potential primary source material. The American Revolutionary era and War of 1812 were common topics, though at least one letter was written during the Civil War. Historical figures discussed included John André and Oliver Hazard Perry; one man wrote about busts of George Washington at Mount Vernon. Some authors enclosed newspaper clippings in their letters, and two made drawings: one of an unidentified building (June 2, 1851) and one of the grave of James Ross (May 11, 1852). One letter from a publisher postdates Lossing's death.

Benson Lossing wrote occasional letters about his work, and at least one of his letters contains a printed form letter requesting historical information.

The Writings and Biographical Sketches (8 items) are brief essays about historical topics, mostly in Benson J. Lossing's handwriting. Subjects include copied inscriptions from a monument marking the Battle of Red Bank and biographies of Colonel Anthony White, William H. Winder, and Alexander Lillington. One item is a copied "Parole of Honor," with Lossing's added notes on some of its signers. Two signed manuscript drafts of articles include "The British Flag and the American Sailor Boy," which was later published as "Anna Van Antwerp and John Van Arsdale" in the Christian Union, and "Mr. Lincoln A Statesman," which appeared in Osborn H. Oldroyd's The Lincoln Memorial: Album-Immortelles. An essay about William H. Winder is attributed to Mrs. A. W. Townsend of Oyster Bay, New York.

The Printed Items series (10 items) is comprised of programs, newspaper clippings, obituaries, a chapter in a published volume, and engravings. One clipping is a reprint of an article written by Benson J. Lossing.

The Hubert S. Smith Naval Letters and Documents collection is made up of individual manuscripts relating to naval and commercial maritime operations.

The Hubert S. Smith Naval Letters and Documents collection is made up of over 380 manuscript letters and documents relating to maritime military, commercial, financial, and legal subjects from the 15th to the 20th centuries, primarily concerning Great Britain and America. The collection includes materials relating to Continental European wars, the American Revolution, the African slave trade, the Civil War, and exploratory ventures. The collection also reflects day-to-day ship operations and naval employment, diplomacy, marine technology, the purchase and sale of ships, insurance, and publications and books relating to maritime affairs. While primarily focused on English and American navies, the contributors discuss a wide variety of places, including continental Europe, the Baltic region, Russia, Asia, Turkey, South America, and Africa.

Timothy Green and William Elijah Green composed 55 essays, orations, dialogues, and other prose works while attending the College of Rhode Island (now Brown University) in the late 18th century. Their work concerns politics, history, morality and ethics, and other subjects.

Timothy Green and William Elijah Green composed 56 essays, orations, dialogues, and other prose works while attending the College of Rhode Island (now Brown University) in the late 18th century. Their work concerns politics, history, morality and ethics, and other subjects.

Timothy Green wrote 26 essays and other compositions in the mid-1780s, and William Green wrote 30 items in the late 1790s. Almost all of the items are annotated drafts with the authors' corrections. Some items are hand-sewn groups of several pages, which sometimes contain multiple compositions. William Green's material includes 6 versions of an essay about the human desire for fame; he also occasionally wrote about education, particularly of young children, and composed a dialogue concerning topics including gender relations, marriage, money, and education. Both brothers considered topics related to morality and ethics, such as jealousy, order, fear, and idleness. Timothy Green commented on the American Revolution and related political issues, including the Revolution's effect on Europe; 2 of his writings concern language and linguistics. The collection also contains a letter that Timothy Green wrote to his father (June 1784).

The collection's donor has arranged, transcribed, and annotated each document, and has provided detailed descriptions of each group of materials in the collection.

This collection is made up of letters and essays related to William Williams of Utica, New York, and to his sons, Samuel Wells Williams and William Frederick Williams. The elder William composed 6 letters to family members and a series of 6 narrative essays about childhood, religion, and travel experiences (including visits to War of 1812 battle sites). Samuel Wells Williams wrote from China, where he worked as a missionary in the mid-1830s. William Frederick Williams wrote extensively of his life in Lebanon and travels throughout the Middle East in 1850 and 1851.

This collection is made up of letters and essays related to William Williams of Utica, New York, and to his sons, Samuel Wells Williams and William Frederick Williams. The elder William Williams composed 6 letters to family members as well as a series of 6 narrative essays about childhood, religion, and travel experiences (including visits to War of 1812 battle sites). Samuel Wells Williams wrote from China, where he worked as a missionary in the mid-1830s. William Frederick Williams wrote extensively of his life in Lebanon and travels throughout the Middle East in 1850 and 1851.

William Williams of Utica and Tonawanda, New York, wrote 6 letters to family members between 1808 and 1839. His earliest correspondence, June 30 and July 11, 1808 (copied at a later date), is addressed to his sister Martha and describes his recent conversion to Presbyterianism. William wrote two letters to his children, Samuel Wells, Henry Dwight, and William Frederick Williams. The first, written during a trip from Utica to Philadelphia, provides his impressions of Schenectady, Albany, and Philadelphia, with historical commentary on the American Revolution (May 25, 1821). He also wrote his sons from Tonawanda, New York, about a recent legal case concerning a 10-year-old boy whose body had been discovered in the Niagara River (July 5, 1825). Other correspondence includes a letter Sophia W. Williams wrote to her cousin Martha Wells of Detroit, Michigan (June 2, 1830); a letter William wrote to Mrs. John Williams on January 4, 1835, offering his condolences after the death of the recipient's daughter Mary; and a letter William wrote to Henry Dwight Williams and his wife Martha (June 10, 1839).

William Williams, a War of 1812 veteran, also composed a series of 6 numbered essays (26 pages total) about childhood and travel experiences, which he sent to his wife. Essay number 4 is dated November 9, 1819.

• No. 1. Autumn
• No. 2. The Snow storm
• No. 3. The Landscape
• No. 4. Clyde Bridge
• No. 5. Queenston Heights
• No. 6. Lundy's Lane

Samuel Wells Williams wrote extensive letters to his family and friends while serving as a missionary in Canton, China (now Guangzhou), between 1834 and 1836. He commented on local people and customs, and on current events, such as Lord Napier's efforts to increase British trade to the country and conflicts between natives and foreigners. He also described local religious customs and scenery (including the city of Macau). Williams also penned a 21-page letter to his mother while traveling in Egypt, Lebanon, and Palestine in May 1845.

William Frederick Williams composed a 59-page composite letter while working in Beirut, Lebanon, and traveling in the Middle East (April 4, 1850-August 27, 1850). He described the city and scenery, and commented on local religious and secular customs, Greek Orthodox holidays, interactions with Muslim children, and slavery. The letter includes several drawings of bridges and architectural features he saw in Beirut and the surrounding region. Williams wrote similar letters about his Middle Eastern experiences in April and May 1851, totaling over 40 pages.

The William Williams family papers were previously bound, but arrived at the Clements Library disassembled. The original covers remain in the collection, with the bookplates of Frederick Wells Williams and R. S. Williams.