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Collection

Coffin family and Mathew Doyle journal and album, 1828, 1852-1888 (majority within 1852)

1 volume

This volume contains D. Coffin's daily account of the first leg of a sea voyage from New York City to California, covering the progress of the clipper ship Grecian between New York and Cape Horn in early 1852. The journal also includes drawings of scenery made during the voyage, newspaper clippings, penmanship exercises, and children's sketches.

This volume contains a 20-page daily account of the first leg of D. Coffin's voyage from New York City to California, covering the progress of the clipper ship Grecian between New York and Cape Horn in early 1852. The journal also includes 18 coastal profiles drawn in pencil during the voyage. A newspaper clipping at the beginning of the volume concerns the clipper ship Grecian's arrival in San Francisco. It provides names of passengers, names of three people who died during the voyage, a list of goods shipped onboard, and names of consignees.

The journal begins on February 19, 1852. The following day, Coffin arrived in New York, where he purchased a ticket for the ship Grecian, which set sail on March 2. In his first entry, he detailed the ship's specifications, including its size and number of passengers. He kept a daily record of weather and events onboard and frequently mentioned his negative opinion of "immoral" passengers who enjoyed alcohol and gambling. Several of the entries concern medical problems, such as the death of passenger John Morrison from smallpox on March 12, the author's own bout with side and bowel pain, and several other cases of smallpox reported by the ship's doctor on March 21. Though many passengers suffered from illness, they were allowed to go onshore after the ship's arrival at Rio de Janeiro on April 12. Coffin wrote lengthy descriptions of the fort and the city, including its geographical surroundings and a visit by the emperor. On April 15, he reported on local markets and made brief observations about slaves. The Grecian departed Rio de Janeiro on April 19 and Coffin's continued to make daily entries until April 24.

Newspaper clippings, penmanship exercises, and children's sketches make up the rest of the volume. The first 42 pages have pasted-in newspaper clippings of proverbs, humorous anecdotes, informational articles, news articles, and poetry. The creator pasted the clippings over earlier, mostly inaccessible pen writing. Some of the clippings relate to farming, housekeeping, nature, and recent gold discoveries. Two of the articles are a report on a lecture given by Lucy Stone on women's rights, and a brief feature on an "Emancipation Movement in Virginia."

Penmanship exercises and notes (two dated 1862 & 1888), signatures, and children's sketches (three associated with Edna Jane Coffin) are scattered throughout the volume. A pencil sketch of a three-masted sailing ship was signed by Mathew Doyle.

Collection

Committee on Legislation for the International Exposition of 1892 minutes and scrapbook, 1889-1890

1 volume

The Committee on Legislation for the International Exposition of 1892 compiled meeting minutes, correspondence, reports, and other material between September 1889 and April 1890. Under the leadership of Senator Chauncey Depew, the committee worked with the New York-based Committee for the International Exposition of 1892 in an attempt to persuade the United States Congress to award an upcoming world's fair exhibition to the city of New York.

The Committee on Legislation for the International Exposition of 1892 compiled meeting minutes, correspondence, reports, and other material between September 1889 and April 1890. Under the leadership of Chauncey Depew, the committee worked with the New York-based Committee for the International Exposition of 1892 to attempt to persuade the United States Congress to award an upcoming world's fair exhibition to the city of New York.

The Committee on Legislation met periodically between September 19, 1889, and January 21, 1890, and discussed various cities' efforts to win congressional approval for the country's upcoming world's fair. At its first meeting, the group chose Senator Chauncey Depew as its chairman and millionaire William Earl Dodge Stokes as its secretary, among other officers. Throughout its existence, the committee regularly discussed the work of the larger Committee for the International Exposition of 1892, with whom they often coordinated their efforts, and reported developments from Washington, D. C., with respect to determining the fair's location. Among other actions, the committee suggested distributing pamphlets to damage Chicago's reputation and, therefore, its chances of winning the exposition (November 25, 1889, p. 35). The group also reacted to reports that the city of New York did not actually desire to host the event.

Correspondence, reports, a drafted legislative act, and a newspaper clipping are pasted into the volume. William McMurtrie Speer, journalist and secretary of the Committee for the International Exposition of 1892, frequently sent typed letters about cross-committee cooperation and recent developments. The legislative committee also received typed and manuscript letters from local supporters, such as Luigi Palma di Cesnola of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (November 19, 1889, p. 19), other related committees, and United States congressmen. Also included are reports that William Stokes composed a 14-page printed draft of a "Proposed act of Congress" that would award the fair to New York (October 4, 1889, p. 13). The newspaper clipping, from the New York Herald, urges the committee to send representatives to Washington, D. C., a tactic already employed by competing cities (December 7, 1889, p. 83). The final item is a 4-page report concerning the Committee on Legislation's financial expenditures (April 7, 1890, p. 117).

Collection

Crime Clippings Scrapbook, 1891-1903

1 volume

The Crime clippings scrapbook contains newspaper clippings compiled between 1891 and 1893 that are related to various criminals, court proceedings, and executions.

The Crime clippings scrapbook contains newspaper clippings compiled between 1891 and 1893 that are related to various criminals, court proceedings, and executions.

The volume (23 x 15 cm) has brown paper covers and appears to have originally been a copy of Joseph Emerson Worcester’s A Pronouncing, Explanatory, and Synonymous Dictionary of the English Language. Containing 210 pages total, the volume begins with a clipped engraving of New York City Police Department Superintendent Thomas F. Byrnes pasted on the inside of the front cover. Byrnes’ portrait is accompanied by an inscribed caption reading “of New York City April 22 1892.” An additional inscription states that the volume was “Presented to the officers and Men of the 13th street Police station - Chicago Ills. by Wm. H. [Benton?] - 126 Fleming St., Aug 22d 1903.”

Subsequent clippings highlight numerous criminals, trials, and executions, many of which were highly publicized incidents involving crimes such as murder, robbery, swindling, and kidnapping. Many of the clippings include engravings that depict portraits of criminals, courtroom scenes, and crime scenes. Stories of crime and punishment in the eastern United States are most frequent, but transnational and international stories are also included.

Clippings are arranged in a chronological sequence with the first dated December 7th 1891 and the last dated September 4th 1893; as a result, many clippings that pertain to certain long-running criminal trials appear in multiple places throughout the volume.

Individuals/topics represented over the course of the volume include:
  • Martin D. Loppy [murderer; executed by electric chair] (pgs. 1-3)
  • Darwin J. Messerole [murderer] (pg. 3)
  • Isaac B. Sawtelle [murderer] (pg. 4)
  • Henry L. Norcross [blackmailer, attempted murderer] (pgs. 5-9)
  • Carlyle W. Harris [murderer; condemned to execution by electric chair] (pgs. 12-15, 22, 25, 30-35, 40, 54-58)
  • Charles E. Waterbury [kidnapper] (pgs. 17-21, 26-29, 37-40)
  • August Lentz [murderer] (pgs. 11, 12, 21, 24, 35, 36)
  • Alfred Parkes [murderer] (pg. 23)
  • Nicola Trezza and Charles McElvaine [murderers; latter executed by electric chair] (pgs. 23, 24, 40)
  • Edward W. Hallinger [African American man; murderer] (pgs. 35, 145)
  • Alice Jessie Mitchell [lesbian woman; murderer] (pgs. 35, 41, 147, 158)
  • Thomas “Buncoer” O’Brien [conman] (pg. 37, 105-107, 125, 126, 129-131, 133-136, 139)
  • Maurice Curtis aka Maurice B. Strelinger [accused murderer; acquitted] (pgs. 41, 42)
  • Oliver Curtis Perry [train robber] (pgs. 42-53, 126-129)
  • Burton C. Webster [accused murderer; hung jury] (pgs. 47, 58-83)
  • John Francis [Native American man; murderer] (pgs. 53, 54)
  • Louis Harriot [murderer; hanged] (pgs. 81, 82, 101-104)
  • Jim Lyons and Mickey Sliney [murderers] (pgs. 84, 86, 87, 124, 125)
  • Death of George C. Searing (pgs. 84, 85)
  • F. B. Deeming [murderer and one-time Jack the Ripper suspect; hanged] (pgs. 87, 88-93, 114, 115, 131-133, 140, 141, 145, 146, 151-153)
  • Jack the Ripper, “The Nine Bad Jacks” (pgs. 89-93)
  • Jeremiah Cotto [murderer; executed by electric chair] (pgs. 93-95)
  • Frank C. Almy aka George Abbott [murderer] (pgs. 95, 96, 120, 121, 206-208)
  • James Alexander Farmer [accused murderer] (pg. 95, 96)
  • William Myer [murderer] (pg. 97)
  • “Origin of Lynch Law” (pgs. 97-99)
  • John Lewis Osmond [murderer] (pgs. 99-101)
  • Annie Walden [murderer] (pgs. 107-114, 136, 139, 153-155)
  • Fred McGuire [murderer; executed by electric chair] (pgs. 116-119)
  • Ferdinand Ward [Banker/Ponzi scheme runner] (pgs. 121-123, 141-145)
  • Henry W. Jaehne [corrupt politician] (pgs. 121-123)
  • Lieut. James Henry Hetherington [U.S. Navy officer; murderer] (pgs. 136-139)
  • Charles Reilly [murderer] (pg. 139)
  • Murder of Lizzie Farrell [African American man falsely implicated] (pgs. 139, 140, 143, 144)
  • Capt. Chris Rath [recounting of execution of Lincoln’s assassins] (pgs. 146, 147)
  • “The Murderer’s Hand” [story regarding supposedly distinct features of hands of killers] (pg. 148)
  • Guillotine history and contemporary usage (pgs. 148-151, 155-158)
  • Col. H. Clay King [murderer] (pgs. 158, 159, 161)
  • Lizzie Borden [accused murderer; acquitted] (pgs. 158-170, 172-180, 187-189, 191-205)
  • Dr. T. Thatcher Graves [accused murderer; hanged himself while incarcerated] (pg. 159, 191, 208-210)
  • Murder of Luigi Barri (pgs. 167, 168)
  • Frank Glowinski [murderer] (pgs. 168-171)
  • James Nolan [murderer] (pgs. 171, 172)
  • J. M. Brown shootout (pgs. 180-187)
  • George Craig [murderer] (pgs. 190, 191)
Collection

David A. Day scrapbook, ca. 1897

89 pages and 34 photographs

The David A. Day scrapbook was assembled shortly after Rev. Day's death in 1897 to commemorate one of the most renowned American missionaries in West Africa. It includes photographs and illustrations of the mission and its missionaries, accompanied by captions providing background on the activities of the mission, the way of life of its inhabitants, and biographical notes on some converts. Laid into the front cover is a seven-page typed memoir of Day's life.

The David A. Day scrapbook was assembled shortly after Rev. Day's death in 1897 to commemorate one of the most renowned American missionaries in West Africa. The thirty-four silver print photographs are supplemented by half-tone illustrations of the mission and its missionaries (excised from an unidentified publication), and are accompanied by hand-written and typed captions providing background on the activities of the mission, the way of life of its inhabitants, and biographical notes on some converts. Laid into the front cover is a seven-page typed memoir of Day's life. Based upon writing inside the front cover, the scrapbook appears to have been assembled at or for the mission within a few years after Day's death.

Although the creator of the scrapbook is unidentified, the book remains a valuable record of the Lutheran missionary enterprise in Liberia and missionary responses to the inhabitants of that country. The series of images and captions seem equally concerned with religious "progress" (Christianization) and the material improvement of native lives as gauged by their adoption of western dress, methods of production, and attitudes toward work. Singled out for special note are a seven year old girl from "one of the tribes 100 miles north of the mission" who took pride in her dress and ability to use a broom, and a particularly devoted convert, Henry Stewart, and the author of the scrapbook included several views of particularly well-dressed groups of converts assembled and posed in orderly fashion. Along with views of the tidy mission complex itself, there is a secondary emphasis on the unconverted, with illustrations of their method of travel (by hammock), "half-civilized" natives at a saw mill, and semi-nude men standing by the river, awaiting a canoe. The typed captions offer a somewhat more extended, but still relatively brief commentary on native (Grebo) life and their lack of western attitudes and advantages.

Due to the highly brittle paper and exceptionally delicate nature of the scrapbook, researchers are requested to consult with the curatorial staff before beginning their research.

Collection

David Nash collection, 1928-2008

3.25 lin. ft.

This collection is made up of diaries, correspondence, documents, scrapbooks, photo albums, negatives, yearbooks, awards, artifacts, and regalia of career U.S. Navy officer David Nash. Much of the content relates to Lieutenant Nash's naval career and his time as a prisoner of war in the Pacific during World War II.

This collection is made up of diaries, correspondence, documents, scrapbooks, photo albums, negatives, yearbooks, awards, artifacts, and regalia of career U.S. Navy officer David Nash. Much of the content relates to Lieutenant Nash's naval career and his time as a prisoner of war in the Pacific during World War II.

The Diaries include two volumes (380 pages) by David Nash, detailing his experiences as a prisoner of war for over three and a half years during World War II. These are illustrated copies made after the war from original diaries and notes (one of his shipmates buried the first portion of the original diary in a 5-gallon tin can on Luzon in order to recover it later). Lieut. Nash's almost daily entries reveal his activities, health, mentality and moods, plus information on the activity around him and any rumors or gossip. Most entries conclude with a note to his "darlings," his wife Honoria and daughter Julie. Detailed illustrations of the prison camps and ships appear throughout the diaries. Nash also included relevant drawings in the margins (guards, a shower, turkey dinner, himself reading, playing cards, etc.).

The first diary is an alphabet-sectioned ledger with 300 lined pages, covering December 1, 1941, to May 29, 1944. It also contains lists of USS Mindanao personnel and occupants of Barrack #9 Camp. The diary opens with two watercolor maps of the China Sea entitled "Cruise of U.S.S. Mindanao, 1941" and "Corregidor and Vicinity, 1942." David Nash described his time on Mindanao, stationed at Corregidor during its surrender and capture by the Japanese forces, and as a prisoner of war at Bilibid Prison, Cabanatuan, USAFFE Camp 91st Division, a second time at Bilibid Prison, and the Davao Penal Colony.

The second diary has 80 lined pages and spans October 13, 1944, to October 10, 1944. This volume continues Nash's account of life as a prisoner of war. He described his experiences on the hell ship Oryoku Maru, at Hoten Camp in Mukden, Manchuria, and during the camp's liberation on August 19, 1945.

The Naval Documents, Correspondence and Articles series contains letters, reports, newspaper clippings, personal notes, awards, an illustration, and ephemera relating to David Nash's naval career and POWs in general; the bulk of which ranges between 1934 and 2005. A portion of the documents in this series relate to the family of a fellow naval officer named Heisinger.

  • USS Hornet files: Nash's correspondence requesting aircraft reports, aircraft action reports from the Hornet's carrier air group 11 bombing the hell ships Nash was held on, and Hornet Club ephemera, 1944-1945, 1972-2000.
  • Prisoner of War files: Nash's postwar correspondence with a fellow POW, who wrote on the band and entertainers at one of Nash's camps. Other papers include reports on how to survive as a prisoner of war, healthcare for survivors, articles relating to prisoners of war, pamphlets on American Japanese internment camps and the misuse of the term 'internment,' and Nash's personal notes, 1972-2008.
  • Heisinger files: Correspondence between the Heisinger family and David Nash, printed materials relating to World War II, official Navy photographs, and personal photographs.
  • Awards and Commendations: Awards given to David Nash by the Navy and the President of the United States and correspondence upon his retirement from the Navy.
  • Illustration of USS Mindanao
  • Map of a Western Pacific Cruise and a pin-up.

The Scrapbooks series consists of two scrapbooks.

  • [Personal Moments, 1928-1948]. This scrapbook tracks David and Honoria's life from high school until 1948. Much of it focuses on David Nash's career and his time as a prisoner of war. It contains photographs, newspaper clippings, letters, awards, telegrams, and ephemera, with captions or notes on most pages. Of particular note are letters and telegrams to Honoria Nash from the Navy informing her on her husband's status as missing and later as prisoner of war.
  • "Scrapbook, Hong Kong 1939-Dec. 1964." This scrapbook primarily traces David Nash's naval career through photographs, newspaper clippings, invitations, and ephemera from 1939 to 1964. It includes a few references to his wife Honoria's volunteer work and his daughter Julie's engagement.

The Photographs series contains four photo albums and many negatives.

Subseries: Photo Albums

  • "Aug. 1939 to 1941 En Route and at Hong Kong." This album consists of personal photographs from David and Honoria's honeymoon in the Grand Canyon in 1939, their travels to Hong Kong by way of San Francisco and Honolulu, life in Hong Kong up until the evacuation of dependents in 1940 and his assignment on USS Mindanao in 1941. Other locations photographed include Kowloon, Shameen, Canton, and New Territories. Each page is captioned with a date and/or description. Also included in this album is an envelope with duplicates and a telegram to David Nash's father informing him that his son's name was on a list of personnel at Camp Hoten in Mukden, Manchuria.
  • [Navy Photos, 1952-1960]. This album contains 40 photographs from 1952 to 1960, highlighting various events in David Nash's career, changes in command, reunions, an inspection trip, and naval ceremonies. It also includes individual and group portraits with fellow officers and staff. Some photographs include descriptions and dates.
  • [Navy Photos, 1960-1961, 1966]. This album is comprised of U.S. Navy photographs, largely from the period of David Nash's Naval Intelligence posting. Additional images include aerial photographs, Navy ships, two postcards from 1966, a Navy certificate, and an envelope containing miscellaneous negatives and photographs. Many of the photographs include notes with names and descriptions.
  • "Navy 1959-1965." This album consists of personal photographs from David Nash's Navy assignments. The three primary groupings include "Corregidor & Ft. Hughes 1959," "Comdesron 5 Deployment 1960," and "District Intelligence Officer 1961-65." Locations featured are Thailand (including Bangkok), Singapore, Saigon, Philippine Islands, Hong Kong, and California. Most photographs include notes on locations and names.

Subseries: Negatives. This subseries contains negatives from photographs of wide-ranging dates and topics, all related to David Nash's personal life and career.

The Yearbooks series contains four Lucky Bag United States Naval Academy yearbooks from 1932, 1933, 1934, and a 50 Year Rendezvous USNA-1935 anniversary yearbook.

The Artifacts and Regalia series contains objects from David Nash's career including his desk name plate, two plaques, a naval uniform belt, a bronze star, dog tags, and various other uniform accessories (ribbons, medals, pins, buttons, etc.).

Collection

D. M. Osborne & Co. scrapbooks, 1873-1874

2 volumes

These two scrapbooks contain newspaper and magazine clippings of stories and poems pasted into 1873 and 1874 editions of German-language trade catalogs for D. M. Osborne & Co., manufacturers of farm equipment at Auburn, New York.

These two scrapbooks contain newspaper and magazine clippings of stories and poems pasted into 1873 and 1874 editions of German-language trade catalogs for D. M. Osborne & Co., manufacturers of farm equipment at Auburn, New York.

Clippings from the 1873 edition include "Sister Therese," a story about a prima donna and colonel in Paris, "A Miner's Love Story (from Temple Bar)," "A Fairy Gift," "The Story of a Valentine," and more. The volume features floral fabric lining around the cover's edges and spine.

The 1874 edition includes stories titled "The Wreck," by William H. Thomes, "The Doctor's Peril," "Alexander and the Africans," "A Short Fight," and more.

Collection

Eastern Educational Bureau record book, 1885-1887

1 volume

The collection consists of completed application forms dated from 1885 to 1887 for the Eastern Educational Bureau of Boston, Massachusetts, which placed teachers in open positions at various schools for a fee. The forms include the teacher's name, address, educational background, professional history and teaching specialty, religion, age, marital and health status, preferences for location and salary, and references. Applicants included both men and women, the bulk were unmarried and residing in Massachusetts, but several applicants were from other New England states as well as New York. Later forms required a photograph and the section where teachers could underline "branches which you can teach" or "can teach especially well" was expanded to include additional areas in math, sciences, English, languages, music and art, and miscellaneous. In addition to more common subject areas, the forms also note topics like surveying, astronomy, political economy, Sanskrit, harp and banjo, telegraphy, and military tactics, among others. Many include annotations, likely of the names or locations of school placements, as well as indications whether fees were paid.

The collection consists of completed application forms dated from 1885 to 1887 for the Eastern Educational Bureau of Boston, Massachusetts, which placed teachers in open positions at various schools for a fee. The bureau was managed by M. T. Rogers, who claimed that his "extensive acquaintance in New England, together with the fact that I am constantly travelling in the interest of my publishing business, greatly increase my ability to help all grades of teachers, to secure good schools."

The forms include the teacher's name, address, educational background, professional history and teaching specialty, religion, age, marital and health status, preferences for location and salary, and references. Applicants included both men and women, the bulk were unmarried and residing in Massachusetts, but several applicants were from other New England states as well as New York. At least three applicants appear to have been immigrants, as their prior education or experience was from Denmark, Belgium, and Germany. Later forms required a photograph and the section where teachers could underline "branches which you can teach" or "can teach especially well" was expanded to include additional areas in math, sciences, English, languages, music and art, and miscellaneous. In addition to more common subject areas, the forms also note topics like surveying, astronomy, political economy, Sanskrit, harp and banjo, telegraphy, and military tactics, among others. Many include annotations, likely of the names or locations of school placements, as well as indications whether fees were paid.

The materials are pasted into a "Patent Back Scrap Book," and several pages appear to have been removed. In addition to the application forms, several pieces of accompanying correspondence or related notes are also present.

Collection

Eastern Educational Bureau record book, 1885-1887

1 volume

The collection consists of completed application forms dated from 1885 to 1887 for the Eastern Educational Bureau of Boston, Massachusetts, which placed teachers in open positions at various schools for a fee. The forms include the teacher's name, address, educational background, professional history and teaching specialty, religion, age, marital and health status, preferences for location and salary, and references. Applicants included both men and women, the bulk were unmarried and residing in Massachusetts, but several applicants were from other New England states as well as New York. Later forms required a photograph and the section where teachers could underline "branches which you can teach" or "can teach especially well" was expanded to include additional areas in math, sciences, English, languages, music and art, and miscellaneous. In addition to more common subject areas, the forms also note topics like surveying, astronomy, political economy, Sanskrit, harp and banjo, telegraphy, and military tactics, among others. Many include annotations, likely of the names or locations of school placements, as well as indications whether fees were paid.

The collection consists of completed application forms dated from 1885 to 1887 for the Eastern Educational Bureau of Boston, Massachusetts, which placed teachers in open positions at various schools for a fee. The bureau was managed by M. T. Rogers, who claimed that his "extensive acquaintance in New England, together with the fact that I am constantly travelling in the interest of my publishing business, greatly increase my ability to help all grades of teachers, to secure good schools."

The forms include the teacher's name, address, educational background, professional history and teaching specialty, religion, age, marital and health status, preferences for location and salary, and references. Applicants included both men and women, the bulk were unmarried and residing in Massachusetts, but several applicants were from other New England states as well as New York. At least three applicants appear to have been immigrants, as their prior education or experience was from Denmark, Belgium, and Germany. Later forms required a photograph and the section where teachers could underline "branches which you can teach" or "can teach especially well" was expanded to include additional areas in math, sciences, English, languages, music and art, and miscellaneous. In addition to more common subject areas, the forms also note topics like surveying, astronomy, political economy, Sanskrit, harp and banjo, telegraphy, and military tactics, among others. Many include annotations, likely of the names or locations of school placements, as well as indications whether fees were paid.

The materials are pasted into a "Patent Back Scrap Book," and several pages appear to have been removed. In addition to the application forms, several pieces of accompanying correspondence or related notes are also present.

Collection

Edward C. Randall papers, 1922-1935 (majority within 1904-1935)

4.5 linear feet

The Edward C. Randall papers are largely correspondence and writings of Buffalo, New York, attorney E. C. Randall, who studied and wrote extensively on spirit mediums, spiritualism, and eschatological subjects in the first decades of the 20th century. The collection includes complete, partial, and drafts of essays and books by Randall, around 250 incoming letters (many with retained copies of responses attached), materials by or belonging to Virginia and Mai Randall, and other items.

The Edward C. Randall Papers are largely correspondence and writings by Buffalo, New York, attorney E. C. Randall, who studied and wrote extensively on spirit mediums, spiritualism, and eschatological subjects in the first decades of the 20th century. The collection includes around 250 incoming letters to Randall, most of them accompanied by retained copies of his responses, 1908-1935 (bulk 1917-1935). Also present is a bundle of documents pertaining to Delaware Laundry, Inc., including its articles of incorporation and stockholder minutes, as well as materials pertinent to E. C. Randall's resignation from the Board of Directors, 1930-1934. Other documents include a bundle of seven items related to the estate of Edward Porter as probated by attorney E. C. Randall (including Porter's last will and testament), 1931-1932.

The bulk of the papers is drafts, partial, and complete writings by E. C. Randall; and a few items by/belonging to Mai Howard Randall and Virginia Randall. E. C. Randall's typescripts and drafts include the following works:

  • "Frontiers of the Afterlife" (1922)
  • "Philosophic Discussions with a Living Dead Man"/"Coloquy with an Etherian" (1923-1924)
  • "Told in the After Life" (1927)
  • "Mission Work" (April-May 1928)
  • "Heritage of the Dead : Biographical Sketches of the Living Dead in the Earthbound Zone" (1928)
  • "Taps and the Dawn" (1931)
  • "The Living Dead" (1931-1932)
  • "Miscellaneous Essays" and "Miscellaneous Psychic Memorandum" (early 1930s)
  • "Nero's Redemption" (early 1930s)
  • "Drama – Nero's Redemption" (early 1930s)
  • "Memoirs of an Eschatologist" (four volumes plus additional chapters, circa 1934-1935?)
  • Additional essays, book chapters, interviews, and notes. Many or most of these appear to be drafts, typed copies, or extracts from works listed above.

The collection includes two volumes pertinent to E. C. Randall's daughter Virginia Randall, who died at age 21 on February 3, 1925, after a week-long illness. A two-ring volume contains cuttings of printed artwork depicting Biblical scenes with manuscript scriptural passages written beneath them. Virginia apparently created the volume while attending the Dobbs Ferry school or Mrs. Wickham's school in New York, around 1920. The other volume is a typed collection of "Virginia Randall's Letters" with added supplementary newspaper articles. The original letters [not present] dated between 1922 and 1927—both before and after Virginia's death in 1925.

Two manuscript volumes in the collection apparently belonged to Mai Howard Randall, containing manuscript writing dating between 1904 and 1915, and around 1921. The papers also contain two circa 1920s-1930s typescripts sent to E. C. Randall by William Smith titled "Philosophic Teachings of Spirit People" and stated to have been received through automatic writing by Smith. One printed item accompanies the collection: The Origin of Life; or Where Man Comes From. The Evolution of the Spirit from Matter, through Organic Processes; or How the Spirit Body Grows. Fourth Edition. By M. Faraday . . . T. C. Budington, Medium. Springfield, Mass.: Star Publishing Company, 1887. This item has a round hole all the way through it, middle left.

Collection

Edwin F. Conroy scrapbook, 1918-1921 (majority within 1918-1919)

0.25 linear feet

This collection consists of the contents of a scrapbook kept by Effie M. Conroy of the Bronx, New York, who documented the army service of her son, Edwin F. Conroy, a member of the 114th Infantry Regiment during World War I. The scrapbook contains correspondence, newspaper clippings, and ephemera related to Conroy, to the 114th Infantry Regiment, and to the 29th "Blue and Gray" Division.

This collection consists of a 54-page scrapbook and 24 related items kept by Effie M. Conroy of the Bronx, New York, who documented the army service of her son Edwin, a member of the 114th Infantry Regiment during World War I. The first pages of the scrapbook mainly hold newspaper clippings, including a collection of humorous anecdotes from Conroy's time working as an attaché at the West Farms Court and later articles documenting the 114th Infantry Regiment and the 29th Division. These clippings, though undated, concern the infantry's service throughout and just after the war, and one item from the Bronx Home News relates Effie's thoughts upon hearing that Edwin had been wounded (p. 13). Several other clippings contain poetry, including a sheet of contributions by soldiers (p. 16), and one is a comic strip about service at the front lines (p. 19).

Correspondence includes a printed letter from Corporal Jos. H. Shea describing his journey to France onboard the SS Princess Matoika (p. 3), a printed letter from General John J. Pershing thanking soldiers for their service (p. 5), and many letters that Conroy wrote to his mother while in training at Camp McClellan, Alabama. Between May and June 1918, Conroy described his railroad journeys to the base, his life at the camp, and his journey to his unit's embarkation point at Newport News, Virginia. While in training, he discussed his daily activities and his anticipated voyage overseas. He wrote one letter on YMCA stationery with a letterhead composed of photographs (p. 29), and two of his postcards depict scenes from Camp McClellan. Though most of his letters date to his time in training, Conroy wrote later letters to Anna Gernand, with whom he shared his impressions of destruction near the front (p. 53), and to his aunt and mother.

Most ephemera items are printed programs, though the collection also holds a pamphlet of songs sung by the American Expeditionary Forces (p. 53) and a medal citation for service in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive (loose ephemera). One program relates to event honoring General Ferdinand Foch in 1921 (loose ephemera).