Found 2867 collections.

The ancestors of the Polk Family, Jim and Amey, their daughter, Judah, and her husband, Kit, along with their children, upon reaching the age of twenty-one), were emancipated in 1840. This occurred one and one-half years after the death of their master, plantation owner Thomas Smelly, in Isle of Wight County, Virginia. The newly-freed Smelly family left Virginia that same year, according to the law prohibiting freed slaves to remain in the state more than one year, and migrated to New Jersey. At some point the family changed their name from Smelly to Smiley. In New Jersey, the Smiley family met another freed family from Maryland, the Polks, and the two families intermarried. By 1993, Amey and Jim Smiley had over one hundred descendants. The Smiley-Polk family documents consist of nine holograph 19th-century documents relating to the emancipation of the ancestors of the Smiley-Polk family of New Jersey, and other items concerning the genealogy of this family. less

Charles Patrick Daly (1816-1899) was an American jurist, lecturer and writer who served as a judge of the New York City Court of Common Pleas for over forty years, the last twenty-seven as chief justice. Maria Lydig Daly, his wife, was active in the Democratic Party and various welfare organizations of the Civil War period. Her diaries of this period were published in 1962 under the title: Diary of a Union Lady, 1861-1865. Papers include correspondence; legal papers; writings and lectures; personal and legal scrapbooks; and diaries and notebooks. Also included are papers belonging to Maria Daly, wife of Charles P. Daly; of her father, Philip Mesier Lydig; and some letters and accounts of the French-born author and explorer Paul du Chaillu less

Genealogical notes, charts, correspondence, clippings, and printed material, ca. 1940s-1950, produced by Foley's genealogical research on the Foley, de Luze, and related families. Some original 18th and 19th century documents including a letter to Catharine Ludlow Ogden Hammond from her mother, S[arah] Ogden in Newark, concerning the mother's recent widowhood and other family matters, 1790; a family Bible record, 1806-1940, of the Barretts and Kortright families; an approbation (letter of introduction), November 17, 1840, for Philip Schuyler, who was a United States Consul at Liverpool and part of a commission "...to assist their subjects and people in their commerce and traffick there...," signed by Queen Victoria and Lord Palmerston; marriage certificates of Louis Phillippe de Luze and Sarah Ogden, Trinity Church, New York, 1821, and Arthur Mackie Foley and Sarah Alice de Luze, St. Mark's Church, New York, 1878 or 1879; and manuscript and typescript copies of 18th and 19th century wills, marriage certificates, and other legal documents. Of note are ca. 20 letters, ca. 1771-1828, received by Richard Harison of New York attorney-at-law, concerning family, business, and general matters. A few letters are addressed to Jane Harison, and one is from Richard Harison to his mother less

Elizabeth Georgiana Sanford, née Morgan, wife of Rev. John Sanford, rector of Nynehead, Somerset. · To Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, novelist : 1 autograph letter signed : 2 Feb [1849] : (S'ANA 1071) : 4 pages (double sheet) : from C. Place : begins, "I have just heard of Lumley's return and I am sorry to say no Jenny [Lind]!" Enclosed with a 3 Mar 1849 letter from Mary Shelley to Claire Clairmont (MWS 0151); filed under "Mary Shelley." Sanford's letter is summarized in notes on the Mary Shelley letter in Bennett's Letters of Mary Shelley, v. 3, p. 361. less

Reverend John Sanford, rector of Nynehead, Somerset, and art collector. · To Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, novelist : 1 autograph letter signed : 15 Jun 1845 : from Corsham Court, Wilt[shire] : begins, "I enclose a letter rec'd this morning from Lord Wm. Lennox stating the particulars of his negotiation with Lumley ..."; with an autograph postscript from Mary Shelley to Claire Clairmont. Enclosed with a [16 Jun 1845] letter from Mary Shelley to Clairmont (MWS 0159), and the originally enclosed letter from Lennox to Sanford, dated 14 Jun 1845 (S'ANA 1073). Filed under "Mary Shelley." Sanford's letter is summarized in notes on Mary Shelley letter in Bennett's Letters of Mary Shelley, v. 3, p. 187. less

Simon Saunders and Edward John Otley, English publishers. · To Jane Porter, novelist : 1 autograph letter third person : 21 Nov 1834 : (MISC 2365) : 1 page (double sheet) : from Conduit Street : sending her "a copy of 'Young Hearts' together with those desired by the author ...". less

John Saunders, English writer and editor. · To Mary Cowden Clarke, literary scholar and writer : 1 autograph letter signed : 13 Apr 1847 : (S'ANA 0555) : 4 pages (double sheet) : [no place] : begins, "I have just heard from Mr. Clarke (Darlington) and as if to enhance the altogether gratifying circumstances attending the commencement of our acquaintence he is just about to do me a great service ..."; each line of the letter is transcribed underneath in a neater hand by Mary Cowden Clarke. less

John Scott, Scots-born journalist. · Holograph poem, "England, Just before the victories gained in June 1815" : [watermark = 1815] : (MISC 1373.18) : 2 ¹/₂ pages (double sheet) : [no place] : begins, "O'er England's plains, in common pace, / Men all the usual tasks pursue ...". less

Caroline Antoinette Ellis [other married name Scott], née Colnaghi, of the Colnaghi family of art dealers in London. She was the daughter of Paul Colnaghi, and beginning in November of 1829 was for a time a partner in the family business. Her first husband (m. 1807) was John Scott, the journalist, who died in 1821; her second husband (m. 1840) was [Andrew] Ellis Ellis, né de Vezian, underwriter. She is listed as "Caroline A. Ellis" on the censuses for 1861 and 1871. · To John Taylor, publisher and writer : 1 autograph letter signed "Caroline Scott" : "Thursday" [Feb 1817] : (MISC 1373.12) : 1 page (single sheet) : from Clarendon Square : begins, "I have looked very attentively over the few last lines of the poem - it is my opinion that they had better remain as Mr. Scott has written them ...". less

Sir Walter Scott, Scottish poet and novelist. · To Robert Cadell, bookseller and publisher : 1 autograph address (clipping) : [no date] : (MISC 4023.31c) : 1 page (partial sheet) : [no place] : reads in full, "Robert Cadell Esq. / private"; with "Sir Walter Scott Bt." written below in a different contemporary hand, and Scott's red wax armorial seal with motto, "REPARABIT CORNUA PHOEBE." Mounted in the Mary Ann Humble autograph album. Shelved with oversized manuscript volumes. less

S. W. Brown, milliners dress-makers of Edinburgh. Itemized tally of Sir Walter Scott's purchases between May 1818 and March 1823, for dresses and other articles for Scott's wife and daughters. Includes many items for the 1820 wedding of Scott's eldest daughter, Sophia, to John Gibson Lockhart. less

Roundell Palmer, first Earl of Selborne, English lawyer and politician; he served as British Lord Chancellor from 1872-1874 and from 1880-1885. · To John Claremont Whiteman, a director of the East India Company : 1 autograph letter signed : 3 Jul 1848 : (P'ANA 0056) : 2 ¹/₂ pages (double sheet) : from Lincoln's Inn : begins, "I wish I had leisure to search for authorities on the classical question to which the paper I return you, relates: -- Mr. Peacock has the advanatage of me in this respect: but his instances do not seem to me at all in point ..." Summarized in N. Joukovsky's Letters of Thomas Love Peacock, v. 2, p. 313, note 6. less

Joseph Severn, English painter. · To Charles Armitage Brown, writer : 6 letters : -- 1 autograph letter signed : 19 Sep 1821 : (S'ANA 0058) : 4 pages (double sheet made folio size by pasting two sheets together) : from Rome : begins, "I have got both your letters - the last 21 Aug.t came 19th instant ..."; including, "Why my dear Brown, what sad affair is this? I know not what to say in it - except this - that you are the only one to write Keats's memoir ..." -- 1 autograph letter signed : 26 Oct 1822 : (S'ANA 0059) : 4 pages (double sheet) : from Rome : begins, "Owing to my journey - and other unsettling [Bores?] - I have only just got your letter ..."; including, "I am just about putting up the grave stone to our Keats ..." -- 1 autograph letter signed : 21 Jan 1823 : (S'ANA 0060) : 4 pages (double sheet) : from Rome : begins, "I have just returned from the funeral of poor Shelley ..." -- 1 autograph letter signed : 27 Sep 1824 : (S'ANA 0061) : 3 ¹/₃ pages (double sheet) : from Lavinia : begins, "West is a hollow 'impfiddle' with never a string to his bow ..."; crosswritten on page 1. -- 1 autograph letter signed : 13 Jul 1836 : (S'ANA 0062) : 4 pages (double sheet) : from Rome : begins, "'Tis plain that the further we get apart, the nearer we draw together ..."; crosswritten on page 1. -- 1 autograph letter [signed] : 21 Aug 1838 : (S'ANA 0061) : 3 ¹/₄ pages (double sheet) : from 19 Brook St. : begins, "Such a lot of things, but above all the love of 'filthy luck' for I am beginning my 5th peiture here - have prevented me writing to you as I wanted ..."; signature cut away, causing near-complete loss of postscript on p. 4. less

Martin Archer Shee, Irish-born portrait painter and writer. · Holograph poem, "Lines addressed to my daughters, Anna, Mary and Eliza Archer Shee," signed : Nov 1839 : (SHEE 0051a) : 1 page (single sheet) : [no place] : begins, "Tis said on Mount Ida Minerva and Juno / With Venus of Old for an apple intended ..." Mounted in the Martin Archer Shee autograph album. Shelved with bound manuscripts under "Shee.". less

Samuel Carter Hall, Irish-born journal editor and writer. · Holograph presentation inscription, signed : [ca. 1879] : (MISC 4217) : on the title-page of a copy of Hall's Memory of Thomas Moore (London: Virtue Co., 1879). Reads in full: "The Editor of Public Opinion / with the compts regards / of SC Hall." Shelved with reference books under "Moore.". less

Collection consists of holograph fragments by Henry David Thoreau: from Cape Cod, Chapter V, The Wellfleet Oysterman, 2 p. on 1 leaf (removed from NYPL copy of The Writings of Henry David Thoreau, Manuscript Edition, Boston: Houghton, Mifflin, 1906); a poem, “I will obey the strictest law of love,” 2 p. on 1 leaf (recto page numbered 387 from Thoreau’s journal of 1848-1850); and an account of night sights and sounds, 2 p. on 1 leaf: “made nothing of it. It is easy to see how by yielding to such feelings…,” which closely follows his published journal entry of 1851 August 8. Also present is a brief autograph letter signed by Thoreau at Concord, 1853 (?) July 26 to William H. Sweetser at Charlestown, Massachusetts (“This is the way I write when I have a poor pen and still poorer ink.”) and an envelope, front only, addressed to C.M. Tracy at Lynn, Massachusetts. less

John D. (John Darragh) Wilkins (died 1900) of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was a U.S. Army infantry officer who graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1846. He served in the Mexican War and the Civil War, retiring in 1886 with the rank of colonel. Wilkins was the son of Army officer John Holmes Wilkins and Mary Darragh. The collection contains nineteen letters written by John D. Wilkins to his mother Mrs. Mary Wilkins, describing in rich detail his life as a West Point cadet, from his plebe year to approaching graduation, 1842 August 7-1846 May 17. There are also two letters to his brother, H.B. (Hugh Brady) Wilkins, concerning a fire that destroyed their family home, 1845 April 24, and their career prospects, 1845 December 9. There are no letters for the year 1844; a letter dated 1842 February 25 was apparently written 1843 February 25. Classmates mentioned in passing include his friend and roommate George B. McClellan and Garland Whistler (Joseph N.G. Whistler). Letters also touch on news about family and friends, his mother’s financial concerns, and his brother Brady’s attendance at Yale College and his plans to work in the law. In addition the collection contains his undated manuscript, “Love of Country,” identified as a Fourth of July oration at San Elizario, Texas. less

James Wilkinson (1757-1825) of Maryland was a United States Army officer and first governor of the Louisiana Territory. Wilkinson was implicated in the Burr Conspiracy and resigned from the Army in 1815. He was later appointed U.S. envoy to Mexico and died there in 1825. Suspicions that he had long been an agent of the Spanish government were confirmed after his death. The collection consists chiefly of letters written by Wilkinson to military personnel and politicians, especially at Fort Washington during the Northwest Indian War and later 1790s. Recipients include John Armstrong, 1792; Bartholomew Shaumburg, 1796, David Holmes, 1812, and James Monroe, 1814. Wilkinson’s letter of 1823 April 17, Mexico, to an unidentified correspondent (probably to Thomas Aspinwall, U.S. Consul in London), describes the election of Agustín de Iturbide as emperor of Mexico. Also included is Wilkinson's 1793 bill to the government for expenses of his servants, and an order of payment to James Wilkinson by Joseph Reed, 1781. less

Edith Brevoort (1832-1891) was the youngest of the eight children of Henry Brevoort Jr. (1782-1848), a wealthy New York City landowner and friend of Washington Irving, and Laura Carson of South Carolina (died 1845). In 1853 she married Pierre Corné Kane (1828-1870). The Edith Brevoort diary, 1848 May 8-1849 May 20 (1 volume in slipcase) recounts the daily activities, thoughts and feelings of an intelligent young New Yorker from a prominent family. Diary entries, dated 1848 May 8-1849 January 31, start from the reverse end of the volume, the volume beginning with a text on The Object of Life, and her record of sermons given at Grace Church, 1848 July 16-1849 May 20, interspersed with quoted poetry and text. The collection includes a typescript commentary on the diary (11 p.) by George S. Hellman, and manuscript diary excerpts (34 p.) by Rose Kane Greer, with notes. less

Howell L. Williams (1792-1872) was a New York City commission merchant and partner in the firm of Williams, Rogers & Robert. The partnership dissolved in 1834, resuming business as Robert & Williams. The collection consists of mercantile correspondence received by Howell L. Williams at New Orleans, other southern cities, and New York, relating to trade chiefly in cotton, but also in tobacco, sugar and other commodities. Among the letters are lists of prices current, some with further notes addressed to Williams, and invoices and waybills for cotton. Correspondents include associates in New Orleans and New York, as well as merchants in various states, and Liverpool, England. There are also are a few letters of introduction for Williams's use, social invitations, and letters from his brothers Fielding L. Williams and William L. Williams, and sister Mildred Wheatley and her husband. less

John M. Williamson (1787-1878) of Stony Brook, Long Island, was a prominent lawyer, politician and militia officer. He served notably as a New York State Assemblyman for Suffolk County, Supervisor of the Town of Brookhaven, and judge of the County's Court of Sessions. John M. Williamson letters and documents, 1813-1835, consist chiefly of letters addressed to him by friends, family members and militia personnel while at Sag Harbor garrison during the War of 1812, and at his residence in Stony Brook. There are also a few letters from others addressed to his father Jedidiah Williamson and to William S. Williamson, as well as receipts, military orders and other items relating to militia duties, some carried out by William S. Williamson. Correspondents include his father; his brother Seth Williamson at Scotchtown, New York; his cousin Elnathan Hawkins, a mariner; and John R. Satterly, a militia officer and friend. A letter from Williamson to his father, dated 1822 at Albany, concerns state political affairs. less

The mercantile firm of Morris & Ludlum (active 1790s) operated a hardware store on Water Street in New York City, and also engaged in potash production in Sussex County, New Jersey. The Morris & Ludlum letter and order book, 1797-1825, contains copied letters and orders written by the hardware business at New York, 1797-1799, to merchants in Great Britain and the southern United States. These include Perry & Hayes, suppliers of a large variety of hardware, and the pewterware firm of Robert Bush & Co., both located in Bristol, England. Other commodities mentioned include iron bars, potash, flaxseed, cotton, and otter skins. The volume was later used as a ledger by James Ludlum for his farming and milling activities at Sparta, New Jersey, including transactions in his role as an administrator of his brother Gabriel Ludlum's estate. less

John Clarke-Whitfeld, English organist and composer. · To [?John Stewart, physician and poet] : 1 autograph letter signed : 7 Jan 1816 : (B'ANA 0203) : 1 ¹/₂ pages (single sheet) : from Cam[bridge] : begins, "Having altered my plan in respect to the number of songs for my intended publication; and having now determined it shall contain original poetry only (which will render it more valuable to the subscribers) may I request you will favor me with two more little elegant pieces, of the length, and in the style of 'The fair Saracen' 'O I will yield my heart to thee'? . . . ." Also including: "Last week Lord Byron favored me with three [of] the most elegant pieces of poetry . . . I am waiting with much anxiety for the fulfilment of Mr. Walter Scott's promise . . . .". less

Margaret Williams was born on April 6, 1800 in Calcutta, to Robert Williams, a merchant and auctioneer, and his wife, Margaret. Robert Williams died in 1813, leaving his wife to care for Margaret and six other daughters; charitable subscriptions were taken up in India, and donations were solicited in London. At age 16, Margaret married Nathaniel Hudson, a lawyer, with whom she had a number of children. Nathaniel Hudson died in Calcutta in 1846. By the early 1850's, Margaret and her younger children were living in London with her brother-in-law, John Hudson, and other family members, at Upper Lansdowne Terrace in Notting Hill. Margaret Hudson died at age 59, at her home at Avenue Lodge, Southall, on February 19, 1860; she was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery. Her youngest daughters, Emily (1836-1904) and Adeline Maria (1838-1911), never married, and lived together into their later years. Reverse calf-bound notebook with "Receipt Book" stamped in black on the spine and "Mrs. N. Hudson / Receipt Book. / 1st Sept 1830" in ink manuscript on the front cover. The first 39 leaves seem to be primarily in one hand, probably that of Hudson herself. Most entries give a source (usually a person, many identified by initials only) and a date. Household and medicinal receipts (for making ink, tooth powder, furniture varnish; cures for the cough, hydrophobia, dysentery, cholera, snake bites, flatulency, etc.) are interspersed with cooking directions for a wide variety of dishes, many reflecting Hudson's life in British India (Cashmerian chutney, Country Captain, fowl curry, kedgeree, etc.). Leaves 40-46 contain mounted recipes written on smaller sheets of paper, some possibly in Hudson's hand. A letter dated 24 August [circa 1860's?] to Emily Hudson from "G. M.," referring to "the accompanying . . . recipes," is laid in. The remaining leaves contain a few printed late 19th century food-related advertisements (Felix Schell, "provider of Parisian dinners"; Domenico Piccirello, "importer of French and Italian produce"; and The American Freezer, "shown in practical operation at The Atomospheric Churn Company") and 20th century recipes, both in manuscript and printed clippings. Five pages at the end, reverso, contain manuscript verses in an early 19th century hand ("Morning Hymn"; "Evening Hymn"; "Lines addressed to Miss M. W."), apparently original and possibly by Nathaniel Hudson. less

Antonio Lega Zambelli, Lord Byron's steward and secretary. · To Mr. Galignani, bookseller and publisher : 1 autograph letter signed : 18 Jan 1821 : (B'ANA 0780) : ¹/₂ page (single sheet) : from Ravenna : in Italian; complaining that in a 14 day period, Lord Byron has only received two issues of Galignani's periodical. less

Eugénie de Vergès, née Choppin d'Arnouville. She was born on September 13, 1774 to René Choppin d'Arnouville, chevalier, a counsellor to Louis XV and president of the Cour des Monnaies; and his wife, Marguerite-Élizabeth de Chazot. On February 4, 1793, in Paris, she married Jacques-Claude de Vergès. Their first son, Marie Fortuné (1794-1864), was a notable civil engineer; their second son, Adolphe Florimond (1795-1875), was a councillor at the Cour de Cassation. Eugénie de Vergès died on April 4, 1843. The larger of the two volumes (89 manuscript pages; 77 total leaves + 4 loose manuscript inserts) is a commonplace book containing original poems, translations, and notes on a variety of subjects. On the front paste-down is a contemporary note ("Ouvrages de Mlle Eugénie Choppin, depuis Mde. Devergès, faits depuis l'anée 1790") and the large engraved stationer's ticket of De Lermoy, Versailles. The smaller volume (40 manuscript pages; 75 total leaves) is chiefly devoted to accounts and contains entries from 1811 to 1840; with the stationer's ticket of Niodot, Place du Vieux Louvre. Both volumes in contemporary green boards. less

Samuel Whitbread, English politician. · To "Sir" : 1 autograph letter signed : 31 Mar 1814 : (MISC 3359) : 2 pages (single sheet) : from [?H--------] : relating to Drury Lane Theatre; begins, "It would not become us to surrender a Right of Exemption which you say all the other Theatres are disposed to maintain . . . .". less

William Whitton, English lawyer. · Autograph signatures on verso of indenture agreement : [circa 14 Apr 1800] : (S'ANA 0101h) : 1 page (folded parchment sheet) : legal document regarding the Shelleys and the sale of an estate in Balcombe. Filed under "Timothy Shelley.". less

Charles Whitworth, first Earl Whitworth, English diplomat and politician. · To Miss Shelley : 1 autograph letter signed : 2 Feb 1825 : (S'ANA 0470) : 2 ¹/₂ pages (double sheet) : from Knole : begins, "I do assure you that nothing would give me greater pleasure than being able to prove by facts my sincere wish to oblige you. You may depend on my making the application you desire in favor of your nephew." The addressee is probably a relative; Whitworth's mother was the daughter of Richard Shelley, the commissioner of the stamp office, and the niece of Sir John Shelley, fourth baronet (of Michelgrove). less