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

The collection consists of papers related to the Mathewson family of Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New York, about their involvement in the early Shaker community of New Lebanon, New York, and the subsequent settlement in the early-19th century of brothers Philip Mathewson (1765-1828) and Jeremiah Angell Mathewson (1769-1841) in Hamilton and Pulaski, New York, respectively.

The collection consists of papers related to the Mathewson family of Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New York, about their involvement in the early Shaker community of New Lebanon, New York, and the subsequent settlement in the early 19th century of brothers Philip Mathewson (1765-1828) and Jeremiah Angell Mathewson (1769-1841) in Hamilton and Pulaski, New York, respectively.

Series I: Jeffrey Mathewson correspondence, 1801-1822

This series contains 7 letters received by Jeffrey Mathewson (1761-1833), of Lisbon, Connecticut, between 1801 and 1822. The earliest letter is from his brother, Jeremiah Angell Mathewson (1769-1841) and 5 of the remaining ones are from his brother Philip (1765-1828). The remaining letter is from a family friend, Ashbel Cooley. Both Jeremiah and Philip were early settlers of western New York, and their letters include a mix of family news and commentary on the weather, crops, and local and state politics. Points of note include Jeremiah Angell's dispute with his mother and the Shaker community over gravestones (22 Aug.1801), as well as Philip's accounts of New York state politics, the War of 1812 in the western part of the state (19 Jan. 1814), and brief mentions of the Erie Canal's construction and the early days of the Tammany Hall political machine.

Series II: Philip (1737-1796) and Jeremiah Angell Mathewson papers, 1796-1840

The second series chiefly contains papers related to Philip Mathewson (1737-1796) and his son Jeremiah Angell Mathewson (1769-1841), particularly their experience in joining and separating from the early Shaker community in New Lebanon, New York, in the late 1780s and 1790s. Jeremiah's 56-page account contains details about the initial founding of the Shakers, including material related to the group's founders, Elder William Lee and Mother Ann Lee, as well as a lengthy narrative of the difficulty his father encountered with the community over a disputed contract.

Related to this document are the 4-page lease of Samuel Hand's farm in Canaan County, New York, to Philip Mathewson and Peter Wylie, out of which the Mathewson's disputes with the Shakers grew; a short narrative of the failed attempt to prohibit alcohol consumption among the New Lebanon Shakers, accompanied by Jeremiah A. Mathewson's overall judgment of the Shaker experiment; a 1-page note, dated 1840, in Jeremiah's hand about the origins of the family name; and a letter to Jeremiah Mathewson from his nephew Bucklin Mathewson, dated November 13, 1833, relating the death of Jeremiah's brother Jeffrey Mathewson.

Other papers in the series consist of 2 short, undated poems from an unknown author and a letter addressed to Miss Sally Porter of Camden, New York, from her sister, Mary Porter, and mother, Polly Porter, of Taunton, Massachusetts, dated May 16, 1837. The letter describes the effects of the Panic of 1837 in Taunton.

The McViccar-Antes collection contains correspondence, financial records, legal documents, and other items related to the McViccar and Antes families of northern New York.

This collection contains correspondence, financial records, legal documents, and other items related to the McViccar and Antes families of northern New York.

The Correspondence series (168 items) contains 1 letterbook and 167 personal letters that members of the McViccar and Antes families received from 1802-1901; most letters are dated 1817-1845 and 1865-1894. The earliest items pertain to Elizabeth Todd McViccar of Cambridge, New York, and her sons, John and Peter. John McViccar received personal letters from acquaintances and family members, including his brothers-in-law, Palmer, Halsey, and Nathaniel Townsend. John McViccar also received a series of letters from his brother Peter, who described his journey from New York to Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia in 1821. Peter McViccar continued to write about life at the college until the mid-19th century. One of Peter's letters contains ink drawings of Mount Vernon, the United States Capitol, and government buildings in Washington, D.C. (December 22, 1821).

On September 4, 1832, John McViccar wrote to his brother Archibald about the death of his young daughter, Louisa. John T. McViccar wrote several letters to his parents, John and Rhoda McViccar, relating his experiences at school in the 1840s. Other correspondents mentioned subjects such as travel to the South and discussed political issues. Most items dated after 1850 are related to the Antes family of Cicero, New York. Harriet (or "Harriette") Fiske McViccar wrote to her cousin, Mary McViccar Antes, wife of Evert Antes, with news from Fayetteville, New York (September 16, 1856). M. M. Duncan, an acquaintance of Mary Antes, discussed her employment and aspects of domestic life.

John McViccar's letter book (approximately 66 pages) contains copies of his personal and professional letters, dated September 8, 1818-October 3, 1840. He commented on aspects of his daily life, his finances, and his business affairs. Some of the letters from 1823 concern Elizabeth McViccar's estate.

The Legal and Financial Documents and Invitations series (64 items) concerns members of the McViccar (earlier items) and Antes (later items) families. Financial records include wills, receipts, and indentures, many of which relate to land in Onondaga County, New York. Evert Antes received several preaching licenses in the late 1800s; the series also contains 2 marriage certificates. Later items include a military discharge for Paul J. Antes, who served with the 3rd New York Volunteers during the Spanish-American War.

The Genealogy, Poetry, Obituary, and Visiting Card series (12 items) includes a newspaper obituary for John McViccar, genealogical notes about the McViccar family, essays by Evert Antes, and a calling card.

Three Photographs are portraits of Nancy Barkly Antes Benedict: one is a carte-de-visite, one is a large card photograph, and one is a tintype.

This collection contains 3 letters and a poem related to Major General Richard Montgomery, a native of Ireland who became a Continental Army officer during the American Revolution. The items, 3 of which are addressed to British Army officer Perkins Magra, concern a venereal infection, Montgomery's life as a country farmer in New York in the mid-1770s, and the beginning of the American Revolution.

The Montgomery collection consists of 3 letters and 1 poem related to Richard Montgomery and his wife, Janet Livingston. Three of the items are addressed to British Army officer Perkins Magra.

In the first letter, dated from Dublin on November 27, [1769], Montgomery complained about a woman whom he claimed had infected him with a venereal disease. In a letter to Magra dated 1774, Montgomery discussed his decision to live in the countryside, and shared his conviction that he would be killed "by a pistol." Montgomery's final letter concerns events in Boston, the widespread political influence of the Second Continental Congress, and George Washington and Charles Lee (July 2, 1775). The collection also contains a narrative poem that Janet Livingston Montgomery wrote for Magra on May 25, 1775, with a brief prose postscript dated June 1, 1775. Montgomery congratulated Magra on his marriage and commented on the Battle of Bunker Hill, her husband's appointment to the provincial congress, and the possibility of war.

The Montgomery (N.Y.) Young commonplace book contains 19th-century poems and prose pieces on topics such as friendship, nature, and religion.

The Montgomery (N.Y.) Young commonplace book contains 52 pages of 19th-century poems and prose pieces on topics such as friendship, nature, and religion. The volume's poems are primarily concentrated on pages 1-54 and 64-66, with prose works appearing on pages 27, 55-63, and 174-175. Additional poems may be found on 10 newspaper clippings and 1 manuscript fragment laid into the volume. Some of the poems are attributed to members of the Young family and other writers, who usually gave their location as Montgomery, New York, and H. Houston wrote several poems at "Hunting-grove" in August 1821 (pages 18-21). The poetry pertains to subjects such as friendship, affection, and love; winter, snowstorms, flowers, and other natural phenomena; and religion. One playful poem is entitled "Inscribe'd to a Miss Little" (page 8); one acrostic spells "Eliza Young" (page 43); and one is dedicated "To Eliza" (page 65). Female members of the Young family wrote several of the poems, such as "On Female Excellence," which is attributed to E. Young (page 45). Other entries of interest are "Lines written to a friend about to marry a second time" (page 51); "The Happy End," a musing on the afterlife; and a newspaper poem about Mary, Queen of Scots (laid in).

Short prose pieces concern friendship (page 28, pages 174-175) and the properties of various fruits, trees, and plants; the latter are copied from William Prince's A Short Treatise on Horticulture, The New York Mirror, and other sources (pages 55-63). Poetic lines and quotations on page 47 are attributed to "Tompson" [Scottish poet James Thomson] and, mistakenly, to William Shakespeare.

This collection contains incoming letters, legal and financial documents, photographs, genealogical notes, writing fragments, and printed items related to Moody Kent, a lawyer who practiced in Deerfield and Concord, New Hampshire, in the early 19th century. Kent corresponded with his siblings, personal friends, and professional acquaintances about financial matters and with fellow Harvard graduates about their personal histories.

This collection contains 396 incoming letters, 39 legal and financial documents, 2 photographs, and 5 printed items related to Moody Kent, a lawyer who practiced in Deerfield and Concord, New Hampshire, in the early 19th century. Kent corresponded with his siblings, personal friends, and professional acquaintances about financial matters and with fellow Harvard graduates about their personal histories. Genealogical notes, poems, and writing fragments complete the collection.

The Correspondence series (396 items) is comprised primarily of incoming letters to Moody Kent from family, friends, and professional acquaintances, written between 1798 and 1860. Early items include letters that Kent received at Harvard from his father and siblings, who wrote about their lives in Newbury, Massachusetts. After his graduation in 1801, he often received letters from correspondents about their legal and financial matters; frequent writers included members of Kent's family and Ezekiel Webster, Daniel Webster's brother. After his retirement in 1832, Kent's correspondents wrote most often about personal matters. One person, A. A. Parker, commented about domestic political issues in the late 1850s. Some letters written during the 1860s directly concern the Civil War. Several of Kent's Harvard classmates shared information about their lives and family histories.

The Documents series (39 items) contains original and copied depositions, indentures, wills, and financial agreements, dated between 1771 and 1860. They primarily concern land ownership and inheritance issues. Few pertain directly to the affairs of Moody Kent, though many relate to his correspondents. Copies of the wills of Joseph Kent and Moody Kent are also included.

Two cabinet card Photographs depict an unidentified child and adult in and near a gazebo.

Poetry, Writings, and Fragments (5 items) include two patriotic poems by Hannah F. Lee (dated February 1862), 8 bars of manuscript sheet music, and other manuscript fragments and writings.

The Genealogy series (11 items) consists of genealogical notes related to various members of the Kent family.

The Printed Material series (5 items) is made up of an 1861 copy of New Hampshire legislative act regarding funding for New Hampshire soldiers' clothing and equipment; an advertisement for the Elmwood Literary Institute, Boscawen, New Hampshire; a circular advertisement for books on health sciences; an abbreviated version of Moody Kent's will; and a program for a 1912 Congregational church service.

This collection is made up of diary entries, letters, and prayers by a woman who lived in Morris County, New Jersey, in the early 19th century. She discussed her religious convictions and activities, her social activities, and daily life. Internal evidence suggests that the materials may have belonged to Abigail Harrison.

This collection is made up of 90 pages of diary entries, letters, and prayers written by a woman who lived in Morris County, New Jersey, between December 25, 1815, and January 1, 1820. She discussed her religious convictions and activities, her social activities, and daily life.

The collection includes 3 diaries (67 pages). The first has paper covers with engraved illustrations and a multiplication table. The author wrote about her Christian faith, particularly with respect to good and evil and deliverance from sin. Her religious activities included reading the Bible and published sermons, attending church services, and attending prayer meetings. A few entries contain personal reflections on the death of the author's husband (January 1, 1819, pages 31-32) and her conversion to Christianity (June 27, 1819, page 66, and others).

The diary entries occasionally refer to missionary work; one entry mentions an extract from the Boston Recorder about a schoolteacher working with Native Americans in the west (January 4, 1819, page 36). The journal includes two religious poems (pages 12-13 and 21), one of which is attributed to Mrs. Isabella Graham. Additional manuscripts include one letter addressed to a sister and several prayers.

The Moses A. Cleveland collection contains a copy of Cleveland's Civil War diary, a scrapbook of his postwar correspondence, and two drafts of his autobiography, which he composed in 1892 and copied in 1909. Cleveland, who worked primarily as a carpenter in New England and Ohio, served with the 7th Massachusetts Light Artillery Battery near the Gulf of Mexico during the war.

The Moses A. Cleveland collection is made up of a copy of Cleveland's Civil War diary, a scrapbook of his postwar correspondence, and two drafts of his autobiography, which he composed in 1892 and copied in 1909.

The first volume ("War Diary 1864-5...") contains Cleveland's transcribed copies of his diaries from his service in the 7th Massachusetts Light Artillery Battery. Cleveland began his transcription with a short introduction and a brief history of the war, written in 1866, and the first copied entry is dated January 1, 1864. Driven by a desire to evade conscription, he enlisted in the artillery on June 4, 1864, and was dispatched to the Department of the Gulf. Throughout his diary, he made marginal notes tracking important events or themes, described his military activities and, to a lesser extent, offered opinions about the war. Of particular interest is his reaction to the news of Lincoln's assassination, which he first discredited as rumor (p. 132). Following Lee's surrender, Cleveland's regiment was stationed in Mobile, Alabama, before returning to Massachusetts, where Cleveland was discharged on November 13, 1865. The diary also includes a retrospective, a log of miles travelled, a roster for the 7th Massachusetts Light Artillery Regiment, transcriptions of documents, and several ephemera items and newspaper clippings. Some of the news clippings imply that Cleveland was involved in the war's final shot. Two Confederate bills pasted into the volume. Letters and notes from the 1910s are laid into the volume.

The second item is a 95-page scrapbook that Cleveland compiled in the 1880s and 1890s while living in Willoughby, Ohio. It primarily contains correspondence, including several illustrated envelopes, and provides insight into Cleveland's postwar interest in the Civil War.

Two copies of Cleveland's autobiography, which he originally wrote in 1892 and copied in 1909, chronicle his life as a journeyman carpenter and his life as a working man in the antebellum North. He discussed both his personal life and his political views. Of particular interest are remarks about the Millerite movement and about the Mexican War. The first draft of the autobiography (59 pages) ended with Cleveland's enlistment, and the second (107 pages) closed with reflections on the first few years of his postwar life. The first volume contains two photographs of Cleveland, and the second has a number of songs and poems, many of which commemorate soldiers of the Civil War (pp. 109-252). He intended the autobiography to be integrated with his war diary as a single volume. Newspaper clippings and poems are pasted and laid into the volume's endpapers.

This collection contains letters that M. Robert Rosenberg received while serving in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II, as well as letters he wrote to Gertrude Rosenberg of Albany, New York. The collection also includes additional correspondence to Gertrude Rosenberg and a typed poem.

This collection contains letters that M. Robert Rosenberg received while serving in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II, as well as letters he wrote to Gertrude Rosenberg of Albany, New York. The collection also includes additional correspondence to Gertrude Rosenberg and a typed poem. Some items consist of multiple letters to M. Robert Rosenberg, Gertrude Rosenberg, or both.

M. Robert Rosenberg wrote to Gertrude Rosenberg about his military service at Lowry Field, Colorado, and Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma. He commented on his leisure activities, dates with "Rosalie," his attempts to publish a book, and the possibility of receiving a medical discharge. He received v-mail letters from friends in the army and a typed letter from F. G. Duffy of Neisner Brothers, Inc. in Rochester, New York, a potential postwar employer. A 4-page poem by G. A. Smith provides information about personnel stationed at Lowry Field in December 1943. Gertrude Rosenberg's other correspondents were a niece or nephew and a friend in Newark, New Jersey.

These two volumes comprise the diary of Musidora Ophelia Cartwright of Athens, Alabama, which she kept between November 1859 and July 1865. The volumes also contain her essays, poems, an address, and copies of correspondence with her classmates and family. These include letters to her brother Lieutenant Hezekiah J. Cartwright of the 9th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, who was captured at Gettysburg and held as a prisoner of war at Fort Delaware. Musidora Cartwright wrote about her life as teenager in Athens, school, farming, enslaved laborers, literary topics, and local effects the Civil War (including the Federal occupation of Huntsville, Athens, and Decatur).

These two volumes comprise the diary of Musidora Ophelia Cartwright of Athens, Alabama, which she kept between November 1859 and July 1865. The volumes also contain her essays, poems, an address, and copies of correspondence with her classmates and family. These include letters to her brother Lieutenant Hezekiah J. Cartwright of the 9th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, who was captured at Gettysburg and held as a prisoner of war at Fort Delaware. Musidora Cartwright wrote about her life as teenager in Athens, school, farming, enslaved laborers, literary topics, and local effects the Civil War (including the Federal occupation of Huntsville, Athens, and Decatur).

Musie Cartwright began her diary around a month before turning 14 years old. She began school in September 1859 and stopped attending on June 19, 1861, on account of the war. Her diary entries in this time tended to regard the seasons, beauty, nature, contentment, and fashion. As the months passed, she wrote about the effects of the war on herself, family, and surroundings; an entry dated January 3, 1861, for example, reads: "Our currency is deranged. Couriers are sent from North to South and from South to North to adjust difficulties though many think it is too late. The North says the South had done the damage, the South retaliates, and Solomon with all his wisdom (were he alive) could hardly tell which is right or wrong."

In January 1864, she described the destruction of many towns and villages by the "heartless invaders" who have rendered the area "of the great Tennessee Bend . . . a barren waste, our servants are driven off at the point of the bayonet, and our stock and provisions are carried off." She continued, noting that the enslaved men, women, and children, "forming so large a part of the population of the South are wickedly seduced or barbarously forced at the point of the bayonet to leave their kind masters, give up their pleasant homes and all the comforts of life . . . All this is done by those who pretend to be their best friends, - the Abolitionists."

Cartwright began the second volume of her diary with an entry on July 4, 1864, and then frequently used it as a place to copy her correspondence. In letters to her former classmates, she wrote about how as women could choose to be clerks, school mistresses, governesses, or enter the field of literature instead of "taking in sewing and weaving." She also desired to return to school. In letters to her brother, Lieut. Hezekiah J. Cartwright (9th Regiment, Alabama Infantry), she described the occupation of Huntsville, Athens, and Decatur by Federal troops.

Both volumes contain essays and poetry. The first includes short essays and poetry penned by Cartwright, as well as quotes from poems by Milton, Pope, and Addison. She copied numerous extracts from the poem "Festus" by Philip James Bailey. Her essay titled "Virginia" mentions the May 1863 death of Stonewall Jackson. The second volume continues with essays on classical, literary, and other subjects. Musidora Cartwright wrote an "Address to the Young Ladies of Limestone" in January 1865, encouraging young women not to "weaken" in the face of the War, and arguing that the South should not rejoin the Union.

The Myers-Mason-Bailey family papers are made up of correspondence, military records, invitations, and ephemera pertaining to Mordecai Myers; his wife, Charlotte Bailey; and their descendants. Much of the collection is housed in four large bound volumes dedicated to Theodorus Bailey Myers, compiled by his daughter Cassie.

The Myers-Mason-Bailey family papers are made up of correspondence, military records, invitations, and ephemera pertaining to Mordecai Myers; his wife, Charlotte Bailey; and their descendants. Much of the collection is housed in four large bound volumes compiled by Cassie Mason Myers James (also known as Cassie Julian-James).

The Correspondence series (52 items) contains incoming letters to members of the Bailey, Myers, and Mason families throughout the 19th century. A group of 18 items pertains to the military service of Mordecai Myers, a captain in the 13th Infantry Regiment during the War of 1812. Most of these concern supplies, orders, and other military matters related to the war in northern New York. Myers received personal letters from his son until the early 1840s. Additionally, the series contains a sheet of manuscript poems dated March 25, 1820, and April 12, 1820. Other items include letters to Sidney Mason from his brothers and letters by Theodorus B. M. Mason about his service on the Pensacola in the mid-1870s. Later items also pertain to Theodorus Mason's naval service.

The Military Orders series (15 items) relates to Mordecai Myers and the War of 1812 in New York. The orders mention troop movements, courts martial, and regulations. An undated return for Mordecai Myers's regiment is also present.

The Invitations, Receipt, Valentine, and Ephemera series includes invitations, programs, and other items addressed to members of the Mason family and to Cassie James. Many items are invitations for James and other members of her family to meet prominent political individuals, such as international ambassadors and members of the United States Cabinet, in the 1910s; one card invites "Lieutenant Commander and Mrs. T. B. James" to a reception hosted by William McKinley and his wife at the executive mansion on January 25, 1899. The receipt documents Sidney Mason's subscription to the American Jockey Club (September 20, 1867). Some items enclose newspaper clippings.

Cassie Mason Myers James compiled 4 volumes of Miscellanies Relating to Theodorus Bailey Myers , her father, in the early 20th century. The books contain correspondence, documents, photographs, publications, newspaper clippings, obituaries, visiting cards, ephemera, family trees, and other material related to various members of the Myers family, including Mordecai Myers, Theodorus Bailey Myers, and Theodorus Bailey Myers Mason. Much of the material is comprised of personal letters between family members, including letters from Theodorus Bailey Myers to his wife Catalina and daughter Cassie, and letters from Theodorus B. M. Mason to his sister Cassie, mother Catalina, and wife Edmonia. Passport documents for Catalina Myers and Cassie Mason James, dated between 1871 and 1897, appear throughout the fourth volume. Other items pertain to the Myers' and Masons' service in the United States Army and United States Navy throughout the 19th century, including participation in the War of 1812 and the Civil War. The photographs, which include formal studio portraits, outdoor photographs, and photographs of paintings, show family members, interiors and exteriors of residences, gravestones, and memorabilia.