| | | Author: | Bache, Benjamin Franklin, 1769-1798 | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | Benjamin Franklin Bache diary, 1782-1785
| | | | Dates: | 1782-1785 | | | | Abstract: | This is a translation of Benjamin Franklin Bache's diary that he kept while in Europe during the American Revolution. Bache traveled there as a young child when his grandfather, Benjamin Franklin, served as the American envoy to France. Bache spent nine years in Europe and during that time, received schooling in Passy and Switzerland. The journal begins with an account of his time in Switzerland and ends with his time with his grandfather in Passy. There are numerous stories and anecdotes in this journal. Some bear only on Bache's experience as a child and teenager in Europe. In Switzerland, among other things, Bache witnessed an execution by firing squad, saw a seven-foot tall giant, and was attacked by a watchdog at a Chateux. While in Passy, Bache received instructions on printing, witnessed numerous ballooning experiments, visited famous sites in Paris, and recorded some comings and goings of prominent guests. Some of these entries from Passy provide insight into Franklin's time in Paris, including a detailed account of the well-known scientific examination Franklin conducted on animal magnetism (hypnosis). Originally in French, this English translation of his journal along with the Benjamin Franklin Bache Collection (Mss.B.B122) provides a clear account of Bache's time in Europe during the Revolution.
View finding aid for a full description
| | | | Call #: | Mss.B.B122d | | | | Extent: | 1 volume(s) | | | | Topics: | American Revolution | Americans Abroad | Diplomatic History | Education | International Travel | Printing and Publishing | Travel | | | | Genre: | Diaries | Travel Narratives and Journals | |
| | Author: | Baldwin, Loammi, 1780-1838 | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | Loammi Baldwin diary, 9 September 1823 - 29 November 1823
| | | | Dates: | 1823 | | | | Abstract: | The Diary of Loammi Baldwin (September 9 – November 29, 1823) chronicles a portion of Baldwin's trip to Europe where he observed European canals and other internal improvements. Baldwin was a leading civil engineer in antebellum America, and he traveled to Europe to learn about tested methods and good practices that he could bring back to America. The journal begins with Baldwin departing London for Dover and follows his trip through Holland and France. The diary contains numerous sketches of machinery, including carriages, canals, locks, boats, and steam-engine parts. There are also observations on European cities, towns, and customs. Many of the canal sketches are elaborate and detailed.
View finding aid for a full description
| | | | Call #: | Mss.B.B189 | | | | Extent: | 1 volume(s) | | | | Topics: | Americans Abroad | Business and Skilled Trades | Engineering | International Travel | Science and technology | Travel | | | | Genre: | Art | Scientific Data | Sketchbooks | Travel Narratives and Journals | | | | Subjects: | Canals -- Belgium. | Canals -- Design and construction. | Canals -- England. | Canals -- France. | Canals -- Netherlands. | Technology - History | |
| | Author: | Bancker, James A. | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | James A. Bancker papers, 1842-1849
| | | | Dates: | 1842-1849 | | | | Abstract: | This collection of letters (40+) consists primarily of James Bancker writing to his family from Asia in the 1840s. The collection offers a vivid depiction of an American's life abroad in the nineteenth century. The letters convey quotidian information, such as the type of food he is eating, to more remarkable events, such as witnessing a comet. Bancker also witnessed a number of significant political events while in China, including the acquisition of Hong Kong by Great Britain and resistance to this takeover from the Hong Kong residents (1842-1843). These events, the rioting in particular, are recounted in his often long and detailed correspondence to his Philadelphia-based family. Bancker spent much of his time in Canton, but he also described visits to the Philippines and voyage to and from China. Combined, the collection provides a lens in the experiences of a wealthy American traveling abroad in the midst of the nineteenth century.
View finding aid for a full description
| | | | Call #: | Mss.B.B22 | | | | Extent: | 0.25 Linear Feet | | | | Topics: | Americans Abroad | Beyond Early America | Business and Skilled Trades | International Trade. | International Travel | Marriage and Family Life | Trade | Travel | | | | Genre: | Business Records and Accounts | Family Correspondence | General Correspondence | | | | Subjects: | Americans -- China -- Social life and customs. | British -- China -- Social life and customs -- 1644-1912. | Voyages and travels. | |
| | Author: | Morton, Samuel George, 1799-1851 | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | Samuel George Morton Papers
| | | | Dates: | 1819-1850 | | | | Abstract: | The Samuel George Morton Collection provides a window into the life of this nineteenth century scientist, explorer, and natural historian. The collection holds a wide-range of materials, and the correspondence touches on many different subjects. The entry in MOLE contains an item level accounting of the collection and its contents. The collection begins in the 1820s, when Morton is just beginning his career and continues through to the 1840s. Letters touch on topics, such as the treatment of Native Americans, Indian burial grounds, discoveries of fossilized remains, and medical education. Material on the Wilkes Expedition and especially on Morton's early medical career is covered in depth. One letter contains a request from General Lafayette for a skull of an Indian for his own scientific collection. Most of the letters are to Morton and contain results of experiments or observations from travel and exploration. Additionally, the Diary to the West Indies form 1834 offers insight into the culture of the islands. Morton's own involvement in the scientific racism is prominent in much of his later writing. Included in the collection are sketches of his "craniometrical drawings," which were used by pro-slavery advocates.
View finding aid for a full description
| | | | Call #: | Mss.B.M843 | | | | Extent: | 2.25 Linear Feet | | | | Topics: | African American | Exploration. | International Travel | Travel | | | | Genre: | General Correspondence | Scientific Correspondence | Travel Narratives and Journals | | | | Subjects: | Archaeology | Aymara Indians | Botany | Craniology. | Craniometry | Education | Egyptology. | Geology | Indians of North America -- Kentucky | Indians of North America -- Massachusetts | Indians of North America -- Mississippi | Indians of North America -- Ohio | Indians of North America -- Physical characteristics | Indians of North America -- Rhode Island | Indians of North America -- Tennessee | Indians of South America -- Peru | Indians of South America -- Physical characteristics | Medicine | Mineralogy | Miscegenation | Natural history | Naumkeag Indians | Ornithology | Paleontology | Pentland, Joseph Barclay | Phrenology | Race | Race, race relations, racism | Science and technology | Skull. | Slavery -- Barbados | Slaves, slavery, slave trade | United States Exploring Expedition (1838-1842) | |
| | Author: | Rafinesque, C. S. (Constantine Samuel ), 1783-1840 | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | C. S. (Constantine Samuel) Rafinesque Papers, 1808-1840
| | | | Dates: | 1808-1840 | | | | Abstract: | The Rafinesque Collection consists of two types of documents: correspondence and copies of his writings. The correspondence is separated into three distinct parts: general correspondence, correspondence with Augustin Pyramus de Candole (a Swiss botanist), and correspondence with John Quincy Adams. The copies of his writings consist of manuscript essays, notebooks, lectures, and other materials that discuss various scientific topics, especially botany.
View finding aid for a full description
| | | | Call #: | Mss.B.R124 | | | | Extent: | 1.75 Linear Feet | | | | Topics: | International Travel | Native America | Natural history | Science and technology | Travel | | | | Genre: | Manuscript Essays | Native American Materials | Notebooks | Political Correspondence | Scientific Correspondence | | | | Subjects: | Anishinaabe | Biology, genetics, eugenics | Botany. | Culture, community, organizations | Delaware Indians | Indians of North America -- Louisiana | Ojibwa Indians | Osage Indians | Ottawa Indians | Plains Indians | Race, race relations, racism | Wallam olum | Zoology. | |
|
