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

The William Dowdeswell papers contain political correspondence of William Dowdeswell, Chancellor of the Exchequer under Charles Watson-Wentworth Rockingham and Member of Parliament. In these letters Dowdeswell analyzes and critiques some of the most important issues of the day, such as domestic and colonial taxation, relations with America and Ireland, support for the East India Company, and the opposition's role in the Middlesex election controversy.

The William Dowdeswell papers contain important correspondence concerning Dowdeswell, Charles Watson-Wentworth Rockingham, Edmund Burke, and other prominent Rockingham supporters. The collection consists of 40 signed drafts or retained copies of letters written by Dowdeswell, and 13 letters other politicians. Dowdeswell analyzed and critiqued some of the most important issues of the day, such as domestic and colonial taxation, relations with America and Ireland, support for the East India Company, and the opposition's role in the Middlesex election controversy.

The papers are made up of letters Dowdeswell's tenure as Rockingham's Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1765, and as his trusted political counselor. Included are letters the new First Lord of the Treasury, Augustus Henry Grafton, Duke of Fitzroy; Secretary of State Henry Seymour Conway; Speaker of the House of Commons Charles Wolfran Cornwall; Councilor and member of the Upper House, Charles Lennox, Duke of Richmond; and Lord of the Admiralty, Charles Townshend (see the box and folder listing for an itemized list of the collection).

The bulk of the letters are Dowdeswell to Burke and Rockingham, advising them on parliamentary politics and policies, particularly concerning government business and financial affairs. Of note is his 16-page appraisal of affairs with America, in which he commented on the outbreaks of violence in Boston and New York and suggested a repeal of the Townshend duties. He called the duties a "folly" but asserts that Parliament must retain the right to raise taxes in the colonies. "It must either be admitted[,] which is timidity[,] weakness[,] irresolution[,] and inconsistency; or it must be resisted, and arms of this Country must be exerted against her Colonies" (August 12, 1868).

Dowdeswell's letters the summer and fall of 1769 demonstrate his role in the Middlesex election controversy, in which he and Rockingham defended the embattled John Wilkes. On September 5, 1769, Dowdeswell discussed his pamphlet entitled Sentiments of an English Freeholder, which argued for checks and balances in Parliament. Also of note is the July 18, 1773, letter, in which Dowdeswell discussed the government's treatment of the East India Company. After 1774, Dowdeswell often discussed how his ill-health was keeping him engaging in politics.

A late-18th or early-19th century letterbook contains 29 copied letters from Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, to William Dowdeswell, dating between 1767 and 1773, and letters by Edmund Burke (January 1771 and October 27, 1772), Holles Newcastle (September 17, 1768), and Charles Townshend (May 25, 1765, and Undated). See the box and folder list for a complete list of letters represented in this letterbook.

This letterbook contains the copied outgoing correspondence of Cincinnati lawyer William Disney between 1859 and 1870. These items cover the period when he was the correspondence secretary of the Guthrie Greys militia during the Civil War, and his post-war career as a lawyer.

The Disney letterbook contains transfer copies of Disney's outgoing correspondence beginning in 1859, when he was correspondence secretary in the Guthrie Greys (pages 8-40). The letters include some interesting information on the Guthrie Greys in the two years before the Civil War, and a few letters from Disney while in the 137th Ohio Infantry. These letters mostly concern the status of volunteers under Disney's command, accounts for ordnance stores, and other routine administrative information (pages 60-82).

The bulk of the volume consists of post-war letters concerning Disney's legal practice, debt collection, and his investments. Along with other miscellaneous client letters, are four letters sent to Memphis and Cincinnati from a former farrier, Ed Whitehead, who was advertising his newly developed pavement type. The letterbook opens with a complete name index.

This collection is made up of the correspondence of William Dickson, a prominent member of the Republican party during and after the Civil War, and a perceptive observer and critic of the leading political characters and movements of his day. In 1860, he became part of inner Washington political circles, associating with Abraham Lincoln, Edwin M. Stanton, and Salmon Chase, and participating in the framing of the Emancipation Proclamation.

The William Dickson papers include letters from an impressive array of the politically prominent, including Roscoe Conkling, James A. Garfield, Grover Cleveland, William Howard Taft, Rutherford B. Hayes, Salmon Chase, and George B. McClellan. Most are post-1870, but the several Civil War-era items are highly significant, particularly for their content regarding African-Americans. Copies of two letters of George McClellan, one to Winfield Scott and one to Salmon Chase [incomplete], are frank and informative. The former comments on Confederate strength and strategy, while the latter openly criticizes Lincoln and Stanton, and sets forth anti-abolition views: "...forcible abolition of Slavery should have no place in the policy of the Government. It should not free a slave, merely that a human being might be freed." An 1864 letter to Dickson from Gen. Lew Wallace disputes a statement that black brigades were not permitted to defend Cincinnati in 1863. Secretary of War Stanton wrote to Dickson in 1864, explaining refusal of a commission Dickson had supported, and in 1865 lamenting the death of Lincoln. Post-war letters from then-Representative Rutherford Hayes to Dickson praise his political judgment and comment revealingly on Reconstruction. In one of January, 1867 he disagrees with Dickson's recommendation of moderation and patience, asserting that "'the negroes and interlopers' are unprotected and are greatly in need of it," and that southerners worship power and only respond to its use. Moreover, "[t]hose people are our enemies until they agree to terms of settlement." Dickson's published address on Reconstruction spells out his views in support of black citizenship and suffrage. An 1870 letter from William Slocum Groesbeck, legal representative of President Johnson for the impeachment proceedings, alludes to a letter of Dickson's which defines policies similar to those adopted in the Emancipation Proclamation. He writes that Dickson may be associated "more intimately" with that "great historical event" than he is aware.

Dickson had strongly personal views about McClellan and Lincoln, based on pre-war associations with the future president, on time spent in Washington during the early stages of the war, and on his association with Thomas Marshall Key, McClellan's aid de camp and Dickson's pre-war law partner. After a week at McClellan's headquarters he came away disillusioned and disgusted, later recording his observations in an essay, "A Leaf from the Unwritten History of the Rebellion," written in response to the publication of McClellan's autobiography. This fascinating document damns McClellan as a weak and cautious leader who "organized the army not for victory, but for defeat," and whose influence remained long after he himself departed: "His impress remained almost to the end. His army could stand up and be killed; but it never had the confidence that leads to victory." He characterizes headquarters as a den of intrigue and plotting, with one element so loyal to McClellan that they would have overthrown the government for him. The general himself, Dickson believed, despised Lincoln both "as the representative of the abolition sentiment" and for his "ungainly gait and low birth." He permitted his staff to make the president " a subject for ridicule and merriment." One of his aides, talking to Stanton, referred to Lincoln as "the d-----d old Gorilla." Dickson also writes, in an unpublished draft, in defense of his former partner Key, who was accused in a book by Stanton-intimate Don Piatt [Memories of the Men Who Saved the Union] of being the "evil genius" behind McClellan. He acknowledges Key's influence but lays the credit for McClellan's failure at his own feet.

Dickson writes of Lincoln with respect and affection -- but with clear-eyed honesty. In the "Unwritten History" he analyzes Lincoln's character and political talents, noting both strengths and weaknesses, and using first-hand experiences to support his views. Another essay, "Abraham Lincoln at Cincinnati," written for Harper's Magazine in 1884, describes Lincoln's visits to the city during the course of his career. It discusses his long relationship with Stephen A. Douglas, and describes his legal and political acumen and the force of his personality.

Although a bystander rather than an office-holder, Dickson remained politically informed and involved throughout his life, and virtually all of the correspondence in this collection concerns political issues. The strongest set of letters are from George William Curtis, avid social reformer and editor of Harper's Weekly. During a correspondence of over 20 years the two commiserated and argued over the fortunes and philosophy of the Republican party and its leading lights. Topics of discussion include the Grant administration, the Hayes presidency, Roscoe Conkling, Grover Cleveland and civil service reform, tariff issues, the character and career of James Blaine, the Harrison administration, various Republican office-holders, and their shared view of the decline of their beloved party. Near the end of his life Dickson resigned his membership in the Lincoln Club and supported the Democrats in their tariff reform efforts, joining with his friend Curtis in condemning the Republican party as "a boodle party" which has lost its "moral enthusiasm."

This is a small and somewhat disparate collection featuring many correspondents, but it is unified by the theme of politics from the point of view of an "old school" Republican. Dickson watches and writes with distaste as his party betrays, in his eyes, the ideals of its originators, to become the voice of corporate power and government by class division. An important related topic is the character and political methods of Abraham Lincoln, especially as expressed in his relationship with McClellan in the early days of the Civil War. Of particular interest is Dickson's characterization of the President's politically expedient views on emancipation, as contrasted to the strongly anti-abolitionist sentiments of McClellan and many of his fellow-soldiers. The quality of the Dickson Papers far outweighs the size of the collection, for there are few letters which do not have significant content on the conflicting currents of wartime and post-war Republican politics.

This 49-page document contains the proceedings of the court martial of Captain William Dearmond, held in Augusta, Georgia, in the summer of 1798. Dearmond, an officer in the cavalry regiment of Georgia's Richmond County Militia, was accused of disobeying orders and resisting a subsequent arrest. He was ultimately cleared of all charges.

This 49-page document contains the "Proceedings of a General Court Martial begun and holden at the house of Mrs. Fox in the City of Augusta on Wednesday the 20th day of June 1798," at which Captain William Dearmond, a member of the Richmond County militia cavalry, was tried for disobeying orders and for subsequently resisting arrest. The trial lasted from June 20, 1798, to July 4, 1798. This document includes witnesses' testimonies, including those of Dearmond's commanding officer, Major Fox. Lieutenant Colonel Jesse Sanders presided over the court martial, along with Captain Yancey Sanders, Captain William Wilkins, Captain Hugh Blair, Captain Charles Ward, Captain Thomas Waggoner, and Lieutenant Nathan Thomas; David B. Butler served as Judge Advocate.

On May 2, 1798, Dearmond's unit participated in a regimental review in Augusta, Georgia, and his unit did not advance when ordered. Dearmond was subsequently charged with willful disobedience, along with several other charges, and protested the legitimacy of an attempted arrest on May 10. That same day, he reportedly ordered a Lieutenant Carter, his subordinate officer, to disband his troop. On July 4, the final day of his trial, Dearmond was cleared of all charges.

This scrapbook contains correspondence, newspaper clippings, ephemera, and other material about New York businessman William C. Roberts. Most items pertain to the New York Standard Watch Company and other business ventures. One group of letters concerns Roberts's efforts to gather biographical information about Civil War veterans.

This scrapbook (around 100 pages) contains correspondence, newspaper clippings, and ephemera related to various personal and business ventures of New York businessman William C. Roberts. Most of the items are advertisements, other ephemera, and newspaper clippings concerning the New York Standard Watch Company, the Republican Club of the City of New York, and the Chatham & Lebanon Valley Railroad. Some items include biographical sketches of William C. Roberts and other prominent New York businessmen, and one group of clippings pertains to Roberts's unsuccessful campaign for Congress in 1892. The scrapbook contains photographs and printed portraits of William C. Roberts and a photograph of a Chatham & Lebanon Valley Railroad locomotive (page 61).

In the late 1880s and early 1890s, Roberts received a small series of letters from Civil War veterans and veterans' relatives responding to his requests for autographs, photographs, and information for planned biographical sketches. Two of the letters provide narratives about individual soldiers' experiences. Additional correspondence includes telegrams and a letter from Chauncey Depew about recruitment for the Republican Club of the City of New York (March 19, 1898). The scrapbook contains a small number of items related to Roberts's personal life, such as a business card, a certificate of his admission to Harvard Law School, and an invitation to his wedding.

William Jones' Civil War correspondence provides a thorough documentation of one young recruit's service in the 38th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. A literate and entertaining writer, Jones' letters include comments on his superiors, his religious views, and secessionists and the southern population.

William C. Jones' Civil War correspondence provides a thorough documentation of one young recruit's uneventful service in the 38th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. Having taken ill just as his regiment entered into its first action during the Vicksburg Campaign, Jones' letters -- all addressed to his mother -- include no battle accounts and no stories of confrontations with the enemy. They are, however, a fine resource for examining the routine of army life, from the camps outside Baltimore to steamer travel on the Mississippi to camp life in Louisiana. A literate and entertaining writer, Jones' letters include comments on his superiors, his religious views, and secessionists and the southern population.

The collection contains two letters addressed to Jones's mother, one from the Capt. J. P. Richardson (Co. A), and the other from Walter W. Hammond, referred to as the "poet of Cambridge." Both letters reassure Mrs. Jones of her boy's well-being.

William C. Fraser kept this diary while serving with the Pioneer Corps, 3rd Division, 17th Army Corps, during the Civil War. In daily entries, Fraser recounted his movements, commented on skirmishes with Confederate troops, and noted his daily activities, often related to construction.

William C. Fraser kept this 60-page diary while serving with the Pioneer Corps, 3rd Division, 17th Army Corps, from May 6, 1864-June 18, 1865. Most of his daily entries pertain to his movements in Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia; he often noted the names of towns and rivers he passed during his travels, as well as the time of Reveille. Fraser wrote about his work with the Pioneer Corps, which involved building earthworks and fortifications, setting up pontoon bridges, and working at a hospital; on one occasion, he tore down slaves' huts to collect wood for army use (January 25, 1865). Though he primarily worked in a support position, he occasionally participated in skirmishes with Confederate troops. Fraser's later entries relay news of the war, including the surrenders of prominent Confederate armies and the death of Abraham Lincoln. Two entries concern dental work (August 27, 1864, and April 19, 1865).

The diary arrived at the Clements Library with a copy of A Manual of Military Surgery. Prepared for the Use of the Confederate States Army (housed in the Book Division). William C. Fraser reportedly picked up the volume while in Georgia and sent it home to his family in Wellsville, Ohio. A newspaper clipping laid into the volume concerns the Battle of Atlanta, including a casualty list for the 78th Ohio Infantry Regiment (July 24, 1864).

This 30-page notebook by William Case Clark of South Kingston, Rhode Island, contains very brief notes on the 1776 British attack on Newport, Rhode Island, a copy of the numbers of soldiers of different ranks killed in the Battle of Bunker Hill, financial accounts for the purchase of foodstuffs in the 1780s, and a weather journal spanning January to May 1775. Clark also copied extracts from the poems "The Ballad of Chevy Chase" and "A New Song Called the Gaspee."

This 30-page notebook by William Case Clark of South Kingston, Rhode Island, contains very brief notes on the 1776 British attack on Newport, Rhode Island, a copy of the numbers of soldiers of different ranks killed in the Battle of Bunker Hill, financial accounts for the purchase of foodstuffs in the 1780s, and a weather journal spanning January to May 1775. Clark also copied extracts from the poems "The Ballad of Chevy Chase" (9 pages) and "A New Song Called the Gaspee" (3 pages).

The final page of the volume bears an illustration of a sailing ship.

This collection contains 28 letters written to William Campbell in 1825 regarding ongoing efforts to survey land for the construction of a road in southeastern New York. Surveyors reported on their progress from various locations, including distance traveled, opinions of local residents, and reports on survey-related finances.

This collection contains 28 letters written to William Campbell in the second half of 1825 regarding ongoing efforts to survey land for the construction of a road in southeastern New York. Campell was chief engineer for the project and received surveyors' reports about their progress.

The various agents primarily wrote from towns in southeastern New York such as Cooperstown and Red Hook. Many correspondents recorded the distance they traveled in a week, often between 18 and 25 miles, provided updates on their finances, and noted recent drafts made on behalf of the survey. Several mentioned moving along the "Windham Route," and many commented on regional geographic features, residents' opinions about local navigation, and possible route variations. Two of the letters contain small manuscript maps of natural features: November 20, 1825 (unsigned letter) and November 28, 1825 (letter by Ira Davenport).

William Wilcoxson served in the 2nd Connecticut Light Artillery Battery during the Civil War. This collection of letters home to his mother and sister document his wartime activities, including a stay at the U.S. General Hospital in Annapolis and later hospitalizations in New Orleans.

All but one of the letters in the Wilcoxson papers were addressed to his mother, Susan M., or sister, Mary Ann, at home in Stratford, Conn. Most of the surviving letters were written from hospitals. They include fine descriptions of the U.S. General Hospital at Annapolis and reflect the feelings and experiences of a strongly pro-Union patient.

Wilcoxson seldom wrote at great length though occasional letters are carried by the emotional power of the events he described. Noteworthy in the collection are the three letters describing the Battle of Gettysburg, those describing the return of prisoners from Belle Isle Prison, and two fine letters describing New Orleans in the days after the assassination of Lincoln.

The William Bull and Sarah Wells Pageant photograph album contains 33 photographs of an elaborate outdoor pageant of the story of William Bull and Sarah Wells, two early settlers of Orange County, N.Y.

The William Bull and Sarah Wells Pageant photograph album (19 x 26 cm) contains 33 photographs of an elaborate outdoor pageant of the story of William Bull and Sarah Wells, two early settlers of Orange County, N.Y. It features locals dressed up as settlers and Indians and a house of logs constructed on site. Images of the reenactment also include the courtship and wedding of Bull and Wells, a wedding dance, and the making of plans to build a stone house. This pageant may be part of a family reunion, an ongoing Independence Day ritual, but also includes thanksgiving scenes of a meal shared by Indians and settlers. Prominently featured in one photograph are William Bull V and VII, descendants of William Bull and Sarah Wells.

The album has an unmarked black cloth cover and is housed in a gray wrapper with blue cloth binding.

This collection contains 7 letters related to William B. Turner, a native of New York who moved to Northfield, Minnesota, in the late 1850s. Turner wrote 6 letters to his family about life in Wisconsin and Minnesota, and received 1 letter from his mother in 1875.

In 3 undated letters and fragments, Turner discussed the possibility of moving west from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as well as the possibility of his family traveling between Buffalo, New York, and the Midwest. His 3 dated letters, written from 1857-1859, pertain to his life in Northfield, Minnesota, where he worked for a newspaper. He commented on the economy, possible employment opportunities, and his intention to leave Minnesota. Juliza B. Turner wrote the final letter to her son and daughter-in-law in 1875, requesting news of their family. For more information about each letter, see the Detailed Box and Folder Listing.

The William B. Sprague and Joseph H. Hedges collection is made up of 133 letters, notes, and fragments largely dating between 1842 and 1899. The correspondence, largely outgoing letters from W. B. Sprague and J. H. Hedges, concerns the autograph and other collecting activities of William B. Sprague of Albany, New York; Eliza H. A. Allen of Providence, Rhode Island; Eliza's cousin Elizabeth Rotch Arnold of New Bedford, Massachusetts; and Joseph H. Hedges of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The William B. Sprague and Joseph H. Hedges collection is made up of 133 letters, notes, and fragments largely dating between 1842 and 1899. The correspondence, largely outgoing letters from W. B. Sprague and J. H. Hedges, concerns the autograph and other collecting activities of William B. Sprague of Albany, New York; Eliza H. A. Allen of Providence, Rhode Island; Eliza's cousin Elizabeth Rotch Arnold of New Bedford, Massachusetts; and Joseph H. Hedges of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The papers are arranged in three groups: letters by William B. Sprague; correspondence of Joseph H. Hedges; and other correspondence, notes, and fragments. William B. Sprague's primary recipients were Eliza H. A. Allen (80 letters) and her cousin Elizabeth Rotch Arnold (19 letters), with an additional seven letters to other recipients. Joseph Hedges's correspondence includes 19 incoming and outgoing letters. An additional eight miscellaneous letters, notes, and fragments complete the collection.

William Sprague's letters largely related to the contents of his, Allen's, and Arnold's collections, recent acquisitions, desiderata, and trades/gifts of autographs between Sprague and Allen and between Sprague and Arnold. They also touch on other collecting activities. On multiple occasions Eliza Allen and Elizabeth Arnold sent Sprague contributions to his wife Henrietta's collection of shells (see for example W. B. Sprague to Elizabeth R. Arnold, November 2, 1842, and January 21, 1843), which Sprague often reciprocated with gifts of autographs. He also discussed with them his use of the franking privilege of various friends in Congress.

William B. Sprague's 80 letters to Eliza H. A. Allen date from 1840 to 1875 (bulk 1840-1850). They are mostly in his own hand (with the exception of four letters in the hand of an amanuensis), and signed variously "WB Sprague" and "WBS." He sent them largely from Albany, New York; other locations include Boston, Massachusetts; Flushing, New York; and Andover, Connecticut. Toward the end of their correspondence, multiple years passed between letters.

Correspondence with Elizabeth R. Arnold in this collection is comprised of 19 incoming letters from Sprague. They are entirely in his own hand and signed variously "WB Sprague" and "WBS". He sent them from Albany, New York, 1842-1849.

The Sprague miscellaneous correspondence contains seven letters dating from 1828-1862:

• One letter from Sprague to Robert Gilmore, of Baltimore, Maryland, another pioneer of American autograph collecting, regarding an exchange of autograph specimens.
• One letter from Sprague to Joseph B. Boyd of Cincinnati, Ohio, regarding books, autographs, and material relating to William Whipple.
• One letter to Sprague from C. F. Mercer, likely Charles Fenton Mercer, son of Revolutionary politician James Mercer, regarding Mercer's potential gift of autographs to Sprague.
• One letter to Sprague from Isaac Taylor, of Stamford, Essex, another autograph collector, regarding their collections.
• Three letters from Sprague to unknown recipients, likely other collectors, regarding various exchanges and gifts of autographs.

The incoming and outgoing letters of Joseph Hedges date from 1843 to 1899 and pertain to a variety of subjects. Many of his correspondents were autograph dealers and other autograph collectors, and wrote about the purchase and trade of autographs. Hedges signed his letters variously "JH Hedges" and "JHH."

The collection includes eight additional letters, notes, and fragments. It includes five letters sent by Bangs, Merwin and Co.; John J. Morris; Adrian H. Joline; Charles H. Morse; and Lyman C. Draper. It also includes a list of autograph materials, an autographed note mounted on cardstock, and a cardstock folder fragment bearing fragments of notes.

The William Brunton journal contains an autobiographical sketch and diary notes that Brunton, a Unitarian minister from Boston, composed for his son, Herbert Rogers Brunton, about the boy's childhood. He described his son's temperament and daily activities during his first 10 years of life.

The William Brunton journal contains an autobiographical sketch and diary notes that Brunton, a Unitarian minister from Boston, composed for his son, Herbert Rogers Brunton ("Bertie"), about the boy's childhood. He described his son's temperament and daily activities during his first 10 years of life.

The volume, entitled "Remembrances of The Early Days of Herbert Rogers Brunton," is approximately 100 pages long. Its first 17 pages consist of William Brunton's autobiographical sketch about his childhood in England and first years in the United States. He described his schooling, his early entry into the work force, his alcoholic father, and his early religious training in Manchester, England. William moved on to an examination of Herbert's personality and kept semi-regular diary entries from April 4, 1880-December 31, 1885. The diary concerns Herbert's development, primarily through anecdotes. Herbert, described by his father as a "Mother's boy," frequently traveled to the family's farm near his grandparents' home in Braintree, Vermont (purchased in March 1880), and often voiced a dislike of schooling despite frequently excelling in his studies. The diary also recounts the family's health and activities, such as Nellie's many illnesses and annual Christmas celebrations. Several personal letters, written to Herbert and to Nellie by her parents, have been bound into the second half of the volume, along with a receipt for a suit and cap from a clothing company. A few poems are posted into the later pages. Additional material includes two children's sketches, sketches "done by Mamma when you had the scarlet fever 1885," and a manuscript poem, "For His Grave."

The William Boston diary is a bound typescript, which documents Mr. Boston's service in the 20th Michigan Infantry during the Civil War. This volume, compiled by William's son, Orlan W. Boston, contains supplemental information and facsimiles of original documents related to William's service.

The diary consists of brief entries written almost daily during Boston's service. Early on in the war, Boston looked favorably upon the regiment's colonel, but was not as enamored of other officers, writing that "[t]he boys were glad to see him [Col. Williams] and cheered him lustily. Most of the officers looked sober" (1863 April 26). His comments on routine daily life tend to be very brief.

During his western service, Boston's diary is fairly thin, with perhaps longest and best description relating to a trip taken to some caverns in southern Kentucky (1863 May 27). The writing improves, however, following Boston's second tour in Virginia, and includes a good account of battles in the Petersburg Campaign from late August through November, 1864, as well as descriptions of life during the siege in the late fall 1864 through Spring, 1865. Boston's best description of an engagement is that for the desperate Confederate assault on Fort Stedman. His entries from the Appomattox Campaign are lengthier than average and provide a very good account of the regiment's activities.

The William Bosson family scrapbook and genealogical papers pertain to Revolutionary War veteran and Roxbury, Massachusetts, and Cincinnati, Ohio, merchant William Bosson (1753-1823 or 1824); his son William Bosson (1806-1887) and daughter-in-law Julia Burnett; his son Charles T. Bosson (1791-1864); and other family members. The collection includes original manuscripts, ephemeral items, publications, transcriptions, and copies of letters, documents, notes, and other items, largely dated between 1789 and 1899. In addition to this finding aid, the Clements Library has created a comprehensive writer index: Bosson Family Scrapbook Contributor Index.

The William Bosson family scrapbook and genealogical papers pertain to Revolutionary War veteran and merchant William Bosson (1753-1823 or 1824); his son William Bosson (1806-1887) and daughter-in-law Julia Burnett; his son Charles T. Bosson (1791-1864); and other family members. The collection includes original manuscripts, ephemeral items, publications, transcriptions, and copies of letters, documents, notes, and other items, largely dated between 1789 and 1899.

The William Bosson Scrapbook includes approximately 140 manuscript and printed items largely dating from 1789 to 1899, including biographical sketches, reminiscences, reflections, correspondences, courtship and family letters, documents, an autobiography, pamphlets, newspaper clippings, engravings, railroad passes, and convention tickets. Of particular note are 10 documents signed by W. G. Brownlow and D. W. Senter; five letters sent by William Bosson to W. G. Brownlow; five biographical sketches and reminiscences related to the reception of the Declaration of Independence in New York, Thomas Hickey's betrayal of General Howe, General Joseph Warren, General Knox, and General George Henry Thomas; nine letters George H. Thomas sent to William Bosson between 1864 and 1868; four letters between Edward Everett and William and Charles Bosson; three letters of introduction for Charles Bosson exchanged between W. Heath and Elbridge Gerry, Elbridge Gerry and Henry Clay, and Josiah Quincy and John Rowan in 1813; one letter from Amos Kendall to Charles Bosson; one letter from Samuel Gilman to Charles Bosson; and one manuscript addressed to the Tennessee Teacher's State Association by W. G. Brownlow.

The scrapbook contains content pertinent to many subjects, including the Revolutionary War; the War of 1812; the Civil War; the rise of the Ku Klux Klan in Tennessee; Tennessee reconstruction; and Tennessee mining, cotton manufacture, railroads, government, and education (particularly the development of Common Schools) following the Civil War.

The Genealogical Papers series includes Colonial Dames applications, a Middlesex County genealogy, two transcriptions of William Bosson's autobiography for his sons, two transcribed copies of Thomas Mayo Bosson's "Genealogy of the Bosson Family," transcribed copies and photocopies of genealogical records, and genealogical notes and materials related to the Ushers, Hills, Denisons, Terrells, Powers, Newnans, and Bossons. The genealogical papers also contain two books of compiled information on the Bosson, Usher, and Hill families from items contained in the William Bosson Scrapbook and Genealogical Papers: a book Henry Loring Newnan refers to as the "Bosson-Usher-Hill book" in his letters, and two copies of "William Bosson 1630-1887 Seven Generations."

The genealogical papers include notable content on the Civil War, the First World War (in Richard Bosson's account of service in the Rainbow Division), and World War II (William Loring Newnan and Henry Loring Newnan Jr.).

The William Bosson family scrapbook and genealogical papers is a heterogeneous collection, spanning many years and pertaining to many individuals and events. Please see the box and folder listing below for details about individual items in the collection.

In addition to this finding aid, the Clements Library has created a comprehensive writer index: Bosson Family Scrapbook Contributor Index.

This collection is made up of 8 letters related to journalist and U.S. Ambassador to Sardinia William B. Kinney. William B. Kinney wrote 6 of these letters to his son Thomas T. Kinney between 1867 and 1876. In them, he discussed his post-retirement financial affairs and a vacation at Lake George, New York.

This collection contains 6 letters that journalist and U.S. Ambassador to Sardinia William B. Kinney wrote to his son, Thomas T. Kinney, between 1867 and 1876; one letter that Kinney wrote to an unknown recipient; and one that Thomas T. Kinney wrote to William M. Olliffe.

William B. Kinney wrote 6 letters to his son Thomas between January 13, 1867, and October 9, 1876, mostly from Morristown, New Jersey. In them, Kinney discussed his financial affairs, requested his son's assistance, denied making negative comments about Senator George Thomas Cobb, described a vacation at Lake George, New York (August 17, 1867), and mentioned a theatrical performance (which included a French monologue). Kinney's undated letter concerns a cholera epidemic in Newark, New Jersey.

Thomas T. Kinney wrote 1 letter to William M. Olliffe, a neighbor, in which he explained his decision not to accept a recent land offer, and shared his wife's feelings about the proposal.

The William B. Franklin letter book is made up of approximately 500 copies of letters that Franklin wrote between 1857 and 1859. Many of the letters relate to Franklin's position as Secretary of the Lighthouse Board and concern the construction and maintenance of lighthouses.

The William B. Franklin letter book contains approximately 500 copies of letters that Franklin wrote while living in Washington, D.C., between November 21, 1857, and July 29, 1859. Several of the earliest letters concern his position as a superintending engineer for the construction of the customs house in Portland, Maine, including his approval for improvements, records of associated costs, and reports of payments he received from the Treasury Department. The majority of the letters pertain to Franklin's work as Army Secretary to the Lighthouse Board, discussing the establishment, protection, and maintenance of lighthouses, as well as related financial issues. Franklin often responded to inquiries about specific lighthouses and sometimes suggested improvements, occasionally accompanied by diagrams. He also discussed beacons, described the method of replacing lanterns (p. 269), and provided illustrated specifications for building a lantern room (pp. 491-494). The opening pages of the volume contain an index, in which Franklin noted the recipients and subjects of his letters.

This collection consists of two manuscript notebooks kept by William Bentinck, a British naval officer, that document three voyages exploring the harbors, rivers, and settlements around Nova Scotia.

This collection consists of two manuscript notebooks kept by British Naval Officer William Bentinck. These notebooks document three voyages. The first was H.M.S. Atalanta from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to Charlotte Town, Prince Edward Island, July-August, 1784; the second voyage was H.M.S. Felicity from Halifax to Cape Breton Island in 1784, conveying Lieutenant Governor Des Barres and his suite; the third was H.M.S. Temeraire and is a partial log with sailing instructions for a number of North American and West Indian harbors, February-July 1800. These logs chart days, courses, distances (in miles?), latitudes and longitudes, bearings (noting destination) and distances in leagues, and are accompanied by remarks on the journey. The Atalanta's log describes harbors, rivers, and settlements at Knowles Harbor, Pope's Harbor, Liscomb Harbor, Chedabucto Bay, and Pictou Harbor. Bentinck made several sketches throughout the volumes, including a simple pencil sketch of "Bald Island,” Nova Scotia, and two maps of the area. The maps have been individually cataloged and include:

• [Liscomb Harbour and the bason]
• [Liscomb Harbour and vicinity]

In addition to the journal content are seven correspondence entries of Sir James Hawkins Whitshed, 1799-1800. In the middle of the second volume are ten pages of copied transcriptions of contemporary literature, including several excepts from A Political Receipt Book, from An asylum for fugitive pieces, in prose and verse (Volume 2, 1785, edited by John Almon), and a copy of a poetic epitaph by Mr. Pulteney, Earl of Bath, among other entries. These entries are in a different hand from the Bentinck logs.

The journal of William Bell, a British army officer, contains his notes on Barbados and Gibraltar, observations on slavery in the West Indies, Spanish language exercises, and extracts from Alain-René Le Sage's Historia de Gil Blas de Santillana and Henri Jean Baptiste de Bousmard's Essai général de fortification et d'attaque et défense des places.

The journal of William Bell, a British army officer, contains his notes on Barbados and Gibraltar, observations on slavery in the West Indies, Spanish language exercises, and extracts from Alain-René Le Sage's Historia de Gil Blas de Santillana and Henri Jean Baptiste de Bousmard's Essai général de fortification et d'attaque et défense des places.

The first 51 pages of the journal date from January 1 to September 26, 1830, while Bell resided in Barbados. His descriptions of Barbados include thoughts on religion and religious officials, schools and education, agriculture and plant life, and various aspects of slaves' lives. He comments on the rights and privileges of slaves, interactions between the black (free and enslaved) and white populations, slavery and Christianity, and the sale of slaves. Pages 53-54 contain a brief description of Gibraltar, dated May 1831. Pages 55-56, June 1833, contain a quotation from the second volume of Henri Jean Baptiste de Bousmard's Essai général de fortification et d'attaque et défense des places. Pages 57-128 and 171-172 consist of Spanish language exercises, and pages 129 to 171 are excerpts from Alain-René Le Sage's Historia de Gil Blas de Santillana.

The William B. Clinton papers consist primarily of letters that Clinton wrote to his mother and siblings in Schenectady, New York, while working at a mining camp in Sewell, Chile, in the early 20th century.

The William B. Clinton papers consist of 153 letters that Clinton wrote to his mother and siblings in Schenectady, New York, while working at a mining camp in Sewell, Chile, in the early 20th century. The collections also includes an additional 6 letters written by various senders, 2 newspaper clippings, a 2-page journal entry, and 2 pieces of ephemera.

Clinton wrote about his life in Chile, exploring topics that ranged from local geography to customs and politics. The bulk of the correspondence begins in January 1917, with Clinton only 8 weeks into his Chilean experience, and many of his early letters concern his homesickness. As he adapted to Sewell, Clinton focused more on his job and on everyday life in Chile and spent significant periods of time in other Chilean towns on work-related business. In addition to describing his duties at work and his thoughts about labor politics, he frequently made observations about cultural differences and his social life. In his letter of March 7, 1920, he enclosed a dance card and printed program for an event featuring "The Chocolate Soldier Minstrels."

During the First World War, Clinton heard little international news but kept up on local politics. He observed holidays such as the Fourth of July, even though local residents often took no notice of them and often displayed disdain toward the United States. Several of his letters of the letters focus on culinary topics such as a cooking class (with attached recipes) (November 8, 1919) and a diet prescribed by "Dr. Rich" (Ddecember 22, 1921).

The collection also contains a 2-page journal entry detailing an anonymous author's experience escorting strikebreakers into a mill, 2 newspaper clippings, and a recipe for a tomato-based sauce, and a typed poem about workers entitled "Time Clocks Start - October 12."

This 111-page pocket notebook documents the studies and travels of William Anthony, a student at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from 1851 to 1855. The bulk of the entries are medical notes regarding patients Anthony encountered during his time at Jefferson.

The volume opens with the inscription "Wm. Anthony's Book October 17th 1851," followed by three pages of notes and questions regarding government and international relations. The next section of 12 pages respects Anthony's education and travels from 1852 to 1855. He studied medicine with Dr. Robert McChesney in Shelocta, Pennsylvania, until the fall of 1853, when he enrolled at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He traveled to Ohio with his father to visit relatives and to New York to visit the World's Fair. Included in the itinerary are costs and modes of transportation.

The majority of the notebook is made up of notes on patients, including symptoms, diagnoses, and treatment plans, from Anthony's first year of medical school. Named instructors are Drs. Dunglison, Mitchell, Pancoast, and Mütter. Dr. Mitchell and Dr. Dunglison oversaw internal medicine cases ranging from epilepsy to kidney disease from late 1853 to early 1854. Dr. Pancoast and Dr. Mütter demonstrated surgical cases covering tumor removal, amputations, and granular eyelid surgery. Dr. Pancoast's other operations include staphyloraphy and utilization of an apparatus to straighten the elbow (both performed February 4, 1854). Instructions for concocting certain medications and expenses for books and supplies are also included.

This collection is made up of financial records and correspondence related to William and Robert Thompson of Thompsontown, Pennsylvania. Most of the financial records pertain to the Thompsons' subscriptions to periodicals and to their purchases of goods from Philadelphia merchants.

This collection (51 items) is made up of financial records and correspondence related to merchants William and Robert Thompson of Thompsontown, Pennsylvania. The bulk of the collection is made up of receipts, invoices, and similar documents addressed to the Thompson brothers, particularly Robert, from 1815-1826. Most of these records pertain to purchases of various kinds of goods from merchants in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; a smaller number of items relate to periodical subscriptions. Among the goods that the Thompsons bought were tobacco, oils, and shoes. The collection's early items largely consist of financial documents sent to William and Robert's father, also named William, as well as a newspaper clipping listing US exports between October 1800 and September 1801. A small group of correspondence includes personal letters to Robert Thompson; one correspondent wrote about the distribution of election tickets in Mexico, Pennsylvania (October 20, 1816).

The Seymour papers contain materials relating primarily to the Civil War service of Col. Isaac G. Seymour (6th Louisiana Infantry) and his son, William J., both residents of New Orleans.

The Seymour papers contain materials relating primarily to the Civil War service of Col. Isaac G. Seymour (6th Louisiana Infantry) and his son, William J., both residents of New Orleans. The most important items in the collection are the two journals kept by William Seymour describing his experiences in the defense of New Orleans, 1862, and as Assistant Adjutant General in the 1st Louisiana Brigade, Army of Northern Virginia. The first of these "journals" was begun by Col. Isaac Seymour as a manuscript drill manual for his regiment (55 pp.), but it appears to have been taken up by William following Isaac's death. This volume is arranged in four sections and includes a record of William Seymour's experiences from March, 1862 through May, 1864. The second volume is organized in a similar manner, but covers the period from April, 1863 through October, 1864, terminating in the middle of a description of the Battle of Cedar Creek. Both of William's "journals" are post-war memoirs drawn extensively from original diaries and notes, with some polishing and embellishment.

William Seymour's "journals" contain outstanding descriptions of life in the Confederate Army and are one of the premier sources for the Confederate side of the Battle of Forts Jackson and St. Philip. His journals also contain very important accounts for Chancellorsville, 2nd Winchester, Gettysburg (Cemetery Hill), Mine Run, the Wilderness and Spotsylvania (the Bloody Angle), but almost as important are the descriptions of camp life, and the morale and emotions of the troops. Seymour is an observant, critical, and knowledgeable writer who was placed in a position where he had access to information on fairly high level command decisions. Yet while his journal is focused on the military aspects of the war, he includes a number of brief personal sketches of officers and soldiers, and vignettes of life in the army, ranging from accounts of Union soldiers bolstered in their courage by whiskey, to the courage of an officer's wife stopping a deserter and the Knights of the Golden Circle surfacing in Pennsylvania during the Confederate invasion.

The remainder of the collection includes three Civil War-date letters relating to Isaac Seymour, one written from Camp Bienville near Manassas, Va. (1861 September 2), one from the Shenandoah River (1862 May 2), and the third a letter relaying news of Seymour's death at Gaines Mills. The letter of May 1862 is a powerful, despairing one, and includes Isaac Seymour's thoughts on the Confederate loss of New Orleans and severe criticism for Jefferson Davis, a "man of small caliber, with mind perhaps enough, but without those qualities which go to make up the great and good man." At this moment, Seymour reported that he was disappointed in the quality of his officers, and regretted that he had not resigned his commission upon his son's enlistment, and further, he felt that the Confederacy was being held together only tenuously, due solely to the "the righteousness of our cause, and the innate, deep rooted mendicable hatred to the Yankee race." The remainder of the correspondence consists primarily of documents, but includes an interesting Seminole War letter of Isaac to Eulalia Whitlock and a letter from "Sister Régis" to Isaac, as editor of the New Orleans Bulletin, begging the aid of the press on behalf of the Female Orphan Asylum.

The William and Isaac Perkins papers contain correspondence written between brothers William Lee Perkins and Isaac Perkins, 1784-1794, concerning politics, their careers, and family news.

The William and Isaac Perkins papers contain 18 letters written between brothers William Lee Perkins and Isaac Perkins, of Ashford, Connecticut, and Kingston upon Thames, England. Their correspondence, written from 1784 to1794, frequently touched on politics, including a fairly long account of Shays' Rebellion (January 25, 1787), mention of the Constitutional Convention (May 28, 1787), and speculation by William on the chances of a reunion between the United States and Great Britain (May 14, 1787).

Also present are comments on Loyalists, the national debt, and news concerning their families and careers. In his letter dated April 4, 1788, William Lee Perkins commented on his medical writing, including attempts at "arranging and distinguishing diseases, which I am contributing my poor Endeavours to introduce in this Country." He also gave medical advice in several letters.

The William Anderson papers contain correspondence written by Anderson while he served as a corporal in the United States Army during the Second World War. Anderson remained in the United States throughout the conflict, and spent most of his time in Pennsylvania performing clerical duties.

The William Anderson papers contain correspondence written by Anderson while he served as a corporal in the United States Army during the Second World War. Of the 166 letters in the collection, the vast majority were composed by Anderson to his wife Esther, who remained in Kansas City, Kansas, throughout his wartime service. His letters reflect the daily life and leisure activities of a soldier on the home front throughout the war, and frequently make mention of dances and other leisure activities the soldier pursued during his time in the Army. Anderson, who signed himself "Gilman," began basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, in December 1943, and spent the remainder of the war in Pennsylvania, at Camp Reynolds and Indiantown Gap. Though he attained the rank of corporal, he did not express particular enthusiasm for military service, and his letters focused on news of his friends and on incidents from camp life rather than the war. His letters also reveal that Esther suffered a fairly severe illness while he was away, and imply an occasionally tense relationship between the pair, possibly due to his fondness for dancing with local girls. The bulk of the collection covers Anderson's army service between December 1943 and April 1945, and additional material includes an early letter from a friend, Karl, who enlisted prior to the bombing of Pearl Harbor (October 24, 1941), as well as two written by Esther to her husband in late 1945 and a handful of other correspondence addressed to the couple. Among the Anderson correspondence are a Christmas card (December 21, 1944), birthday card (December 21, 1944), and valentine (February 5, 1945), sent by him to his wife.

This collection is comprised of 24 letters that Ellen Cannon Poe and her husband William wrote to her parents, Joseph and Nancy Taylor of Anderson, South Carolina, as well as 1 letter that Ellen wrote to her brother Benjamin. They discussed aspects of their lives in Augusta, Georgia; Baltimore, Maryland; and Montgomery, Alabama, emphasizing family news and information about their female slaves.

This collection is comprised of 24 letters that Ellen Cannon Poe (6 letters) and her husband William (18 letters) wrote to her parents, Joseph and Nancy Taylor of Anderson, South Carolina, as well as 1 letter that Ellen wrote to her brother Benjamin. They discussed aspects of their lives in Augusta, Georgia; Baltimore, Maryland; and Montgomery, Alabama, emphasizing family news and information about their female slaves.

Ellen Cannon Poe first wrote to her parents around 1836, shortly after her marriage to William Poe, a banker who lived in Augusta, Georgia. William and Ellen provided regular updates about their lives until 1845, and again from 1851 to 1852. Ellen described domestic affairs and her relationship with her two stepsons, Thomas and Robert. Ellen and William frequently commented on the health of their slaves. When William Poe decided to take a banking job in Baltimore, Maryland, he and his wife wrote about their attempts to sell or hire out their slaves. Once in Maryland, William worried about the ease with which Juliet, the slave who accompanied them, could escape servitude. Ellen also explained her hesitation to sell a slave named Harriet, whose husband lived nearby, and complained about a slave named Lizzy. Lizzy, who seemed unable to learn simple household tasks, later became pregnant with a child that Ellen assumed was fathered by a white man. Lizzy eventually escaped to New Orleans, where Ellen suspected she passed as a white woman. William and Ellen Poe also wrote about family matters, their crops, William's business affairs, Ellen's poor health, and other news.

This collection consists of three letters sent by William and Charlotte Scott of Geneva, New York, to homeopathic physician Henry Barden of Penn Yan, New York. They discussed various ailments in their family, including difficulties with breastfeeding an infant, menstrual disruptions, headaches, digestive issues, and childhood ailments like warts, worms, and acid reflux. They requested Barden's medicines and noted their effectiveness.

This collection consists of three letters sent by William and Charlotte Scott of Geneva, New York, to homeopathic physician Henry Barden of Penn Yan, New York. They discussed various ailments in their family, including difficulties with breastfeeding an infant, menstrual disruptions, headaches, digestive issues, and childhood ailments like warts, worms, and acid reflux. They requested Barden's medicines and noted their effectiveness.

This collection consists of three letters sent by William and Charlotte Scott of Geneva, New York, to homeopathic physician Henry Barden of Penn Yan, New York. They discussed various ailments in their family, including difficulties with breastfeeding an infant, menstrual disruptions, headaches, digestive issues, and childhood ailments like warts, worms, and acid reflux. They requested Barden's medicines and noted their effectiveness.

This collection consists of three letters sent by William and Charlotte Scott of Geneva, New York, to homeopathic physician Henry Barden of Penn Yan, New York. They discussed various ailments in their family, including difficulties with breastfeeding an infant, menstrual disruptions, headaches, digestive issues, and childhood ailments like warts, worms, and acid reflux. They requested Barden's medicines and noted their effectiveness.

This volume is comprised of retained copies of letters that William and Ann Story of Wigton, England, wrote to their son Daniel after his immigration to North America in the early 1840s. The couple described political and economic conditions in England and discussed their preparations for joining Daniel in North America.

This vellum-bound volume is comprised of 24 pages of retained copies of letters that William and Ann Story of Wigton, England, wrote to their son Daniel between June 23, 1840, and March 17, 1842, after Daniel's immigration to North America. They described political and economic conditions in England and discussed their preparations for joining Daniel in North America.

Daniel Story arrived in Liverpool before June 1840 and sailed for North America on July 13, 1840, accompanied by a friend or relative named Thomas. William and Ann Story responded to news of Daniel's journey and to his thoughts about their potential emigration. They provided updates about acquaintances and family members in England, including Daniel's sisters, and frequently discussed political and economic issues, the Chartist movement, and political figures such as Daniel O'Connell and Feargus O'Connor. Some letters include information on recent trials and elections, and on local food prices. In later letters, the couple described their preparations for a move to North America and the difficulty they had recovering money from various debtors. Though Daniel offered to visit England to assist, his parents dismissed the idea as too dangerous and recounted stories of recent shipwrecks.

Following the family letters, Jane Story copied a 1-page article about a prophet in France who supposedly predicted Great Britain's destruction by war in 1842. The article originally appeared in a German-language newspaper. The volume is bound in vellum.

The Allinson journal documents Allinson's thoughts on his spirituality and marriage as well as events within the New Jersey Quaker Church, including meetings with Native Americans.

William Allinson's journal spans more than a decade of his adult life, and includes mature reflections on both personal and spiritual matters. Closely written and very dense at over 270 pages long, the journal is an emotional and spiritual barometer of a man driven by as many disappointments as joys in his family circle, and even greater disappointments in his own soul. Allinson apparently intended to keep the journal to provide a marker of his spiritual development and as a means of contemplating his growth. Over the course of twelve years he struggled with whether his life could be worthy of recording, and whether a record of his spiritual progress could ever prove useful. Ultimately, he concluded that one day his diary would most likely to be consigned to the fire.

Seldom discussing worldly matters such as politics or the economy, Allinson examines instead a range of subjects of personal and religious interest from witnessing the crescentic shadows cast by plants during a total solar eclipse to witnessing a group of rowdy boys at meeting. Devout and deeply involved in the Society of Friends, he regularly recorded news of the Burlington Meeting and other meetings he attended as minister, elder, and visitor, as well as news of his family and local community, including disciplinary actions, laodiceanism, weddings, and committee meetings. Throughout, he displays a quintessentially Quaker understanding of the World, of conflict and its resolution, reflecting a deeply held and emotionally powerful attachment to the Society, his family, and community. Allinson was a contemporary and friend of important Quaker figures such as Jesse Kersey, George Dillwyn, Martha Routh, Ann Mifflin, Isaac Bonsall, and Elias Hicks, who appear throughout the journal.

The central point of interest in Allinson's journal, however, is a complex and finely detailed struggle with both sexual and spiritual self-discipline. At times, he indulges in the painful ruminations of a middle aged man on his seemingly eternal bachelorhood, posing a series of Quaker queries to himself: "What am I waiting for?" he asked: "Answer. For an Evidence in my own Mind that it will be right to make an Effort to change my condition, & for some satisfactory degree of Light that such procedure is approbated by Him" (1807 April 4). During the twelve years covered in the journal, Allinson found little peace within himself on spiritual issues. He never married, and did his best to deflect the pains of seeing his brothers seemingly stray from the Quaker path.

Allinson's involvement in Indian affairs stands out for note among other important issues appearing in the journal. As a member of the Committee of Indian Affairs of the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (and despite doubting his own preparedness for such a role), Allinson was involved in the procurement of over 500 acres of land in August, 1808, on behalf of the Cattaraugus Indians, and he visited them in September and October, 1809. Of greater interest was his visit with the famed Stockbridge Indian "intercultural broker," Hendrick Aupaumut, while he was imprisoned for debt. Allinson discovered Aupaumut to be "pleasant & conversable" (1805 March 10), even while in prison. After paying Aupaumut's debts and having him released, Allinson bought him a new suit of clothes (in which, he noted approvingly, Aupaumut "prefer[ed] utility to shew"; 1805 March 11). Allinson discusses two stories told to him by Aupaumut, one concerning an "Embassy" that Aupaumut and other Indians had made to western Indians -- probably Stockbridge -- "with design to renew the League of Friendship & promote their acceptance of the Christian Religion -- Improvemt in Civilization &c." The Indians accepted Aupaumut's ministry, and gave him three ears of corn to return with, to have them planted and tended "by their choisest & best young women." Aupaumut also discussed the visions and conversion experiences of two Indians, one Shawnee, the other Seneca.

The William A. Lewis photograph collection consists of approximately 1,530 items pertaining to a wide range of visual subjects that are represented across a variety of photographic formats including daguerreotypes, cartes de visite, stereographs (which form the bulk of the collection), and glass plate negatives as well as modern slides, film strips, snapshots, and postcards.

The William A. Lewis photograph collection consists of approximately 1,530 items pertaining to a wide range of visual subjects that are represented across a variety of photographic formats including daguerreotypes, cartes de visite, stereographs (which form the bulk of the collection), and glass plate negatives as well as modern slides, film strips, snapshots, and postcards.

The subject matter of this collection is thematically and chronologically diverse and reflects the broad interests of the collector, with the U.S. Civil War and 19th-century views of American and European cities being particularly well-represented topics. The collection is organized into four main series according to subject matter and is further divided into specific subject groupings within each series. In most cases, multi-item sets have been kept together and placed within the most generally appropriate subject grouping. An extensive number of photographers and publishers are represented throughout the collection including the likes of H. H. Bennett, C. B. Brubaker, John Carbutt, Centennial Photographic Company, B. F. Childs, E. & H. T. Anthony & Company, Alexander Gardner, T. W. Ingersoll, International Stereoscopic View Company, Keystone View Company, William Notman, Timothy O'Sullivan, William Rau, Strohmeyer & Wyman, Underwood & Underwood, and F. G. Weller.

The following list provides a breakdown of every topical subsection of the collection and includes item counts for each grouping:

• Airships (11)
• Bridges (69)
• Civil War I--stereographs (91)
• Civil War II--cartes de visite, Kodachrome slides, negative film strip copies of stereographs held at the Library of Congress, postcards (48)
• Disasters (49)
• Expositions (24)
• Industry & Labor (89)
• Miscellaneous (23)
• Portraits (109)
• Railroads (62)
• Ships (80)
• War (30)

• Alaska (47)
• Arizona (3)
• California (20)
• Colorado (2)
• Dakota (4)
• District of Columbia (50)
• Florida (2)
• Hawaii (1)
• Illinois (17)
• Iowa (2)
• Maine (8)
• Maryland (27)
• Massachusetts (20)
• Michigan (31)
• Missouri (3)
• New Hampshire (10)
• New York (116)
• Ohio (2)
• Oregon (2)
• Pennsylvania (16)
• Tennessee (1)
• Texas (1)
• Vermont (3)
• Utah (3)
• Virginia (6)
• Washington (1)
• West Virginia (1)
• Wisconsin (2)
• Wyoming (2)
• Unidentified locations (35)

• Austria (5)
• Belgium (6)
• Brazil (1)
• Canada (3)
• Cuba (5)
• Czechoslovakia (1)
• Egypt (5)
• England (21)
• France (43)
• Germany (14)
• Greece (1)
• India (2)
• Ireland (4)
• Italy (22)
• Japan (3)
• Mexico (1)
• Miscellaneous (31)
• Monaco (4)
• Netherlands (1)
• Norway (3)
• Palestine (5)
• Panama (41)
• Puerto Rico (3)
• Scotland (10)
• Spain (2)
• Sweden (2)
• Switzerland (9)
• Turkey (1)

• Keystone Alaska and Panama views, set box (1)
• Stereoscope (1)

• Post-WWI Keystone views of German and American zeppelins and one real photo postcard showing pre-WWI aircraft (Series I, Box 1, Airships)
• Numerous views of the Brooklyn Bridge under construction and after completion, and the Niagara Falls suspension bridge (Series I, Box 1, Bridges)
• Views of Civil War battle sites, encampments, and leaders on contemporary mounts as well as numerous reproductions of stereographs showing important battlefield sites and troops (Series I, Boxes 1-2, Civil War)
• Stereographs, real photo postcards, and other images documenting the aftermath of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake, 1871 Chicago Fire, 1889 Johnstown Flood, 1900 Galveston Hurricane, and other calamities (Series I, Box 3, Disasters)
• Images showing scenes from various American and European events, with an emphasis on the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia (Series I, Box 3, Expositions)
• Images showing mills, factories and people engaged in various occupations, including a boxed set of 50 images related Sears, Roebuck operations produced around 1906 (Series I, Box 3, Industry & Labor)
• Hand-colored early groupings of French theatrical tableaux (Series I, Box 3, Miscellaneous)
• Approximately 109 portrait photographs in different formats of various individuals, including William Jennings Bryan; a boxed set of 50 cartes de visite depicting Danish actors and actresses; cartes de visite of Emperor Napoleon III and the Mikado of Japan; and numerous unidentified subjects represented in real photo postcards (1), tintypes (17), framed/cased ambrotypes, and daguerreotypes (13) (Series I, Box 4, Portraits)
• Approximately 62 images of railroads, mostly in the U.S., including photographs from an 1866 expedition to the 100th meridian on the Union Pacific Railroad while under construction (Series I, Box 5, Railroads)
• Approximately 80 images of ships including warships, freighters, riverboats, passenger ships, shipwrecks (including of the USS Maine), and shipyards mostly in the U.S. with the notable exception of a photo of the 1858 launch of the SS Great Eastern, with Isambard Kingdom Brunel possibly in the crowd. Also of interest are 8 photos and postcards showing ships in World War I-era "dazzle" camouflage (Series I, Box 5, Ships)
• A Keystone View Co. series of images related to World War I (Series I, Box 5, Wars)
• A number of images produced by Keystone View Co. and other stereograph purveyors that focus on major cities such as Boston, New York, Paris, Constantinople, and Jerusalem (throughout Series II & Series III)
• Views from geological expeditions to the American frontier in the 1860s and 1870s (Series II, Unidentified Locations)

This collection is made up of typescripts of letters that William A. Carter sent to his wife Mary from July 1857 to January 1859. Carter described his journey from Kansas to southwest Wyoming throughout 1857 and later discussed his life at Fort Bridger, where he became a prosperous sutler. Many of the letters refer to Native American tribes and to ongoing conflicts between Mormons and United States troops.

This collection (71 pages) is made up of typescripts of letters that William A. Carter sent to his wife Mary from July 28, 1857, to January 23, 1859. From September 1857 to January 1858, Carter wrote about his journey from Atchison, Kansas, to Camp Scott and Fort Bridger, Wyoming, describing the changing landscape and aspects of daily life as part of a traveling wagon train. He referred to Native American tribes such as the Pawnee, Cheyenne, Snake, and Sioux, sharing news of reported attacks on other wagon trains and mentioning a friendly encounter with a group of Sioux. Carter and his companions also feared attacks by groups of Mormons and he commented on the ongoing conflicts between Utah Mormons and U.S. troops. After reaching Fort Laramie in October 1857, the party sometimes travelled alongside U.S. forces under the command of Philip St. George Cooke; during this time, Carter relayed reports of heavy fortifications around Salt Lake City.

In early 1858, Carter wrote several letters from Camp Scott in southwest Wyoming, joining U.S. troops in their winter camp. There, he pursued a mercantile career; his letters from this period sometimes refer to the large sums of money that could be earned by transporting freight between the Utah Territory and "the States" back east. By mid-1858, Carter had settled at Fort Bridger, where he was officially appointed sutler in June 1858; he later became postmaster as well. At Fort Bridger, Carter shared news of the Utah War, reported on his finances, and discussed his plans to build a store; on one occasion, he discussed a visit to Salt Lake City. He increasingly referred to his unhappiness about being separated from his wife and children and eventually announced his intention to bring them to Wyoming. By January 1859, he anticipated a reunion with his family.

The William Abbatt collection contains correspondence related to Abbatt's authorial and editorial work about the American Revolution.

The William Abbatt collection contains correspondence and a newspaper clipping related to Abbatt's scholarly work about the American Revolution. The four letters in the collection represented Abbatt's efforts to ensure historical accuracy throughout his work. Specific subjects addressed in the collection included the historiography of the American Revolution and of Benedict Arnold's invasion of New York, archival records of two members of the Continental Army, the proper use of military titles for retired officers, and Return Jonathan Meigs' involvement in Montgomery's attack on Québec. The newspaper clipping, mounted on the back of a printed petition from George Wilkes to the House of Representatives (December 10, 1848), commemorated a site related to Benedict Arnold's Québec invasion, which was flooded following the completion of a local dam.

The William A. Bates journal chronicles Bates' travels through Scotland and England in July 1912.

The William A. Bates journal chronicles Bates' travels through Scotland and England in July 1912. In a series of daily diary entries, Bates covered the entire trip, including his transatlantic passages on the Baltic and Oceanic. Bates and two companions, John S. Bates and Dudley Bates Lawrence, set off on the Baltic on July 3, 1912, and spent 8 leisurely days onboard making acquaintances and playing shuffleboard. The author pleasantly noted a large number of Yale graduates also making the trip, and discussed the trio's indecision regarding their upcoming plans. On July 11, the passengers arrived in Liverpool, and the three companions made their way to Glasgow by train, where they began a month of sightseeing around Scotland and England. As the group journeyed across the country to Edinburgh, Bates paid particular attention to the landscape, and often noted golf courses and cricket pitches. After spending a few days in Edinburgh, the travelers went to St. Andrews, where they spent two days on its legendary golf links (July 16-17), and then on to North Berwick, where they again played golf. On July 21, they left Scotland for York, where they viewed the city's cathedral, and moved onward to Cambridge, where Bates recorded his impressions of university students and of the pleasant town. After arriving in London on July 25, they spent several days touring local landmarks, including the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey, where they attended a church service. Following a week filled with theatrical outings and museums, the three companions boarded the Oceanic in Southampton on July 31. During the return journey, Bates noted several aspects of life on the ship, including his first-class view over the steerage deck and the presence of several Olympians onboard.

Brothers from Marion, Mich., Gus and June Smith both enlisted in the 22nd Michigan Infantry in August, 1862. Their letters depict their first year of service and provide useful descriptions of camp conditions, health, and morale in the regiment. The collection also contains four receipt rolls, returns, and other documents signed by Gus for material issued to his company.

The Smith brothers' collection is a slender, but significant one, documenting the combined Civil War service of two brothers from Marion, Mich. Seven letters are written by Gus, five by June, and one letter was written jointly. Gus' letters tend to be more descriptive, perhaps because he was an officer or because he was more enthusiastic about soldiering, or perhaps because June was so often plagued with ill health.

Their letters from the fall of 1862 through the summer of 1863, all written home to their family, depict their first year of service and provide useful descriptions of camp conditions, health, and morale in the regiment, and contain the expected inquiries about affairs at home. Because they are sporadic correspondents, a detailed sense of their family relations or military experiences does not clearly emerge, but individual letters rise well above the mundane. Perhaps the two most interesting are an undated letter from Gus, probably written in the fall, 1862, describing his tent and living conditions in Kentucky, and his letter from May, 1863, crowing over his promotion to captain. The collection also contains four receipt rolls, returns, and other documents signed by Gus for material issued to his company.

Poet Will Carleton of Detroit, Michigan, created this issue of The Gazette (vol. 1, no. 6), an apparently unpublished literary magazine, in December 1871.

Will Carleton of Detroit, Michigan, created this issue of The Gazette (vol. 1, no. 6), an apparently unpublished literary magazine, in December 1871. Pagination [1], 5, 2, 6, 3, 7, 4, 8, 9, 11, 10, 12, 13, 15, 14, 16. Portions, particularly the fifth leaf (pages 9/11), are mutilated, with text loss.

The 16-page production includes an editorial, "News and Notions," "The Poet's Corner," "Current Clippings," "Selected Miscellany," "A Memorial to Alice Cary," and a "Special Announcement." The Poet's Corner section includes "The Editor's Table," an early draft of Carleton's "The Editor's Guest", published in his Farm Ballads (1873). Carleton's memorial to Ohio and New York poet Alice Cary includes her last words to him, although this portion of the manuscript is tattered and has considerable text loss. Throughout The Gazette are handwritten copies of text from other newspapers, including items by Charles Dudley Warner, Fanny Fern, Mary Clemmer Ames, and others.

Willard T. Perrin kept this pocket diary while attending Harvard University in 1869. Perrin wrote about daily activities such socializing with friends and family, attending church, playing baseball, and traveling around Massachusetts.

Willard T. Perrin kept this pocket diary while attending Harvard University in 1869. The diary contains supplemental printed information and labeled sections for each date, laid out 3 entries to a page. Perrin wrote irregularly throughout the year; the final pages contain additional notes and memorandums such as addresses, a debate question, an illustrated geometry problem, and Perrin's body measurements.

Most of Perrin's entries pertain to his social life and activities, such as Sunday school and services in Methodist, Congregational, and Unitarian churches. He frequently visited with members of his family and sometimes traveled to Waltham, Lowell, and other Massachusetts towns, often as a member of Harvard's baseball team; the diary records several results from games in which Perrin participated. Perrin sometimes noted events of interest such as a birthday party for his 80-year-old aunt (January 16, 1869), a viewing of the Aurora Borealis (April 15, 1869), the National Peace Jubilee and the dedication of a soldier's monument (July 15-20, 1869), and the inauguration of Charles W. Eliot as President of Harvard University (October 19, 1869).

This slim volume contains lists of Willard S. Niles' students at various locations in New York State, scholars' attendance, and other records between 1841 and 1849. The attendance rolls are divided by commencement date and each student's name is followed by a row of hash marks. Niles' children used most of the pages' margins and blank spaces to practice penmanship, jot their address, repeat student names, and in one case copy a letter from Hiram Niles in Iowa. The letter copy reads "It is very loathsome and mean and disgusting in you not to write once in a month if I get down." The blank book has tan, paper covers. Printed on the front cover is WRITING BOOK. THE PROPERTY OF MANUFACTURED AND SOLD BY B. MAYNARD... Hamilton, N.Y.: Imprint of G. R. Waldron & Co., with images of a patriotic eagle and shield, small oval depictions of a woman with a ship in the background, and decorative borders. The back cover bears a printed multiplication table.

This slim volume contains lists of Willard S. Niles' students at various locations in New York State, scholars' attendance, and other records between 1841 and 1849. The attendance rolls are divided by commencement date and each student's name is followed by a row of hash marks. Niles' children used most of the pages' margins and blank spaces to practice penmanship, jot their address, repeat student names, and in one case copy a letter from Hiram Niles in Iowa. The letter copy reads "It is very loathsome and mean and disgusting in you not to write once in a month if I get down." The blank book has tan, paper covers. Printed on the front cover is WRITING BOOK. THE PROPERTY OF MANUFACTURED AND SOLD BY B. MAYNARD... Hamilton, N.Y.: Imprint of G. R. Waldron & Co., with images of a patriotic eagle and shield, small oval depictions of a woman with a ship in the background, and decorative borders. The back cover bears a printed multiplication table.

This collection consists of case reports and the professional correspondence of Willard Parker, a successful surgeon in New York City in the late 19th century.

The bulk of the Willard Parker papers concern his activity as a consultant. The collection has been divided into two parts: Case Reports and Correspondence. The Case Reports document surgical practice, and include some postmortem reports (1855 November 20; 1857 December 23; 1864 March 14). The Correspondence Series is comprised of letters from patients describing their cases and letters from colleagues requesting Parker's professional opinion. The most interesting item in the latter category is a letter from Dr. Sylvester Willard of Albany (1855 November 21) describing the final hours of a distinguished colleague, T. Romeyn Beck, the American expert on medical jurisprudence. The cause of Beck's death was apparently a mystery, and Willard asks for Parker's thoughts on the matter, since Parker had been involved in the case of Beck's younger brother some years before.

The saddest and most personal letter is one from a Mrs. Ludlow, a friend and perhaps distant relative of Parker's, who writes concerning the death of her daughter Minnie (1875 April 2) asking: "Do you think each individual's health is ordered by God, or that we are free agents, or that death often occurs from errors of judgment, etc.?" Parker had intended a career in the ministry before his conversion to medicine as a Harvard freshman.

This collection is made up of letters that Brigadier General James Wilkinson sent to Major Henry Burbeck from Ohio and Michigan in the late 1790s. He discussed logistical affairs related to the Northwest Territory, mentioning roads, trade, and relations with Native Americans and Europeans, and other subjects.

This collection is made up of letters that Brigadier General James Wilkinson sent to Major Henry Burbeck from Ohio and Michigan in the late 1790s. He discussed issues related to the United States Army's affairs in the Northwest Territory, commenting on relationships with Native Americans and with French and Spanish forces. He remarked on events in the Mackinac region and occasionally mentioned General Anthony Wayne. Some of the letters contain instructions for Burbeck and others, such as a letter discussing Wilkinson's interest in furs, are personal correspondence or letters authorizing the bearer to certain goods. The letters are dated from Greenville, Ohio; Detroit, Michigan; and St. Joseph, Michigan. See the Detailed Box and Folder Listing for more information.

The Wilkes County, Georgia collection is made up of probate inventories, estate records, indentures, receipts, accounts, and other documents relating to the inhabitants of Wilkes County, Georgia.

This collection contains 204 items, chiefly probate inventories, receipts, records of sales of decedents' property, indentures and other legal documents. Eighty-seven of the items pertain to the estate of Robert Toombs (d. 1826). Most of the items date from between 1778 and 1830. Twenty-one items date from 1839 to 1867; there are no probate inventories for those decades. Almost all of the material in this collection comes from Wilkes County, but a few documents are from other counties.

The probate inventories provide a wealth of details about the lives of Wilkes County residents, enslaved and free. Inventories can be used to reconstruct some details of slaves' lives. These documents show the number of slaves on plantations with the monetary value assigned to them, often give names of slaves, and indicate if women had children. Sometimes appraisers noted the names of a woman's children. For some decedents, the records of the disposition of estates show the scattering of slaves to various slaveholders as well as the distribution of other property. The "List of the property sold of Lewis Biddles Estate Deceased," has unusual value: It breaks down the slaves sold into family groups (information beyond the more frequent notations of mothers and children). A poignant 1828 estate sale record relates that Old Andrew and Old Amy were "offered & no bidder." The collection includes other material about slaves and slavery, such as records of the hiring out of slaves and a 1784 bond that expressed a preference for a "country born negroe boy." Four court documents from the late 1780s and early 1790s reveal cases of "Negroe Stealing" but with scant detail. Another court document, from 1792, declares that a Capt. John Man "saw a Negro man Ben, said to be the property of Richard Baily on the morning of the 29th June Instant, much wounded, which appeared to be done by shooting." Man testified that one Norcut Slaven had told Man that Slaven "has shot the said Negro Ben." The court took action against Slaven and other men, though the documents do not show the final outcome of the case. The records in this collection can be used to study the economy of Wilkes County. In addition to slaves, inventories list livestock and equipment, such as plows, cotton cards and looms, and blacksmiths' tools -- details that allow scholars to study the extent of plantations' self-sufficiency or participation in the market. With qualifications due to uncertainty about completeness, these inventories can be used to study wealth and consumption over time and to compare the lifestyles of the well-off versus the poor. The records also allow analysis of levels of literacy. The collection also offers information regarding material culture and consumption. William Grant furnished his house with "3 Painted Pine dressing tables," "1 Dozen Rush Bottom Chairs," and several pieces of mahogany furniture among other things. Inventories indicate that Wilkes County residents might own musical instruments, pillow cases, sugar dishes, custard cups, decanters, looking glasses, and books (occasionally listed by title) to name a few of the consumer goods that turn up in the records. The "Inventory of the estate and effects of William Rogers" suggests that Rogers may have been a teacher or bookseller. His books included Lessons for Reading, Schoolmasters asst, two copies of Ovid's Metamorphoses, a few dictionaries and a number of grammars. Some other miscellaneous inventory items listed were traps for rodents, 55 gallons of peach brandy, 22 thimbles, spice mortars, coffee mills and waffle irons.

Inventories can be used to study women's and men's legal and financial roles. Some probate inventories contain lists of debts. Women rarely served as administrators or controlled property that went through the probate process, but a few women appear in this collection in those positions. Women's presence is greatest as buyers of property sold at estate sales and as slaves. The collection contains a few wills, receipts, contracts and miscellaneous legal documents.

Approximately 80 documents about Robert Toombs's estate provide an especially full record of one family's spending on goods and services. Toombs's wife, Catherine, settled the estate's accounts over the few years after Toombs's death in 1826. Pages of accounts and receipts show the cost of education, library fees, the children's board, food, clothes, furniture, postage, medical services (including those of midwives), legal services, piano tuning, transportation, and taxes. The records also show the price that Toombs's got for their cotton and corn. A picture of the lives of the Toombs's family emerges from these records. The sons attended Franklin College, daughter Sarah Ann played the piano. The family received the Wesleyan Journal according to a receipt for paying postage for the journal. To drink, the Toombses might choose from coffee, gin, whisky or "the best Madeira Wine."

This collection is an undated 53-page manuscript, containing portions of the English translation of a work of organ music theory and practical application by German organist and instructor Wilhelm Schneider. The manuscript's first page corresponds to page 87 of Schneider's Practical Organ School . . . to which is added a complete Treatise on Harmony and thorough Bass. Translated and Adapted to the wants of Young Organists (Boston: Oliver Ditson & Company, 1851). Afterward, the manuscript follows a different organization from the printed work—chapter one of the manuscript corresponds, for example, to chapter two of the published version. A comparative analysis has not been completed, though a cursory review suggests that the manuscript has textual and possibly other variations from the published version.

This collection is an undated 53-page manuscript, containing portions of the English translation of a work of organ music theory and practical application by German organist and instructor Wilhelm Schneider. The manuscript's first page corresponds to page 87 of Schneider's Practical Organ School . . . to which is added a complete Treatise on Harmony and thorough Bass. Translated and Adapted to the wants of Young Organists (Boston: Oliver Ditson & Company, 1851). Afterward, the manuscript follows a different organization from the printed work—chapter one of the manuscript corresponds, for example, to chapter two of the published version. A comparative analysis has not been completed, though a cursory review suggests that the manuscript has textual and possibly other variations from the published version.

This album, compiled by Wilhelm Hasselbach in 1871, contains photographs of Chicago buildings before and after the Great Fire of 1871, as well as commercial illustrations of buildings and landmarks in Germany and Switzerland, and photographic portraits of women.

Wilhlem Hasselbach, a German druggist living in Chicago, Illinois, compiled this album (24cm x 20cm) in 1871 and 1872. The album has green pebbled leather covers and a title, "Scrap Book," appears in a stylized gold design on the front. Photographs and commercial illustrations are pasted directly onto the book's colored pages. Hasselbach first inscribed the volume in Chicago in November 1871; a second note on the same page (written in German) is dated in Munich on September 16, 1894. Three items are laid into the volume's front cover: a Christmas card from the Northern Trust Company with a colored illustration of Michigan Avenue, Chicago, as it appeared in 1870 (printed after 1871); a pamphlet, "Chicago Since 1837" by Gordon Best (1917); and a card from S. D. Childs & Company (undated).

The first group of items includes a printed advertisement for a meeting of Chicago citizens to be held on October 9, 1871, and a photograph of a collage of portraits of United States presidents. These are followed by 62 photographs showing Chicago buildings and street scenes before and after the Great Chicago Fire, including pictures of commercial and municipal structures, a factory, and churches. One page has a small manuscript map showing the location of Bodemann & Hasselbach's drugstore and several other businesses at the intersection of State Street and Harrison Street. The Chicago pictures are followed by groups of commercial engravings and other illustrations depicting prominent buildings and landmarks in Berlin, Germany; Dresden, Germany; Zurich, Switzerland; and other locales, as well as a painting of Germania and a photograph of a collage of small portraits of German royalty and generals arrayed on an iron cross (around 70 items total). The final items are clippings with a picture of a dog who survived under a pile of rubble for over a day during the Great Chicago Fire and an advertisement for a secure bank vault and safe deposit boxes. Nine portraits are pasted into the album's final pages, including one of a well-dressed man and eight of unidentified women.

This collection is made up of letters that Wilfred Ferguson, Jr., sent to his fiancée, Peggy Allen of Fairfield, Connecticut, while serving in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. Despite his frustration with censorship regulations, he discussed his experiences with the 65th Station Complement Squadron in England.

This collection is made up of 28 letters that Wilfred Ferguson, Jr., sent to his fiancée, Peggy Allen of Fairfield, Connecticut, while serving in the United States Army Air Forces in England in 1944. Ferguson wrote regularly about his leisure activities, which included visiting a Red Cross club, playing table tennis, reading, and gambling. Though he attended movies, he believed they often resembled propaganda pieces. He also expressed his frustrations with censorship regulations, which limited his ability to discuss his military work. Ferguson occasionally shared stories about other soldiers and mentioned his correspondence from home.

The Wilbur Wright Airfield photograph album contains 250 images taken by Corporal J. O. McDonnell that mainly document military activities at Wilbur Wright Airfield in Ohio during World War I.

The album (18 x 28.5 cm) is string-bound and has black leather covers with "Photographs" stamped in gold on the front and black paper pages. Images are sequentially numbered in white pencil. Contents primarily cover a range of aviation training activities and other operational aspects of Wilbur Wright Airfield. Various training aircraft are documented in detail; the majority were Curtiss JN-4s, known as “Jennys,” but the base also had some DeHaviland DH-4s. Numerous views of planes are included, showing them on the ground, in the air, and operating in all seasonal conditions. Several crash landings are also documented, with most of the wrecks appearing to be “nose-overs” (planes flipping forward upon landing) rather than high-speed crashes into the ground.

In addition to pilot training, Cpl. McDonnell also documented aspects of daily life at the base including hangars, mechanics shops, fabrication areas, and barracks. Photographs include shots of military personnel working on planes, lounging in barracks, and searching for wreckage. Also present are photographs of visitors to the base (including actress Pearl White and possibly other cast members of Pearl of the Army), the New York Times airplane, experimental plane designs (such as a dual engine biplane and innovative wing shapes), and two images showcasing the newly developed Brock Automatic Aeroplane Camera designed for aerial surveillance. Cpl. McDonnell himself may possibly appear in photograph no. 69 posing with a young woman in front of an airplane.

Other locations besides Wilbur Wright Airfield are represented in the album, including storefront views and street scenes in Mineola, New York, which may possibly have been McDonnell’s hometown. Also present are four portraits of Theodore Roosevelt giving a speech in 1917 at a racetrack in Mineola, seven images of Washington, D.C., landmarks (including four directional views taken from the top of the Washington Monument), a view of the Tijuana Fair, the Horton Plaza fountain at the Panama-California Exposition in San Diego, and six aerial photographs showing an unidentified coastal city (likely San Diego) and several ships.

Other photographs produced by Cpl. McDonnell for official U.S. Army purposes differ from those found in this album in terms of their size, content, quality of composition, and attention to staging. It is likely that he took photographs for official (and sometimes classified) purposes in his role as base photographer while also taking his own personal snapshots, the latter of which are what appears to be compiled in this album.

The Wilbur Fisk collection mostly contains letters that Fisk received from parents of current and prospective students while serving as president of the Wesleyan Academy in Wilbraham, Massachusetts.

This collection (24 items) contains 22 letters that Wilbur Fisk received while serving as president of the Wesleyan Academy in Wilbraham, Massachusetts, in the early 19th century. Most writers were parents of current and prospective students.

Many writers requested that Fisk personally oversee their child's academic, moral, and religious education; others mentioned boarding arrangements and textbooks; and some referred to tuition payments. Two letters pertain to donations to the school's collection of mineral samples, including a letter from William Prescott concerning his efforts to acquire minerals and offering his advice that the school should prioritize scientific education over the study of dead languages (June 8, 1829). Amos Binney, Jr., wrote that he intended to send a case of samples acquired from the area around Mount Vesuvius (June 16, 1823). The final item is an unsigned letter addressed to D. P. Robinson regarding a man who refused to pay a note owed to a Board of Trustees in Wilbraham, Massachusetts (August 20, 1849).

These 2 volumes contain labor records for a cotton mill in Wiccopee, New York, between 1854 and 1857. The books document male and female workers' names, their positions, and the amount of time they worked. Also included are similar records for the New York Rubber Company in 1858.

These 2 volumes contain labor records for a cotton mill in Wiccopee, New York, between 1854 and 1857. The books document male and female workers' names, their positions, and the amount of time they worked. Also included are similar records for the New York Rubber Company in 1858. Each volume is roughly 13"x12".

Volume 1 contains 39 pages of information about employee attendance in the carding room, where workers cleaned and prepared cotton fibers for processing, between June 5, 1854, and May 30, 1857. Each page documents around one month. Individual workers' names are followed by a daily record of their labor at the factory, which states the number of days and/or hours worked, and occasionally monthly totals. Many entries note the employee's specific job within the carding room.

The mill records are followed by 3 pages of similar records respecting workers in the New York Rubber Company's "grading room" (undated) and those who performed other tasks, such as carpentry and moving machinery (undated and January 20, 1858-June 5, 1858).

Volume 2 contains 40 pages of records for the Wiccopee mill's spinning room, kept between June 5, 1854, and May 2, 1857, and 39 pages of records for the weaving room, kept between June 5, 1854, and May 9, 1857. The end of the second volume includes 10 pages of accounts for additional manual laborers, such as carpenters. The title page of volume 2 contains a pencil sketch of part of a spinning mule, manufactured by the Matteawan Company.

The papers of the Whittemore, Low, Peck, Parmelee, and Bonticou, families, primarily of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. The collection concerns the families' military service, genealogy, travel, and social activities.

The Correspondence series contains approximately 1.5 linear feet of letters, spanning 1776-1939, with the bulk concentrated around 1840-1939. It documents many branches of the family.

William Whittemore (b. 1761) of Boston, Massachusetts, wrote several of the earliest letters to his brother Amos in London, England, in the late 1790s. These letters primarily pertain to their business producing wool and cotton cards, and address such topics as business difficulties and market conditions in Massachusetts. Other items mention family matters and news, such as the death of their father, Thomas Whittemore (October 10, 1799). Also present are several letters concerning the Hubbard family of New Haven, Connecticut. In a letter to his parents, Thomas Hubbard shared his impressions of Georgetown, South Carolina, which he called a "wicked part" of the world (December 9, 1798). He described his living situation in a "bachelor hall," and referenced his wish to "make a fortune" in the South.

In the late 1830s, the focus of the correspondence series shifts to William Whittemore Low (1823-1877), the grandson of William Whittemore. The series, which includes both incoming and outgoing letters, documents many aspects of Low's career with the navy. In several early letters, his relatives strongly discouraged him from enlisting: His mother requested that he remain near her (August 9, 1839), and his grandfather wrote, "You will rue the day, should you enter either the Navy or Merchant Service," recommending instead that he become a shopkeeper or lawyer (December 1, 1839). Accompanying these are several recommendations from friends of Low's character and fitness for service. For the period of the 1840s and 1850s, many of the items are orders transferring Low between ships or addressing the logistics of his service. Included is a response to Low's request for detachment from the schooner Graham, signed by Jefferson Davis in his role as U.S. Secretary of War (June 8, 1853).

Of particular interest are the letters that Low wrote during his Civil War service as commander of the gunboat Octorara from September 1863 to the end of the war. They include a large number of long letters home, some giving excellent descriptions of Low's activities in the West Gulf Blockading Squadron. In a letter dated October 30, 1863, written to his brother Henry, Low anticipated his duties at Mobile but worried, "I am very much afraid that we shall break down before operations commence." In a letter to his father several days later, he gave a good description of the features of the Octorara and noted the repairs made on it (November 11, 1863).

A few letters during the Civil War period describe engagements and dangers faced onboard the Octorara. These include an account of an engagement on Mobile Bay on the morning of August 5, 1864, in which the Octorara fired on a Confederate ship "at anchor on the West side of the Bay in 2 fathoms water" (August 29, 1864). In an additional letter, Low described an incident in which he and his men mistook a ship for the CSS Nashville but quickly realized their error (September 14, 1864). Incoming letters to Low also shed light on the naval threat of the Confederacy. They include a copy of a letter by Edward La Croix, warning that a torpedo boat "propelled by a small engine" had just been built by Confederates at Selma, Alabama (November 20, 1864), and two letters by naval officer Edward Simpson, conveying intelligence concerning the blockade runner Heroine (March 23, 1865) and discussing the aftermath of the torpedoing of the USS Osage (March 29, 1865). In the latter, Simpson wrote, "I feel deeply for those poor fellows from the Osage and had already resolved on appropriating…one of the tin clads for hospital purposes." He also expressed hope that surgeons could transport the injured without inflicting further harm on them.

• A letter from James M. Dabney, in which he explained, "I am the owner of the Plantation nearest your present anchorage," and inquired whether he and his neighbors could return to their "homes & families, unmolested." (April 17, 1865)
• A letter from Ben Lane Posey, captain in the 38th Alabama Regiment, in which he admitted to being a Confederate States Army officer, but claimed, "I have had no connection with the army since Oct 6 1864." He also offered to surrender and requested to be returned to Mobile (April 20, 1864).
• A letter from J.B. Mendenhall of Buford's Landing, Alabama, which notes that a neighboring woman, "Mrs. Cleland," wishes to take an oath of allegiance to the United States. The letter also describes the response of slaves to the end of the war: "Her negroes have become defiant insulting, and she thinks dangerous….It is believed by some of the neighbours that their intention is to rob and plunder us perhaps murder before they leave. I know that mine are preparing to leave & wish they were gone." Mendenhall also expressed worry that his slaves would bring their friends and return to plunder his plantation (April 20, 1865).

A few letters also discuss the logistics of administering oaths of allegiance to southerners.

Also addressed in Low's Civil War correspondence are fairly routine matters, such as leaves of absences (July 2, 1864), complaints about the system of promotions (July 30, 1864), and a letter relating to the court martial of John Kennedy of the USS Oneida, who was found guilty of treating a superior officer with contempt (June 16, 1864). The series also includes official navy correspondence. Circular letters and orders address such topics as the use of alcohol onboard ships (September 16, 1862), appropriate actions in neutral waters (June 20, 1863), and the retrieval of supplies from Key West, Florida (September 11, 1863). Letters concerning Low's postwar career are much scarcer, but of particular interest is an 11-page description by Fred Patter of the capture of the pirate ship Forward (June 19, 1870).

From the 1870s on, the focus of the collection shifts to William W. Low's daughter, Grace Bonticou Low, and several other family members. Incoming letters to Grace Low begin in 1873, and her uncle, Henry Whittemore Low, and mother, Evelina P. Low, wrote much of the earliest correspondence of this period. Grace’s outgoing correspondence began in 1880 with letters to her family in New Haven about her time in Washington, D.C., where she attended a co-educational school and participated in ice skating, a tour and reception at the White House (Jan. 4, 1881), a reception of the First Lady Lucy Webb Hayes (Jan. 15, 1881), and visits to the Smithsonian Institution. Among her female acquaintances was Frances ("Fanny") Hayes, the daughter of President and Mrs. Hayes. In the mid-1880s, Low attended school in Watervliet, New York, and wrote of her social life and classes there. Her outgoing correspondence ends in 1891. Approximately 100 letters to Grace Low from her brother, Theodore H. Low, date from the mid-1890s to 1939. These regard his time at various naval hospitals in South Carolina, Rhode Island, and Washington D.C. Grace also received around 20 letters from another brother, William Low (1912-1916). Also of interest are letters written to Henry Low, mostly by his nephews, William and Theodore Low. Their correspondence with him includes accounts of their service with the Marines during the Boxer rebellion, Philippine insurrection, and the invasion of several Caribbean countries in 1907-1908. Theodore's later letters provide details of his work as an inventor, including applying for and receiving a patent for a bottle opener.

Several additional sets of letters provide insights into various female members of the Whittemore, Low, and Parmelee families. Geraldine Whittemore Low wrote a handful of letters to her uncle, Henry W. Low, from New Haven about her recreational activities and social gatherings with friends during the 1880s. They concern Valentine’s Day, her whist club, weddings, balls, and other social events. A set of 30 letters from Julie Parmelee Marston and Mary Parmelee Low, the widow of William Whittemore Low, Jr., to their cousin, Mary E. Redfield in New Haven, relate to their trip to Switzerland between September 1923 and August, 1926. They traveled on the American Line, SS Mongolia, and after their arrival, explored Switzerland, France, and Italy. Both Mary and Julie described their surroundings, cultural events they attended, and the people that they met in Europe. Mary also wrote about her two children, Charlotte and Billy; the expenses of the trip; and several aspects of the children’s education while in Switzerland.

The Letter Books series contains four letter books by William Whittemore Low, Sr., between 1840 and 1875, and two kept by Elisha Peck, 1843-1863. The earliest William W. Low letter book spans July 25, 1840-March 19, 1867 and contains 415 letters in its 466 pages. It comprises copies and originals of both incoming and outgoing letters that document much of Low's naval career. Early letters shed light on Low's time onboard the Missouri and the Saratoga and his education at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Many pertain to transfers, ship inventories, orders, and the enlistment of crews. Of particular interest are letters from the period of Low's service with the Union Navy during the Civil War onboard the St. Louis, Constellation, andOctorara. Both official and personal in nature, they shed light on naval policies, personnel, and Low's wartime experiences.

• A navy circular signed by Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles concerning the blockade and capture of Confederate vessels (August 18, 1862)
• A printed note containing intelligence that "the Oreto Gunboat is intended for the Southern Confederacy" (February 27, 1862)
• Low's orders to proceed to New Orleans and join the Octorara (September 22, 1863)
• A substantial amount of correspondence related to the Battle of Mobile Bay in early August 1864
• Numerous manuscript orders by Admiral Henry K. Thatcher tipped into the volume. They include one from March 31, 1865: "Open fire on the fort. Aim well to the left."

A significant part of the postwar correspondence relates to a bureaucratic error which resulted in the delay of a promotion for Low from the Board of Admirals. An index appears at the end of the volume.

The second William W. Low, Sr., letter book spans 1865-1875, and contains 212 pages of copied incoming and outgoing letters as well as copied passages from books concerning military science and ordnance, and copies of general orders. The materials pertain to the transportation of supplies, Low's knowledge of ordnance, a proposed article concerning Low for the Army & Navy Journal, Low's recommendations for various navy colleagues, and other subjects.

The third William W. Low, Sr., letter book spans 1870-1871, and consists of 335 letters within 263 pages. It comprises writer-retained copies of outgoing letters to correspondents in the U.S. Navy. Low wrote the letters while onboard the steam sloop-of-war USS Mohican. His primary correspondents were Rear Admiral John A. Winslow, S.W. Gordon, Rear Admiral Thomas Turner, Commodore William Rogers Taylor, and George M. Robeson. Topics of the correspondence include health and sanitation, supplies, the condition of the ship, the ventilation of the berth deck, and navy financial matters. Low also included in his letters summaries of courts martial for theft, intoxication, and the escape of prisoners, as well as information on casualties, training, and transfers. A series of significant letters in June 1870 record a conflict between San Salvador and Mexico, as well as the capture of the pirate ship Forward.

Also included is a volume of compiled circular letters from the U.S. Navy Department, 1870-1875. Likely kept by William W. Low, Sr., the item contains printed and manuscript letters concerning such topics as courts martial, recordkeeping, uniform regulations, and rank. The book also includes an index of topics in the front.

The first Elisha Peck letter book covers 1843-1863 and contains 30 letters by Peck, most of which he wrote to his wife Grace and children, Evelina ("Eva"), Henry, and Joanna ("Anna"). Peck wrote 11 of the letters while onboard the U.S. sloop of war Portsmouth from 1849-1851; during this time, Peck commanded the ship as part of an effort to stop the illicit slave trade from West Africa. In his letters home, he described terrain that he saw from the ship, expressed his sorrow over being separated from his family, and gave accounts of his experiences. On January 1, 1850, he wrote a letter from Cape Verde, noting that most American and British ships of war took "on board 20 or 30 African Negroes" to row in the "extreme heat of the African sun." He also gave details on the evasive movements of slave traders. In other letters, Low discussed Ghezo, the King of Dahomey and the kingdom's corps of female soldiers (April 20, 1850); the transportation of beeswax and ivory to the coast of present-day Angola (September 1, 1850); and drinking 100-year old wine on Christmas Day (January 2, 1851). Peck wrote most of the remainder of the letters while onboard the Carolina off the Brooklyn Navy Yard, discussing naval happenings and social visits and expressing affection for his children.

The second Elisha Peck letter book contains writer-retained copies of official naval correspondence written by Peck to various correspondents. The volume spans June 12, 1849-September 1, 1851, and covers the period of Peck's service with the Portsmouth. Letters concern personnel matters, the compiling of returns, disciplinary matters, and other topics. Major recipients include Francis Gregory, William B. Preston, William Craig, and William A. Graham.

Note: Two additional letter books by Thomas J. Whittemore are located in the Genealogy series because they contain correspondence related only to family research.

The Reminiscences, Essays, and Miscellaneous Writings series contains various materials written by members of the Whittemore-Low family, including poems; accounts of the military service of William W. Low, Sr., and Theodore Low; short fiction; religious writings; and fragments. Much of the writing is undated and unsigned, but several pieces concerning military duties in China and at the U.S. Naval Academy are attributed to Theodore Low.

The Diaries, Commonplace Books, and Logbook series contains 12 volumes kept by various family members between 1820 and 1886. The series consists of two volumes by Grace Bonticou Peck (1820 and 1827), two by William W. Low, Sr. (1844-1845 and [1848-1849]), one by Evelina Peck (1852-1853), one by Henry S. Parmelee (1865), one by Grace B. Low (1886), and five unattributed volumes.

Grace B. Peck's two volumes contain poems and quotations selected for or dedicated to her by various friends. The entries address subjects such as religion, hope, death, friendship, love, solitude, and the qualities of women. Most of the entries are signed, although few are dated or indicate location. The books kept by William W. Low, Sr., include an early commonplace book and a logbook for the USS Mohican. The latter volume comprises daily entries recording weather, barometer readings, sails set, the use of steam power, and the ship's longitude and latitude. The entries also contain records of minor transgressions, desertions, courts martial, and punishments. Detailed descriptions of the geography of Mazatlan, Altata, Pichilingue Bay, and San Blas, Mexico, are present on pages 35-41. The logbook also records the arrivals and departures of foreign ships and shore parties, the receipt of food and supplies, and the transfer of sailors between ships and to hospitals. Of particular interest is the description of the Mohican's engagement with the pirate ship Forward on June 16-19, 1870 (pages 58-61). The Evelina Peck volume is an album of messages from various friends and acquaintances, including quotations and several original poems. Most of the entries are reminiscences about friendship or expressions of sorrow over an imminent departure. The majority of entries are signed and dated; many mark "New Haven" as their location. The last entry is an ink drawing of a harp and pipe with no date or signature. The entries are in no particular order. Henry S. Parmelee's diary records very brief entries for eight days of Civil War service with the 1st Connecticut Cavalry Regiment in March and April 1865. Grace Bonticou Low’s diary dates from January to June 1886, and describes her life as a 21-year old woman staying with her aunt Anna and uncle James in Washington, D.C. Her entries reflect almost entirely on social events, dances, masquerades, visits, theater performances, and church attendance. She often wrote of particular female friends and of the military men she encountered in Washington.

The Documents and Receipts series contains several subseries based on the original bundles in which the family papers arrived. The subseries are as follows: Elisha Peck Bundle, which spans 1831-1875; Bonticou Bundle (1778-1837); Low Bundle (1895; undated); Washington, D.C. Property Bundle (1880-1883); Property and Pension Bundle (1880-1909); Theodore Low Naval Bundle (1906-1907); Other Documents and Receipts (1729-19[02?]). The bundles contain a wide variety of document types, including military and legal documents, wills, land indentures, pension papers, receipts, and petitions. These shed light on the careers, finances, and transactions of many members of the Whittemore-Low family.

The Graphics series contains 10 photograph albums, 2 scrapbooks, and approximately 100 cased and paper photographs, totaling approximately 1000 photographs of various kinds. The albums and scrapbooks date from the late-19th and early-20th centuries.

• Asian Travel photograph album, 1875-1877: The album contains albumen print views and portraits from Aden; Nagasaki, Kyoto and Hakodate, Japan; and Singapore. In addition to images of ports and group portraits of Japanese women, the album has several early photographs of the Ainu that offer an impression of their mode of dress and style of living. The series of photographs taken in Singapore show native theatre and homes, as well as a Hindu temple and a European style church under construction (in the background of one image). The album also includes a portrait of the King of Siam (Chulalongkorn or Rama V).
• Friendship album, 1879-1883: The album contains signatures, quotations, and eight chromolithographs of floral images. The creator of the album is unknown.
• Parmelee family album, ca. 1890: The album contains 137 silver gelatin photoprints showing the Parmelee family yachting, relaxing on the beach, and socializing at home.
• Henry S. Parmelee family Newport and Yale photograph album, 1901: The album contains gelatin silver prints of the Parmelee family and friends in a series of outdoor activities throughout southern New England. A series of photographs taken in the harbor of Newport, Rhode Island, features the yacht Speranza with women, children, and a dog among its passengers, as well as a number of candid portraits of a swimming party in Newport. Photographs taken in New Haven show an outing to the New Haven Country Club, as well as an image of decorations for the Yale Bicentennial. Also present are some faint but interesting images of tobogganing.
• Parmelee family Schooner Alert and Nassau photograph album, 1902: This album, which contains 92 gelatin silver prints, documents the Parmelee family vacationing and yachting in the Bahamas. The images are a combination of professional souvenir and amateur candid photographs. Many photographs show Nassau's Colonial Hotel: its exterior, interiors, tennis courts, and swimming pool. Other images from Nassau show natives near their homes, at market, and diving. Several photographs feature varied foliage, such as palms, banana plants, ciba trees, and cacti. Nearly half of the album focuses on Henry S. Parmelee's Schooner Alert, including numerous group photographs of the men and women on board, as well as several images of people reading and resting on deck.
• Julie F. Parmelee obituary scrapbook, 1902: The scrapbook contains newspaper clippings and articles on the death of Henry S. Parmelee and his wife, Mary F. Parmelee. Also included is a clipping on the death of William Whittemore, Jr., and an article on the reception hosted by the Parmelee family. The compiler of the scrapbook is Julie F. Parmelee, daughter of Henry and Mary Parmelee.
• William W. Low, Jr., Puerto Rico and Hawaii photograph album, ca. 1901-1902: The album contains photographs of Hawaii and of Puerto Rico after the Spanish-American War. Images depict navy officers as well as navy vessels, including the Arethusa. Several photographs document bridge-building and the Puerto Rican countryside. Also included are a fine early view of Honolulu, an image of a polo game, and portraits of an Asian child and an Asian woman.
• William W. Low, Jr., Puerto Rico photograph album, ca. 1902: The album contains 28 silver developing-out prints of Puerto Rico after the Spanish-American War. Several images show men in military uniform (mostly American army and navy, but also some Spanish or local militia). Additional images feature groups of American men and women and local women and children, along with several views of architecture.
• [William W. Low, Jr.] Travel photograph album, 1897-1909: The album contains 121 silver gelatin photoprints of Connecticut, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. It includes a series of images of navy officers and vessels such as the New York and Columbia, as well as numerous images of family and friends aboard a sailboat. Also present are a handful of photographs of East Rock Park in New Haven, Connecticut, in the winter.
• [William W. Low, Jr.] Puerto Rico, U.S., and Hawaii photograph album, 1911: The album contains 268 silver gelatin photoprints of locations in Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Connecticut, and South Carolina. Images of Puerto Rico include various buildings, dwellings, harbors, a naval station, and views of the countryside. In addition are images of street scenes with Puerto Ricans, many of them children. Several photographs of the Lows on vacation in Charleston, South Carolina, are also present, as are several images of the Low home in Connecticut.
• Charlotte Low Baby photograph album, 1910-1922: The album contains 94 albumen prints and silver gelatin photoprints of Charlotte Low as an infant and young child. It includes numerous portraits of Charlotte posed with toys, other children, and family members.
• Charlotte Low photograph album, 1921-1922: The album contains 110 silver gelatin photoprints of Charlotte Low and friends at home in New Haven, Connecticut, and at Camp Broadview for girls. It includes amateur portraits as well as photographs depicting girls engaged in swimming, canoeing, and hiking. Also present are several photographs of family pets and of Charlotte Low riding a bicycle.

The individual photographs date from the 1840s to the 1890s and depict members of the Low, Whittemore, and Parmelee families, in groups and individually. Subjects of portraits include Theodore Low, Geraldine Low, Henry Wentworth Low, Evelina (Peck) Low, William W. Low, Sr., Mary Frances Parmelee, Eliza Parmelee, Lewis C. Parmelee, Henry Parmelee, Elizabeth Parmelee, Fanny Whittemore, Anna Whittemore, and James M. Whittemore. A wide array of formats, such as daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, crystoleums, and cabinet cards, are present.

The Ephemera and Realia series contains a variety of items, including invitations, calling cards, fliers, locks of hair from various family members, cloth, and the artificial orange blossoms used to decorate Evelina Peck Low's wedding dress. The items mainly date to the mid- to-late-19th century.

The Genealogical Materials series contains approximately two linear feet of materials related to the history of the Whittemore-Low family. Items pertain to various lines of the family, including the Whittemores, Lows, Pecks, Bonticous, and Parmelees. Included are newspaper clippings, pamphlets, manuscript records of birth and death dates for various family members, and miscellaneous material giving biographical information. Also present are two letterbooks kept by Thomas J. Whittemore on genealogical matters and inquiries.

The Miscellaneous series contains a few scattered notes and envelopes from the late-19th and early 20th-centuries.

This collection is comprised of 30 incoming letters to Mary Jane Whitney and her brother, William Wallace Whitney, of Albany, New York. Eliza Whitney wrote 13 letters to Mary about her experiences at the Albany Female Academy, and William and George Whitney each wrote letters to Mary about their lives in Albany. Asa Whitney, a machinist and railroad entrepreneur, sent Mary and William news from home and updates on his business affairs.

This collection is comprised of 30 incoming letters to Mary Jane Whitney and her brother, William Wallace Whitney, of Albany, New York. Eliza Whitney wrote 13 letters to Mary about her experiences at the Albany Female Academy, and William and George Whitney each wrote letters to Mary about their lives in Albany. Asa Whitney, a machinist and railroad entrepreneur, sent Mary and William news from home and updates on his business affairs.

Mary Jane Whitney received 21 letters while teaching at a school in Washington, D.C., between December 19, 1839, and July 26, 1841. Eliza, her sister, wrote about her social life and activities in Albany and her education at the Albany Female Academy. She discussed her subjects of study, classes, examinations, teachers, and classmates, and special occasions, such as visits to a local medical college and a lecture delivered by Harvey Peet. Eliza also attended parties and other social engagements, and often reported local marriages.

Asa, William, and George wrote to Mary about life in Albany, the health of her grandmother, and the potential publication of her father's political tract. Mary received two questions about possible encounters with William Henry Harrison: Eliza asked whether Mary had attended a ball given in President-elect William Henry Harrison's honor, and her father wondered if the capital had been crowded during Harrison's inauguration.

Asa Whitney sent 9 letters to his son William between August 26, 1842, and July 24, 1843, while William lived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His letters primarily relate to his business interests and to his partnership with Matthias Baldwin. He also wrote one letter from Cleveland, Ohio, about a recent business trip (March 14, 1843). Whitney's letters from September 1842 concern John Whitney's affliction with scarlet fever, as well as the death of a neighbor from the same disease.