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The Eaton-Shirley family papers consist of personal diaries, correspondence, military papers, legal and business documents, printed materials, and photographs. A primary figure in the collection, John Eaton, Jr., was Civil War Superintendent of the Freedmen and later Commissioner of Education under Grant. The papers also contains substantial material from other Eaton family members, including military papers and correspondence of his brother, Lucien B. Eaton, and papers of the Shirley family (the family of John Eaton, Jr.’s wife, Alice E. Shirley).

The Eaton papers consist of 1,903 items, dating from September 1790 to July 30, 1939. The bulk of the collection falls between 1850 and 1906. The papers contain 318 letters, 9 diaries/journals, 60 personal documents of John Eaton Jr., 275 legal documents and business papers, 112 military documents, 923 photographs, 84 printed items, and 122 miscellaneous items.

The majority of the correspondence is personal and relates to family matters. The 168 letters of John Eaton, Jr., contain extensive biographical information. Of particular interest are 44 Civil War-era letters including information about the freedmen, three letters pertaining to the publication of The Post, and two with content regarding the Ku Klux Klan. The collection also contains 22 letters to and from Alice (Shirley) Eaton, 31 letters to and from Lucien Eaton, and 32 miscellaneous letters from members of the Eaton family. Of the 30 letters written by Alice Eaton's parents (James and Adelaine Shirley), 10 letters regard compensation for the damage done to the Shirley House during the Civil War. Various other members of the Shirley family wrote 15 letters, and 20 letters are from other people unrelated to the Eaton and Shirley families.

John Eaton Jr.’s aunt, Ruth Dodge Eaton, wrote two diaries which consist almost entirely of Christian hymns and essays. John Eaton Jr.'s uncle, Horace Eaton, wrote one diary that contains Christian material written while he attended Dartmouth College. John Eaton, Jr., wrote two diaries, one of which he wrote as a youth, and the other as a student at Dartmouth. Other journals include two by John Eaton Jr.'s brothers, Frederick and Charles, and a household account book, kept by his sister Christina. Of particular importance is Alice Shirley’s diary, in which she described pre-civil war tensions between the north and the south, speculation on the upcoming Siege of Vicksburg, the early stages of the Siege of Vicksburg, and very personal feelings regarding her marriage to John Eaton, Jr.

The 60 personal papers of John Eaton Jr. include 17 documents regarding his appointments and titles, two documents about freedmen, and 41 miscellaneous address cards and invitations (including an invitation to the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge).

Of the 275 legal papers, 74 documents pertain to the sale of land in Mississippi; 7 concern Robert M. Jones’s claim to Choctaw Nation lands; and 25 relate to estate papers, deeds of trust and documents about the proceedings of Adelaine Shirley’s post-war relief claims; and a receipt for the sale of an African American woman. The remaining 176 legal papers are miscellaneous financial documents, such as tax documents, checks, and receipts.

Of the 112 military documents, 58 pertain to John Eaton, Jr., 7 of which are about freedmen. The military documents of Lucien B. Eaton number 54.

The 923 photographs consist of six photo albums, 31 cased daguerreotypes and ambrotypes, 144 cabinet cards, and 421 loose photographs and snapshots all depicting members of the Eaton and Shirley families, scenic locations, and the Shirley House.

Of the 84 printed items in the collection, 49 newspaper clippings pertain to the occupational and personal activities of John Eaton, Jr., and 9 miscellaneous clippings relate to the Eaton family. The remaining 26 items are published pamphlets, including addresses and reports concerning John Eaton, Jr.; a sermon written by Horace Eaton; a report of proceedings of an Ohio Brigade reunion; an Anti-Slavery Almanac from 1838; and an incomplete piece describing the history and restoration of the Shirley House.

The 122 miscellaneous papers of the John Eaton, Jr., collection consist of 53 recipes and 69 miscellaneous items including a partial autobiography of Alice Eaton.

This collection contains letters and documents related to the family of Congressman Ebenezer Jackson, Jr., of Savannah, Georgia, and Middletown, Connecticut. Jackson and his father wrote and received personal letters about contemporary political issues. The letters offer commentary on the Missouri Compromise, the 1860 United States presidential election, secession, and the Civil War. Jackson also wrote about his travels in Boston, Massachusetts, and offered advice to his brother Amasa, who attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, in the mid-1820s.

This collection contains 9 letters and 2 documents related to the family of Ebenezer Jackson, Jr., of Savannah, Georgia, and Middletown, Connecticut. Jackson and his father wrote and received personal letters about contemporary political issues such as the Missouri Compromise, the 1860 United States Presidential election, secession, and the Civil War. Jackson also wrote to his father about his travels in Boston, Massachusetts, and offered advice to his brother Amasa, who attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, in the mid-1820s.

Ebenezer Jackson, Jr., authored 4 letters in this collection. He wrote 2 letters to his father in which he discussed his impressions of Boston, a publication in support of the War of 1812 (March 13, 1814), and his Pennsylvania to Connecticut travel plans (July 5, 1825). Jackson's mother, Charlotte Fenwick Jackson, contributed to his first letter, urging her husband to keep "Harriette" in school. Ebenezer Jackson sent 2 letters to his brother Amasa, who attended the Cheshire Academy in Cheshire, Connecticut, in 1820, and the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, in 1823; he offered educational advice and congratulated him on his academic achievements.

Ebenezer Jackson, Jr., received 4 political letters from acquaintances. A committee in Middletown, Connecticut, strongly urged Jackson to accept his nomination for a United States Senate seat in 1834 and explained the reasons why he would be a strong candidate (March 13, 1834). Hezekiah Huntington wrote about political parties and the 1860 presidential election (August 21, 1860); former Florida governor Richard K. Call strenuously voiced his opposition to secession (January 19, 1861); and United States Senator Lafayette Sabine Foster affirmed his support for the Union's military efforts against the Confederacy, as well as his disdain for the peace efforts of Horace Greeley and others (January 27, 1863).

Ebenezer Jackson, Sr., sent 1 letter to William Van Deusen, in which he shared his opinions about the Missouri Compromise (March 25, 1820). He anticipated continued conflicts between the North and South over slavery, and mentioned the possible effects those conflicts might have on British opinion about the United States.

The collection's documents are an undated copy of a 1672 deed between John Stows and John Willcoke for land in Middletown, Connecticut, and an 1836 memorandum of the estate of Ebenezer Jackson, Sr., addressed to Mary C. Oliver of Boston, Massachusetts.

Abstract: A letterbook of John Welsh Eckert and J. Baxter, British merchants who traded cotton, sugar, cocoa, and other items between the Caribbean and Europe during the War of 1812.

This volume documents John Welsh Eckert and J. Baxter's shipping business between 1814 and 1816. The book contains copies of letters written to investors that describe details about shipments of cotton, sugar, cocoa, hides, straw for hats, rum, gold (dust and bars), paint, wooden planks, and, in one letter, Peruvian sheep or llamas, to Cartagena, Cuba, Montego Bay, England, and Europe. They occasionally report on developments between the British and Americans during the War of 1812, since the American embargo of raw cotton to England made it a particularly valuable commodity. The letters mention the prices of goods and the value of cargo. Another issue is the settlement and collection of unpaid debts and disputes, the largest of which was the loss of two ships, one lead by Captain William Purcell, which were captured by Spanish privateers. Much of the business concerned Thomas O'Reilly (a London merchant in Kingston Jamaica), Mr. John Burke, Captain Campbell, and Captain Darby. Ships mentioned include the Ship Annete, the Sloop Chance, the British Sloop Herold, the Brig El Blanco (landing in Montego Bay), and the Brig Caledonia.

Approximately one third of the letters are in Spanish and the rest are in English.

This collection is made up of personal correspondence between members of the Eckert family, Black family, and Shippen family. The letters pertain to family news, marriage, religion, and everyday life in Pennsylvania and Virginia in the early to mid-19th century.

This collection (227 items) consists of personal correspondence between members of several Pennsylvania families in the early to mid-19th century. The letters pertain to family news, marriage, religion, and everyday life in Pennsylvania and Virginia in the early to mid-19th century.

Members of the Baker, Biddle, Black, Eckert, and Shippen families wrote one another from various Pennsylvania towns, including Shippenville, Shamokin, Washington, and Philadelphia. A group of early letters pertains to Harriet Wood Eckert, who wrote to her parents and sister about life in Washington County, Virginia, and received letters from family members in Pennsylvania. Richard Shippen wrote to his father, Robert Shippen of Drumore Township, Pennsylvania, about life in Shippenville in the early 1800s.

After the 1830s, much of the correspondence concerns Mary G. Eckert, the daughter of Harriet Wood and Solomon Eckert. Her first letters, written to her parents, describe her life and educational experiences in Philadelphia and Washington, Pennsylvania. In the mid-1840s, she began corresponding with Adam Black of Shippenville, whom she married around 1844. During the early years of their marriage, they wrote one another with news from Shippenville and from Shamokin, where Mary lived with or visited her parents. Their letters relate to courtship and marriage, family news and health, religion, and additional subjects. Letters by other family members concern topics such as health, family news, and daily life in 19th-century Pennsylvania.

The Edward Williams Clay watercolors, scrapbook fragments and silhouettes consist of 28 original watercolor drawings created by Edward Williams Clay, a drawing book with art by Clay and James Pemberton Morris, 37 fragments of a scrapbook believed to have been compiled by Clay, and 11 cut paper silhouettes. The bulk of materials are watercolors by Clay of Europeans and Americans abroad from 1825-1828, and satirical, genre, and theatrical prints by Clay and others.

The Edward Williams Clay watercolors, scrapbook fragments and silhouettes consist of 28 original watercolor drawings created by Edward Williams Clay, a drawing book with art by Clay and James Pemberton Morris, 37 fragments of a scrapbook believed to have been compiled by Clay, and 11 cut paper silhouettes. The bulk of materials are watercolors by Clay of Europeans and Americans abroad from 1825-1828, and satirical, genre, and theatrical prints by Clay and others.

In 2002, the Clements Library became aware of a scrapbook containing an extensive collection of Edward Williams Clay prints and artwork in possession of a Virginia antique dealer. After most of the individual pages were separately sold on eBay, it became apparent that the source, John Duncan Marsh (1931-2021) of Purcellville, Virginia, was a direct descendent of Clay's sister, Mary Ann Clay Bolton (1801-1818), and the scrapbook was likely compiled by the artist himself. Given that the contents of this collection were created after the death of Mary Ann, it is presumed that they were in the custody of one of her children, although the relationship between Clay and his nephews, James Robert Bolton (1817-1890) and Edward Clay Bolton (1818-1892), is unknown. The remaining remnants of the scrapbook were purchased by the Clements Library at auction along with the watercolor sketches and family silhouettes. All of the materials present were consigned to auction from the same source except for the drawing book, which had earlier been acquired by the Clements Library from a Philadelphia book dealer.

Series I - Watercolors

The collection contains 28 original watercolor works by Edward Williams Clay. A subset within this series represents Clay's journey from the Eastern United States to France between 1826 and 1828. Several works include inscribed titles, locations, and dates. A number of sketches also bear evidence of having been previously cropped, mounted, and framed.

Of particular note is one sketch from December 1825 showing two women and a man dressed in comically large winter clothing captioned "Life in Philadelphia - (going home from a tea-fight)." This unpublished satire is the earliest appearance of content later found in Clay's notorious series Life in Philadelphia.

• A portrait of a well-dressed man wearing a top hat while holding spectacles and a cane with a verso caption reading "Steam boat Bellona from Brunswick to New York April 1826"
• Two portraits of well-dressed men in top hats captioned "Thayer - on board the ship Edward [Quesnel at sea July 1826]" and "Constancio - On board the ship Edward Quesnel at sea July 1826"
• A portrait of a sailor wearing a brimmed hat and smoking a pipe with a caption on the verso reading "[French?] Pilot - [Edward] Quesnel, off the coast of France 18 July [1826?]

Note: The steamer Bellona ran from Brunswick, New Jersey, to New York City, while the Edward Quesnel is recorded as regularly running between New York City and Marseilles, France.

Other scenes illustrate aspects of European society and street life from Clay's visit to Europe between 1826 and 1828. Many of these works depict men's and women's fashions in fine detail. As several subjects are identified by name, it is presumed that some of these depictions were likely based on real people observed by Clay.

• A portrait of two French priests captioned “Les Curés - Paris 1827”
• A street scene captioned "Postellers & Conductors - Paris 1827" showing several uniformed drivers (including individuals wearing heavy duty protective knee-high boots insulated with straw)
• A street scene showing five well-dressed men including man identified in a partially cutoff caption as "Count Dep..."
• A scene depicting a masked ball with a large man at center identified as "Prince Borghese"
• A scene showing a man in Artois bathing and reading Le Constitutionnel while being attended to by a servant
• An equestrian scene showing riders in a park including an Arabian horse-drawn cart carrying the driver and a Mamluk groom wearing a turban
• Two ballroom dancing scenes with couples wearing formal dress
• A wedding portrait showing a couple identified as "Hercule de B. s." and "Mde Leverd"
• A formal dinner scene showing a number of couples entering a dining room attended by servants
• A comical scene showing a young woman identified as "Josphine" being introduced by an older French-speaking woman to two men, an unidentified English speaker and an apparently German individual identified as "Becker"
• A scene showing a couple of street minstrels performing outside of an inn
• Two portraits of unidentified well-dressed men

Items that may represent American content include sketches of a young couple dancing and a restaurant dining scene showing patrons and staff.

• A portrait of a woman holding a qanon titled "A Turkish female slave playing on the Kanoon" dated to December 1827
• A portrait of the Greek goddess Iris dated January 21 1828
• A portrait of a woman captioned "A Greek Lady in her walking dress" dated to December 1827

One satirical scene titled “Compliments of the Season 1829” shows a young boy wishing merry Christmas while handing a bill from a “Mr. Smith” (presumably an American) to an irate French musician wearing a robe who appears to have been in the middle of having his face shaven by an amused servant. This scene corresponds to an 1830 lithograph published by Clay which is in the collection of the American Antiquarian Society.

• A portrait of a carriage driver wearing a heavy fur-trimmed coat
• A street scene showing two boys in patched-up clothing and wooden shoes in possession of a crank-organ and a performing monkey
• A street scene showing a wealthy man visiting a dog grooming business

Series II - Drawing Book

The drawing book bears a retail label from a Parisian shop and an ownership inscription dated 1816 from James Pemberton Morris (1795-1834), a member of a prominent Quaker family who resided at Bolton Farm in Buck County, Pennsylvania (note: Bolton Farm is not related in any way to the family of James McLean Bolton). 1816 is also the year in which Morris was married to his wife Rosa Gardiner (?-1828) in a ceremony in Edinburgh, Scotland. Drawings of note include a sketch of a “Judge Duncan;” multiple pencil sketches of women; a watercolor drawing of a maritime scene; and rough sketches of various cartoons. Clay's signature is attached to some of the works (including a sketch of Rosa Gardiner Morris), while others are initialled "JPM." Handwriting in the drawing book matches writing on many watercolors attributed to and signed by Clay. The nature of the relationship between Morris and Clay remains unclear.

Series III - Scrapbook fragments

The collection’s 37 scrapbook fragments are the remains of a personal scrapbook that likely once belonged to Edward W. Clay. Based on conversations with the dealer John Palmer, this scrapbook had contained a significant set of over 60 prints by Clay prior to being disassembled. A majority of the remaining fragments are satirical, genre, and theatrical prints produced by other artists, some of which may have been collected by Clay during his European travels.

• Five lithographs by Charles Motte representing scenes from various works by Charles Perrault (Griseledis, L’Adroite Princesse, Cendrillon, Riquet a La Houppe, and Le Petit Chaperon Rouge)
• Multiple works depicting character costumes from various theatrical productions including The Prophet, The Queen of Cyprus, Tsar and Carpenter, and The Star of Sevilla
• Engraved depictions of a French “Infanterie de Ligne” and a Scottish “Tambour du 42e Regiment D’Highlanders,” both by Edouard Detaille
• An engraved portrait of George Washington by H. S. Sadd
• Two lithographs by Charles Motte of scenes involving children titled “Les Belles Dames. The Fine Ladies” and “A Fishing Party”
• Engravings of “Bolton Abbey in the Olden Time” by Schuler and “Weehawken, From the Elysean Fields. Hoboken” by Archibald L. Dick

• “Soubrette” by Paul Gavarni
• “Modes de Paris Petit Courrier des Dames”
• “Vous ne direz plus que la mode est indécente!!”
• “Mde De Nouveautés” by Charles Philippon
• “Déclaration d’un Maître de Cham” by Frederic Bouchot

• Drawings of various men, women, children (some of whom are identified)
• A pencil drawing of a ship captioned “Brigantine New Castle April 8th 1853”
• Six lithographic portraits of French generals Charles Nicholas Fabvier, Pierre Claude Pajol, Étienne Maurice Gérard, Horace Sébastiani, Maximilien Sébastien Foy, and the Marquis de Lafayette

Of particular note are two caricature lithographs depicting African Americans that are attributed to Clay, including one print published in 1830 titled "Back to Back" that depicts an African American couple dancing in fine clothing with the caption reading: "I reckon I've cotcht de figure now!". The other print (which is mounted on a scrapbook page) titled "A Black Cut" dates to 1839 and depicts an African American chimney sweeper being shunned by a wealthier mixed-race couple.

Series IV - Silhouettes

This series includes 11 cut paper silhouette portraits, nine of which bear the stamp of the Peale Museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Several include subject identifications and dates of creation. Eight of these items were originally mounted in 20th-century frames prior to being rehoused in archival mats by the Clements Library. The framed items carried the following notation in reverse at the top: "Property of / Miss Mary Clay Bolton / Mechanics and Metals Bank / 204 Fifth Avenue, New York City;" and at the bottom "Theodore Bolton," along with the frame shop label of S. Friedman, E. 9th St., New York, N.Y.

Of particular importance is a silhouette of Edward W. Clay inscribed "E.W.C. Ann: ÆTAT 21" (age 21) from the Peale Museum, ca. 1820. This work is believed to be the only known portrait of Clay outside of a painted portrait held by the Marsh family (descendants of Mary Ann Clay Bolton). The additional inscriptions “Cut at Peale’s Museum, Philadelphia” and “Edward Williams Clay, Portrait Painter” appear to have been added later.

Other identified individual silhouettes include Charles Heyward, William Heyward, George Douglass, William Graham, and George Cuthbert. These men were prominent members of South Carolinian society and were all either closely or distantly related. Three of the silhouettes are of Charles Heyward, who owned one of the largest rice plantations in the South and was the grandson of Thomas Heyward, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. The connection between these people and Edward W. Clay and/or Mary Ann Clay Bolton is unknown.

The Eggleston family collection contains correspondence, newspaper clippings, and other items related to Ambrose Eggleston, Nathaniel Hillyer Eggleston (or Egleston), Melville Eggleston (or Egleston), and Samuel Eggleston. The bulk of the collection is comprised of letters to Ambrose Eggleston from family members, who responded to genealogical inquiries about their family histories.

The Eggleston family collection (0.5 linear feet) contains correspondence, newspaper clippings, and other items related to Ambrose Eggleston, Nathaniel Hillyer Eggleston (or Egleston), Melville Eggleston (or Egleston), and Samuel Eggleston. The bulk of the collection is comprised of letters to Ambrose Eggleston from family members, who responded to his genealogical inquiries about family history.

The bulk of the collection is made up of items collected by Ambrose Eggleston . The Ambrose Eggleston Correspondence subseries contains around 250 letters to Eggleston, dated September 14, 1850-December 13, 1864, and May 2, 1900. The bulk of the correspondence is dated 1859-1864. Eggleston received letters from over 131 family members, who provided information on Eggleston (and Egleston) family history. Eggleston regularly corresponded with Elijah Eggleston of Hartford, Connecticut, who shared news of his genealogical findings. One late letter pertains to Murray E. Poole's genealogical research, which he conducted after Ambrose Eggleston's death.

The Ambrose Eggleston Genealogies subseries (16 items) contains undated biographical sketches of, and notes about, various members of the Eggleston family and allied families. Two items pertain to Nathaniel Hillyer Eggleston.

The Ambrose Eggleston Newspaper Clippings subseries (4 items) is made up of newspaper articles attributed to Elijah Eggleston, dated July 19, 1859-October 7, 1859. The articles concern historical publications, patent medicine, a murder case, and the Putnam Phalanx, a military unit.

The Nathaniel and Melville Eggleston series pertains to Nathaniel Hillyer Eggleston (or Egleston) and his son Melville. The Nathaniel and Melville Eggleston Correspondence subseries (17 items) contains 5 letters by Nathaniel H. Eggleston (December 20, 1841-September 5, 1859); 9 letters to Melville Eggleston (July 9, 1886-November 9, 1924), and a letter to "Mama" about a leg injury, including 2 diagrams (February 9, 1898); the series also contains 2 undated items. Nathaniel Eggleston and his wife Sarah wrote to family members and an acquaintance about life in Hartford, Connecticut, and in Madison, Wisconsin, after the family relocated in the 1850s. A letter to Eggleston's mother includes an announcement of Melville Eggleston's birth (July 27, 1845); one letter includes a newspaper clipping mentioning Nathaniel Eggleston's admission to the Union Congregational Church in Madison (July 22, 1859). Melville Eggleston received letters relating to subjects including his master's degree from Yale College (July 9, 1886), genealogical inquiries and family history, and club membership. Two undated items are a German-language postcard from "Lilian" to an uncle, and a typed extract of a letter by Nathaniel H. Eggleston.

Nathaniel and Melville Eggleston Newspaper Clippings (12 unique items) include 10 unique obituaries for Reverend Nathaniel Hillyer Egleston, published during the week after his death in August 1912. Burrell's Press Clipping Bureau collected and mounted 8 of the clippings. The other articles relate to the death of William H. Sheldon (undated) and to a performance of Oedipus Rex at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City (April 28, 1914).

The Nathaniel and Melville Eggleston Ephemera and Report Card (3 items) relate to Williams College. Items include an invitation to a "Class Day," a grade report for Nathaniel H. Egleston, and a commencement program for the class of 1906, which included Nathaniel Hillyer Egleston.

The Samuel Eggleston Documents series contains 13 land deeds and indentures (April 16, 1772-July 18, 1850) pertaining to land that Eggleston owned in Dutchess County, New York.

The Eliphalet Davis records are comprised of the business and personal receipts of Eliphalet Davis, a soap manufacturer in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The Eliphalet Davis records are comprised of the business and personal receipts of Eliphalet Davis, and includes a license from the Internal Revenue Department allowing Davis to carry on business as a soap manufacturer in Cambridge, Mass. Among the receipts are a few bills to his clients, but the majority are billed to and paid by Davis. The receipts are often itemized, making it possible to sketch the growth of an increasingly successful business.

The more modest bills give way to bills for thousands of printed labels for his soaps, often on special colored papers with colored ink designs and lettering. The soaps had various names, ranging from the mundane "diamond soap" to the more imaginative "veritable swoon," and Davis also started selling "Saponaceous Dentifrice" in the 1850s. Another mark of his success is that at about the same time that he paid for advertisements in New England newspapers he started paying various express services, presumably for shipping quantities of his stock to eager long distance buyers.

In addition to supplies for his business he bought basic provisions. Foodstuffs included figs, raisins, oranges, molasses, salmon, coffee and tea. In an early example of the benefits of recycling, Davis received a discount on his porter by providing his own bottles. His clothing purchases included a bonnet, moleskin hat, alpaca vest and doeskin pants. A violin and four marble hearths were two of his more luxuriant purchases.

There are several distinctive letterheads of Cambridge and Boston businessmen, especially for printers and engravers. Most printing services were performed by Dutton & Wentworth, and the principal engraver was Nathaniel Dearborn. Both businesses were in Boston, as was Ammi Cutter & Cummings, who "constantly keep for sale, LIVER OIL and BLUBBER..... Also, NEATSFOOT OIL, and the best of Winter and Summer Strained SPERMACETI OIL, TALLOW, &c." Davis bought quantities of oils, tallow and ashes in order to make his soaps.

The Elisha Burton ledger records financial transactions for liquor, wood, labor, and other goods and services in and around Norwich, Vermont, throughout the early 19th century.

The Elisha Burton ledger (444 pages) records financial transactions for liquor, wood, labor, and other goods and services in and around Norwich, Vermont, and Upper Alton, Illinois, throughout the early 19th century. The volume, entitled "Elisha Burton Ledger No. 2nd," begins on November 21, 1811, and contains entries for a number of Burton family members and for prominent residents in Norwich and in nearby Hanover. On the first page is a list of subscribers for a new meetinghouse on "Norwich plan," and this is followed by early accounts of figures carried over from the previous ledger. Commodities include whiskey, gin, cider, foodstuffs, bricks, and wood, though many of the later entries pertain to labor, renting carts and draft animals, and room and board. More specific mentions of labor often refer to chopping wood and other work with lumber; on one occasion, a grave was dug for Mary Burton, a widow (p. 134). After the first 337 pages of accounts, a few entries at the back of the volume relate to property held by the Burton family, including an inventory of Julia Ann Burton's possessions (p. 434), and deposits made by John B. C. Burton's siblings Edward and Eliza toward their respective shares of his estate. A late account records Joseph Burton's finances before he left for Illinois on September 24, 1834 (p. 440). Several additional items, primarily recording financial records, are laid into the volume, along with a set of directions for making shoe soles.

This collection is made up of 11 sermons by Rev. Eli Smith, a Congregational minister at Hollis, New Hampshire. Ministering from the King James Bible, Rev. Smith spoke largely about aspects of character and human relationships, such as love, hatred, obedience, sin, forgiveness, death, God's love, God's hate, pride, and judgement. He was also concerned about vanity, non-temporal activity on the Sabbath (such as extra sleep and mail delivery), and the impact of poor work ethic on the "national character" of the United States. In September 1813 (the month of Oliver Hazard Perry's fleet's success at the Battle of Lake Erie), Rev. Smith opined from Jeremiah 18:7, with special attention to the good or evil nature of offensive war. The sermons were drawn on 2 Peter 3:9, Joshua 22:24, Revelation 3:2, 2 Peter 3:15, 1 Corinthians 10:16, Jeremiah 18:7-8, Leviticus 20:8, Isaiah 53:4, Romans 7:12, and Malachi 4:1.

This collection is made up of 11 sermons by Rev. Eli Smith, a Congregational minister at Hollis, New Hampshire. Ministering from the King James Bible, Rev. Smith spoke largely about aspects of character and human relationships, such as love, hatred, obedience, sin, forgiveness, death, God's love, God's hate, pride, and judgement. He was also concerned about vanity, non-temporal activity on the Sabbath (such as extra sleep and mail delivery), and the impact of poor work ethic on the "national character" of the United States. In September 1813 (the month of Oliver Hazard Perry's fleet's success at the Battle of Lake Erie), Rev. Smith opined from Jeremiah 18:7, with special attention to the good or evil nature of offensive war. The sermons were drawn on 2 Peter 3:9, Joshua 22:24, Revelation 3:2, 2 Peter 3:15, 1 Corinthians 10:16, Jeremiah 18:7-8, Leviticus 20:8, Isaiah 53:4, Romans 7:12, and Malachi 4:1.

This collection contains two poems, one letter and various ephemera of the prominent poet and abolitionist writer Elizabeth Margaret Chandler.

This small collection holds two poems, one letter, various ephemera, and printed materials. The first, and most substantial poem is Elegy (1793): On a Negroe Woman of the name of Rose, deceased in Philadelphia, remarkable for her innocent and sincerely pious life. Wrote by a person well acquainted with her conduct and virtues. The poem, which was written before Chandler's birth, is unattributed, and apart from its abolitionist sentiment, its relation to Chandler is unclear. The second poem is a small piece of paper with three short undated stanzas, written by Chandler. The letter, dated December 20, 1830, is addressed to the "Female Antislavery Society of Philadelphia" (not the eponymous society founded by Lucretia Mott in 1833), and sent from Lucy Townshend and Mary L. Lloyd of the Female Society, for Birmingham, West-Bromwich, Wednesbury, Walsall, and Their Respective Neighborhoods, for the Relief of British Negro Slaves. The ephemera items are two small calling cards, one "Lady's Ticket" to lectures at the Franklin Institute, and 1 cut-out silhouette of a female.

Printed material includes 5 prints regarding slavery, 3 books, and a small broadside (see Separated Items for descriptions and locations of this material). The graphic materials are black and white prints depicting: an image of a kneeling slave, often captioned "Am I not a Woman and a Sister?" taken from, and popularized by, Chandler's "Female Repository" page of The Genius of Universal Emancipation (October 16, 1829); a black man being held and whipped by a party of four other black men, all watched by a white man; overhead and cross-section views of a slave ship, with a detail showing the tiny slave quarters; and a black man on one knee looking forlorn as a white master whips a four-man working party in the background; and a picture entitled "United States Slave Trade" that shows well-to-do white men, one on a horse, inspecting and choosing chained male slaves as a black female and two children watch on. Visible in the background of this last piece are the United States Capitol Building, black work parties, and a slave being whipped.