Scope and Contents From the Collection: Thomas Mead, of Lynchburg, Virginia, writes to his brother-in-law Frederick Carper, of Fairfax City, Virginia. The letter mentions their political differences and discusses laborers from Pennsylvania coming to work on the James River Canal (which was never completed). Mead describes these white laborers as a "motley crew" and mentions "Lynches law" as a method to deal with them. Enslaved "hands" were hired from $100 to $150 per year to work on the project. Mead mentions prices for enslaved...

Scope and Contents From the Collection: Three (3) page letter from Methodist minister, Thomas Wilmer Dorman to fellow clergy member, Henry Furlong. Dorman writes from Middleburg, Virginia to Furlong in Abingdon, Maryland. Dorman has recently returned from the “Southern Country” and expresses his desire to permanently move to Montgomery, Alabama. He mentions “black and Indian populations” and the “savage warfare” during the Second Creek War in Alabama. Though he expresses some concern about the violence, Dorman expresses his desire...

Scope and Contents From the Collection: (2) letters by Alexander Galt (1827-1863), a sculptor from Norfolk, Virginia, and John Young Mason (1799-1859), Secretary of the Navy and Attorney General to President James K. Polk. In the 1848 copy-letter, Mason writes that Galt will sail on the Erie ship, under the command of Lieutenant William M. Blair. Mason also tells Galt to secure employment as Blair’s clerk by networking with Blair’s friends in Norfolk. It is addressed from Washington, on July 28, 1848. The...

Scope and Contents From the Collection: Materials include a (3) page letter and (8) sketches sent to Julia Johnson Davis, author of "Gribble's: The Story of a Beloved Penny Shop." In the letter, Dashiell explains her sketches and the decision to set them on Valentine's Day. She offers these to Davis for the "Gribble's" reprint and closes with her price of "$2.00 each for pen and ink drawings." Dashiell also mentions her aversion to decorative page borders, but she ends with "that is a matter of taste."The sketches are...

Scope and Contents From the Collection: Four letters from Hamilton to his father, James A. Hamilton and his sister, Eliza. They are dated 10 July 1832; July 11, 1832; 9 September 1833; and 22 October 1833. Hamilton wrote the letters while a Cadet at the United States Military Academy at West Point. In a letter to his father, dated July 10, 1832, he discusses possibly sexual relationships between male Cadets as "petting" and plans to steer clear of this practice. He also mentions "pets in the Corps" who are "held in...

Scope and Contents From the Collection: Two handwritten letters from Walter Lada to his girlfriend Irma Marhan while Lada was stationed in Bainbridge, Maryland at the United States Naval Training Center, perhaps as part of the lead-up to the Korean War. Marhan's address is Long Island City, New York, and Lada refers to her as "Hon" in both letters. Both letters are written on U.S.N. stationery. The first sheet includes an illustration of a topless woman with a short hair bob dancing for a group of sailors. The second...

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Correspondence from Horace Ray and Sam P. Collins to their sister and brother-in-law while each was serving in World War II. Letters, V-Mail, and postcards are sent from the United States, Sicily, and an unnamed African country. The materials also includes blank V-Mail envelopes, receipts from the Inman Gin, located in Inman, South Carolina; and blank stationery from the 56th Air Disarmament Squadron, the U.S. Air Force, McClellan Field, and the Sacramento Air Depot.

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Letter to Harry Stacy from "Henry" concerning the planting of onion seeds, sugar beets, and corn. Discusses the rainy weather and how "it takes us a year to get familiar with climate." Mentions how he will be lucky to "break even" financially. Stacy also shares local news, his mistrust of an individual, and his "leave clearance" presumably from the military.

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Approximately seven letters addressed to Commander J.H. Burton, of Richmond, Virginia from United States Senator William B. Spong, Jr. of Virginia. Correspondence topics include acesses to veteran healthcare services and gun control legislation.

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Letter from "Dwayne" to W. Dwight Barrell, dated "Sept. 31, 1858" [sic] from Norfolk, Virginia. Describes boat travel along the East Coast of the United States, along with street, weather and fruit crop conditions in Norfolk. Mentions large presence of "Negroes" and how few of them were free. Mentions that he will send a Norfolk paper. Postmarked envelope, addressed to Barrell in Turner, Maine, is included.

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Three used ration books from World War II: 1 book issued 5 May 1942, from Mariscopa, Arizona, three stamps still attached; and 2 books issued on 7 August 1941, from Kennewick, Washington, several pages of stamps attached.

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Baby Book for Terry Meyers, William & Mary Chancellor Professor of English, Emeritus. Includes photographs, announcements, milestones, vaccinations, measurements, reminiscences, loose newspaper clippings, and small brochure with quote from Algernon Charles Swinburne: "The World has no such flower in any land / And no such pearl in any gulf the sea / As any baby on any mother's knee."

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Two images of the Wren Building on the campus of William & Mary. One is a etching, with Van Eiveldt written in lower right hand corner. The second image is a print cut from Henry Howe's 1844 book, Historical Collections of Virginia: containing a collection of the most interesting facts, traditions, biographical sketches, anecdotes, &c., relating to its history and antiquities..., and it appears to have been painted with watercolor at some point.

Scope and Contents Travel diary for Baptist minister and missionary, George Whitefield Bosworth of Portland, Maine. Leather-bound, monogrammed diary consists of detailed accounts of travels through Europe and Africa, with trips down the Nile River and into the Sinai Desert. Also contains contemplation on religious institutions and belief systems, specifically Islam and Roman Catholicism as they pertain to Bosworth's New England Protestantism. Smaller, cover-less journal recounts "a tout through the Desert,...

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Three receipts/invoices from the 19th century: an account from The Planters Bank of Savannah, Georgia with Baring Brothers and Co. of London, dated August-September, 1836; purchase order for a reclining chair by Jonathan Zeller from Charles H. White of Philadelphia, dated January 21, 1854; and an invoice from von Emil Roth, Verlags-Buch and Kunsthandlung of Giessen, Germany, dated February 17, 1897. Note: Accessioned as 2008.292 and reclassed as SC 01671 in 2019.

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Two-page letter sending condolences regarding the loss of Captain Davis. The letter also addresses trade negotiations, as they pertain to sugar, and the attempt to ensure that their arrival into ports does not negatively impact the value of the various ship's goods.

Scope and Contents From the Collection: A four-page lengthy letter from Camp Suffolk, VA to his friend in Fillmore, NY. Skiff is a Union soldier and tells of his various assignments to the Divisional Quartermaster Department and as Clerk of the Brigade Commissary. Overall, Skiff is happy to serve the Union especially in order to avenge his brother's death. However, Skiff is utterly disgusted with the leadership of the Union Army, McClellan in particular, and the manner in which the war is conducted. He outlines all of his...

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A two-page letter from Petersburg, VA informing Maury of the inability to pull into the Harbor ar Norfolk due to the high winds and the desire to protect the cargo for the owners. Additionally, he gives reports on behalf of Captian Bliss of the cargo on board other vessels, chiefly cotton, tobacco, flour, and wheat.

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One-page arrest warrant issued from the town of Salisbury in the county of Rowen in North Carolina.

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Colonial Bill in the denomination of six dollars printed in Annapolis for the colony of Maryland. Anne Catharine Green was one of the first female printers of colonial monies.

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Three-page letter addressed to his cousin in Greensboro, Alabama. Pasteur is a student at William and Mary on break and visiting family. He writes of his appreciation for having his cousin relay a message of courtship to a Miss Julia, despite the lukewarm response she wrote in return. He also lays out his plans as they pertain to his return to Williamsburg in preparation for the upcoming session.

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Perforated but unfolded box that was meant to hold 10 Cuban cigarettes. The brand is "John" and features a well dressed dark skinned Cuban striking a match to light a cigarette held in his mouth.

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Daguerreotype of the bust of Edmund Mitchell, an unmarried man who resided in Baltimore, Maryland and was the President of the Vigilant Fire Company. Mitchell was shot and killed the night of the election of John H.T. Jerome in October of 1850. Articles concerning his assassination are included with the photograph.

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A typed copy of Beaumont's travel journal, including numberic accounting of trip cost

Scope and Contents From the Collection: Copy of a memo from the Assistant Secretary of Defense to Harry Rowen "regarding the distribution and use of the Vietnam Papers." It was Exhibit B-1 in the trial of U.S. v. Ellsberg-Russo, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, No. 9373-WMB-CD. The memo outlines who has full access to the Vietnam Papers, composed of the Warnke Private Papers, the McNaughton Private Papers, and the OSD Task Force Papers. It is signed by Paul C. Warnke, Horton H....