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

The Point Lookout Prison Camp collection includes official correspondence, prisoners' letters, sutlers' receipts, and other documents relating to Confederate prisoners of war held at the Point Lookout Military Prison, Maryland, largely between the summers of 1863 and 1864. Mary Parsons compiled detailed indices for the letters written by Point Lookout's prisoners: Prisoners' Correspondence Indices.

The Point Lookout Prison Camp collection includes official correspondence, prisoners' letters, sutlers' receipts, and other documents relating to Confederate prisoners of war held at the Point Lookout Military Prison, Maryland, largely between the summers of 1863 and 1864. The collection is made up of 770 letters and around 2,200 sutlers' accounts and receipts for goods sold to prisoners.

The Correspondence is comprised of 137 official letters pertaining largely to the disposition of prisoners; 147 letters written by prisoners of war, mostly requesting to take the loyalty oath or to be assigned duty as a non-combatant; and 486 letters by private individuals on behalf of prisoners, many seeking information, relaying information, or requesting goods to be forwarded.

Among the prisoners' letters are several discussing family hardships, bewilderment at arrest (for civilian prisoners), or simple expressions of exhaustion and a desire to find a way out of the war. The sample, of course, is biased, in that the letters in the Point Lookout Collection were all addressed to federal authorities--mostly to commandant, John N. Patterson. While some prisoners expressed an abiding loyalty to the southern cause, others complained of being drafted into the service against their will and principles, or claimed to have been so wrapped up in the emotions of the moment that they did not carefully consider their actions when enlisting. In a few cases, soldiers appeared to be genuinely disillusioned with the Confederacy. Twenty-nine of those who requested the loyalty oath can later be found serving with federal forces.

Within the prisoners' letters, the names of 255 men are mentioned in one way or another. Twelve of the men were civilians, and it was possible to identify the Confederate service unit of all but 23 of the rest of the men. The largest number of men were from Virginia, followed by Louisiana, Kentucky, and North Carolina; with considerably smaller numbers from Tennessee, Maryland, Missouri, and Mississippi; and the fewest men from South Carolina, Georgia, Arkansas, Alabama, and Florida. While most came from Southern states, two men were born in Maine (James O. Goodale and Charles H. Small), two others in Illinois (Brice Holland and Minor Rogers/Rodgers), and at least one man from New York (Lucien A. Rudolph). Foreign-born men included Branilio Soza (Mexico), Paul Francis de Gournay (Cuba or France), Hector De Zevallos ("the West India Islands"), John Etchevery (France), Louis Tessandore/Tessandori (Tuscany, Italy), Frank Nidel/Neidell and George Tiefenbach (Germany), Thomas Larkin and William H. Smith (England), and Luke Baxter, James Fife, Patrick Cooper, Martin Griffin, and Michael Vahey (Ireland).

The prisoners' letters and letters from camp officials provide only very brief glimpses into the conditions of prison life, with very sporadic mention made of illness or crimes committed in camp.

Letters from third parties display a range of attitudes that are broadly similar to those expressed by the prisoners, with an understandable, rather heavier, emphasis on family hardship. Included in this series are numerous letters written by the wives, sisters or mothers of prisoners, but also some from women who may be inferred to have been members of relief organizations for Confederate soldiers.

The largest series of materials in the collection consists of approximately 2,200 sutlers' accounts and receipts for goods sold to prisoners.

Mary Parsons compiled detailed indices for the letters written by Point Lookout's prisoners: Prisoners' Correspondence Indices. Mary Parsons's research notes and copies are available for consultation in the Clements Library's reading room.

The Pollard family papers contain correspondence, indentures, and financial records related to Asa D. Pollard and his children, including Joseph G. Pollard, Cyrus W. Pollard, Emily F. Pollard, and George F. Pollard. Members of the Pollard family corresponded about their lives in New Hampshire and Massachusetts from the 1840s-1860s.

The Pollard family papers (334 items) contain correspondence, indentures, and financial records related to the Pollard family of New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

The Correspondence and Documents series (228 items) includes personal letters between siblings Joseph G. Pollard, Cyrus W. Pollard, Emily F. Pollard, and George F. Pollard. From 1849-1865, the Pollard siblings wrote to each other about their daily lives, social activities, health, local travel, and family news from cities and towns in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and New York. Some of George F. Pollard's letters concern his education in New Hampton, New Hampshire. Joseph Pollard wrote about his work teaching in a country schoolhouse; in one letter, he mentioned his plans to attend a lecture by Ralph Waldo Emerson, though he suspected it would be "beyond ordinary comprehension" (December 8, 1857). During the Civil War, the Pollards sometimes mentioned topics such as the draft, particularly as it related to Cyrus Pollard and his relocation from Woburn, Massachusetts, to Albany, New York; they also discussed George Pollard's attempt to obtain a commission in the Union Army. The Pollard siblings received letters from other acquaintances, occasionally pertaining to business matters.

The series also includes indentures regarding Asa D. Pollard and land in New Hampshire and Massachusetts; one document pertains to his purchase of a pew in the First Congregational Church in Woburn, Massachusetts (November 1, 1860). Undated items include a manuscript "Report of the School Committee of Woburn," a printed circular letter to children attending Sabbath schools, and a report about Emily Pollard's academic progress at the Charlestown Female Seminary.

The Financial Records series (106 items) is comprised of receipts, invoices, accounts, and promissory notes. Most of the items pertain to the financial affairs of Asa D. Pollard, including receipts for Pollard's tax payments in Derry, New Hampshire. Many of the remaining items, including most of the items dated after the mid-1850s, relate to Joseph G. Pollard's financial affairs in Boston.

The Pool family papers contain financial records and other material related to Joseph Pool of Abington, Massachusetts, and to his daughter Lydia.

The Pool family papers contain penmanship exercises, a shoemaker's account book, financial accounts, receipts, and other material related to Joseph Pool of Abington, Massachusetts, and to his daughter Lydia.

The Penmanship Exercises series is primarily made up of a small penmanship book that Lydia Pool kept in the early 19th century. The exercises on pages 1-28 repeat proverbs and simple phrases, and pages 29-44 have poems, including Lydia's lengthy narrative poem "The Four Indian Kings & A young Lady of England." The series also includes 2 ink sketches and an example of the penmanship of "A. B."

The primary item in the Receipts and Accounts series is a shoemaker's account book (1764-1791), which lists the amounts that clients paid for "shoes," "pumps," and "heels." Interspersed among these entries are accounts related to farm work, such as hoeing, mowing, and planting. Several members of the Pool and Dyer families are mentioned in the volume. The receipts (1743-1809) pertain to individual payments for goods and services. Many pertain to the finances of Jacob Pillsbury, for whom Joseph Pool served as estate executor, and to Benjamin Pool; Christopher Dyer signed several of the items.

The Ephemera series consists of an illustrated reward of merit and a blank calling card.

This collection contains receipts for oysters, fish, candies, wooden goods, and other items purchased by P. Whitin & Sons and by Paul Whitin Dudley in the mid-19th century. P. Whitin & Sons operated cotton mills and cotton machinery manufacturing plants around Northbridge, Massachusetts, throughout the early 19th century, and had a large influence in the company town of Whitinsville. Dudley ran the company's store after 1846, and dealt primarily with merchants in Boston, Massachusetts, and Providence, Rhode Island.

This collection contains approximately 675 receipts for oysters, fish, candies, wooden goods, and other items purchased by P. Whitin & Sons and by Paul Whitin Dudley between 1843 and 1869. Dudley ran the company's store, located in Northbridge, Massachusetts, from 1846 until after the company's dissolution in 1864. Most of the dealers who issued receipts were based in Boston, Massachusetts, and Providence, Rhode Island. The company and Dudley frequently purchased large supplies of oysters, lobsters, and other fish, often bought by the gallon or barrel, and purchased large numbers of brooms from several manufacturers. They also occasionally bought other wooden cleaning items, such as washboards and buckets, and larger items, including cradles and chairs, and confectionary and tobacco items such as candy, cakes, chewing gum, and cigars.

See the Box and Folder Listing for the names of most companies who issued receipts.

This collection is made up of correspondence, financial records, and documents related to members of the Quail family of Washington County, Pennsylvania.

This collection is made up of correspondence, financial records, and documents related to various members of the Quail family of Washington County, Pennsylvania.

The Correspondence series (135 items) consists of personal letters written and received by members of the Quail family, particularly David Quail, Robert Quail, and two men named William Quail. Several of the earliest items, written in the late-18th and early 19th centuries, are addressed to John Hoge of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Quail family correspondence regards family news and health, travel, finances, business affairs, and other subjects.

Robert and John H. Quail often wrote to Willliam Quail about life in Hillsborough and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of William's letters concerns his meeting with United States Secretary of War William Learned Marcy about his offer to serve in Mexico (April 19, 1848). Mary Quail wrote to family members about her life in "Missouri City" in the late 1850s and early 1860s, occasionally mentioning the war. The bulk of the correspondence ends in 1891; later items include 5 letters from "Blaine" to "Anna" about Blaine's life in Philadelphia in 1890 and 1891, and a letter from a man to his uncle about life in Rangoon (March 18, 1899). Death notices for Catherine G. Quail (June 23, 1833), James Quail (August 7, 1834), and William Quail (June 5, 1837) are located at the end of the series.

The Writings series is comprised of 3 items: a poem by Robert Quail, a poem entitled "Ode to a Woman," and a partial essay about the ecliptic and astronomy.

Most items in the Receipts and Accounts series (156 items) pertain to the personal finances of Robert Quail. They regard his accounts with individuals and firms in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Items concerning William Quail and David Quail are also present. Three receipts for tuition payments for the education of Ann Moreland (paid by David Quail, 1826-1828), and 2 promissory notes (1722, 1819) are located at the end of the series. The series includes a daybook containing an unknown author's finances from January 29, 1849, to June 1856. The author lived in Washington, Pennsylvania, during this period.

The Documents series (62 items) contains legal records and agreements pertaining to land ownership, rent, and similar subjects. Also included are a will, a printed copy of the Pension Act of 1832, and Anna Grizella Quail's application to become a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. A group of 34 court summonses and subpoenas signed by David Quail, 1822-1846, is located at the end of the series. A second subseries of 10 items, including letters patent, legal documents, and diagrams, concerns John Ferrel's patent for vehicle brakes, 1900-1906.

The 4 Miscellaneous items are fragments with brief calculations.

The Quaker Collection consists of miscellaneous letters, diaries, and documents relating to the religious and social history of the Society of Friends in America during the 18th and 19th centuries.

The Quaker collection consists of miscellaneous letters, diaries, and documents related to the religious and social history of the Society of Friends in America during the 18th and 19th centuries. These items offer insights into Quaker's daily activities and concerns, such as family life, education, and attending meetings, as well as their participation in various social reform movements, such as abolition, treatment of Native Americans, prison improvements, temperance, and pacifism. The collection also documents internal divergences of American Quakerism in the 19th century, particularly the social and doctrinal disputes that culminated in the Hicksite and Wilburite schisms.

• 1707: A manuscript copy of the death warrant of William Leddra, the last of four Quakers (including Mary Dyer) executed in Massachusetts Bay colony for their religious beliefs
• July 26, 1755: A letter from Alexander Colden to Sir William Johnson voicing frustration with Quakers who refuse to support the war effort in Pennsylvania, and an announcement of General Braddock's defeat
• August 4-12 and 17, 1761: Two accounts, one by an anonymous woman, of Quaker presence at Treaty negotiations held at Easton, Pennsylvania, between the government of Pennsylvania and the Six Nations tribes. Discussed are the negotiations, Quaker-Indian interactions, and the role of Quaker women in the Society
• [After 1770]: An account by an anonymous author of a conference with Native Americans, mostly of the Minnisink Tribe
• October 13, 1829: A letter from Phoebe Post Willis of Jericho, New York, to Isaac Post on the death of John Hicks and strife between Orthodox and Hicksite Quakers
• March 10, 1843: A letter from Ethan Foster of Westerly, Rhode Island, to Thomas B. Gould on Wilburite-Gurneyite strife in his local meeting, and the disownment of Wilbur
• [After 1863 July]: A letter describing a meeting between Abraham Lincoln and five Quaker prisoners of war, who had been forced into the Confederate army, captured by the Union, and held at Fort Delaware
• Various dates: Reports, minutes, and epistles from yearly friends meetings in America and Great Britain

This collection is comprised of correspondence, diaries, documents, financial papers, and other materials of the family of stonecutter and marble worker John M. Ramsey, his wife Cyanea, and their children. The family lived in Greenfield, New Hampshire; Milwaukee and Port Washington, Wisconsin; and Grand Rapids, Michigan. Around 60 Civil War letters and one diary of the Ramseys' son Henry, who served in the 16th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, and around 10 letters of a cousin Ridgeway P. Cragin, of the 32nd Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, are included. Particularly notable are 96 daily diaries of the Ramsey daughters Emily S. and Cyanea H., kept largely while they lived in Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1870s-1920s.

This collection is comprised of 1,182 letters; 98 diaries; 210 documents; 468 receipts, checks, and account books; seven school papers and writings; three photographs; 34 printed and ephemeral items; and other materials of the family of stonecutter and marbleworker John M. Ramsey, his wife Cyanea, and their children. The family lived in Greenfield, New Hampshire; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and Grand Rapids, Michigan. Around 60 Civil War letters and one diary of the Ramseys' son Henry, who served in the 16th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, and around 10 letters of a cousin Ridgeway P. Cragin, of the 32nd Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, are included. Particularly notable are 96 daily diaries of the Ramsey daughters Emily S. and Cyanea H., kept largely while they lived in Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1870s-1920s.

The Correspondence series includes 1,182 items and opens with the 1827-1830s letters of Caroline and Hannah Ramsey of Greenfield, New Hampshire, and a sister, Sarah Marshall, of Augusta, Maine. A group of letters pertain to the courtship and marriage of John M. Ramsey and Cyanea Stevens--including a letter from Cyanea's parents Lemuel and Reliance about Cyanea's request for their approval of the wedding (August 5, 1836). Letters of the 1850s include correspondence of Collins Hinckley Stevens, regarding the death of Cyanea's mother Reliance in 1858, and incoming letters to Emily Ramsey from her schoolmates. A selection of letters to Emily from E. H. Langdon, a schoolteacher in Milwaukee, are present.

In the 1860s, sisters Emily, Frances "Fannie", and Cyanea carried on correspondence with each other and with friends and family, including:

• "Hannah" from the Baraboo Female Seminary (Sauk County, Wisconsin) in 1863
• Fannie to Emily while visiting Stoughton in 1863; Fannie's correspondence while attending the Ripley Female College, 1865-1866; her letters while staying with family in Greenfield, New Hampshire; and correspondence while in Chicago for medical reasons
• Ora Stevens in Nashville and Louis H. Stevens of Manchester, Vermont
• Friend "Louise" in Hartford, Connecticut (who moved to Bay City, Michigan, and married Edwin Wood)
• John M. Ramsey's nephew David Butler Ramsey (1829-1899), from Chicago and Milwaukee, many written while working in the law offices of Palmer, Hooker & Pitkin, later Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company
• Female friends and family to Emily and Fannie, written from Evanston, Illinois; Milwaukee and Ozaukee, Wisconsin; and Poultney, Vermont

The Ramsey family correspondence includes around 60 Civil War letters of Corporal Henry C. Ramsey of the 16th Regiment Wisconsin Infantry. He wrote from Camp Randall, the steamship Planet, Camp Sabin, Camp near Grand Junction, Camp near Memphis, Camp near Lake Providence, Louisiana, Camp Randall, and Vicksburg. In the mid-1870s, Henry was admitted to the Michigan Asylum for the Insane at Kalamazoo, Michigan, and the family received letters from Dr. E. H. VanDensen about his progress, especially around 1876. Around 10 letters of a cousin Paul Ridgeway Cragin, of the 32nd Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, are included.

Cyanea's and Emily's other correspondents from the 1870s to the 1930s include but are not limited to:

• Friends, cousins, and other relatives, including the Stevenses in Vermont; Persis Moore of Niles, Michigan; "Augusta" of Allegan and Otsego, Michigan; Almira Marshall in Owasso, Michigan; Frederick Marshall of Saginaw, Michigan; "Lizzie" in Woburn, Boston, and Framingham; Elvira Elizabeth Ramsey in Greenfield, New Hampshire; "David" in Greenfield; Murray J. Hoppock of Fremont, Michigan; and many others
• William H. Ramsey, Jr., a cousin, employed at the Ozaukee County Malting Company at Port Washington, Wisconsin, in the late 1880s; and as Secretary and Treasurer of the Wisconsin Chair Company in the 1890s
• Grand Rapids attorneys More & Wilson and bankers Edward M. Deane and Company, following the death of their father in 1897
• Gertrude P. Newton (Mrs. E. B. Newton) from Newton's Ranch, Colusa, Kansas, early 1900s
• Cousins James and Sarah (Saidee) Baker, from Ancón, Canal Zone, Panama, 1921-1935

The Diaries series includes 98 daily diaries, 96 of which were kept by sisters Cyanea H. and Emily S. Ramsey between 1873 and 1935, while the two lived in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The remaining two diaries include Henry C. Ramsey's Civil War diary for the year 1864 and a partial 1921 diary kept by [Howard Stevens?] in a pre-printed 1894 pocket journal. Henry Ramsey's 1864 pocket diary includes entries covering the 16th Regiment Wisconsin Infantry's movements from Vicksburg to Tennessee, to Georgia, with accounts of Kennesaw Mountain and the battle of Atlanta. The diary also covers his experiences as part of Sherman's march to the sea.

The Documents series is made up of 210 legal and financial documents pertinent largely to land and property in New Hampshire, Wisconsin, and Michigan, between 1786 and 1919 (bulk 1825-1911). Additional items include tax documents, stock-related items, and other materials.

The Financial and Business Papers includes 300 receipts, around 160 bank checks, and eight account books. The receipts date between 1831 and 1928, pertaining largely to John M. Ramsey's marble and stonecutting business. Additional receipts relate to personal property and tax payments. The 160 checks are drawn largely from Grand Rapids, Michigan, banks between December 1869 and October 1880. The account books include:

• [John M. Ramsey?] Account Book, 1830-1836. Comprised largely of accounts related to farm labor (haying, plowing, tending stock, etc.) in Greenfield, New Hampshire.
• John M. Ramsey Ledgers and Account Books, 1854-1886 (7 vols.). Consisting of the accounts of John M. Ramsey's marble and stonecutting businesses. One undated, illustrated manuscript book of monuments designed by N. Merritt for J. M. Ramsey, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is included with the account books.

The collection's School Papers and Writings (7 items) include John M. Ramsey's teacher's book, November 1830-February 1831; a fragment of mathematical rules by J. M. Ramsey; a chronological table by Emily Ramsey, 1851; a reward of merit for Mary Ramsey; two penmanship exercises; and a manuscript issue of The Literary Chip Basket (vol. 111, no. 11), Port Washington, 1861, with list of contributors including Fanny Oatman and Emily Ramsey.

The Photographs series includes one carte-de-visite of Henry C. Ramsey of the 16th Wisconsin Infantry; and one carte-de-visite and one cabinet card of unidentified individuals.

The Ephemera and Printed Items series is made up of invitations, Nashua Manufacturing Company employee regulations (August 31, 1837), advertisements for marble and other products, and torn pages from the History of Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, ed. Hurd, 1885.

The collection also contains items pertinent to Genealogy (6 items) and an Address Book, Fragments, and Envelopes.

This collection consists of 17 manuscript documents respecting local affairs in Reading, Massachusetts, between 1666 and 1731. The documents address property, indigent persons, town meetings (calls to meet and issues addressed), and financial matters.

This collection consists of 17 manuscript documents respecting local affairs in Reading, Massachusetts, between 1666 and 1731. The documents address property, indigent persons, town meetings (calls to meet and issues addressed), and financial matters. Examples include:

• April 30, 1666: An agreement drafted between representatives from the towns of Woburn and Reading reestablishing town boundaries. One attendee was William Cowdrey, a founding member of Reading who served as a deacon, Clerk of the Writs, Town Clerk, a selectman, a chairman, and a Representative to the General Court.
• January 4, 1710: An order, issued by Jn. Horbert (Town clerk), for Constable Thomas Taylor to "warn John Rich forth with to cause to depart and leave this town" the "indigent" person living in his household. Note on the verso indicates the warning was delivered according to the "warrant."
• June 5, 1711: Three individuals from Reading--Cptn. Nickols, Mr. Riley, and Burnap--"are impoured to answer to a petishon presented to the genarall court by sum of the inhabitants of the North syde of Ipswi[c]h river for a precinct to be asined them and to defend the Towns intrest."
• April 21, 1712: Receipt of payment to constable "Gorge Flent," signed by Elizabeth Pierpont.
• February 7, 1727/8: A warrant ordering Hannah Dix, having arrived in Reading "about the thirteenth of November & doth reside in our town at the house of Joseph Wessen," "to depart [out of Wessen's home] & out of this town to Boston from whence she came."
• September 8, 1731: Agenda for a forthcoming meeting, with an item "To hear ye Indian Deed of our Township Read if they if they [sic.] please if sd Deed can be procured."

This collection consists of 883 letters, documents, an orderly book, printed items, and other materials concerning revolutionary conflicts in Cuba and the Philippines, American involvement particularly, dating largely from the 1890s-1900s. This collection's contents include detailed information from Cuban and Philippine revolutionaries at home and in exile; U.S. Army activities related especially to the Spanish-American War, Philippine-American War, and postwar occupations; American, Cuban, Filipino, and Spanish consular and governmental officials; and civilians (including families of U.S. Army soldiers' and sailors' family members) involved in the events.

This collection consists of 883 letters, documents, an orderly book, printed items, and other materials concerning revolutionary conflicts in Cuba and the Philippines, American involvement particularly, dating largely from the 1890s-1900s. This collection's contents include detailed information from Cuban and Philippine revolutionaries at home and in exile; U.S. Army activities related especially to the Spanish-American War, Philippine-American War, and postwar occupations; American, Cuban, Filipino, and Spanish consular and governmental officials; and civilians (including families of U.S. Army soldiers' and sailors' family members) involved in the events.

Please see the box and folder listing in this finding aid for extensive, detailed descriptions of items and groups of items in the Revolutionary Cuba and Philippines Collection.

This 34-page, pocket-size Revolutionary War diary was kept from August to September 1776 by an unidentified American soldier, likely a private from Pennsylvania. The diarist and his unit travelled through Philadelphia and along the New Jersey coast. Places named include Trenton, Princeton, Kingston, New Brunswick, the Raritan River, Perth Amboy, Elizabeth, Newark, Newark Bay, Bergenfield, Paulus Hook, and Kingsbridge. The author wrote of camp life, lodgings, food, occasional interactions with civilians, and military encounters. He appears to have been in the vicinity of New York, New York, in the early stages of the New York campaign. Later entries at the back of the volume predominantly relate to financial transactions and travel costs.

This 34-page, pocket-size Revolutionary War diary was kept from August to September 1776 by an unidentified American soldier, likely from Pennsylvania. References to the captain of his unit indicate the writer was likely at a lower rank, possibly a private. The volume measures approximately 4 inches by 3.25 inches, and phonetic spelling appears throughout.

The diarist and his unit travelled through Philadelphia and along the New Jersey coast. Places named include Trenton, Princeton, Kingston, New Brunswick, the Raritan River, Perth Amboy, Elizabeth, Newark, Newark Bay, Bergenfield, Paulus Hook, and Kingsbridge. He recorded where and how they traveled, noting trips on boats, wagons, and foot. He commented on distances, the scenery, time spent waiting, road conditions, and other irritations, like mosquitoes at Paulus Hook (pages 16 and 20). At times he described where they spent the night and efforts to secure lodging. In Perth Amboy, he noted that rooms were plentiful as many of the residents, especially women and children, had evacuated (page 7), and in Newark a "gentlewoman" offered food and lodging (pages 12-13). They encamped in a hay loft in Philadelphia (page 2), an orchard near Bergenfield (page 18), and in a barn near Trenton (page 25). He commented on getting drinks at taverns, eating rations, and hunting. At times he specified the types of food available (pigeon, dumplings, boiled beef, bread, butter, partridge, squirrel, etc.). Other camp details provided include the preaching of sermons (pages 20-21), washing of clothes (page 24), and the burial of a soldier (page 24).

The writer also noted several interactions with civilians. He described a dispute with a woman about paying ferry fees (page 3), the residents of Amboy opposing the idea of removing to Newark (page 10), and thousands in Elizabeth trying to learn if an alarm was false (pages 11-12).

The diarist wrote about military and combat activities. He noted working on breastworks along the river near Perth Amboy, parading at them, and maintaining sentries, all in sight of British troops. He mentioned a British man-of-war firing on Perth Amboy (pages 8-9) and responding to a false alarm of British troops arriving at Elizabeth (pages 11-12). His unit encountered fighting near Bergenfield, where he described British men-of-war firing, as well as an engagement near Kingsbridge (pages 15 and 18). He noted a "sham fight" between "Yankeys" and "Jerseys" and encountering some four hundred of "Lee's men" waiting to cross at the York ferry, possibly referring to Major General Charles Lee (1732-1782) (page 22). He appears to have been in the vicinity of the city of New York in the early stages of the New York campaign. He described seeing "Dead mens Bones" in the area and witnessing the sale of Colonel Caleb Parry's clothing, including his hat that was bloodied by his fatal head wound received during the Battle of Long Island (pages 23-24).

Several entries reflect on misbehavior. He described the theft of a coat in Perth Amboy, a search of the men, and its discovery in a sergeant's knapsack (page 13), as well as a large group of soldiers' attempt to desert near Bergenfield (page 16).

The diarist returned to Philadelphia before travelling home, arriving on September 17, 1776.

The last several pages of the volume appear to have been written at a later date. One set of entries relates to a trip, possibly for the delivery of goods, noting distances travelled, expenses, and the care of horses and wagons. The final page is dated March 27, 1777, and seems to document expenses for a trip to Cumberland with a [Rachel?] Davis and the receipt of money from John Davis. Other passages in this section further relate to financial transactions, such as a promissory note to John John and receipts for goods such as wool and cheese, many with Evan Thomas. Two other entries possibly refer to the diarist's further military service, with one entry recording a march to Trenton on August 9, 1780, with a return home "the 3 of September following," and another referring to "Gowing to camp" seemingly dated in 1793. One entry provides a location of upper Merion Township, Montgomery County, and another seems to be a poem or lyrics, possibly signed by George Davis.

The diary was kept in a slim green cardboard box addressed to Nellie C. Davis of Wichita, Kansas, with the pencil inscription "Grandfather's Diary."