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Collection

Chris H. Jorgensen notebook, 1891-1959

1 volume

Chris H. Jorgensen, a Danish immigrant who lived in Harlan, Iowa; California; and New Braunfels, Texas, kept this notebook from 1891 to 1959. He wrote in English and Danish languages, Pitman shorthand, and some version of English abbreviation. Jorgensen used the notebook to document genealogy and family relationships, listing out birth, marriage, and death dates as well as relatives' names and locations. He also maintained other lists relating to purchases of automobiles, household appliances, and clothing, with added specifics such as dimensions, mileage, and where they were acquired. The volume includes a list of books kept from 1893 to 1958 documenting Jorgensen's wide-ranging interests in religion, literature, philosophy, and sciences. Jorgensen also included very brief diary entries from 1895 to 1908 and 1947 to 1959, primarily noting places he worked, including lumber camps and vineyards in California. Two photographs, presumably of Jorgensen, are laid into the volume.

Chris H. Jorgensen, a Danish immigrant who lived in Harlan, Iowa; California; and New Braunfels, Texas, kept this notebook from 1891 to 1959. He wrote in English and Danish languages, Pitman shorthand, and some version of English abbreviation. Jorgensen used the notebook to document genealogy and family relationships, listing out birth, marriage, and death dates as well as relatives' names and locations. He also maintained other lists relating to purchases of automobiles, household appliances, and clothing, with some specifics such as dimensions, mileage, and where they were acquired. The volume includes a list of books kept from 1893 to 1958 documenting Jorgensen's wide-ranging interests in religion, literature, philosophy, and sciences. Jorgensen also included very brief diary entries from 1895 to 1908 and 1947 to 1959, primarily noting places he worked, including lumber camps and vineyards in California. Two photographs, presumably of Jorgensen, are laid into the volume.

Jorgensen's notebook features multiple lists documenting his life, such as a timeline of his life from birth to 1938 when he moved to New Braunfels, Texas. Several sections of the volume are dedicated to Jorgensen genealogy, listing out family births, deaths, marriages, names of cousins, and other notable events like his father's naturalization as an American citizen on September 13, 1887. Other lists document the type of transportation he owned, when they were acquired, as well as purchasing details and their mileage. He also listed out dates and details about goods he purchased, like hats, watches, typewriters, electric washers, glasses, pens, and more, sometimes with their dimensions. He listed out businesses and medical practitioners, particularly optometrists, he appears to have frequented. He copied some of his official documents, like licenses, his naturalization certificate, and a warranty deed. Some of these copies provide physical descriptions of Jorgensen.

Chris Jorgensen wrote lists of publications he owned or read from 1893 through 1958, including books, periodicals, and other texts. He read deeply from religious works, with several relating to spiritualism, Mormonism, Unitarianism, Catholicism, Swedenborgianism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Atheism, Seventh Day Adventism, Christian Science, and others. Other publications relate to California, science and agriculture, temperance, almanacs and geography, education and music, philosophy and ethics, and more. Jorgensen was also actively reading literature, ranging from classics like Aristotle, Milton, Dante, and Shakespeare to contemporary works by Harriet Beecher Stowe, Jack London, Robert Louis Stevenson, Oscar Wilde, Arthur Conan Doyle, Jules Verne, Willa Cather, H. G. Wells, Friedrich Nietzsche, Richard Wright, among many others.

Jorgensen titled two sections of the notebook "diaries," writing brief entries from 1895 to 1908, after he moved to California. He primarily recorded the lumber camps, vineyards, and other places where he worked. He also wrote about items he purchased and notable events like natural occurrences and workplace accidents. The diary entries begin again in 1947 and continue until 1959, with brief notes about places he may have been, various businesses and purchases, and some events like the end of rationing in 1947, the 1948 presidential election, a lunar eclipse, among others.

Portions of the notebook are challenging to decipher, as they are written in a combination of Pitman shorthand, Danish, English, and a currently unidentified form of English abbreviations. Some of these entries appear to include dates and some form of financial accounting. Jorgensen appears to have a particular interest in ethnology, natural history, and books, as references written in standard English appear intermixed with Pitman shorthand entries relating to these topics. Some of the entries appear to document visits to Chicago for the 1893 Columbian Exposition, and another to a county fair in Iowa, seeming to note exhibits or content seen.

Several thumb prints made in ink are present in the volume, as well as several stamps used for his name and address. One features a bicyclist falling off his bike. Two photographs are laid into the volume, presumably of Jorgensen.

Collection

Chris H. Jorgensen notebook, 1891-1959

1 volume

Chris H. Jorgensen, a Danish immigrant who lived in Harlan, Iowa; California; and New Braunfels, Texas, kept this notebook from 1891 to 1959. He wrote in English and Danish languages, Pitman shorthand, and some version of English abbreviation. Jorgensen used the notebook to document genealogy and family relationships, listing out birth, marriage, and death dates as well as relatives' names and locations. He also maintained other lists relating to purchases of automobiles, household appliances, and clothing, with added specifics such as dimensions, mileage, and where they were acquired. The volume includes a list of books kept from 1893 to 1958 documenting Jorgensen's wide-ranging interests in religion, literature, philosophy, and sciences. Jorgensen also included very brief diary entries from 1895 to 1908 and 1947 to 1959, primarily noting places he worked, including lumber camps and vineyards in California. Two photographs, presumably of Jorgensen, are laid into the volume.

Chris H. Jorgensen, a Danish immigrant who lived in Harlan, Iowa; California; and New Braunfels, Texas, kept this notebook from 1891 to 1959. He wrote in English and Danish languages, Pitman shorthand, and some version of English abbreviation. Jorgensen used the notebook to document genealogy and family relationships, listing out birth, marriage, and death dates as well as relatives' names and locations. He also maintained other lists relating to purchases of automobiles, household appliances, and clothing, with some specifics such as dimensions, mileage, and where they were acquired. The volume includes a list of books kept from 1893 to 1958 documenting Jorgensen's wide-ranging interests in religion, literature, philosophy, and sciences. Jorgensen also included very brief diary entries from 1895 to 1908 and 1947 to 1959, primarily noting places he worked, including lumber camps and vineyards in California. Two photographs, presumably of Jorgensen, are laid into the volume.

Jorgensen's notebook features multiple lists documenting his life, such as a timeline of his life from birth to 1938 when he moved to New Braunfels, Texas. Several sections of the volume are dedicated to Jorgensen genealogy, listing out family births, deaths, marriages, names of cousins, and other notable events like his father's naturalization as an American citizen on September 13, 1887. Other lists document the type of transportation he owned, when they were acquired, as well as purchasing details and their mileage. He also listed out dates and details about goods he purchased, like hats, watches, typewriters, electric washers, glasses, pens, and more, sometimes with their dimensions. He listed out businesses and medical practitioners, particularly optometrists, he appears to have frequented. He copied some of his official documents, like licenses, his naturalization certificate, and a warranty deed. Some of these copies provide physical descriptions of Jorgensen.

Chris Jorgensen wrote lists of publications he owned or read from 1893 through 1958, including books, periodicals, and other texts. He read deeply from religious works, with several relating to spiritualism, Mormonism, Unitarianism, Catholicism, Swedenborgianism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Atheism, Seventh Day Adventism, Christian Science, and others. Other publications relate to California, science and agriculture, temperance, almanacs and geography, education and music, philosophy and ethics, and more. Jorgensen was also actively reading literature, ranging from classics like Aristotle, Milton, Dante, and Shakespeare to contemporary works by Harriet Beecher Stowe, Jack London, Robert Louis Stevenson, Oscar Wilde, Arthur Conan Doyle, Jules Verne, Willa Cather, H. G. Wells, Friedrich Nietzsche, Richard Wright, among many others.

Jorgensen titled two sections of the notebook "diaries," writing brief entries from 1895 to 1908, after he moved to California. He primarily recorded the lumber camps, vineyards, and other places where he worked. He also wrote about items he purchased and notable events like natural occurrences and workplace accidents. The diary entries begin again in 1947 and continue until 1959, with brief notes about places he may have been, various businesses and purchases, and some events like the end of rationing in 1947, the 1948 presidential election, a lunar eclipse, among others.

Portions of the notebook are challenging to decipher, as they are written in a combination of Pitman shorthand, Danish, English, and a currently unidentified form of English abbreviations. Some of these entries appear to include dates and some form of financial accounting. Jorgensen appears to have a particular interest in ethnology, natural history, and books, as references written in standard English appear intermixed with Pitman shorthand entries relating to these topics. Some of the entries appear to document visits to Chicago for the 1893 Columbian Exposition, and another to a county fair in Iowa, seeming to note exhibits or content seen.

Several thumb prints made in ink are present in the volume, as well as several stamps used for his name and address. One features a bicyclist falling off his bike. Two photographs are laid into the volume, presumably of Jorgensen.

Collection

Clark-McCreary papers, 1815-1936 (majority within 1846-1919)

4 linear feet

Online
The majority of this collection consists of correspondence related to the families of David B. McCreary and his daughter, Sophia McCreary Clark ("Sophy"), both of Erie, Pennsylvania. David and his wife, Annette, corresponded with family and acquaintances throughout the mid- to late 19th century, including the Civil War era and the Spanish-American War era. The letters of Sophy, her husband Henry, and their daughter Annette span the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

This collection (4 linear feet) consists primarily of correspondence related to the family of David B. McCreary of Erie, Pennsylvania. The earliest item is a letter signed and attested by various military officials declaring Henry Clark of Private Taylor's company unfit for military duty (June 2, 1815-July 8, 1815). The bulk of the collection begins in 1846, with most early material consisting of personal correspondence addressed to (and between) David B. McCreary and Annette Gunnison of Erie, Pennsylvania. Many of these letters contain personal and family news and document the social history of antebellum Erie, as well as David's time at Washington College and in Kentucky. Between 1858 and 1860, much of the correspondence is addressed to Chauncy G. Clark of Harbor Creek, Pennsylvania, including several letters from Homer J. Smith of Palo, Michigan, and his wife, who provided news of their family.

Throughout the Civil War, much of the correspondence relates to the 145th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment, such as letters that David B. McCreary received from soldiers' wives and other family members regarding their loved ones in the regiment. He and his wife Annette also received personal letters that occasionally mentioned aspects of the war. Two letters from Jonas Gunnison concern names of drafted men (October 19, 1862) and the presumed death of "Charley," a soldier who had gone missing (December 20, 1862). David McCreary also wrote to his daughter Sophy during the war. David and Annette McCreary continued to correspond between themselves and with others after the war. They wrote several letters to their son Wirt during his time at the United States Naval Academy and received one letter from Wirt about his service on the USS Dorothea in 1898, just before an anticipated assignment in Cuba.

Much of the post-Civil War correspondence concerns Sophy McCreary, Henry A. Clark, and their children. In the mid-1870s, Sophy wrote a lengthy series of letters to Harry Beatty of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, that continued sporadically into the early years of her marriage. During this period, Henry A. Clark was beginning his legal career in Fall River, Massachusetts, and received many letters from "Fred," an acquaintance from Harvard. The collection also has business correspondence dated after Clark's return to Pennsylvania, which concerns his work with the Edison Electric Light Company and other firms, as well as his various judicial and political offices. Incoming letters to Annette McCreary Clark, the daughter of Sophy McCreary and Henry A. Clark, are also present, as are letters from the younger Henry Clark to Sophy McCreary Clark, his mother. In addition to newspaper clippings, advertisements, memorial service programs, and other ephemera enclosed in letters, the collection has a series of personal and commercial postcards.

Collection

Cole family papers, 1799-1959 (majority within 1821-1931)

2.75 linear feet

This collection is made up of correspondence, legal documents, financial records, maps, and ephemera related to the descendants and extended family of Dr. Joseph Cole of Sharon, Connecticut; Auburn, New York; and Albion, New York. Among many represented subjects are the educational and social lives of women in New York during the early 1800s, legal aspects of land ownership and estate administration, and land along Long Pond in Rome, Maine.

This collection is made up of correspondence, legal documents, financial records, maps, and ephemera related to the descendants and extended family of Dr. Joseph Cole of Sharon, Connecticut; Auburn, New York; and Albion, New York.

The collection's correspondence includes letters from the children and other descendants of Dr. Joseph Cole of Sharon, Connecticut, and Auburn, New York, between 1817 and 1942. Most of the early letters in the collection are addressed to sisters Laura Altie and Mary Parsons Cole from female friends in New York. Several correspondents, including Mary Ann Kellogg and Chloe Hyde, were students at Troy Female Seminary in Troy, New York, in the 1820s and 1830s. Kellogg provided a detailed description of the school before its main building was constructed (June 24, 1821), and Chloe Hyde later shared information about her coursework and the lives of fellow students. Other acquaintances told the sisters of their religious and social lives in different areas of New York, including Lanesborough, Buffalo, and Albany.

Almeron and Dan Cole received letters from friends, family, and business acquaintances, including their brother-in-law, Hiram Foote Mather. These include 7 letters by Frances M. Elliott, who wrote Dan, her future husband, in 1835 and 1836 about her life in Scottsville, New York, and her anticipation of their upcoming marriage. Letters from the 1840s to mid-1860s are most frequently addressed to the Cole brothers and to their brother-in-law, Hiram Foote Mather, about business affairs. Many regard legal matters in Niles and Grand Rapids, Michigan.

After the mid-1860s, much of the correspondence is composed of personal and business letters between David Hyde Mather, his brother-in-law George McClure Welles, and his brothers Joseph and John Mather, who moved out West in the late 1800s. Mather also received many personal letters from his niece, Harriet Prentiss Welles, during her time as postmistress of Great Bend, Kansas, who discussed her personal finances and loans. The papers also contain some of Daniel H. Cole's business correspondence. Other correspondence from this period includes letters between George McClure Welles and Lewis Hunt about Harriet Prentiss Welles's share of Almeron Cole's estate, and personal correspondence addressed to Mary Jane Cole of Albion, New York. She received letters from many female acquaintances and a series from her cousin, D. Williams Patterson, tracing the genealogy of the Hyde family to the mid-18th century.

A selection of letters from the 20th century relate to Marston Taylor Bogert, Morrison McMath, and Lizette Harrison. Between 1912 and the 1920s, Bogert corresponded with several people in Maine, regarding property along Long Pond near Rome, Maine. Other letters relate to the family of Morrison H. McMath, a lawyer from Rochester, New York. A late series of letters by Elizabeth ("Lizette") P. Harrison of Portland, Oregon, to Ada Howe Kent of California, reflects her financial troubles and emotional state during the early years of the Great Depression.

Legal documents include papers relating to the Newton and North Hempstead Plank Road Company; New York Supreme Court Cases heard between 1848 and 1894; estate administration papers; and financial documents and records. The Cole family papers contain documents concerning taxes paid on land holdings in Rome, Maine, in the early 20th century, including property held by Edward F. Bragg in Belgrade, Maine.

Materials relating to education include six checks from the 1860s made out to Phipps' U. Seminary, a 1906 report card for a student at the United States Naval Academy, and an undated "Report Book" containing two essays. An assortment of ephemeral items and manuscript maps of Marston T. Bogert's property along Long Pond in Rome, Maine, also appear in the collection.

The Cole family papers also contain essays, notes, and poetry. Items of note include an 1850s manuscript response of the County of Orleans, New York, to recent actions of slaveholding states, calling for attendance at a Republican Party convention in Syracuse; a 1925 essay entitled "The Beginnings of Modern Spiritualism in and Near Rochester," by Adelbert Cronised; a lengthy typed travelogue of India; and an essay on the history of the Isthmus of Panama and the Panama Canal.

Collection

Cornelia Hancock papers, 1862-1937 (majority within 1862-1865)

236 items

The Cornelia Hancock papers consist primarily of the Civil War correspondence of Hancock, who served as a nurse for the Union Army in Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., and Virginia from 1863-1865. The collection also includes brief accounts of Hancock's experiences during the war, as well as several items of ephemera.

The Cornelia Hancock papers consist primarily of the Civil War correspondence of Cornelia Hancock (1840-1927), who served as a nurse for the Union Army from 1863 to 1865. Other items within the collection include photographs, accounts of Hancock's experiences during the war, and several items of ephemera.

The Correspondence series includes 168 dated letters, 15 undated letters and fragments, 2 military passes, and 1 fragment of cloth. The dated letters cover the period from July 31, 1862-January 12, 1866, with the undated fragments most likely from the Civil War period. Two additional letters, dated August 27, 1890, and April 25, 1892, are also included in the collection.

The great bulk of the correspondence was written by Cornelia Hancock to her mother Rachel, her sister Ellen, and her niece Sarah, during Cornelia's time serving as a nurse in Pennsylvania and Virginia; her mother and sister occasionally returned letters giving news of the family in New Jersey. Other correspondents represented in the collection include Cornelia's brother, William N. Hancock; Caroline Dod, the mother of a soldier who died during the war; and several soldiers who expressed gratitude for Hancock's work. In her letters, Cornelia discussed in some detail her work as a nurse during the war, including several accounts of specific wounds and illnesses. Slavery and the social and economic conditions of freedmen are focal points of the letters written during Hancock's time at the Contraband Hospital in Washington, D.C. Though most of the letters concentrate on wounded soldiers and military hospitals and treatments, Hancock and others often expressed political opinions, reported on developments in the war, and shared news of loved ones in the field or back home.

An early series of letters documents Hancock's experiences at the Camp Letterman Hospital after the Battle of Gettysburg, when she first noted "There are no words in the English language to express the sufferings I witnessed today…" (July 7, 1863). A few months later, in October 1863, Hancock left for Washington, D.C., where her letters document her time working with African American refugees at the Contraband Hospital. Twice, she related encounters with President Lincoln. Robert Owen, a former United States ambassador to Italy, once "read to us a speech that he read to the President one Sunday…The subject was the Pardoning power vested in the President. He said that Abraham listened with all his attention then asked him if he would give it to him and also had him promise he would not have it published for the present, said he would read and consider it well. [Lincoln] Complimented Mr. Owen, told him he had been of much service to him in many ways" (October 25, 1863). On another occasion, Hancock recounted a personal glimpse of Abraham Lincoln: "Little Meenah Breed and I went to the White House, and I told you I would encounter the President- sure enough there he stood talking to some poor woman. I did not stop him because he was in a hurry but I know him now and I shall. It is a much easier matter to see him than Stanton" (October 29, 1863). Other letters from this period pertain to the state of escaped slaves (November 15, 1863) and the state of the anti-slavery movement: "Where are the people who have been professing such strong abolition proclivity for the last 30 years[?] Certainly not in Washington laboring with these people whom they have been clamoring to have freed" [January 1864].

In February 1864, Hancock moved again to work with the 3rd Division of the 2nd Corps at Brandy Station, Virginia. Hancock was here during the Battle of the Wilderness, the aftermath of which is represented in Hancock's accounts and in a letter of Henry Child to his wife, Ellen (née Hancock), wherein he warns, "You will hear of another terrible battle yesterday" (May 12, 1864). Soon after the Battle of the Wilderness, Hancock accompanied the Union Army during their march through Virginia. Items from this period include a description of a "rebel house…The house was visited by our Cavalry guard and found deserted, also that the the [sic] gentleman owning the house was a chief of Guerillas, consequently the house was burned to the ground" (May 3, 1864, author unknown). In June 1864, Hancock spent a few days at White House, Virginia, before eventually stopping at City Point, Virginia, where she remained until the end of the war. During this period, she reflected on what had become normal experiences in the time she spent with the army: "A shell explodes every little while, not far away. About as much account is made of it as the dropping of a pin at home. Habit is a wonderfull [sic] matter" (June 7, 1864).

At City Point, Hancock continued to work with the ill and wounded soldiers of the Union army, and in many of her letters, she described specific soldiers or wounds she treated. Among these soldiers was Charlie Dod, a New Jersey native who served with Cornelia's friend Henry Smith. Dod's August 17, 1864, letter is included in the collection, as well as two notes by Cornelia relating that "Capt. Dod is now dying in my bed" (August 27, 1864) and "Capt. Dod of Henry's company died in my bed today. His mother arrived in time to see him just one day and night…The scene was very affecting and I shall never forget it" (August 27, 1864). Charlie's mother, Caroline Dod, became an occasional correspondent after this time and continued to hold Cornelia in high regard throughout the rest of her life. Another notable item from this period is an official Union army pass allowing Cornelia to travel to and from Washington, D.C.; this is enclosed in a letter from Rachel Hancock dated October 20, 1864.

By the spring of 1865, the Union army was closing in on Richmond, and Cornelia Hancock was near the Confederate capital when it fell. On April 3, 1865, she reported, "This morning we could see the flames of Petersburg lighting the skies[. I] suppose the rebels are compelled to evacuate the place. Our troops can enter now at any time…Gen Weitzel entered Richmond this morning at 8 A.M. There is great rejoicing here of course." Even better was the feeling of release that accompanied the end of the fighting: "The situation is splendid the air so fresh and altogether it seems like getting out of prison to get away from C[ity] P[oint] we were there so long" (May 13, 1865).

The undated papers and fragments appear at the end of the collection and include eight letters and fragments written by Hancock as well as five letters from Caroline Dod. These appear to date from the Civil War period. One fragment was written on the reverse side of a table of contents from the 8th volume of Connop Thirlwall's History of Greece.

Other postwar material in the series includes the following three items:
  • A January 3, 1866, letter of reference from Robert Dale Owen, a friend of Dr. Henry Child, stating that the "bearer of this, Miss Cornelia Hancock…is about to visit the South, there to aid in the education of the children of freedmen," and giving a glowing account of Hancock's merits.
  • An August 27, 1890, letter from Caroline B. Dod, in which she reflected on the death of her son and expressed continuing gratitude for Hancock's sympathy during his final hours. The letter is accompanied by its original envelope, which was used by a later owner of the material to house Robert Owen's letter of reference for Cornelia Hancock (January 3, 1866) and an undated Swarthmore Library ticket with manuscript biographical notes on Owen.
  • An April 25, 1892, letter from S. B. Dod to Cornelia Hancock, in which he explained that his mother had left Hancock a legacy in her will as a token of "her appreciation of your great kindness to my brother Charlie."
The series includes three additional items, interfiled chronologically. These include:
  • January 8, 1864: A pass authorizing Ellen Child and one friend to travel "over Chain and Aqueduct Bridges and Alexandria Ferry, within the lines of the Fortifications"
  • January 12, 1864: A pass authorizing "Miss C. Hancock team, driver, and Contrabands to Arlington Va and return."
  • "A piece of the ornaments upon the flag of the 116th Pa. Vol." Verso: "Capt. Shoener's Regt." (Undated)
The Reminiscences and Other Writings series series includes several items:
  • A 10-page typescript with unattributed manuscript annotations. Topics include the personality of Hancock's father and an account of her time at Gettysburg, told in the first person. This text is the basis for some of the biographical information included in published editions of Hancock's letters.
  • A 10-page incomplete typescript written well after the war, with unattributed manuscript annotations. The text is a first-person account of Hancock's war experiences near the end of the war. Of particular interest is a recollection that "April 8th Abraham Lincoln visited our hospital." The typescript is the basis for much of the biographical information included in published editions of Hancock's letters.
  • A first-person manuscript fragment, written in the style of a diary and with a note on the reverse that the author, likely Cornelia Hancock, "would like this sent to mother and have her copy it." The note also says that "Soldiering now days is hard work."
  • An incomplete third-person account of Cornelia Hancock, covering the very beginning with her journey to Gettysburg "with Mrs. Elizabeth W. Farnham, who was an eminent writer," in July 1863.
  • An 8-page manuscript account of Cornelia Hancock's departure for the theater of war. The manuscript includes two slightly different copies of the same material, and a lapse into the first person suggests that Cornelia Hancock is the author.

The Cornelia Hancock Obituary is a small newspaper obituary published on January 1, [1928], entitled "Civil War Nurse Dies, Closing Busy Career." The item was not part of the original accession and was discovered in a book in the Clements Library in 1985.

The Ephemera series includes eight items:
  • A 4" x 6" photograph on card stock showing a party of women and military men gathered in front of several tents. The photograph is labeled "Cornelia Hancock." [1860s]
  • A newspaper clipping "Queen of Field Nurses at Ninety in Feeble Health," recounting the decline of Florence Nightingale. [1910]
  • Five identical sheets of paper bearing the letterhead of the Association of Army Nurses of the Civil War. The letterhead includes a list of officers of the organization. One sheet is marked, "To Cornelia," and is slightly torn.
  • A book jacket from the 1937 edition of South after Gettysburg; letters of Cornelia Hancock, 1863-1868.

The following card photograph from the collection is currently housed in the graphics division:

  • "Capt. Charles Dod[,] A. A. Gen. in Gen. Hancocks staff. 2nd Corps[,] A.P." Portrait of Charles Dod, by [Frederick August] Wenderoth & [William Curtis] Taylor, Philadelphia, ca. 1864.
Collection

Daniel Morgan collection, 1764-1951 (majority within 1764-1832)

63 items

The Daniel Morgan collection is made up of financial records, legal documents, correspondence, and other items related to General Daniel Morgan and to Willoughby Morgan, his son.

The Daniel Morgan collection is made up of 63 financial records, legal documents, correspondence, and other items related to General Daniel Morgan and to Willoughby Morgan, his son. The majority of the collection consists of accounts, bonds, promissory notes, and other documents pertaining to Daniel Morgan's financial affairs. Accounts and invoices record Morgan's purchases of clothing, wagon-related equipment and services, and other items. Some of the later items do not concern Morgan directly but have his legal endorsement. Also included are two outgoing letters by Morgan, a 9-page legal document about a lawsuit against Morgan, and a deposition that Morgan gave in a different dispute. Other items are a bond regarding Morgan's marriage to Abigail Curry (March 30, 1773) and Morgan's political address to the citizens of Allegheny County about politics and the militia (January 17, 1795). Three of the documents pertain to enslaved and free African Americans (November 6, 1773; June 13, 1789; and March 28, 1799). Later items mostly pertain to the estate of Willoughby Morgan, Daniel Morgan's son. James Graham wrote two letters to unknown recipients in 1847 and 1856 about his efforts to write Daniel Morgan's biography, which he subsequently published.

Printed items include a map of the surrender of Yorktown (undated), a newspaper article from a Winchester, Virginia, paper about the possible disinterment of Daniel Morgan's remains (August 18, 1951), and printed portraits of Daniel Morgan with manuscript and facsimile autographs.

Collection

David Nash collection, 1928-2008

3.25 lin. ft.

This collection is made up of diaries, correspondence, documents, scrapbooks, photo albums, negatives, yearbooks, awards, artifacts, and regalia of career U.S. Navy officer David Nash. Much of the content relates to Lieutenant Nash's naval career and his time as a prisoner of war in the Pacific during World War II.

This collection is made up of diaries, correspondence, documents, scrapbooks, photo albums, negatives, yearbooks, awards, artifacts, and regalia of career U.S. Navy officer David Nash. Much of the content relates to Lieutenant Nash's naval career and his time as a prisoner of war in the Pacific during World War II.

The Diaries include two volumes (380 pages) by David Nash, detailing his experiences as a prisoner of war for over three and a half years during World War II. These are illustrated copies made after the war from original diaries and notes (one of his shipmates buried the first portion of the original diary in a 5-gallon tin can on Luzon in order to recover it later). Lieut. Nash's almost daily entries reveal his activities, health, mentality and moods, plus information on the activity around him and any rumors or gossip. Most entries conclude with a note to his "darlings," his wife Honoria and daughter Julie. Detailed illustrations of the prison camps and ships appear throughout the diaries. Nash also included relevant drawings in the margins (guards, a shower, turkey dinner, himself reading, playing cards, etc.).

The first diary is an alphabet-sectioned ledger with 300 lined pages, covering December 1, 1941, to May 29, 1944. It also contains lists of USS Mindanao personnel and occupants of Barrack #9 Camp. The diary opens with two watercolor maps of the China Sea entitled "Cruise of U.S.S. Mindanao, 1941" and "Corregidor and Vicinity, 1942." David Nash described his time on Mindanao, stationed at Corregidor during its surrender and capture by the Japanese forces, and as a prisoner of war at Bilibid Prison, Cabanatuan, USAFFE Camp 91st Division, a second time at Bilibid Prison, and the Davao Penal Colony.

The second diary has 80 lined pages and spans October 13, 1944, to October 10, 1944. This volume continues Nash's account of life as a prisoner of war. He described his experiences on the hell ship Oryoku Maru, at Hoten Camp in Mukden, Manchuria, and during the camp's liberation on August 19, 1945.

The Naval Documents, Correspondence and Articles series contains letters, reports, newspaper clippings, personal notes, awards, an illustration, and ephemera relating to David Nash's naval career and POWs in general; the bulk of which ranges between 1934 and 2005. A portion of the documents in this series relate to the family of a fellow naval officer named Heisinger.

  • USS Hornet files: Nash's correspondence requesting aircraft reports, aircraft action reports from the Hornet's carrier air group 11 bombing the hell ships Nash was held on, and Hornet Club ephemera, 1944-1945, 1972-2000.
  • Prisoner of War files: Nash's postwar correspondence with a fellow POW, who wrote on the band and entertainers at one of Nash's camps. Other papers include reports on how to survive as a prisoner of war, healthcare for survivors, articles relating to prisoners of war, pamphlets on American Japanese internment camps and the misuse of the term 'internment,' and Nash's personal notes, 1972-2008.
  • Heisinger files: Correspondence between the Heisinger family and David Nash, printed materials relating to World War II, official Navy photographs, and personal photographs.
  • Awards and Commendations: Awards given to David Nash by the Navy and the President of the United States and correspondence upon his retirement from the Navy.
  • Illustration of USS Mindanao
  • Map of a Western Pacific Cruise and a pin-up.

The Scrapbooks series consists of two scrapbooks.

  • [Personal Moments, 1928-1948]. This scrapbook tracks David and Honoria's life from high school until 1948. Much of it focuses on David Nash's career and his time as a prisoner of war. It contains photographs, newspaper clippings, letters, awards, telegrams, and ephemera, with captions or notes on most pages. Of particular note are letters and telegrams to Honoria Nash from the Navy informing her on her husband's status as missing and later as prisoner of war.
  • "Scrapbook, Hong Kong 1939-Dec. 1964." This scrapbook primarily traces David Nash's naval career through photographs, newspaper clippings, invitations, and ephemera from 1939 to 1964. It includes a few references to his wife Honoria's volunteer work and his daughter Julie's engagement.

The Photographs series contains four photo albums and many negatives.

Subseries: Photo Albums

  • "Aug. 1939 to 1941 En Route and at Hong Kong." This album consists of personal photographs from David and Honoria's honeymoon in the Grand Canyon in 1939, their travels to Hong Kong by way of San Francisco and Honolulu, life in Hong Kong up until the evacuation of dependents in 1940 and his assignment on USS Mindanao in 1941. Other locations photographed include Kowloon, Shameen, Canton, and New Territories. Each page is captioned with a date and/or description. Also included in this album is an envelope with duplicates and a telegram to David Nash's father informing him that his son's name was on a list of personnel at Camp Hoten in Mukden, Manchuria.
  • [Navy Photos, 1952-1960]. This album contains 40 photographs from 1952 to 1960, highlighting various events in David Nash's career, changes in command, reunions, an inspection trip, and naval ceremonies. It also includes individual and group portraits with fellow officers and staff. Some photographs include descriptions and dates.
  • [Navy Photos, 1960-1961, 1966]. This album is comprised of U.S. Navy photographs, largely from the period of David Nash's Naval Intelligence posting. Additional images include aerial photographs, Navy ships, two postcards from 1966, a Navy certificate, and an envelope containing miscellaneous negatives and photographs. Many of the photographs include notes with names and descriptions.
  • "Navy 1959-1965." This album consists of personal photographs from David Nash's Navy assignments. The three primary groupings include "Corregidor & Ft. Hughes 1959," "Comdesron 5 Deployment 1960," and "District Intelligence Officer 1961-65." Locations featured are Thailand (including Bangkok), Singapore, Saigon, Philippine Islands, Hong Kong, and California. Most photographs include notes on locations and names.

Subseries: Negatives. This subseries contains negatives from photographs of wide-ranging dates and topics, all related to David Nash's personal life and career.

The Yearbooks series contains four Lucky Bag United States Naval Academy yearbooks from 1932, 1933, 1934, and a 50 Year Rendezvous USNA-1935 anniversary yearbook.

The Artifacts and Regalia series contains objects from David Nash's career including his desk name plate, two plaques, a naval uniform belt, a bronze star, dog tags, and various other uniform accessories (ribbons, medals, pins, buttons, etc.).