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This scrapbook, titled "The Examination of Benjamin W. Greene," contains clippings of three short articles published in the Hartford Courant newspaper of testimony given at the trial of accused murderer Benjamin W. Greene in early 1866. Greene was charged with the murder of Eunice North Greene, his wife, on November 5, 1865, and the court sought to determine whether the homicide (and Benjamin's subsequent suicide attempt) was due to insanity.

This scrapbook, titled "The Examination of Benjamin W. Greene," contains clippings of three short articles published in the Hartford Courant newspaper of testimony given at the trial of accused murderer Benjamin W. Greene in early 1866. Greene was charged with the murder of Eunice North Greene, his wife, on November 5, 1865, and the court sought to determine whether the homicide (and Benjamin's subsequent suicide attempt) was due to insanity.

An investigation of the Greene household allowed witnesses to piece together the progression of events on November 5, 1865. As Eunice was reading, Benjamin approached her from behind and cut her neck with a razor. She was able to call for help after Benjamin fled and to name him as the perpetrator, but her wounds were too severe to overcome. After a brief search, two men found Benjamin inside of a locked room, lying next to the same razor used to kill Eunice. Despite having cut his own wrists and neck in a suicide attempt, he was able to be stabilized and survived.

The loss of Eunice and Benjamin's eldest daughter, Harriet North Day (1831-1864), was consistently cited as the reason for the sharp decline in Benjamin's mental and physical health. The family physician, Dr. Beresford, held Benjamin's "singular and peculiar delusions with regard to his domestic affairs" (p. 2) as evidence of his mental instability. Often centered around Eunice, or supposed financial burdens, the validity of those claims was challenged by what Dr. Beresford and other witnesses observed prior to the homicide (p. 7, 11, 12, 14).

Before the murder, Benjamin repeatedly denied help from his family and friends, blocking at least one attempt by physicians to inform Eunice (p. 4) of his mental state. His nephew, William D. Wyatt (1828-1884), tried several times to intervene and help his uncle—both at his own behest and at Eunice's—but ultimately failed. William did not deem it safe to be alone with Benjamin, and testified that during one visit, Eunice told him that her husband was "a crazy man" and "had been a deranged man for years" (p. 11).

The scrapbook does not include the final ruling of the court, but the following is a quotation from an article [not present] containing the verdict, published in the Hartford Courant on March 14, 1866:

"The finding that Mr. Greene was insane at the time he killed his wife, will undoubtedly render his will, which was made in July last, and which was referred to in the testimony offered during his examination, of no account. In this will he bequeathed all his property to Robert E. Day, his son-in-law, and Mr. Day's little daughter. His action, in this respect, would seem to show that he labored under the delusion claimed that his whole family, with the exception of Mrs. Day, was leagued against him. After her death he said he had lost his best friend, and from that time forward declined in health rapidly."

The Celebrity portraits scrapbook contains numerous clipped engraved portraits of actors, actresses, singers, musicians, entertainers, politicians, writers, and other famous individuals that were compiled by an aunt of Florence C. Everett (wife of Norwood, Massachusetts-based journalist William Winthrop Everett) during the 1880s.

The Celebrity portraits scrapbook contains numerous clipped engraved portraits of actors, actresses, singers, musicians, entertainers, politicians, writers, and other famous individuals that were compiled by an aunt of Florence C. Everett (wife of Norwood, Massachusetts-based journalist William Winthrop Everett) during the 1880s.

The volume (32 x 19 cm) has brown leather covers (front cover detached) and contains 176 pages, all of which bear pasted-in engravings that were clipped from various newspapers, magazines, journals, advertisements, etc. Two inscriptions are present on the inside of the front cover; one states “This book is the property of W. W. Everett - 76 Winter St. Norwood, Mass.” while the other reads “The book was made by Mrs. W. W. Everett’s aunt Helen, probably in the 1880s. WWE.” The volume appears to have originally served as some type of accounting ledger before being repurposed.

Notable individuals represented within the volume include Joseph Jefferson, Sarah Bernhardt, P. T. Barnum, Lillie Langtry, Genevieve Ward, J. H. Haverly, E. A. Sothern, Sol Smith Russell, Ada Gilman, James H. Wallick, Adelaide Neilson, Buffalo Bill, Mittens Willett, Henry Clay, Susan B. Anthony, Wendell Phillips, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Louis Pasteur.

This oversized scrapbook consists of sections of Barnum, Bailey & Hutchinson circus advertising posters. The imagery includes circus tents, musical wagons (including the "Silver-Tubed Caliope" and "Sacred Chimes"), camels and horses, animal trainers, artillerymen seemingly of Middle Eastern descent (possibly part of the "Bedouin Arab" performers), acrobats, minstrel performers, African American musicians, and portraits of P. T. Barnum, J. A. Bailey, and J. L. Hutchinson.

This oversized scrapbook consists of sections of printed Barnum, Bailey & Hutchinson circus advertising posters. The imagery includes circus tents, musical wagons (including the "Silver-Tubed Caliope" and "Sacred Chimes"), camels and horses, animal trainers, artillerymen seemingly of Middle Eastern descent (possibly part of the "Bedouin Arab" performers), acrobats, minstrel performers, African American musicians, and portraits of P. T. Barnum, J. A. Bailey, and J. L. Hutchinson. The back cover bears the print "Toilers of the Sea - Trawling on t[he Dogger Bank]," showing fishermen at sea.

The William S. Burns papers consist of correspondence and a scrapbook that document Burns' time as a well-connected Union officer during the Civil War.

The collection includes a series of 57 letters and documents written by Burns to his brother, Charles, plus a scrapbook assembled for his son, Ned, in December, 1886. The scrapbook includes a mounted albumen photographic portrait of Burns, and consists of a series of articles written by Burns for a newspaper. These articles include excerpts of his war-time letters (some included in the collection), but are more fleshed out, including more anecdotes and information than the surviving correspondence. They appear to be very faithful accounts of his experiences, based on first-hand notes. Among the better accounts in the scrapbook are lengthy descriptions of the Battles of Pea Ridge and Pleasant Hill, a good narrative of the Meridian and Red River Campaigns. For Pleasant Hill and the Red River Campaign in general, Burns comments extensively on the course of the battle and where blame for the defeat should lie, suggesting that despite the best efforts of Smith, Banks lost the day.

Strongly committed to the Union cause, but not an abolitionist, Burns had the unusual benefit of high level connections that allowed him to negotiate fairly effectively for military appointments that suited his tastes and abilities. Burns appears to have been very highly regarded by his superior officers and his subordinates, and maintained very high standards that led him to be a harsh critic of the military inefficiency of several "political generals," particularly Samuel Curtis and Nathaniel Banks. His high standards did not preclude foraging (stealing) food from civilians, though he was repulsed - not to the point of taking disciplinary action - at the summary execution of guerrillas and at being ordered by A.J. Smith to burn the residence of Jacob Thompson, Secretary of the Interior during the Buchanan administration, in retaliation for offences committed by Lee's army in Virginia. Burns was not keen to set fire to Thompson's house, but after allowing the removal of personal and family items, he followed orders.

Burns seems either to have loved or hated his commanding officers, and was as fixated on them as he was critical. He comments extensively on the performance of Union generals under whom he served, reserving his highest praise for A.J. Smith and Sherman, a sort of bemused appreciation of Asboth, and scorn for any who crossed them.

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.

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.

This memory album was assembled by Mary Hewins Fox (later Mary Hewins Fiske) to document her involvement with theater, music, and poetry in New York City.

Mary Fox apparently assembled and illustrated this memory album of her original work in about 1863. She included song lyrics (some published in a newspaper under a pseudonym, Dan Bryant), 24 watercolor and 6 pencil illustrations, and 5 photographs. Mary Fox's illustrations depicted well-known actors in familiar roles, though two are illustrations of neo-classical sculptures (Powers' Greek Slave and Copland's Ino and Bacchus), and other sketches with classical themes.

Fox's songs are typical of popular songs of the era. The printed songs were published under the name of Dan Bryant. In the book, Mary Fox has crossed out "Dan Bryant" and written her own name: Mrs. C.K. Fox. The printed songs include "Oh, My Love's Gone," "The Female Smuggler," and "My Johnny was a Shoemaker." The hand-written songs include "Lager Beer Song," "The Irish Sutler Girl" (possibly inspired by the Civil War), and "The Gal not Sports."

This collection consists of condolence letters, newspaper scrapbooks, a letter book, a published memorial volume, and a photograph album related to John M. Francis of Troy, New York, and to his son Charles. The letters, which are addressed to Charles Francis, express sympathy following his father's death in June 1897; the memorial volume contains biographical sketches and published tributes to John M. Francis; and the newspaper scrapbooks chronicle John M. Francis's travels around Europe and the world between 1869 and 1876.

This collection (1 linear foot) consists of condolence letters, newspaper scrapbooks, a letter book, and a published memorial volume related to John M. Francis of Troy, New York, and to his son Charles.

The Condolence Letters series contains 211 items addressed to Charles S. Francis between June 5, 1897, and January 18, 1898. One letter from Hallie M. Brown concerns her regret about missing an opportunity to visit, and the remaining correspondence is made up of letters expressing the authors' condolences after the death of John M. Francis on June 18, 1897. Writers included Charles Francis's friends and family members and John Francis's personal and professional acquaintances. Many writers reminisced about their relationships with John M. Francis and shared stories about their experiences at the Troy Daily Times.

The Letter Book, Scrapbooks, and Published Memorial series (6 volumes) pertains to John M. Francis's travels around the United States, Europe, and Asia in the 1870s and to Charles S. Francis's career and business affairs. Four scrapbooks contain newspaper clippings of letters that John M. Francis sent to the Troy Daily Times while traveling abroad. Each contains lengthy descriptions of local people, customs, politics, architecture, geography, and history, and some also have accounts of transoceanic and transcontinental travel.

• Western Europe, June 12, 1869-October 15, 1869, including England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, and France (21 letters; 38 pages)
• Western and Southern Europe, July 18, 1871-December 28, 1871 (published August 2, 1871-January 3, 1872), including England, Wales, France, Belgium, Germany, Austria-Hungary (now the Czech Republic and Austria), Italy, and Greece (20 letters; 28 pages)
• Around the world, July 5, 1875-June 6, 1876, including the western United States, Japan, China, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), India, Egypt, Greece, Italy, and France (2 volumes containing duplicate clippings, 115 pages and 71 pages)

The letter book (282 pages), which belonged to Charles S. Francis, has retained copies of his outgoing correspondence from October 25, 1897-July 29, 1901. The letters pertain to personal and business affairs, such as Francis's editorial work for the Troy Daily Times and land he owned in Mississippi. Several newspaper clippings relate to Francis's appointment as envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to Greece, Romania, and "Servia."

The published memorial (125 pages), entitled In Memoriam: John M. Francis, March 6, 1823-June 18, 1897, contains an engraved portrait, a brief biographical sketch, reminiscences, essays, poetry, and reprinted newspaper obituaries commemorating the life and death of John M. Francis.

The Photograph Album (ca. 1905?) contains 14 images of a new automobile, family members, and pets (possibly in New York state); and 144 vacation photographs showing landscapes, buildings, and persons in Europe. The photos are not labeled or identified, but appear to show Switzerland or Austrian lake districts, as well as urban environments. The photographer captured many of these images with a panoramic camera.

The Ocean House scrapbook and register is a repurposed guestbook from the Ocean House hotel in Old Orchard, Maine. The volume has a manuscript inventory of the hotel's furnishings and pasted-in newspaper clippings about Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, and local political meetings.

The Ocean House scrapbook and register (around 70 pages) is a repurposed guestbook from the Ocean House hotel in Old Orchard, Maine. The volume has a manuscript inventory of the hotel's furnishings; pasted-in newspaper clippings about Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, and local political meetings; and advertisements for a variety of manufactured goods and services. Generally, the writer organized the inventory by floor, listing each room's furnishings and amenities underneath the room's name or number. Most guest rooms had beds, mattresses, chairs, and sinks, among other furniture, and many were painted and carpeted. Lists of items present in communal guest rooms (such as parlors, a music room, and a dining room) and service rooms (such as a laundry room, bake shop, pantry, kitchen, and stable) follow the inventories for individual guest rooms.

Newspaper clippings are pasted onto 16 pages, including the first few pages of the furniture inventory. Most of the clippings pertain to reminiscences about the life of Abraham Lincoln, the death of Frederick Douglass, and meetings of the Young Men's Republican Club of Vermont. Many items are attributed to newspapers in Vermont, and some date from early 1895. Though never used as such, each register page has pre-printed information about the Ocean House and labeled columns for information about guests' stays. Two identical pages of printed advertisements for numerous goods and services are bound into the volume between most register pages.

This collection is made up of autobiographical manuscripts, correspondence, documents, and family photograph albums related to James B. Pond, Sr. and Jr. Some of the items pertain to Pond's service during the Civil War and both father and son's lecture business.

This collection is made up of autobiographical manuscripts, correspondence, documents, and family photograph albums related to James B. Pond, Sr. and Jr. Some of the items pertain to Pond Sr.'s service during the Civil War and both father and son's lecture business.

The Pond Family Papers series includes one box containing miscellaneous correspondence ranging in date from 1896-1932, Civil War related material, autobiographical sketches, family photographs, and personal photograph albums.

The Civil War related material includes a few items relating to James Pond's Civil War service in the 3rd Wisconsin Cavalry, among which are a typescript of official reports relating to the massacre at Baxter Springs, Kansas, a printed poem on the massacre, and a printed notice of the death in the 1880s of William T. Brayton of the 3rd Cavalry. Pond also collected other reminiscences of the war, including an autobiographical account of Mrs. Horn, wife of a Missouri surgeon, which includes a description of Quantrill's raiders pillaging town and taking her husband prisoner, and a memoir of Edward P. Bridgman, a soldier in the 37th Massachusetts Infantry who served with John Brown in 1856, and may have known Pond.

More than half of this series consists of autobiographical manuscripts, parts of which, at least, were published as magazine articles. Most of these focus on his early years (prior to 1861) when he and his family were living a marginal existence in frontier Wisconsin and when he was a young man in search of a livelihood. The collection includes three major manuscripts, each present in several copies or versions, all of which are related to each other - "A Pioneer Boyhood," "The American Pioneer: My Life as a Boy," and "Pioneer Days" - plus there are less polished manuscripts of childhood and Civil War reminiscences. All appear to have been written initially in 1890, though some copies were apparently made several years later. In addition, there is an autobiographical sketch "How I got started in the Lecture Business" in which he describes his part in Anna Eliza Young's "apostatizing" and entering onto the lecture circuit.

The collection also contains 5 photograph albums. These volumes contain over 800 personal photographs taken between 1896 and 1902, including many pictures of family members at leisure both indoors and outdoors and Pond's business acquaintances from his lecture agency. Travel photographs include views of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Winnipeg, Manitoba, as well as a group of pictures taken during a visit to England, Switzerland, and Germany in 1901. European items include a series of colored prints, located in Volume 4. The albums contain images of locomotives, railroad cars, and steamships. Volume 1 contains images of the inauguration of William McKinley and Volume 2 contains images of crowds gathered for a GAR parade in Buffalo, New York. Throughout the albums are glimpses of various lecture tours and clients including John Watson (Ian Maclaren) and Anthony Hope in Volume 2 and Francis Marion Crawford in Volume 3. Other notable figures include Sam Walter Foss and William Dean Howells in Volume 1, Charles W. Blair and Edward William Bok in Volume 3, and Sir Henry Morton Stanley, Charles William Stubbs, Robert Stawell Ball, Horace Porter, Frank Thomas Bullen, and Israel Zangwill in Volume 4. In addition to the albums, there are loose photographs of family, James B. Pond Jr., and the Adventurers' Club of New York. Oversized photographs are housed in Box 3.

The Pond Lecture Bureau Papers series consists of one box containing client files (arranged chronologically), loose photographs, and ephemera. Much of the content consists of correspondence between clients/prospective clients and photographs of clients (likely for promotional material). This series spans from 1877 to the 1940s covering periods of ownership from both James B. Pond, Sr. and Jr. Some of these clients are as follows: Henry Ward Beecher, Reverend Joseph Parker, Thomas DeWitt Talmage, Leon Pierre Blouet, Reverend John Watson (Ian Maclaren), William Winter, Edward Rickenbacker, Harry A. Franck, Gunnar Horn, Maurice Brown, and Major Radclyffe Dugmore. Unidentified oversized photographs and a scrapbook are housed in Box 3.