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

This collection is made up of letters written by and addressed to members of the Minot family of Boston, Massachusetts, between the 1820s and 1840s. The letters pertain to family members' lives in Boston and New York City, travel, and other subjects.

This collection is made up of letters written by and addressed to members of the Minot family of Boston, Massachusetts, between the 1820s and 1840s. Louisa Minot wrote to her daughter Mary about life in Boston and New York City. She shared news of family members, discussed her travels, and described visits to a deaf and dumb asylum for children (June 20, 1824) and an insane asylum (undated). Her letter of September 11, 1836, mentions a pet monkey. Mary wrote undated letters to her mother about her experiences in New York City, including her journey to New York, social activities, and attendance at concerts and theatrical performances; she also wrote about medical treatments she received on Staten Island. Mary also received letters from Louisa Lee, a friend in Boston, and G. de Castillio, a man who discussed his intention to visit Italy (July 25, 1842). William Minot wrote one letter to his daughter Julia about the progress of Boston's public garden (July 27, 1839).

The Nathaniel Freeman papers contain letters and documents relating to the Committee of Correspondence, Inspection, and Safety of Sandwich, Massachusetts, during the Revolutionary War. The committee, of which Freeman was the chairman, investigated alleged Tory activities around Cape Cod. The cases of Seth Perry and John Jennings are particularly well documented.

The Nathaniel Freeman papers (138 items) contain letters, depositions, and documents relating to the Committee of Correspondence, Inspection, and Safety, of Sandwich, Massachusetts, during the Revolutionary War. The committee, of which Freeman was the chairman, investigated and prosecuted alleged Tory activities in the Cape Cod area. They heard the pleas of accused Loyalists and their friends and family, and administered the oath of allegiance to them. The committee also supervised the equipping and disciplining of the militia and maintained official communication with Boston and other nearby towns. Of particular interest are letters and petitions concerning suspected Loyalists who were imprisoned and banished to Rhode Island. The collection provides a picture of how small town governments in the rebelling colonies dealt with those loyal to the British Crown.

The Correspondence series (47 items) is comprised of official letters addressed to Nathaniel Freeman and the Committee of Correspondence. These letters, spanning 1773-1804, largely concern efforts to banish Loyalists from the area, and include responses of the accused parties. Of note are six letters pertaining to an alleged Loyalist sailor named Seth Perry. These consist of a personal letter to Freeman from jail asking for lenience; a letter informing Freeman of Perry's escape to Newport; a letter from Perry to Freeman requesting permission to reunite with his family and manage some recently inherited property in Sandwich; and a 1785 letter from Freeman to the governor of Massachusetts disputing Perry's claim to property because of his wartime disloyalty.

• March 8, 1774: Long patriotic letter from James Warren that uses the "house divided" quotation from scripture
• November 9, 1774: Letter from John Winthrop, President of the Commercial Club of Boston, congratulating Freeman for his patriotism and heroism during an unspecified Tory attack

The Deposition series (65 items) documents depositions generated by the committee to investigate allegations of Loyalist activity near Barnstable, Massachusetts. Included are depositions taken in March and April 1778 relating to the case of Edward Davis, a "one-legged man" who met with many of the town's Tory sympathizers. The investigation exposed a number of Loyalists; their communications with fellow sympathizers from surrounding towns; their dealings with the British at Newport, Rhode Island; and their attempts to pass counterfeit money. Also notable are 10 depositions relating to Loyalist John Jennings and 8 items concerning Loyalist Seth Perry, including his claim against the state in 1785 for confiscated property. Much of the collection consists of deposition copies, forwarded by Freeman to the governor of Massachusetts.

The Documents series (26 items) covers official materials from the Committee of Correspondence, Inspection, and Safety, of Sandwich, Massachusetts, including notes from meetings and petitions from the citizens of Sandwich. The series holds 5 items with commentary on the Boston Tea Party and the Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts), including an official protest of the acts (September 30, October 5, and November 1, 1774), oaths from merchants not to sell tea until Parliament repeals the Boston Port Bill (1774), and and resolutions demanding the impeachment of Massachusetts Governor Thomas Hutchinson and Chief Justice Peter Oliver over the letter controversy (March 14, 1774). The series also includes a certificate indicated that Rev. A. Williams took an oath of allegiance to Massachusetts Bay (April 13, 1778).

Of particular interest are 5 petitions, including the petitions from accused Loyalists who were imprisoned and banished: Seth Perry, Melaiah Bourn, Isaac Knowles, Abel Ellis, Price Tupper, and John Jennings (March 20 and April 27, 1778); the petitions from their wives requesting permission to join their husbands (with their children and possessions) in Rhode Island (June 17 and December 14, 1778); and the petition of Loyalist Seth Perry concerning rights to inherited land in Sandwich.

The Nathaniel Fuller journal is the daily journal of a member of a carpentry team from Boston that built ships on Lake Oneida and Lake Ontario for the British Army during the French and Indian War. The volume also contains miscellaneous entries of accounts for military supplies and payments of wages.

The Nathaniel Fuller journal (100 pages) contains a daily journal of a member of a carpentry team from Boston that built ships on Lake Oneida and Lake Ontario for the British Army during the French and Indian War, from March 13, 1760-October 28, 1760 (pages 1-75). The volume also contains miscellaneous entries of accounts for military supplies, numbers of days worked, and payments of wages spanning from August 1761 to September 1762 (pages 80-86), and throughout 1760 (pages 89-100).

Fuller kept daily entries of their labors, briefly describing distances traveled and their carpentry accomplishments. The group consisted of 20 carpenters and was led by Captain James Barton. They were paid in advance to walk from Boston to Albany. They averaged 20 miles per day and stayed in private homes and taverns at night (March 13-28, 1760). The commanding officer at Albany supplied them with tools and wagons and sent them to Schenectady, New York, where they spent most of April, working seven days a week, calking boats with oakum and pine tar, and building new "battoes" (bateaus). On board four bateaus, the group proceeded up the Mohawk River to the blockhouse on Lake Oneida (May 12, 1760), then to Oswego (May 13, 1760), and finally to the south shore of Lake Ontario to "Nyagary" (Niagara) (May 16, 1760). At the mouth of the river, they built a house for living quarters, a barge, a schooner, and a sloop. Construction involved locating suitable timber, bringing the logs down the river, and cutting them into planks.

On August 14, the group returned to Oswego and built another schooner. On October 3, a British vessel arrived at Oswego from “Swagocha” (Oswegatchie, now Ogdensburg), transporting a commodore and soldiers wounded in the Battle of Montreal. The entire company, including the commodore, wounded soldiers, and carpenters, traveled up the Oswego River to Lake Oneida and arrived at Schenectady on October 16, 1760. Fuller received three dollars from the commodore and received a pass for seven men to proceed on foot to Boston on October 22; they arrived sometime after the last entry of October 28.

The Native American collection contains miscellaneous letters and documents concerning Native American Indians in the United States, Canada, and the West Indies, and their interactions with British and American settlers.

The Native American collection is comprised of approximately 125 miscellaneous letters and documents concerning Native American Indians in the United States, Canada, and the West Indies, and their interactions with British and American settlers (1689-1921). Topics range from land agreements, legal issues, treaties, descriptions of travel through Indian Territory, Indian uprisings and conflicts, Indian captivities, prisoners of war, Indian enslavement, and interactions with Quaker and Moravian missionaries. Tribes include the Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Cree, Iroquois, Ojibwa, Oneida, Ottawa, Kickapoo, Seneca, Shawnee, Sioux, among others, and concern activities in Canada, New England, the Midwest, the South, and the western frontier. Also present are items written in Cherokee, Mohawk, and Ojibwa.

The Neil family papers consist of letters and documents primarily relating to the Neil family of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and their business as merchants of linen, tea, and other goods.

The Neil family papers comprise 87 letters, 26 receipts, 17 financial records, 9 legal documents, 3 printed items, and 2 speeches, spanning 1774-1872. Early correspondence and records document trading and business activities, especially between William Neil and George Andrews. In particular, letters and bills of lading provide much detail on prices, quantities, and types of items purchased by the Neils and other local merchants (including Quaker merchant Abraham Barker). Several additional letters refer to health problems suffered by Margaret Neil, for which she was repeatedly bled (June 8, 1802).

A series of 1814 letters, written by Andrews to William Neil, concerns the War of 1812, including the merchants' preparations for attacks by the British and the effects of war on the market (August 6, 1814: "Business I believe is dull every where…. I am afraid to purchase Goods."). Also present are letters concerning a settlement for losses suffered by the Neils when the schooner John was captured by the British in 1815. A letter of March 28, 1831, recounts the circumstances of the capture and the case for restitution. Approximately five letters and documents dating to 1825, the year of William Neil's death, relate to his estate and the dispersal of his property.

Approximately 30 letters postdate 1830, most of which are the incoming correspondence of Thomas Neil. These primarily concern family news from various relatives, health issues, and details of business transactions. A letter to Maria Neil from her young granddaughter mentions "Emily has been working in the factory but is now going to school" (December 14, 1848). In an unusual and witty letter to Thomas Neil, a 20-year old named "Dorothy" requested his help in finding a husband and provided a humorous description of the man she wanted to find, including his height, the characteristics of his nose, and her preference that he oppose slavery (April 2, 1849).

The collection also includes 21 items relating to the ship Judah Touro and its journey from Boston to Portsmouth in January and February, 1861. These are receipts, records of payments, and several partial inventories.

The Maps series contains one map, entitled Plan of the town of Belfast from actual survey.

The Nicholas Fish papers (97 items) consist of letters and documents that span Fish's career as a Revolutionary War officer and New York City politician. The collection is made up of 87 letters and 10 documents and financial records.

The Nicholas Fish papers (97 items) consist of letters and documents that span Fish's career as a Revolutionary War officer and New York City politician. The collection is made up of 87 letters and 10 documents and financial records.

The Correspondence series (87 items) is comprised of 14 letters written by Fish, 70 letters addressed to Fish, 2 letters to his son Hamilton Fish (1833 and 1844), and one item to the Committee of Defense of New York (August 4, 1815).

The series contains 52 items from Fish's military activities in the Revolutionary war (1776-1786). Forty-one of these letters are addressed to Fish as adjutant general of New York, 1785, regarding the raising and provisioning of troops to aid the first United States Army, commanded by Josiah Harmar on the frontier of the Northwest Territory. Discussed are transporting supplies, maintaining troop levels, defending the settlers of the region from Indians, taking prisoners of war, and punishing deserters. Fish received communications from the War Offices at Fort Schuyler; the Bronx; Albany; Philadelphia; and West Point. Many letters, notably, were from prominent American army officers, such as Secretary of War General Henry Knox, John Morin Scott (his former mentor), Major John Doughty, and Commissary of Military Stores Samuel Hodgdon. Of particular interest is a letter from Captain John Francis Hamtramck, who described catching and punishing 7 troops for desertion from Fort McIntosh in Western Pennsylvania (December 4, 1785), and another letter from Hamtramck, in which he discussed the poor treatment of the Six Nations hostages by the Americans in contrast to the civility shown Indian war prisoners held by the British (June 13, 1785).

A group of 36 letters relate to Fish's activities in New York politics between 1791 and 1830. These provide details of Fish's career as well as New York and American politics in general, including military affairs, the War of 1812, and presidential politics. On February 12, 1791, Fish wrote to President George Washington requesting an appointment as inspector for the district of New York. In his letter from March 10, 1794, fish discussed a dispute between Henry Dearborn and Theodore Sedgwick (March 10, 1794). In a letter to Fish, Jacob Radcliff expressed his support for Fish as New York alderman (November 8, 1810). Among letters written during the War of 1812, William Watson examined the role of Pennsylvania Germans in the Presidential campaign of 1812 (September 16, 1812); Fish wrote to James Madison concerning the punishment of Lieutenant William S. Cox for his part in the Chesapeake incident (after June 1, 1813); and Commodore J. Lewis, Chief Engineer Joseph G. Swift, and General George Izard all wrote letters regarding the defense of New York Harbor (May 8 and October 10, 1813, and August 4, 1815). (For a complete list of contributors, see the controlled access terms section.)

The Documents and Financial Records series (10 items) is comprised of military, personal, and official items.

• Two officer lists of the New York militia: one for the 1st Regiment (1775), and the other for the militia under Colonel John Lasher (September 25, 1776).
• Fish's bank deposit book with the U.S. Bank from April 1792-June 1793 (8 pages).
• Seven receipts for duties from the Supervisor's Office, District of New York, all signed by Fish (April 1795-February 1798).

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

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

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

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

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

This log book documents the voyage of the merchant brig Swiftsure from Boston, Massachusetts, to India by way of Mauritius, and back to Boston, between November 1817 and January 1819. Ralph I. Linzee was the ship's captain for the voyage.

This log book documents the voyage of the merchant brig Swiftsure from Boston, Massachusetts, to India by way of Mauritius, and back to Boston, between November 1817 and January 1819. Ralph I. Linzee was the ship's captain for the voyage. The volume is approximately 180 pages, has a hand-stitched heavy linen cover, and includes the handwriting of multiple unidentified bookkeepers.

The log begins on November 26, 1817, just before the Swiftsure's departure for Calcutta, India, by way of Port Louis, Mauritius. The daily entries record information on the ship's course, prevailing winds, weather, distances traveled, unusual incidents, and (occasionally) crewmembers' behavior or illnesses. The writers frequently described the sails used for navigation. On one occasion, the ship's steward had a physical altercation with Captain Linzee (March 16, 1818), and several entries from November 1818 detail a pox that afflicted the ship's cook, Lewis Wilson. The Swiftsure returned to Boston around January 20, 1819, bearing cotton, cowhides, silk, and other goods. The log's final entry is dated January 27, 1819. Supplementary information within the volume includes lists of articles received from the ship's chandler (foods, sails, and ammunition) and accounts of cordage and food for the crew.

This collection contains around 200 letters that Reginald Johnson of Webster, New York, wrote to his parents while serving in the United States Navy between 1917 and 1920. He commented extensively on military life and on his experiences while serving onboard the USS Florida in Scotland during the final months of World War I, and along the Atlantic coast and in the Caribbean during his postwar service.

This collection contains around 200 letters that Reginald Johnson of Webster, New York, wrote to his parents while serving in the United States Navy between 1917 and 1920. He commented extensively on military life and on his experiences while serving onboard the USS Florida in Scotland during the final months of World War I, and along the Atlantic coast and in the Caribbean during his postwar service.

Johnson wrote his mother about once or twice weekly throughout his time in the navy, beginning just after his enlistment in June 1917 and ending with his discharge in July 1920. He provided regular updates about daily life in the navy, while training at Newport, Rhode Island, and Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and while serving on the Florida during and after the war. The topics he discussed included the scenery, his activities while on liberty, and the food. He occasionally commented on his work and the ship's crew. Johnson inquired about his father's health, asked who had been drafted from his hometown, and reported meeting other sailors from the Rochester area. He shared his excitement about being able to see various parts of the world and described several of his destinations, including Edinburgh, Scotland; Guantánamo Bay, Cuba; and Colon and Panama City, Panama. While in port at Norfolk and Boston after the war, Johnson wrote about his leisure activities, compared the hospitality of the two cities toward sailors, and commented on his romantic relationship with a Boston woman.

This collection contains personal correspondence related to the family of Daniel M. Robertson of Bow, New Hampshire, mainly pertaining to his daughters Mary, Martha, Eliza, and Harriet. A later group of items relates to Harriet Robertson's son, Franklin N. Saltmarsh. The letters concern family news in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and New York, and mention topics such as the Civil War and higher education.

The Robertson family letters (93 items) are made up of personal correspondence related to the family of Daniel M. Robertson of Bow, New Hampshire. Items dated between 1827 and 1882 mainly consist of letters to and between Daniel M. Robertson and his daughters Mary, Martha, Eliza, and Harriet. Martha M. Robertson also wrote letters to her parents while living in Boston in the 1840s. The Robertson sisters corresponded with their cousins, including members of the Fletcher, Truell, and Fowle families, who reported on their lives in towns such as Nashua, New Hampshire; Boston, Massachusetts; and Haverhill, Massachusetts.

Correspondents discussed topics such as sickness and health, deaths, religion, employment, and local travel. Harriet Saltmarsh remarked on political tensions before Lincoln's inauguration (February 26, 1861). Other writers mentioned aspects of the Civil War; one hoped that "the soldier and the slave may both be free" (July 26, 1862), and an injured soldier expressed his desire to lengthen his furlough (December 24, 1863-January 1, 1864). The collection also contains letters that Mary Ann Robertson and her husband, Isaac W. Newell, wrote to Robertson's sisters about their lives in Stockholm, New York.

From February 5, 1890-November 24, 1892, Frank N. Saltmarsh wrote 14 letters to his parents, Gilman and Harriet Robertson Saltmarsh, and to his sister, Harriet Saltmarsh ("Hattie"), about his experiences as a student at Dartmouth College. He commented on his coursework and social activities, as well as local news. He also wrote one letter to his aunt, M[artha] M. Robertson. The latest items are letters Frank N. Saltmarsh received, often regarding his finances or business affairs; in one letter, J. W. Watson described a Dartmouth class reunion (July 12, 1894).