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Collection

Whitfield-Barnett correspondence, 1917-1921

42 items

This collection is made up of 42 letters that Robin Whitfield wrote to his girlfriend and future wife, Tacey Barnett of Clarksville and Nashville, Tennessee, from 1917-1921. He wrote of his experiences at Camp Dodge, Iowa, and Brest, France, during World War I, and commented on his life in Clarksville after the war.

This collection is made up of 42 letters that Robin Whitfield wrote to his girlfriend and future wife, Tacey Barnett of Clarksville and Nashville, Tennessee, from 1917-1921. He wrote of his experiences at Camp Dodge, Iowa, and Brest, France, during World War I, and commented on his life in Clarksville after the war.

Whitfield wrote 2 letters from Clarksville in 1917; 17 letters and postcards from Camp Dodge, Iowa, from June 1918-August 1918; 1 letter from Camp Upton, New York, in September 1918; 1 letter from Camp President Lincoln in Brest, France, in June 1919; 2 postcards immediately after his return to the United States in late 1919; and 17 letters from Clarksville from April 1920-September 1921. Two additional letters from Clarksville are undated. At Camp Dodge, Whitfield joined the 804th Pioneer Infantry Regiment, an African American unit. He commented occasionally on the attractiveness of local women (August 14, 1918) and about his fondness for the shooting range (September 20, 1918), but most often he discussed his social activities and his relationship with Barnett. After his return to Clarksville, he continued to write about their relationship and upcoming visits. The collection's postcards include a photographic postcard depicting trench warfare ([July 8, 1918]), a photographic postcard showing Camp Dodge ([July 22, 1918]), 2 postcards with short poems about friendships and relationships ([July 30, 1918] and [October 28, 1919]), and one postcard bearing a logo from the YMCA Troop Train Service ([October 9, 1919]).

Collection

White Mountains Vacation Photograph Album, July 1883

26 photographs in 1 album.

The White Mountains vacation photograph album contains 26 photographs taken by amateur photographer brothers Thomas Avery Hine and Charles Gilbert Hine related to a twelve-day carriage tour of the White Mountains by a party of eight travelers in July of 1883.

The White Mountains vacation photograph album contains 26 photographs taken by amateur photographer brothers Thomas Avery Hine and Charles Gilbert Hine related to a twelve-day carriage tour of the White Mountains by a party of eight travelers in July of 1883. The album (18 x 27 cm) is half bound with black leather and brown boards and gilt title reading "Chronicles of our White Mountain trip, July, 1883." An inscription inside the front cover reads "Miss Mary A. Barnard, compliments of T. A. & C. G. Hine." The album consists of albumen prints glued to thick cardstock (opposite printed text) and glued onto the facing page.

Scenic images include views of Tuckerman's Ravine, Pemigewasset River, Franconia Notch, Lake Chocorua, Lake Winnepesaukee, Profile Mountain, and Mt. Lafayette. Other images of interest include views of two horse-drawn carriages on the road, the traveling party relaxing on a dock and posed atop a boulder, and the Crawford House and Thorn Mountain House hotels. Photographs are accompanied by a printed narrative of the journey written by Ellen T. Cheever Rockwood.

Collection

W. H. Gibbs phrenological reading in Brief View of Phrenology and Chart , 1844

1 volume

On January 24, 1844, W. H. Gibbs, a "practical phrenologist," performed a phrenological reading of Thomas Mayhew and documented his findings in his Brief View of Phrenology and Chart... (Springfield: Wood & Rupp, 1842). Principally, Gibbs recorded a number between 1 and 7 to note the size of Mayhew's "organs," with one additional comment regarding Mayhew's "Very Small" Constructiveness organ, proclaiming him a "poor mechanic." The printed volume includes one illustration of a phrenological chart, showing the human head from three directions to identify thirty-seven labelled regions.

On January 24, 1844, W. H. Gibbs, a "practical phrenologist," performed a phrenological reading of Thomas Mayhew and documented his findings in his stab-sewn Brief View of Phrenology and Chart, Giving a Description of the Phenomena of the Human Mind, Designed to Assist Man in Obtaining a Knowledge of His Intellectual Faculties, Moral Sentiments, and Animal Propensities - How to Improve His Virtues and Remedy His Defects. Sixth Edition (Springfield: Wood & Rupp, 1842). Principally, Gibbs recorded a number between 1 and 7 to note the size of Mayhew's "organs," with one additional comment regarding Mayhew's "Very Small" Constructiveness organ, proclaiming him a "poor mechanic." The printed volume includes one illustration of a phrenological chart, showing the human head from three directions to identify thirty-seven labelled regions.

Collection

W. F. Farrington letters, 1865

4 items

This collection contains 4 letters that W. F. Farrington wrote to his wife Margaret in East Bridgewater, Massachusetts, while volunteering with the United States Christian Commission in Alexandria, Virginia, in June 1865.

This collection contains 4 letters (12 pages) that W. F. Farrington wrote to his wife Margaret in East Bridgewater, Massachusetts, while volunteering with the United States Christian Commission in Alexandria, Virginia, in June 1865. Farrington discussed his work at Sickles Hospital, where he held religious services and distributed clothing to sick soldiers, including some who were close to death. He also expressed his distaste for Alexandria and his desire to return home. In his letters of June 15, 1865, and June 22, 1865, he described his visits to Mount Vernon, the Bull Run battlefield, and Fort Ellsworth.

Collection

Weston Marshack collection, 1942-1946 (majority within 1942-1944)

0.75 linear feet

The Weston Marshack papers contain correspondence, news articles, and photographs pertaining to Herbert Weston Marshack ("Weston"), who served in the 179th Infantry in North Africa and Italy during World War II, and Robert C. Marshack, who was an observation pilot in the European Theater. The majority of the collection is made up of Weston Marshack's letters to his parents; it also includes correspondence to Marshack from acquaintances and family members in the United States.

The Weston Marshack collection (0.75 linear feet) contains correspondence and other items pertaining to the military service of Herbert Weston Marshack ("Weston") and Robert C. Marshack ("Bob") during World War II.

The Correspondence series (216 items) contains letters that Weston Marshack wrote to his family from February 1942-July 1944, as well as letters that family members and acquaintances wrote to Marshack during the war. Weston Marshack reported his experiences at Camp Croft, South Carolina, and in North Africa and Italy. He discussed his training and adaptation to military life, noted serving at Anzio, Italy, commented on the progress of the war, and described the scenery overseas, particularly in Sicily. His last letters concern medical issues and hospitalization. His correspondence includes picture postcards of buildings in Syracuse, New York; Richmond, Virginia; and Daytona Beach, Florida; as well as telegrams and V-mail letters. He sometimes included enclosures such as a newspaper clipping regarding the battle for Java (March 29, 1942) and a certificate attesting to the completion of his training at Camp Croft (July 6, 1942).

Marshack received letters about life on the home front, and occasionally received letters from his brother Robert ("Bob"), who was also in the U.S. military. A letter of support from a man at St. George's Rectory contains an enclosed booklet entitled Forward Day by Day (September 24, 1942). Among the collection's final items are letters from Bob Marshack to his sister Marion about life in France and Germany following the war.

The Printed Items series (6 items) contains 3 articles about World War II and soldiers (January 1943; April 3, 1945; and May 28, 1945) and Army Talk 146, a publication about the Red Cross and its relationship with the United States Army (October 26, 1946). The series also includes a stamped identification card concerning Weston Marshack's unemployment benefits around December 1941, and a postcard ordering Marshack to report to a doctor for a physical examination (December 10, 1941).

The Photographs series contains 19 black-and-white photographs pertaining to Robert C. Marshack's service in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. The pictures show groups of soldiers in uniform and military observation aircraft. Robert C. Marshack appears in at least 2 of the images, including one in which he and other lieutenants received awards for their work piloting observation planes. One labeled photograph was taken at Camp Atterbury, Indiana, in 1949.

Collection

West family papers, 1697-1880

2.25 linear feet

The West family papers are comprised of approximately 1,400 letters, letter books, documents, and financial records pertaining to Reverend Samuel West and his two sons, Benjamin and Nathan P., of Boston. The bulk of the collection (approximately 900 items) relates to business concerns, particularly to Benjamin West's sugar refining firm.

The West family papers are comprised of approximately 1,400 letters, letter books, documents, and financial records pertaining to Reverend Samuel West and his two sons, Benjamin and Nathan P., of Boston. The bulk of the collection (approximately 900 items) relates to business concerns, particularly to Benjamin West's sugar refining firm.

The Correspondence and documents series consists of approximately 150 items, dating from 1679 to 1880; the bulk of these are dated between 1759 and 1826. Though the majority of the material within the series pertains to business affairs, several groups of letters relate to other topics. One early group of letters concerns Samuel West's move from Needham, Massachusetts, to Boston's Hollis Street Church, and another group to a Boston committee's proposal to alter the municipal government in 1815, which includes its lengthy report [September 25, 1815]. In addition, the series contains personal and family correspondence, though to a lesser extent. Primary correspondents within the series include Caleb and Joshua Davis, Benjamin West, Enoch H. West, Samuel West, Richards Child, Mills Olcott, Samuel and Ephraim May, Sarah Plimpton, George Cheyne Shattuck, and Elisha and Elizabeth Ticknor.

The collection's two Letter books belonged to Benjamin West, and hold copies of 166 outgoing letters, dated 1803-1827, related to his various business affairs and the settlement of his uncle's estate, as well as personal matters.

The Financial records series contains three subseries: Bills and receipts, Sugarhouse accounts, and Account and expense books. The series contains approximately 300 bills and receipts dating from 1748 to 1824, primarily pertaining to labor, repairs, and donations to various Boston societies and institutions. About 600 sugarhouse accounts (1796-1823) record financial transactions associated with Benjamin West's sugar refining business, and include accounts, bills, and receipts. The four books cover Benjamin's West's personal accounts and expenses between 1797-1799 and 1811-1827; the first of these concerns West's service in a local militia, as well as his other financial matters, including numerous accounts for clothing, tobacco, and trips to the theater.

Legal documents within the collection are divided into two subseries, covering Land and real estate (1707-1824) and other Legal documents (1738-1834). The first subseries consists of approximately 60 items, which relate to mortgages, indentures, and other agreements about land around Boston and in Charlestown, New Hampshire. The West family frequently dealt with the Wheelock and Metcalf families when purchasing land. The second subseries is comprised of approximately 75 miscellaneous documents, including material related to Samuel West's interests in Needham, Massachusetts; bills from Nathan P. West's time at Harvard College (1788-1792); and the family's additional business and legal concerns.

The Printed and miscellaneous items series consists of approximately 20 items, dated 1714 to 1825. Among these are broadsides, including programs for Samuel West's internment services and various anniversaries, and partially printed school reports. Miscellaneous manuscript items are 13 statements of Christian faith; manuscript music for several hymns; two books kept by Nathan P. West, including a copybook of mathematical problems and exercises (1792-1807) and a commonplace book (1798-1813) with medicinal recipes West used in his drugstore; and scattered quotations. The copybook also includes a small drawing of a skull next to a bottle of borax on its inside cover.

Collection

Western Views - Kodak Snapshot Album, approximately 1895

104 photographs in 1 album

The Western views - Kodak snapshot album contains 104 photographs primarily of Western landscapes including canyons, rivers, waterfalls, and the Monterey, San Francisco, and Santa Cruz coasts.

The Western views - Kodak snapshot album contains 104 photographs primarily of Western landscapes including canyons, rivers, waterfalls, and the Monterey, San Francisco, and Santa Cruz coasts. The album (26.5 x 32 cm) is fully bound in leather with gilt lettering "Kodak" on the front cover. Most of the locations depicted are represented in one or two photographs with the exception of Yellowstone (approximately 20 images) and the Grand Canyon (approximately 12 images). Other photographs show trains and train tracks, with two photographs of train station gardens in Sacramento and Ypsilanti, Michigan. Non-western locations and objects depicted include the Hudson, Niagara, and Mohawk Rivers, Niagara Falls, Minnehaha Falls, and Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis. In general people appear to be incidental to the scenery, save for two photographs showing posed groups; one in front of a topiary maze, and another in a grove of giant trees. Most photographs have numbers and captions derived from labeled negatives.

Collection

"Western Trip" photograph album, 1899

1 volume

The "Western Trip" photograph album contains pictures of people, natural scenery, and cities in Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, California, Oregon, and Washington. The album includes photographs of the traveling party, popular tourist destinations, and residents of Santa Fe, New Mexico.

This album (17cm x 25cm), entitled "Western Trip-Summer-1899," contains 95 photographs of people and scenery in several western states. Each page contains two photographs housed in 8cm x 8cm windows; all items have captions, usually providing the location of the photograph. The title "Photographs" is printed in gold on the album's faded green cloth cover.

The photographer took three photographs of railroad stations, railroad tracks, and the prairie in Nebraska and Kansas before reaching Colorado. A photograph on the first page, identified as Lincoln, Nebraska, is likely mislabeled. A manuscript caption on the back of this photograph identifies the location as Omaha, Nebraska. In Colorado, where the photographer visited Manitou Springs, several canyons, Pikes Peak, and the Garden of the Gods. Several photographs are views of mountain passes and similar Colorado scenery some of which were taken from the front of a horse drawn carriage. The photographs from New Mexico include street-level views of Las Vegas and Santa Fe, as well as informal portraits of a woman and a child in front of a pueblo, a woman ("Belle of Santa Fe"), and a boy ("Dude of Santa Fe"). In Arizona, the traveler visited cliff dwellings, canyons, and the Grand Canyon; some images show the horse-drawn carriage the party took from Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon, and others show tourists (including the compiler) on horses. The caption of one photograph implies that a railroad car on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway had caught fire, though no fire or smoke is apparent.

After visiting the Southwest, the traveler continued to California, where he or she collected several photographs of the Pacific Ocean as seen from Santa Catalina Island, California. These are followed by a group of pictures from Yosemite National Park, including views of mountains, waterfalls, lakes, and forests, and a picture of Mount Shasta. The final items feature the Hotel Portland in Portland, Oregon; Umatilla House in The Dalles, Oregon ("Where Measles Flourish"); the Columbia River and riverside scenery; Tacoma, Washington; Seattle, Washington; and the shore of Lake Washington.

Collection

Western travel and mid-Michigan photograph albums, 1901

1 volume

The Western travel and mid-Michigan photograph albums (2 volumes, each 23 x 36 cm) contain a total of 417 photographs primarily pertaining to travel in the western U.S. and the mid-Michigan region, likely taken by a member of the Charlesworth/Abraham family of Flint, Michigan.

Volume I: Western photographs include views of Yellowstone, the Yosemite Valley, cliff dwellings with pictorgraphs, a petrified forest, hiking across a glacier, buildings of the Panama-Pacific Exposition, the Saltair resort in Utah, cliff dwellings, the California coast, a bull fight, Native Americans selling pottery on the street, California houses, and a concert band dressed in kilts. Also included are single views of a city waterfront, possibly St. Paul, Minn., Milwaukee grain docks, and the Minnesota State Capitol. Album contains 232 images. Photographs lack captions.

Volume II: Mid-Michigan photographs show chiefly outdoor activities and rural scenery, including house and barns, country roads, hunting and fishing trips, boating, swimming, hunting dogs and game birds, a circus parade in downtown Flint, farm animals and cow-milking, and picnics. Nine photographs show a collection of bird amulets and carved relics, some belonging to the Silas Collins collection at the Flint Public Library. Also shown are burnt-out ruins of the Michigan School for the Deaf and postal carriers in Flint with sleds and wagons piled high with Christmas packages. Several photographs feature automobiles, including an overturned auto in the street being contemplated by a young man in swimming costume with handwritten caption, "Berston killed;" automobiles stuck in potholes and rescued by horse-teams; filled with hunting dogs; and a Buick Model C burnt out and restored. Michigan locations include: Flint, Prescott, Stiles Lake, Long Lake, Houghton Lake, Rifle River, Ortonville, and Skinner Lake. Identified individuals include: W.B. Ormsbee, A.G. Abraham, Herb Mitchell, Howard Casler, E. Rockafellow, Luella Charlesworth, John Brewer, Emma Abraham, Ernest Oldfield, M.B. Shirk, William Somerville, Hattie Barker, George Dell, Gert Fellows, Glenn Jones, Edgar Ries, John Ries, George Havers, John Wildanger, George Havers, Clyde Baldwin, George Frye, Edgar Rice, Chancey Straber, Elsie Caverly, Clarence Caverly, Leo & Mrs. Boomhower, Bud & Mrs. Evans, Ed Brown, Llloyd & Mrs. Algoe, Alice Charlesworth, Anna Charlesworth, George Holmes. Album contains 185 images. Most photographs include manuscript captions on verso.

Albums housed in three-part wraps with blue cloth spines.

Collection

Western Reserve (Ohio) collection, 1796-1808, 1814

24 items

The Western Reserve (Ohio) collection contains documents related to the sale and purchase of land in the Western Reserve and in the state of Ohio, shortly after it gained statehood.

The Western Reserve (Ohio) collection contains 24 legal documents, dating 1796-1808 and 1814, which relate to the purchase of land in the Western Reserve. Many of the items document land purchases by Nathan Elliott of Hartford, Connecticut. The collection includes Elliot's land deeds for "fifteen hundred twelve hundred thousandths" of the total Reserve for $1575 (April 13, 1796), "nine hundred twelve hundred thousandths" for $2000 (July 27, 1796), and "one thousand six hundred and thirty twelve hundred thousandths" for $3260 (July 28, 1796). Also present are a certificate for one share in the Connecticut Land Company and several land deeds related to James K. Garnsey. Four documents dated May 27, 1805, concern land purchased "at Public vendue, " lying south of Lake Erie, and referred to as 'sufferers land'. These list the names of early settlers and their payments.

One document dated June 24, 1814, reflects the sale of six lots of land in Ashtabula County, Ohio, by Revolutionary War veteran Nehemiah Hubbard (of Middleton, Connecticut) to Ladock Mann for the sum of $4,000. Witnessed by Nathan Strong and Sally Strong.

Collection

Western Brand book, 1899-1900

1 volume

This volume (198 pages) contains 184 pages showing various branding marks used by horse and cattle dealers throughout the western United States in the late 19th century, as well as 15 pages of accounts recording purchases of cattle in December 1899 and January 1900. The 184 pages of brands are divided into several sections based on the types of identifying marks used; approximately 1,480 brands are represented. The notebook is accompanied by a 35-page pamphlet entitled "Cattle Brands of Texas," published in the mid-20th century.

This volume (198 pages) contains 184 pages showing various branding marks used by horse and cattle dealers throughout the western United States in the late 19th century, as well as 15 pages of accounts recording purchases of cattle in December 1899 and January 1900. The 184 pages of brands are divided into several sections based on the types of identifying marks used, and approximately 1,480 brands are represented. The notebook is accompanied by a 35-page pamphlet entitled "Cattle Brands of Texas," published in the mid-20th century.

The brand book, once owned by a livestock buyer, contains both graphic and textual descriptions of brands used by livestock breeders throughout the Great Plains and western United States. The vast majority of brands are for cattle. Each page has 8 images of cattle or horses stamped in purple ink, with hand-drawn brands placed on the images. Animals' ears are represented by a stamped infinity symbol. Some dealers used variations, which are recorded in red ink. Each livestock stamp is accompanied by the dealer's name, cattle range, and primary city. Suppliers originated from Colorado, "Dakota," Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Texas, and Wyoming. A newspaper clipping showing 7 branded cows of the Warren Live Stock Company of Cheyenne, Wyoming, and their ranges, is pasted on page 23. The brands (pp. 2-185) are followed by 15 pages of accounts recording purchases of cattle made primarily from F. H., W. H., & M. B. Gill Brothers of Greeley, Colorado, in December 1899 and January 1900 (pp. 186-201). Each account includes a stamped image of a cow with a brand, the supplier, and the price, each spread across two pages. A total price appears at the bottom of every two pages.

The Western Brand book is accompanied by a short pamphlet entitled Cattle Brands of Texas, published by the First National Bank in Dallas around the mid-1950s. A forward by Wayne Gard introduces the history of cattle branding within the state. The book contains historical notes for numerous brands that decorated the bank's executive dining room.

Collection

Western America collection, 1820-ca. 1898

0.25 linear feet

The Western America collection is a group of miscellaneous individual items relating to the settlement of the western United States, including present-day Wisconsin, California, Oregon, and Missouri.

The Western America collection contains 39 miscellaneous individual items relating to the settlement of the western part of the United States, including present-day Wisconsin, Missouri, Oregon, California, Iowa, Minnesota, Nevada, North Dakota, and Wyoming. The items span 1820 to ca. 1898, with the bulk of materials concentrated around the 1840s and 1850s. They pertain to numerous topics related to western expansion, and include descriptions of growing towns, discussions of economic opportunities and hardships, references to social customs and mores on the frontier, and scattered mentions of relations with Native Americans.

A few items of note include:
  • A letter of May 20, 1832, discussing the Black Hawk War, murder by a prostitute and community backlash against her, and the tarring and feathering of an African American man.
  • A description of the Oregon Territory by a recent female settler [ca. 1838].
  • A frustrated miner's description of his bad luck in Placerville, California [ca. 1851].
  • A letter from Santa Clara, California, concerning the love affair of a miner's wife, and the husband's subsequent abandonment of her and their child with the remark that "such is life in Cal." (June 26-28, 1854)
  • A July 15, 1876, description of Geneva, Minnesota, including its ethnic mix, farming prospects, and food.
  • A May 21, 1889, letter from a woman to her husband describing the cable-cars and schools of San Francisco, California.
Collection

West African Mission photograph album, 1887

1 volume

This album contains photographs of local residents, buildings, and natural scenery taken in the Congo region of Africa, around 1887. Africans and white missionaries posed singly and in groups. Landscape views, village scenes, images of vegetation and rock formations also appear.

This album (43cm x 32, 61 pages) contains 269 photographs of local residents, buildings, and natural scenery, possibly at an American Baptist mission in the Congo region, circa 1887. Three to eight items are pasted onto each page, and captions are written directly into the album where photographs are missing. The three-quarter-bound volume's covers are black and gray.

The photographs are roughly organized by topic. Pages 1-23 are comprised of individual and group portraits of Africans and of white missionaries. Many are identified by name. Of particular interest are posed ethnographic photographic studies of native men, women, and children shown in traditional African and western dress. Many if not most images appear to have been staged by the photographer. Among those may be of native inhabitants appearing as manacled slaves or prisoners; a mock execution, people with primitive weapons; mock combat with bow, spear, and shield; the wearing of ceremonial masks, families with children, and a young man with a large snake around his neck. "Mr. Clark" is identified in group photos as is "Dr. Flemming," a black woman, who is occasionally pictured with the missionaries. "Mr. Lewis" appears with a camera and tripod and may be the photographer for this album. "Mr. Roger Casement," future British consul to Portuguese West Africa and Irish Nationalist, is identified in one photograph and appears in at least one other. A set of four photographs depicts two African boys using a camera obscura on a stand to produce drawings of each other. The images on pages 23-31 include village scenes, rustic buildings including a church, post office, and photographer's booth. A man posed with the decapitated head of a hippopotamus appears on page 23.

Pages 32-48 concentrate on details of trees, fruits, and other vegetation, and pages 49-60 pertain to rock formations and rivers. These items include views of rocks with unidentified carved inscriptions, of caves, and of sailing and steam ships in a harbor. A small river steamer, theHenry Reed , a canoe, and a shipwreck are also pictured. The final item, located on page 61, is a photograph of William Shakespeare's supposed birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon, England.

Collection

Wella and Pet Anderson Spirit Drawings Photograph Album, 1879

26 photographs in 1 album

The Wella and Pet Anderson spirit drawings photograph album contains 26 cabinet card photographs of pencil-drawn portraits of spirits of various historical figures made by a spiritualist couple in San Francisco, California in the early 1870s.

The Wella and Pet Anderson spirit drawings photograph album contains 26 cabinet card photographs of pencil-drawn portraits of spirits of various historical figures made by a spiritualist couple in San Francisco, California in the early 1870s.

The album (17.5 x 12 cm) has marbled paper board covers and the spine has been reinforced with library cloth. Inside of the front cover, a handwritten note has been laid in that states “The following Photographs were presented to this society by Col. J. C. Bundy. They are from full-sized drawings, made with a Faber pencil, by Mr. & Mrs. Wella Anderson of California, when in a ‘Trance’ or unconscious state. About two hours time was required in which to draw each Portrait. For further particulars see ‘Descriptive Catalogue of the Ancient Band.’ July, 1879.” John C. Bundy (1841-1892) was the chief publisher of The Religio-Philosophical Journal, a Chicago-based spiritualist periodical that Bundy inherited from his father-in-law Stevens S. Jones (1813-1877) after the latter’s murder. The society to which Bundy gifted this album has not been identified.

Each photograph in this album bears printed captions identifying the subject. All but two of the photographs also bear printed copyright statements stating “Photographic copy of the Original Life-size Pencil painted Portrait, executed by those celebrated Spirit Artists, Wella and Pet Anderson, when in the unconscious ‘trance’ condition. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1874, in the office of Librarian of Cong. Washington, D. C. by the Pacific Art Union, of San Francisco, Cal. Inc. March, 1874.” Two of the photographs (portraits of Anthony van Dyck and Peter Abelard) have copyright statements attributed to Jonas Winchester.

While many members of The Ancient Band were true historical figures, numerous fictitious or legendary individuals were also counted amongst the group, including an adult woman supposedly born in Massachusetts ca. 1774 named “Dawn” who lived for only one hour and who served as an assistant for The Ancient Band; Henri de Brianville, a supposed English knight and alchemist who lived during the reign of Charles I; Ayotte, a supposed French Huguenot artist, poet, musician, and occult alchemist from the 15th-century; Peter Korzakieff, a supposed Polish writer and scientist from the 15th-century; Mazeleel, a supposed high priest of the Magi of Nineveh, Assyria, active during the 7th-century BCE; Hiram Abiff, a pseudo-historical allegorical figure presented to candidates embarking on the third degree of Freemasonry and described as the chief architect of Solomon’s Temple; Pietro Vecchia, a supposed 5th-century ruler of a Venetian island republic called Rialto; Catullus, a supposed Roman metallurgist and descendant of poet Gaius Valerius Catullus employed during the reigns of Nero and Vespasian; Hassan al Meschid, a supposed Persian Magi who aided an insurrection against Cambyses II and declared himself King before being killed himself; Abd El Kader, a supposed Arabian chief from 1500 B.C. described as the father of Arabian chemistry and a direct descendant of Ishmael; and Adehl, a supposed Indian Hindu chief and necromancer that lived “8,000 years ago” and who utilized an Elixir of Life to live until the age of 180 before he was put to death.

Also present are depictions of supposed figures from the legendary ancient civilization of Atlantis, including Orondo (described as an eight foot tall expert in mining, a trusted advisor of head Atlantean ruler Yermah, and the progenitor of intermarriage alliances with indigenous tribes of North America following the fall of Atlantis) and Atyarrah (described as a military commander who was part of an expedition of North America and the constructor of earthwork defenses against Native American tribes, some of which yet remain in the Mississippi Valley).

Authentic historical figures represented amongst The Ancient Band include Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer (1489-1556); Flemish painter Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641); French writer Philippe Quinault (1635-1688); Italian friar Giovanni Giocondo (1433-1515); English philosopher and statesman Lord Francis Bacon (1561-1626); medieval French polymath Peter Abelard (1079-1142) and his philosopher lover Héloïse d'Argenteuil (ca. 1095-1163 or 1164); Alfred the Great, King of the Anglo-Saxons (ca. 849-899); Greek philosopher Plutarch (ca. 46-after 119); Umar ibn al-Khattab, second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate (ca. 583 or 584-644); Greek poet Pindar (ca. 518 BCE-ca. 438 BCE); Chinese philosopher and politician Confucius (ca. 551-ca. 479 BCE); and Gautama Buddha, Indian ascetic and founder of Buddhism (ca. 563 BCE or 480 BCE-ca. 483 BCE or 400 BCE).

The following list references the printed captions for each member of The Ancient Band represented in this album in order of appearance:
  • 1) “Dawn.” Born in Massachusetts 100 years ago, living only an hour.
  • 2) Henri de Brianville. English Knight and Soldier of Fortune - Days of Charles I. [“1630” inscribed alongside caption]
  • 3) Cranmer. Archbishop of Canterbury - Burned at the Stake in 1635.
  • 4) Vandyke. The Great Flemish Painter - Pupil of Rubens - Died 1642.
  • 5) Ayotte. French Hueguenot, Artist, and Alchemist - 15th Century.
  • 6) Philippe Quinault. Distinguished French lyrical Author and Poet - Born 1635.
  • 7) Fra Giocondo. Dominican Friar - Architect of St. Peters - Born in 1435.
  • 8) Lord Bacon. High Chancellor of England, and Scientist - Born in 1561.
  • 9) Peter Korzakieff. Polish Scholar and Scientist - time of Casimer, about 1460.
  • 10) Abelard. Celebrated French Scholar - Lover of Heloise - Born 1079.
  • 11) Heloise. Mistress of Abelard - Abbess of the Paraclete - Born 1101.
  • 12) Alfred the Great. The Noblest Saxon Monarch of Britain - Died A.D. 900
  • 13) Plutarch. The Greek Historian and Philosopher - Born A.D. 50.
  • 14) Mazaleel. Most learned of the “Magi” in the best days of Nineveh.
  • 15) Hiram Abiff. The “Widow’s Son” - Grand Master of Ancient Masonry.
  • 16) Omar I. 2d Moslem Caliph - Conqueror of Syria and Egypt - 644.
  • 17) Pietro Vecchia. Tribune of a Venitian Island Republic in the 5th Century.
  • 18) Catullus. Roman Metallurgist and Jeweller, of the Time of Nero.
  • 19) Pindar. Most famous of the Ancient Greek Poets - Born 520 B.C.
  • 20) Orondo. Of Yermah’s Time - Father of the “Mound Builders.”
  • 21) Hassan al Meschid. Persian Magian, Astrologer, and King - lived B.C. 500.
  • 22) Atyarrah. Warrior of Yermah’s Time and Country, high in Rank.
  • 23) Confucius. The Great Chinese Reformer and Sage - Born B.C. 551.
  • 24) Gautama. Brahminical Reformer - Father of Buddhism - B.C. 557.
  • 25) Abd El Kader. An Arabian Chief - Descendant of Ishmael. - B.C. 1,500
  • 26) Adehl. Hindoo Necromancer - 2d Chief - lived 8,000 years ago.

Collection

Weld-Grimké family papers, 1740-1930 (majority within 1825-1899)

14 linear feet

The Weld-Grimké family papers consist of correspondence, diaries, notebooks, autobiographical documents, printed materials, photographs, realia, and newspaper clippings. The collection addresses such subjects as abolition, women's rights, temperance, religion, education, and the lives of members of the Weld-Grimké family, including Sarah and Angelina Grimké and Theodore Weld. In addition to this finding aid, the Clements Library has created a comprehensive writer index, which identifies letters acquired by the Clements Library in 2012 and letters published in Barnes and Dumond: Weld-Grimké Family Papers Writer Index.

The Weld-Grimké family papers contain approximately 3,200 items spanning 1740 to 1930, with the bulk concentrated between 1825 and 1899 (14 linear feet total). They form a record of the lives of abolitionists Sarah Moore Grimké, Angelina Emily Grimké Weld, and Theodore Dwight Weld, and they offer insight into the lives of the Welds' children: Charles Stuart Faucheraud Weld, Theodore Grimké Weld, and Sarah Grimké Weld. The collection includes 2,889 letters, nearly 200 newspaper clippings, 16 diaries, 39 notebooks and other writings, a manuscript biography of Theodore Weld, 37 loose photographs, 2 photograph albums, 17 valentines, and 13 objects and ephemeral items. The papers are a valuable source of information on the major reform and political issues of the 19th century, and they provide extensive documentation on the personal lives and activities of the Weld and Grimké families. Although anti-slavery movements and abolitionism are central themes in the papers, the collection includes material on women's rights, the American Colonization Society, temperance, political philosophy, religious introspection and commentary, education, literature, health and dietary reform efforts, spiritualism, and a wide array of other subjects.

In June 2012, descendants of the Weld family donated 961 hitherto unresearched letters to the Library, which focus on Sarah M. Grimké, Angelina and Theodore Weld, and the Weld children and grandchildren between 1853 and 1900 (these letters are included in the quantities of items listed above). The 2012 acquisition has an emphasis on the legacy of the anti-slavery activists, women's rights activism, temperance, family dynamics and activities, physical and mental health, and education.

The Correspondence series spans 1740-1930 (bulk 1819-1900) and contains 2,985 items (seven linear feet). The correspondence is physically arranged in one chronological sequence, although the following summary is divided into two components: Letters acquired by the Clements Library before 2012 (1) and letters acquired as part of the 2012 addition (2).

1. Weld-Grimké family correspondence acquired by the Clements Library before 2012

Prior to 2012, the Weld-Grimké family papers included 2,024 letters, dating mostly between 1819 and 1900, and relating predominantly to the lives and activities of Theodore Dwight Weld, Angelina E. Grimké, Sarah M. Grimké, and their network of correspondents.

Theodore Weld received letters from an array of prominent anti-slavery activists, including the Grimké sisters, Lewis Tappan, Gerrit Smith, Elizur Wright, Jr., Beriah Green, James Armstrong Thome, Sarah Mapps Douglass, Lydia Maria Child, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucy Stone, Charles G. Finney, James Birney, Wendell Phillips, William Lloyd Garrison, Henry B. Stanton, Sereno Wright Streeter, Theodore Erastus Clarke, Dioclesian Lewis, and Samuel Dorrance. Many letters document Weld's friendship and working relationship with Charles Stuart. Letters of Theodore's parents, siblings, and other family members are also present.

From approximately 1821 to 1836, letters pertaining to Weld refer to his early pursuit of a career in the ministry, his association with temperance, and his early anti-slavery activities. Weld and his correspondents discussed the Colonization Society, Weld's near drowning accident in the Alum River in 1832, and his attendance at the Oneida Institute, Lane Theological Seminary, and Oberlin College. In addition to his work as an itinerant speaker on behalf of the American Anti-Slavery Society (AASS), incoming letters show that he received numerous requests to lecture at anti-slavery and temperance societies. His correspondence refers to threats of violence against abolitionists and sheds light on the activities of the AASS.

Weld's correspondence with the Grimké sisters began in 1837. His letters to and from the sisters, especially Angelina, primarily concern women's rights and abolition. Weld's attitude was frequently didactic, and his letters convey much advice to the sisters on becoming political activists. On February 8, 1838, Weld wrote a letter to Angelina declaring his love for her; most of the correspondence between this time and May 1838 revolves around their courtship and wedding. Their wedding certificate, dated May 14, 1838, is present in the collection's series of documents.

Correspondence from 1839 to 1844 is mainly concerned with Weld's publications, American Slavery As It Is andThe Anti-Slavery Almanack , as well as the Amistad court case in 1841. Correspondence with Angelina and Sarah during Weld's brief tenure in Washington, D.C, highlights his work with John Quincy Adams, Joshua Reed Giddings, and others in keeping the slavery question a subject of debate in Congress. The Welds' adoption of the "Graham diet" is discussed in letters of this period.

The years between 1845 and 1853 marked a time of transition for Weld as he began his career as a schoolmaster. Charles Stuart's letters to Weld indicate an increasingly strained friendship, and although Weld still corresponded with other abolitionists, fewer letters address the issue of slavery during the late 1840s and early 1850s. From 1854 to 1867, Weld corresponded mostly with his children. He also received many letters from former pupils, many of whom referenced their educations at Eagleswood. Letters from 1868 to 1895 revolve around the legacy of the abolition movement and family life. Weld began to receive letters from fellow aging abolitionists and their children, especially to offer condolences after the deaths of Sarah and Angelina.

Prior to the Clements Library's 2012 addition, the papers included over 500 letters by and over 250 letters to Sarah and Angelina Grimké. The sisters were introspective writers and typically sent detailed and lengthy letters to their friends and family members. This correspondence provides insight into major events in their lives, such as their struggles with religious identity, their speaking tour throughout Massachusetts in 1837, and the births of Angelina's children. They often discussed books they had read, such as Woman and Her Era by Eliza Wood Farnham, or public talks they had attended. Among their correspondents were Sarah M. Douglass, Jane Smith, Julia A. Tappan, Rachel and Mira Orum, Elizabeth Pease, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Elizabeth Smith Miller, Susan Wattles, Sarah Wattles, Augustus Wattles, Harriot Kezia Hunt, their brother Frederick Grimké, and others.

From 1825 to 1830, the sisters discussed and reflected extensively on religion. Letters during this period are especially pertinent to Angelina's religious conversions, first to the Presbyterian faith and later to Quakerism. Correspondence between 1831 and 1835 includes content on Society of Friends meetings and Angelina's encounters with Catherine Beecher. Thomas Smith Grimké and Hester Snowdon, a slave whom Angelina had known in Charleston, also wrote letters in the later 1820s.

Between 1835 and 1837, the Grimké correspondence documents the beginnings of the sisters' involvement in the anti-slavery movement. Several items refer to Angelina's published letter to William Lloyd Garrison and others pertain to her bookAppeal to the Christian Women of the South . The majority of letters written in 1837 and 1838 concern abolitionism and women's rights issues, highlighting the difficulties Angelina and Sarah encountered as female abolitionists and public figures. Some of the correspondents with whom the sisters discussed these issues include Sarah L. Forten, Sarah M. Douglass, Henrietta Sargent, Theodore Weld, Jane Smith, and Elizabeth Pease. One letter dated March 30, 1838, was written by Nancy Adams, a formerly enslaved woman living in Uxbridge, Massachusetts, recounting her life story and escape from slavery.

Angelina and Sarah received 16 letters from their mother, Mary Smith Grimké, in 1838 and up to her death in 1839. The letters reveal the sisters' continued involvement in abolition, especially the time they spent conducting research forAmerican Slavery As It Is . Motherhood, domesticity, and Angelina's children were frequent topics of discussion, especially from 1839 to 1847. Between 1848 and 1863, Sarah exchanged two dozen letters with physician and women's rights advocate Harriot Kezia Hunt; Frederick Grimké; and Augustus, Susan, and Sarah Wattles. In addition to discussing abolition and women's rights issues, they also wrote about spiritualism, religion, politics, and other intellectual topics.

2. 2012 Addition to the Weld-Grimké Family Papers correspondence

The 961 letters from the Clements Library's 2012 acquisition span 1853 to 1899, with the bulk dating between 1862 and 1899. The addition is comprised primarily of the incoming correspondence of Angelina and Theodore Weld's daughter Sarah Grimké Hamilton (neé Weld) and her daughter, Angelina Grimké Hamilton, in whose wooden trunk the papers were preserved. At least 75 different writers contributed to the newly discovered body of letters; the most prolific correspondents include Theodore Dwight Weld, Angelina Grimké Weld, Sarah Moore Grimké, William Hamilton, Charles Stuart Weld, and Anna Harvell Weld. The Weld children also corresponded with their parents' associates, including Lucy Stone, James Armstrong Thome, and Henry B. Blackwell. This correspondence is largely family-focused, with content on race relations, women's rights, temperance, and the legacy of the anti-slavery activists and movements. Please note that the following numbers of letters attributed to individuals in this section only include those from the collection's 2012 acquisition.

Theodore Dwight Weld wrote approximately 180 letters between 1857 and 1893. He wrote to his daughter Sarah and granddaughter Angelina Hamilton extensively, offering advice on education, reassurance about Sarah's intellectual development, news about his activities and current events, family and financial matters, and recollections of his younger days. He referenced major sociopolitical issues of the time, such as women's suffrage and temperance (with content on the Woman's Christian Temperance Union). Weld wrote about and provided updates on many family members and friends, including the Shepards, the Birneys, Archibald Grimké, Francis Grimké, Charles Stuart Weld, Anna Harvell Weld, William Hamilton, Angelina Hamilton, and Angelina Grimké Weld.

Notable letters include:

  • Series of five letters related to his 1862-1863 lecture tour, including a November 23 letter respecting his speech at Boston's Music Hall. Following the lecture, Senator Charles Sumner thanked Weld profusely for his The Power of Congress Over the District of Columbia (1838) and remarked on recent interviews with President Lincoln over the subject of emancipation. His letter to Sarah Weld dated [November] 24, 1862, contains remarks on a visit with John Greenleaf Whittier.
  • May 20, 1863: Mentions a combat injury sustained by James G. Birney's son David Bell Birney ("All the Birneys were in the thick of the fight at Chancellorsville").
  • His letters addressed the ill-will that developed between Sarah and her sister-in-law, Anna Harvell Weld. Theodore Weld's remarks on the relationship and his efforts to understand the tension may be found especially in his letters of April 30, 1877; February 23, 1883; and July 12, 1890.
  • January 26, 1880: Discusses his lectures on women's suffrage.
  • January 6, 1883: Reflects on the death of Mary Anna, with remarks on the emancipation of "Aunty Betsey Dawson" in the 1820s and on Mary Anna's moral courage and self-sacrifice.
  • July 25, 1885: Reassures his pregnant daughter, who had expressed fears about dying in childbirth.

Angelina E. Grimké Weld's approximately 260 letters date from 1857 to 1878 (over 170 of them undated). She sent the majority of them to her daughter Sarah or granddaughter Angelina ("Nina"). The primary topics of conversation included food, housekeeping and home renovations, visiting lecturers, financial matters, health concerns, and politics. She also supplied news about Samuel Chace, Archibald Grimké, William Hamilton, Angelina Hamilton, Anna Harvell, the Haskells, the Mosleys, Gerrit Smith's family, the Philbricks, Charles Stuart Weld, Theodore Dwight Weld, and Theodore Grimké Weld.

Angelina Weld provided her daughter with motherly support, shown, for example, by an undated letter (January 20). In it, she addressed Sarah Weld Hamilton's concerns that "little Nina" showed preference to her father William Hamilton, by describing the jealousy she [Angelina] sometimes felt toward her sister Sarah M. Grimké, whom she recognized as having a closer relationship with Angelina Weld's children than they had with their mother. Angelina assured her daughter that she understood her feelings--and that Angelina felt relief when Sarah Moore Grimké moved out of their household.

Angelina Weld wrote multiple letters about the presidential election of 1876, including a compelling discussion of President Hayes' Cabinet and the appointment of Frederick Douglass as Marshall of the District of Columbia. On the latter, she remarked that it must have been hard "for the Democrats to swallow this, and yet I suppose as politicians the hope of the Colored vote to help them into office in future" was a factor in Douglass' confirmation. She believed that the strife of party politics would ultimately work to resolve "the most difficult problem of our day," the reconciliation of the black and white races (March 18, [1877]).

Sarah Moore Grimké's letters to her niece Sarah Weld (later Hamilton), number roughly 100 and span 1853 to 1869 (bulk 1862-1869). Her letters to Sarah offer a glimpse into their relationship, in which Aunt Sarah demonstrated a deep interest in her niece's life, offering educational advice (see for example her undated letter in which she encouraged her niece to pursue courses that would lead to a diploma), expressing concern for Sarah's physical and mental well-being, and discussing her niece's financial concerns/school expenses. Sarah M. Grimké also kept her niece abreast of family news, including details about the mental health struggles of "Sodie"/"Sody" (Theodore Grimké Weld) and the family's efforts to "cure" him (see especially June 10, 1863, and August 22, 1875). She also discussed literature (including Les Miserables in three letters in 1862 and 1863) and politics. Sarah M. Grimké provided updates on and news about Theodore Grimké Weld, the Birneys, Gerritt Smith, Lucy McKim Garrison, Charles Stuart Weld, and Julia Tappan.

Sarah Moore Grimké sent two letters to her niece and nephews while in Washington, D.C., 1853-1854:

  • [December 26, 1853 or January 2, 1854?], to Sarah, Charles, and Theodore G. Weld: Offers vivid descriptions of the Capitol building, the Senate and House chambers, and the U.S. Supreme Court. She informed her niece and nephews that she sat in the Chief Justice's chair and proclaimed that perhaps a woman would someday occupy the seat--an act that "amused" her companions. She described the John Trumbull paintings in the Capitol rotunda and noted that the empty alcove would be suitable for another once the slaves were emancipated.
  • [March 3, 1854?], to Sarah Weld: Comments that she will be leaving the city soon, but has not yet visited Mount Vernon. She reconciles herself by noting that "although [George] Washington may have done right in his day, yet his achievements in the cause of liberty are connected with cruelty & slaughter, and fail to inspire the mind with that sacred feeling of reverence, which we experience in contemplating the characters of Howard & Fry, of Oberlin and Chisolm." She then describes an incident in which a tall, stalwart, and fiercely angry white man dragged a young African American boy onto the Capitol yard in order to beat him for an alleged verbal slight. Following Sarah Grimké's intervention, which prevented the battery, she followed the aggressor long enough to witness him greeting a young child with great tenderness and affection. The lesson of the experience, she informed her niece and nephews, was that "we are two beings just as the evil or the good spirit has possession of us...let us try to be always under the influence of the good."

Sarah Weld Hamilton's letters, about 120 in total, address women's rights and writing submissions to serials including the Independent (1869-early 1870s), her relationship with William Hamilton and her parents' disapproval of him (see especially October 28, 1869, and June 13, 1871), religion, and temperance. She later wrote about child rearing, family matters, visits to Cambridge and Boston (see especially October 21, 1891, in which she reminisces at length about her youth). Sarah included updates on and anecdotes about the Badger family, William Hamilton, Mary Livermore, the Blackwell family, her parents, Julia Ward Howe and her daughter Laura, "Lizzie" [Elizabeth A. L. Cram], Lucy Shepard, Thomas Hill, and Lucy Stone. Selected examples include:

  • November 29, 1869, to William Hamilton: Explanation of her views on women's roles, firmly stating her belief that women should be able to support themselves and not be dependent upon their husbands.
  • January 16, 1870, to William Hamilton: Description of Sarah Weld's responsibilities and fellow workers at the Woman's Journal office.
  • March 6, 1870, to William Hamilton: Mention of an "octogenarian Grimké" at a women's meeting and a reevaluation of her initial impressions of Julia Ward Howe.
  • March 13, 1870, to William Hamilton: Description of voting at Hyde Park with a group of women and the reactions of the men present. In her subsequent letters to William Hamilton, she remarks that he probably views the act as "play-voting," and offers her perspectives on the women's rights movement.
  • October 6-31, 1891, to Angelina Hamilton: Eight letters to her daughter while visiting Cambridge, Boston, and Hyde Park, with her father Theodore D. Weld. She offered lengthy recollections of her youth and discussed meetings with children and grandchildren of her parents' friends (Smiths, Wrights, Badgers, Garrisons, et al.), and provided explanations to help her daughter contextualize the information.

William Hamilton wrote about 40 letters between 1870 and 1899, primarily about his health, his wife Sarah's health and death, his daughter Angelina, and his work in various educational and occupational endeavors (ministry, law, trade, and lumbering). Of particular note are his letters to Sarah written while conducting business both in and around Washington D.C. A few examples include:

  • July 14, 1870 to Sarah Hamilton: discusses his recurring/continual health problems, which the doctor diagnosed as a disease "of a nervous character."
  • August 10, 1872-September 13, 1872, to Sarah Weld Hamilton: Twelve letters to his wife respecting travel and a visit to Washington, D.C., and his return trip to Boston. He described the city in detail, discussing government buildings, the city layout, and General Lee's house. He provided commentary on the presidential contest between Horace Greeley and incumbent president Ulysses S. Grant. On August 29, he noted: "the little I am able to gather about politics here, is that the Negroes are very nearly a unit for Grant--that the old Virginians are all nearly for Greeley and that more recent inhabitants are variously disposed."
  • November 6, 1898, to Angelina Hamilton: Discusses Angelina's ethical and spiritual concerns as they relate to practicing as a physician. Offers advice about the dangers of professional rivals, citing Dr. Luella Day as an example.
  • January 28, 1899-February 3, 1899, to Angelina Hamilton: Four letters respecting the final sickness ("brain hemorrhage" followed by a coma), death, and funeral of her mother.

Charles Stuart Faucheraud Weld's 10 letters date from 1868 to 1895 and primarily revolve around his duties/role as a son and brother. He wrote about US-European finance, Unitarianism and Dwight L. Moody, his aging parents' health, his efforts to help his brother Theodore engage with others, the death of Theodore D. Weld, and current writing. Charles Weld's wife Anna Harvell Weld sent approximately 50 letters between 1877 and 1895, and was a main source of news for Sarah Hamilton regarding the well-being of Sarah's father, Theodore Dwight Weld, and brother, Theodore G. Weld. Her correspondence also reflects the growing tension that existed between Sarah and herself. A later source of conflict was Sarah Weld Hamilton's desire to write a book about her father's life and her accompanying quest for supporting materials. Anna Harvell Weld also discussed Francis Grimké, Archibald Grimké, Theodore Dwight Weld, Theodore Grimké Weld, and Charles Stuart Weld. Examples of Anna Weld's letters include:

  • July 27, 1889, to William Hamilton: Asking for his assistance in stopping Sarah from writing a book about Theodore D. Weld.
  • February 12, 1890, to Sarah Hamilton: Anna tells Sarah that Theodore Dwight Weld does not want a book written about him.
  • February 16, 1892, to Sarah Hamilton: If someone is going to write about Theodore D. Weld, it should be his nephew, Archibald.
  • [postmarked February 3, 1894] to William Hamilton: Discussing Sody's living arrangements. Anna remarks that since Angelina Weld's death, no one has had control over Sody. She doesn't fully agree with sending him to an asylum and had hoped that William and Sarah Hamilton would take him. She refers to Sarah's claim that Sody had made an inappropriate advance towards Sarah, which Anna believes is either a misinterpretation or a faulty memory.

Angelina Grimké Hamilton wrote approximately 30 letters between 1878 and 1899, offering insight into her education and work towards becoming a physician. Her letters pertain to childhood activities, food, family, medical duties/work, and school. Of particular note are the letters she sent between December 9, 1892, and December 16, 1896, to Sarah, William, and Nettie Hamilton. In them, Angelina wrote about her time at Hahnemann Medical College and subsequent internship. She discussed her classes and clinical work, which included dressing a scalded arm, giving children vaccinations, and tending to a sprained ankle. She briefly mentioned visits to the Art Institute (March 5, 1893) and the Columbian Exhibition (February 19, 1893).

In 1868, the Grimké sisters discovered that they had nephews living in Washington, D.C. Although the Weld-Grimké Family Papers do not contain any letters by Archibald, and only two by Francis Grimké (October 31, 1879; November 6, [1879]), the correspondence does include many references to their education, activities, careers, and families. A few examples include:

  • July 31, 1868, Sarah Moore Grimké to Sarah Weld: Reference to her "newly found" nephews.
  • January 12, 1876, Theodore D. Weld to William and Sarah Hamilton: Brief remarks on Archibald Grimké's admission to the bar: "Mr. B. prophesies that A. will soon attain a position that few lawyers secure when so young. When he was admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court on motion of Mr. Sewall, he was warmly welcomed. One of the prominent lawyers, Mr. Shattuck took him by the hand and said 'Mr. Grimke welcome to our fraternity. From what I hear of you, I doubt not that you will be an honor to the Boston bar.'"
  • March 28, 1880, and May 1, 1880, Theodore D. Weld to Sarah Weld Hamilton: Remarks on the birth of Angelina Weld Grimké (NB: who would become a prominent writer, poet, and activist for African American rights in the 20th century).
  • February 23, 1883, Theodore D. Weld to Sarah Hamilton: Lengthy description of Francis Grimke's recent week-long visit, his sermon at the Orthodox Church, his Presbyterian congregation in Washington, D.C., and other subjects.
  • April 26, 1885, Theodore D. Weld to Sarah Hamilton: Theodore is the only person that has complete information about the departure of Archibald Grimké's wife Sarah Stanley and their daughter Angelina, outside the parties directly involved. While not at liberty to reveal much detail, Theodore provides Sarah with his perspectives on the separation.

The Diaries series contains 16 diaries: Nine by Sarah Grimké, seven by Angelina Grimké, and one by Louis Weld. Sarah's diaries date from 1819 to 1836 and they contain poetry, copies of Bible passages, and her thoughts on religion and marriage. She also reflected on women's issues, on her experiences as a Quaker, and about her daily experiences. Angelina's diaries date from 1828 to approximately 1835 and record her struggles with her transition between the Presbyterian and Quaker faiths, her relationship with Sarah, and her reasons for opposing slavery. The "Angelina Grimké Manuscript, 1832-1833" (beginning, "I think I have sincerely desired to receive a right qualification...") relates to her courtship with Edward Bettle, who died of cholera in 1832.

The Notebooks and Writings series consists of essays, lecture notes, and 39 notebooks kept by various members of the Weld-Grimké family. Theodore Weld's essays cover a diversity of subjects, including the oppression of women, Shakespeare's works, William Lloyd Garrison, abolition, and subjects related to political philosophy. Approximately eight notebooks belonging to Sarah are also in the collection; these include essays on women's political rights, the education of women, and the status of women in society. Her essays, "Sisters of Charity" and "The Condition of Woman" are some of the notebooks with titles. The series also includes Angelina's lecture notes and several undated autobiographical essays by Weld and his children. Of particular note is a biography of Weld written on 22 notepads by his daughter Sarah Grimké Weld Hamilton.

The Photographs series contains loose images in multiple photographic formats, including 18 cartes de visite, 17 cabinet cards, 5 developing out prints, 1 card mounted photograph, and 1 quarter-plate daguerreotype of the Weld-Grimké family by Greenleaf Weld. Also present are a Weld family album of cartes de visite and a photo album related to Eagleswood Academy, containing cartes de visite and tintypes.

The Printed Items series is made up of nearly 200 newspaper clippings, pamphlets, broadsides, and cards. The clippings mainly pertain to the topics of slavery and the abolition movement, although some also concern women's rights and the legacies of Theodore Weld and the Grimké sisters. Also included are family members' obituaries, including those of Sarah Moore Grimké. Nine family Bibles and Books of Common Prayer are also included, dating from 1740 to ca. 1921.

The Realia and Ephemera series contains several linear feet of three-dimensional objects associated with the Weld-Grimké family, including hair, Chinese ivory sewing box (gift of Benjamin Grimké), a cameo brooch, Angelina's eyeglasses and case, a silver Addison watch, a quilt presented by Eagleswood students, and a pocketknife belonging to Theodore Weld, a Chinese fan, a silhouette of Angelina G. Weld, and 17 elegant hand-cut valentines. Most of the items date to the mid-19th century.

In addition to this finding aid, the Clements Library has created a comprehensive writer index, which identifies letters acquired by the Clements Library in 2012 and letters published in Barnes and Dumond: Weld-Grimké Family Papers Writer Index.

Collection

Weld-Grimké family photograph album, ca. 1860-1880

1 volume

The Weld-Grimké family album is a 12.5 x 16 cm bound cartes de visite photograph album with some tintypes and gem tintypes interspersed. The album has a brown leather cover with gilt clasps. The photographs all appear to date from the 1860s to the 1870s but there is no precise date for individual photographs listed. The album has a printed title page that reads "Photographs/Boston/Roberts Brothers." The album is 50 pages with each page containing a single slot for a photograph, though some pages have multiple photographs tucked into the same slot. The photographs are almost all studio portraiture. While some of the individuals in the album have been identified (including Theodore D. Weld) the vast majority are unidentified.

The Weld-Grimké Family Album is a 12.5 x 16 cm bound cartes de visite photograph album with some tintypes and gem tintypes interspersed. The album has a brown leather cover with gilt clasps. The photographs all appear to date from the 1860s to the 1870s but there is no precise date for individual photographs listed. The album has a printed title page that reads "Photographs/Boston/Roberts Brothers." The album is 50 pages with each page containing a single slot for a photograph, though some pages have multiple photographs tucked into the same slot. There are 52 photographs in the album, 46 of which are cartes de visite. There are also 6 tintypes, 2 of which are gem tintypes. The photographs are almost all studio portraiture of individuals ranging from infanthood to old age. One exception to this is a photograph of a satirical drawing of an unidentified individual playing some sort of instrument (loose photograph on page 49). Some of the individuals in the album have been tentatively identified with the majority unidentified. One photograph (on page 24) has been speculated to be a portrait of Charlotte Brown, an African-American servant of the Weld-Grimké family, but this has not been confirmed.

Other individuals that have been tentatively identified include:
  • Theodore Dwight Weld (page 1, page 20)
  • William Hamilton (page 4)
  • Sarah Weld Hamilton (page 5)
  • Angelina G. Hamilton (page 6)
  • William Hamilton Jr. (page 7)
  • Llewellyn Haskell (page 9)
  • Llewellyn Thomas Haskell (page 12)
  • Louis Olcott Haskell (page 13)
  • Elizabeth "Lizzie" Cram (page 21)
  • William James Rolfe (page 22)
  • Theodore Weld Parmele (page 27, page 34)
  • Elizabeth Smith Miller (page 28)
  • Ann Carroll Fitzhugh (page 29)
  • George Walker Weld (page 30)
  • Gerrit Smith Miller (page 35)
  • Ruth C. Bodwell (page 36)
  • Rena Louise Twiss (page 45)

The album also contains commercial cartes de visite of public figures and artwork:
  • A photograph of a painting of the Empress Eugenie. (page 33)
  • A portrait of Rebecca an escaped slave from New Orleans. (page 38)
  • A photograph of a painting of Beatrice Cenci. (loose item on page 41)
  • A portrait of actor Edwin Booth (page 40) brother of John Wilkes Booth.
  • A photograph of a painting of "Little Samuel" based on the etching done by Samuel Cousins. (page 43)

In addition to this finding aid, the Clement Library has created a Photographer Index for the album, containing the names of all the photographers in the order that they appear in the album. This index also records any handwritten inscriptions that were found on the photographs.

Collection

Weeden Butler letters, 1790-1791

3 items

This collection is made up of three letters that Weeden Butler of London, England, wrote to U.S. Senator Pierce Butler in 1790 and 1791. He commented on the French Revolution and provided news of family members and acquaintances, particularly Pierce's son Thomas.

This collection is made up of three letters that Weeden Butler of London, England, sent to U.S. Senator Pierce Butler in 1790 and 1791. Writing from Chelsea, Weeden provided news of Pierce's son Thomas, discussing the boy's maturation and, to a lesser extent, his studies. He also commented on the progress of the French Revolution, expressing his belief that reports of "massacre and murder" had been greatly exaggerated. His letters briefly mention other topics, such as finances and news of acquaintances.

Collection

Webb family letters, 1891

3 items

This collection contains 3 letters (32 pages) that Thomson W. Webb ("Tommie") wrote to her sisters and aunt while visiting family members in Clarksdale, Mississippi, in March 1891. She reported extensively on her social outings, which included dances, parties, and interactions with local men.

This collection contains 3 letters (32 pages) that Thomson W. Webb ("Tommie") wrote to her sisters and aunt while visiting family members in Clarksdale, Mississippi, in March 1891. She reported extensively on her social outings, which included dances, parties, and interactions with local men.

While in Mississippi, Webb, her brother Whitney, and an unnamed sister stayed with their Aunt Alice and various cousins, who included Sam and Alice. Webb spent much of her time attending formal social gatherings, such as traditional balls, and related stories of her experiences with local men, both at social events and during visits. She also discussed clothing and food, described a ride on a "flying jennie" (March 17, 1891) and shared her enjoyable experience at a "euchre party," despite knowing that her aunt would disapprove (March 21, 1891).

Collection

Waynesboro (Va.) Printer's account book, 1901-1904

32 pages (1 volume)

This 32-page account ledger documents sales made by an as-yet unidentified printer in or near Waynesboro, Virginia, from 1901 to 1904. Most entries include the date of purchase, the purchaser's name/business, quantity and type of items sold, prices, and occasionally markings indicating the receipt of payments. The types of items sold include circulars, envelopes, billheads, letterheads, notices, statements, ball invitations, memos, tickets, folders, booklets, blanks, notes, reports, printing jobs, and at least one typewriter. Quantities of sold items largely range from the low 100s to 1,000 pieces. Purchasers included the Henckels, J. A. Patterson, the Stuart Draft Mill Company, the Belmont Hotel, Blue Ridge Furniture Company, Bean's Photo Gallery, Basic Lithio Spring Company, Union Baptist Church, Union Sunday School, Presbyterian Church, Crimora Mine Company, F. M. White & Bro., and many others. In July 1901, the printer received orders of tickets and receipts for a Baptist bazaar.

This 32-page account ledger documents sales made by an as-yet unidentified printer in or near Waynesboro, Virginia, from 1901 to 1904. Most entries include the date of purchase, the purchaser's name/business, quantity and type of items sold, prices, and occasionally markings indicating that payments had been received. The types of items sold include circulars, envelopes, bill heads, letter heads, notices, statements, ball invitations, memos, tickets, folders, booklets, blanks, notes, reports, printing jobs, and at least one typewriter. Quantities of sold items largely range from the low 100s to 1,000 pieces.

Purchasers included the Henckels, J. A. Patterson, the Stuart Draft Mill Company, the Belmont Hotel, Blue Ridge Furniture Company, Bean's Photo Gallery, Basic Lithio Spring Company, Union Baptist Church, Union Sunday School, Presbyterian Church, Crimora Mine Company, F. M. White & Bro., and many others. In July 1901, tickets and receipts were ordered for a Baptist bazaar.

A note on the final page states: "Nihilist / Holt Nihil Henkel."

Collection

Wayland (Mass.) penmanship exercises, 1815-1817

6 items

The collection consists of six penmanship exercises composed between 1815 and 1817 by Eirene Smith (aged 13), Nancy Smith (aged 14-16), Mary Smith (aged 17), and Loreney Stone (aged 17), likely students in the same class in Wayland, Massachusetts. The exercises consist of copied poems entitled "The Rose," "To Eliza," "On The Seasons," "To The Lilly," "Epitaph," and "Lines Written in a Winter's Walk."

The collection consists of six penmanship exercises composed between 1815 and 1817 by Eirene Smith (aged 13), Nancy Smith (aged 14-16), Mary Smith (aged 17), and Loreney Stone (aged 17), likely students in the same class in Wayland, Massachusetts. The exercises consist of copied poems entitled "The Rose," "To Eliza," "On The Seasons," "To The Lilly," "Epitaph," and "Lines Written in a Winter's Walk."

Collection

Watt family record book, 1863-1885

1 volume

The volume contains diary entries and copied letters, obituaries, and recipes relating to the Watt family and the military service of several of its members.

The 58-page Watt family record book contains diary entries from several family members; genealogical information; a tintype photograph laid into the volume; and copied poems, recipes, and letters. The writings date to 1863-1865, with the exception of one 1885 entry.

Gertrude Watt appears to have written or copied most of the record book's content. The volume begins with four pages of diary entries concerning teaching and visits from family members in January 1864 (pp. 1-4); recipes for pickled cherries and peaches (p. 12); and several undated obituaries and memorials copied from newspapers, concerning the death of her cousins, James Brisbane (Company A, 7th Ohio Infantry) and Joseph Applegate (Company A, 105th Ohio Infantry) in the Civil War (pp. 18-25). Further diary entries covering November and December 1864 discuss teaching, health, and daily life (pp. 27-30), followed by a copied letter to "Miss Watt" by J.W. Alexander of the 34th Ohio Infantry, in which he informed her that her brother Charles had been captured, and that many of the prisoners lacked hats, shoes, and coats (p. 31). On page 33, Gertrude wrote an 1885 entry describing how she had suffered and whom she had lost since 1864. This is followed by a copied poem entitled "Sympathy," a recipe for jelly cake, four pages tracing Gertrude's ancestry (pp. 42-45), and three pages of diary entries, likely written by Gertrude's brother, John K. Watt(s) of the 4th Iowa Infantry, for June 15th, 16th, and 27th, 1863. In these entries, the writer described camping near Vicksburg and the threat of a Confederate attack (pp. 57-59).

Collection

Watkins and Livingston family scrapbook, 1773-1882 (majority within 1773-1839)

94 items (1 volume)

The Watkins and Livingston family scrapbook contains letters between members of the Watkins, Livingston, and Jay families; genealogical data recorded by Lucretia Elizabeth Hamersley Rylance; and miscellaneous drawings and newspaper clippings related to the families.

The Watkins and Livingston family scrapbook includes 94 items relating to the Watkins and Livingston families. Lucretia E. Hamersely Rylance created the scrapbook in 1882 and included family correspondence retrieved from her Aunt Beebee's attic as well as her own genealogical research.

The bulk of the collection consists of 69 letters, with many written between sisters Susan Symmes and Judith Watkins. The letters primarily regard family news and concerns, noting health, marriages, and social visits. Additional topics mentioned include the American Revolution, the death of Governor Dewitt Clinton, the Peggy Eaton scandal, Cherokee removal, the nullification crisis, bank and tariff struggles, the anniversary of Andrew Jackson's Battle of New Orleans, the Panic of 1837, African American servants, Fanny Kemble Butler, and Austrian exile Giovanni Albinola. Letters from John Jay and his descendants are also represented in the collection. With women from prominent families penning many of the letters, the correspondence also highlights women's relationships, reading habits, engagement with financial matters, and occasionally thoughts on political affairs.

The Watkins and Livingston family scrapbook also includes newspaper clippings, a family tree, a cabinet card, a pen and ink drawing of a scene from a fairy tale, and colored pen and ink drawings of family coats of arms. See the Detailed Box and Folder Listing for more information about each item.

Collection

Waterford (N.Y.) Overseer of the Poor account book, 1922-1931 (majority within 1929-1931)

1 volume

This account book (approximately 120 pages) documents payments made by the overseer of the poor in Waterford, New York, to destitute men and women between January 1922 and December 1931. Most disbursements consisted of groceries and coal, though some individuals received medical assistance or shoes. Each of 569 unique entries contains the recipient's name, age, gender, country of birth, and cause of poverty, along with the amount and type of relief provided.

This account book (approximately 120 pages) documents payments that the overseer of the poor in Waterford, New York, allotted to destitute men and women between January 1922 and December 1931. Most disbursements consisted of groceries and coal, though some individuals received medical assistance or shoes. Each of 569 unique entries contains the recipient's name, age, gender, country of birth, and cause of poverty, along with the amount and type of relief provided.

Both men and women, who are represented almost equally, received allowances for reasons such as illness or old age. Some women required assistance because of their husbands' inability to provide sustenance (on account of death, incarceration, or inability to find work). Though most recipients were born in the United States, the account book includes payments made to persons born in Canada, England, Italy, France, Poland, and Argentina. Records dated from 1922 to 1928 comprise around 20 pages; the remainder is dated from 1929 to 1931.

Collection

Washtenaw County (Mich.) account book and court records, 1839-1858

1 volume

This volume is a record of costs associated with mortgage foreclosure cases filed in Michigan's Second District Court in the early 19th century, personal financial records of Michigan Supreme Court justice George Miles, and notes on mortgage foreclosures and similar legal cases filed primarily in Washtenaw County, Michigan, between 1847 and 1858.

This volume records costs associated with 8 mortgage foreclosure cases filed in Michigan's Second District Court in the early 19th century (20 pages); personal financial records of Michigan Supreme Court Justice George Miles, kept between May 27, 1839, and March 9, 1841 (16 pages); and notes on mortgage foreclosures and similar legal cases filed primarily in Washtenaw County, Michigan, between 1847 and 1858 (29 pages). One item laid into the volume documents the payment of costs associated with the case of Wilson & Cobb vs. Levi Rogers (February 19, 1848-August 24, 1852).

A. M. Gould, a clerk with Michigan's Second District Court, kept 20 pages of detailed records of filing costs and similar expenses related to 8 court cases, most of which were mortgage foreclosures. These include filing costs, the costs of creating copies of documents, and similar charges.

Partial List of Cases
  • Frederick M. Sanderson vs. Harvey Norton and others
  • James E. Hays vs. Mary E. Hays
  • Ormsby & Page vs. Howard Norris, et al.
  • Hawkins & Wilson vs. H. H. Neff
  • Miles Wilson vs. David P. Hinson
  • Jagger & Varrick vs. Calvin Townson
  • Levi Walker vs. William J. Moody
  • Calvin F. Austin vs. Charles T. Moffett

The second portion of the volume, 16 pages, is a record of cash received and expended by George Miles, in account with Miles & Wilson, between May 27, 1839, and March 9, 1841. Miles often traveled throughout southeast Michigan, including trips to Detroit, Adrian, and Ypsilanti. One entry mentions Michigan governor William Woodbridge.

The final part of the book contains 29 pages of notes on many court cases heard in the "Circuit Court for the County of Washtenaw in Chancery" between January 19, 1847, and March 1858. Most of the cases involved mortgage foreclosures, and notes often mention the plaintiffs and defendants, motions and related documents filed, and associated fees. A divorce case related to Murray Speer of Pinckney, Michigan, is mentioned, but with no associated notes. Though the majority of cases pertain to Washtenaw County, Michigan, others took place in Livingston, Kalamazoo, and Eaton counties. The case of Ebenezer Wells and Franklin L. Parker against James Fuller, Jr., of Eaton County, Michigan, relates to land held in Ionia, and is accompanied by a newspaper clipping (April 4, 1857). Two additional items are laid in: a scrap of paper with calligraphic writing, and a short note.

Collection

Washington & Jefferson College Student album, 1862-1865

1 volume

The Washington & Jefferson College Student album contains carte-de-visite portraits of Jefferson College students and various other individuals, many of whom are identified. Several of the college students belonged to the fraternity Delta Tau Delta. Many photographs originated in Washington, Pennsylvania; Canonsburg, Pennsylvania; and Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The Washington & Jefferson College Student album (13cm x 18cm) contains 79 cartes-de-visite, 1 tintype, and 1 lithograph. The original brown leather cover, now detached, has a partially raised geometric design and two metal clasps; a floral design is carved into the sides of the pages. Most items are individual portraits of young men, though a few pictures of women and children are also present, including a group portrait of four women and three men. One carte-de-visite has a decorative border printed directly on the card backing.

Many of the individuals pictured signed their photographs and wrote brief notes; several of the men photographed in Washington and Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, mentioned their membership in the Delta Tau Delta fraternity. A large number of photographs are attributed to George C. Gillett of Ann Arbor, Michigan; the album contains a portrait of University of Michigan professors Alonzo Benjamin Palmer, Samuel Glasgow Armor, and Corydon L. Ford; and a lithograph of the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor. A number of the other portraits taken in Ann Arbor are signed by men who took courses in medicine at the University of Michigan during the 1860s. The volume includes one portrait of a young child that may have been taken postmortem and one carte-de-visite with artificial coloring.

Collection

Washington Irving Snyder collection, 1862-1898

25 items

The Washington Irving Snyder collection contains several letters and diaries relating to the Civil War service of Washington Irving Snyder, of the 11th Michigan Infantry, and his brother, James Madison Snyder, of the 25th Michigan Infantry. Also included are several miscellaneous pieces of 19th-century ephemera.

The Washington Irving Snyder papers, 1862-1898, contain 25 items: 2 letters, 2 diaries, 13 offprints from Photographic History of the Civil War, and 8 pieces of ephemera.

James Snyder wrote the first letter on January 23, 1863, to his brother (presumably Irving Snyder), describing the poor health of his regiment (25th Michigan Infantry), his impressions of Bowling Green, Kentucky, and some orders which he found peculiar. The second letter, written by W. Frankish to Snyder's parents, is a notice of Irving Snyder's death and the circumstances surrounding it (October 5, 1863).

Also included in the collection are eight ephemera items: an illustration of Major-General John Logan; a photograph of Borden M. Hicks of the 11th Michigan Infantry; an 1864 dance card for a "May Party" held in Elgin, Illinois; an undated postcard from Havana, Cuba; an order for the 33rd Michigan Infantry during the Spanish-American War, dated August 1, 1898; and a souvenir program for the inauguration of President Benjamin Harrison. The last four items have no direct connection to the Snyder family.

The Diaries series contains two pocket diaries kept by Irving Snyder during his service in the 11th Michigan Infantry. The first contains 194 pages covering January 1-December 31, 1862. In it, Snyder described movements around Kentucky and Tennessee, duties, health, and interesting incidents in very brief, near-daily entries. He did not write between September 15 and November 8. In his March 12 entry, Snyder wrote about a visit to Sulphur Springs near Shepherdsville, Kentucky, where he was treated to good whiskey by a generous saloonkeeper. On April 11, he described his arrest of two soldiers for getting drunk and abusing superior officers while on duty. Throughout the year, he kept meticulous records of letters sent and received.

The 1863 diary contains 30 pages of very short entries, for January-March and September of 1863. In early January, Snyder wrote briefly about the Battle of Stones River (Second Battle of Murfreesboro), noting that he took part in driving the Confederates across the river (January 2, 1863). Entries become somewhat more detailed and frequent beginning September 1, including descriptions of time spent in the woods for several days, of wounds sustained during the Battle of Chickamauga (September 20, 1863), about his transfer to a hospital, and about updates on the wound that killed him on October 5, 1863, five days after his last entry.

Collection

Washingtoniana collection, 1602-1932

0.25 linear feet

The Washingtoniana collection (approximately 160 items) contains letters and documents concerning George Washington and his extended family, as well as items that discuss Washington and his legacy.

The Washingtoniana collection (160 items) contains letters and documents concerning George Washington and his extended family, as well as items that discuss Washington and his legacy. The collection contains 73 items written during Washington's lifetime, 79 after his death, and 8 undated items. The collection consists of memorials, essays, sermons, speeches, and letters mentioning and discussing Washington. Also included are items related to Washington's estate and his extended family.

Family members involved include:
  • Augustine Washington
  • Bailey Washington
  • Bushrod Washington
  • Corbin Washington
  • George Corbin Washington
  • Henry Augustine Washington
  • Hobarth Washington
  • J.M. Washington
  • Jane C. Washington
  • John A. Washington
  • John H. Washington
  • Julia E Washington
  • L.Q. Washington
  • Lawrence Washington
  • Louis Washington
  • Marie Washington
  • Martha Washington
  • P.G. Washington
  • R.C. Washington
  • Richard Washington
  • Richard Blackburn Washington
  • S.T. Washington
  • Samuel Washington
  • Sarah Washington
  • T.B. Washington
  • Warner Washington
  • William Washington
  • William Augustine Washington
  • William Townshend Washington
Examples of items:
  • 1602: Washington family deed signed by Lawrence and Hobarth Washington
  • December 9 and 18, 1796: Moses Everett to H. Everett on hearing Washington speak and meeting both George and Martha Washington
  • December 18, 1799: Jonathan Bayard Smith to Robert Frazer, regarding the death of Washington and its effect on Congress and the citizens of Philadelphia
  • 1800: Pamphlet "Eulogy on General Washington," by John A.M. Andrews
  • March 1, 1809: Henry Lee legal document concerning debt, collateral, and accumulated interest of Henry Lee to Bushrod Washington
  • 1825 August 27: William Townshend Washington, Letter of expatriation written from the Harbor of Smyrna
  • c.1830: [George Washington Parke Custis]: "Custis Recollections of the Life & Character of Washington," including two reminiscences: "The Levee" and "The Drawing Room"
  • March 1844: Mary E. Custis essay on "The Tomb of Washington"
  • February 22, 1849: Jarvis M. Hatch's address to the Utica Lodge, number 47 of Freemasons on the anniversary of the birth of George Washington
  • May 8, 1760: Jared Sparks to George Henry Moore concerning General Charles Lee's contact with General Howe in 1777, and his thoughts on Valley Forge
  • July 22, 1762: Edward Everett to Charles A. Dana concerning his biography of Washington
  • Undated: One pink and one olive-colored ribbon with a pictures of George Washington and the words "Washington Literary Association"
Collection

Washington County (R.I.) Jail ledger, 1824-1856

1 volume

The Washington County (R.I.) Jail ledger contains records concerning persons incarcerated in South Kingstown, Rhode Island, from 1824-1856. Included are the prisoners names, reasons for their imprisonment, and dates of their release.

The Washington County (R.I.) Jail ledger (around 260 pages) contains information about persons incarcerated in South Kingstown, Rhode Island, from January 30, 1824-October 21, 1856. The records are signed by the jailors, or occasionally a sheriff or other official, and include prisoners names, the reasons for their imprisonment (often including the name of a complainant), and the length of their sentences. Additional notes pertain to prisoner escapes and the dates of and reasons for releasing prisoners. The majority of prisoners were men incarcerated for debt, theft, or assault and battery. Some of the incarcerated individuals were women. Most pages contain original numbering; page numbers 142-175 are used twice.

Collection

Warrensburg, Missouri Photograph Albums, ca. 1865-1880

21 photographs in 2 albums

The Warrensburg, Missouri photograph albums consist of two photograph albums containing 21 studio portraits, including several portraits of members of an African American family based in Warrensburg, Missouri during the 1870s.

Although these two albums were purchased together as a single lot from the same source, it is unclear if or how the individuals who are represented in each respective album are related. For conservation and preservation reasons, the original photographs have been removed from these albums and replaced with facsimile scan copies. The original photographs have been housed alongside the albums.

Volume 1:

This album (10 x 12 cm) contains four cartes de visite and six tintypes, all of which are formal studio portrait photographs. The album is made of pebbled black leather covers with a leather closure and has “Album” stamped in gold on the spine. The ownership stamp of “Lon. Fickas” (likely Benjamin Alonzo Fickas) appears twice in the album. “Warrens Brug (sic) Johnson Count Mo” is inscribed on a page near the back cover.

Eight or nine African American individuals are depicted in these photographs, some of whom may be identified through inscriptions on the photograph versos and/or inscriptions made directly onto the album pages. However, it appears that these photographs may have been moved around at some point as some of the album inscriptions do not seem to match up with subjects. Several images have hand-painted details including gold jewelry.

Pg. 1 of this album contained a carte de visite portrait of an African American man bearing a verso inscription that reads “Warrens Brug (sic) Mo march 11 1875 Less Will Wis 25 years old march 1”; there is also an inscription on the album page that reads “Renie (or Remi?) Hatton.” Pg. 2 held a tintype of an African American woman wearing a light blue ribbon that was colored by hand. Pgs. 5 and 11 both contained copies of the same carte de visite portrait of an infant African American child being held in place by a hidden mother; an inscription on pg. 5 reads “Lewis ?” while an inscription on pg. 11 reads “John Butler.” Pg. 7 contained a tintype of a young African American woman that includes a paper flower scrap with printed text reading “Charity” pasted at the top of the photograph sleeve. Two locks of women’s hair were stored in the album, one between pgs. 8 and 9 and the other between pgs. 12 and 13. Pg. 9 contained a full-length tintype portrait of an African American woman that bears a verso inscription reading “John Butler Warrensburg Mo,” while an inscription on page 10 also reads “kizher? Butler Was 27 year old June 1 1876.” This inscription may possibly be referencing a woman named Kizzie Butler who was recorded as living with her husband John Butler in Warrensburg in the 1870 census and was later included in Dawes Act Rolls under “Choctaw Freedmen.” Pg. 13 contained a tintype of an African American woman seated while holding a book (likely a bible). Pg. 15 contained a half-length portrait tintype of an African American man, while pg. 16 contained a tintype of an African American woman (possibly the same woman represented in the tintype from pg. 9) seated while wearing a white dress and hat. A small loose unmounted gelatin silver print portrait of an African American girl was also present between pgs. 16 and 17.

Volume 2:

This album (14 cm x 10 cm) contained eleven studio portrait photographs, nine of which are tintypes. The album has brown leather covers with a metal closure and has a floral motif rectangle around the word "Album" all stamped in gold on the front cover. None of the subjects represented in this album are identified, and none of these portraits appear to depict any of the individuals who are represented in Volume 1.

Most of the portraits that were housed in this album are of unidentified white men, women, and children. Also present is a group portrait tintype showing a family of possible African and/or Native American descent and a carte de visite portrait of a young African American girl taken by “Simpson 424 E Wash St.” (possibly William Simpson of Indianapolis). Also of note is a carte de visite portrait taken by J. F. Ryder of Cleveland of a white actress (possibly a burlesque dancer) leaning on a chair.

Collection

Warren L. Fletcher diary, 1897

1 volume

The Warren L. Fletcher diary chronicles Fletcher's daily activities in Leominster, Massachusetts, during the year 1897. Fletcher held a job, played with several orchestras and bands, visited the Y.M.C.A., and socialized with friends.

This diary (approximately 150 pages) chronicles the daily activities of Warren Lewis Fletcher, a resident of Leominster, Massachusetts, during the year 1897. The "Standard Diary" contains several printed pages of reference material, including a page providing Fletcher's height, weight, and clothing sizes, and each diary page contains entries for 3 days. Fletcher regularly kept entries throughout the year, reporting on his work and social activities, which often included visiting the Y.M.C.A., attending high school football games, and playing cards with friends. Fletcher, a member of several musical groups, played the banjo, flute, and other instruments, and his diary often records the amount of time he spent practicing. On most weekdays, he spent from 8.5-10 hours at work, and on Sundays he frequently attended church services, both at Baptist and Methodist churches. The back pages contain records of Fletcher's finances, a list of addresses and social calls, and a pencil sketch of a person lying next to a bottle, entitled "Among the Rushes."

Collection

Warren H. Cudworth papers, 1862-1880

12 items

The Warren H. Cudworth papers consist of 11 Civil War era letters, the bulk of which are from Warren Cudworth to his sister Fannie, and one post-war letter. Cudworth served as a chaplain for the First Massachusetts Regiment, Cos. F and S.

The Warren H. Cudworth papers contain 11 Civil War era letters. The first 8 letters are from Warren to his sister Fannie Gile. Warren writes from Harrison's Landing, James River; a camp near Alexandria, Virginia; Rikers Island, New York; and a camp at Brandy Station. He discussed his movements and the situations he encountered, such as: seeing a demonstration of the breech-loading Armstrong guns (October 5, 1863); and marching close to Washington to find rebels retreating under General Meade (October 23, 1863). In a letter from September 11, 1862, Cudworth criticized the Union Generals for being the cause of the army's misfortunes and "not [being] equal to the positions they are called upon to fill and consequently, as the rebel generals are, they have got the worst of it in nearly every battle." In September 1864, Cudworth mentioned the lack of transport out of Savannah, Georgia, and the unhealthy living conditions, which caused many of the men to become sick as they waited to return home from the war.

Two letters, one from 1864 and one from 1865, are from Jesse L. Osgood to his uncle John and Aunt Fannie, respectively. Osgood, who was in the Union Army stationed in Charleston, commented on McClellen's nomination to the Democratic ticket for the presidency, but thought "that Lincoln is as good a man as they will find” (September 1, 1864). Another letter was from Dr. James F. Upham, who seemed to know Jesse Osgood. Upham wrote of being stationed outside Washington and anticipated being discharged, because the war was coming to an end.

The collection also includes one letter from Warren Cudworth to Mr. Brigham, written from Jerusalem on November 23, 1880, on photo-illustrated stationery. He described his party's recent travels in the Holy Land and their use of hired men and animals.

Collection

Warren Callahan letters, 1951

6 items

This collection contains 5 letters and 1 printed item related to Warren Callahan's Korean War service with the 32nd United States Infantry Regiment. Callahan wrote to his parents about his time at the front lines and around the 38th parallel, daily life in the military, and, to a lesser extent, military actions on the peninsula.

This collection contains 5 letters and 1 printed item related to Warren Callahan's Korean War service with the 32nd United States Infantry Regiment. Callahan wrote these letters to his parents in Vinton, Virginia, between April 11 and July 25, 1951. He discussed his time at the front lines and around the 38th parallel, daily life in the military, and, to a lesser extent, military actions on the peninsula.

Callahan wrote his earliest letters from the front lines, mentioning enemy prisoners and nearby artillery fire, and providing updates on the state of the war. On June 7, 1951, he told his parents of an area where Chinese soldiers suffered heavy casualties, reportedly at the hands of the United States Air Force. He later noted the army's construction of "a defense line at the 38° in case they desire to bring this war to a close" (June 24, 1951). He described the recent theft of a camera, and the explosion that killed one of his buddies. Callahan's letter of June 7, 1951, is written on two identical pages, with a portion of a printed 1946 map of Japan on the back.

The collection also contains a "safe conduct pass" with a printed note and signature from Douglas MacArthur to members of the UN forces, promising "good treatment to any enemy soldier desiring to cease fighting." The reverse side of the pass bears printed images of good treatment given to prisoners of war, including medical care, food, and recreation (basketball).

Collection

War of 1812 collection, 1806-1860

2.5 linear feet

The War of 1812 collection is a miscellaneous collection of approximately 300 single items relating to the War of 1812. The papers cover many aspect of the war on both the American and British sides, including naval and military operations, regimental matters, trade issues, and state and national politics relating to the war.

The War of 1812 collection (approximately 300 items) contains miscellaneous letters and documents relating to the War of 1812. The papers cover many aspects of the war on both the American and British sides, including naval and military operations, regimental matters, trade issues, and state and national politics relating to the war. Item types include letters, memoranda, reports, orders, documents, reminiscences, financial documents, and returns.

Collection

Warner, New Hampshire, Congregational conversion narratives, 1817-1823

26 items

The collection includes 26 conversion narratives of members of the Congregational Church in Warner, New Hampshire.

The Warner, New Hampshire, Congregational conversion narratives comprise 26 narratives, written between 1817 and 1823, during a revival at the Warner Congregational church led by its pastor, Rev. John Woods. Although conversion narratives were frequently recorded by a minister, these appear to have been written and signed by members of the laity. In some cases, several members of the same family each wrote a narrative.

The majority of the writings open with brief descriptions of the writer's life before the conversion. In her narrative, Nancy Sargeant described herself as "careless and heedless" and possessed of "an evil heart" (Folder 34), while Abigail Badgers noted her reluctance "to forsake the vanities of the world"(Folder 33). Many writers reflected on the circumstances that precipitated their epiphanies. Stephen Batchelder described a string of health problems, including a hand wound (Folder 32), while many others recounted important sermons that had influenced them. Chellis F. Kimball, like several other converts, noted his fear of being "cast into hell" (Folder 33). Most of the narratives close with expressions of gratitude and pledges of religious devotion, such as Eunice Sargeant's statement of her "earnest desire to unite with the people of God" (Folder 34).

Collection

Warner E. Kiningham letters, 1918-1919

6 items

This collection is made up of 6 letters that Private Warner E. Kiningham wrote to his mother and siblings while serving in the United States Army's 106th Engineers, Company B, during World War I.

This collection is made up of 6 letters that Private Warner E. Kiningham wrote to his mother and siblings while serving in the United States Army's 106th Engineers, Company B, during World War I. He first wrote from Camp Wheeler, Georgia, where he commented on the cool weather, a recent photograph, and his correspondence with friends or family members at home (August 22, 1918). His next two letters, written from an unidentified location in France in October 1918, mention his travels in England and Scotland, expectations that the war would soon be over, and a desire for his brother Jesse to join the army, though he believed that Jesse might be ineligible (October 8, 1918, and October 18, 1918). In his final three letters, written from Brest, France, between April 23, 1919, and June 8, 1919, Kiningham discussed his finances and a mistake regarding his mother's allotment. Some of the letters are written on stationery of the Knights of Columbus and the YMCA.

Collection

Ward Prindle papers, 1819-1849

47 items

This collection is made up of letters to Ward Prindle of New Haven, Connecticut, and Pittsfield, Massachusetts, as well as a photograph of his son Mark. In their letters to Prindle, family members and friends discussed local news and Prindle's health.

This collection (47 items) is primarily made up of letters to Ward Prindle of New Haven, Connecticut, and Pittsfield, Massachusetts. The earliest letters from Elizabeth Prindle, Ward's sister, and Elijah Prindle, Ward's father, pertain to family news and to daily life in Great Barrington, Massachusetts; Elijah also expressed his concern about his son's debts and offered advice about repayment. Later correspondence from Ward's uncle, Elias Prindle, and cousin, Philander Benjamin Prindle, concerns Ward's failing health, including the writers' efforts to console him through religion. The final item is a photograph of Ward Prindle's son, Mark.

Collection

Ward Madison papers, 1923-1937 (majority within 1931-1937)

0.25 linear feet

This collection contains 153 items related to Ward Napier Madison, a native of Montclair, New Jersey, who participated in a missionary trip to Asia from September 1931-August 1932. The bulk of the material consists of letters, meeting minutes, and other documents about the Laymen's Foreign Missionary Inquiry Commission of Appraisal, which visited Sri Lanka, India, China, and Japan.

This collection contains 153 items related to Ward Napier Madison, a native of Montclair, New Jersey, who participated in a missionary trip to Asia from September 1931-August 1932. The bulk of the material consists of letters, meeting minutes, and other documents about the Laymen's Foreign Missionary Inquiry Commission of Appraisal, which visited Sri Lanka, India, China, and Japan.

The first item is Madison's typed 7-page account of his initiation into the Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity at Yale University in December 1923. Madison also compiled a typed diary during his trip to Europe in the spring of 1927. In May 1931, he applied for the position of secretary for the Laymen's Foreign Missionary Inquiry Commission of Appraisal's upcoming visit to Asia. Typed letters between the association's members, Madison, and others pertain to Madison's credentials and his health. Madison was accepted, and the bulk of the collection is made up of letters, meeting minutes, and cables about the group's travels. Madison retained copies of other members' correspondence, in which they described their experiences in Sri Lanka, India, China, and Japan. The commission periodically cabled Madison's mother, Louise N. Madison, about their progress, and Ward Madison wrote manuscript letters to his mother and to his grandfather, Charles F. Napier. Madison described missionary work, religion, and Asian politics, particularly the strained relationship between China and Japan. Madison wrote some of his letters on the backs of printed hotel menus, and he sent one photographic postcard with a picture of a hotel swimming pool in Colombo, Sri Lanka. After Madison's return to the United States in 1932, he corresponded with his grandfather about everyday life.

Collection

Warder-Haines papers, 1789-1854 (majority within 1822-1854)

0.5 linear feet

The Warder-Haines papers (178 items) contain letters collected by Elizabeth Haines Warder, a Quaker from southeastern Pennsylvania, concerning her extended family and friends, primarily between the 1820s and 1850s. Much of the collection consists of letters between the women of the families concerning sickness, death, childbirth, and personal matters, as well as the anti-slavery movement, science and medicine, and Quakerism in Germantown, Philadelphia, and Cincinnati.

The Warder-Haines papers (178 items) contain letters collected by Elizabeth Haines Warder, a Quaker from southeastern Pennsylvania, concerning her extended family and friends, primarily between the 1820s and 1850s. Much of the collection consists of letters between the women of the families (mothers, daughters, sisters, cousins, and friends). The women discussed family issues such as sickness and health, death, childbirth, and personal matters, as well as the anti-slavery movement, science and medicine, and Quakerism in Germantown, Philadelphia, and Cincinnati. Dr. John A. Warder contributed twelve letters, all written to his wife Elizabeth during her visits to family members, and during his travels as physician and lecturer in medicine. These relate to everyday family matters and rarely touch on his professional and scientific interests. Topics of note include descriptions of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, written by family members during their sojourn in the winter of 1836-1837. The family also discussed a cholera, or possibly typhoid fever, epidemic in Cincinnati from 1850 to 1852.

Other items of note:
  • October 30, 1798: Sarah Hartshorne of New York to Elizabeth Bowne concerning sickness and recovery
  • July 11, 1828: Oliver Armstrong to Jeremiah and John A. Warder containing a description of Springfield, Ohio
  • April 18, 1830: Elizabeth B. Haines to her mother Jane Haines reporting on social events in New York City, such as a party that lasted until 3am and visiting the American Museum
  • February 14, 1832: Elizabeth W. Janney to Ann Aston Warder concerning family news and charitable donations, including $300 to a "Black orphan shelter"
  • February 16, 1832: Caroline Cadbury to Ann Aston Warder containing family news, including ailments and treatments of many family members, and a mention of her children enjoying Peter Parley's 1st Book of History
  • March 7, 1832: John H. Warder to Jeremiah Warder reporting that sister Betsey took in a "runaway negro" but found out that she had "run away from Justice instead of Slavery[.] They have so much difficulty in procuring servants they think but to keep her until they meet with another"
  • July 26, 1832: Benjamin H. Warder to Jeremiah Warder concerning the opinions in Philadelphia about President Jackson, and a cholera epidemic in New York that is a "blessing in disguise in clearing off a mass of pollution--It has been very fatal in the neighborhood of the five points, occupied principally by prostitutes…"
  • September 1, 1832: Benjamin H. Warder to Jeremiah Warder containing treatments for cholera and typhoid fever
  • October 29 and December 6, 1832: Letters from James, John H., and Benjamin Warder to Jeremiah Warder discussing Andrew Jackson's presidential reelection chances, Jackson's attack on the United States Bank and South Carolina's reaction to the speech, and various Quaker affairs
  • October 1834: Remarks about the death of Reuben Haines on a funeral invitation from Walter R. Johnson
  • December 3, 1836: Friend to Ann A. Warder in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, warning her to "guard thy tongue- thy looks- even thy thoughts since they will be known through thy frank nature as if the spies of the inquisition were around thee- let Slavery and all its evils- Jacksonism and Van Bur-moral degradation and all other evils- pass unnoticed- for although- those outlaws- may not attack thee- yet the Doctor must pay the penalty of your impudence…"
  • December 23, 1836: [Ann A. Warden] to Jane B. Haines, containing a humorous descriptions of her family's squalid living conditions in Tuscaloosa, Alabama
  • March 3, 1837: John A. Warder and Elizabeth Haines Warder to John Haines describing the relationship between slaves and their masters and the workings of the cotton gin
  • December 25, 1837: John Warder to Ann Haines, discussing Christmas presents and details of her young daughter's clothing
  • September 20, 1838: J.B. Haines to Elizabeth Haines Warder discussing family news and describing their garden and the viewing of an eclipse
  • November 20, 1838: Ann Haines to Elizabeth Haines Warder with a description of a "new method of walking upon water, by means of a small balloon attached to the body" invented in Germany, and a discussion of Democratic Congress member Charles Ingersol
  • April 13, 1840: J.S. Haines to Elizabeth Haines Warder with a description of an experiment with "Jacoby's batteries" and the process of electroplating with copper
  • October 11, 1840: Sister to Elizabeth Haines Warder with a mention of cousin Ann, who is a member of the Liberia School Association
  • August 16, 1842: Elizabeth B. Warder to Ann Haines containing a description of an attempted hypnotism, then termed "neurology" and "phreno-mesmirism"
  • November 2, 1842: Elizabeth Haines Warden to Ann Haines, concerning Henry Clay and John Crittenden visiting Cincinnati, searching for fossils, and seeing a "beautiful Exhibition of Deguerin [Daguerreian] Pictures accompanied by fine music" (early photography)
  • January 11, 1843: William Warder to his brother John Warder discussing Transcendentalist philosophy and "eclecticism"
  • March 19, 1843: Charles Comte de Miollis to Jane B. Haines describing his visits to General Andrew Jackson at the Hermitage
  • July 15, 1843: Ann A. Warder to Ann Haines concerning her sons strong anti-slavery beliefs
  • February 12, 1844: Mary W. Rannels to Ann Haines about practicing hypnosis and witnessing "the evils of slavery" in St. Louis, Missouri
  • March 18, 1844: John A. Warder and Elizabeth Warder to Ann Haines discussing their opinions of a new Charles Dickens book entitled A Christmas Carol
  • February 15, 1847: Ann A. Warder to Ann Haines concerning travel in the Mid-West, slavery in St. Louis and the "delusive dogma of the slaveholder"
  • January 21, 1849: Jane Haines to Robert B. Haines concerning an expedition of Quakers to California during the Gold Rush
  • [1854]: J.B. Haines to Elizabeth Haines Warder concerning a sick child and the practice of medical bleedings
The collection contains several sketches:
Collection

Walter Willisson Stephen notebook, 1903

1 volume

Walter Willisson Stephen kept this notebook in 1903 as a 12-year-old boy. The bulk of the volume consists of seventeen chapters relating to the Moberly, Missouri, Fire Department, its infrastructure, equipment, and activities, with particular focus on the rescue efforts of Company 7 that was led by three teenage boys. It is unclear whether these fires were entirely imagined or based on real events, but the tales include heavily dramatized elements, flourishes, and dialogue while reflecting early-twentieth century firefighting practices and boyhood fascination with them. Stephen kept tables of data relating to baseball players' statistics in the back of the volume, seemingly for games held in Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Tennessee. The volume includes pencil drawings relating to firefighting, baseball, guns, and animals.

Walter Willisson Stephen kept this notebook in 1903 as a 12-year-old boy. The bulk of the volume consists of seventeen chapters relating to the Moberly, Missouri, Fire Department, its infrastructure, equipment, and activities, with particular focus on the rescue efforts of Company 7 that was led by three teenage boys. They extinguished fires in various buildings, like a mattress factory, the cotton exchange building, stores, saloons, and houses. At least two chapters refer to African American residents of Moberly, with one fire breaking out in a family's kitchen (p. 17) and another in a "small shanty" (p. 52). It is unclear whether these fires were entirely imagined or based on real events, but the tales include heavily dramatized elements, flourishes, and dialogue while reflecting early-twentieth-century firefighting practices and boyhood fascination with them. The first chapter opens with pencil illustrations of fire extinguishers, axes, and water hose nozzles. The inside front cover includes pencil drawings of three horse-drawn fire trucks, an American crest, and an airship.

Stephen kept tables of data relating to baseball players' statistics in the back of the volume, seemingly for games held in the following cities in Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Tennessee: Vicksburg, Mobile, Jackson, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Shreveport, Little Rock, and Memphis. He made two pencil drawings of men playing baseball, and he included pencil sketches and doodles on the back inside cover of men, guns, animals, and geometric shapes.

Collection

Walter Willisson Stephen notebook, 1903

1 volume

Walter Willisson Stephen kept this notebook in 1903 as a 12-year-old boy. The bulk of the volume consists of seventeen chapters relating to the Moberly, Missouri, Fire Department, its infrastructure, equipment, and activities, with particular focus on the rescue efforts of Company 7 that was led by three teenage boys. It is unclear whether these fires were entirely imagined or based on real events, but the tales include heavily dramatized elements, flourishes, and dialogue while reflecting early-twentieth century firefighting practices and boyhood fascination with them. Stephen kept tables of data relating to baseball players' statistics in the back of the volume, seemingly for games held in Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Tennessee. The volume includes pencil drawings relating to firefighting, baseball, guns, and animals.

Walter Willisson Stephen kept this notebook in 1903 as a 12-year-old boy. The bulk of the volume consists of seventeen chapters relating to the Moberly, Missouri, Fire Department, its infrastructure, equipment, and activities, with particular focus on the rescue efforts of Company 7 that was led by three teenage boys. They extinguished fires in various buildings, like a mattress factory, the cotton exchange building, stores, saloons, and houses. At least two chapters refer to African American residents of Moberly, with one fire breaking out in a family's kitchen (p. 17) and another in a "small shanty" (p. 52). It is unclear whether these fires were entirely imagined or based on real events, but the tales include heavily dramatized elements, flourishes, and dialogue while reflecting early-twentieth-century firefighting practices and boyhood fascination with them. The first chapter opens with pencil illustrations of fire extinguishers, axes, and water hose nozzles. The inside front cover includes pencil drawings of three horse-drawn fire trucks, an American crest, and an airship.

Stephen kept tables of data relating to baseball players' statistics in the back of the volume, seemingly for games held in the following cities in Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Tennessee: Vicksburg, Mobile, Jackson, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Shreveport, Little Rock, and Memphis. He made two pencil drawings of men playing baseball, and he included pencil sketches and doodles on the back inside cover of men, guns, animals, and geometric shapes.

Collection

Walter Rothenhoefer letters, 1918-1919

3 items

This collection is made up of 3 letters that Corporal Walter Rothenhoefer sent to a niece, Louisa, and to "Edith" (likely Louisa's mother) while serving with the 8th Field Artillery, Battery C, in France during and just after World War I.

This collection is made up of 3 letters that Corporal Walter Rothenhoefer sent to his niece, Louisa, and to "Edith" (likely Louisa's mother) while serving with the 8th Field Artillery, Battery C, in France during and just after World War I. In his two letters to Louisa (October 17, 1918, and February 5, 1919), he wrote about his arrival and the weather in France, a French girl he had met that reminded him of his niece, and souvenirs; though he was not able to send her a birthday present in October 1918, he did intend to send her a French military cap and French money. His second letter to her includes a brief message in French. Rothenhofer wrote to "Edith" from Pont-à-Mousson, France, on March 19, 1919, commenting on an upcoming visit to Paris and a football game that the King and Queen of Belgium and General John J. Pershing were expected to attend. He also mentioned a souvenir that he had sent to Louisa.

Collection

Walter Hinckley correspondence, 1831-1837

4 items

This collection is made up of letters that Walter Hinckley of China, New York, received from his son and an acquaintance, who described their travels and lives in Mississippi and Texas during the 1830s.

This collection contains 4 personal letters that Walter Hinckley of China, New York, received from his son and an acquaintance, who described their travels and lives in Mississippi and Texas during the 1830s. Walter Hinckley, Jr., wrote 3 letters while living in Mississippi and Texas, and Huntington Lyman, an acquaintance, described his travels and scenery along the southern Mississippi River. The men commented on Southern social and religious customs, slaves and the impact of slave labor, agriculture, and other subjects. See the Detailed Box and Folder Listing for more information about each item.

Collection

Walter Gibbs Beal letter book, 1877-1879

500 pages (1 volume)

This volume contains around 300 letterpress business letters from commission merchant W. G. Beal in Caibarién, Cuba, to recipients in Cuba, France, Spain, Boston, and London respecting administration of nearby sugar plantations Floridanos and Prudencia from December 10, 1877, to February 3, 1879. Working on behalf of Benjamin Burgess & Sons of Boston, Beal's letters provide detailed, day-to-day documentation of mechanical aspects of growing sugar cane, processing it, storing it, transporting it, securing buyers, shipping it, and financing the efforts. Beal also wrote about slavery, contract labor, other labor issues, impending emancipation, the final days and conclusion of the Ten Years' War, and the beginnings of the Little War.

The Walter Gibbs Beal Letter Book contains around 300 business letters from commission merchant W. G. Beal in Caibarién, Cuba, to recipients in Cuba, France, Spain, Boston, and London respecting administration of nearby sugar plantations Floridanos and Prudencia from December 10, 1877, to February 3, 1879. Working on behalf of Benjamin Burgess & Sons of Boston, Beal's letters provide detailed, day-to-day documentation of mechanical aspects of growing sugar cane, processing it, storing it, transporting it, securing buyers, shipping it, and financing of the efforts. Beal also wrote about slavery, contract labor, other labor issues, impending emancipation, the final days and conclusion of the Ten Years' War, and the beginnings of the Little War.

Sugar Plantation Oversight

Walter Beal's letters primarily take the form of reports to his employers, his uncle Nathan Bourne Gibbs (a retired merchant who had been a part of Burgess & Sons until 1876), and Santiago Innerarity of "Hendaya" [Hendaye, on the Franco-Spanish border]. The volume also includes correspondence with contractors, financial factors, nearby plantation owners, and the overseers of Floridanos and Prudencia. Beal visited both plantations regularly to assess the status of planting and harvesting, the volumes of "1st" sugar, "2nd" sugar, melado (sugar/molasses), and molasses produced, and the mood and disposition of the work force. With fine detail, he wrote about securing plantation machinery, planting and harvesting sugar cane, moving the cane on the plantation, grinding the cane, manufacturing molasses, transporting the products by cart and railroad, arranging for storage and insurance, securing contracts for the sale of the goods, chartering vessels for export, and handling any post-sale issues. The harvesting season of 1878-1879 was particularly poor because of unrelenting rain and thunderstorms that prevented the use of roads to cart cane or products on account of mud. The weather placed the plantation at a standstill.

Enslaved and Contract Labor

Beal's letters provide regular information about the plantations' enslaved laborers, who he frequently referred to as "the people." More detailed accounts include costs for the purchase and hire of enslaved persons, including an instance where he arranged for the purchase of a man, woman, and two free children, Nicolas and José (Beal to Dodge, February 6, 1878). As harvesting season ended, more and more laborers took ill with fever and were exhausted to the point of needing to rest. While peace negotiations were underway in 1878, the subject of slavery became more prevalent. Enslaved persons who had fought in the Ten Years' War for the Spanish were granted their freedom while Beal (and other planters) became very concerned about their own enslaved work forces. Fearing that they would refuse to work or plan to emancipate themselves, Beal made efforts to pacify them with additional gifts--while also securing additional guards. Rumors spread that the enslaved laborers believed slavery would be abolished on January 1, 1879, and the Governor installed 100 men on an adjoining estate for even more security. Matters became more complicated when a nearby planter named Carbo arranged for the freedom of his 68 slaves. Carbo agreed to furnish these persons with agricultural implements and oxen--and then purchase the cane from them in the crop season. For this, Beal and other planters censured him, believing that this action would set in motion a wave of enslaved persons refusing to work.

Following the Ten Years' War, labor shortages increased and Beal wrote about attempts to hire Spaniards from the Canary Islands, but found them to be good at all work excepting fieldwork (see Beal to Gibbs, April 8, 1878, for example). He also wrote about difficulties hiring Chinese laborers on contract because of the poor treatment they received by plantation overseers in the 1860s. By the fall of 1878, a company out of Havana began importing Chinese labor and Beal estimated that his force would include 24 Chinese laborers and 56 hired hands for Prudencia, and 31 Chinese laborers and 15 hired hands for Floridanos.

The Ten Years' War, etc.

Early in the volume, W. G. Beal kept an eye on developments in the "Eastern Section" as General Martínez y Campos made efforts to round up surrendering revolutionaries, but regularly reported that matters remained calm in the country. In February 1878, however, a group of unidentified persons injured (hamstrung) or killed 80 oxen on Floridanos, prompting Beal to make inquiries for assistance in identifying the perpetrators and replacing the dead oxen. In March, after Major-General Carlos Roloff capitulated, Beal had the opportunity to interview him at Caibarién and discovered who had led the attacks on the oxen. Beal kept track of which revolutionary leaders had surrendered, General Campos' progress, and developments related to the peace negotiation process and its aftermath. Once the Pact of Zanjón was signed, he wrote about militants in the woods, still refusing to surrender, and especially about José Antonio de la Caridad Maceo, who would not accept the terms of the pact and maintained a force of men. Other revolutionaries mentioned include the Brothers Arcos, Miguel Ramos, Máximo Gómez, Francisco Carillo, and Francisco Jimenez.

Collection

Walter Franklin Jones papers, ca. 1860-1862

9 items

Jones served with the 61st New York Infantry Regiment until his discharge on April 29th, 1862, and later saw service as a Lieutenant in Co. A of the 14th New York Cavalry, remaining with that unit until it was consolidated near the end of the Civil War. Six of Jones' letters were written home from Camp California, near Faifax Court House, Va., in the first months of 1862, when the 61st Regiment was attached to the slow moving Army of the Potomac.

Six of Jones' letters were written home from Camp California, near Fairfax Court House, Va., in the first months of 1862, when the 61st Regiment was attached to the slow moving Army of the Potomac. Jones' letters are well written, but not particularly eventful. These letters do more to illustrate the slow pace of the Army of the Potomac than to provide details of camp life or battle. He remained optimistic that the war would end soon, "but if not," he wrote, "I would rather that we were well whipped, than that foreign nations would speak of us, as more frightened than hurt." He hoped particularly that he would have the chance to fight in a battle before it all ended.

Some of the letters in the collection include a description of a New Years' celebration among officers at which "an examination of the darkies [for allegedly stealing a bottle of brandy] was the most amusing part;" an account of Beauregard using "Quaker guns" at Munson's Hill to buy him time to reinforce positions at Centreville; and a mention of guard duty, during which Jones had to hand cuff and gag one man, and during which he encountered an Orderly Sergeant who had been imprisoned for five months for shooting a man for disobedience of orders. The collection also includes two souvenirs collected by Jones at Bull Run: a blade of grass from the battlefield and a piece of a Confederate flag.

Collection

Walter D. Henderson collection, 1917-1951 (majority within 1917-1919)

0.25 linear feet

This collection contains correspondence, documents, and other material related to Sergeant Walter D. Henderson, who served with the United States Army in France during World War I. The bulk of the collection consists of Henderson's letters to his future wife, Jean Jones.

This collection (74 items) contains correspondence, documents, and other material related to Sergeant Walter D. Henderson, who served with the United States Army in France during World War I. The bulk of the collection consists of Henderson's letters to his future wife, Jean Jones.

The Correspondence series (63 items), the bulk of which is dated from November 19, 1917-July 17, 1919, contains around 50 letters that Walter D. Henderson wrote to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Alepheus F. Henderson of Lone Wolf, Oklahoma, and to his future wife, Jean Jones of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and New York City. Henderson discussed his experiences while serving with the 419th Depot Detachment of Engineers and the 447th Depot Detachment of Engineers in the United States and France during World War I. He described camp life and his acquaintances, as well as French scenery, civilians, and towns. Around the end of the war, he anticipated the impact of a labor influx on the cotton trade, and wrote about a furlough to southern France after the armistice. Enclosures include a piece of cloth from a downed German airplane (May 1, 1918) and photographic postcards of scenes in Paris and Le Mans, France. Henderson also drew pictures of an "'overseas' hat" (April 12, 1918) and a wagon (February 25, 1919).

Jean Jones received several letters from other soldiers who served in France during the war. Other items in the series include Henderson and Jones's marriage announcement (1921) and 3 letters Bob and Walter Henderson received from a correspondent in Houston, Texas (April 30, 1951, and undated).

The Documents series (5 items) contains 2 items related to Walter D. Henderson's service with the United States Geological Survey and in the United States Army, documents related to Jenkin Jones's involvement with the Masonic Veterans Association and to his will, and a statement about Nathaniel Jones's Civil War service.

The Photographs series (2 items) contains card photographs of Elizabeth E. Jones and Cass A. Newell, a soldier who corresponded with Jean Jones during World War I.

The Genealogy series (1 item) is made up of translated biographical sketches, originally written in Welsh, about members of the Jones and Davies families.

Three Printed Items are a guide to and map of Nice, France, both from the World War I era, and a newspaper clipping about the death of Jenkin N. Jones on December 6, 1923.

Collection

Walter Crane papers, 1917-1919

0.5 linear feet

The Walter Crane papers contain 88 letters, 2 postcards, and 1 Christmas card written by Corporal Crane to Ruth Backof, a former high school classmate, while he served in the Machine Gun Company of the 138th Infantry Regiment during the First World War. He described his experiences in training at Camp Clark, Missouri, and Camp Doniphan, Oklahoma. Crane also reported extensively on his involvement in combat along the Western Front, including his service in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive and on life in the trenches.

The Walter Crane papers contain 88 letters, 2 postcards, and 1 Christmas card written by Corporal Crane to Ruth Backof, a former high school classmate, while he served in the Machine Gun Company of the 138th Infantry Regiment during the First World War.

Crane wrote his first letters while training at Camp Clark in Nevada, Missouri, in September 1917. He inquired about mutual friends and reminisced about his time at McKinley High School in St. Louis, Missouri. After moving to Oklahoma's Camp Doniphan in late October, he discussed his fellow soldiers, training exercises, and leisure activities. On December 25, 1917, he copied lyrics to a soldiers' song entitled "When Our Machine Guns Are Starting to Roar (for Me and My Gal)," and mentioned that his unit played sports in their spare time. Several envelopes bear the skull-and-crossbones insignia of the 138th Infantry Regiment's Machine Gun Company.

In April 1918, Crane moved to Camp Mills on Long Island, New York, and made final preparations to travel overseas. A May 14, 1918, letter provides an account of the trip. He first wrote from France on May 25, 1918, describing his journey across England. The remaining letters contain his impressions of France and news of his military engagements. Crane's vivid war letters mention both simulated battles (July 30, 1918) and real engagements. His stories of life in the trenches include several featuring trench rats. Between August and October, he wrote about his experiences in combat along the front lines just before and during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive -- the letters dated August 18, 1918, and October 6, 1918, are especially detailed. After November 1918, Crane’s company stayed in training near "Grimaucourt," France, despite the armistice. He continued to describe his daily life and on December 12, 1918, he copied three pages of poetry written by Sergeant S. F. McElhiney, a member of his company. On April 23, 1919, he wrote his final long letter while aboard the USS Kroonland, and, after he landed in the United States on the 29th, he sent Ruth a brief telegram.

The two French postcards are dated October 9 and December 21, 1918, and the Christmas card (1917) bears the insignia of Crane's unit. These three items are filed with the correspondence.

Collection

Walley Chamberlain Oulton, The Sleep Walker, or, Which is the Lady?, Undated

1 volume

This volume contains excerpts from Walley Chamberlain Oulton's 1812 play The Sleep Walker, or, Which is the Lady?, as well as excerpts from the works of Shakespeare and other sources.

This volume (28 pages) contains excerpts from Walley Chamberlain Oulton's 1812 play The Sleep Walker, or, Which is the Lady?, as well as excerpts from other works. Pages 1-7, 16-19, and 25-28 contain excerpts from The Sleep Walker; pages 8-15 and 20-24 contain copied excerpts from other sources, most frequently Shakespeare's plays. The lines from Oulton's play vary only slightly from an 1813 published version; one notable difference is a lengthier concluding monologue by the character Somno. The other excerpts are written under the names of prominent English actors from the early 19th century, including members of the Kemble and Siddons families. The volume has the bookplate of Erastus Tefft, which has an engraving of a Native American gazing at a European settlement.

Collection

Walker family papers, 1832-1910 (majority within 1838-1880)

2.25 linear feet

The Walker family papers (1,962 items) contain the 19th-century letters and documents of the Walker family of Vermont, Illinois, and Minnesota. The bulk of the papers relate to Houghton Walker's mercantile businesses in Illinois. Other topics covered include the Civil War, the Mexican War, migration and settlement in Illinois and Wisconsin, Indian affairs, and religion.

The Walker family papers (1962 items) contain the 19th-century letters and documents of the Walker family of Vermont, Illinois, and Minnesota. The bulk of the collection documents Houghton Walker's business activities; other topics include the Mexican War, the Civil War, migration and settlement in Illinois and Wisconsin, Indian affairs, and Presbyterianism.

The Correspondence series (248 items) consists of three subseries: Walker Family letters, Peck Family letters, and Miscellaneous letters.

The Walker Family letters subseries (199 items) comprise the bulk of the Correspondence series. The various Walker brothers wrote often about business, land sales, financial distress, and business affairs. Lucius and Houghton both discussed their experiences traveling west from Vermont. Lucius, an Indian agent, mentioned his role in Indian affairs, and described the process of writing the Minnesota constitution in the 1850s. Emeline Walker’s letters typically relate to her religious faith and activities in the Presbyterian Church. Reverend William Walker discussed his experiences in Gaboon, and described the climate, food, homes, lifestyles of the Gabonese people, missionary work, and conflicts with the French government (between 1844 and 1882).

Items of note include:
  • Houghton Walker, 1840: Letter describing witnessing an execution
  • Joel Hamilton Walker, August 16-26, 1846, September 1, 1846 and March 24, 1847: Letters concerning his service in the Mexican War, describing his regiment's movements, fights in the camp with bowie knives, a riot among fellow troops, and available food
  • Lucius C. Walker, August 1857: Letter discussing constitution writing in Minnesota
  • Emeline Walker, August 3, 1862: Letter describing hearing "Douglas the colored barber" lecture on the war; she thought he spoke better on the topic than any white man in the area could
  • William Walker, January 18. 1868: Letter containing comments on contemporary politics in the United States
  • William Walker, April 10, 1882: Letter containing a history of William Walker's forty-year service as a missionary in Gaboon

The Peck Family letters (42 items) consist of the letters of Caroline Walker Peck, her husband Ebenezer, and their children Charles F, Peck and Sarah Wright, covering from the 1850s to the 1880s. These contain news on family and money issues, and document the business relationship between Charles and his uncle Houghton Walker.

The Miscellaneous letters subseries (7 items) contains letters to and from people outside the Walker and Peck families (1860-1905).

The Colonel Joel Walker Diary series (4 items) consists of a weather diary that contains daily temperature data and occasional notes on agricultural and day-to-day family activities (1837-1855). Also present are manuscript and typed copies of the diary, along with a list of excerpts of the non-weather information. Of note are the entries describing Walker's journey from Buffalo, New York, to Belvidere, Illinois.

The Documents and Financial Papers series (1,633 items) contains the business, financial, property, and estate records of the Walker family. Family members represented include Colonel Joel Walker, Joel Hamilton Walker, Francis Walker, George Walker, Francis H. Walker, Houghton C. Walker, Lucius C. Walker, Alice Houghton Walker, and Emeline August Frost Walker. However, the bulk of the series documents Joel Walker and Houghton Walker's business activities. Included are letters to merchants in the Midwest and New York, invoices, receipts, freight bills, orders, stock notes, promissory notes, treasury reports, insurance applications and policies, legal documents, estate papers, and cemetery and coffin bills. Many of the freight bills are for shipments on the Chicago & North-Western Railway Co.

Items of interest:
  • Houghton Walker, 1853-1859: Boone County Mutual Insurance Company records, which contain lists of policy-holders’ belongings with descriptions of their homes
  • Houghton Walker, 1859-1861: Bankruptcy papers for Alexander Neely, in which Houghton Walker was named as receiver
  • George Walker, 1860: Bill from [O']Doul's Restaurant in Springfield, Illinois, documenting nine months of food purchases

The Miscellaneous Materials series (77 items) is comprised of eight subseries, including photographs, scrapbooks, family papers, and genealogical material.

The Photographs subseries (2 items) contains aerial perspectives of Belvidere, Illinois, taken by W. A. Eddy in 1905 with the aid of a kite.

The Walker Scrapbook subseries (1 item) consists of a 33-page disbound volume of newspaper clippings, letters, and other ephemera. The clippings largely concern family members' obituaries and news on the Presbyterian Church in Belvidere, Illinois. Also of note are two newspaper articles written by Francis Houghton Walker in 1916, criticizing the portrayal of historical figures, especially Thaddeus Stevens in The Birth of a Nation. Also of interest are newspaper announcements for the silver wedding anniversary of Houghton and Emeline Walker, along with a list of gifts given to the couple on the occasion of the celebration.

The series contains subseries for miscellaneous items related to the following family members: Colonel Joel Walker, George Walker, Emeline August Frost Walker, Houghton C. Walker, and Francis H. Walker. The bulk of the materials are newspaper clippings that mention family members, calling cards, and fragments of writing. Of note are surveying documents of Joel and Houghton C. Walker, Emeline Walker's notes on missionaries in Africa and religious writings, and a note from Francis H. Walker on seeing Halley's Comet.

The Genealogical Materials subseries (24 items) contains records of the Walker and Houghton families collected by Francis H. Walker, along with two typed transcripts of the material. Also present are letters and genealogical notes compiled by Harry Leslie Walker and John B. Walker in the second half of the 20th century. These trace the Walker family back to the 17th century.

Collection

Waldegrave Pelham Clay orderly books, 1800-1815

3 volumes

The Waldegrave Pelham Clay orderly books consist of three volumes of orders from Clay, a British lieutenant colonel who served in the Mediterranean in 1800, and as a major general, in the British West Indies between 1813-1815. The orders document the military's challenges in distributing food, water, supplies, clothes, and wages, and record disciplinary actions, promotions, and notable military events.

The Waldegrave Pelham Clay orderly books consist of three volumes from Clay, a British lieutenant colonel who served in the Mediterranean in 1800, and as a major general in the British West Indies between 1813-1815. The orders document the military's challenges in distributing food, water, supplies, clothes, and wages, and record disciplinary actions, promotions, and other notable military events.

Volume 1 (162 pages) spans from August 6, 1800-December 24, 1800, and consists of general orders and announcements relating to the 40th Regiment's movements in the Mediterranean and while it was stationed at Valletta and Malta, after the British Siege of Malta. The entries mention the HMS Hector (September 25, 1800) and the HMS Romulus (November 2, 1800). Many orders came from or mentioned Major General Henry Pigot, who was instrumental during the Siege of Malta. The bulk of the orders are from the December 1800, with daily entries covering several pages each. Included in the book are instructions on how to parade (August 7-14, 1800), a recipe for broth (August 19, 1800), and instances of sentencing for courts martial (November 27, 30, December 11, and 16, 1800). Also of note is an entry describing a soldier killed by a French sentinel after he "did not answer when challenged...[and] had straggled from his guard" (December 10, 1800). The order warned that this incident should not be "grounds for Disagreement or Jealousy" between the French and British troops. Women are also mentioned in the orders: the December 13 order stipulates that women and children would be able to draw rations (with amounts noted); and the December 23 order contains information on housing women in military hospitals. The back of this volume contains several charts for Captain Clay's 40th Regiment relating to "bread money accounts" and rations from 1793-1795. Approximately 80 pages were ripped out of the back.

This volume also contains one loose page (page 267) taken from a letterbook with three complete letters and one partial letter from Clay. Two letters, dated October 8 and December 27, 1817, are addressed to Charles Greenwood; a December 26, 1817, letter is addressed to General G. Gibbons; and the December 27, 1817, letter is to Edward. All are addressed from Southwell, England.

Volume 2 (212 pages) spans from November 8, 1811-March 20th 1813, and contains the day to day brigade orders of Clay's regiment while stationed at Antigua. The orders include the daily parole, information on food and supply rations, general instructions for the regiment, disciplinary records, and details on other British military outposts in the West Indies. The volume also contains copies of letters and circulars written from other headquarters in the West Indies including Barbados and Jamaica. The orderly book opens with an entry declaring Clay's command of Antigua.

Notable entries include:
  • December 24, 1811, ordered rations for "Negros in the medical department"
  • January 24, 1812, ordered a medical board to report "whether a Black Man named [Azer] Cadette, late a Private soldier in the 12th 10 F. Regiment is fit for [major] service."
  • March 25, 1812, requested certificates for "Negros Employ'd not being the property of any officer."
  • April 25, 1812, ordered an extra allowance of rum to those involved with extinguishing a fire.
  • May 24, 1812, forbid bathing during the day because it was considered unhealthy.
  • September 27, 1812, called for a celebration after a the Duke of Wellington's victory over the French at Salamanca in July 1812.
  • January 26, 1813, news of a robbery and attempted murder by a group of men in a detachment at St. Johns.

This volume also contains a loose page, possibly from an orderly book. On one side are lists of "Allowances of Provisions to the Troops on board Men of War," and on the other are short entries of troop movements by sea of the 1st and 2nd battalions of the 40th Regiment, dated March 2-May 4.

Volume 3 (48 pages), which spans March 31-1813-May 13, 1815, documents Major General Clay's brigade orders, while he was stationed in Antigua and Port of Spain, Trinidad. This is like the other orderly books, in that this volume records how the regiment distributed water and rations, and notes disciplinary actions and celebrations. Though the book does not mention any military engagements, it does offer some information on events on the islands. Approximately 50 pages have been torn out of the book. The first page contains a copy of a form used when scheduling evening and night patrols. Notable entries include instructions to celebrate the Kings birthday with a "Royal Salute" and an extra allowance of rum (June 3, 1814); and the celebration of the Queen's Birthday on January 17, 1815. The entry from June 19, 1814, forbade smoking cigars or having fire close to the sea battery's magazines. Also of note are entries from February 24, 25, and 26, which reported the reactions of an "outrage of yesterday evening in the Green Market by some soldiers." The orders instituted a strict curfew with roll calls. Soldiers were also "strictly forbidden to appear in the Streets with large Sticks of Bludgeons or in the unmilitary practice of carrying their Bayonets, in their Hands, instead of having them suspended in their Belts" (June 25). The June 26 entry forbade soldiers from using their "firelocks for the purpose of using them as Fowling Pieces" (shooting at birds) after a child was wounded in the leg "by a slug fired in this manner by a Black Soldier."

Collection

Wait-Packard family letters, 1851-1895 (majority within 1868-1883)

41 items

This collection consists of letters that Stephen Edwin Wait of Traverse City, Michigan, exchanged with his second wife, Ellen Packard of Racine, Wisconsin, before and in the early years of their marriage, as well as additional letters to Wait and Packard from family members. The correspondence pertains to the couple's relationship; their views on the afterlife, marriage, and other subjects; Packard family news from Racine, Wisconsin; and life at the Michigan State Normal School in 1895.

This collection consists of 37 letters and 4 calling cards related to Stephen Edwin Wait of Traverse City, Michigan, and his second wife, Ellen Packard of Racine, Wisconsin.

The correspondence primarily consists of letters between Stephen E. Wait (S. E. Wait) and Ellen Packard, beginning after the death of Wait's first wife, Louisa, a childhood friend of Packard's, and continuing into the first year of their marriage. They discussed Louisa's death, their beliefs about the afterlife, their opinions on marriage, social norms, and other subjects. After proposing marriage in his letter of January 1, 1870, Wait attempted to describe himself in more detail and offered to travel to Racine, preferring to meet Packard before marrying her. After their marriage, he described his boat trips from Traverse City to Chicago along Lake Michigan and she shared family news from Wisconsin.

Additional correspondence includes a letter to S. E. Wait from Samuel and Sarah E. Scott in Clinton, Ohio, who discussed Samuel's teaching work and local schools (December 22, 1851); a letter from Ellen Packard to Louisa Wait (March 13, 1864); and several letters to Wait from his mother (1 item) and an aunt, Phoebe Hill (4 items). After 1871, Wait and Packard received a letter from Lewis G. Steven, a self-described "Indian medicine man" who wished to work in Wait's store (July 28, 1879), and several members of the Packard family, who reported on life in Racine and commented on the deaths and estates of Ellen Packard's parents, Roswell and Susan Packard.

The final item is a 10-page letter that Minnie [Wait] wrote to her brother Edmund about life at the Michigan State Normal School in Ypsilanti, Michigan (October 27, 1895). She described a "new woman" who adopted masculine habits and dress and discussed a day in her scholarly life at the school. The collection also contains 4 calling cards; one item consists of two cards tied together with a ribbon.

Collection

Wadsworth family papers, 1833-1853

15 items

The letters in this collection are from Alice Colden Wadsworth to her son and his family, who were early settlers to Michigan.

Most of the letters in this collection are from Alice Colden Wadsworth to John and Maria, and although it is far from a complete run of correspondence, these letters give a fair picture of both the anxious mother and the young frontier family. Alice kept hoping her sons would return to the east, fantasizing that once William became an attorney, he would "go into partnership with some friend in the city, and come and live with us." When she heard that John had sold his farm, she "almost wished that you would purchase a situation in Durham, that we might enjoy the happiness of living near each other. . . . Then I could often see my own little Alice Colden and teach her to love me." Years later she admitted that her sons had succeeded better than the young men who stayed in New York, but still lamented, "oh, my dear son, you fixed your habitation too far away!"

Although her son William wrote frequently, and gave Alice news of his brothers' family, months would go by before she would hear from John and Maria directly. The young people were probably too busy establishing themselves in the new settlement to write home very often, and even if they succeeded in scratching out a letter, the mail service was undoubtedly undependable. In addition to farming and raising a family, John and Maria were actively involved in the growing community in Monroe. By 1838, John was holding "many respectable offices" as a Whig, and in 1843, his mother congratulated him for "pleading the cause of Temperance, and forming Societies," and was delighted that in "every work of piety and benevolence, your dear Maria participates and enjoys." In a letter to Maria, John gave a lengthy description of how almost the entire Whig ticket, including himself, lost in the local elections of 1840: "I say never mind, because this child is not yet dead & they cannot kill me yet, I am resolved to be something or nothing -- & next year I will try them again, perhaps as Senator to the State Legislature." Although he was never a Senator, he did get elected Supervisor of Raisinville in 1843. Still an ardent Whig, he wrote despairingly to his father-in-law about the 1844 national election; "Henry Clay defeated by one James K. Polk -- let the nation weep."

The modest financial, political, and social success enjoyed by the Wadsworths was severely overshadowed by the deaths of two of their children. Their second child, Joseph, probably died in 1840. In a letter to Maria, who was back in Durham visiting her family, John lamented their loss, comforting himself and his wife with the words, "Our Joseph is, or may, be seen running about, & pratling the praises of the lamb -- Our dear children are not our own, they are bought with a price, and that price is the blood of the Lamb & the purchaser God, they are committed to us for safe keeping, let us discharge our trust, as becomes those who are to give an account." Two years later their daughter Alice died while Maria was confined after the birth of another child. The New York relatives send a letter full of heartfelt sympathy and assurances. Susan, for instance, wrote, "Grievous as is this trial may it be blessed to each one of us, and our beloved Alice be made the means in God's hands of drawing each one of us nearer to himself." The last letter in the collection is to Maria from her son John, busy studying for college, intimating that at least one child made it through the precarious years to young adulthood.

Collection

Wabash (Ind.) family photograph albums, [19th century]

2 volumes

The Wabash (Ind.) family photograph albums contain tintype and carte-de-visite studio portraits of men, women, and children in Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania in the 19th century.

The Wabash (Ind.) family photograph albums (both 14cm x 10cm) contain tintype and carte-de-visite studio portraits of men, women, and children in Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania in the 19th century. The first volume contains 19 tintypes and five cartes-de-visite, and the second volume contains 16 tintypes and nine cartes-de-visite; an index of subjects in included at the back of the second album. Some of the tintypes have raised decorated borders on their cardstock frames, and many include hand coloring. Most items are individual portraits, though some men and women posed in pairs. One man appears in a Masonic sash and apron. Each album has a brown leather cover with a raised geometric design and floral patterns stamped in gold.

Collection

V-Mail Process collection, 1944

16 items

The V-Mail Process collection is made up of 8 photographs and accompanying typed explanations, created in April 1944, which demonstrate the process of creating V-mail for the United States Marine Corps 2nd Division. The photographs are individually numbered and the typed explanations occasionally include commentary on the careers of pictured marines.

The V-Mail Process collection is made up of 8 photographs and accompanying typed explanations, created in April 1944, which demonstrate the process of creating V-mail for the United States Marine Corps 2nd Division.

Eight 8"x10" black-and-white photographs illustrate steps in the V-mail creation process, from initial composition to delivery. Eight 1-page, typed documents explain each step and occasionally identify the members of the Marine Corps 2nd Division depicted in the images, variously noting names, ranks, hometowns, and service histories. The explanatory text also provides numerical figures associated with the Marine Corps mail service, including an estimate of total pieces handled daily (image 2D-37), the number of letters on each roll of film and number photographed per hour (image 2D-39), the rate at which an operator prints and cuts images (image 2D-40), and the number of V-mail letters that could fit in one mailbag (image 2D-43). Sergeant J. L. Burns took the first photograph, and Sergeant Andy Knight took the remaining 7; each image is also attributed to Warrant Officer J.F. Leopold, Photo Officer, 2nd Marine Division.

Collection

Vistas de Guantánamo photograph album, [ca. 1895-1898]

1 volume

The Vistas de Guantánamo photograph album contains views of Guantánamo, Cuba, probably taken during or just before the Cuban Revolution of 1895-1898. Included are many images of military encampments and forts, as well as an image of a military hospital. Also several views of Guantanamo, local sugar production, and railroads.

The Vistas de Guantánamo photograph album (17 x 19 cm) contains 43 views of Guantanamo, Cuba, probably taken during or just before the Cuban Revolution of 1895-1898. Included are many images of military encampments and forts, as well as an image of a military hospital. Also several views of Guantanamo, local sugar production, and railroads (including a photograph of railroad workers and image of a derailed train). Each mounted print has a printed caption pasted below. The album has a black cloth cover with gilt title "Fotografias. Vistas de Guantamano." The printed title page reads: "Escalante y Hermano. Fotografos. Concha alta núm. 7. Guantánamo."

Collection

Visiting Card specimen book, [circa 1890s]

1 volume

This visiting card specimen book contains 48 printer's sample cards pasted into the volume, including "hidden name" examples with movable die-cut flaps and other devices.

This visiting card specimen book contains 48 printer's sample cards pasted into the volume, including "hidden name" examples with movable die-cut flaps and other devices. Predominant visual themes are flowers, birds, hands, children, and cherubs. Others include a dog holding a guitar, a quill pen, a G.A.R card, and an "Imp Card" showing a devil holding a sign to read "I AM ___ WHO THE [DEVIL] ARE YOU."

A "Gold Escort" card has the text "I beg the blissful felicity of being honored with your gracious condescension to the extent of allowing your humble servant to escort you to your leafy bower this balmy eve. Say yes, fair lady!"

Collection

Viscounts Melville papers, 1600-1851 (majority within 1780-1830)

14 linear feet

The Viscounts Melville papers contain the letters of British statesman Henry Dundas, 1st viscount Melville, and of his son Robert Saunders Dundas, 2nd viscount Melville, first lord of the admiralty. The collection contains incoming correspondence and some copies of letters and drafts of memoranda by the Melvilles. The papers are almost entirely political in nature and deal with English, Scottish, American, Indian, and European affairs.

The Viscounts Melville papers (14 linear feet) contain the letters of British statesman Henry Dundas, 1st viscount Melville, and his son Robert Saunders Dundas, 2nd viscount Melville, first lord of the admiralty. The collection contains approximately 1,500 Henry Dundas items and 850 Robert Dundas items, and is primarily comprised of incoming official correspondence, some copies of outgoing letters, and drafts of memoranda by the Melvilles. The papers are almost entirely political in nature and deal with English, Scottish, American, Indian, and European affairs.

The Henry Dundas papers chiefly concern British political affairs and military engagements in France, America, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Austria, Russia, Spain, Cyprus, Gibraltar, Minorca, Portugal, Corfu, Trieste, Malta, Sicily, the West Indies, the East Indies, and South America. The majority of these span 1794 to 1805, and relate to his tenure as secretary at war and first lord of the admiralty.

Included in the collection are:
  • Diplomatic correspondence
  • Memoranda on British trade
  • Letters dealing with Indian and British patronage
  • Military intelligence reports, defense plans, and secret naval memoranda concerning the war with France
  • Secret reports on internal affairs of France covering 1791 to 1795 from his nephew George Buchan, Financier Walter Boyd, and J. Bedinfield
  • Intelligence on English prisoners of war in France, including details on the treatment of prisoners
  • Memorials that provide details on individual service member's careers
  • Dealings with the Danish East India Company
  • Miscellaneous naval material, such as reports on ship construction and repairs and on the fleets of other nations

American affairs consumed much of Melville's attention in the 1780s and 1790s while he served on the Committee of the Private Council for Trade and Foreign Plantations. Topics discussed include compensation claims from American Loyalists for losses during the war, and claims of British merchants against Americans for unpaid debts incurred during the war. Of particular interest are the letters between Melville and Grenville that relate to American debt issues (1785-1805 with a concentration in 1792). Also of note are letters from Thomas Jefferson and members of Congress concerning the 1794 Jay Treaty between England and the United States. Also present are the trial briefs prepared for Dundas' defense during his 1806 impeachment proceedings.

Below is a selection of notable items:
  • January 14, 1735: Report to the Great Britain Board of Trade on the state of American and West Indies commerce and fortifications, covering 1734-1735 (40 pages)
  • May 5 and July 14, 1763: Secretary of State Charles Wyndham, 2nd earl of Egremont to the Privy Council, concerning trade in the American colonies after the French and Indian War and a proposal to create a frontier military force
  • June 12, 1784: Dr. John Halliburton to Henry Melville, relating his struggles as a Loyalist who fled from Rhode Island to Halifax during the American Revolution
  • July 10, 1791: Lady Eglantine Wallace's account of the plan for the French Royal Family's attempted escape
  • November 19, 1794: Draft of the Jay Treaty (American Treaty of Commerce, signed by Lord Grenville, along with a copy of a letter from Thomas Jefferson to George Hammond regarding the treaty, 81 pages)
  • August 3, 1798: Mary Scott's description of the young King of Prussia
  • July 18, 1799: Anonymous letter from a secret service agent in Göttingen concerning "cloak and dagger" operations to send intelligence through Frankfurt
  • June 29, 1804: Secret intelligence from Admiral William Cornwallis concerning attacks on Brest and plans to burn the French fleet there
  • October 17, 1807: William Sweetland's report on the Barbary Coast enclosed in a Sir Charles Flint letter

The Robert Dundas Melville papers relate primarily to his office as first lord of the admiralty from 1812 to 1830. These include material concerning the War of 1812, and secret admiralty memoranda documenting ship locations and movements, strength of forces, and instructions to and from various British admirals. Notably, Melville received copies of intercepted letters from Albert Gallatin, John Quincy Adams, John Speyer, S. Bourne, and R. G. Beasley to President James Madison from 1813 to 1814. The collection also provides insights into American-British tensions in the Great Lakes region in the years after the war. Between 1815 and 1820, Melville received many reports and letters related to the treatment of scurvy in the navy.

Below is a selection of notable items:
  • June 6, 1812: Lord Keith's "Observations upon the Coast of America"
  • January 6, 1813: Richard Bickerton concerning proposed attacks on Boulogne and Dieppe
  • October 6, 1813: Admiral George Tate to Robert Melville containing a complete list of the Russian fleet
  • November 23, 1813: George Campbell's plans for constructing naval vessels in the Great Lakes, with detailed ship diagrams
  • February 26, 1814: Britain Navy Commissioner Samuel Bentham's detailed report on the Battle of Lake Erie (25 pages)
  • July 15, 1814: Charles and George Baillie's presentation of a petition for abolishing the British slave trade
  • March 1815: Many letters concerning the Duke of Orleans's plan to escape England
  • September 25, 1815: Manuscript draft to Thomas Moore regarding communications about the "Merchants of Liverpool & Manchester engaged in the trade to Spanish South America."
  • November 1815: Dr. William Beaty's letter on the value of providing lemon juice and vinegar to sailors for health at sea
  • April 25-August 6, 1820: Anthony Maitland, 10th earl of Lauderdale, to Robert Melville concerning Trieste and Malta with detailed information on affairs
  • August 25, 1823: Account of scurvy patients received yearly at naval hospitals at Haslar, Plymouth, Yarmouth, Deal, and Paington for the years 1803-1822
  • 1825: Lord Auckland's report on prize ship laws
The Bound Volumes series (7 volumes) is comprised of the following material:
  • The Melville Correspondence, 1780-1830 (146 items), containing official letters to and from the viscounts Melville
  • Frederick Duke of York letters to Melville (32 letters), relating to militia and military matters, and including a color portrait of the Duke, and 1804 and 1810 accounts for field work expenses incurred by the Home Office, covering the years 1795 to 1803
  • "Precis of Mr. Dundas's Correspondence with the Several Departments of his Majesty's Government," covering the Portland and Perceval ministries (46 pages), March 1807-July 23, 1810
  • Four bundles of military letters and documents concerning conflicts in Europe, covering the years 1793, 1794, 1795, and 1804-1813
Collection

Virginia, New York, and Massachusetts Photograph Album, 1898-1899

approximately 195 photographs in 1 album

The Virginia, New York, and Massachusetts photograph album contains approximately 195 photographs depicting the travels and leisure activities of an unidentified Brooklyn-based family in various locations in Virginia, New York, and Massachusetts.

The Virginia, New York, and Massachusetts photograph album contains approximately 195 photographs depicting the travels and leisure activities of an unidentified Brooklyn-based family in various locations in Virginia, New York, and Massachusetts. The album (28 x 40 cm) has black cloth covers, with the front cover being detached. Images of interest include a series of photographs documenting an 1898 trip to Richmond, Virginia, including views of the Capitol, City Hall, St. John's Church, and other landmarks. Also present are 17 photographs showing Fort Monroe, Virginia, with an additional 11 images showing Old Point Comfort hotels, docks, a street view of Phoebus, Virginia, and waterfront views of the Hampton Roads region. New York-related photographs include views of carriage-driving and horseback riding at the Brooklyn Riding & Driving Club, and a summer home at Lake Mahopac, with views of people sailing, swimming, taking carriage rides on country roads, and women golfing. Massachusetts-related photographs include 12 images taken in Boston during 1899 including views of the Public Library and Faneuil Hall and three street views of Commonwealth Avenue.

Collection

Virginia Militia, Second Elite Corps orderly book, 1814-1815

15 pages

These loose pages, extracted from an orderly book, document service of the 2nd Elite Corps of the Virginia Militia from September to October 1814. Garrisoned in Charles City County, the unit kept records of courts martial, unit orders, and observations of its commander, Colonel Moses Green. The collection also includes a single leaf dated February 1815, with 2nd Virginia Militia Regiment orders from Brigade commander General Robert Porterfield. At the time, the unit was garrisoned at Camp Holly (near New Market) and entries pertain to forage requirements for the regiment's horses, a morning report, the disbanding of the unit, and the distribution of equipment.

These loose pages, extracted from an orderly book, document service of the 2nd Elite Corps of the Virginia Militia from September to October 1814. Garrisoned in Charles City County, the unit kept records of courts martial, unit orders, and observations of its commander, Colonel Moses Green. The collection also includes a single leaf dated February 1815, with 2nd Virginia Militia Regiment orders from Brigade commander General Robert Porterfield. At the time, the unit was garrisoned at Camp Holly (near New Market) and entries pertain to forage requirements for the regiment's horses, a morning report, the disbanding of the unit, and the distribution of equipment.

The unit's courts martial include cases of drunkenness, fighting, abusing (cursing) other soldiers, disobeying orders, neglect of duty, and riotous behavior. The records include verdicts, punishments, and transcripts of testimony.

The pages include regimental orders in which:

  • Colonel Moses Green finds himself "astounded" that regiments have failed to adhere to regulations.
  • Increased camp accountability is needed with respect to damage inflicted on nearby private properties, including the burning of wooden fences.
  • Soldiers are forbidden from firing a gun within one mile of camp.
  • Commanders are liable for reporting all delinquencies under their command.
  • Uniformed companies are expected to appear in uniform at all regimental parades.

The final leaf, pertaining to the 2nd Virginia Militia Regiment, contains the following:

  • Recto: Two tables. One respecting the foraging needed to feed the regiment's fourteen horses and the second is a morning report of Captain Stevenson on February 17, 1815.
  • Verso: Orders from Brigadier-General Robert Porterfield respecting the discharge dates of companies, the sick or injured, relief of guards, and property belonging to the "publick".
Collection

Virginia, Georgia, and Maryland carte-de-visite album, 1870s-1880s

1 volume

The Virginia, Georgia, and Maryland carte-de-visite album contains carte-de-visite and tintype studio portraits of men, women, and children taken around the 1870s-1880s. Most of the tintypes are hand-tinted.

This album (13cm x9cm) contains 16 carte-de-visite and 13 tintype photographs taken in Virginia, Georgia, and Maryland circa 1870s-1880s. Most items are individual portraits, with three exceptions: a carte-de-visite of two women, a tintype of a woman holding an infant, and a tintype family photograph of six people, mostly children. The majority of the tintypes and at least two of the cartes-de-visite have hand coloring. One photograph of an infant is identified as Estelle Simcoe. The volume's brown cover has a raised geometric design, and the title "Album" is stamped in gold on the spine.

Collection

Virginia and Tennessee Railroad Trip photograph album, [1890s]

1 volume

The Virginia and Tennessee Railroad Trip photograph album includes pictures of railroad cars, tracks, and travelers taken in the 1890s, as well as pictures of trackside scenes in Tennessee and pictures of people enjoying recreational activities on a beach.

The Virginia and Tennessee Railroad Trip album contains 296 photographs taken along a railroad line in Tennessee and on an unidentified beach in the 1890s. Each item is a Kodak No. 2 circular print, mounted onto the pages in groups of 6; two are pasted on top of other pictures. The photographs are numbered 577-863. The volume has leather covers with the title "Photographs" stamped in gold on the front.

Most of the album's images are scenes from a railroad trip in Tennessee, beginning with views of the Hotel Roanoke in Roanoke, Virginia, and including pictures of passengers, tracks, trackside scenery, depots, and small towns. The album also contains pictures of people walking along a beach, displaying captured fish, preparing to launch a rowboat, and shooting small birds. Additional groups of items show a large Victorian house, people disembarking from a boat, and bathers diving into a large partially covered swimming area.

Collection

Virgil Henry Moats papers, 1862-1865

18 items

During the fall of 1861, Virgil Moats assisted in organizing a company of infantry at Camp Dennison, Ohio, accepting a commission as Captain when the regiment was formally admitted into service in December. His letters include accouts of the Battle of Shiloh, and useful information on Chickasaw Bluffs, Port Gibson, and Arkansas Post. The majority of Moats' letters were written during the Vicksburg Campaign.

The survivng Civil War correspondence of Virgil Moats covers only fourteen months of his military career, March 1862 to May 1863. While these 18 letters represent only a fraction of his correspondence, even during this period, they include important accounts of the Battle of Shiloh, and useful information on Chickasaw Bluffs, Port Gibson, and Arkansas Post. The majority of Moats' letters were written during the Vicksburg Campaign. His letter of May 8, 1863, was written from the town of Rocky Springs, Miss., then a bustling town about forty miles inland from the river, though today it is reduced to a ghost town.

In addition to Moats' letters are three letters by two of Eliza's brothers: John E. Richardson, a sergeant in Co. F, wrote from Vicksburg to the convalescing Virgil, then in a Cincinnati hospital, and Lay Whitney Richardson, a soldier in the 68th Ohio Infantry, wrote Eliza two letters in 1864 and 1865.

Collection

Virgil Cornish correspondence, 1846-1857 (majority within 1846-1853)

37 items

This collection contains 37 letters that Virgil Cornish received during his time as a steward at the Hartford Retreat for the Insane in the mid-1800s. Many of the letters concern payments for the care of, requests for news of, or favors for the institution's patients.

This collection contains 37 business and personal letters that Virgil Cornish received during his time as a steward at the Hartford Retreat for the Insane in the mid-1800s. Family members and other concerned parties contacted the institution from towns in Connecticut and from cities such as Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York. The majority of the letters concern payments for the treatment and housing of individuals. Many writers noted dollar amounts (for payments originally enclosed with the letters), reflecting the cost of mental health care at the Retreat between 1846 and 1857.

Correspondents often requested news of and favors for patients, and sometimes requested that Cornish forward clothing and other gifts. On one occasion, Hugh Robinson informed Cornish of the death of Gertrude Hudson, the sister of a Hartford Retreat patient (September 2, 1851). A few letters reflect the institution's daily work, including an W. W. Anderson's apology for declining a job at the retreat's dining hall (October 16, 1852). The collection also includes a small number of personal letters (or business letters with personal content), including one by Cornish's friend Henry R. Angus, who offered to deliver letters to Cornish's son in California during a journey to San Francisco (October 29, 1852).

Collection

Vine Utley manuscript, "Observations on Old People 80 Years of Age", 1809-1818, 1827

1 volume

Online
Dr. Vine Utley compiled his Observations on Old People 80 Years of Age while interviewing octogenarians and older individuals in New London County, Connecticut, from 1809-1818. He reported on their ages, families, dietary habits, and physical and mental health.

Dr. Vine Utley compiled most of his Observations on Old People 80 Years of Age (87 pages) while interviewing octogenarians and older individuals in New London County, Connecticut, from September 9, 1809-June 17, 1818; one entry is dated April 15, 1827. Utley recorded biographical information about each person he interviewed, including their name, age, hometown or place of residence, marital status, occupation, previous illnesses and medical treatments, number of children, and sometimes their date of death. He commented on interviewees' habits and diets, particularly with regard to alcohol and tobacco, and on their parents' longevity.

Utley wrote about physical health and mental acuity, and noted some trends amongst his subjects, such as octogenarians' tendency to have few, if any, remaining teeth (p. 25). He interviewed men and women from Waterford, Lyme, and New London, Connecticut, including David Harris, a native of Paris who had been held captive by Native Americans (pp. 22-25); E. Jeffry, a Native American woman (pp. 30-33); Celia, an enslaved woman who had been born in Africa (pp. 60-62); and John Utley, his father (pp. 81-84). The volume's cover is a repurposed section of The Witness (June 25, 1806), a newspaper published in Litchfield, Connecticut.

Collection

Views of Early St. Louis, 1840-ca. 1898

27 photographs in 1 album

Views of Early St. Louis contains 27 photographs of scenes from St. Louis, Missouri, between 1840 and 1895 that were assembled by German American photographer Emil Boehl during the late-1890s, including several photographic reproductions of various works by other artists such as Daguerrean photographer Thomas M. Easterly.

Views of Early St. Louis contains 27 photographs of scenes from St. Louis, Missouri, between 1840 and 1895 that were assembled by German American photographer Emil Boehl during the late-1890s, including several photographic reproductions of various works by other artists such as Daguerrean photographer Thomas M. Easterly.

The album (35 x 45 cm) has red leather covers with “Views of Early St. Louis” stamped in gold on the front. Of the 27 photographs included in this album, 15 are pasted-in while 12 were printed directly onto the album pages. Images vary in size, with some taking up nearly an entire album page.

The following list represents the album’s contents in order of appearance and includes image titles (with supplied titles appearing in brackets), additional captions, various forms of Emil Boehl’s photographer credits, image descriptions, and original sources for images known to have been photographically reproduced by Boehl:

1) 4th St. From Washington Ave. S. 1840 / E. Boehl Phot
  • Street scene looking south down 4th Street from Washington Avenue in 1840. People can be seen on horseback and mingling outside of residences. Several buildings are depicted, including steepled churches and the Old Courthouse. Photographic reproduction of a watercolor by commercial artist Albert Byron Greene in 1889. Writing present in the bottom right-hand corner of the original watercolor reads: “Made for Mrs. McKee Mar. 89. A. B. Greene.”

2) Chouteau Pond, 1850. Now Cupplee Station. / E. Boehl Phot
  • View of Chouteau Pond in 1850. “Back of Chouteau Mansion on Clark Ave bet. 11th & 12 sts” inscribed on back of page. Photographic reproduction of original daguerreotype by Thomas M. Easterly, ca. 1850.

3) St. Louis Levee. 1850 / E. Boehl, Phot
  • View of numerous steamboats docked at St. Louis Levee. Photographic reproduction of original daguerreotype by Thomas M. Easterly, ca. 1852/53.

4) Fort Near Mullanphy Str. 1850 / E. Boehl Phot
  • View of the Old Spanish Fort (later Roy’s Mill, Riverfront). The steamer Wyoming can be seen near the riverbank. Photographic reproduction of original daguerreotype by Thomas M. Easterly, ca. 1850.

5) Pierre Chouteau Residence East Side of Main Street south of Washington Avenue Built in 1832 / E. Boehl Photo N. E. Cor. 9th & Pine St.
  • View of the house of Pierre Chouteau on Main Street beside the Durkee & Bullock Banking House (possibly ca. 1865)

6) Old Planters Hotel 1865. / E. Boehl Phot
  • View of the Planter’s House Hotel on 4th Street in 1865.

7) Built 1838-39. Past Service. Christ Church. S.W. Cor. 5th (now Broadway & Chestnut)
  • View of Christ Church, demolished in 1860. Photographic reproduction of original lithograph by J. C. Wild published in 1840.

8) Built 1838-39. Past Service. Christ Church. S.W. Cor. 5th (now Broadway & Chestnut)
  • View of Christ Church, demolished in 1860. Photographic reproduction of original lithograph by J. C. Wild published in 1840.

9) Old Cathedral 1868. / E. Boehl Phot.
  • View of the Old Cathedral (also known as the Basilica of St. Louis, King of France) located on Walnut Street between 2nd and 3rd Streets. “2nd & Walnut” inscribed on back of page.

10) Chouteau Mansion. Taken Feb 12/68. / E. Boehl. Phot.
  • View of the Pierre Chouteau Mansion on Clark Avenue between 11th and 12 Streets. “Bet 11th & 12th on Clark Ave” inscribed on back of page.

11) Old High School - 1870 / E. Boehl. Phot.
  • View of the first public high school in St. Louis located at the corner of 15th and Olive Streets. Large crowd of people gathered in foreground. “15th & Olive” inscribed on back of page.

12) Jail 6th & Chestnut 1870 / E. Boehl - Phot St. Louis.
  • View of the old jailhouse located at the corner of 6th and Chestnut Streets. Illustrated clouds added through negative retouching. “Later Lynch’s Slave yard” inscribed on back of page.

13) James H. Lucas’ Residence S.W. Cor. 9th & Olive 1870. / E. Boehl, Phot: 9th & Pine
  • View of the house of James H. Lucas located at the southwest corner of 9th and Olive Streets. Image appears to be a photographic reproduction of another photograph. Partially cutoff writing present in the bottom left-hand corner of the original photograph reads: “…[B? or S?] [?] Lucas 1898.”

14) Fourth Street north of Olive 1872 / E. Boehl, Photo. 514 Washington Av.
  • Street scene looking north up 4th Street from Olive Street showing numerous pedestrians, buildings, and a trolley car.

15) Olive Street, betw: 6th & 7th 1872
  • View of a residence on Olive Street between 6th and 7th Streets. Image appears to be a photographic reproduction of another photograph.

16) Broadway from Olive South. 1874 / E. Boehl, Phot. 514 Wash. Ave.
  • Street scene looking south down Broadway from Olive Street showing numerous buildings and wagons.

17) Centre Market, 7th & Poplar 1875. / E. Boehl, Phot.
  • View of Centre Market building located at 7th and Poplar Streets.

18) [Fair Grounds Race Track?] 1876
  • Lacking title. Possibly view of Fair Grounds Race Track, ca. 1876.

19) Pope’s Col. 1876. / E. Boehl Phot.
  • View of St. Louis Medical College building (also known as Pope’s College) at 7th and Clark Avenue in 1876. Image appears to be a photographic reproduction of another photograph.

20) [Mercantile Library] 1880 / E. Boehl, Phot.
  • View of the St. Louis Mercantile Library building. Image appears to be a photographic reproduction of another photograph.

21) From Court House N.W. 1880 (S ?) / E. Boehl, Phot. 514 Wash. Ave.
  • Bird’s-eye view of downtown St. Louis. Numerous buildings visible, including the old St. Louis Post Office (Custom House). One building near the foreground is marked with an “x” while an inscription on the roof of the building reads: “Broadway”; an additional inscription in the upper left-hand corner reads “x EHL. Born 1839.”

22) [Grand Republic steamer] / E. Boehl Phot-1890.
  • View of the Grand Republic steamer.

23) 12th St: from Washington Av: South / E. Boehl Phot: 1892
  • Street scene looking south down 12th Street from Washington Avenue showing horse-drawn carriages, numerous buildings, and a large crowd in the background gathered around the Statue of Liberty Replica at 12th and Pine Streets.

24) Pope’s Theatre 1895. / E. Boehl Phot.
  • View of Pope’s Theater with a group of people standing outside. “9th & Olive” inscribed on back of page.

25) Lindell Hotel - 1895. / E. Boehl Photo. 514 Washington Av.
  • “Wash. Ave bet.” inscribed and crossed out on back of page; “68?” inscribed on back of page

26) [St. Louis Exposition and Music Hall, 1892]
  • View of the St. Louis Exposition and Music Hall seen from the corner of Olive and 14th Streets

27) “The Elephant” at Graniteville. / E. Boehl, Phot. 514 Wash. Ave.
  • View of The Elephant Rocks in the Saint Francois Mountains (now Elephant Rocks State Park). Graffiti can be seen etched into the rocks, while an unidentified man (possibly Emil Boehl) stands at center.

Collection

Victor Rice papers, 1841-1875

0.5 linear feet

The Victor Rice papers contain correspondence and printed items related to education in the state of New York in the mid-19th century and to the Spencerian system of penmanship, which Rice helped develop.

The Victor Rice papers contain correspondence and printed items related to education in the state of New York in the mid-19th century and to the Spencerian system of penmanship, which Rice helped develop.

The Correspondence series (over 500 items) is made up of personal and professional letters to Victor Rice from family members and various other correspondents. His father William sent family news from Clymer, New York, and also discussed financial and legal matters. Other letters pertain largely to education and to Rice's position as superintendent for public instruction for the state of New York. Some concern the Spencerian penmanship system, which Rice developed with Platt Rogers Spencer. State and national political issues are occasionally mentioned, and Rice received at least one letter from a soldier during the Civil War. Contributors include Horace Greeley, Platt Rogers Spencer, and James Theodore Holly, and the collection has few outgoing letters by Victor Rice. Items from the 1870s are personal letters between members of the Rice family.

The Printed Items series contains the following 5 items:
  • The Dignity of Teaching. An Address to the Graduating Class of the State Normal School, January 28, 1857, by E. P. Rogers (1857, 24 pages)
  • Views of P. R. Spencer, V. M. Rice and J. W. Lusk on Penmanship as a Profession, with an Inquiry as to the Proper Distinction Between the Office of an Author and Editor, by Warren P. Spencer (December 12, 1866, 8 pages)
  • An Autobiography of the Man with an "Assumed Name," to which Is Added the Story of the Book Entitled the "Spencerian Key", by Warren P. Spencer (1866)
  • Asa Packer. A Memorial Address, Delivered by Request of the Faculty of the Lehigh University, on University Day, June 19, 1879, by Henry Coppée (8 pages)
  • Spencer Family History and Genealogy, by Robert C. Spencer (1889, 26 pages)
Collection

Victor Leroy Rushfeldt, Jr., Collection, 1941-1980s

approximately 114 photographs in 1 album, 1 diary, 1 VHS tape, assorted paper files

The Victor Leroy Rushfeldt, Jr., collection contains an assortment of materials including a diary, photograph album, paper files, and a VHS tape, all of which pertain to U.S. Army Air Corp pilot 1st Lt. Victory Leroy Rushfeldt, Jr.’s service in the 20th Combat Mapping Squadron during World War II.

The Victor Leroy Rushfeldt, Jr., collection contains an assortment of materials including a diary, photograph album, paper files, and a VHS tape, all of which pertain to U.S. Army Air Corp pilot 1st Lt. Victory Leroy Rushfeldt, Jr.’s service in the 20th Combat Mapping Squadron during World War II.

The diary (15 x 8.5 cm) contains entries written by Rushfeldt, Jr., during the year of 1941. In the first entry on New Year’s Day, Rushfeldt, Jr., expressed a desire to join either the United States Army or Navy as a pilot and wondered “where I will be next New Years?” After failing his physical service exam with the Navy due to “crooked teeth,” he decided to first finish securing his private pilot’s license before sending applications to the Army Air Corps on January 31. On March 8 1941, Rushfeldt, Jr., attended a physical exam for flying cadets at Fort Snelling where again he was told that they would not “O.K. my teeth” but was instructed to send a plaster dental cast to Washington, D.C. On March 21, he traveled to Abilene, Texas, before heading for San Diego, California by car on March 25. After hitchhiking to Los Angeles on April 4 he subsequently sought job opportunities in the area while staying at the home of a local couple, including applying for a position at the Lockheed Aircraft Co. and interviewing with the Vega Airplane Co., the latter of whom he felt he could’ve obtained employment with “except for the fact that I will probably be drafted soon.” On April 20, Rushfeldt, Jr., began hitchhiking back to Albert Lea, noting stops in Nevada, Colorado, Nebraska, and Iowa before arriving home April 27. On August 12, he recorded having completed his U.S. Army Air Corps physical exam while on August 15 he took his flight test for “Stage C of the secondary C.P.T.” Towards the back of the diary there are several phone numbers and addresses listed for friends and acquaintances as well as a “Brief History of My Flying Course” listing the duration and type (dual or solo) of Rushfeldt, Jr.’s training flights in Albert Lea from October 8 1940 to February 20 1941. Also of note are numerous entries involving women that Rushfeldt, Jr., was dating.

The photograph album (26 x 34 cm) contains approximately 114 images and is string-bound with brown covers. The album begins with a series of photos showing various young women, American servicemen in uniform, and older adults interacting at what appears to be a wedding reception. Subsequent photographs of interest include a portrait of fellow pilot Jerry Smith holding a large camera; images of various aircraft; portraits of various officers identified by pen inscriptions including “Lt. Connely,” “Lt. Everhardt,” “FO Luther,” “Lt. Raymer,” “Lt. Gireau,” “Capt. Lake,” “Lt. Thye,” “Lt. Riddle,” “FO Stone,” “Charles Enoch,” “Lt. Smith,” “Lt. Glenn Jensen,” and numerous photos (including group portraits) of Victor Rushfeldt, Jr.; images of campsites, barracks, and other buildings possibly in Nadzab, New Guinea; several images documenting the wreck of an F-7B aircraft nicknamed “Idle Curiosity” which crash landed on the Biak Island airstrip while Rushfeldt, Jr., was onboard; and several photographs of indigenous Papuans (including pictures of nude women and women breastfeeding animals). Also present are twenty-one images showing painted illustrations on the sides of various aircraft, many of which were designed Cpl. Al G. Merkling. Numerous illustrations involve nude or scantily clad women posing suggestively. Nicknames of documented planes include “The Wango Wango Bird,” “Photo Queen,” “Cherokee Strip,” “TS Sympathy Remembrance,” “I’ll Be Around,” “American Beauty,” “Hangover Haven,” “Little Joe,” “Round Trip,” “Liberty Belle,” “Patched Up Piece,” “Ready Willing and Able,” “Idle Curiosity,” “Pappy’s Passion,” “Sweet Sixteen,” “St. Louis Blues,” “V…-Sure Pop,” “The Rip Snorter,” “Bourbon Boxcar,” “Ole’ Tomato,” “Mission Belle,” and “Tail Wind.”

The paper files include an envelope of informational materials from the “Reunion Project Office b-24/50th Anniversary” related to the planning of a 1989 reunion event; an overseas document file case containing three souvenir buttons from the first and second 20th Combat Mapping Squadron reunion events in 1982 and 1984, several empty letter envelopes addressed to Rushfeldt, Jr., a register of Rushfeldt, Jr.’s vaccinations and other medical data from December 28 1941 to Jan 27 1945, and an official notice from March 7 1943 declaring that Rushfeldt, Jr., qualified as “Marksman” with a .45 caliber pistol after achieving a score of 106; and a vertical file containing numerous materials related to 20th Combat Mapping Squadron reunions, events, newsletters, and other documents, including a draft of “A Pictorial History of the 20th Combat Mapping Squadron, 6th Photo Group that Served so Honorably in the Southwest Pacific Area During WW II” consisting of photocopies of images donated by former squadron members and compiled by Maj. Lawrence E. Thibault, Sr.

The VHS tape purportedly contains footage of the "Idle Curiosity" crash on the Biak Island airstrip. Rushfeldt, Jr., was aboard this aircraft at the time of the crash.

Collection

Victor Harles papers, 1916-1919 (majority within 1918-1919)

51 items

This collection is made up of 51 items related to Private Victor J. Harles, who served in France with the United States Army's 350th Infantry Regiment during World War I. Harles sent 47 letters and postcards to his parents and sister in Clayton, Missouri, while in training at Fort Dodge, Iowa, and while serving in France and Germany between August 1918 and May 1919. He described his training exercises, aspects of military life, and the towns he visited in France during and after the war. Also included are 2 pre-enlistment letters and 2 pieces of ephemera.

This collection is made up of 51 items related to Private Victor J. Harles, who served in France with the United States Army's 350th Infantry Regiment during World War I. Harles sent 47 letters and postcards to his parents and sister in Clayton, Missouri, while in training at Fort Dodge, Iowa, and while serving in France and Germany between August 1918 and May 1919. He described his training exercises, aspects of military life, and towns he visited in France during and after the war. Also included are 2 pre-enlistment letters and 2 pieces of ephemera.

Harles wrote 13 letters from Camp Dodge, Iowa, between May and August 1918, and 2 while awaiting deployment from Camp Upton, New York, in early August. He discussed many aspects of military life, such as the food; leisure activities; his influenza inoculation (with a small drawing of the mark it left on his arm, June 16, 1918, and June 19, 1918); and training exercises, including rifle practice and anti-gas maneuvers (July 3, 1918). On July 7, 1918, he mentioned having seen three African American men hanged for an assault on a young woman. Once he received his assignment to the signal corps, Harles took classes in telegraphic systems and described the work of the corps. He also encouraged his family to look after his fiancée, "Lil," while he served abroad, and composed 1 letter while en route to Europe.

Victor Harles sent 17 letters, 13 postcards, and 1 Christmas card from France and Germany to his family in Missouri, writing primarily about his surroundings and war news. He reported seeing foreign allied soldiers and German prisoners of war, drew maps for his regiment's signal corps, and commented on the small French villages in which the 350th Regiment stayed during most of its active service. Harles had some knowledge of the French language, attained through his immigrant grandmother, and could interact with the locals. He described local customs and gave his impressions of the town's buildings. Although he arrived in Europe shortly before the armistice, he reported that his unit had participated in battle. His letters also include a brief comparison between occupied Germany and wartime France (May 5, 1919) and signal his intent to break off his engagement (May 17, 1919).

After the war, Harles traveled around France and to Coblenz, Germany, as a theater painter with the 88th Division "Show Troupe." He spent some additional time in Paris before returning to the United States onboard the Pocahontas in late May 1919. Three printed and partially printed postcards provided his family with news of his arrival in France, a new mailing address, and news of his return to the United States on June 1, 1919.

The collection's visual materials include printed postcards, an illustrated Christmas card, and 3 photographs of Victor Harles. Two photographs are enclosed in his letter of February 25, 1919, and the third is attached to his passport, also present in the collection. The postcards depict scenes from Paris, other French cities, and Coblenz, Germany. Additional material includes 2 early letters Victor wrote about life as an artist in Norway, Maine (June 13 and 30, 1916), and a metal identification tag for "M. J. Schreibert." One postcard postmarked 1908 depicts a Papago Native American woman filling a pot.

Collection

Vice-Admiralty Court of Gibraltar privateer document, 1760

47 pages (1 volume)

This 47-page manuscript, dated March 1760, is a series of certified copies of legal documentation from the British Vice-Admiralty Court of Gibraltar, relating to the ship Immacolata Concezione & St. Ignazio di Loyola, commanded by Roman citizen Lorenzo Ghiglino. The ship was captured by the British privateer St. Albans (Captain Edward Vernon) in October 1759 off the coast of Cadiz, Spain. The Immacolata... was brought to Gibraltar where the ship and its cargo were condemned as prizes. This manuscript provides a detailed account of the complex legal and commercial practices during the Seven Years' War. It outlines Ghiglino's earlier encounter with New York privateers in 1757 during his initial voyage to Cap Français, Saint Domingue, his acquittal in the New York Vice-Admiralty Court in 1758, efforts to secure sugar and coffee cargo in Saint Domingue in 1759, his re-capture near Cadiz by Edward Vernon, and legal arguments about prize law. The manuscript is on loose sheets, connected by stab sewing near the top edge.

This 47-page manuscript, dated March 1760, is a series of certified copies of legal documentation from the British Vice-Admiralty Court of Gibraltar, relating to the ship Immacolata Concezione & St. Ignazio di Loyola, commanded by Roman citizen Lorenzo Ghiglino. The ship was captured by the British privateer St. Albans (Captain Edward Vernon) in October 1759 off the coast of Cadiz, Spain. The Immacolata... was brought to Gibraltar where the ship and its cargo were condemned as prizes. This manuscript provides a detailed account of the complex legal and commercial practices during the Seven Years' War. It outlines Ghiglino's earlier encounter with New York privateers in 1757 during his initial voyage to Cap Français, Saint Domingue, his acquittal in the New York Vice-Admiralty Court in 1758, efforts to secure sugar and coffee cargo in Saint Domingue in 1759, his re-capture near Cadiz by Edward Vernon, and legal arguments about prize law. The manuscript is on loose sheets, connected by stab sewing near the top edge.

This manuscript includes formal copies of depositions, Vice-Admiralty Court sentences or decrees, petitions and memorials, orders, letters, passports, declarations, bills of sale, certificates, accounts and invoices, bills of lading and health, interrogations, monitions, claims, allegations and their answers.

These documents provide a record of Lorenzo Ghiglino's Atlantic mercantile practices. They include commentary on the cargo being shipped aboard the Immacolata Concezione and speculation about the financial reasoning that would explain the goods. For example, Lorenzo Ghiglino's answers to Vernon's allegations against him in Gibraltar explained that his initial transatlantic voyage in 1757 "wore a very promising aspect[,] European goods being greatly wanted at Cape François & American produce vastly cheap at that Port by reason of the circumstances of the war with Great Britain which rendered it extremely hazardous for the French to transport their American produce to Europe." However, Judge Lewis Morris's opinion delivered on October 13, 1758, in the New York Vice-Admiralty court questioned the logic. He noted that the Spanish merchant backing Ghiglino's venture, Don Francisco Xavier de los Rios, gave "orders to purchase great quantities of Indigo" despite his presumed knowledge that "it is highly penal for the Subjects of any neutral state to export indigo from Cape Francois & that it is necessary that every Vessel shou'd duly appear to be a French bottom before she can export Indigo from the Cape..." Morris therefore decided it was more likely that de los Rios was covering for French merchants attempting to sell French goods in the West Indies, illustrating the complex business practices occurring during the international conflict.

Documentation of Ghiglino's voyage back to Europe in 1759 details the ongoing impact of the war on business. Mercantile constraints imposed by the British prohibited Ghiglino from loading a cargo in New York to sell in Spain and Italy, which forced him to travel to Spanish and French colonies in the West Indies to purchase goods. For the first leg of his trip to Monte Christi, he requested permission "to man the ship with French Prisoners which will save him a great expence in the article of wages." The copy of "The Governor of Monte Christi's Certificate" verified that Ghiglino was unable to secure cargo in the city over the course of a month and a half, as merchants refused to bring sugar to market there "on account of there being many English Privateers on this Coast who daily commit acts of Piracy on the Spanish Vessels trading in this commodity." Ghiglino instead travelled to Cap Français, and his purchases of sugar and coffee are documented, listing amounts and costs, as well as unsuccessful attempts by planters to secure freight for their goods to Europe. Claims by several other crew members and passengers illustrate the smaller scale trading happening aboard merchant ships.

The court records also speak to the financial imperatives motivating privateers. The copy of the New York Vice-Admiralty Court's 1758 sentence reveals the reason why the privateers who captured the Immacolata Concezione never pursued their appeal of the case in England. The merchants tasked with selling the perishable cargo, instead of holding the sums as dictated, "distributed the money arising from the Sales or a part of it among the owners or partys interested in the Privateers concern'd in the Capture. Being thus possess'd of all the proceeds of the Cargoe.... no wonder the Libellants were contented to drop the prosecution of their appeal & that they afterwards opppos'd the Genoese Captain acquiring his freight & gratification money." Later in 1759, Edward Vernon's rejection of Ghiglino's petition for additional time to secure advice from England addresses his financial concerns. Vernon noted the "considerable expense in guarding & preserving the said Vessel & Cargoe which have been exposed especially at this Season of the year to great accident and damages." Additionally, he acknowledged that the sugar cargo was "perishable especially as being on board an old Ship," and had already depreciated some twenty per cent in value.

This manuscript provides insight into maritime law, particularly through the allegations made by British privateer Edward Vernon at the Vice-Admiralty Court of Gibraltar and Ghiglino's answers. Arguments concerned issues like the ownership of vessels and cargoes, the possession of French papers, neutral rights to trade with French colonies, and the law of nations. The types of material in the document, including copies of passports, financial receipts, petitions and memorials, and more, illustrate merchants' understanding of the importance of good documentation to meet legal disputes.

The appeals process is also discussed in the records. The New York privateers claimed to have appealed the 1758 decision, causing Joseph Ghiglino to travel to England to defend the case. Upon arrival, finding no appeal lodged, he entreated the help of Secretary of State William Pitt. A copy of Pitt's June 10, 1758, letter to New York Governor James de Lancey pressing to have the case moved forward is included. While attending to the case in Gibraltar, Lorenzo Ghiglino petitioned for additional time to secure advice from England, suggesting the difficulties of international maritime disputes, and the file closes with the note that he will be appealing the condemnation of his ship and cargo to the Lords Commissioners of Appeals in England, which necessitated his receiving a full copy of his records.

Collection

Vernon O. Ricker letters, 1861-1863

8 items

This collection of eight letters chronicles a relationship and subsequent "breach of promise" case in New York during the mid-nineteenth century. Vernon O. Ricker wrote all but one of the letters, with the majority of them addressed to Miss Kate Dennis of Hillside, New York. The correspondence also includes one letter from Vernon O. Ricker to his friend Walter Shafer and another by John Gaul, Jr., of the law firm Gaul and Esselstyn to Hon. John F. Collin.

This collection of eight letters chronicles a relationship and subsequent "breach of promise" case in New York during the mid-nineteenth century. Vernon O. Ricker wrote all but one of the letters, with the majority addressed to Miss Kate Dennis of Hillside, New York. The correspondence also includes one letter from Vernon O. Ricker to his friend Walter Shafer and another by John Gaul, Jr., of the law firm Gaul and Esselstyn, to Hon. John F. Collin.

Over the period of two years, Vernon O. Ricker wrote repeatedly of his desire to see Miss Dennis again, but was continually delayed because of business travel. He often stated how he was "unworthy" of Miss Dennis's friendship and repeatedly apologized for his delay in seeing her again--though always providing an alternate date for when he will next be in town. The letters also contain news of various friends and acquaintances including a Captain Elmendorf with whom Ricker often traveled.

The final letters from Mr. Ricker chronicle the aftermath of his discussion with Miss Dennis about her belief that they were engaged and her subsequent lawsuit against him.

Vernon Ricker's letters to Kate Dennis include duplicate copies.

Collection

Vernon Foley photograph album, 1912-1919

1 volume

The Vernon Foley photograph album (18 x 27 cm) primarily contains photographs taken in and around California and the West Coast of the United States. Many images feature a group of travelling men, likely Bell telephone linemen.

The Vernon Foley photograph album (17 x 19 cm) primarily contains photographs taken in and around California and the West Coast of the United States. Many images feature a group of travelling men, likely Bell telephone linemen. Images of note include: the Panama-Pacific Exhibition in San Francisco; a sleet storm in Portland Oregon; beaches in San Francisco; geysers at Calistoga, California; railroad travel; El Paso street scenes; a bullfight and Pancho Villa's train cars in Juarez, Mexico; hunting and camping scenes in Emigrant Gap, Wyoming, and Lake Fordyce, California; visiting with friends in Davis, California; and the burning of the Freeman Hotel in Auburn, California. One photograph shows a group of men wearing flu masks standing next to a truck with a Bell company logo; some captions refer to cutting wires during the sleet storm in Portland, and "trimming the right-of-way," and men are shown wearing leg shanks and climbing gaffs. Of note are scenes of the Armistice Day celebration in San Francisco, with many participants wearing flu masks. Most photographs are labeled with handwritten captions.

The album has black cloth covers and is tied with a black cord. Stored in three-part wrap with blue cloth spine.

Collection

Vermont tavern records, 1820-1833

35 items

This collection consists of 35 copies of government records kept between 1820 to 1833 by Vermont "selectmen and civil authority" figures regarding the nomination and approval of individuals for tavern keepers, inn keepers, and keepers of houses of public entertainment, predominantly in Rutland County, likely as a precursor to secure licenses. Many of the documents include the names of individuals approved to run the establishments, details about the government officials and bodies who granted permission, and various fees. Predominantly administrative in nature, they do include occasional statements reflecting on social norms and expectations, like reflections on nominees who "will Keep orderly Houses and accommodate the Public" (March 1, 1824) or that the individual is allowed to "Retail Spirits" (April 23, 1833). Named places include Pawlet, Castleton, Shrewsbury, Tinmouth, Rutland, Clarendon, Orwell, Benson, Sudbury, Pittsfield, Sherburne, Parkerstown, Pittsford, Brandon, Benson, Poultney, Ira, and Danby.

This collection consists of 35 copies of government records kept between 1820 to 1833 by Vermont "selectmen and civil authority" figures regarding the nomination and approval of individuals for tavern keepers, inn keepers, and keepers of houses of public entertainment, predominantly in Rutland County, likely as a precursor to secure licenses. Many of the documents include the names of individuals approved to run the establishments, details about the government officials and bodies who granted permission, and various fees. Predominantly administrative in nature, they do include occasional statements reflecting on social norms and expectations, like reflections on nominees who "will Keep orderly Houses and accommodate the Public" (March 1, 1824) or that the individual is allowed to "Retail Spirits" (April 23, 1833). Named places include Pawlet, Castleton, Shrewsbury, Tinmouth, Rutland, Clarendon, Orwell, Benson, Sudbury, Pittsfield, Sherburne, Parkerstown, Pittsford, Brandon, Benson, Poultney, Ira, and Danby.

Collection

Vermont tavern records, 1820-1833

35 items

This collection consists of 35 copies of government records kept between 1820 to 1833 by Vermont "selectmen and civil authority" figures regarding the nomination and approval of individuals for tavern keepers, inn keepers, and keepers of houses of public entertainment, predominantly in Rutland County, likely as a precursor to secure licenses. Many of the documents include the names of individuals approved to run the establishments, details about the government officials and bodies who granted permission, and various fees. Predominantly administrative in nature, they do include occasional statements reflecting on social norms and expectations, like reflections on nominees who "will Keep orderly Houses and accommodate the Public" (March 1, 1824) or that the individual is allowed to "Retail Spirits" (April 23, 1833). Named places include Pawlet, Castleton, Shrewsbury, Tinmouth, Rutland, Clarendon, Orwell, Benson, Sudbury, Pittsfield, Sherburne, Parkerstown, Pittsford, Brandon, Benson, Poultney, Ira, and Danby.

This collection consists of 35 copies of government records kept between 1820 to 1833 by Vermont "selectmen and civil authority" figures regarding the nomination and approval of individuals for tavern keepers, inn keepers, and keepers of houses of public entertainment, predominantly in Rutland County, likely as a precursor to secure licenses. Many of the documents include the names of individuals approved to run the establishments, details about the government officials and bodies who granted permission, and various fees. Predominantly administrative in nature, they do include occasional statements reflecting on social norms and expectations, like reflections on nominees who "will Keep orderly Houses and accommodate the Public" (March 1, 1824) or that the individual is allowed to "Retail Spirits" (April 23, 1833). Named places include Pawlet, Castleton, Shrewsbury, Tinmouth, Rutland, Clarendon, Orwell, Benson, Sudbury, Pittsfield, Sherburne, Parkerstown, Pittsford, Brandon, Benson, Poultney, Ira, and Danby.

Collection

Vermont and Connecticut Photograph Album, 1897-1898

approximately 60 photographs in 1 album

The Vermont and Connecticut photograph album contains approximately 60 photographs primarily showing scenes from Brattleboro, Vermont, and New London, Connecticut.

The Vermont and Connecticut photograph album contains approximately 60 photographs primarily showing scenes from Brattleboro, Vermont, and New London, Connecticut. The album (23 x 25 cm) has black cloth boards and is tied with a white cord. Brattleboro-related images include views of the arrival of a train carrying Spanish American War veterans, parade floats in the Brattleboro Fair, the town hall, Main Street, and the former studio of photographer Caleb L. Howe at the corner of Main and Elliot Street with a sign reading "Howe Photographer." New London-related images include views of Ocean Beach and the Soldiers and Sailors Monument. Also included are photographs of the interior and exterior of a house at "35 Western Ave.", other waterfront scenes, steamboats, and a mill in Hinsdale, New Hapmshire. Of particular note are two photographs of an acrobat performing on an outdoor stage. Many of the photographs are faded, with details partially or wholly obscured.

Collection

Vera and Gene Foreman Photograph Albums, 1942-1951

approximately 917 photographs in 4 volumes

The Vera and Gene Foreman photograph albums consist of four volumes containing approximately 917 photographs and miscellaneous ephemera that document the experiences of Vera Irene Masuch and her husband-to-be Charles Eugene “Gene” Foreman in post-World War II Europe both before and after they first met as well as earlier trips taken by Vera and friends to various places in the United States.

Volume 1 (1942-1943)

This album (25.5 x 33 cm) has brown faux-leather covers and contains approximately 159 photographs as well as some postcards. Images include numerous snapshots of young men and women (including Vera) on a ranch in Green Mountain Falls, Colorado; coverage of visits to Pike's Peak, Denver as well as an unidentified tropical location; and photographs showing young men in military uniforms.

Volume 2 (1949)

This album (32 x 38 cm) has decorative dark blue faux-leather covers and white plastic ring binding and contains 50 photographs as well as some ephemera. Only five pages near the front of the album and two pages towards the back contain any photographs, most of which show American GIs (including Gene) in training camp settings primarily near the town of Friedburg, Germany, and engaging in social activities. Some but not all images have captions. Also present towards the back of the album are several loose images including real photo postcards showing travel scenes to European locations such as Paris, Naples, Rome, and Venice as well as a group portrait of a football team, a program dated December 2 1950 for a USAREUR football game between the 2nd RCT "Dragoons" and 16th Infantry Regiment "Rangers," and a souvenir from the Casa Blanca cocktail bar in Newark, New Jersey bearing Gene Foreman's signature.

Volume 3 (1949-1950)

This album (32 x 38 cm) has decorative black faux-leather covers and white plastic ring binding and contains approximately 580 photographs as well as some ephemera. Images include photographs (including football games) from the U.S. military base near Augsburg from 1949 to 1950; recreational visits to Augsburg, Berchtesgaden (including the Eagle's Nest), Garmisch, Bonn, Heidelberg, and Frankfurt am Main in Germany, Salzburg and Vienna in Austria, and locations in the Netherlands, France, and Italy; wounded American soldiers encountered during a visit to a hospital in Munich; and 24 views of the former concentration camp in Dachau. Other images of note include photographs of a wedding between Vera's friends Mary and John and sporadic images unrelated to post-war Europe that were taken during past vacations including trips to Colorado, Utah, and El Paso, Texas.

Volume 4 (1950-1951)

This album (34.5 x 28 cm) has red leather covers and red satin lining and contains approximately 125 photographs as well as some ephemera. The first page bears the inscription "Merry Christmas! Gene, 1951, Augsburg, Germany" as well as a photograph of Vera and Gene seated together at a table. Images include numerous snapshots of friends and soldiers engaged in social activities taken on the Augsburg military base as well as photographs (including real photo postcards) taken in other European locations such as Venice, Pisa, Florence, Cannes, Amiens, and Paris. Numerous individuals are identified through captions. Also present is a tissue with lipstick kisses and a tuft of blonde hair, while several photographs and ephemeral items are stored loose towards the back of the album.

The individual captioned as "me" in a number of photographs in Volume 3 appears to be Vera. She also appears regularly in the pictures of Volume 1 (also identified as "me" in captions) as well as Volume 4, but does not appear at all in Volume 2. Gene appears for the first time outside of Volume 2 in the final few pages of Volume 3, where he is initially introduced in a portrait with the caption "Gene Forman - Eibsee Hotel, June 1950"; this portrait is followed by a full page of photos of Gene. Given that Volume 2 seems to portray Gene's time in Friedburg and most of Volume 3 seems to represent Vera's personal experiences in Augsburg and traveling elsewhere in Europe, it appears that they may have been unacquainted prior to June 1950. By October 1950 the two appear to be acting as a couple, as documented in a travel bureau itinerary present at the end of Volume 3 that details a four-day program in Naples for "Miss Masuch and Mr. Forman." The couple also appears together in Volume 4, though in this instance the "me" captions refer to Gene and not Vera, suggesting that he was the primary creator of that album.

Collection

Velma Reynolds Loehr correspondence, 1904-1908

9 items

This collection is made up of letters that Velma Reynolds Loehr received from family members and a friend between 1904 and 1908. Her correspondents reported on farm life, social events, and other news from Danvers and Le Roy, Illinois.

This collection is made up of 9 letters that Velma Reynolds Loehr received from family members and a friend between 1904 and 1908. The first letter, written by Sadie Yoder in Danvers, Illinois, largely concerns the women's upcoming marriages (February 14, 1904). Members of the Reynolds family, including Velma's father, Gould J. Reynolds, and her siblings Ora, Dolly, [Clinton], and Maude, wrote the remaining letters. Writing from Le Roy, Illinois, they commented on farm work, household chores, news of family and friends, and their social activities, including trips to Bloomington, Illinois, and a street fair in Le Roy. Dolly Reynolds reported that an acquaintance continued to make paper flowers, despite having been married (May 5, 1904), and C. Reynolds (likely Clinton) discussed his plans to work in a canning factory (June 6, 1906). Several of Velma's correspondents mentioned the growth of her sons. Maude Reynolds enclosed two small plants in her letter of July 31, 1906.

Collection

Vashti Detwiler Garwood collection, 1827-1990 (majority within 1834-1896)

0.5 linear feet

This collection contains correspondence, diaries, ephemera, photographs, and other material related to Vashti Detwiler Garwood, a schoolteacher and physician in Ohio, Massachusetts, Kansas, and Michigan. The collection documents her experiences teaching school in Ohio and Massachusetts, as well as her coursework at the Boston University School of Medicine. Also included are additional photographs of her family and a published history of the Novy-Garwood families.

This collection (0.5 linear feet) contains correspondence, diaries, ephemera, photographs, and other material related to Vashti Detwiler Garwood. The material documents her experiences teaching school in Ohio and Massachusetts, as well as her coursework at the Boston University School of Medicine. Also included are additional photographs of her family and a published history of the Novy and Garwood families.

The Correspondence series is comprised of 16 personal letters between members of the Cannon family of Pennsylvania and members of the Detwiler and Garwood families. The Cannon siblings wrote and received three letters between 1862 and 1864, sharing recent news such as local deaths. Isaiah Cannon also informed his brother, D. H. Cannon, of his intention to enlist in the Union Army (February 1, 1864).

The remaining 13 letters relate to Vashti Detwiler Garwood, including several from her mother-in-law, Angeline Garwood (1805-1881), who reported family news from Lewisburg, Ohio. Vashti received a letter from Spencer Willard Garwood, her future husband, written while he served in the 132nd Ohio Infantry Regiment during the Civil War; he provided some of his impressions of the South and shared updates about his regiment (July 7, 1864). In one late letter, W. H. Berkey, editor of the Vigilant, responded to her letter concerning conditions within the Cassopolis Jail in Cassopolis, Michigan; the Women's Christian Temperance Union believed Garwood's previously printed letter a fraud, though a clipping attached to the letter respects the Vigilant's verification of her identity (September 19, 1896).

Vashti Detwiler Garwood kept 5 Diaries and Journals between 1858 and 1868, most of which concern her experiences as a schoolteacher in Ohio and Massachusetts, as well as the early years of her married life in Fort Scott, Kansas. She wrote sporadically until the fall of 1864, when she began composing entries more frequently. Some of the journals document overlapping periods of time. Along with her experiences, she often recorded her thoughts and emotions, frequently related to her religious beliefs and her relationships. Her small pocket journal, kept throughout 1860, also contains quotations, algebra problems, and financial accounts. One late, undated entry in the journal, written between January 1, 1859, and December 31, 1864, is a lament composed after her failed attempt to win admission to Mount Holyoke Female Seminary. Her final journal, kept between January 2, 1865, and September 8, 1868, occasionally refers to military developments during the Civil War, and contains a brief allusion to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln (April 15, 1865). The series also holds a typescript of diary entries written between January 16, 1864, and September 27, 1864, made from a diary in the collection.

The Writings are 4 jokes and humorous anecdotes, including 1 referencing Native Americans; 6 poems, often sentimental in nature; a list of quotations and a set of notes; an 8-page lesson on "The Rainbow," composed in a question-and-answer format; and 2 essays on writing compositions, totaling around 3 and a half pages. One of the latter compositions is signed by Vashti Detwiler Garwood.

The first subseries of Documents and Ephemera holds items related to Vashti Detwiler Garwood's studies at the Boston University School of Medicine between 1880 and 1881, including tickets verifying her membership in the class and permission to attend lectures, an order of lectures for 1880-1881, 2 commencement tickets, and several items attesting to her successful completion of individual courses. Other material includes a printed circular addressed to students, which states the faculty's commitment to the fair treatment of women (February 5, 1882); tuition receipts; and an event program, printed in Latin. Other Documents and Ephemera are three manuscript slips attesting to Hiram Garwood's good conduct in school, funeral notices, invitations, and 3 printed, colorful cards presented to Martha and Vashti Detwiler as "reward[s] of merit."

The Recipes series (5 items) contains several recipes, including 2 individual items and a three-page sheet containing many recipes, a fragment from a food-related account, and a bill of fare.

Visual Material (22 items) includes photographic portraits and snapshots of members of the Detwiler and Garwood families, both identified and anonymous; a photograph of President James A. Garfield; a postcard depicting the University of Michigan's 1908 commencement exercises, with Vashti Detwiler Garwood marked; and a colored illustration of a woman. The collection also contains a cased ambrotype portrait of Christian Detwiler and Vashti, his daughter, taken in the fall of 1853, and a bound "Souvenir of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania" containing several views of the town.

Printed Material (22 items) consists of 16 newspaper clippings, most of which contain poetry or recipes; an educational pamphlet entitled The Family Bible Teacher, number 18 in a series; a newsletter from the Greenwich Academy, which mentions an upcoming visit by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow; 1 of Vashti Detwiler Garwood’s calling cards; and 2 small cards printed with memory- and friendship-themed mottos.

Also included is a copy of the Novy-Garwood Family Record and Connections, a book published in 1990.

Artifacts include a leather wallet purchased by Christian Detwiler in 1827, a circular wooden box, a paper doll, and several outfits for the doll.

The collection also holds 6 pages of Genealogy notes.

Collection

Van Vechten family collection, 1672-1947 (majority within 1768-1896)

1 linear foot

This collection is made up of correspondence, military documents, financial records, and other items related to the Van Vechten (also Van Veghten) family of Albany and Catskill, New York, and Detroit, Michigan. Most of the material dates from the mid-1700s to the late 1800s.

This collection is made up of correspondence, military documents, financial records, and other items related to the Van Vechten (also Van Veghten) family of Albany and Catskill, New York, and Detroit, Michigan. Most of the material dates from the mid-1700s to the late 1800s.

Two loose Correspondence items are a letter from Abraham Van Vechten to Harmanus Bleecker regarding news from Albany, New York, and local politics (January 20, 1813) and a letter that Abraham Van Vechten received from an acquaintance (November 10, 1813).

The Scrapbook (37 pages), currently disbound, contains printed and manuscript documents, notes, and other items from the late 1700s and early 1800s. Military records include muster rolls and related registers concerning Samuel Van Vechten's Continental Army company; a muster roll for John Van Vechten's company of the 66th Regiment of New York militia, pertaining to his service in the War of 1812; and military commissions for Samuel and John Van Vechten, signed by Cadwallader Colden and Daniel D. Tompkins. A Revolutionary War parole claim and several additional documents concern Jonathan, Lucas, and other members of the Elmendorff family. Additional items include a land survey conducted by Samuel Van Vechten in 1773, indentures pertaining to lands in the state of New York, a political broadsheet printed by the Albany Argus (October 12, 1824), and a letter from George Clinton to Christopher Tappen dated July 1, 1768.

The Orderly Book (34 pages) pertains to John Van Vechten's service in the New York Milita in the War of 1812. Orders, dated September 14, 1814-November 29, 1814, concern troop movements, drills and parades, and logistical matters. John's son Peter presented the volume to his own son, James, in 1913.

The Financial Records series contains loose and bound items. The Accounts subseries (7 items) contains brief notes and calculations; an undated document by Philip Phelps of the Albany Comptroller's office is also present.

Two Account Books belonged to members of the Van Vechten family in the 18th century. The first (approximately 310 pages) contains records dated from approximately 1672-1752, some of which were written in Dutch. The second half of this volume is an extensive genealogical record of the Van Vechten family and related families, compiled by Peter Van Vechten in the early to mid-1890s. The second account book (approximately 260 pages), which may have belonged to Teunis Van Vechten (1707-1785), contains records pertaining to individuals customers, dated from approximately 1768 to 1787 (bulk 1770s). Most entries pertain to sales of foodstuffs and related services, such as grinding wheat; at least one customer regularly paid for postage. Many of the individuals referenced in the volume were residents of Catskill, New York, including farmers, blacksmiths, and other laborers.

The Maps series includes 3 Loose Maps and a Survey Book. The individual maps include John Van Vechten's manuscript survey of lands along Batavia Kill; a printed map of the "Hollow Land" in the Netherlands, including the area around Amsterdam, showing city locations, the North Sea, and the Zuiderzee; and a blueprint map of lands belonging to Teunis Van Veghte [sic] in September 26, 1770. Samuel Van Vechten's Survey Book (approximately 40 pages) contains instructions for conducting land surveys, with illustrated examples and problems. Some pages bear small sketches of buildings.

The Photographs series (5 items) includes reproduced 19th-century portraits of Charlotte Scott, Harmon William Van Veghten, and Mary Jane Tigert, as well as a 20th-century portrait of John J. Tigert IV. The final item is a photograph of a house that belonged to the Schuyler family.

The undated Recipe Book contains manuscript instructions for making cakes, puddings, custard, blancmange, whipped cream, and other items. Newspaper clippings pasted into the front page include recipes for numerous types of cakes and puddings.

The Genealogy series (13 items) includes manuscript and typed notes about the Van Veghten (or Van Vechten) and Schuneman families, genealogical charts and trees pertaining to the Vanderpool and Van Vechten families, and reproduced images of manuscript notes about the Van Vechten family. Also included is a reproduced image of the Van Vechten family crest. The notes concern persons born as early as the mid-1600s and as late as the mid-1940s. Additional genealogical material may be found in one of the collection's account books (see above).

Miscelleanous material (5 items) includes fragments and an etching of a man and dog in front of a country home.

Collection

Van Dusen family collection, 1867-1918 (majority within 1867-1870, 1912)

27 items

This collection is made up of personal letters addressed to members of the Van Dusen family and to Warren C. Howe of Warren County, New York. The primary groups of correspondence are Edwin Van Dusen's letters to his brother Henry about life in Chillicothe, Missouri, in the late 1860s; letters from Sophia Wilkins to Ira Van Dusen about her life and work in Caldwell, New York, where she taught school in 1869 and 1870; and letters from "Anna" to Warren C. Howe about her daily activities in Thurman, New York, in early 1912.

This collection is made up of 27 personal letters addressed to members of the Van Dusen family and to Warren C. Howe of Warren County, New York. The first 9 items include 8 letters that Edwin Van Dusen sent to his brother Henry from May 20, 1867-May 10, 1869; his letter of June 26, 1867, is addressed to "Dear Sir." Edwin wrote about his travels in Missouri and his life in Chillicothe, where he and his wife Harriet settled in May or June 1867. He wrote about the prairie, some of the difficulties in settling in a new locale, and the popularity of land speculation in the area. By the time he sent his final letter, he planned to return to New York. He mentioned Fourth of July celebrations of Chillicothe's African-American community in his letter of June 26, 1867.

The second group of items consists of 13 letters that M. Sophia Watkins sent to Ira Van Dusen from March 19, 1869-October 31, 1870. She discussed aspects of her life in Caldwell (now Lake George), New York, including her experiences as a schoolteacher. She also mentioned her leisure activities, which included attendance at religious services and camp meetings, and visiting "the falls." Her letter of September 6, 1869, offers condolences following the death of Ira's father, Abraham Van Dusen. The collection also contains letters from Julia [Van Dusen] to one of her brothers (July 17, 1870) and from Zina Van Dusen to Henry Van Dusen (September 24, 1876). In his letter, Zina described his life in the state of Washington and the exploits of the Seattle Coal & Transportation Company; he also mentioned the flourishing Seattle fish market and discussed salmon species.

The final 4 letters are signed by "Anna Mac R." (possibly Anna Ramsey). From January 5, 1912, to February 25, 1912, she sent letters to Warren C. Howe of Lake George, New York, regarding her social life in Thurman, New York. She encouraged Warren to visit in the summer when her father would be gone, though she later reconsidered, and teased him about marriage. Her final letter, written from Stony Creek, New York, on September 3, 1918, is addressed to Warren's wife (who was also Anna's sister). Anna explained some of the difficulties she faced as a new teacher entering an unruly classroom, and commented on the locals' hospitality.

Collection

Vanderpool religious journal, 1833-1841, 1866, 1885

1 volume

The Vanderpool religious journal contains religious diary entries from three authors over the course of 52 years.

The Vanderpool religious journal contains religious diary entries from three authors over the course of 52 years. The journalists began their portions of the volume with brief biographical introductions, and offered numerous musings on their relationships to religion. The first, and most prolific, writer began his biographical note with an account of his conversion, and on August 14, 1833, started his daily diary entries, which focused on the impact of religion on his life. After August 31, entries became more sporadic until a final note on January 1, 1841.

The second portion of the journal is dated November 14, 1866, and contains a brief autobiographical note about the author, likely C. W. Vanderpool, including indications of strong religious convictions. A loose paper inserted into this section of the volume indicates that the book was a gift to C. W. Vanderpool from his mother, Helen Elmira Vanderpool, of Buffalo, New York.

The third body of material in the journal consists of two pages written in January 1885 by a member of the Young Men's Christian Association, and relates primarily to attendance at several religious meetings and other events. This section of the volume concludes on January 30, 1885.

The journal also contains "Exertations from the following texts," which is a list of Bible verses and brief lines taken from them.

Collection

Valley Forge Headquarters orderly book, 1778

55 pages (1 volume)

The Valley Forge Headquarters orderly book (55 pages) contains the general orders and brigade orders issued by Continental Army headquarters at Valley Forge during winter encampment, from January 20-February 22, 1778.

The Valley Forge Headquarters orderly book (55 pages) contains the general orders and brigade orders issued from Continental Army headquarters at Valley Forge during winter encampment of January 20-February 22, 1778. An anonymous American officer, stationed at the "Head Quarters, Great Valley," recorded the orders. Each entry provides the signal, the names the field officers on duty, and the brigade major on duty. Later, the author made grammatical corrections to the volume.

Entries primarily concern disciplinary actions and courts-martial decisions for soldiers in Continental Army regiments. The most common crimes were stealing, drunken fights, and desertion attempts. The Commander-in-Chief, George Washington, is mentioned frequently, and on page 47 the author refers to General Washington by name. Orders also concern parade duty, officers' meetings, and rations and supplies. Brigade orders deal almost exclusively with alcohol use.

Two notable entries describe the role of women at Valley Forge:
  • "A report having circulated that Mr. Jones [D.C: of I. Jones] had granted a pass to a woman to carry 3 [lbs] of Butter Philadelphia, the Matter has been inquired into, and appears to be without foundation" (February 3, 1778).
  • "The most Pernicious consequences having arisen from persons, women in particular being allowed to pass & repass from Philadelphia to camp, under pretense of coming out to visit their friends in the army, & returning with necessities for their families, but, really, with an intent to intice the soldiers to desert...[officers must forbid] the soldiers, under the severest penalties, from having any communication with such persons" (February 4, 1778).

This volume holds a loose fragment containing brigade orders for August 23, 1777, and a list of men found guilty by a court-martial (located between pages 1-2).

Collection

Vallette de Laudun, Relation de Voyage de la Louisiane en forme de Lettres Ecrites à une Dame en l'année 1720, [18th century]

1 volume

Relation du Voyage de la Louisiane en forme de Lettres Ecrites à une Dame en l'année 1720 is an 18th-century manuscript compilation of 132 letters written by Vallette de Laudun during a French expedition to Dauphin Island, in the Gulf of Mexico.

Relation du Voyage de la Louisiane en forme de Lettres Ecrites à une Dame en l'année 1720 (7" x 9.75", 285 pages) is an 18th-century manuscript compilation of 132 letters that Vallette de Laudun wrote during a French expedition to Dauphin Island in the Gulf of Mexico between March 9-November 13, 1720. The 262-member crew embarked from Toulon, France, on the ship Toulouse, encountering Madeira, Martinique, Saint-Domingue, and Cuba before entering the Gulf of Mexico. Following a month at Dauphin Island, the expedition returned to France. Addressing an anonymous female friend, de Laudun described events of particular interest along the journey, including baptisms celebrated by Jesuits who were part of the expedition. Prior to his title page, de Laudun also listed the numbers of officers, crewmen, and servants on board the Toulouse upon its departure.

Collection

Vacation Travel Photograph Album, 1901-1910

approximately 260 photographs in 1 volume

The Vacation travel photograph album contains a mixture of approximately 260 commercial and amateur photographs documenting a series of vacations to California, a Lake Michigan cottage, Alaska, and Canada.

The Vacation travel photograph album contains a mixture of approximately 260 commercial and amateur photographs documenting a series of vacations to California, a Lake Michigan cottage, Alaska, and Canada. The album (18 x 30 cm) has black cloth covers with two rivets. California-related photographs include views of beach scenes at Santa Catalina and La Jolla; the Theosophical Society Homestead and Temple on Point Loma; a cutler at work at his donkey-drawn cart; crates of fruit at a railroad station; passengers stretching their legs beside a stationary train; and Mount Lowe Railway and Observatory. Other Western photographs include views of pueblos and adobe buildings in New Mexico Territory.

A series of approximately 70 photographs taken in 1902 show a summer sojourn at Pine Knot Cottage, Macatewa, on Lake Michigan and includes interior and exterior cottage views, beach scenes, sailing a small boat on the lake, and views of the Hotel Ottawa. One whimsical snapshot shows a man standing on his head while being photographed by a man and woman holding a box camera. Images of a traveling party to Alaska include views of the group onboard a steamer and making stops in southeast Alaska; a street view of Wrangell; Tlingit totem poles in Wrangell and Fort Tongass; and commercial photographs of a Greek Church interior and Indian River Park in Sitka.

Additional photographs show Lake Agnes and the Canadian Rockies; Washington Park in Springfield, Illinois; Wall Street, Trinity Church Cemetery, and Grant's Tomb in New York City; Mission San Jose and Mission Concepcion in San Antonio, Texas; and bison and black bears, including a photograph of two men feeding a bear off the back of a wooden cart.

Collection

Vacation days on the Cedar River photograph album, 1915

1 volume

The Vacation days on the Cedar River photograph album contains 11 photographs of a summer cottage and vacation along the Cedar River, Cedar Rapids, Iowa in 1915.

The Vacation days on the Cedar River photograph album contains 11 photographs of a summer cottage and vacation along the Cedar River in 1915. The inside front cover page includes a typed note naming Miss Christine Peper, likely the owner of the album, and William Baylis, a landscape photographer based in Cedar Rapids. William Baylis' name can be found on the back of each photograph. The images show people canoeing, fishing, sawing, and eating watermelon on the porch of a small cottage. On the inside back cover page, below a photograph of the cottage, is a typed note stating, "This summer-cottage on the Cedar river is for rent by the day, week or month. EVERY SEASON." Two photographs appear to have been torn out.

The album is 18 x 14 cm with black paper covers. The front cover includes a pasted on photograph of a sailboat. "Vacation Days on the Cedar River - Billy's Cottage, 1915, Cedar Rapids, Iowa" is handwritten on the front cover in white

Collection

US Sloop Marion log book, 1861-1862

1 volume

This log book chronicles the actions of the United States Navy sloop Marion between June 1861 and January 1862. During this time, the Marion was stationed at Key West, Florida; "Ships Island"; and Dog Island, Florida, as part of the Gulf Blockading Squadron. Entries pertain to the ship's movements and sails, crew discipline, and other naval matters.

This log book (106 pages) chronicles the actions of the United States Navy sloop Marion between June 29, 1861, and January 24, 1862. During this time, the Marion was stationed at Key West, Florida; "Ships Island"; and Dog Island, Florida, as part of the Gulf Blockading Squadron. The emph page is signed by Edward A. Pendexter of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and the first few pages of entries are signed by officers including John W. Brown, G. F. Philbrick, W. H. Swaine (or Swain), G. F. Pendleton, and J. W. Philips. The Marion served under the command of William H. Ball (June 29, 1861-September 13, 1861), N[athan] C. Bryant (September 14, 1861-November 7, 1861), and George W. Doty (November 7, 1861-January 24, 1862). The log notes Ball's burial at sea on September 13, 1861.

The Marion's log entries pertain to aspects of daily life onboard the ship, such as the use of sails, crew exercises, and ship and gun maintenance. Some refer to punishments for disrespect, intoxication, and attempted desertion; the affected sailors were often bound in irons. During the Marion's time at sea, the log provides information about the ship's course, winds, the temperature, and barometer readings, reported every few hours. The Marion sometimes encountered other ships, most often Union vessels, and its crew sometimes heard distant gunfire. The log includes at least one mention of a court martial (January 10, 1862). A small piece of paper with brief log entries dated July 27 and August 1 (no year given) is laid into the volume.

Collection

US Ship Java and US Ship Delaware crew lists, [ca. 1830s?]

1 volume

This volume contains crew lists for the US Ships Java and Delaware, compiled around the 1830s. The lists are mainly organized by sailors' stations.

This volume contains crew lists for the US Ships Java (29 pages) and Delaware (25 pages), compiled around the 1830s. The crew list for the Java was created while the ship served under the command of Commodore James Biddle and Captain Charles W. Skinner. The names of officers and sailors are organized into seven divisions, further divided into crews for each of the ship's guns (under the command of lieutenants) and sails. The crew of the Java included a small number of marines and numerous firemen and "wenchmen." The crew list for the Delaware is similarly subdivided into groups stationed in various parts of the ship and at various sails. The crew lists begin from opposite covers, and several pages have been torn out of the volume.

Collection

U.S. Serviceman’s Letters, Stams (Austria), 1945

5 items

This collection contains 5 letters from a man named George, who wrote to his mother while he served with the United States Armed Forces in Stams, Austria, during May and June 1945. He told his mother of his daily life, recounted a day trip to nearby Innsbruck, and shared news of acquaintances from the United States.

"George," a member of the United States Armed Forces, wrote 5 letters (9.5 pages) to his mother while stationed in Stams, Austria, in May and June 1945.

He often reported receiving and sending correspondence and packages, including a shipment of fudge that had spoiled (May 12, 1945), and responded to news of people he knew in the United States. Occasionally, he mentioned the draft and the possibility of acquaintances serving in the military, and in one letter commented on the death of a friend named Bert Vollmer, who had also served in Europe (May 29, 1945). George wrote about various aspects of military life, such as inspections, and remarked about the weather and daily life in Austria. He mentioned the work of local citizens, who spent most of their time farming, and in his letter of June 10, 1945, he described the haying process. On May 31, 1945, he wrote of a recent trip to nearby Innsbruck, where he went skiing and attended an opera, and reported that the military had resumed censorship of soldiers' letters.

Collection

U.S. Serviceman's letters, Manila (Philippines), 1945

8 items

This collection is made up of letters that a United States serviceman sent to his wife while traveling to and serving in the Philippines between July and September 1945. The letters pertain to religion, leisure activities, a Japanese surrender delegation, and other subjects.

This collection is made up of 8 letters that a United States serviceman sent to his wife while traveling to and serving in the Philippines in August and September 1945. In his first two letters, "Jake" wrote about aspects of his journey across the Pacific Ocean, including weather conditions and a religious service held onboard his ship (July 2, 1945, and undated). After arriving in Manila, he described the destruction in and around the Intramuros district and discussed his life in an unfinished camp, where soldiers used their helmets to hold shaving water. He mentioned repeated thefts from soldiers' footlockers, and the prevalence of scorpions, lizards, and other animals. In his letter of August 21, 1945, Jake lightly criticized Catholic chaplains. This letter also contains an account of a 16-man Japanese surrender delegation, which Jake spotted while retrieving his mail; he noted the differences between the ornately decorated Japanese uniforms and the Americans' plain khakis.

Collection

U.S. Serviceman's diary, Italy, 1943-1945

1 volume

This diary pertains to a United States serviceman's experiences in Italy between October 1943 and September 1945. He kept records regarding his correspondence and commented briefly on his travels in the Mediterranean and some of his daily activities.

This pocket diary (95 pages) pertains to a United States serviceman's experiences in Italy between October 1943 and September 1945. The volume's inside front cover contains a partial itinerary of the soldier's European service, as well as a woman's photograph (cut out in the shape of her head). The diary entries are mostly arranged chronologically, with some small sections appearing out of place. The author regularly reported on his correspondence, particularly with a woman named Ann, and recorded addresses on the book's final 2 pages. Entries include brief comments about Mediterranean scenery, soldiers' leisure activities, and the end of the war. The author encountered Italian prisoners of war while in Morocco in late 1943, and a ship in his convoy was sunk by a German submarine while the author sailed from Morocco to Italy on the Liberty ship SS Jonathan Worth in December 1943.

Collection

US Frigates Constellation and John Adams log book, 1825-1827

1 volume

This volume contains logs for the United States Navy ships Constellation (December 1825-April 1827) and John Adams (July 1827-October 1827), kept by Alexander Hamilton Marbury.

This volume contains logs for the United States Navy ships Constellation (December 1825-April 1827) and John Adams (July 1827-October 1827), kept by Alexander Hamilton Marbury. Martha Louisa Marbury contributed a list of musical definitions and a lengthy essay on Greek and Roman history and mythology. Most pages bear traces of plants once laid between the leaves.

The bulk of the volume consists of the log of the ship Constellation from December 1, 1825-April 28, 1827, during its service in the Caribbean Sea under the command of Melancthon Taylor Woolsey and, after mid-February 1827, under Commodore Charles G. Ridgely. Alexander Hamilton Marbury wrote daily entries about the ship's movements, the use of sails, encounters with other vessels, and daily occurrences onboard and in port. While at sea, Marbury included hourly charts of wind direction and the ship's course. The Constellation sailed primarily between the ports of Port Comfort, Havana, Pensacola, Matanzas, and Newark. The log of the John Adams, which contains similar entries, pertains to the ship's Caribbean and Atlantic service under Edward R. Shubrick between July 27, 1827, and October 16, 1827. The ship sailed from and returned to Pensacola; the final entries refer to a trip to Virginia.

The final part of the volume is in the handwriting of Martha Louisa Marbury, who lived in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. She copied a list of Italian musical terms and definitions (2 pages) and wrote a lengthy essay about Greek and Roman history and mythology (28 pages). Some parts of the later essay pages have been removed from the volume.

Collection

US Frigate Potomac collection, 1844-1847 (majority within 1844-1845)

2 volumes

The US Frigate Potomac collection is made up of a letter book and logbook concerning the ship's service along the Atlantic coast, in the Gulf of Mexico, and in the Caribbean in the mid-1840s. The letter book contains correspondence between Captain John Gwinn and various navy officials from 1844-1847, and the log chronicles daily incidents onboard the Potomac from 1844-1845.

The US Frigate Potomac collection is made up of a letter book and log book concerning the ship's service along the Atlantic coast, in the Gulf of Mexico, and in the Caribbean in the mid-1840s.

The Letter Book contains 107 pages of copied outgoing letters that John Gwinn wrote to various United States Navy personnel, such as Secretaries of the Navy John Y. Mason and George Bancroft, from October 11, 1844-December 29, 1847 (primarily in 1844 and 1845). The first letter is a copy of the Navy Department's official order for Gwinn to assume command of the Potomac, and the remaining letters pertain to the ship's service along the Atlantic coast, in the Gulf of Mexico, and in the Caribbean. Gwinn discussed the ship's movements, personnel, and maintenance. Many letters concern a leak sustained by the Potomac and its repair, and another group of letters addresses Gwinn's concern about possible cases of yellow fever on another ship. Gwinn wrote far less frequently after the Potomac's arrival at the Gosport Shipyard in December 1846, and his later correspondence includes a lengthy letter from Philadelphia with his opinions regarding possible improvements to the Pensacola Navy Yard (February 2, 1846). A letter by Gwinn dated July 3, 1847, is laid into the volume's back pages, alongside a transcription written directly into the book.

The Potomac's Journal (198 pages) is a log of the ship's movements and incidents onboard, with daily entries covering October 16, 1844-December 17, 1845. Entries written while the Potomac was at sea include charts with hourly records of the ship's course and wind direction, and every entry has prose remarks, often concerning weather conditions. The remarks also address issues such as activities at various ports, encounters with other ships, rations and cargo, and crew discipline and deaths. This log was compiled while the Potomac visited ports such as Norfolk, Pensacola, Port Royal, Port-au-Prince, Havana, and Veracruz. The final entry was written as the ship entered dry dock at the Gosport Shipyard. Two sheets of blotting paper are laid into the volume.

Collection

U.S. Army Hospital Ship Marigold diary, 1944-1945

1 volume

The U.S. Army Hospital Ship Marigold diary concerns a payroll clerk's experiences on the Marigold during a tour of duty in the Pacific Theater in the Second World War. The diarist described daily life onboard the ship, discussed crew discipline, and noted the places he visited. Hand-drawn illustrations and maps depict the Marigold's voyage through the Panama Canal and sections of the Papua New Guinea coast.

The U.S. Army Hospital Ship Marigold diary (105 pages) concerns a payroll clerk's experiences on the Marigold during a tour of duty in the Pacific Theater in the Second World War. The diarist described daily life onboard the ship, discussed crew discipline, and noted the places he visited. Hand-drawn illustrations and maps depict the Marigold's voyage through the Panama Canal and sections of the Papua New Guinea coast.

The first entry is dated in Charleston, South Carolina, on October 9, 1944, just prior to the Marigold's departure for the Pacific Ocean. The diary covers the author's daily experiences and observations through May 5, 1945, including his descriptions of scenery and details about ship life. In mid-October, he wrote about and sketched the journey through the Panama Canal (pp. 2-10). In November, he reported that the 6th had been "cancelled" as the ship crossed the International Date Line (p. 26) and that the 11th had been celebrated for the armistice (p. 28). His comments on everyday routines and experiences included observations on passengers, the weather, crew discipline, submarine scares, and air raids. Further entries follow the ship's progress toward New Guinea and the Philippines, where he mentioned destroyed cities such as Manila and its harbor (pp. 90-95). At the time of the final entry (May 5, 1945), the Marigold had just passed Hawaii on its return journey to the United States.

In addition to the Panama Canal sketch, the diary has maps of the Marigold's layout (p. 18); Finchhaven, Papua New Guinea (p. 29); the port at Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea (p. 38); and Hollandia Bay, Papua New Guinea (p. 58).

Collection

Uriah Lee family collection, 1850-1912

39 items

The Uriah Lee family collection (39 items) contains 32 letters, 3 diaries, and 4 additional items related to Lyman Uriah Lee of Foxcroft, Maine. Uriah Lee wrote 27 letters to his family while serving in the Union Army during the Civil War, his brother Leonard wrote 3 letters while serving with the Union Army at Fort Sumter, and family members exchanged 2 additional letters. Also included are 3 diaries that Elizabeth M. Lee kept between 1851 and 1878, a poem, Uriah Lee's discharge papers, and a photograph.

The Uriah Lee family collection (39 items) contains 32 letters, 3 diaries, and 4 additional items (1850-1912) related to Lyman Uriah Lee of Foxcroft, Maine. Uriah Lee wrote 27 letters to his family while serving in the Union Army during the Civil War, his brother Leonard wrote 3 letters while serving with the Union Army at Fort Sumter, and family members exchanged 2 additional letters. Also included are 3 diaries that Elizabeth M. Lee kept between 1851 and 1878, a poem, and Uriah Lee's discharge papers.

The Correspondence series (32 items) contains 27 letters that Uriah Lee wrote to his family while serving in North Carolina, Virginia, and Washington, D. C. Lee provided details about his daily life as a soldier, and discussed soldiers' attitudes toward officers, food, and clothing; encounters with former slaves; the weather; and political issues. He also mentioned specific battles, and his letter of May 18, 1863, includes a hand-drawn map of his company's route from New Berne, North Carolina, to Washington, D. C. Leonard Lee wrote 3 letters during his Civil War military service, and discussed similar topics. In his postwar letters, Uriah Lee offered advice to his younger siblings and discussed family affairs. Anne Lee wrote a letter to Lyman Lee in which she recounted the events surrounding the death of a man named Edward, and Chauncey received an unsigned letter about his wife Eva's visit to the writer.

Elizabeth Lee kept 3 Diaries between July 1851 and November 1878, concerning her thoughts and activities as a wife and mother. Among other topics, she discussed housework, the weather, her family, social engagements, and religion. Most of her entries are brief lines about the weather and the housework she was able to finish, with details of church meetings provided every few days.

The Documents, Poetry, and Miscellaneous series is comprised of 5 items. Fanny Hosier wrote Uriah Lee a poem that reflected positively on Southern rights and secession. Uriah Lee's military discharge papers from 1863 and 1865 are also included. A piece of ephemera illustrates 4 badges of the Grand Army of the Republic.

Collection

Upstate New York and Maryland Photograph Album, 1900s

approximately 105 photographs in 1 volume

The Upstate New York and Maryland photograph album contains approximately 105 images showing scenes from Upstate New York and rural Maryland.

The Upstate New York and Maryland photograph album contains approximately 105 images showing scenes from Upstate New York and rural Maryland. The album (21 x 31 cm) has brown cloth covers, is disbound, and bears the signature "Ruth E. Wilcox" inside the front cover. New York-related images of interest include rural views of Brewerton and Onandaga; Owasco Lake; the interior of a blacksmith's shop with the smithy at work; and scenes from around Syracuse including Dorwin Springs Road, Furman Road, the aftermath of the Salinas Street fire, the illuminated interior of the Alhambra auditorium, home interiors, and numerous flower arrangements. Two photographs also show a man sitting in a horse-drawn wagon filled with flowers and outfitted with the lettering "Henry Burt, Florist."

Approximately 35 photographs show rural scenes from Maryland, including farmyard views, groups of African Americans including a farm family, as well as a group portrait of twelve African American men posed with baseball equipment.

Collection

Upper Michigan Vacation Photograph Album, 1899-1901

approximately 125 photographs and 1 program in 1 volume

The Upper Michigan vacation photograph album contains approximately 125 photographs and 1 program related to summer vacations in northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula.

The Upper Michigan vacation photograph album contains approximately 125 photographs and 1 program related to summer vacations in northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. The album (25.2 x 21 cm) is half bound in burgundy leather with black cloth boards. Photographs of interest include views of tent camping on the shores of Brevort Lake in Mackinac County, with outdoor cooking, picnics, local Ojibwa guides operating a boat named the "John Boucher", fishing and boating, berry picking, and a group of Ojibwa Indians including "Chief Tail Feather" performing for the camera; snapshots of "Old Mr. Massey, the Blacksmith of Brevoort," inside his log cabin; and the exterior of the cabin of Frank Budney, trapper and guide, with snow shoes and a hand-made grinding wheel. Mackinac Island-related photos show the fort and Arch Rock. Also included are photographs taken on the Detroit River showing a revenue cutter (the USS Yantic) and a sailing ship loaded with lumber; there is one photograph of the railroad ferry Saint Marie, and one photograph of the locks at Sault Ste. Marie. Many photos have manuscript captions and are dated.

Also present is a laid in program from the 1890 Columbus (Ohio) High School Graduation ceremony.

Collection

Upper Alton Presbyterian Sabbath School Society minutes, 1842-1850

1 volume

This volume contains the constitution and meeting minutes of the Upper Alton Presbyterian Sabbath School Society, recorded between 1842 and 1850. Minutes often included the names of teachers present and the number of students, separated by gender.

This volume (6" x 7.5", about 225 pages) contains the constitution and meeting minutes of the Upper Alton Presbyterian Sabbath School Society, recorded between January 5, 1842, and July 14, 1850. The first 2 pages are comprised of the society's constitution, along with the names of 20 members, followed by around 225 pages of weekly notes. The group's secretaries regularly recorded brief meeting minutes every Sunday with occasional gaps, most notably between April 1846 and June 1848. Meetings generally opened and closed with prayer or singing, and the minutes often include the names of teachers present and the number of students in attendance, separated by gender. Some sets of minutes, especially those composed at the beginning of each calendar year, note additional occurrences, such as officers' resignations and the results of the group's annual elections. On January 19, 1845, the society read a communication about the death of a devout Seneca Indian boy, and on January 21, 1849, the society mourned the loss of a girl who had previously attended Sabbath school meetings. The minutes dated after January 1850 refer to teachers' accounts with the group's library, and the minutes from February [1 or 7], 1850, consist of a list of Sabbath school scholars. The Upper Alton Presbyterian Sabbath School Society's secretaries between 1842 and 1850 included Benjamin Walker, Samuel H. Archer, Moses H. Long, Eliakim Thorp, E. Cunningham, and James Newman.

Collection

United States War with Mexico collection, 1845-1894

0.25 linear feet

The United States War with Mexico Collection contains miscellaneous letters and documents related to the war between the United States and Mexico, 1846-1848. Topics covered by the collection include army strategy and logistics; the battles of Buena Vista, National Bridge, Vera Cruz, and Cerro Gordo; guerilla warfare; efforts to restore peace; American impressions of Mexico and its inhabitants; and many others.

The United States War with Mexico Ccollection spans March 19, 1845, to [after 1894], with the bulk concentrated around 1846 to 1848. Topics covered by the collection include army strategy and logistics; the battles of Buena Vista, National Bridge, Vera Cruz, and Cerro Gordo; guerilla warfare; efforts to restore peace; and American impressions of Mexico and its inhabitants. See the "Detailed Box and Folder Listing" for an item-level inventory of the collection.

Collection

United States Signal Corps photographic collection, 1918-1919

3 volumes, 1 box

The United States Signal Corps Photographic Collection contains approximately 1,630 photographs of the American Expeditionary Forces taken by the Signal Corps during WWI throughout the Western Front. The collection is divided into three volumes and one box, all loosely arranged by topic. General topics include destruction, battlefields and trenches, artillery, monuments, and postwar celebrations.

The United States Signal Corps photographic collection contains approximately 1,630 photos (many of which are duplicates) of the AEF taken by the Signal Corps during WWI throughout the Western Front. The collection is divided into three volumes and one box, all loosely arranged by topic. General topics include the AEF, warfare destruction, battlefields and trenches, artillery, monuments, and postwar celebrations.

Numerous photographs have handwritten and typewriter captions on the back, often stating location and subject matter. Also found on the back are different stamped inscriptions, including "Passed as Censored."

Many photos have an alpha-numeric code handwritten on verso that corresponds to the Catalogue of official A.E.F. Photographs. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1919, which can be found online through the Internet Archive.

Volume 1 contains approximately 270 photographs taken in France, Germany, Belgium, and the U.S. The bulk of these photos are of monuments in Paris, the Palace of Versailles, Rhineland-Palatinate, and unidentified rural areas depicting farmland and civilian life.

Other locations shown include the following (in order of appearance):
  • Paris, France
  • Washington, D.C.
  • Château-Thierry, France
  • Bacharach, Germany
  • Vincennes, France
  • Fontainebleau, France
  • Dordogne, France
  • Pierrefonds, France
  • Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, Germany
  • Bendorf, Germany
  • Bernkastel-Kues, Germany
  • Andernach, Germany
  • Altenahr, Germany
  • Pont-à-Mousson, France
  • Saint-Léger, Belgium
  • Humes-Jorquenay, France
  • Montsec, France
  • Varennes-en-Argonne, France
  • Joué-lès-Tours, France
  • Soissons, France
  • Brieulles-sur-Meuse, France
  • Vaux-lès-Palameix, France

Volume 2 contains approximately 270 photographs taken in France, Germany, and Belgium. Much of these photos relate to the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, destruction (both urban and rural), casualties, battlefields and trenches, artillery, cemeteries, various AEF training schools, naval operations, and prisoners.

Other locations shown include the following (in order of appearance):
  • La Ferté-sous-Jouarre, France
  • Mayschoß, Germany
  • Forest of Argonne, France
  • Brieulles-sur-Bar, France
  • Les Petites-Armoises, France
  • Varennes-en-Argonne, France
  • Exermont, France
  • Chatel-Chéhéry, France
  • Étraye, France
  • Grandpré, France
  • Cochem, Germany
  • Pinon, France
  • Saint-Remy-la-Calonne, France
  • Montfaucon-d'Argonne, France
  • Berzy-le-Sec, France
  • Dannevoux, France
  • Romagne-sous-Montfaucon, France
  • Saint-Quentin, France
  • Soissons, France
  • Ypres, France
  • Hooglede, France
  • Mouzon, Ardennes, France
  • Château-Thierry, France
  • Verdun, France
  • Metz, France
  • Rémonville, France
  • Juvigny, France
  • Péronne, France
  • Chaudun, France
  • Chavignon, France
  • Moirey-Flabas-Crépion, France
  • Reims, France
  • Cambrai, France
  • Neuvilly, France
  • Vaux-Champagne, France
  • Haudiomont, France
  • Paris, France
  • Koblenz (Coblenz), Germany
  • Oberwinter, Germany
  • Mont-Saint-Michel, France
  • Chamonix, France
  • Nanteuil-lès-Meaux, France
  • Lucy, France
  • Thiaucourt-Regniéville, France
  • Seicheprey, France
  • Nonsard-Lamarche, France
  • Colombey-les-Belles, France
  • Épieds, France
  • Boureuilles, France
  • Beaumont, France
  • Dormiers, France
  • Bertricamp, France
  • Bois de Hesse, France
  • Gondrecourt-le-Château, France
  • Langres, France
  • Le Charmel, France
  • Villers-Bretonneux, France
  • Saint-Aignan, France
  • Landreville (Ardennes), France
  • Imécourt, France
  • Nantillois, France
  • Stenay, France
  • Butgnéville, France
  • Le Mort Homme, France
  • Saint-Maur-des-Fossés, France
  • Gland, France
  • Herbeville, France
  • Vacherauville, France
  • Baleycourt, France
  • Marseilles, France
  • Vaux-Andigny, France
  • Saint-Juvin, France
  • Brieulles-sur-Meuse, France
  • Bohain-en-Vermandois, France
  • Mézy-sur-Seine, France
  • Badonviller, France
  • Bois de Belleau, France
  • Bazoches, France
  • Châteauvillain, France
  • Ploisy, France
  • Suresnes, France

Volume 3 contains approximately 270 photographs taken in France, Germany, Italy, England, Ireland, Denmark, Switzerland, and the U.S. The most substantial topics are the Treaty of Versailles, postwar parades and celebrations, Interallied Games, U.S. strategic army maps, drawings of army corps and division insignias, and aircrafts. Notable figures include President Woodrow Wilson, General John J. Pershing, Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau, President Raymond Poincaré, and Marshal Ferdinand Foch.

Other locations shown include the following (in order of appearance):
  • Chaumont, France
  • Langres, France
  • Versailles, France
  • Paris, France
  • Le Havre, France
  • Sainte-Menehould, France
  • Gironde, France
  • Château-Thierry, France
  • New York City, United States
  • Hoboken, United States
  • Bendorf, Germany
  • London, England
  • Dublin, Ireland
  • Copenhagen, Denmark
  • Montreux, Switzerland
  • Florence, Italy
  • Vinets, France
  • Reims, France

Box 1 contains approximately 820 photographs taken in France, Germany, Belgium, Monaco, and the U.S. This box contains all of the aforementioned topics supplemented by French Riviera, Loire Valley, ruins of Reims, Château de Fontainebleau, Pyrenees, Alps, AEF, and personal photographs.

Other locations shown include the following (in order of appearance):
  • Ypres, Belgium
  • Albert, France
  • Dun-sur-Meuse, France
  • Reims, France
  • Saint-Quentin, France
  • Montsec, France
  • Cantigny, France
  • Château-Thierry, France
  • Paris, France
  • Koblenz (Coblenz), Germany
  • Meaux, France
  • Vincennes, France
  • Versailles, France
  • Fontainebleau, France
  • Joinville-le-Pont, France
  • Monte Carlo, Monaco
  • Lourdes, France
  • Menton, France
  • Nimes, France
  • Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France
  • Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, France
  • Mont-Saint-Michel, France
  • Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France
  • Azay-le-Rideau, France
  • Loches, France
  • Amboise, France
  • Montrésor, France
  • Le Lude, France
  • Rigny-Ussé, France
  • Saumur, France
  • Chinon, France
  • Langeais, France
  • Blois, France
  • Saint-Savin, France
  • Luz-Saint-Sauveur, France

Collection

United States Revenue Cutter Service and Merchant Marine collection, 1780-1802

12 items

This collection is made up of correspondence and financial records related to vessels of the United States Revenue Cutter Service, United States Navy, and United States Merchant Marine in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

This collection is made up of correspondence and financial records related to vessels active in the United States Revenue Cutter Service, United States Navy, and United States Merchant Marine in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The materials relate to crews' wages, ships' cargoes and expenses, cutter construction, privateering, and other subjects. See the Detailed Box and Folder Listing for more information about each item.

The donor has collected, arranged, transcribed, and annotated each document and has written a well-researched collection description.

Collection

United States Presidents collection, 1778-1992

0.25 linear feet

The United States Presidents collection contains materials authored by, signed by, or related to presidents of the United States of America.

The United States Presidents collection consists of single items authored by, signed by, or related to presidents of the United States of America. Including personal correspondence, land deeds, official appointments, and various manuscript and printed documents, the United States Presidents collection touches broadly on presidential politics, social activity, and national affairs from 1784 to 1992.

Items of note in the collection include:
  • A manuscript description of an exchange between a Revolutionary War soldier and Andrew Jackson in 1832, in which Jackson was presented with a candle originally used to commemorate General Charles Cornwallis's defeat, intending that he should now use it to honor the victory at the Battle of New Orleans
  • A handwritten eulogy for President Benjamin Henry Harrison, describing his life, career, and character
  • Three letters by William Howard Taft, documenting the legal dispute over whiskey production in 1909
  • Nine letters written by Herbert Hoover to Wilson W. Mills between 1923 and 1952, relating to Michigan banks, and state and national politics
  • Eight Associated Press teletypes reporting on the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963

The United States Presidents collection contains a diverse array of materials that reflects broadly on personal, presidential, and national affairs. See the Detailed Box and Folder Listing for more information about each item.

Collection

United States. Army. 47th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment carte-de-visite album, [ca. 1861-1865]

1 volume

This volume contains carte-de-visite portraits of soldiers who served in the 47th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment during the Civil War, additional loose photographs, and colored lithographs of Union generals.

This pocket album primarily relates to the 47th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment. The first four images are colored printed portraits of Winfield Scott, George McClellan, Fitz John Porter, and George Stoneman. An additional printed image of the Battle of the Monitor and Merrimack appears later in the volume. The bulk of the items are 31 cartes-de-visite with formal photographic portraits of soldiers in uniform. The few named soldiers all served in the 47th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment. Three loose photographs of William H. Gausler and two unidentified men (neither in military uniform) are laid into the back of the volume.