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The Charles H. Hosmer collection is made up of a diary (365 pages, 1877), 13 stereoscopic photographs (1872-1877), and a published volume (1870) related to the Hosmer's career as an assistant surveyor with the United States Coast Survey. The diary covers his experiences working along the Banana River in Florida and in Bar Harbor, Maine.

The Charles H. Hosmer collection is made up of a diary (365 pages, 1877), 13 stereographs (1872-1877), and a published volume (1870) related to Hosmer's career as an assistant surveyor with the United States Coast Survey.

The Diary is a partially printed Excelsior pocket diary for the year 1877, with each page devoted to one day. Hosmer wrote brief daily entries, covering his experiences on a surveying expedition along Florida's Banana River onboard the steamer Steadfast; his journeys to Bar Harbor, Maine, and Chicago, Illinois; and his daily life in Bristol, Rhode Island, between his travels.

From January to mid-May, Hosmer wrote from the Steadfast along Florida's eastern coast. He frequently visited Titusville and often recorded his successful duck hunting excursions. Entries also pertain to his hydrographical work for the United States Coast Survey, other workers onboard the ship, and Hosmer's acquaintances. He discussed his railroad journey home to Bristol, Rhode Island, various aspects of his social life, and later working journeys to Bar Harbor, Maine, and other locations. Memoranda at the back of the volume include a list of letters written by Hosmer, an address list, and tide gauge statistics recorded along the Banana River (1876 and 1877) and in Maine (undated).

A collection of 13 black-and-white Stereoscopic Photographs depict three-dimensional scenes from the southern United States and from Taunton River, Massachusetts, and Rockford, Illinois.

• Photographs of Bonaventure Cemetery, Savannah, Georgia (3 items)
• Pavilion Hotel, Savannah, Georgia (undated)
• Fort Sumter (1872)
• The Charleston Hotel, Charleston, South Carolina (undated)
• A storefront in Rockford, Illinois (undated)
• John R. Porter residence, Rockford, Illinois (undated)
• Surveying equipment and men at a camp near Taunton River, Massachusetts (2 items, September-October 1876)
• Number 707 Glen House, [Littleton, New Hampshire?] (undated)
• United States Steamship Bavataria [sic] (undated)
• Burnham slate quarry (undated)

The Printed Publication is a copy of United States Coast Survey. Memoranda Relating to the Field-Work of the Secondary Triangulation, written by Richard D. Cutts and published by the Government Printing Office in 1870. The text includes related tables. Charles Hosmer's name is printed on the front cover. A 10-page packet of manuscript documents laid into the book, contains Hosmer's descriptions of flagstaffs and signals "Between New Rochelle and Greenwich" (3 pages); tables recording several geographical positions with brief copied notes from G. Bradford (6 pages, June 1885 and undated); and a letter to Charles Hosmer from C. O. Bontelle of the C. & G. Survey (1 page, June 1, 1885). Bontelle's letter contains a small diagram showing old and new Bessel data lines, used in surveying.

This journal contains Clarence G. Nicholson's recollections about his trip from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Chicago, Illinois, in September 1893. Nicholson described his daily activities during the journey west, in Milwaukee, and at the World's Columbian Exposition. The volume contains numerous commercial photographs, advertisements, and other items related to Nicholson's travels.

This journal (32cm x 27cm, 433 pages) contains Clarence G. Nicholson's recollections about his trip from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Chicago, Illinois, in September 1893. The narrative was written in 1894. Nicholson described his daily activities during the journey west, in Milwaukee, and at the World's Columbian Exposition. The volume contains numerous commercial photographs, advertisements, and other items related to Nicholson's travels. Nicholson's manuscript travel narrative occupies around 328 pages with ephemeral items pasted in. He wrote at length about the scenery during his railroad trip, often mentioning meals and accommodations. This first part of the volume includes watercolors, photographs, clippings, and advertisements depicting Pennsylvania scenery. While in Milwaukee, Nicholson and the other travelers visited breweries, art galleries, and other points of interest; he also wrote about the differences between the Midwest and the East Coast and about the city's artistic culture. Accompanying visual materials show Milwaukee buildings, examples of local beer bottles, and works of art. On September 23 or 24, the party split, with Nicholson and his father heading for Chicago, where they spent the next week.

Nicholson's recollections of his experiences at the World's Columbian Exposition comprise the bulk of the text, accompanied by a variety of illustrations. He describes in detail numerous state, international, and thematic buildings; exhibit halls and displays; sights along the Midway Plaisance; and the fairgrounds. He and his father also visited other areas of Chicago. Clippings, advertisements, and other ephemeral items are included throughout the volume, including numerous commercial photographs and illustrated views of the World's Columbian Exposition. Other items include exposition admission tickets, a menu, and a group of synthetic cords. Visual materials show the interiors and exteriors of large exhibit halls, state and international buildings, the Peristyle, the Ferris Wheel, and exhibits along the Midway Plaisance; a few photographs and prints show the grounds illuminated at night. The final pages of the journal contain Nicholson's thoughts upon leaving the exposition for the final time and a brief description of his return trip to Philadelphia.

This 88-page journal recounts Healy's travels from his home in Middlebury, New York, to northeastern Illinois between May 30 and July 13, 1838. The journal contains notes on his steamship voyages on the Great Lakes, descriptions of his overland travels and experiences in Illinois, and prayers and other religious reflections. This diary is a handwritten copy made by Horace Healy in 1841.

This 88-page journal recounts Healy's travels from his home in Middlebury, New York, to northeastern Illinois between May 30 and July 13, 1838. This diary is a handwritten copy made by Horace Healy in 1841.

Healy departed from Middlebury on May 30, 1838, with a friend, Hosea Wilson, and reached Buffalo the following day, where the men boarded the steamer Anthony Wayne, bound for Chicago via the Great Lakes. Healy kept a brief daily record of distances he traveled and the steamer's stops, until his arrival at Chicago on June 9. There, he took leave of Wilson. Along the way, Healy visited Fort Mackinac, Michigan, and described some of his fellow passengers. Upon his arrival in Illinois, he set out to visit acquaintances living southeast of Chicago, and then traveled westward and northward throughout the area for the rest of the month. A devout man, he recorded his religious activities, his attendance at church services, prayers, and religious thoughts.

The journal also contains brief descriptions of a few settlements, such as Naperville and Rockford, and of life on the Illinois prairie. One man at a camp meeting along the DuPage River mentioned his missionary work with local Native Americans (June 24, p. 38). On June 25, Healy left for home, though he remained in Chicago for several days awaiting a steamer; during this time, he visited Fort Dearborn and other sights. He boarded the Anthony Wayne on June 28, and spent a few days in early July near Detroit, Michigan, where he visited his brother Freeborn's grave in Macomb County (July 6, pp. 66-67). On July 10, he took the Clinton to Buffalo, where he arrived on July 12, his daughter's 14th birthday. The entry for July 12 also contains Healy's lamentation on the sinking of the steamboat George Washington on Lake Erie less than a month before (pp. 81-82). Healy arrived home in Middlebury on July 13, 1838.

Horace Healy transcribed this copy of his journal on October 21, 1841.