Ohio farmer Luzern Humphrey recorded his overland journey from Kanesville, Iowa, to the Oregon Territory, as part of his efforts to create a travel guide. Shown here are his descriptions of Fort Laramie and the rocky scenery of the Nebraska Territory, as well as a list of English words and their counterparts in the language of the Nez Perce Indians. Gift of Philip Ashton Rollins, Class of 1889. Luzern Humphrey Papers, Manuscripts Division.
Tag Archives: diaries and scrapbooks
Gold Rush scrapbook, 1849–1850. Daniel Gano (1794–1873),
Daniel Gano was a county court clerk in Cincinnati. In 1849, his son Stephen joined the Gold Rush to California. Stephen’s letters to his father describe the perils of the overland crossing and the difficulties and excitement of mining for gold. Daniel saved his son’s letters in this scrapbook, along with newspaper clippings about the Gold Rush and this hand-colored lithograph published by Kellogg & Comstock depicting “California Gold Diggers” at work. Daniel Gano Gold Rush Scrapbook, Manuscripts Division.
FOR FURTHER EXPLORATION: See the finding aid for this item, or see the whole scrapbook.
Civil War diary, 1863. A. C. Barber,
The United States Christian Commission was formed in 1861 to respond to soldiers’ needs after the First Battle of Bull Run. Five thousand volunteer delegates distributed millions of dollars’ worth of supplies to battlefields, camps, hospitals, and prisons. Walking among still-unburied soldiers and horses after the Battle of Gettysburg, A. C. Barber distributed tracts and writing paper to wounded Confederate soldiers, wrote letters to the relatives of those who had died in battle, and recorded his observations in this Christian Commission notebook. General Manuscripts Bound, no. 132, Manuscripts Division.
FOR FURTHER EXPLORATION: See this item’s catalog record.
Journal, 1773. Philip Vickers Fithian (1747–1776),
The diary kept by Philip Vickers Fithian (Class of 1772) while working as a tutor to the family of Robert Carter III (1728–1804) is a rich source of information about early Virginia plantation life. His diary is open to the conclusion of an entry dated December 21 describing the sounds of a harmonica being played after dinner, and to the beginning of an entry dated December 23 criticizing the treatment of slaves at Carter’s Nomini Hall and neighboring plantations. After the American Revolution, Carter came to believe that slavery was immoral and implemented a program of gradual manumission that freed his nearly 500 slaves. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. E. W. Hitchcock. General Manuscripts Bound, no. 349, Manuscripts Division.
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Friendship album, ca. 1827. Anicartha Miller,
Like many young people today, Anicartha Miller, the daughter of a New York City judge, asked her acquaintances to contribute poems, sketches, and other mementos to fill her friendship album. The artist George Catlin (1796–1872), who would later be celebrated for his depictions of Plains Indians and the American West, gave her two watercolors, including this view of Niagara Falls. Acquired with support from the Barksdale-Dabney-Henry Fund. General Manuscripts Bound, no. 577, Manuscripts Division.
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Captivity diary, 1758. Thomas Gist (d. 1786),
The son of Ohio Valley explorer and Indian agent Christopher Gist (1706–1759), Thomas was captured in 1758 during the French and Indian War by Wyandot (Huron) Indians near Fort Duquesne (Pittsburgh). Taken with other prisoners to the Huron town opposite Fort Pontchartrain (Detroit), Gist was adopted by a Wyandot family and well treated. He escaped after a year of captivity. This account may have been written by a family member after Gist’s return. Gift of P. Blair Lee and E. Brooke Lee. General Manuscripts Bound, no. 376, Manuscripts Division.
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“The Particulars of & Sketches Taken during a Voyage to and Journey over the United States of America and Back,” 1810–1811. James Glennie,
As transportation improved in the 19th century, America became an increasingly attractive tourist destination. James Glennie was one such tourist, sailing from London on September 24, 1810, to travel through the Atlantic states. He kept this journal in the form of letters to his mother, in which he described visits with President James Madison (1751–1836) and other statesmen, and composed more than sixty drawings, including views of Boston, Charleston, and Washington, D.C. Gift of André de Coppet, Class of 1915. André de Coppet Collection, Manuscripts Division.
FOR FURTHER EXPLORATION: See the finding aid for this item.