Resources in Early American History
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 Author:  Alexander, Caleb, 1755-1828Requires cookie*
 Title:  A grammatical institute of the Latin language intended for the use of Latin schools in the United States     
 Dates:  1794 
 Abstract:  This volume consists of a handwritten draft of Caleb Alexander's A Grammatical Institute of the Latin Language Intended for the Use of Latin in Schools. Although this work does not relate to Alexander's better known missionary activities, this volume does give some insight into the public school movement in the early republic. After the American Revolution, state governments and individual reformers addressed public education with renewed vigor. This text is one of three Alexander wrote. He expected it to be assigned in public schools throughout the country. Its publisher, Isaiah Thomas gifted this volume to the APS.

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 Call #:  Mss.470.AL2 
 Extent:  1 volume(s) 
 Topics:  Education | Language and Linguistics | Native America 
 Genre:  Educational Material | Language Material 
 Subjects:  Education -- United States -- Curricula. | Latin language -- Grammar -- 1800-1870 | Latin language -- Study and teaching 
 Author:  American Philosophical Society. Historical & Literary CommitteeRequires cookie*
 Title:  American Philosophical Society Historical and Literary Committee, American Indian Vocabulary Collection     
 Dates:  1784-1828 
 Abstract:  These three volumes contain APS's correspondence and records relating to Native American languages. MOLE contains a detailed inventory of the collection. The first volume contains extensive correspondence on Native American languages, some of which is addressed to Thomas Jefferson. Much of this material is from the early to mid nineteenth centutry. The second volume contains Thomas Jefferson's printed form that he sent out to individuals asking for Native American language information. The third volume contains photostats of a dictionary of the Miami language.

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 Call #:  Mss.497.V85 
 Extent:  0.25 Linear Feet 
 Topics:  Language and Linguistics | Native America 
 Genre:  Language Material | Native American Materials 
 Subjects:  Atacapas language | Cherokee language | Chickasaw language | Chippewa language | Choctaw language | Chontal language | Creek language | Delaware language | Indians of North America -- Languages | Linguistics | Massachusett language | Miami language (Ind. and Okla.) | Micmac language | Mohegan language | Munsee language | Nanticoke language | Osage language | Quapaw language | Taino language | Unquachog language 
 Author:  AnonymousRequires cookie*
 Title:  The Natchez, 1840     
 Dates:  1840 
 Abstract:  This fascinating account of the Natchez was written in 1840 and appears to convey oral history of the time. The author begins by stating "it was with extreme difficulty we succeeded in procuring the information." The document is approximately 135 pages long and touches on the Natchez history and their "manners, customs, [and] traditions." The focus of the document is on their history, however, and much of the content was relayed to the author orally by the Natchez. There is an extended discussion of their beliefs and practices. The document contains biographical data on prominent members of the Natchez and other native peoples, such as Pushmataha.

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 Call #:  Mss.970.3.N19 
 Extent:  1 volume(s) 
 Topics:  Native America | Religion 
 Genre:  Manuscript Essays | Native American Materials 
 Subjects:  Indians of North America | Natchez Indians -- History 
 Author:  AnonymousRequires cookie*
 Title:  Vocabulaire Chacta     
 Dates:  1820 
 Abstract:  This volume contains Choctaw words with French equivalents. Acquired by Peter Du Ponceau in 1827, it is part of the APS's large collection of language materials from the early-nineteenth century.

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 Call #:  Mss.497.3.V852c 
 Extent:  1 volume(s) 
 Topics:  Language and Linguistics | Native America 
 Genre:  Language Material 
 Subjects:  Choctaw language -- Dictionaries -- French 
 Author:  AnonymousRequires cookie*
 Title:  A vocabulary of the most common words in use among the Sac & Fox Indians, n.d.     
 Dates:  n.d. 
 Abstract:  This volume contains Sak and Fox words with their English equivalents. It likely dates to the nineteenth century. One of the more notable features of this collection is that it includes words for relatively recent inventions, such as the steam boat.

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 Call #:  Mss.497.F11 
 Extent:  1 volume(s) 
 Topics:  Language and Linguistics | Native America 
 Genre:  Language Material 
 Subjects:  Fox language | Indians of North America -- Languages 
 Author:  Bache, Catherine Wistar, 1770-1820Requires cookie*
 Title:  Catharine Wistar Bache Papers     
 Dates:  1788-1822 
 Abstract:  This relatively small collection contains rich correspondence often directed to Catherine Wistar Bache, the daughter of prominent doctor Caspar Wistar and wife of Richard Bache's son. The collection is one of the many to the Bache-Franklin collections at the APS. This specific collection contains numerous letters from other women, often wives and mothers, to Catherine. There are a few letters to Caspar Wistar and William Bache (Catherine's husband), which often discuss current events, specifically Anthony Wayne's victory at Fallen Timbers in 1794 and the Whiskey Rebellion. The letters to Catherine discuss current affairs, such as the Yellow Fever epidemic and the War of 1812. More often, however, the letters relate family and personal matters. The letters primarily discuss husbands, family activities, children, and other such topics. Some of the early letters also touch upon gender relations and courtship. For instance, a male correspondent wrote Catherine that he has not received any letters from his "female correspondents" and was thus hoping "to renew the friendly intercourse," and Mary Eddy discussed flirtations. The correspondence in this collection spans more than thirty years, and therefore also provides insight on the changing concerns of Catherine as a young single woman, wife, and mother. William Bache was sent to Louisiana in 1803 in an official post overseeing a hospital. Discussion of moving to Louisiana is included in the collection, during which references to "Captain Lewis" are made, likely Meriwether Lewis. Because of her position in society, these letters often provide portraits and anecdotes of prominent figures.

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 Call #:  Mss.B.B124 
 Extent:  0.75 Linear Feet 
 Topics:  Early National Politics | Marriage and Family Life | Native America | Philadelphia History | Social Life and Custom | War of 1812 | Women's History 
 Genre:  Family Correspondence 
 Subjects:  United States -- History -- War of 1812 | United States -- Politics and government -- 1783-1809 | Yellow fever -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia 
 Author:  Barton, Benjamin Smith, 1766-1815Requires cookie*
 Title:  Violetta Delafield-Benjamin Smith Barton Collection     
 Dates:  1783-1817 
 Abstract:  The extensive Benjamin Smith Barton collection contains six sections: Correspondence, Bound Volumes (including notebooks), Subject Files, and Graphic Materials. The material includes numerous images, sketches, notes, printed material, and other correspondence. The collection also has numerous copper plates that were used to print images drawn by Barton. Although a collection this large touches on a variety of interesting and important subjects, the collection's strength is its wealth of data on nineteenth century medical, botanical, and Native American studies.

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 Call #:  Mss.B.B284d 
 Extent:  10 Linear Feet 
 Topics:  Business and Skilled Trades | Education | Language and Linguistics | Literature, Arts, and Culture | Medicine | Native America | Natural history | Printing and Publishing | Science and technology | Travel 
 Genre:  Art | Family Correspondence | General Correspondence | Language Material | Notebooks | Political Correspondence | Sketchbooks | Travel Narratives and Journals 
 Subjects:  Bartram's Garden (Philadelphia, Pa.) | Botanists | Botany -- Study and teaching -- 19th century | Botany -- Virginia | Chemistry -- 18th century | Cherokee Indians | Cherokee language | Choctaw Indians | Dysentery. | Electricity -- 18th century | Ethnobotany | Geology -- 18th century | Gout | Indians of North America | Indians of North America -- Agriculture | Indians of North America -- Languages | Kaigana Indians | Kaskaskia Indians | Mammals -- Classification | Mandan Indians | Mastodons | Materia medica | Medicine -- Practice -- 18th century | Medicine -- Study and teaching -- 18th century | Meteorology -- United States -- 18th century | Meteors | Mineralogy | Natural history -- 18th century | Natural history -- 19th century | Osage language | Physicians -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia | Physics | Rittenhouse, David, 1732-1796 | Seminole Indians | Seneca Indians | Tuscarora Indians | University of Pennsylvania -- Faculty | Venereal disease | Yellow fever | Yellow fever -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia -- 1793 | Zoology -- 18th century 
 Author:  Braddock, Edward, 1695-1755Requires cookie*
 Title:  Manuscripts on Indian affairs, 1755-1792, [n.d.]     
 Dates:  1755-1792 
 Abstract:  These volumes contain an assortment of documents relating to colonial Pennsylvania's relations with Indian groups. Most notably, the collection contains journals and treaty minutes from the Seven Years' War, including a journal by Conrad Weiser, a manuscript version of Charles Thomson's "Enquiry into the Alienation," and official government records from the war. There are other documents that do not bear directly on Indian affairs. Most notably, there is a manuscript essay by Lewis Evans on German immigration that details the often brutal experience of immigrants' journey to Pennsylvania and proposes a series of reforms. There is also a printed essay in the back of the volume that opposes capital punishment and was printed in Philadelphia in 1792.

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 Call #:  Mss.970.4.M415 
 Extent:  2 volume(s) 
 Topics:  Diplomatic History | Law | Native America | Pennsylvania History | Seven Years' War | Social Life and Custom | Travel 
 Genre:  Diplomatic Material | Manuscript Essays | Official Government Documents and Records | Printed Material | Travel Narratives and Journals 
 Subjects:  Braddock's Campaign, 1755. | Delaware Indians | Indians of North America -- Pennsylvania | Indians of North America -- Treaties | Pennsylvania -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775 | Shawnee Indians 
 Author:  Brainerd, David, 1718-1747Requires cookie*
 Title:  David Brainerd diary, July 14, 1745 - November 20, 1745     
 Dates:  1745 
 Abstract:  This journal from 1745 recounts David Brainerd's time in western Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. The vast majority of the journal depicts Brainerd's time in the Upper Susquehanna River Valley. Brainerd's journals and autobiography were published after his death. They were used as tracts to promote missionary efforts to Native Americans. Historians have determined that these published accounts were largely written by Brainerd and Jonathan Edwards in 1747 before Brainerd died of tuberculosis. They hoped to edit Brainerd's actual journals to make his efforts sound like a greater success, thus spurring others to follow in his footsteps. The APS journal is an original journal that differs from the one published by Jonathan Edwards.

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 Call #:  Mss.B.B74j 
 Extent:  1 volume(s) 
 Topics:  Native America | Religion | Travel 
 Genre:  Diaries | Travel Narratives and Journals 
 Subjects:  Indians of North America -- Missions | Indians of North America -- New Jersey | Indians of North America -- Pennsylvania | Missionaries 
 Author:  Burd, James, 1726-1793Requires cookie*
 Title:  Burd-Shippen Papers     
 Dates:  1708-1792 
 Abstract:  This collection is one of the largest early American collections the APS holds. Its breadth of sources provides insight into colonial Pennsylvania history, especially that of Lancaster County. Although largely material composed of material from James Burd, there are also significant documents relating to the Shippen family. Documents touch on matters financial, political, and social. While the collection is of wide ranging material, its strength lies in three main parts: the Seven Years' War and Pontiac's Rebellion in Pennsylvania, Burd's business records, and life in Lancaster County from 1754-1776.

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 Call #:  Mss.B.B892 
 Extent:  6.5 Linear Feet 
 Topics:  Business and Skilled Trades | Colonial Politics | Government Affairs | Land and Speculation | Military History | Native America | Pennsylvania History | Seven Years' War | Surveying and Maps | Trade 
 Genre:  Business Records and Accounts | Diaries | Family Correspondence | General Correspondence | Miscellaneous | Official Government Documents and Records | Political Correspondence | Travel Narratives and Journals 
 Subjects:  Court calendars -- Pennsylvania. | Fort Augusta (Pa.) | Fort Duquesne | Fort Granville (Pa.) | Fort Hunter | Fort Pitt (Pa.) | Fort William Henry (N.Y.) | Fortification -- Pennsylvania. | Iroquois Indians | Lancaster County (Pa.) -- History | Meteorology -- Pennsylvania -- Observations | Military supplies. | Pennsylvania -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775 | Pennsylvania -- History -- French and Indian War, 1755-1763 | Philadelphia (Pa.) -- Commerce | Shippenburg Library Company | United States -- History -- French and Indian War, 1755-1763 | United States. Army. Supplies and stores 
 Author:  Byrd, William, 1674-1744Requires cookie*
 Title:  The history of the dividing line between Virginia and North Carolina, 1728     
 Dates:  1728 
 Abstract:  The collection of William Byrd's writings consists of two leather bound, handwritten copies of Byrd's History of the Dividing Line Run in the Year 1728 (Mss.975.5.B99h) and A Secret History of the Dividing Line (Mss.975.5.B99s). The former was likely written for public audiences and contains the details of drawing the lines, interactions with Indians, observations of the flora and fauna of the area, the health and culture of settlers, and the official actions of the commissioners. Byrd regularly wrote Peter Collinson, an English scientist, about his journal and his hope that it would be of interest and benefit to a wide audience. The Secret History, on the other hand, contains a wealth of the more personal, private, and often humorous anecdotes of the trip. Neither manuscript was published in Byrd's lifetime, although both were eventually published.

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 Call #:  Mss.975.5.B99h 
 Extent:  1 volume(s) 
 Topics:  Colony and State Specific History | Exploration. | Native America | Natural history | Surveying and Maps 
 Genre:  Manuscript Essays | Travel Narratives and Journals 
 Subjects:  Boundaries, State. 
 Author:  Bénard de La Harpe, Jean Baptiste, 1683-1765Requires cookie*
 Title:  Journal historique concernant l'établissement des Francais à la Louisianne, 1699-1723     
 Dates:  1699-1723 
 Abstract:  This volume appears to be a record of early French colonization efforts in Louisiana (1699-1723). Historical Collections of Louisiana published in 1851 contains a translation of this journal.

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 Call #:  Mss.976.3.B43 
 Extent:  1 volume(s) 
 Topics:  Exploration. | Native America 
 Genre:  Manuscript Essays | Travel Narratives and Journals 
 Author:  Clark, William, 1770-1838Requires cookie*
 Title:  Lewis and Clark Journals     
 Dates:  1804-1806 
 Abstract:  The Lewis and Clark Journals are among the APS's most treasured and well-known collections. MOLE contains a detailed inventory of the collection.

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 Call #:  Mss.917.3.L58 
 Extent:  30 volume(s) 
 Topics:  Early National Politics | Native America | Travel 
 Genre:  Travel Narratives and Journals 
 Subjects:  Chinook Indians | Exploration | Indians of North America | Indians of North America -- Missouri | Indians of North America -- Montana | Indians of North America -- North Dakota | Indians of North America -- Oregon | Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804-1806) | Mandan Indians | Missouri Indians | Natural history | Northwest Coast Indians | Oto indians | Plains Indians | Plateau Indians | Salish Indians | Shoshoni Indians | Sihasapa Indians 
 Author:  Clark, William, 1770-1838Requires cookie*
 Title:  William Clark diary, August 25, 1808 - September 22, 1808     
 Dates:  August 25, 1808 - September 22, 1808 
 Abstract:  This document is a private journal of William Clark from his time as an Indian agent in the Midwest after the completion of the Lewis and Clark expedition. The journal chronicles his expedition to treat with the Osage Indians. The journal contains a wealth of information, including a vivid account of every days' events, a sketch of a map, and a chronicle of the Indian-white relations.

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 Call #:  Mss.917.3.L58c 
 Extent:  1 volume(s) 
 Topics:  Native America | Trade | Travel 
 Genre:  Sketchbooks | Travel Narratives and Journals 
 Subjects:  Indians of North America -- Treaties | Osage Indians -- Treaties 
 Author:  Clark, William, 1770-1838Requires cookie*
 Title:  William Clark journal, January 6-10, 1806     
 Dates:  January 6-10, 1806 
 Abstract:  This document is a private journal of William Clark, one of the leaders of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. It describes possible trade routes in the west and also contains a sketch, estimated locations of places, and distances between them. There are also extended entries on daily activities for January 6-10, 1806. It is believed that this daily account is either a rough draft or another account of the days' events.

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 Call #:  Mss.917.3.L58.cl 
 Extent:  1 volume(s) 
 Topics:  Native America | Trade 
 Genre:  Travel Narratives and Journals 
 Subjects:  Exploration | Fur trade -- United States. | Louisiana Purchase -- Discovery and exploration. | United States - Discovery and exploration. 
 Author:  Dawes, Elizabeth F.,collector.Requires cookie*
 Title:  Dawes Collection of Documents on American History     
 Dates:  1681-1921 
 Abstract:  This is a collection of miscellaneous documents from early America. The earliest documents come from the early 18th century and the latest from the Civil War era. The collection contains a few documents from the revolutionary period, most of which are official governments documents or deal with business transactions. There is one long letter from Robert McPherson, a member of the Pennsylvania Flying Camp, that describes his experience. Perhaps reflecting her ancestral home, the collection contains a small but notable collection of materials from South Carolina, including a very early letter from Francis Le Jau and letters from the Marquis de Lafayette about an expected trip to South Carolina. There are a significant number of documents from Pennsylvania, especially legal documents, from the early republic. The letters from Clement Biddle, a former revolutionary war soldier, also provide insight on early national Indian relations Finally, there are also some significant autographs collected, including a Massachusetts legal form with the signature of John Adams, a letter from James Madison to the Mississippi Territory around the time of the Louisiana Purchase, and letters from Civil War era figures like John Calhoun (a rich letter in which Calhoun discusses his views on tariffs and nullification), James Buchanan, and William Seward.

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 Call #:  Mss.973.D32 
 Extent:  0.25 Linear Feet 
 Topics:  American Revolution | Colony and State Specific History | Early National Politics | Native America | Pennsylvania History 
 Genre:  Business Records and Accounts | General Correspondence | Miscellaneous | Official Government Documents and Records 
 Subjects:  Publishers and publishing. 
 Author:  Dixon, JeremiahRequires cookie*
 Title:  Minutes and papers of the Mason and Dixon survey, 1760-1768     
 Dates:  1760-1768 
 Abstract:  The Mason and Dixon Survey Collection consists of two volumes relating to their work drawing a border between Pennsylvania and Maryland and a box of correspondence. This entry describes the two volumes. One contains the Penn family's costs, which goes into specific details about items purchased and used for the venture. The second volume is a manuscript copy of the commissioners' minutes from 1760-1768. The commissioners were representatives of both Baltimore and Penn, and gave directions to Mason and Dixon. The minutes contain negotiations between the commissioners, which provide insight into surveying methods and the various disagreements between the two sides about boundaries, particularly as they relate to the Delmarva Peninsula. There are a few mentions of Indians and diplomacy, especially around 1767 when Mason and Dixon were extending the line into the Ohio Country.

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 Call #:  Mss.974.8.P383 
 Extent:  2 volume(s) 
 Topics:  Colonial Politics | Government Affairs | Native America | Pennsylvania History | Surveying and Maps 
 Genre:  Maps and Surveys | Official Government Documents and Records 
 Subjects:  Surveys. 
 Author:  Du Ponceau, Peter Stephen, 1760-1844Requires cookie*
 Title:  Indian vocabularies, 1820-1844     
 Dates:  1820-1844 
 Abstract:  This portion of the Peter Stephen Du Ponceau Collection relates to his collection of Native American languages. As a leading linguist of the era, the Du Ponceau collection has three portions that reflect his interest in linguistics. The first is a large volume of 73 Indian languages for both South and North American Indians (497 In2), which is what this entry refers to. The second is a nine volume set of notes on philology that focuses on Native American languages but includes notes on range of other language groups, such as the language of Polynesians and Greeks (410 D92). The notes also make numerous observations about Native American customs, practices, and beliefs. The third portion of linguistic material is a dictionary of terms relating to the sea and seafaring (359.03 D92).

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 Call #:  Mss.497.In2 
 Extent:  1 volume(s) 
 Topics:  Language and Linguistics | Native America 
 Genre:  Language Material | Native American Materials 
 Subjects:  Courts -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia County. | Indians of North America -- Languages | Indians of South America -- Languages 
 Author:  Du Ponceau, Peter Stephen, 1760-1844Requires cookie*
 Title:  Peter Stephen Du Ponceau notebooks on philology, [1815-1834]     
 Dates:  Circa 1815-1834 
 Abstract:  The Peter Stephen Du Ponceau Collection has a wide array of material. This entry refers to a nine volume set of notes on philology that focuses on Native American languages but includes notes on range of other language groups, such as the language of Polynesians and Greeks (410 D92). The notes also make numerous observations about Native American customs, practices, and beliefs.

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 Call #:  Mss.410.D92 
 Extent:  9 volume(s) 
 Topics:  Language and Linguistics | Native America 
 Genre:  Commonplace Book | Language Material | Native American Materials 
 Subjects:  Arabic language | Greek language | Indians of North America -- Languages | Language and languages | Polynesian languages | Turkic languages 
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