Manuscripts and Documents
Mason, Richard Barnes, 1797‑1850.
Papers, 1815‑1824.
1 folder (42 items)
Richard Barnes Mason (1797‑1850) was a great‑grandson of George
Mason (1725‑1792), the noted Virginia statesman of the Revolutionary
era. Richard Barnes Mason rapidly advanced in the ranks of the army,
being commissioned in 1817 as a second lieutenant and serving as
captain of the 1st Infantry in the Black Hawk War (1832). Mason moved
on, as lieutenant colonel, to take part in the conquest of New Mexico
and California at the outset of the Mexican War. He then became the
first military and civil governor of California, a post that he held
until 1849.
George Mason ( ‑ ), the brother of Richard Barnes Mason,
remained in Virginia, occupied with the affairs of “Gunston Hall,” the
large Mason estate, built by his great‑grandfather.
The letters and miscellaneous other items, for the period 1815 to
1824, include various receipts and accounts, in addition to numerous
letters written by Richard Barnes Mason to his brother during his army
service. Richard’s letters discussed financial arrangements between
the two brothers, transactions regarding selling or hiring‑out their
slaves, investment in Kentucky and Missouri lands, a few dueling
incidents, and insights into Army life. Also, a few letters describe
a trip to the Wisconsin Territory on the steamboat _Walk‑in‑the‑
Water_.
SUBJECTS: 1. Mason, George. 2. Mason, Richard Barnes, 1797‑1850. 3.
United States. Army‑‑Military life. 4. Walk‑in‑the‑Water (Ship) 5.
Dueling. 6. Real estate investment. 7. Slave‑trade. 8. Slavery. 9.
Kentucky. 10. Missouri. 11. Wisconsin.
CALL NUMBER(S): Mss. Dept., Misc. mss. boxes “M”
Vaughan family.
Papers, 1843‑1918.
2 folders (44 items)
Ernest Howe Vaughan (1858‑1937) was born in Greenwich, Mass., the
son of Joseph P. Vaughan (1820‑1892) and Angenette C. Howe Vaughan
(1837‑1915) of Prescott, Mass. He was graduated from Boston
University School of Law in 1884, settled in Worcester, Mass., as an
attorney, and married Carrie L. Gleason ( ‑ ), daughter of Henry
Gleason ( ‑ ) of Dana, Mass.
This collection consists of business papers, land deeds, and a small
amount of family writings, for the period 1843 to 1918. Included are
an account of Jospeh P. Vaughan with the town of Prescott as its
overseer of the poor, 1861; papers concerning the installation of
lightning rods on the Vaughan property in Dana, 1894; and a
composition entitled “Passing Away,” as well as a defense of the
Mexican War, both written by Joseph P. Vaughan while he a student at
the New Salem Academy (New Salem, Mass.), 1843 to 1846.
There are a few business papers of Henry Gleason including three tax
bills for the towns of Dana (1883), Pelham (1889), and Worcester
(1897), Mass., and two invoices.
The land deeds, 1852 to 1918, pertain to purchases made by various
family members and include land and burial plots in Prescott,
northeast Dana, and Greenwich, Mass., much of which is now beneath the
Quabbin Reservoir. There is also a water‑rights deed negotiated by
Angenette C. Howe Vaughan in 1894.
SUBJECTS: 1. Gleason, Henry. 2. Vaughan, Angenette C. Howe, 1837‑
- 3. Vaughan, Ernest Howe, 1858‑1937. 4. Vaughan, Joseph P., 1820‑
- 5. Vaughan family. 6. Students. 7. Taxation. 8. Dana (Mass.) 9.
Greenwich (Mass.) 10. Massachusetts. 11. Pelham (Mass.) 12. Prescott
(Mass.) 13. Worcester (Mass.) 14. Genre: Essays‑‑19th century. 15.
Genre: Local records‑‑19th century. 16. Genre: Local records‑‑20th
century.
CALL NUMBER(S): Mss. Dept., Misc. mss. boxes “V”
Sumner, Charles, 1811‑1874.
Papers, 1834‑1874.
1 folder (44 items)
Charles Sumner (1811‑1874), U.S. Senator from Massachusetts, 1851‑
1874, leading abolitionist, civil rights activist, and orator, played
a large part in the formation of the Republican Party, served with
distinction as chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations,
and became a leading opponent of Abraham Lincoln’s Reconstruction
policies.
This collection contains papers and correspondence of Sumner, 1834‑
1874, including his Harvard Law School diploma, letters relative to
speaking engagements, notes of thanks to James B. Syme ( ‑ ) and
Asa Homan Waters (1808‑1887) for their support during his stand on the
Fugitive Slave Law, and copies of letters concerning the opinion of
Judge Joseph Story (1779‑1845) on copyright laws. Also included are
letters from individuals in Santa Fe, New Mexico, concerning the
Mexican Emancipation Proclamation of 1829, the Unionism of New
Mexicans during the Civil War, and the need for Sumner’s help in
investigating the sale of territorial archives to private interests by
New Mexico governor William Anderson Pile (1829‑1889). Other letters
refer to Sumner’s determination to fight slavery and the need for
“expurging [sic] bad whites” during Reconstruction.
The collection also contains a printed article written by Sumner in
1871 entitled “The Best Portraits in Engraving,” with handwritten
corrections and additions by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807‑1882)
and Edward Lillie Pierce (1829‑1897).
SUBJECTS: 1. Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth, 1807‑1882. 2. Pierce,
Edward Lillie, 1829‑1897. 3. Pile, William A., 1829‑1889. 4. Story,
Joseph, 1779‑1845. 5. Syme, James B. 6. Waters, Asa H. (Asa Holman),
1808‑1887. 7. Abolitionists. 8. Copyright. 9. Engraving‑‑Collectors
and collecting. 10. Fugitive slave law of 1850. 11. Reconstruction.
- Slavery. 13. New Mexico‑‑Politics and government.
CALL NUMBER(S): Mss. Dept., Misc. mss. boxes “S”
Wagner, Henry Raup, 1862‑1957.
Correspondence, 1932‑1935.
3 v. ; octavo.
Henry Raup Wagner (1862‑1957), of Berkeley, California, was a
notable bibliographer, historiographer, cartographer, and essayist,
primarily in the fields of Western and Hispanic‑American history. He
was also a collector of imprints and rare books on Western
explorations and California history. Among his numerous writings are
The Plains and the Rockies and The Spanish Southwest. Wagner was a
member of various historical societies, including the American
Antiquarian Society.
Summary: This collection contains correspondence bound in three
volumes. The letters, mainly in typescript, concern primarily
Wagner’s work on a monograph on Joaquin Garcia Icazbalceta (1825‑
1894), an eminent Mexican bibliographer, book collector, and publisher
of historic Mexican pamphlets. The monograph was published in the
Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society, April 1934. The
first volume contains correspondence, 1932‑1935, with Don Joaquin
Garcia Pimentel ( ‑ ) of Mexico City, Mexico, a grandson of
Icazbalceta. The letters detail his grandfather’s life, works, and
rare books library, and contain references to the political unrest in
Mexico during the 1930s, particularly the sacking of various
libraries. Pimentel, who occasionally wrote in Spanish, included
detailed corrections of Wagner’s draft of the monograph and
bibliography of Icazbalceta’s works. The volume contains photographs
and sketches of Icazbalceta and his home.
Volume 2 consists of correspondence, 1932‑1935, with Clarence
Saunders Brigham (1877‑1963), director of the American Antiquarian
Society, concerning publication details, and includes Wagner’s
biographical sketch of Icazbalceta, abstracts of Icazbalceta’s
correspondence with Dr. Wilberforce Eames (1855‑1937) during the late
19th century, and a lengthy bibliography of Icazbalceta’s works.
There are also assessments made by Brigham of the value of specific
books, as well as photographs of Icazbalceta and his son Don Luis
Garcia Pimentel ( ‑ ), who aided his father with his
publications.
Volume 3 is a compilation of correspondence, 1832‑1934, between
Wagner and Dr. Eames of the New York Public Library. There are
references to Icazbalceta, but the letters pertain primarily to a
bibliography of Mexican imprints before 1600, which Wagner had
undertaken to produce. The volume includes lists of such imprints.
SUBJECTS: 1. Brigham, Clarence Saunders, 1877‑1963. 2. Eames,
Wilberforce, 1855‑1937. 3. Garcia Icazbalceta, Joaquin, 1825‑1894. 4.
Pimental, Joaquin Garcia. 5. American Antiquarian Society. 6.
Bibliographers. 7. Bibliography. 8. Book collectors. 9. Mexico‑‑
History. 10. Mexico City (Mexico) 11. Genre: Photographs.
CALL NUMBER(S): Mss. Dept., Octavo vols. “W”
Poole, Henry Ward, 1825‑1890.
Correspondence, 1857.
1 folder (6 items)
Henry Ward Poole (1825‑1890), engineer, professor, and collector of
Mexicana, was the brother of William Frederick Poole (1821‑1894),
noted librarian and historian. Henry Ward Poole attended Yale
University and in the 1850s became a property agent in Pottsville, Pa.
In 1856‑1857, he was in Mexico as an engineer for the Mexican Pacific
Coal and Iron Mining and Land Company, which had a government
commission to conduct a geological survey of Mexico. Poole’s task was
to draw a map for a proposed railway link between Veracruz and Mexico
City. Eventually, Poole returned to Mexico to live and work as a
professor at the College of Mines in Mexico City. He became an avid
collector of Mexicana and corresponded often with the American
Antiquarian Society regarding rare books and manuscripts that he had
discovered.
Summary: This collection contains six letters, February‑May 1857,
written by Henry Ward Poole and addressed mainly to his brother
William and his mother Eliza Poole ( ‑ ). The letters were
written in Ajuchitlan and Acapulco, Mexico, and provide much detail
concerning his travels through Mexico as an engineer for the Mexican
Pacific Coal and Iron Mining and Land Company. There are descriptions
of the land and its people‑‑their customs, food, clothing, and
religious celebrations. One letter to his mother contains sketches of
Mexican trees and fruit. He wrote also of his work and finances.
SUBJECTS: 1. Poole, Eliza. 2. Poole, William Frederick, 1821‑1894.
- Mexican Pacific Coal and Iron Mining and Land Company. 4. Geology.
- Surveying. 6. Acapulco (Mexico) 7. Ajuchitlan (Mexico) 8. Mexico.
CALL NUMBER(S): Mss. Dept., Misc. mss. boxes “P”
Hill, Jonathan Henry, 1818‑1890.
Papers, 1841‑1884.
1 box. 7 v. ; octavo.
Jonathan Henry Hill, known commonly as J. Henry Hill (1818‑1890),
was a Worcester lawyer. He taught school in Barre, Mass., and studied
law under Charles Allen and Benjamin F. Thomas in Worcester. After
being admitted to the Bar he held partnerships at various times with
George F. Hoar, Benjamin F. Thomas and Charles Devens. Hill was clerk
and solicitor of the Worcester County Institute for Savings and
president of the Worcester County Horticultural Society.
Seven diaries, 1841‑1842, 1845‑1849, consist of daily entries kept
by Hill while a teacher, law student, clerk, and lawyer. The entries
record both social and business activities. Court cases are
discussed, as well as national political issues of the time. There
are several entries concerning the war with Mexico, bills before
Congress (Bank Bill, War Bill, and Tariff Bill) and political
conventions. Occasional entries record local news.
One manuscript box (1842‑1884) contains legal documents and
correspondence addressed to Hill. Much of the correspondence was
written by clients and there are many letters from George Stillman
Hillard (1808‑1879) and Benjamin Franklin Thomas (1813‑1878). A few
miscellaneous items include papers relating to the Worcester
Horticultural Society and receipts. There are legal documents
appointing Hill Justice of the Peace and Commissioner of Deeds.
SUBJECTS: 1. Hill, Jonathan Henry, 1818‑1890. 2. Hillard, George
Stillman, 1808‑1879. 3. Thomas, Benjamin Franklin, 1813‑1878. 4.
Worcester County Horticultural Society. 5. Lawyers. 6. Mexican War,
1846‑1848. 7. Massachusetts. 8. Massachusetts‑‑Politics and
government. 9. United States‑‑Politics and government. 10. Worcester
(Mass.) 11. Genre: Diaries‑‑19th century.
CALL NUMBER(S): Mss. Dept., Mss. boxes “H”, Octavo vols “H”
Briggs, George Nixon, 1796‑1861.
Correspondence, 1832‑1861.
1 traycase ; octavo.
George Nixon Briggs (1796‑1861) began to study law in 1813 and in
1818 was admitted to the bar. In 1824, he was elected town clerk of
Lanesboro, Mass., and in 1826, was appointed chairman of the
commissioners of highways of Berkshire County. In 1830, he was
elected to Congress, where he served from 1831‑1843 as a Whig. He
consistently opposed the extenstion of slavery. In 1844, he became
governor of Massachusetts and was reelected each year until 1851. He
condemned the Mexican War and opposed the annexation of Texas. In
state affairs his strongest interest was in education. In 1853, he
was appointed judge of the court of common pleas. His official career
ended when that court was abolished in 1858. From 1856 to his death
he was president of the American Temperance Union. He was the most
prominent Baptist layman in the U.S. and from 1847 to his death he was
president of the Baptist Missionary Union. He died from an accidental
gunshot wound.
This correspondence was written almost entirely during Briggs’
career as a U.S. Congressman and Massachusetts Governor. Several
letters from Horace Mann (1796‑1859) and, to a lesser extent, from
Mark Hopkins (1802‑1887) and Edward Everett (1794‑1865) illustrate
Briggs’ interest in matters concerning education. Briggs received
many letters about politics and legal cases from John Davis (1787‑
1854). For the most part, the remaining correspondence concerns
itself with recommendations, invitations, and various messges of an
official nature. A number of these letters were sent by John Gorham
Palfrey (1796‑1881) and Josiah Quincy (1802‑1882).
SUBJECTS: 1. Briggs, George Nixon, 1796‑1861. 2. Davis, John, 1787‑
- 3. Everett, Edward, 17941865. 4. Hopkins, Mark, 1802‑1887. 5.
Mann, Horace, 1796‑1859. 6. Palfrey, John Gorham, 1796‑1881. 7.
Quincy, Josiah, 1802‑1882. 8. Lawyers. 9. Public schools‑‑
Massachusetts. 10. Teachers‑‑Training of. 11. Massachusetts‑‑Politics
and government. 12. Genre: Correspondence‑‑19th century.
CALL NUMBER(S): Mss. Dept., Octavo vols. “B”
Traveler’s diary, 1871‑1872.
1 v. (48 leaves) ; octavo.
This volume is entitled “Notes of a Tourist through the Cactus
Plantations between San Antonio & Polafox,” and covers the period 21
November 1871 to 8 January 1872. The volume contains the daily
entries of a traveler, possibly a woman, with the medical portion of
the “Band of Hope” [12 December 1871] detailing a circular trip taken
in Texas to San Antonio to Laredo to a post near Rio Grande City to
Brownsville to Corpus Christi and back to San Antonio. The purpose of
the trip seems to be to inspect the post and hospitals at those
places. There are also a few side trips to the Mexican cities of New
Laredo, Camargo, and Matamoros.
The entries contain notations of miles traveled each day, as well as
total number of miles traveled. The writer also describes the
weather, the country being passed through, and the people encountered.
There are also some miscellaneous notations not related to the trip,
as well as a poem.
SUBJECTS: 1. Band of Hope. 2. Voyages and travels. 3. Brownsville
(Tex.) 4. Camargo (Mexico) 5. Corpus Christi (Tex.) 6. Laredo (Tex.)
- Matamoros (Mexico) 8. Mexico. 9. Mexico‑‑Description and travel.
- New Laredo (Mexico) 11. Rio Grande City (Tex.) 12. San Antonio
(Tex.) 13. Texas. 14. Texas‑‑Description and travel. 15. Genre:
Diaries‑‑19th century. 16. Genre: Poems‑‑19th century.
CALL NUMBER(S): Mss. Dept., Octavo vols. “T”
Lyon, Nathaniel, 1818‑1862.
Papers, 1840‑1861.
1 folder (25 items)
Nathaniel Lyon (1818‑1862), soldier and author, was born in Ashford,
Conn. A graduate of West Point, he served in the U.S. Army as
lieutenant in Florida fighting Seminole Indians, at Sackets Harbor,
N.Y., as captain in Mexico during the war (1845‑1848), and in
“Bleeding” Kansas. Lyon was also a well‑known political commentator.
He is best known for his leadership at the 1861 battle of Wilson’s
Creek, Mo., as a result of which was that Missouri remained in the
Union during the Civil War.
The collection contains twenty‑five letters, most of which Lyon
wrote to his brother‑in‑law, John B. Hasler ( ‑ ). The letters
provide information on life at West Point, tensions caused by the
slavery issue, and soldiering in Florida, on the Canadian frontier, in
Mexico, and in “Bleeding” Kansas. They also contain vivid
descriptions of Mexican people. Included are eleven clippings from
various newspapers containing accounts of the battle at Wilson’s Creek
(where Gen. Lyon was killed), battle maps, biographical material,
descriptions of the war hero’s funeral, and many eulogies.
Two pages of extracts of poetry by Thomas Moore (1779‑1852) are also
part of the collection.
SUBJECTS: 1. Hasler, John B. 2. Lyon, Nathaniel, 1818‑1862. 3.
Moore, Thomas, 1779‑1852. 4. United States Military Academy. 5.
Mexican War, 1846‑1848. 6. Mexicans. 7. Seminole War, 2nd, 1835‑1842.
- Slavery. 9. Soldiers. 10. Wilson’s Creek, Battle of, 1861. 11.
Canada. 12. Florida. 13. Kansas‑‑History‑‑1854‑1861. 14. Mexico‑‑
Description and travel. 15. Missouri‑‑History‑‑Civil War, 1861‑1865.
- New York (State) 17. Sackets Harbor (N.Y.) 18. United States‑‑
History‑‑Civil War, 1861‑1865. 19. United States‑‑History‑‑Civil War,
1861‑1865‑‑Campaigns. 20. Genre: Correspondence‑‑19th century.
CALL NUMBER(S): Mss. Dept., Misc. mss. boxes “L”
King, Andrew L.
Papers 1820‑1861
1 misc. box, 1 folio volume
Owner of a sugar plantation in Cuba. Business records and correspondence with relatives of his wife about their investments in his business. Much of the material is in Spanish.