Papers of Charles Lanman
Abstract
Charles Lanman (1819-1895) was the compiler of the Dictionary of the United States Congress (1859). His papers consist of autobiographies assembled between 1823 and 1868 in preparation for that work.
Important Information for Users of the Collection
This collection is open for research.
Papers of Charles Lanman, Special Collections, University of Maryland Libraries
Photocopies of original materials may be provided for a fee and at the discretion of the curator. Please see our Duplication of Materials policy for more information. Queries regarding publication rights and copyright status of materials within this collection should be directed to the appropriate curator.
This collection is PROCESSED.
Historical Note
Charles Lanman (1819-1895) was appointed librarian of the War Department in 1849 and resigned in 1850 to become secretary to Daniel Webster. In 1853 and from 1855-1857 was librarian and head of the Returns Office in the Interior Department. In 1859 he published the Dictionary of the United States Congress, which underwent several revisions. Lanman became librarian of the House of Representatives in 1861 and returned to the Interior Department in 1865
Scope and Contents of the Collection
The Charles Lanman collection covers the period from 1823 to 1868 and consists of biographical sketches of Maryland congressmen collected during the preparation of the Dictionary of the United States Congress. Among the correspondent are: John Archer, Stevenson Archer, Richard Bowie, Ezekiel Chambers, Joseph Cottman, Leonard Covington, John Cresswell, Alexander Evans, John Franklin, Patrick Hamill, Benjamin Harris, James Heath, Reverdy Johnson, William Johnson, John Kerr, John B. Kerr, Jacob Kunkel, Cornelius Leary, Thomas Magruder, John Mason, Jiram McCullough, Robert McLane, George Peter, Charles Phelps, James Ricaud, James Stewart, John Stoddert, Thomas Swann, Francis Thomas, John Thomas, Jr., George Vickers, William Pickney Whyte, John Barney, Benjamin Howard, John Pendleton Kennedy, Peter Little, Alexander Randall, Philip Reed, George Aickman, Watkins Lyon, James Patridge, William Ridgeley, and Richard Stockton.
Custodial History and Acquisition Information
The University of Maryland Libraries purchased the papers of Charles Lanman from Boston-based rare book and manuscript dealer Maury Bromsen in 1977.
Processing Information
Processed by staff of the Archives and Manuscripts Department, 1977
EAD markup created using EAD database in Microsoft Access. Markup completed by Jennie A. Levine.
Arrangement of Collection
This collection is divided into two series:
Detailed Description of the Collection
Series 1: Congressional Marylanders, 1823-1868 (39 folders)
Consists of correspondence relating to biographical sketches of Maryland congressmen collected during the preparation of the Dictionary of the United States Congress. Arrangement is alphabetical by last name.
| Description | Series | Box / Reel | Folder / Frame | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Archer, 1741-1810, n.d. | series 1 | box 1 | folder 1 | |
| Stevenson Archer, 1827-1898, n.d. | series 1 | box 1 | folder 2 | |
| John Barney, 1785-1857, n.d. | series 1 | box 1 | folder 3 | |
| Richard Johns Bowie, 1807-1881, n.d. | series 1 | box 1 | folder 4 | |
| Ezekiel Forman Chambers, 1788-1867, n.d. | series 1 | box 1 | folder 5 | |
| John Stewart Cottman, 1803-1863, n.d. | series 1 | box 1 | folder 6 | |
| Leonard Covington, 1786-1813, n.d. | series 1 | box 1 | folder 7 | |
| John Andrew Creswell, 1828-1891, n.d. | series 1 | box 1 | folder 8 | |
| Alexander Evans, 1818-1888, n.d. | series 1 | box 1 | folder 9 | |
| John Rankin Franklin, 1820-1878, n.d. | series 1 | box 1 | folder 10 | |
| Patrick Hamill, 1817-1895, n.d. | series 1 | box 1 | folder 11 | |
| Benjamin Gwynn Harris, 1805-1895, n.d. | series 1 | box 1 | folder 12 | |
| James P. Heath, 1777-1854, n.d. | series 1 | box 1 | folder 13 | |
| Benjamin Chew Howard, 1791-1872, n.d. | series 1 | box 1 | folder 14 | |
| Reverdy Johnson, 1796-1875, n.d. | series 1 | box 1 | folder 15 | |
| William Cost Johnson, 1806-1860, n.d. | series 1 | box 1 | folder 16 | |
| John Pendleton Kennedy, 1795-1870, n.d. | series 1 | box 1 | folder 17 | |
| John Bozman Kerr, 1809-1878, n.d. | series 1 | box 1 | folder 18 | |
| John Leeds Kerr, 1780-1844, n.d. | series 1 | box 1 | folder 19 | |
| Jacob Michael Kunkle, 1822-1870, n.d. | series 1 | box 1 | folder 20 | |
| Cornelius Lawrence Leary, 1813-1893, n.d. | series 1 | box 1 | folder 21 | |
| Peter Little, 1775-1830, n.d. | series 1 | box 1 | folder 22 | |
| Thomas Magruder, 1768-1819, n.d. | series 1 | box 1 | folder 23 | |
| John Thompson Mason, 1815-1873, n.d. | series 1 | box 1 | folder 24 | |
| Jiram McCullough, 1812-1885, n.d. | series 1 | box 1 | folder 25 | |
| Robert Milligan McLane, 1815-1898, n.d. | series 1 | box 1 | folder 26 | |
| George Peter, 1779-1861, n.d. | series 1 | box 1 | folder 27 | |
| Charles Edward Phelps, 1833-1908, n.d. | series 1 | box 1 | folder 28 | |
| Alexander Randall, 1803-1881, n.d. | series 1 | box 1 | folder 29 | |
| Philip Reed, 1760-1829, n.d. | series 1 | box 1 | folder 30 | |
| James Barroll Ricaud, 1808-1866, n.d. | series 1 | box 1 | folder 31 | |
| James Augustus Stewart, 1808-1879, n.d. | series 1 | box 1 | folder 32 | |
| John Truman Stoddert, 1790-1870, n.d. | series 1 | box 1 | folder 33 | |
| Frederick Stone, 1820-1899, n.d. | series 1 | box 1 | folder 34 | |
| Thomas Swann, 1809-1883, n.d. | series 1 | box 1 | folder 35 | |
| Francis Thomas, 1799-1876, n.d. | series 1 | box 1 | folder 36 | |
| John Thomas, 1835-1893, n.d. | series 1 | box 1 | folder 37 | |
| George Vickers, 1801-1879, n.d. | series 1 | box 1 | folder 38 | |
| William Pickney Whyte, 1824-1908, n.d. | series 1 | box 1 | folder 39 | |
Series 2: Non-Congressional Marylanders, 1829-1868 (5 folders)
Consists of correspondence relating to biographical sketches of Marylanders who were not congressmen, collected during the preparation of the Dictionary of the United States Congress. Arrangement is alphabetical by last name.
| Description | Series | Box / Reel | Folder / Frame | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| George Aickman, 1868 | series 2 | box 1 | folder 1 | |
| Watkins Lyon, 1858 | series 2 | box 1 | folder 2 | |
| James Partridge, 1858 | series 2 | box 1 | folder 3 | |
| William Ridgeley, 1858 | series 2 | box 1 | folder 4 | |
| Richard Stockton, 1829 | series 2 | box 1 | folder 5 | |
Related Material
For other related archival and manuscript collections, please see the following subject guides.
Selected Search Terms
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the University of Maryland Libraries' Catalog Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the Catalog using these headings
Subjects
- Archer, John, 1741-1810
- Creswell, John A. J. (John Angel James), 1828-1891
- Howard, Benjamin C. (Benjamin Chew), 1791-1872
- Johnson, Reverdy, 1796-1876
- Kennedy, John Pendleton, 1795-1870
- Lanman, Charles, 1819-1895. Dictionary of the United States Congress
- Legislators -- Maryland -- Biography
- Patridge, James
- Ridgeley, William
- Swann, Thomas, 1805-1883
- Thomas, Francis, 1799-1876
- Whyte, William Pickney, 1824-1908
Names (Added Entries)
- Archer, John, 1741-1810
- Creswell, John A. J. (John Angel James), 1828-1891
- Howard, Benjamin C. (Benjamin Chew), 1791-1872
- Johnson, Reverdy, 1796-1876
- Kennedy, John Pendleton, 1795-1870
- Patridge, James
- Ridgeley, William
- Swann, Thomas, 1805-1883
- Thomas, Francis, 1799-1876
- Whyte, William Pickney, 1824-1908