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

Two debating societies based in Montgomery, New York, recorded their constitutions and meeting minutes in this volume in the early to mid-19th century. At weekly meetings, members debated questions related to politics, morality, and other subjects, though religious topics were banned.

Two debating societies based in Montgomery, New York, recorded their constitutions and meeting minutes in this volume (approximately 180 pp.) in the early to mid-19th century. At weekly meetings, members discussed political issues and moral questions.

The title page has an unattributed epigram taken from verses written by Robert Burns for the Freemasons. Following this, the Farmers & Mechanicks Debating Society of Montgomery recorded its first minutes (February 4, 1823), which pre-date its constitution (February 11, 1823). The 4-page constitution and 2-page list of members' signatures are followed by about 70 pages of minutes from the society's weekly meetings. Every week, the group discussed a member's question, posed and chosen the week before, with members arguing in the negative and affirmative. Questions covered a range of moral and political subjects such as quality of life, wealth, women's rights, punishment for crimes, and finances, though religious topics were banned. The minutes record the names of members presenting either side of the question and occasionally concern administrative affairs such as officer elections. The final dated entry appears on January 26, 1825, with one last entry from "Saturday evening Feb 28" of an unknown year.

The second section (approximately 90 pages) contains the minutes and constitution of the Farmers & Mechanicks Debating Society's successor, the Good-Will Debating Society, in the Town of Montgomery. Its constitution, which has later annotations and alterations, is largely similar to the earlier document. Weekly meeting minutes cover December 11, 1840-January 30, 1846, though some dates are missing or appear out of chronological sequence. The society's debate topics were similar to its predecessor's, though some related to contemporary political issues such as the annexation of Texas. A group of loosely tied newspaper clippings laid into the volume (dated 1846) pertain to the Mexican-American War and topics related to mechanics and manufacturing.

The Female Evangelical Society of Montgomery, New York, kept annual meeting minutes in this volume from 1822, the year of its establishment, to 1841. Its members raised funds for missionary societies and educational establishments.

The Female Evangelical Society of Montgomery, New York, kept annual meeting minutes in this volume (39 pp.) from 1822, the year of its establishment, to 1841. The group, whose mission was "extending the knowledge of divine truth," adopted a constitution on May 6, 1822 (pages 1-2), and kept minutes of its annual meetings, held on the first Monday in May, from 1822-1841 (pages 3-39); the minutes from 1835 and 1839 are missing. Each set of minutes has a report from the treasurer, who collected dues and other income, and the names of the society's presidents, treasurers, secretaries, and managers. Every year, the society donated money to religious groups, occasionally to purchase life memberships in various societies for the pastors of Goodwill Church. Three undated newspaper clippings with poetry composed for The Philadelphia Saturday Courier (2 items) and a list of names (1 item) are laid into the book, and the minutes are also followed by a 9-page list of the society's members to 1828.

The Qui Vive Society of Montgomery, New York, recorded meeting minutes in this volume between June 1881 and October 1885. The young persons' social club met monthly at members' homes and organized dramatic performances, musical performances, readings, and other entertainment.

The Qui Vive Society of Montgomery, New York, recorded 97 pages of meeting minutes in this volume between June 1881 and October 1885.

The "Book of Records of the Qui Vive Society" has a copy of the group's constitution, with amendments and by-laws (pp. 1-4), and a list of 57 male and female members (pp. 5-6). The remainder (pp. 7-97) contains meeting minutes dated June 15, 1881-October 28, 1885. The group originally intended to meet at different members' homes on the final Wednesday of each month, but later met irregularly. Minutes often pertain to administrative matters, such as officer elections, constitutional amendments, and by-laws. One constitutional amendment, later rescinded, limited membership to residents of the township of Montgomery. At many meetings, the society put on and enjoyed dramatic presentations, readings, recitations, musical performances, and other entertainments. Some minutes record individual events or works and their performers.

The Montgomery (N.Y.) Young commonplace book contains 19th-century poems and prose pieces on topics such as friendship, nature, and religion.

The Montgomery (N.Y.) Young commonplace book contains 52 pages of 19th-century poems and prose pieces on topics such as friendship, nature, and religion. The volume's poems are primarily concentrated on pages 1-54 and 64-66, with prose works appearing on pages 27, 55-63, and 174-175. Additional poems may be found on 10 newspaper clippings and 1 manuscript fragment laid into the volume. Some of the poems are attributed to members of the Young family and other writers, who usually gave their location as Montgomery, New York, and H. Houston wrote several poems at "Hunting-grove" in August 1821 (pages 18-21). The poetry pertains to subjects such as friendship, affection, and love; winter, snowstorms, flowers, and other natural phenomena; and religion. One playful poem is entitled "Inscribe'd to a Miss Little" (page 8); one acrostic spells "Eliza Young" (page 43); and one is dedicated "To Eliza" (page 65). Female members of the Young family wrote several of the poems, such as "On Female Excellence," which is attributed to E. Young (page 45). Other entries of interest are "Lines written to a friend about to marry a second time" (page 51); "The Happy End," a musing on the afterlife; and a newspaper poem about Mary, Queen of Scots (laid in).

Short prose pieces concern friendship (page 28, pages 174-175) and the properties of various fruits, trees, and plants; the latter are copied from William Prince's A Short Treatise on Horticulture, The New York Mirror, and other sources (pages 55-63). Poetic lines and quotations on page 47 are attributed to "Tompson" [Scottish poet James Thomson] and, mistakenly, to William Shakespeare.

This collection is made up of correspondence, legal documents, and financial records related to Alexander and Chilion A. Trimble of Crown Point, New York. The materials pertain to the Trimbles' financial affairs, Chilion's service as Essex County sheriff, state politics and elections, and other subjects. Many family members wrote of their lives in New York, Illinois, Iowa, and Montana.

This collection is made up of correspondence, legal documents, and financial records related to the Trimble family of Crown Point, New York.

The collection contains two groups of Correspondence . Family Correspondence(approximately 2.75 linear feet) largely consists of incoming correspondence to Alexander Trimble and his son Chilion, both of Crown Point, New York. Alexander's siblings shared personal and local news. James King, an acquaintance in Albany, New York, frequently discussed Alexander's financial affairs. From 1816 to 1841, King corresponded with Chilion Trimble, in which he discussed news from Albany, property ownership, legal disputes, wheat sales, and other business matters. Chilion and his wife Charlotte also received letters from their siblings and other family members in New York, Virginia, Illinois, Iowa, and Montana. The personal letters often concern religion, health, bereavement, farming, and other aspects of the writers' daily lives.

Frank and Hiram Stone, Charlotte's brothers, traveled to California during the 1849 Gold Rush, and Frank later wrote to Charlotte from Helena, Montana, in the late 1860s. Mary L. Cheney and her husband, L. P. Cheney, lived in Chicago, Illinois; their earliest letters describe the Illinois terrain, including prominent corn crops, and their later letters describe the growth of Chicago. Some of the family correspondence pertains to national and local political issues, such as the 1856 and 1860 presidential elections and John Brown's raid on the United States arsenal at Harper's Ferry. A small number of letters from the Civil War era mention the war, occasionally revealing the writers' fears for the union's survival. Charlotte Trimble received condolence messages following her husband's death in 1862, and she continued to receive personal letters until the late 1860s.

The Business Correspondence subseries(approximately 2 linear feet) includes a few early items (1800s-1810s) addressed to Alexander Trimble, concerning finances, real estate, and decedents' estates; the bulk of the material consists of incoming letters written to Chilion Trimble after 1820. Some items pertain to Chilion's involvement in the New York Militia and to political issues and elections. From 1843-1846, the materials relate to Chilion's service as sheriff of Essex County, New York; these often refer to the results of court cases and request assistance in collecting payments or performing other actions related to court judgments. After 1846, Chilion's correspondents often wrote about financial and business affairs such as property ownership, and he received a series of personal letters from John S. Rice of Maquoketa, Iowa, in the early 1860s. The series includes a facsimile letter by Samuel J. Tilden requesting information about New York voters (September 25, 1866) and late letters addressed to George Brown.

The Documents and Accounts series (approximately 0.75 linear feet) contains legal documents, financial records, and account books pertaining to several generations of the Trimble family, particularly Chilion Trimble. Materials include indentures related to property in New York, records concerning real property and decedents' estates, and accounts between James King and Chilion Trimble, often related to sales of wheat. Other groups of items relate to insurance policies, Essex County elections, and Trimble's service as Essex County sheriff. One account book contains entries dated 1894-1901.

The Writings and Ephemera series (approximately 0.25 linear feet) contains fragments, lists, poems, and other materials. Poetry includes an item entitled "Destruction of Pompeii," a religious poem, and a revised version of the Lord's Prayer related to soldiers' experiences during the Civil War.