| | 4 | Author: | University of Virginia.Board of Visitors. | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | University of Virginia. Board of Visitors. Minutes, 1814-1828
| | | | Dates: | 1814-1828 | | | | Abstract: | This collection contains the Minutes of the Board of Visitors for the Albemarle Academy (1814) and Central College (1817-1819), the predecessors of the University of Virginia. Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and James Madison were members of the Board. Monroe's service on a committee is listed, and Jefferson is listed as rector for the university. Among the topics discussed were professorships for Natural History and Ancient Languages. Robert Patterson of Philadelphia received the appointment – and a salary of $600.
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| | | | Call #: | Mss.378.755.V8lbo | | | | Extent: | 2 volume(s) | | | | Topics: | Colony and State Specific History | Education | | | | Genre: | Educational Material | Institutional Records | |
| 5 | Author: | Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878 | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | Joseph Henry letters, 1836-1878
| | | | Dates: | 1836-1878 | | | | Abstract: | This small collection contains an assortment of Joseph Henry correspondence, mostly from prominent Americans writing to Henry. Most of the early letters are relatively short notes, with longer, more detailed letters beginning in the correspondence from the 1850s. The most prominent topics of discussion are the Smithsonian Institution, the establishment of Colorado as a territory, and Humboldt's work. Among the prominent correspondents are Robert Hare, Louis Aggasiz, and Alexander Dallas Bache. Two letters are addressed to Mrs. Henry.
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| | | | Call #: | Mss.B.H39p | | | | Extent: | 47 item(s) | | | | Topics: | Colony and State Specific History | Science and technology | | | | Genre: | General Correspondence | | | | Subjects: | Natural history. | Physics. | |
| 9 | Author: | Montgomery family. | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | Montgomery family papers, ca. 1650-1900
| | | | Dates: | Circa 1650-1900 | | | | Abstract: | This collection consists of an assortment of documents relating to the Montgomery Family that settled in New Jersey around 1701. The documents include items from the 1680s written in England relating to property in New Jersey, a series of letters from the eighteenth century, and a couple of letters from the revolutionary era. The correspondence deals with a range of issues, including trade and business, but they are more often family letters. John Burnett and John and Anna Forbes are the most frequent correspondents. The letters are written variously from Aberdeen, Scotland, Perth Amboy, and even some from Barbados. The remaining collection deals with genealogical material, much of which was written in the nineteenth century, although some was also done in the eighteenth century.
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| | | | Call #: | Mss.B.M763 | | | | Extent: | 0.5 Linear Feet | | | | Topics: | Business and Skilled Trades | Colony and State Specific History | International Trade. | | | | Genre: | Business Records and Accounts | Family Correspondence | Miscellaneous | | | | Subjects: | Genealogy. | |
| 11 | Author: | Smyth, Frederick, 1732-1815 | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | Frederick Smyth papers, 1756-1816
| | | | Dates: | 1756-1816 | | | | Abstract: | Frederick Smyth was the Chief Justice of New Jersey before the American Revolution (appointed in 1764). Before that, he lived in England, Barbados, and Martinique. This collection of Smyth papers contains a range of official documents that relate to political and legal matters in New Jersey. The legal documents include petitions, reports to the grand jury, and official pronouncements and commissions. There are also several pieces of private correspondence. Some of the earliest documents contain information on Smyth's career before arriving in New Jersey. There is also a deposition relating to the firing on HMS St. John in Newport, Rhode Island in 1764 and a series of other documents relating to legal and political affairs in Rhode Island during the imperial crisis. Of particular note are two long speeches Smyth delivered before a grand jury in 1775 and 1776 in which he defends the Crown, a response to these speeches from the grand jury defending American rights, and a long letter from Edward Affleck in 1783 describing the British departure from New York City. Smyth stayed in Philadelphia after the war, although he never relinquished his British citizenship, and there are a few documents chronicling his post-war experience.
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| | | | Call #: | Mss.B.Sm95 | | | | Extent: | 0.25 Linear Feet | | | | Topics: | American Revolution | Colony and State Specific History | Law | | | | Genre: | General Correspondence | Legal Records | Official Government Documents and Records | Political Correspondence | | | | Subjects: | Judges -- New Jersey. | Legal instruments -- New Jersey. | |
| 12 | Author: | Pursh, Frederick, 1774-1820 | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | Journal of a botanical excursion in the Northeastern parts of Pennsylvania and in the state of New York, 1807
| | | | Dates: | 1807 | | | | Abstract: | This volume contains the travel journal of Frederick Pursh, a patron of Benjamin Smith Barton, during his journey from Philadelphia throughout northeastern Pennsylvania and New York. Although the excursion was for botanical research, Pursh's diary entries record many other details, including comments on the state of roads, the people he met, the towns he visited, and the natural environment. There are two sketches in the volume.
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| | | | Call #: | Mss.580.P97 | | | | Extent: | 1 volume(s) | | | | Topics: | Colony and State Specific History | Natural history | Pennsylvania History | Travel | | | | Genre: | Scientific Data | Sketchbooks | Travel Narratives and Journals | | | | Subjects: | Botany -- New York (State) | Botany -- Pennsylvania. | |
| 15 | 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. | |
| 16 | Author: | Byrd, William, 1674-1744 | Requires 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. | |
| 17 | Author: | Byrd, William, 1674-1744 | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | The secret history of the line between Virginia and North Carolina, [1728]
| | | | Dates: | Circa 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.B99s | | | | Extent: | 1 volume(s) | | | | Topics: | Colony and State Specific History | Exploration. | Land and Speculation | Natural history | Surveying and Maps | | | | Genre: | Manuscript Essays | Maps and Surveys | Official Government Documents and Records | Travel Narratives and Journals | | | | Subjects: | Boundaries, State. | |
| 20 | Author: | Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826 | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | Thomas Jefferson, letters to and from various persons, 1791-1840
| | | | Dates: | 1791-1840 | | | | Abstract: | This is a particularly rich collection of Thomas Jefferson's letters from his retirement years. The letters primarily cover the years 1813-1820s, although there are some from earlier. Most of the letters are outgoing, and L. H. Girardin is the primary recipient. The letters to Girardin often discuss Virginia's history and sometimes Jefferson's own recollections of events, including letters on Virginia during the American Revolution and a supposed attempt to create a dictatorship in Virginia in 1776. Some letters also convey information on contemporary events and offer a window into Jefferson's personal and family life. A few letters from 1791 discuss Jefferson's memory of Benjamin Franklin, including anecdotes of Franklin in France. One document is a draft of a profile of Baron Humboldt. A series of letters to Peter Du Ponceau discuss Thomas Jefferson's attempt to acquire a copy of William Byrd's "A Secret History of the Line" and, once acquired, his interpretation of it. Another portion discusses the journals of Lewis and Clark.
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| | | | Call #: | Mss.B.J35.Le | | | | Extent: | 63 item(s) | | | | Topics: | American Revolution | Colony and State Specific History | Exploration. | Native America | War of 1812 | | | | Genre: | General Correspondence | Political Correspondence | |
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