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

This slim volume contains a partial account of a trip from New York City to Niagara Falls in August 1825, with entries cutting off abruptly at Lockport, New York. The currently unidentified writer traveled on the incomplete Erie Canal aboard the safety barge Lady Clinton and by road on the last leg of their journey. The author included descriptions of scenery, geographic features, towns, and canal systems they passed. Within the volume are calligraphic headings, pressed leaves, and a color illustration of two birds and flowers.

This slim volume contains a partial account of a trip from New York City to Niagara Falls in August 1825, with entries cutting off abruptly at Lockport, New York. The currently unidentified writer traveled on the incomplete Erie Canal aboard the safety barge Lady Clinton and by road on the last leg of their journey. The author included descriptions of scenery, geographic features, towns, and canal systems they passed. Within the volume are calligraphic headings, pressed leaves, and a color illustration of two birds and flowers.

Major points of the route serve as headings within the volume, being visually differentiated from the main text by calligraphic headings. Observations on town layouts and architecture—including rough estimations of population count—provide a developmental snapshot of the region as perceived by the writer. Also mentioned is the construction on the Mt. Pleasant Prison at Sing Sing [Sing Sing Prison, Ossining, New York] and the quarry of white marble used by the builders.

The writer's travel by road was apparently not as easy as their travel by canal. After turning off the Ridge Road at Hartland, New York, descriptions of the woodland seem to indicate a host of obstructions in the form of mudholes, ruts, and stumps (p. 22). Apart from the entries on towns and landscapes, the writer noted a hotel landlord in Victor, New York, who kept two wolves, two small deer, and a fox in his yard (p. 16).

Yellowed imprints of larger leaves placed into the volume can be found on later pages, but only the smallest have lasted to the present day.

The Boston to St. Louis travel diary recounts an arduous month-long journey between the two cities made by rail, steamboat, and stagecoach in the fall of 1837.

The Boston to St. Louis travel diary recounts an arduous month-long journey between the two cities made by rail, steamboat, and stagecoach in the fall of 1837. The anonymous author, a staunchly religious man, refused to travel on Sundays and attended Sunday religious services at Presbyterian churches throughout his travels, which took him through northern New York, down the Erie Canal, across lower Michigan and northern Illinois, and finally down the Mississippi River to St. Louis. The diarist wrote daily entries about frequent delays, bad weather, his route, the scenery, and various traveling companions, many of whom he knew. Though the initial leg from Boston to Rochester, New York, proceeded without difficulty, he became stranded in Cleveland and was frequently held back by poor, muddy roads as he proceeded by stagecoach from Detroit to Chicago. He finally reached St. Louis on November 28 and concluded the journal on November 30, a lonely and homesick Thanksgiving. Though the author's daily entries fully chronicle the hardships of travel in the early 19th century, they also provide interesting anecdotes and commentary, including encounters with wild animals along the road, and news of the murder of abolitionist minister Elijah Parish Lovejoy, which the diarist first heard about in Chicago, but also later in Alton, Illinois, where the murder made "abolitionism…more than ever the topic of conversation" (November 25). The final two pages of the volume consist of a table of distances, fares, and expenses incurred throughout the trip.

Edward E. Wilcox, a native of Franklin County, New York, wrote narrative recollections of hunting trips, painted watercolors, created sketches and drawings, and pasted photographs and newspaper clippings in this volume around the 1890s. Most of the material concerns hunting and fishing excursions in northern New York and southern Québec.

Edward E. Wilcox, a native of Franklin County, New York, wrote narrative recollections of hunting trips, painted watercolors, created sketches and drawings, and pasted photographs and newspaper clippings in this journal from approximately 1893-1896. Most of the material concerns hunting and fishing excursions in northern New York and southern Québec. The volume contains 200 pages, not all of which are used.

Wilcox wrote a 2-page introduction on June 2, 1893, intending to record details of his life for friends and family to discover after his death. In approximately 43 additional pages of prose, he wrote about his courtship with and wedding to Clara Stuart, his early years in New York City, numerous hunting and fishing trips in northern New York, and a summer vacation in New Hampshire and Québec. Two of the accounts describe a salmon run and an encounter with bears, and one pertains to a youthful prank. Some of the journal's watercolors, drawings, and sketches illustrate aspects of Wilcox's travel stories; most depict hunters, fishers, fish, rowboats, cabins, and woodland scenery. One pencil drawing utilizes shading to create the illusion of a nighttime view and appropriate shadows. Photographs include a picture of a man in a military uniform posing by a paper globe and paper cannonballs (possibly taken around 1917), studio portraits of an unidentified man and woman, a studio portrait of a man in his underwear, views of steamboats in a canal or lock, pictures of cacti in a desert, and a picture of hunters in a wooded area. Also present are interior shots of a shipping or similar commercial office and a man working in an enclosed office space, as well as street scenes. Two newspaper clippings concern E. E. Wilcox's use of shed human skin as a painting canvas and a painting he made as a young man.

This collection is made up of 7 letters that George Franklin Lee of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, wrote to his father, wife, and son while traveling in 1844. He described the scenery, towns, and people that he encountered along the Ohio River, Mississippi River, Missouri River, Illinois River, and Great Lakes.

This collection is made up of 7 letters that George Franklin Lee of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, wrote to his father, wife, and son while traveling through in 1844. He described the scenery, towns, and people that he encountered along the Ohio River, Mississippi River, Missouri River, Illinois River, and Great Lakes.

Lee's letters (approximately 20 pages) are dated from April-May 1844. He wrote 4 letters from St. Louis and Independence, Missouri, and 1 letter each from Chicago, Illinois; Buffalo, New York; and Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania. Lee traveled by river steamers, including the Valley Forge, Lexington, Jasper, Panama, Bunker Hill, and Emerald. He reported the names and populations of cities and towns he passed and visited, and often compared them to northeastern cities. He occasionally encountered migrants headed west.

While in Missouri, Lee visited Indian agents and spent time with the Shawnee and Kickapoo Indians, noted the denominations of local religious missions, and described some aspects of Native American life. He also responded to news of his family's health, mentioned his business affairs, and commented on riots in Philadelphia. On his return journey from Missouri, Lee traveled on the Great Lakes, where he saw Mackinac Island and Detroit, Michigan, and Cleveland, Ohio. After reaching New York, he visited Niagara Falls, where he hiked behind one of the waterfalls and discussed English customs in Canada. One letter includes an engraving of the Cathedral of St. Louis in St. Louis, Missouri (postmarked May 11, [1844]).

The James Mease journal documents two trips taken by Mr. Mease of Philadelphia: the first to eastern Pennsylvania in 1835 and New York State and the second to Washington, D.C. in 1841.

James Mease kept his journal during two separate periods: during a trip through eastern Pennsylvania and New York state, August-September 1835 (pp. 1-62), and during a journey to Washington, D.C., in the summer of 1841 (pp. 63-75). Laid into the volume is a half-sheet containing a partial letter by Mease to one of his sons and some travel notes.

Although the journal is not signed, it has been attributed to Mease because of direct references it makes (pp. 16, 71) to his essay "Description of Some of the Medals Struck..." The handwriting was subsequently shown to match other Mease manuscripts in the Clements Library. Mease's On Utility of Public Loan Offices and Savings Funds by City Authorities (1836) is of interest in that the journeys recorded in the first part of the Clements Library's journal appear to have been taken to gather information for that work.

Two themes run throughout Mease's journal. The first is his strong sense of history. Mease was careful to note historical events which had occurred on sites he was visiting -- making reference both to events which he had witnessed and about which he had read. The second theme is his interest in people, particularly the "common man." Mease enjoyed the friendship and society of some of the most noted persons of his day, yet he was fascinated by a visit with an ordinary citizen, exploring that person's life story, which he would record in his journal.

The Journal of a trip from Kingston, Ontario, to Cincinnati, Ohio, recounts a traveler's experiences during a journey that took him through New York and Pennsylvania in February and March 1820.

The Journal of a trip from Kingston, Ontario, to Cincinnati, Ohio, recounts a traveler's experiences during a journey that took him through New York and Pennsylvania in February and March 1820. The traveler embarked on February 24, 1820, and immediately encountered icy, rough roads and other difficulties. He noted machinery he saw on the Canadian countryside. After crossing into New York, the author visited Albany, where he observed the state legislature (February 28, 1820), and New York City. The author initially found Pennsylvania "very dull" (March 4, 1820), but later enjoyed the western countryside, despite being prevented from traveling on one Sunday when he found himself in an area where the population observed strict religious rules (March 12, 1820). On March 17, 1820, the diarist boarded a Cincinnati-bound boat, whose crew told "a great Number of Anecdotes of the late War & [portentously] of the Rascally treatment they received when prisoners." Many entries pertain to anecdotes about traveling companions and lodgings. An account of "Articles Bot" is in the back of the volume.

This volume is a typed journal of a group's canoe and camping trip on Lake George, New York, in the summer of 1892. The typescript is illustrated with 21 photographs of the campers, their equipment, and the scenery.

This volume is a 27-page typed journal of a group's canoe and camping trip on Lake George, New York, in the summer of 1892. The typescript is illustrated with 21 photographs of the campers, their equipment, and the scenery.

The Lake George camping party consisted of at least seven acquaintances: Charles W. Byrnes, Alice B. Byrnes, William L. Brown, Georgia B. Sumner, Edwin W. Andrews, Maybelle Ramsay, and R. C. Sargent. Maybelle and a man referred to as "the Doctor" left the group partway through the trip. The account, titled "Wotlarks: A Camping Journal," opens with an epigraph by William Henry Harrison Murray, followed by 24 pages of recollections. The campers embarked from Caldwell, New York, on July 31, 1892, spent 2 weeks on the lake, and then boarded a train for Boston from the area around Fort Ticonderoga on August 13, 1892.

The author of this typescript (possibly camper William L. Brown), described the scenery, meals, and notable incidents. He or she also quoted poems by P. Buchanan Read and Isaac Ogden Rankin. The 7 party members signed the final page of the typescript. Twenty-one photographs, pasted onto sturdy boards between pages of the journal, depict scenery around Lake George, the campers in their canoes, men and women posing with guns, a man fishing, the group near their tents, and other scenes.

The volume includes a carefully drawn or traced manuscript map of Lake George, marked with the places that the campers visited.

The R. J. Arnold diary (145 pages) chronicles a trip taken by Mrs. Arnold, her husband, her father, and a friend through northern New York to Canada, Michigan, and Illinois in the summer of 1856.

The R. J. Arnold diary (145 pages) chronicles a trip taken by Mrs. Arnold, her husband, her father, and a friend through northern New York to Canada, Michigan, and Illinois in the summer of 1856. The party embarked for their western journey on May 21, and proceeded to Niagara Falls, stopping several times along the way and often visiting with family or friends in the area. The group enjoyed seeing Niagara Falls, which Mrs. Arnold described in detail (pp. 17-22), and spent many of their leisurely days honoring social engagements, when not in transit. Eventually, the vacationing party wound their way through the "Queen's dominions" to Detroit and, later, Chicago, where the diarist registered her surprise after seeing women performing manual labor: "I saw a woman riding a horse, for a man to plow out even. It is quite common to see the lower class of women in the field a hoeing in this country" (p. 50). After moving southward from Chicago, the group began a return trip to the east coast, visiting many of the same locales that colored their earlier travels, and spending time in Buffalo near the home of former president Millard Fillmore. The account of this trip concludes with Arnold's return home, but she resumed her writing during a trip to Bridgeport and Stratford, Connecticut, later in the summer and into the fall. Additionally, the diary contains four recipes (pp. 134-137) and travel-related notes, including several addresses of acquaintances acquired along her journey. The diary paints a clear picture of western travel in the antebellum North.

The Robert Dayton Williams journal recounts the author's voyage to Europe on the steamer Australia in September 1870. Williams described stormy weather, seasickness, daily activities, and navigation errors during the ship's passage from New York to Glasgow. The journal entries are accompanied by ink drawings.

The R. Dayton Williams journal (21 pages), entitled "Yankee Vandals Abroad, or Our Trip to Europe," is an account of the author's voyage from Albany, New York, to Glasgow, Scotland, from September 15, 1870-October 1, 1870.

The journal begins with a 2-page preface in which Williams pays tribute to the advances in nautical travel between the 1770s and 1870s and explains his reasons for visiting the British Isles. The account opens with the Williams' trip from Albany to New York, accompanied by family members, and their search for Anna's trunk on the day they were to set sail; a humorous poem recounts the latter episode. The preface and opening remarks are followed by daily entries dated September 17, 1870-October 1, 1870, during the Australia's time at sea. The opening lines of many entries, including the preface, are colored or otherwise illustrated. Illustrations (see list below) accompany most of the entries.

During the transatlantic journey, Williams commented on the food, the scenery, and his pastimes, which included games of quoits and backgammon with the captain and other passengers. Early in the voyage, the ship encountered stormy seas, which resulted in flooded passenger cabins, injuries to members of the ship's crew, and prolonged seasickness. Williams described cod fishermen along the Grand Banks of Newfoundland and compared the Anchor Line's ships with the faster vessels of the Cunard Line. Entries often report the distance the Australia had traveled and the remaining distance to Derry, Ireland, the ship's first destination. On September 29, Williams mentioned the captain's recent navigational error, which led to confusion about the ship's current position and course; the mishap resulted in a slight delay, though the course was later corrected. In his entry of September 30, Williams recalled the Hibernia, an Anchor Line steamer that had remained missing for four weeks after being blown to sea in a gale off the coasts of Ireland and Scotland. The same day, the Australia reached Derry and soon left for Glasgow, where Williams and his wife disembarked on October 1. A printed drawing of the Australia and a newspaper clipping about the Williams' journey are pasted into the first page of regular entries, and the entry of September 30 contains a table of observed latitude and longitude for September 19, [1870]-September 28, [1870].

• Two men searching for Anna Williams's trunk at the Wescott's Express freight office (page 7)
• A man and a woman on the deck of the Australia (page 7)
• Log floating at sea (page 8)
• Australia and other ships engulfed by stormy seas (page 9)
• The Williams' stateroom on the Australia (page 10)
• A man "Before and After Sea Sickness" (page 11)
• Codfish (page 11)
• Rings and target from game of quoits (page 12)
• "Cod Fishing on the New Foundland Banks" [sic] (page 13)
• Driftwood board (page 13)
• "Mr Brown's Circus Blanket," a colorful coat (page 14)
• "Forecastle Passengers" (page 17)
• Sounding line (page 19)
• Map of British Isles and coast of Holland, Belgium, and France, showing the Australia's erroneous and corrected courses (page 20)

Samuel L. Young of Reading, Pennsylvania, kept this 108-page journal "during a tour through the United States" between June 1, 1846, and October 12, 1846. He traveled by railroad, steamship, and stagecoach, and recorded his impressions of major cities, local scenery, and fellow travelers. Young ventured as far west as St. Louis, Missouri; as far north as Niagara Falls, Canada; and as far south as Lexington, Kentucky.

Samuel L. Young of Reading, Pennsylvania, kept this 108-page journal "during a tour of the United States" between June 1, 1846, and October 12, 1846. He traveled by railroad, steamship, and stagecoach, and recorded his impressions of major cities, local scenery, and fellow travelers. Young ventured as far west as St. Louis, Missouri; as far north as Niagara Falls, Canada; and as far south as Lexington, Kentucky.

Young's journal, which contains descriptions and anecdotes from his travel, begins with an entry expressing his sadness upon leaving his loved ones (p. 1). He departed Reading for New York City, where he remained for 4 days; there, he witnessed a procession by the Sons of Temperance. Young then traveled to Connecticut and Massachusetts, where he commented on Boston's Chinese residents (p. 8). He continued to Niagara Falls, Detroit, and Chicago. In Detroit, he received copper samples from Morgan Bates, a prospector (p. 31); in Chicago he recorded his disappointment with the city and its construction. While in western Illinois and Iowa, Young visited a smelting furnace and mine (pp. 43-44), a "lead cave" and mine (pp. 48-49), and the Mormon temple at Nauvoo, Illinois (pp. 56-58).

When Young reached St. Louis, Missouri, he boarded a riverboat bound for Louisville, Kentucky, though he and three other travelers opted to walk the final stretch of the trip (pp. 70-71). Young recalled a stagecoach conversation about slavery, though he declined to participate (pp. 74-75). Upon his arrival in Lexington, Kentucky, he met with Henry Clay at his Ashland estate (pp. 87-88). Young spent much of September in Cincinnati, Ohio. Between Cincinnati and Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia), he met Lewis C. F. Fatio, former captain of the United States revenue cutter Wolcott, who was on his way to contest a charge of disobedience in Washington, D. C. (pp. 101-102). Young began the last leg of his journey on October 10, 1846, heading for Philadelphia and, later, Reading, where he returned on October 12 (p. 108).

Young occasionally encountered dangerous situations, including a narrowly avoided stagecoach accident between Kalamazoo and St. Joseph, Michigan (p. 33), a fire next door to his Chicago hotel (pp. 36-37), and a suspicious stagecoach passenger at Rockford, Illinois (p. 42). He made acquaintance with many fellow travelers, and often joined them for excursions. Young played the accordion, read local newspapers and the works of Friedrich Schiller, occasionally measured the distances he traveled or noted the costs of transportation, and recorded the name of every hotel at which he boarded.