Collections

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.

This collection is made up of 26 letters (59 pages) from George Anson to William Lee, while the men served in the British Army between 1789 and 1795. Anson largely wrote while serving as an officer in the 16th Light Dragoons and 20th Jamaica Light Dragoons. He wrote primarily from Shugborough in Staffordshire, England, and Spanish Town, Jamaica (1792-1794). His letters pertain to recruiting for dragoon regiments, the dangerous climate of Jamaica, the jarring death of a friend from fever, horses in military service, promotions, jocular banter, and the movement of troops to Santo Domingo as part of British involvement in the Haitian Revolution. He wrote candidly and crudely about sexual activity, London prostitution and brothels, prostitution at Spanish Town, Black women in Jamaica, and the sexual and alcohol-related exploits of his recipient and friends also serving in dragoon regiments. Two letters reference Elizabeth Weldon and Viscount Dungarvan in early 1791.

This collection is made up of 26 letters (59 pages) from George Anson to William Lee, while the men served in the British Army between 1789 and 1795. Anson largely wrote while serving as an officer in the 16th Light Dragoons and 20th Jamaica Light Dragoons. He wrote primarily from Shugborough in Staffordshire, England, and Spanish Town, Jamaica (1792-1794). His letters pertain to recruiting for dragoon regiments, the dangerous climate of Jamaica, the jarring death of a friend from fever, horses in military service, promotions, jocular banter, and the movement of troops to Santo Domingo as part of British involvement in the Haitian Revolution. He wrote candidly and crudely about sexual activity, London prostitution and brothels, prostitution at Spanish Town, Black women in Jamaica, and the sexual and alcohol-related exploits of his recipient and friends also serving in dragoon regiments. Two letters reference Elizabeth Weldon and Viscount Dungarvan in early 1791.

Please see the box and folder listing for descriptions and details about each letter in the collection.

The Mackay and Vansittart family collection is made up of correspondence, legal documents, financial records, and maps regarding legal and financial disputes over land in Edinburgh, Scotland, and Ontario, Canada. The cases involved Mary Charity Vansittart, the daughter of Admiral Henry Vansittart, and her husband, Spencer Mackay.

The Mackay papers (48 items) are made up of correspondence, legal documents, financial records, and maps regarding disputes over land in Edinburgh, Scotland, and Ontario, Canada.

The Correspondence series (30 items) includes letters written by and addressed to Mary Vansittart Mackay, as well as letters by and to other interested parties, including Meaburn Tatham, Roger Rollo Hunter, and F. D. Berwick. The letters, mainly from correspondents in Toronto, London, and Edinburgh, concern disputes over finances, land, and Spencer Mackay's estate. Later items relate to property leases in Edinburgh.

The Documents series (16 items) contains 2 subseries: Legal Documents (6 items) and Financial Records (10 items), which both pertain to disputes over the Mackay estate and property. Items include a settlement among Admiral Henry Vansittart, Robert Riddell, and Roger Rollo Hunter about the marriage of Mary Charity Vansittart and Spencer Mackay (June 8, 1838), as well as documents concerning inheritances. Some of the material pertains to the construction of a villa for Mary Vansittart Mackay at Cluny Gardens, Edinburgh.

Two colored manuscript Maps show the village of Port Franks, Ontario, and the Vansittart estate in Mara Township, Ontario (now part of Ramara).