Found 69 collections related to Diaries

The collection consists chiefly of papers of members of the Gansevoort, Lansing and Melville families and reflects the social, business, and political interests of the families, their friends and associates. Also included are some papers of members of the Sanford, Van Schaick and other prominent families of the Hudson and Mohawk Valley areas of New York State. The papers include accounts, correspondence, maps, and land, court, and military records, as well as personal collections of photographs and artifacts documenting the families' history. Notable individuals represented int the collection are Revolutionary War officer Peter Gansevoort, Jr. (1749-1812), his son Peter Gansevoort (1788-1876), a New York State Assemblyman, Senator, and Judge Advocate General, Henry Sanford Gansevoort (1835-1871), Union officer in the Civil War, and author Herman Melville. less

George Bancroft (1800-1891) was an American historian, diplomat and public official who wrote the ten-volume History of the United States. Bancroft's positions included Collector of the Port of Boston, Secretary of the Navy under Polk, Minister to Great Britain from 1846 to 1849, and Minister to Germany from 1867 to 1874. In addition to History of the United States, Bancroft wrote other historical studies and biographies. Collection consists of transcripts (and some originals) of letters, dispatches, statistical data, journals, minutes of proceedings, and other papers culled from American, British and European sources by George Bancroft in the course of research for his historical works. Bulk of the collection reflects the economic, political, military, and diplomatic relations between Great Britain and its North American colonies during the 17th and 18th centuries, particularly the period leading up to the American Revolution of 1775-1783, the war itself, and the immediate aftermath of the war culminating in the writing and adoption of the U.S. Constitution. There are materials on the presidencies of George Washington and James K. Polk, and the 1872 dispute between Great Britain and U.S. over the water boundary between the U.S. and British Columbia. Also, records dealing with relations in the 18th century between the U.S. and continental European countries, and various European countries with each other (especially Prussia, Austria, France, Spain, and Great Britain). less

The Methodist Episcopal Church was organized in the U.S. in 1784. The first general conference was held in 1792 and the constitution was adopted in 1900. In 1939 the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Protestant Church united to form the Methodist Church (U.S.). Collection consists primarily of records of Methodist Episcopal churches in New York City and vicinity with scattered records from churches in Connecticut, New Jersey, New York State, Africa, and Europe. Materials include correspondence, reports, minutes, church records (births, baptisms, marriages, deaths, membership, etc.), sermons, diaries and journals, financial records, literary papers, sketches, scrapbooks, photographs, and printed matter. Most of the records are from churches in New York City with lesser amounts from churches in the suburbs of New York City, upstate New York, and some general records of the Methodist Episcopal Church. less

Joseph Hawley (1723-1788) of Northampton, Massachusetts, a lawyer, legislator and militia officer, was one of the foremost political leaders of the American revolutionary movement in Massachusetts. The Joseph Hawley papers, dating 1653 to 1804, consist of letters and documents relating to him or members of his family dealing with public and private affairs, especially during the colonial wars and the Revolutionary era. Among these are letters to and from Joseph Hawley and his brother Elisha Hawley; Elisha Hawley’s brief journal of the Crown Point expedition, 1755; items pertaining to the ministry of Jonathan Edwards in Northampton; and papers of the Northampton Committee of Correspondence, of which Hawley was chairman. The collection also includes Joseph Hawley's writings on religious, legal and political topics, circa 1740s-1783, notably concerning the Stamp Act and the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention; sermon notes, 1724-1750, taken by Joseph Hawley with his own Bible commentaries, the early notes probably taken by Joseph Hawley's father; Hawley's legal notes on a dispute between a Mr. French and Joseph Allen of Deerfield, [1750]; and two undated texts in Latin, possibly from Hawley’s student days. less

The Joseph Johnson diary, dated November 18, 1772 to February 1, 1773, was kept by Mohegan preacher Joseph Johnson during his time teaching children of the Tunxis tribe in Farmington, Connecticut. At least one child of European settlers also attended his school. Joseph Johnson was educated at Eleazar Wheelock's Indian Charity School, and eventually moved to Farmington at the suggestion of his future father-in-law and fellow Mohegan clergyman, Samson Occom. Along with Occom and other leading Christian Indians from New England and Long Island, Johnson helped establish the community of Brothertown Indians in New York during the 1770s. He was ordained at Hanover, New Hampshire, in 1774. The diary records Joseph Johnson's arrival and residence among the Farmington Indians, his activities, religious matters, and the progress of the school. It concludes with his farewell sermon, extensive but incomplete. less

Emily Ellsworth (Fowler) Ford was an educated nineteenth-century women who wrote prolifically from adolescence until her death in 1893. Her work was published in a variety of contemporary literary journals, magazines, and newspapers. She was the granddaughter of Noah Webster and wife of Gordon Lester Ford, a prominent businessman and lawyer, with whom she raised their seven children. Ford was involved in many charitable organizations around her home in Brooklyn and was well-known within social and literary circles. The collection consists of family and general correspondence, Ford's published and unpublished writing, notes and keepsakes, and a small number of photographs. The material spans parts of her childhood in Amherst through her death in 1893. less

The Gerry-Townsend family of Massachusetts included statesman Elbridge Gerry (1744-1814). The collection consists of correspondence of Elbridge Gerry, 1773-1814, and his son-in-law David S. Townsend, 1812-1846); legal papers and accounts of Eliza Gerry, administrator of Elbridge Gerry's estate; deeds, mortgages, and other land papers concerning lands owned by the Gerry and Townsend families in Boston; and diary, 1813, Elbridge Gerry, Jr. kept during a journey from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Washington, D.C. Includes letters relating to Gerry's mission to France, 1797-1798 (the XYZ Affair), and to national politics. Correspondents include John Adams, William Gordon, Gideon Granger, Thomas Jefferson, James Lovell, James Madison, W. Vans Murray, George Partridge, C.C. Pinckney, Samuel Osgood, Jonathan Trumbull, Jr., James Warren, James Wendell, and John Wendell. less

Philip John Schuyler (1733-1804), a Revolutionary War general and statesman, was a prominent member of the landed aristocracy of New York State. The collection consists of correspondence, accounts, military records, land records, and other papers documenting Schuyler's military, political and business activities and, to a lesser extent, his family affairs. Correspondence, 1761-1804, is with military officers, members of the Continental Congress, committees of safety, and family, and concerns the conduct of the Revolutionary War in the Northern Department, 1775-1777, and political and personal matters. Indian papers, 1710-1797, contain Schuyler's papers as Commissioner of Indian Affairs in the Northern Department during the war and as agent of New York State. Canal papers, 1792-1803, include correspondence, diaries, reports, surveys, accounts, and other papers relating to the construction of canals in New York. His papers as Surveyor General of New York State, 1773-1788, and other public papers, circa 1775-1796, consist of correspondence, receipts, drafts of legislation and proposals, building plans, and other papers. Financial papers, 1711-1805, estate papers, 1752-1828, and land papers, 1705-1864, pertain to business activities and land holdings of Schuyler and family. Family papers, 1772-1851, contain correspondence and other papers of Schuyler family members. Military papers, 1775-1779, comprise Revolutionary War materials that were neither generated nor received directly by Schuyler. less

William Smith Jr. (1728-1793), an American Loyalist of New York and Quebec, was a prominent jurist, statesman, journalist and historian. The William Smith Jr. papers comprise the papers of William Smith Jr., 1683-1793; those of his son William Smith III (1769-1847), a Canadian government official, historian and militia officer, 1797-1848; and Smith family land and estate papers, 1665-1912. The bulk of the collection consists of William Smith Jr.'s papers pertaining to his activities as a lawyer, journalist and historian, and as a Councillor and Chief Justice in the British provinces of New York and Quebec (later Lower Canada). Papers include his correspondence and documents, writings for publication, and the diaries he kept from 1753 to 1783, known as his Historical Memoirs. Volumes documenting his law practice in New York are also present. less

Henry Laurens (1724-1792) was a South Carolina merchant, plantation owner, and Revolutionary-era statesman. The Henry Laurens diary, 1780 August 13-1781 December 6 (1 volume) is a manuscript notebook recording his voyage to Europe as U.S. envoy to Holland, his capture at sea by the British on September 3, 1780, his transfer to England via Newfoundland, and his imprisonment in the Tower of London. Pencilled entries briefly record day-to-day experiences, serving as the foundation of a subsequent narrative compiled by Laurens of his time abroad. The last entry is incomplete. less

Papers document the career of Jacob Schieffelin as merchant landowner and Loyalist; travels and literary activities of his wife, Hannah Lawrence Schieffelin; and the careers of their son, Richard Lawrence Schieffelin, and grandson, George Richard Schieffelin. less

Members of the Van Cortlandt family were major Westchester County landowners and New York politicians from the 17th to the 19th century. The Van Wyck family was related to them by marriage. Collection consists of correspondence, accounts, legal documents, papers relating to land in New York owned by the Van Cortlandt family, estate papers, and wills. Correspondence, 1779-1912, concerns family, personal and real estate matters, the progress of the Revolutionary War, and political matters. There is a significant amount of correspondence between Pierre Van Cortlandt and his son Philip. Also, 1824 almanac with journal notes; manuscript of Philip Van Cortlandt's autobiography; sketch of seating arrangement in Congress Hall, Philadelphia, 1795; family documents; and documents, 1775-1813, concerning the Continental Army. less

Washington Irving (1783-1859), the American author, wrote his first popular work, A History of New York, under the pseudonym Diedrich Knickerbocker. He continued to write stories and essays which made him the outstanding figure in American literature of his time and established his reputation abroad. In 1826 Irving went to Spain to work at the American embassy in Madrid, then at the American legation in London, before returning to New York in 1832. In 1842 he was sent back to Madrid as U.S. minister. After traveling extensively in the U.S. and Europe, he established himself at his estate "Sunnyside" near Tarrytown, N.Y. where he continued to write historical and biographical works. He also served as the first president of the Astor Library in New York City from 1849 until his death in 1859. Collection contains correspondence, writings by Irving, family papers, pictorial materials, and published works about Irving. Correspondence, 1805-1863, consists of Irving's letters to and from family, friends and colleagues as well as correspondence and other documents signed in his capacity as charge d'affaires of the American legation in London and as president of the Astor Library. Literary manuscripts include holograph drafts, manuscripts, revisions, and notes for many of Irving's literary and historical works. Journals consist of his diaries kept between 1804 and 1842; notebooks contain personal and literary notes made between 1807 and 1844; family papers include letters and documents written or received by members of the Irving family (except Washington Irving); related letters and documents are items that were not generated or received by Irving or his family but which relate to Irving or his associates; and pictorial materials contain original drawings, oil portrait of Irving, etchings, lithographs, photographs, and many engravings. Also, rare editions of Irving's writings and translations and works about him (many are extra-illustrated). less

The Noah Webster papers consist of correspondence, writings by Webster on various topics, diaries, and miscellaneous papers. Correspondence, 1776-1843, and diaries, 1784-1820, relate to his career as lawyer, educator, editor of newspapers, Federalist agitator, lexicographer, and etymologist. Included are his writings on banking, the history of political parties, federalism, and suffrage. Also, papers concerning his American Dictionary of the English Language, Amherst College, epidemics, etymology, legislation in Connecticut, amendments to the U.S. Constitution, and other matters. less

Samuel Ward (1814-1884) was an American lobbyist, financier, author, and adventurer. He was the son of the banker Samuel Ward (1786-1839) and the grandson of Samuel Ward (1756-1832) soldier and merchant. His sister was Julia Ward Howe, author of the "Battle Hymn of the Republic". After leaving his father's banking house, Prime, Ward & King, he visited Latin America on behalf of U.S. corporate and government interests. By the end of the U.S. Civil War he was settled in Washington, D.C. where he lobbied the government on behalf of financiers. Collection contains the papers of Ward, his father, his grandfather, and other family members, as well as his collection of autograph letters of mathematicians and scientists. Papers include handwritten and typescript letters, notebooks, transcripts, photographs, and printed matter. Samuel Ward correspondence, 1825-1882, concerns his activities, intellectual and literary matters, and family concerns. Many letters were written by friends who were historical figures. Autograph collection, 1647-1856, comprises letters by famous mathematicians and scientists acquired by Ward with his purchase of the library of mathematician A.N. Legendre. Also, Ward's travel notebooks, and letters, photographs and other papers of various members of the Ward family. less

Henry Dearborn (1751-1829) of New Hampshire was an an American army officer and statesman. He fought in the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, attaining the rank of senior Major General in the U.S. Army. Dearborn was U.S. Congressman from Massachusetts, 1793-1797; U.S. Secretary of War, 1801-1809; and U.S. minister to Portugal, 1822-1824. The journal of Continental Army officer Henry Dearborn (1 volume), kept from 1779 0ctober 28 to 1781 December 10, concerns troop movements in New York and New Jersey; war news and rumors; trips to New Hampshire on leave; his appointment as Deputy Quartermaster General in 1781 July; movement of the American army from New York to Yorktown, Virginia; the siege of Yorktown and its surrender 1781 October 19; his illness; quartermaster duties; and arrival at winter quarters in New York in December. There are additional memoranda by Henry Dearborn; the volume was also used by Jeremiah Wakefield of Pittston, Maine for accounts and writing exercises. less