Collections : [University of Michigan William L. Clements Library]

The Sarah R. Parry autograph book contains prose and poetic contributions from Parry's friends and cousins, who wrote about topics such as friendship, religion, and beauty.

The Sarah R. Parry autograph album contains 17 poems and 3 prose contributions by Parry's friends and cousins. Some of the original poems are dedicated to Parry, and an entry by "Juvenis" uses the first letters of her first name and surname in an acrostic poem. Most of the entries concern friendship, though others often pertain to religious topics such as faith and the afterlife. The entry by S. C. Demuth, which is a copied poem entitled "Beauty Transient," is accompanied by a pencil drawing of a young woman. Contributors often dated their entries in the Quaker style and wrote from places such as Lancaster County, Muskingum, and Zanesville, Ohio. Very brief pencil notes mention Martha T. Amos and Josephine P. Amos.

• Delaware Water Gap
• Catskill Mountains
• Weehawken
• Sawkill Falls
• Fort Putnam

This collection is made up of correspondence, documents, photographs, printed items, and ephemera related to the ancestors, descendants, and extended family of Merwin P. Snell and his first wife, Minnie Gilbert Andrews Sprague. The bulk of the materials pertain to the Snell, Andrews, Hallock, McLaughlin, and Barney families.

This collection is made up of correspondence, documents, photographs, printed items, and ephemera related to the ancestors, descendants, and extended family of Merwin P. Snell and his first wife, Minnie Gilbert Andrews Sprague.

The Correspondence series (106 items) contains personal letters addressed to members of the Snell family. The earliest materials pertain to Merwin Porter Snell and his first wife, Minnie Sprague Snell. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries Merwin P. Snell exchanged letters with his cousins. He sent a lengthy letter about comparative religion to Reverend O'Connell of the Catholic University of America on May 25, 1903. Additional family letters are scattered throughout the series.

The bulk of the correspondence relates to Merwin P. Snell; his second wife, Minnie Louise Snell; and their daughters Margaret and Priscilla. From around 1910 to the early 1920s, Merwin and Minnie exchanged letters with their daughters, who sometimes commented on their studies at St. Joseph's Academy in Adrian, Michigan. Some of the family's letters contain illustrations, including drawings that Margaret and Priscilla made as young children. On May 31, 1929, Priscilla Snell wrote to Charles E. Stimming of Loyola University Chicago about women's personal engagement with religion and the necessity of educating women.

In the summer of 1937, Minnie L. Snell visited San Francisco, California. While there, she frequently exchanged letters with her daughters, who lived with Margaret's husband, Leslie Drew Barney, in Detroit, Michigan. Margaret and Priscilla Snell shared news of their life in Detroit, while their mother described her experiences in California (often related to social outings). The series includes several picture postcards depicting San Francisco scenery. In 1947 and 1948, Priscilla Snell, who had taken holy orders under the name Sister Marie Virginia, described her life in Puerto Rico, where she joined a convent. She wrote about her fellow nuns, religious life, travels within Puerto Rico, and leisure activities. Priscilla enclosed a newsletter titled The Barry Bulletin in her letter of August 4, 1957.

The correspondence also includes a few later letters to Margaret Snell Barney from a cousin regarding their shared genealogy, picture postcards of Detroit scenes, and personal letters from friends and family members.

The Documents series consists of two subseries. Legal and Financial Documents (10 items, 1910-1980) include birth, death, and marriage certificates, a will, and other items related to Merwin P. Snell, Minnie L. Snell, and Margaret Snell; some of these items are later or replacement copies. Two receipts concern expenses related to Merwin P. Snell's funeral in September 1921. A subseries of 6 St. Joseph's Academy Report Cards pertains to the academic progress of Priscilla and Margaret Snell in the 1920s.

The Writings, Notes, and Drawings series contains a narrative essay, three groups of poems, drawings of children and a moose, a watercolor painting of a castle tower, a cutout of a bird pasted onto a black, and plot notes for a one-act play.

The first item is a typed copy of "Thrilling Adventures of a Sailor Boy," an essay about E. Watson Andrews (7 pages, January 12, 1859). On April 2, 1858, Andrews boarded the ship Courser for a voyage from China to the United States. The ship was destroyed soon after its departure. Andrews and others boarded a lifeboat, which soon met with a fleet of Chinese pirates. After a violent encounter with the pirates and their subsequent rescue, Andrews and other survivors safely made it to Hong Kong, where Andrews complained of harsh treatment by the United States consul.

The poetry includes manuscript and published verses by Marie LeBaron (15 items), Minnie Sprague Snell (10 items), and various members of the Snell, Long, and Andrews families (13 items). The poems concern topics such as nature, religion, the Civil War, and family. Some items are printed on newspaper clippings.

The Photographs series (approximately 230 items) documents multiple generations of the Snell, Andrews, Hallock, McLaughlin, Wellington, Barney, Snetsinger, and Hames families from around 1861 to 1978. The images, some of which are framed, include black-and-white and color prints, cartes-de-visite, cabinet cards and other card photographs, tintypes, photographic postcards, newspaper clippings, and photo-illustrated Christmas cards. The pictures include formal individual and group portraits, schoolchildren, and a wedding party. Several items depict Priscilla Snell in a nun's habit, and a few show Spanish-American War-era and early 20th century soldiers in uniform. A small number show the interior of an office or residence. Many of the photographs were taken in cities in Connecticut, Michigan, and Ohio.

The Scrapbook is a repurposed account book, with newspaper clippings pasted in over most of the original financial records. Pages 1-35 contain scrapbook material, and pages 36-66 contain financial records dated 1875-1877. Most of the clippings are poems and articles written by Marie LeBaron (or Le Baron) in the 1870s, including articles about Washington, D.C., and Congressional politics. Visual materials include a painting of a flower against a colored background resembling stained glass, a painting of a pear, an illustrated poem, and a group of faces (drawn into the back cover). One article concerns LeBaron's interest in theosophy. Two articles concern the 1980 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, awarded to George D. Snell.

The Printed Items and Ephemera series (53 items) is made up of newspaper clippings, published volumes, and other items. Twenty-seven newspaper clippings and obituaries relate to relatives and friends of the Snell family. Some articles concern marriages and other social news. Two articles concern the longevity and early recollections of Diana McLaughlin and Minnie L. Snell; the article about Snell largely concerns her father's work as a lumberman in northern Michigan.

Additional items include memorial cards for Merwin P. Snell, Minnie L. Snell, Leslie Drew Barney, and Marie L. Wellington; a reward of merit; a photographic postcard of Detroit and a painting of "Mrs. Andrews"; a musical score for "Brotherhood Song" by Joseph Mansfield Long, signed by the composer; and invitations for commencements at St. Joseph's Academy (1931) and the Catholic University of America ([1947?]). Personal ephemera items include a silk pouch made by Eliza Allen's mother in 1805, containing small paintings by Eliza's friend, Caroline Mayhew (1818), and a carte-de-visite portrait of Eliza Hallock (née Allen) taken in 1864; a baby book with notes about the first months of Margaret LeBaron Snell (1911); Marie LeBaron Barney's diploma from Saint Theresa High School in Detroit, Michigan, with a tassel and 3 photographs (June 7, 1953); and two pieces of embroidery with floral designs, done with thin yarn (undated).

• Le Baron, Marie. The Villa Bohemia (1882, housed in the Book Division)
• The New Testament of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ: Translated Out of the Original Greek and with the Former Translations Diligently Compared and Revised (New York: American Bible Society, 1889)
• The New Testament of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (Combination Self-Pronouncing Edition, 1897)
• Hallock, Charles. Hallock Ancestry, 1640-1906 (1906)
• The Guide to Nature magazine (July 1910 and October 1921)

The Genealogy series (11 items) is made up of notes and a family tree related to the Snell, Long, LeBaron, and McLaughlin families, as well as a memorandum printed in memory of Gerard Hallock Snell.

The Society of Friends Rules of Discipline and commonplace book contains extracts from the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting's disciplinary code (1834) and religious poetry and extracts later compiled by Edith Collins (ca. 1860s-1890s).

The Society of Friends Rules of Discipline and commonplace book contains extracts from the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting's disciplinary code (8 pages, 1834) and religious poetry and extracts later compiled by Edith Collins (ca. 1860s-1890s).

In the first 8 pages, comprised of 7 pages written directly into the volume and 1 sheet pinned on top of the seventh page, Mark Collins copied sections of the "Rules of Discipline for the Yearly Meeting of the Society of Friends Held in Philadelphia..." from April 21-26, 1834. The text outlines procedures for reinstating disowned Quakers and appealing judgments made at monthly meetings. The rules are followed by 2 notes: an anonymous note dated 1860 and a note written by Collins's wife Edith in 1897, concerning Collins's desire for the disciplinary code to be made available to all members of the Society of Friends.

Edith Collins used the remainder of the volume (around 90 pages) as a commonplace book during the late 19th century. Many of the copied poems are dated in the 1870s and 1880s; some are dated as late as 1896. The first section (14 pages) contains extracts from journals, letters, and other sources about religious experiences and Quaker families, including content from the autobiography of Quaker missionary Stephen Grellet. The extracts are followed by poems about religious topics. Some entries are attributed to particular authors, often women; some were copied from Quaker weekly The Friend. The poetry section of the commonplace book also contains some additional extracts and quotations. Some entries are based on items that Edith found in her husband's pocketbook. Eight poems are laid into the volume.

Eleven newspaper clippings are laid into the volume. Some contain poems; others concern religious associations, Quaker opposition to the Spanish-American War, and the presidency of Swarthmore College. The volume also contains an advertisement for stationer George C. Easton with a printed view of lower Manhattan.

The Stiles family papers are made up of 3,480 letters, one diary, several financial documents, a photograph, a poem, and printed items related to sisters Ellen E. and Alice M. Stiles of Southbury, Connecticut, in the later 19th and early 20th century. The correspondence is primarily the incoming and outgoing correspondence of the Stiles sisters, their family, and friends. The largest groups of letters are communications with Sarah J. Whiting ("Jennie") of New Haven; educator Mary J. Robinson ("Robie") of Minnesota, California, and elsewhere; and teacher Rose M. Kinney of Oberlin, Ohio, the Tillotson Institute in Austin, Texas, and other locations.

The Stiles family papers are made up of 3,480 letters, one diary, several financial documents, a photograph, a poem, and printed items revolving around sisters Ellen E. and Alice M. Stiles of Southbury, Connecticut, in the later 19th and early 20th century.

The correspondence is primarily incoming and outgoing correspondence of the Stiles sisters, their family, and friends. In the early 1850s, Ellen ("Nellie") E. Stiles, received letters her from friend Emma Gilbert ("Emmie" or "Em," daughter of a Methodist Minister), Lottie R. Pierce, cousins, and others while Ellen attended school at Southbury, Connecticut, and lived in New Haven. In 1856, Emmie began her schooling at Music Vale Seminary in Salem, Massachusetts, and by 1857, lived in Ridgefield where her family kept boarders and had a class of five music scholars.

Alice ("Allie") Stiles sent her father letters while she attended E. A. Roberti's school in New Haven. Nellie and Allie corresponded regularly throughout their lives, whenever apart. In the 1860s, Ellen wrote lengthy letters, with remarks on boys, flirtation, peers' relationships, copperheads, dresses, clothing, fashion, everyday life, household activities, family, interpersonal relationships, church attendance, sicknesses, deaths, and news on health and medical conditions of family and friends. When Ellen became ill in 1874, she traveled to Castile, New York, and remained at the Castile Sanitarium/Castile Water-Cure from 1875 to 1876. Letters from this period include several from Dr. Cordelia Greene, director of the institution.

Their most regular and prolific correspondent was Sarah J. Whiting "Jennie," who spent her life in New Haven, Connecticut. Alice received letters from her friend Mary J. Robinson ("Robie" or "Robbie"), a teacher with ties to the American Missionary Association. Robie spent much of her time in Lake City and Marshall, Minnesota. She worked as a teacher and private tutor. From 1882 to 1884, she taught at Coe College, Cedar Rapids, Iowa; in 1886 she wrote from the Daytona Institute for Young Women in Daytona, Florida; from 1888 to 1889 she lived in Ormand, Florida; and in the 1890s she lived in Monrovia, California, and taught at the Occidental College in Los Angeles.

Beginning in the mid 1870s, Alice and Ellen received letters from educator Rose M. Kinney of Oberlin, Ohio. Rose's letters include correspondence from the later 1880s, when she taught at the Tillotson Institute, Austin, Texas.

The sisters received letters from their cousin H. S. Osborne in San Francisco, 1863-69 and 1884-87, and cousin Annie of East Oakland, California. H. S. Osborne's April 23, 1865, letter includes a description of San Francisco's response to news of the death of Abraham Lincoln. Other correspondents included Cordelia Sterling of Stratford, Connecticut; Mary A. Babbitt of Ansonia, Connecticut; cousin A. E. Wright; Emily A. Mitchell of Brooklyn, New York; Annie E. Stockwell at South Britain, Connecticut; Walter J. Webb; Annie M. Upton of Salem, Massachusetts; members of the Gilbert family at Nichols Farms; and William H. Sage of New Haven.

The papers include a pre-printed pocket diary of Ellen E. Stiles, covering the year of 1856, in which she recorded visits of family and friends, church attendance, letters sent and received, parties, and other aspects of her daily life. A book or reading list is tucked into the back of the volume.

S. J. "Jennie" Whiting kept a memory album between 1848 and 1858, containing autographs, poetry, sentiments, pre-printed illustrations, and original watercolor illustrations of flowers by F. L. Norton.

The collection concludes with a poem by Harriet Lavina Wheeler, beginning "Within a house not far from town..." (undated); two folders of receipts and other financial miscellany of Alice and Ellen Stiles; three newspaper clippings; one oval photograph portrait of Jennie Whiting, and three printed items.

The T. C. Connor journal contains daily entries about Connor's activities in New York and in Newark, New Jersey; political commentary; and an account of Connor's voyage to Cartagena, Colombia, from November 1825-July 1826. While at sea, he composed poetry about homesickness and natural phenomena.

The T. C. Connor journal (8" x 12.5") contains daily entries about Connor's activities in New York and in Newark, New Jersey; political commentary; and an account of Connor's voyage to Cartagena, Colombia, from October 1825-July 1826.

The cover reads "Connor's Journal," and a newspaper clipping about "Flags of the South American States" is attached to the volume's inside front cover. Connor began writing in the book on January 1, 1825, while in New York City. He reported the weather conditions, wind direction and, occasionally, his activities, which included frequent visits to friends and to the Colombian consul in the United States. He mentioned his work drawing up bills of lading for the schooner Tobacco Plant and joined the ship's crew for ceremonies celebrating its maiden voyage (January 5, 1825). Throughout early 1825, Connor traveled regularly between New York and "New Ark," and some of his entries from the period have lengthy writings about political and religious topics, such as Christian Universalism (January 23, 1825); St. Patrick's Day, Irish nationalism, and other contemporary independence movements (March 17, 1825); South American politics (June 2, 1825); relationships between European countries and the Americas (June 2, 1825); and the Greek War of Independence (June 5, 1825). Other topics include the 1825 presidential vote in the House of Representatives (February 15, 1825) and George Washington (July 4, 1825). Some references to Connor's acquaintances are made in a pictographic code.

Though Connor lost the journal during a visit to New York in October 1825, he later recovered the book, in which he described his voyage to Cartagena, Colombia, on the Tampico between November 21, 1825, and July 8, 1826. After leaving New York, he made daily notes about the weather conditions and waves and recorded the ship's position. While traveling, he composed 26 poems, usually pertaining to being away from home or marine life. The Tampico arrived at Cartagena on December 7, 1825, and Connor temporarily stopped keeping his journal between December 12, 1825, when he described the city, and June 18, 1826, when the Tampico embarked for the United States. His entry of June 27, 1826, has a map of the area around Acklins, in the Bahamas. After arriving at Staten Island on July 8, 1826, Connor wrote far less frequently. He mentioned trips to Cartagena, northern New York, and Niagara falls. The final entry is his announcement of the birth of Catherine Maria Connor on February 12, 1833.

• Colored pencil drawing of a "Colombian officer on the return from Peru 1820"
• Ink drawing of a "Colimbian Soldier from Peru" [sic]
• Ink portrait of "Capt. Wilkinson, of the Venezuela's" [sic]

This collection is made up of correspondence and other items related to Silas and Rebecca Tenney of Chester, New Hampshire, and to their descendants, including Orlando Murray Tenney of Chester and West Hampstead, New Hampshire; his wife, Emmagene Fitts; and their daughter, Alice Lillian Tenney.

This collection is made up of correspondence and other items related to Silas and Rebecca Tenney of Chester, New Hampshire, and to their descendants, including Orlando Murray Tenney of Chester and West Hampstead, New Hampshire; his wife, Emmagene Fitts; and their daughter, Alice Lillian Tenney.

The Correspondence series contains approximately 320 letters addressed to members of the Tenney and Fitts families, particularly Rebecca (or Rebekah) Tenney, Orlando M. Tenney, Emmagene F. Tenney, and Alice L. Tenney.

A small group of letters, dated from the 1820s-1830s, is comprised of letters to Silas and Rebecca Tenney from their children, including Bailey, Thomas, Sally, and Charles; other family members; and friends. Thomas Tenney discussed his philosophical, moral, and religious beliefs; others shared family and local news. Scattered letters dated in the 1840s, 1850s, and early 1860s concern other members of the Tenney and Fitts families, including religious letters that Orlando M. Tenney received from an acquaintance.

The bulk of the series is made up of incoming letters to Orlando M. and Emmagene F. Tenney and their daughter Alice, dated 1867-1925 (bulk 1867-1917). Orlando Tenney and Emmagene Fitts ("Genie") exchanged love letters during their courtship and marriage; in later years, they discussed their children and family news, particularly while Emmagene visited her family in Candia, New Hampshire. From the mid-1870s to the early 1890s, Emmagene F. Tenney also received personal letters from family members such as her sister, Alice C. Fitts; her mother, Caroline Phelps Fitts; and many cousins and acquaintances. Orlando M. Tenney received condolence letters after Emmagene's death in 1892, and his siblings and other family members wrote to him into the early 20th century.

In the mid-1880s, Alice L. Tenney began to receive letters from family members and friends; her incoming correspondence comprises the bulk of the collection after 1892. Letters from a school friend, May E. Norris, concern Norris's life in Boston, Massachusetts, and later letters pertain to family members' lives in New England and New York. Alice's other correspondents included her sister Bertha, her brothers Walter and Sewall, and several aunts and cousins. One brief series of letters by Ralph Candee of Westwood, Massachusetts, pertains to Alice's recent denial of his marriage proposal (included in his letter of July 14, 1903); most of the 20th-century letters pertain to the Tenney brothers' lives in New York and New Hampshire.

The Diary Fragments, Essays, and Poetry series (13 items) consists of items written by multiple authors. One group of diary entries (20 pages), dated January 1809-June 25, [1813], focuses on the unidentified author's religious beliefs and reflections. A second author wrote similar reflections on their 69th and 70th birthdays (May 13, 1842, and May 13, 1843). The remaining items are poems and essays by Helen M. Tenney (July 9, 1851, and February 9, 1856), O. M. Tenney (undated), and others (undated). These writings concern nature and animals, religion, the Eiffel Tower, and other subjects. One essay, entitled "Exercises of My Mind," is a copy of a work by Augustus Sanborn (d. 1823).

Financial Records (8 items, 1867-1911) consist of receipts, a money order, a dividend notice, and accounts related to Orlando M. Tenney, William Tenney, Sewall F. Tenney, and Alice L. Tenney.

The Photograph is an undated carte-de-visite portrait of an unidentified woman, taken in Norristown, Pennsylvania.

The Ephemera and Invitations series (8 items, 1870-1903) contains items addressed to various members of the Tenney and Fitts families. Most of the invitations pertain to weddings. The series also contains calling cards and a blank application for the "Tribe of Ben-Hur."

Miscellaneous material (12 items) includes a notebook that belonged to Orlando M. Tenney in 1881, a drawing of a man riding a plow attributed to "O. M. T." (July 30, 1907), a recipe for corn salve, a newspaper obituary for Frank E. Fitts, and manuscript notes and fragments.

This guest book (121 pages) contains contributions from visitors to The Curtis, a summer boarding house and hotel in New Castle, New Hampshire, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The book contains poetry, signatures, quotations, sketches, and watercolors, as well as 5 cyanotype photographs.

This guest book (121 pages) contains contributions from visitors to The Curtis, a summer boarding house and hotel in New Castle, New Hampshire, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The guest book contains poetry, signatures, quotations, sketches, and watercolors, as well as 5 cyanotype photographs.

Most entries are dated between 1895 and 1906; one is dated 1916. Visitors mainly stayed at The Curtis between the months of June and September, many for a month or longer. Most guests came from New Hampshire and Massachusetts, and some visited from Maine, Vermont, Iowa, and California. Several guests included lines of verse alongside their signatures, including one who copied "At the Stand of the Tide," a poem by Harriet McEwan Kimball (pp. 38-39). One patron, Marie Middlekauff, signed in German (p. 33), and 2 referenced "Miss Bickford's" hospitality and cooking. A few contributors drew sketches, and 3 signed next to cyanotype photographs depicting sailboats, people at leisure, and a cat.

• Colored painting of an industrial town on a river, Alice M. Comstock, July 23, 1903 (p. 4)
• Sketch of buildings, M. L. Wood, June 1898 (p. 45)
• Sketch of a street, Alice Washington Ball, [1898] (p. 47)
• Sketch of a steamer, L. McL. King, 1898 (p. 49)
• "The Studio," sketch of a barn beside a body of water, Joseph B. Davol, (p. 51)
• "Why we tarried," sketch of a female golfer, William F. Crocker, [1899] (p. 77)
• "The presiding genius of The Curtis," sketch of an owl, Alice Prossitte Hall, [1899] (p. 83)
• "The Homestead," watercolor painting, Frederick E. Bartlett, [1899] (p. 85)
• Sketch of a planter with flowers, Thomas B. Frost et al., September 2, 1899 (p. 87)
• Sketch of a sailboat and waterfront buildings, Ethel Woods Varrell, September 17, 1899 (p. 89)
• Sketch of a young woman's head, Josephine Bruce, September 1899 (p. 91)
• Sketch of a house, Pauline McKay, October 5, 1900 (p. 101)
• "Keep Dark!," sketch of an African-American man in profile (p. 107), accompanied by poem on next page, Mr. & Mrs. F. A. Whiting, Mr. & Mrs. A. H. Hall, and Mr. & Mrs. F. Allen Whiting, September 11, 1905, pp. 106-107
• "Piscataqua Cafe," sketch of a building and pier, C. F. S. (p. 110)
• Cartoon sketch of a cowboy outside of a building, saying, "I done it!," Lionel Sherwood (pp. 112-113)
• Sketch of a sailboat on water, with waterfront buildings and factories in background, James N. Vandegrift, July 28, 1906 (p. 117)

This collection contains Theodore Leonard's retained drafts of political letters, essays, and a play, as well as financial records, documents, and poetry. Leonard, a farmer who lived in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, in the early 19th century, wrote primarily about local and national political issues, such as elected offices, political parties, and economic affairs.

This collection contains Theodore Leonard's retained drafts of political letters, essays, and a play, as well as financial records, documents, and poetry. Leonard, a farmer who lived in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, in the early 19th century, wrote primarily about economic affairs and local and national political issues, such as elected offices and political parties.

Leonard commented on a variety of topics in his mostly undated letters and essays, and addressed his writings to political party affiliates, prominent county residents, Governor William F. Johnston (1 item), and unidentified correspondents. Though he most frequently discussed local political offices and appointments, he also wrote about the purpose of government and economic issues, such as taxes, tariffs, and banks. One essay concerns the Irish economy.

A single packet of drafts includes at least 10 distinct documents, and another contains detailed information about the government, laws, and legal procedures of Connecticut. One business letter concerns a sawmill in Springfield, Pennsylvania (January 31, 1832), and other fragments, documents, and receipts relate to different aspects of Leonard's financial affairs, such as land ownership in Springfield, and his subscription to the Democratic Union newspaper. Also included are a document certifying Leonard's election as "auditor" for Springfield (February 1840) and 2 pages of poetry. A partial play, written on pieces of a printed proclamation, is entitled "The Captives Redeemed: A Historical Tragedy in Three Acts." The 6 pages originate from Act I, Scene 1.

This collection consists of letters, poetry, and memoirs that Thomas Davenport of Antwerp, New York, wrote in the mid- to late 1860s, primarily concerning his religious beliefs. Davenport discussed topics such as salvation, the afterlife, and sin.

This collection (5 items) consists of letters, poetry, and memoirs that Thomas Davenport of Antwerp, New York, wrote in the mid- to late 1860s, primarily concerning his religious beliefs. Davenport discussed topics such as salvation, the afterlife, and sin.

In 3 Letters to a niece, a nephew, and his sister Nancy (January 4, 1864-September 20, 1867), Davenport discussed his social activities and provided news about his acquaintances, who included a woman named Emeline (or Emoline) and a man named Erastus Kellogg. He mentioned local news, the cultivation of sugar and potatoes and, on one occasion, some of the effects of the Civil War (May 7, 1866). His letters include a narrative poem about courtship (January 4, 1864) and riddles (September 20, 1867).

The standalone Poem is a 47-page meditation on salvation, judgment, and similar topics, particularly related to the Christian view of death. The poem frequently references Biblical stories of Adam and Eve and Jesus Christ.

Thomas Davenport composed a volume of Memoirs (90 pages) focusing on his religious life, including his "vision of the New Jerusalem" and "treatise[s] on various Subjects." Written in or after 1863, the manuscript intertwines Davenport's religious affirmations, biography, and poetry. The first portion of the book is an essay on the Christian view of sin and salvation, as well as a brief note about Davenport's conversion to Christianity. Davenport also described Heaven, which he called "New Jerusalem," as he witnessed it when he was a young man (pp. 12-14). Along with explaining his own religious convictions, he commented on other religions, including Mormonism (p. 24) and Catholicism (pp. 24-25). After page 34, most of the loosely bound volume is comprised of poems on religious topics and dedicated to friends and family members. The poems are frequently interspersed with brief narrative accounts of Davenport's life, including his work as a clothier's apprentice (pp. 49-51).

This collection consists of 6 letters that Emeline Breed of Salem, Massachusetts, received from her fiancé, Thomas Delf, an English businessman working in New York City. In addition to providing news of his daily life, he frequently reflected on the couple's engagement and commented on her family.

This collection consists of 6 letters that Emeline Breed of Salem, Massachusetts, received from her fiancé, Thomas Delf, an English businessman working in New York City. He provided updates on his social and business life in the city, and frequently commented on his lodgings with the Cook family, whom he found inhospitable. He made occasional trips to Brooklyn, where he met her father, Holton Breed, and her sisters. While he often wrote of his love for Emeline, particularly after a visit to her home in Salem, Massachusetts, in the spring of 1837, he occasionally mentioned his work and the economic conditions following the Panic of 1837. Several of his letters contain short poems.