Collections

This collection consists of approximately 1,250 business letters and financial documents concerning the professional affairs of Charles P. Cogswell, a banker and investor based in Norwich, Connecticut, in the latter half of the 19th century. Included are roughly 1,180 letters and financial records, 77 checks and receipts, and 1 photograph. In addition to serving as president of the Second National Bank of Norwich, Connecticut, Cogswell owned stock in several railroads, lumber companies, and other firms in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Cogswell's incoming business correspondence and documents pertain to his relationships with other bankers in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York, and to his financial interests in the western states.

This collection consists of approximately 1,250 business letters and financial documents concerning the professional affairs of Charles P. Cogswell, a banker and investor based in Norwich, Connecticut, in the latter half of the 19th century. Included are roughly 1,180 letters and financial records, 77 checks and receipts, and 1 photograph. In addition to serving as president of the Second National Bank of Norwich, Connecticut, Cogswell owned stock in several railroads, lumber companies, and other firms in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Cogswell's incoming business correspondence and documents pertain to his relationships with other bankers in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York, and to his financial interests in the western states.

Charles P. Cogswell's incoming Correspondence and Documents (about 1,250 items) cover many of his financial interests and monetary investments between 1877 and 1899, such as the affairs of the Second National Bank of Norwich, Connecticut, and its relationships with other banks throughout the state and in New York and Massachusetts. Early items include receipts and bills for labor and other expenses, dated between 1870 and 1877. In and after 1877, most items are business letters, often brief, related to banking and to Cogswell's financial investments in firms such as the Sibley Machine Company, lumber companies, railroads, and harvester manufacturers in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Later correspondence often concerns stock Cogswell held in various companies, as well as those companies' financial standing and value.

One group of letters from attorney Charles L. Mitchell in Cincinnati, Ohio, written in 1883 and 1884, pertains to a legal action in which Mitchell and other executors of the late Charles D. Coffin's estate sought to invalidate several mortgages; a copy of the action is also included (January 12, 1884). The bulk of the collection ends in 1899. Four later items, dated between 1912 and 1921, are related to C. C. Sterling of Hartford, Connecticut, and to the Hart & Hegeman Manufacturing Company of Hartford. At least two items are personal letters Cogswell received from a member of the Miner family.

The Checks and Receipts series contains 77 checks and receipts signed by and issued to Charles P. Cogswell. His checks were drawn on the Second National Bank. Receipts include 4 for Cogswell's use of naturall gas provided by the Norwich City Gas Company.

The Photograph is a 5.5"x3" black-and-white print mounted on thick cardboard. The picture depicts six people standing in front of a house, identified as grandparents and aunts.

This collection is made up of correspondence, military records, photographs, newsletters, scrapbooks, and other items pertaining to the military career of Charles H. Foster, who served in the United States Navy from 1898-1934.

The Charles H. Foster collection consists of correspondence, military records, photographs, newsletters, scrapbooks, and other items pertaining to the military career of Charles H. Foster, who served in the United States Navy from 1898-1934.

The collection's correspondence (144 items) primarily relates to Foster's naval service after 1902. Letters, memorandums, orders, and reports concern his ship assignments and work at the Naval Gun Factory (Washington Navy Yard) during World War I. One group of letters from the early 1920s relates to the acquisition of dependent's pay for Foster's mother. A series of World War II-era documents respect Foster's fitness for active duty. After World War II, he received letters from military acquaintances and veterans of the Spanish-American War.

Charles H. Foster's 1918-1919 diary concerns his travel on the Huron between the United States and France. Notes, newspaper clippings, and a telegram laid into the volume regard deaths, the military, and historical inquiries.

The papers include 4 of Charles H. Foster's scrapbooks, which contain materials related to the USTS Alliance's 1897-1898 training mission; naval ships, personnel, and theatrical and musical programs and performances; the Mexican Revolution and Mexican politics in the mid-1910s; and naval equipment, camps, and weapons tests.

Sixty-three photographs depict U.S. Navy sailors and vessels. One group of pictures show scenes from the Huron's voyage between France and the United States during World War I. The collection also features photographic postcards sent by Charles H. Foster and others from Mexico, the Philippines, Japan, Germany, and Borneo.

Financial records, legal documents, and service records primarily pertain to Charles H. Foster, with a focus on his time on the USS West Virginia in the 1920s and his mother's financial dependency. Documents, blueprints, photographs, and other items relate to devices patented by Charles H. Foster and others. Two service ribbons appear in the collection, mounted onto a wallet printed with "United States Battle Fleet, Sydney, 1925," which also contains a travel pass and membership card for Charles H. Foster.

The collection includes 429 typescripts about early American history, the Civil War, South Carolina Confederate soldiers, the Spanish-American War, aviation, and the US Navy. Rosters of American Navy ships and personnel include information on Union vessels during the Civil War; casualties from the 1898 USS Maine explosion; USTS Alliance naval apprentices in 1898; USS West Virginia officers in 1926; and the names and addresses of members in several naval veterans' associations.

A "Personal Log" by Royal Emerson Foster relates to his service on the SSAC Bedford in early 1919, with descriptions and illustrations of naval equipment, ship construction, signaling, personnel, and other subjects. The navy publication Rules to Prevent Collisions of Vessels also appears in the Log.

US Naval Ex. Apprentices Association materials include copies of Trade Winds, the association's newsletter, from 1939-1964. The newsletters are accompanied by a list of Alliance apprentices in 1898. A copy of Rocks and Shoals, a publication for former crewmen of the USS Memphis, is also present. Other printed works include military publications about equipment and procedures, a handbook on medicine, the Mariner's Pocketbook, A History of Guantanamo Bay, newspaper clippings, a souvenir book from the US Naval Training Station in Newport, Rhode Island, a death announcement, and a map of Arlington National Cemetery.

Notes, reports, and a bound volume concern the history of the Foster, Yates, and Lindstrom families.

In the 1870s and 1880s Charles H. Lund of Nashua, New Hampshire, compiled this collection of letters, documents, essays and other writings (including a manuscript newspaper), artwork, and miscellaneous printed items relating to his education, social life, and participation in the Nashua City Guards. The collection is accompanied by the original album in which Lund housed them.

In the 1870s and 1880s Charles H. Lund of Nashua, New Hampshire, compiled this collection of letters, documents, essays and other writings, artwork, and miscellaneous printed items relating to his education, social life, and participation in the Nashua City Guards. The collection is accompanied by the original file which housed them.

The Correspondence Series consists of eleven letters, ten of which are addressed to Charles H. Lund. The bulk appear to have been written by former schoolmates and commented in some fashion on education. One was likely written by one of his teachers. A handful of others relate to politics, railroads, agriculture, and the Nashua City Guards.

The Documents Series consists of miscellaneous items relating to Lund's education, including report cards for Charles and Marcus Lund, a reward of merit, and notices for readings from the Taming of the Shrew. The series also contains a receipt for payment to the Nashua City Guards, a document relating to payment for use of the patented "Richardson's Centennial Gate," and a handmade advertisement for Charles Lund's "Crosses Cut to Order."

The Writings Series includes school essays and compositions on topics like American history and the causes of the American Revolution, the seasons, the last day of school, railroads, "A Kiss in School," secret societies, Edmund Burke, and others. Lund annotated one essay from 1870 with the message, "First Composition and a poor one too." The verso of an undated essay entitled "Railroads" includes a manuscript drawing of a school desk along with diagrams of how the interior was organized. A manuscript newspaper, "The Star," was dated March 17, 1887, and proclaimed itself "The leading grange paper in Nashua. Is adapted to the farmer, the mechanic, the business and professional man." It features poetry, jokes and riddles, advertisements, and articles relating to farming, religion, cities, manhood, and other topics. Two poems are also present in the series.

The Original Artwork Series includes calling cards for Charles H. Lund and several of his acquaintances, featuring manuscript drawings of birds, flora, and calligraphic embellishments. Other drawings in the series include pencil illustrations of flowers, a bicycle, a train engine, dogs, Charles Lund's initials done in colored pencil with graphic elements added, and a pencil and colored pencil rendering of the Lund homestead, showing the main residence and outbuildings.

The Printed Materials Series consists of programs, two catalogs for the Nashua Literary Institution, a printed calling card for Lund, a menu for the Profile House, and a newspaper clipping of a government bond.

The album in which the collection was originally housed is located at the back of the box.

The Charles H. Townsend papers are made up of correspondence between Captain Charles Hervey Townsend and his family, who lived in New Haven, Connecticut, in the mid-19th century. The letters concern Townsend's career as a merchant ship captain, the Civil War, and family news. Also included are receipts, newspaper clippings, and a lock of hair.

This collection is made up of correspondence between Captain Charles Hervey Townsend and members of his family, who lived in New Haven, Connecticut, in the mid-19th century. The letters concern Townsend's career as a merchant ship captain, the Civil War, and family news. Also included are receipts, newspaper clippings, and a lock of hair.

The Correspondence series contains letters between Charles Hervey Townsend and members of his family. He wrote approximately 80 letters to his mother from 1849-1859 and received letters from family members throughout the 1850s. Townsend reported on his health and on travels to and from the United States, the Caribbean, and Europe on various merchant vessels, and his family often shared news from Connecticut. Townsend also wrote and received some letters about his finances. From 1860-1865, his correspondence with his mother and brothers largely concerns the Civil War and its influence in Connecticut and London. Members of the Townsend family mentioned the expectation of war as early as November 1860 and commented on military developments throughout the conflict. Their war-era letters are often composed on patriotic stationery. Charles's sister Eliza, who lived in England, wrote about the impact of the war in Europe, and his brother-in-law William mentioned the war's negative effects on trade. In his letters to his family, Charles Townsend discussed the progress of the war, perceived pro-Confederate sentiments in Great Britain, and California's increasing importance to the United States. He continued to receive business correspondence during the war. After the war, the Townsend family corresponded about family news, travel, and Charles's career.

The Financial Records series is made up of 19 bills, receipts, accounts, and other financial records pertaining to Charles Townsend. Many of the transactions took place in Le Havre, France, and related to ship repairs and purchases such as clothing and wine.

The Newspaper Clippings series has undated articles about a Connecticut Civil War soldier wounded at the Battle of Chancellorsville, the possible relocation of the Connecticut state capital, and a letter that General James C. Rice wrote to his mother prior to the Battle of the Wilderness.

The Realia series is comprised of a lock of Eliza Mulford Townsend's hair.

The Christopher Van Deventer papers contain incoming and outgoing correspondence and documents concerning the War of 1812, the politics of the 1810s and 1820s, and the political career of John C. Calhoun.

The Christopher Van Deventer papers contain 622 items, including 569 letters, 38 financial and legal documents, 6 newspaper clippings, 5 diaries, an essay, a map, a photograph, and a printed item. The papers span 1799-1925 (bulk 1810 and 1835).

The Correspondence and Documents series contains Van Deventer's incoming and outgoing letters, receipts, certificates, and other documents, spanning 1799-1900. The materials cover various stages of his career, including his role as deputy quartermaster general in the early stages of the War of 1812, his imprisonment in Quebec and attempted escape, his friendship with John C. Calhoun and involvement in national politics, and the scandal which ended his public career.

The series opens with several letters and memoranda about the neutrality of the United States leading up to the War of 1812, including a manuscript essay signed "Gilbert" and entitled "Ought the United States to abandon Neutrality by forming an alliance with either Belligerent?" and the urgency of reconciliation with both Great Britain and France (filed after 1809). Samuel de Veaux, the commissary of Fort Niagara, also contributed several letters on the topic, stating in one, "the maintainance [sic] of a strict neutrality will be at the expense of the honour, the dignity, and the independence of the nation" (March 6, 1810). Upon the outbreak of the war, most letters and documents concern war efforts and Van Deventer's duties with the Quartermaster Department. These include requests concerning British fortifications at Niagara (June 28, 1812), the use of receipts to track expenditures, the construction of boats at Sackets Harbor (February 11, 1813), and a reconnaissance report concerning Fort George ([1813]).

After Van Deventer's capture at the Battle of Stony Creek on June 6, 1813, the collection documents his imprisonment in Quebec from July 1813 to February 1815. Letters received by Van Deventer include assurances from friends that they will get him exchanged (July 9, 1813), updates on his daughter (August 20, 1813), and details of his finances back in New York. Van Deventer also wrote frequently to friends and family members, describing his state of mind and the conditions of his imprisonment. On October 31, 1813, he noted that he was in "close confinement…limited by bolts and bars and locks" along with about 45 other American officers. He also provided a report of American officers confined with him, including names, ranks, corps, and remarks, and noted that they were "arrayed in a suite of upper rooms" with four men per room (November 4, 1813). Several letters contain references to a failed attempt to escape that he tried in late 1813. On December 25, 1813, he wrote, "I now am as miserable a condition as a man can be: in solitary confinement…deprived of my servant cut of[f] from converse with my countrymen." Van Deventer's imprisonment seemed to take an increasing toll on his mental state; on March 26, 1814, he wrote, "You tell me not to be discouraged--'hope!' ha, ha, ha, 'hope,' hope for what?" He also wrote in one letter that he had resolved "to practice the Stoic principle that 'whatever is independent on choice, is nothing to me'" (May 24, 1814).

After ca, February 1815, the date of Van Deventer's release, the collection primarily concerns correspondence relating to his career as chief clerk in the War Department; American politics, including the presidential candidacy of John C. Calhoun; the scandal related to Rip Raps shoal contract; and scattered personal and financial letters. In his role in the War Department, Van Deventer corresponded on numerous military matters. On January 16, 1818, he discussed the peacetime establishment of the United States Army and its reduction in size (January 15, 1818). Around 1819, he noted his support of Andrew Jackson's attacks on the Seminoles in Florida, stating, "we do affirm that neither the Constitution nor the laws have been violated by marching our forces into Florida" [1819].

The collection also contains approximately 12 letters written to Van Deventer by John C. Calhoun between 1818 and 1836. These concern such topics as political appointments (September 2, 1821), Calhoun's predictions of doom for the John Quincy Adams administration (August 12, 1827), the growing rift between Calhoun and President Andrew Jackson (May 12, 1830), and several letters concerning the Rip-Raps affair, including Calhoun's pledge of support of Van Deventer against charges of military contract fraud (March 25, 1825). In a letter dated July 23, 1827, Calhoun responded to Van Deventer's suggestion that Calhoun should visit the north "with the view to remove unfavorable impressions" of him there, commenting that he did not want to undertake such a task simply for the sake of popularity. In addition, Calhoun noted that he foresaw "a great crisis" in United States public affairs. In another letter, of March 24, 1833, he addressed the nullification crisis, writing, "I have no doubt the system has got its death wound. Nullification has dealt the fatal blow." Also included are approximately 15 letters relating to Calhoun's candidacy for president in 1824, including Van Deventer's endorsement of him ([1823]), and a discussion of the upcoming election (September 21, 1824).

Also included are numerous letters and documents relating to the Rip Raps military contract scandal, including substantial correspondence between Van Deventer and Elijah Mix, an assertion of confidence in Van Deventer's character by James Monroe (November 27, 1826), numerous letters of support from friends and colleagues, and a printed report by the U.S. House of Representatives (May 22, 1822). The materials cover many aspects of the scandal and its aftermath.

Also present in this series is a copy of Charles S. Smith's printed map, Map of the City of Quebec (New York: 1796), located in Box 1.

The Diaries series contains five brief, loose-leaf diaries covering the following periods: April 26-May 5, 1819; January 10-March 3, 1825; October 13, 1825-July 3, 1826; July 4-November 3, 1826; and December 2, 1826-April 7, 1827. Entries are terse and business-like in nature and track Van Deventer's activities as chief clerk in the War Department, including the correspondence and reports he received, colleagues with whom he spoke on various matters, and documents that he wrote and sent. In a few entries, he mentioned comments made by John C. Calhoun; for example, on January 10, 1825, he noted that "Mr Calhoun remarked on Mr [DeWitt] Clinton's speech, that Mr Clinton had put himself on his Mr Calhouns ground--that the Radical party was wholly demolished…." In an entry of November 23, 1825, he discussed public perceptions and popularity of Calhoun in Washington, D.C.

This collection is made up of correspondence, diaries, writings, documents, and other items related to the Clarke family of Gilmanton and Manchester, New Hampshire. The materials concern the Civil War, life in 19th-century New Hampshire, education, and other subjects.

This collection contains correspondence, diaries, writings, documents, and other items related to the Clarke family of Gilmanton and Manchester, New Hampshire.

The Correspondence series (approximately 920 items) comprises the bulk of the collection. Most of the correspondence written between the 1850s and the early 1870s is made up of letters between and addressed to William Cogswell Clarke, Anna Maria Greely Clarke, and their three eldest children: Stephen Greely Clarke and his wife, Lydia Mason Wight Clarke; Anna Norton Clarke and her husband, Robert M. Appleton; and Julia Cogswell Clarke. A few letters by Mary Ann Wight are also present. Letter enclosures include a lock of hair, plants, cartes-de-visite, and newspaper clippings.

The Clarke family's personal correspondence focuses primarily on life in and news of Gilmanton and Manchester, New Hampshire throughout the 19th century. Writers discussed religious beliefs and activities; romantic relationships, courtship, and marriage; births and deaths; social activities; teaching and education; politics; and other subjects. During the Civil War, some writers shared news of battles, regiments, casualties, and the general progress of the war.

After 1871, many items are incoming and outgoing letters between and addressed to Julia C. Clarke, her sister Anna, and their mother. Some of Julia's letters pertain to her life in Framingham, Massachusetts, while Anna Clarke Appleton and Anna Greely Clarke provided news from Lake Village, New Hampshire, and Manchester, New Hampshire. During the 1880s, Julia wrote a series of letters to William H. Ladd, discussing newspaper advertising (particularly with regard to schools); her experiences in Lake Village, Kents Hill (Maine), and Boston, where she worked for the Chauncy Hall School; and advice for Ladd's upcoming visit to Europe. Groups of enclosed newspaper clippings contain advertisements for educational institutions. Other late personal letters to members of the Clarke family concern travel in Asia, estate administration, and finances.

Additional correspondence from the 1870s to the 1910s includes a large number of business letters, including many related to Stephen G. Clarke's legal career. Other groups of correspondence include letters to Edward Reilly of San Francisco, California, about mining concerns in Arizona and New Mexico; to Lafayette H. De Friese of New York City about the timber industry and shipments of logs; and to a man named "Bagley" of New York City. Other personal correspondence includes love letters from "Dolph" to "Sadie" and letters related to O. F. Bryant, who taught at or attended Chauncy Hall School. New York City lawyer Ernest G. Stevens received several business letters in the early 1910s.

The Diaries and Journals series consists of 5 items. Anna Maria Greely (later Clarke) kept 2 diaries from October 12, 1828-June 19, 1829, and June 26, [1872]-September 21, 1872. Her entries, which were written mostly on loose scraps of paper, concern daily life, social calls, and activities with family members and acquaintances. The later diary contains frequent mentions of Clarke's children. The remaining items concern an unidentified author's Bible readings and Christian beliefs (September 12, 1858-April 24, 1859); "Mrs. Robinson's" desire to write a journal for the benefit of her 7-year-old daughter Kitty, who required instruction in housekeeping (July 1, 1868); and Emma F. Moore's "Two Days on the Concord River," describing her travels with a companion (undated).

The Writings series is comprised of essays (15 items), published articles (2 items), letters to the editor (6 items), drafts (2 items), rejected submissions (9 items), "A Reading of the Will: A Farce" (1 item), "Seminal Weakness" (1 item), poems (30 items), and a speech. The essays, by Stephen G. Clarke, Lydia M. Wight, and Anna Greely Clarke, concern topics such as politics and history, morality and religion, English and Latin grammar, teaching and education, and horse breeding. The rejected submissions are primarily poetry, including one about African Americans. "The Reading of the Will" is a farce and "Seminal Weakness" is a lengthy essay on the male reproductive system. Many of the poems concern religion and nature. The 54-page speech is a presidential address delivered by Dr. Nahum Wight before the New Hampshire Medical Society. He discussed the society's history and goals, medical history and education, and his own medical career.

The School Papers series contains Latin Exercises (5 items), Academic Notes (19 items), Debates (2 items), and items related to the Chauncey Hall School (21 items). The academic notes and debates largely pertain to Stephen G. Clarke's studies, including items regarding animal classification and birds. One lengthy debate considered whether men were influenced more by women or money. The Chauncy Hall School subseries consists of newspaper advertisements, several copies of a printed advertisement, and correspondence from recipients of a circular and from managers at the Pittsburgh Chronicle Telegraph and the Chicago Tribune. One item is an invitation to the school's "Promotion Day," held on June 12, 1894.

The Documents series is divided into two subseries. Financial Documents (10 items), most of which concern Stephen G. Clarke, include accounts, receipts, a promissory note, and bank checks. One document between Willard B. Farwell and the American Machine Gun Company concerns the ownership of Farwell's inventions and patents. Printed Documents (11 items) include certificates regarding Stephen G. Clarke's attendance at Harvard University (July 16, 1855) and Josephine Evarts's license to practice medicine in Connecticut (April 1, 1929), documents regarding the activities of the American Folklore Society and the Wednesday Club (1892 and undated), and descriptions of an invention, the Hussey Motor Battery, by Willard B. Farwell (undated). A price list for advertisements in the Chicago Tribune and a sign regarding the treatment of animals in a scientific laboratory are also present.

Newspaper Clippings (12 items) include obituaries for William C. Clarke, articles about the Clarke family, advice for young writers, advertisements, and poetry.

The Photographs series (2 items) contains a portrait of an unidentified man, likely taken around the 1860s or 1870s, and a picture of a home and its large front garden. Both prints are mounted on large cards.

The Genealogy series consists of family trees written into a bound volume of blank genealogical tables that belonged to Julia C. Clarke. The tables concern ancestors of Julia C. Clarke and their families; some lineages are traced back as far as the 1600s. Many of the pages have cut-out sections to coordinate records across different trees and pages.

This collection is made up of correspondence, legal documents, financial records, maps, and ephemera related to the descendants and extended family of Dr. Joseph Cole of Sharon, Connecticut; Auburn, New York; and Albion, New York. Among many represented subjects are the educational and social lives of women in New York during the early 1800s, legal aspects of land ownership and estate administration, and land along Long Pond in Rome, Maine.

This collection is made up of correspondence, legal documents, financial records, maps, and ephemera related to the descendants and extended family of Dr. Joseph Cole of Sharon, Connecticut; Auburn, New York; and Albion, New York.

The collection's correspondence includes letters from the children and other descendants of Dr. Joseph Cole of Sharon, Connecticut, and Auburn, New York, between 1817 and 1942. Most of the early letters in the collection are addressed to sisters Laura Altie and Mary Parsons Cole from female friends in New York. Several correspondents, including Mary Ann Kellogg and Chloe Hyde, were students at Troy Female Seminary in Troy, New York, in the 1820s and 1830s. Kellogg provided a detailed description of the school before its main building was constructed (June 24, 1821), and Chloe Hyde later shared information about her coursework and the lives of fellow students. Other acquaintances told the sisters of their religious and social lives in different areas of New York, including Lanesborough, Buffalo, and Albany.

Almeron and Dan Cole received letters from friends, family, and business acquaintances, including their brother-in-law, Hiram Foote Mather. These include 7 letters by Frances M. Elliott, who wrote Dan, her future husband, in 1835 and 1836 about her life in Scottsville, New York, and her anticipation of their upcoming marriage. Letters from the 1840s to mid-1860s are most frequently addressed to the Cole brothers and to their brother-in-law, Hiram Foote Mather, about business affairs. Many regard legal matters in Niles and Grand Rapids, Michigan.

After the mid-1860s, much of the correspondence is composed of personal and business letters between David Hyde Mather, his brother-in-law George McClure Welles, and his brothers Joseph and John Mather, who moved out West in the late 1800s. Mather also received many personal letters from his niece, Harriet Prentiss Welles, during her time as postmistress of Great Bend, Kansas, who discussed her personal finances and loans. The papers also contain some of Daniel H. Cole's business correspondence. Other correspondence from this period includes letters between George McClure Welles and Lewis Hunt about Harriet Prentiss Welles's share of Almeron Cole's estate, and personal correspondence addressed to Mary Jane Cole of Albion, New York. She received letters from many female acquaintances and a series from her cousin, D. Williams Patterson, tracing the genealogy of the Hyde family to the mid-18th century.

A selection of letters from the 20th century relate to Marston Taylor Bogert, Morrison McMath, and Lizette Harrison. Between 1912 and the 1920s, Bogert corresponded with several people in Maine, regarding property along Long Pond near Rome, Maine. Other letters relate to the family of Morrison H. McMath, a lawyer from Rochester, New York. A late series of letters by Elizabeth ("Lizette") P. Harrison of Portland, Oregon, to Ada Howe Kent of California, reflects her financial troubles and emotional state during the early years of the Great Depression.

Legal documents include papers relating to the Newton and North Hempstead Plank Road Company; New York Supreme Court Cases heard between 1848 and 1894; estate administration papers; and financial documents and records. The Cole family papers contain documents concerning taxes paid on land holdings in Rome, Maine, in the early 20th century, including property held by Edward F. Bragg in Belgrade, Maine.

Materials relating to education include six checks from the 1860s made out to Phipps' U. Seminary, a 1906 report card for a student at the United States Naval Academy, and an undated "Report Book" containing two essays. An assortment of ephemeral items and manuscript maps of Marston T. Bogert's property along Long Pond in Rome, Maine, also appear in the collection.

The Cole family papers also contain essays, notes, and poetry. Items of note include an 1850s manuscript response of the County of Orleans, New York, to recent actions of slaveholding states, calling for attendance at a Republican Party convention in Syracuse; a 1925 essay entitled "The Beginnings of Modern Spiritualism in and Near Rochester," by Adelbert Cronised; a lengthy typed travelogue of India; and an essay on the history of the Isthmus of Panama and the Panama Canal.

The Constantin family papers are made up of correspondence, financial records, and other items related to the family's involvement in transatlantic shipping in the early 19th century. Personal and professional acquaintances corresponded with Barthelemy Constantin and his son Anthony of Bordeaux, France, and New York City, and the Constantins also compiled accounts, inventories, and receipts.

The Constantin family papers (1 linear foot) are made up of correspondence, financial records, and other items related to the family's involvement in trans-Atlantic shipping in the early 19th century.

The Correspondence series (around 330 items) contains personal and business letters, most of which were addressed to Barthelemy Constantin and Anthony Constantin from 1806-1809. Most items pertain to the Constantins' ship brokering business, finances, and shipments of goods between Europe and the United States. Personal letters to Anthony Constantin from his father, Barthelemy Constantin, and his brother, Simon Constantin, provide personal advice and news from Bordeaux. In a letter of August 9, 1806, Simon warned Anthony about potential military conflicts, and later letters from that year concern financial difficulties and disputes.

The Documents and Financial Records series (around 275 items) is divided into five subseries. The Accounts and Account Books subseries (8 items) pertains to cargo shipments, and 2 items also contain copies of business and personal letters. The Invoices and Receipts subseries concerns ships carrying building supplies, clothing, and other cargo between Bordeaux and New York. Fifteen printed Import Price Lists concern the wholesale prices of goods in Bordeaux and Nantes in 1806-1808. Twenty-five Inventories detail the goods aboard ships and other materials of the shipping business. The Financial Documents and Inventories of the Brig Batavian subseries includes cargo inventories and receipts of goods received in New York.

Anthony Constantin's Waste Book (8" x 12", 44 pages) has personal correspondence, poetry, accounts, and drawings. Visual subjects include architecture, a portrait, sketches of combs with pearls, and a drawing of a skeleton holding a sickle and a bottle. The Poem Book (4" x 6", 35 pages) belonged to Eloise Maria Le Comte. Miscellaneous items include an incomplete newspaper article about female heroism and a printed document, "Instruction contenant les principals dispositions des ordaonnances et reglemens applicables aux ecoles primaires de filles," as well as other items.

This collection contains miscellaneous single items authored by, signed by, or relating to members of the Continental Congresses, the Confederation Congress, and the United States Congress. The bulk of the collection dates from 1761 to 1862, and while some content relates to political positions and actions, most of the items concern congressional representatives' financial and business affairs, legal practices, and various personal matters.

This collection contains miscellaneous single items authored by, signed by, or relating to members of the Continental Congresses, the Confederation Congress, and the United States Congress. The bulk of the collection dates from 1761 to 1862, and while some content relates to political positions and actions, most of the items concern congressional representatives' financial and business affairs, legal practices, and various personal matters. Of particular note are items relating to the military during the American Revolution, including one item from January 27, 1778, that appears to have a separate message visible by backlight. The collection also contains materials relating to wampum and Native American relations, as well as Shay's Rebellion. See the Detailed Box and Folder Listing below for more information about each item.

This collection contains receipts, bills, accounts, court documents, and other materials related to the expenses and operations of the Corporation of the City of New York between 1798 and 1873.

This collection contains receipts, bills, accounts, court documents, and other materials related to the expenses and operations of the Corporation of the City of New York between 1798 and 1873. The first 6 documents, written in 1798 and 1799, are minutes of the Common Council of the City of New York, concerning a bill to provide the city with fresh water in order to improve public health. The council's deliberations, with the input of Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, focused on whether the water supply should be a municipal or a privately funded project. The council resolved to permit a private company, under direction of the city recorder, to provide the city with water on February 28, 1799 (paving the way for the unsuccessful waterworks enterprises of the Manhattan Company).

The bulk of the collection, dated between 1806 and 1865, pertains to the efforts of New York City's governing body to build and sustain a local infrastructure. Approximately 1,250 bills, receipts, requests for payments, and miscellaneous administrative documents provide financial information about the construction and repair of roads, wharves, piers, slips, and docks; the supply of fresh water; the employment of men for the night watch; the dredging of the river; and the regulation of city lighting. Some of the items reflect broader city events, such as the May 14, 1849, check for janitorial services which likely relates to the aftermath of the Astor Place Riot. Some receipts and accounts reflect the Common Council's 1811 plan to fix block and lot sizes, which resulted in Manhattan's gridded street pattern, and many documents, bills, and accounts provide insight into the city's interactions with individuals for goods and labor. The collection illustrates the increasing responsibilities and expenditures of the city government in the first half of the 19th century.

The collection also includes approximately 90 documents produced by the Marine Court of New York between 1872 and 1873. These summonses, affidavits of merit, and other court documents primarily regard individual complaints related to unpaid debts.