Collections by Subject: Family and Personal Papers
A Selected List of Family and Personal Papers in the Archives and Manuscripts Department, University of Maryland Libraries
For more information about how to access materials in this guide, please visit the Maryland Room web page or fill out an information request.
-
Papers of Cyrilly Abels,
1950-1975.
0.25 linear feet.
Location: Literary Manuscripts
Cyrilly Abels (1903-1975) was the managing editor of Mademoiselle magazine from 1950 through the early 1960s, when she opened her own literary agency. Abels was literary agent, editor, and close friend of the American writer, Katherine Anne Porter. Her papers include letters, postcards, and notes from Miss Porter. The correspondence includes Miss Porter's opinions on television, race relations and segregation, the fate of higher education, aging and death, her public image, language, gardening, and fashion.
-
Djuna Barnes papers,
1820-1982.
102 linear feet.
Location: Literary Manuscripts
Djuna Barnes (1892-1982) was a journalist, avant-garde author, and artist. Her papers include personal and professional correspondence with her family, friends, and fellow writers; her writings; publications; photographs; and art. Subjects include her relationships with family and friends, particularly her paternal grandmother, Zadel Gustafson.
-
Papers of Clara Barton,
1887-1918.
0.25 linear feet.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
Known as the "Angel of the Battlefield" for her efforts as a nurse during the Civil War, Clara Barton (1821-1912) later founded the American Red Cross. Her papers include personal letters written to Mrs. Harriette Reed, a friend and colleague, between 1898 and 1900. The letters discuss relief efforts in Cuba and other Red Cross issues, mutual friends, Barton's personal health, visits from relatives, and Barton's love of gardening.
-
Papers of Isabel Bayley,
1871-1993.
37.50 linear feet.
Location: Literary Manuscripts
Isabel Bayley (1911-1993) and Katherine Anne Porter became close friends after meeting at a Kansas University seminar in 1942. Mrs. Bayley became the literary trustee for Porter's estate in 1983. She edited the Letters of Katherine Anne Porter, the first volume of the writer's correspondence, which was published in 1990. The Bayley papers include correspondence, manuscripts, legal documents, memorabilia, photographic materials, publications, and audio tapes. The correspondence documents her relationship with Miss Porter and other significant twentieth-century literary and artistic figures.
-
Papers of Marion Theresa (M. T.) Biddle,
1858, 1861.
6 items.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
Six letters, all datelined "Hispaniola," postmarked at Chesapeake City or Elkton, Maryland, addressed to Miss Maggie R. Thompson, Oxford, Pennsylvania, by "Prof. M. T. (Marion Theresa) Biddle." The correspondence is between two women and they talk of beaux , visiting relatives, education, weddings, and brief mentions of the Civil War
-
Papers of Theodore Bissell,
1910-1982.
0.50 linear feet.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
Theodore L. Bissell was a 1920 graduate of the Maryland State College of Agriculture (later the University of Maryland, College Park) and a longtime professor of entomology at the University of Maryland. His papers include letters from Milton Ellsworth Poole, Bissell's friend and classmate, who left the university to join the army in 1918. Poole's letters to Bissell discuss his wartime experiences in France, their classmates at the Maryland State College of Agriculture, and Poole's decision not to return to school after the war.
-
Papers of R. Howard Bland,
1903-1917.
1.50 linear feet.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
Harvard Law School student R. Howard Bland, who later became a successful Baltimore lawyer and businessman, corresponded frequently with his fianc?e, Mary Paul of Villanova, Pennsylvania. Their 1903-1905 love letters, mostly written while Bland was attending Harvard, offer a revealing look at turn-of-the-century courtship. Also included are a number of letters dated 1906 to 1917, after the Blands married and moved to Baltimore. Subjects include the affluent society and culture of Baltimore, Boston, and Philadelphia; Harvard University student life; family concerns; and affairs of the heart.
-
Papers of Mary Eliza Bradbury,
January 8, 1855-November 26, 1855.
1 lin. in..
Location: Historical Manuscripts
In 1855, Mary Eliza Bradbury, a teacher born in Maine, established a school in Elkton, Maryland, and taught African-American children on Sundays. Letters between Bradbury and her future husband, Lewis H. Jackson of Wilmington, Delaware, offer a glimpse of daily life in antebellum Maryland. The letters, exchanged between January and November 1855, document the couple's courtship, their ideas on religion and spirituality, local events and family news, and Bradbury's experiences as a teacher.
-
Brooke Family papers,
1750-1980.
13.00 linear feet.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
The Brookes were a prominent landowning family in Maryland. The Brooke family and their extended family network of the Farquhar, Hallowell, Thomas, Hopkins, and Snowden families were active in the Quaker community near Sandy Spring, Montgomery County, Maryland. The papers include women's diaries and day books across several generations of the Brooke family, and the family's correspondence covers plantation and family life from the early nineteenth- to mid-twentieth centuries. Topics include farming, social gatherings, Quaker religion, friendship, courtship, marriages, motherhood, finances, health concerns, holidays, and travel.
-
James Bruce papers,
1734-2002.
65.00 linear feet.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
A member of a prominent Maryland family, James Bruce (1892-1980) was a businessman, Democratic Party fundraiser, and United States Ambassador to Argentina. Bruce's papers include family, business, and political correspondence; biographical and genealogical materials pertaining to various members of the Bruce family; and Bruce's memoirs.
-
Papers of the Burhaus Family,
1862-1863.
0.25 linear feet (14 items).
Location: Historical Manuscripts
Union soldier Herman Burhaus wrote letters to his sisters in New York while stationed in and around Washington, D.C., during the Civil War. Burhaus, a member of the Fourth Regiment of New York Volunteers, discusses army life, his thoughts on the Union war effort, and his experiences at the Battle of Fredericksburg.
-
Charles S. Burns papers,
1870-1911.
0.25 linear feet (129 items).
Location: Historical Manuscripts
Charles S. Burns (1846-1937) was a teacher in Maryland during the late nineteenth century; he also worked for the Customs House in Baltimore, Maryland. The Charles S. Burns Papers consist of correspondence, both letters and postcards, from family members, friends, and organizations to which Burns belonged. The subject matter includes notices for membership dues owed the Order of the Golden Chain, news of family events, crop output, and solicitations from former students seeking Burns's help at the Baltimore Customs House. In addition, there is correspondence pertaining to the Sun Mutual Aid Society of Baltimore.
-
Papers of the Chapman Family,
1816-1895.
2.00 linear feet.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
The personal records of a family of politicians and landowners in Charles County, Maryland. John Grant Chapman and his son Andrew Grant Chapman were members of the Maryland House of Delegate and the U.S. House of Representatives. The bulk dates of the papers span the years 1816 to 1895. Topics include finances, health, student life, finance, and recipes.
-
Claude-Gray-Hughes-Tuck-Whittington Family papers,
1793-1938.
13.50 linear feet.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
The Claudes, Grays, Hughes, Tucks, and Whittingtons, all Annapolis families, were related by marriage. Their papers date from 1793 to 1938 and include a variety of correspondence from family, friends, and business associates; deeds; ledgers; literary writings; school notebooks; and receipts. Subjects include daily life in nineteenth-century Annapolis, family relationships and personal affairs, religion, local and national politics, and attitudes toward blacks and slavery.
-
Papers of Charles Wallace Collins,
1915-1972.
13.50 linear feet.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
The Collins papers include correspondence and notes detailing the social life of a retired lawyer in Washington, D.C., during the mid-twentieth century. The papers of Collins's wife, Sue Spencer Collins, include correspondence, newspaper clippings, notes, and pamphlets generated or collected by Mrs. Collins. All deal with the social lives of elite women in Washington, D.C. during the mid-twentieth century. Topics covered include food, fashion, flower arrangement, and women's clubs such as the Colonial Dames and the Washington Club.
-
Papers of Leon Washington Condol,
1864-1931.
0.50 linear feet.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
Condol's papers document his family's early history as slaves in Virginia and Maryland and their migration to the North in the late nineteenth century. Especially notable are photographs and family documents concerning Condol's great-grandmother, Mary Ann "Auntie" Cord, a former slave who worked for Samuel Langhorn Clemens (better known as Mark Twain). Clemens used Cord's real-life experiences as inspiration for "A True Story. Related Word for Word as I Heard It," published in his Sketches Old and New (1875).
-
Papers of Gustave Courbet,
1834-1877.
0.25 linear feet.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
French painter Jean-Desire-Gustave Courbet (1819-1877) was a leader of the Realist movement in mid-nineteenth-century art. His revolutionary socialist politics landed him in jail in 1872. Courbet's letters to family and friends (1837-1877) reveal his thoughts on art and on the life of a painter, student life, and his involvement in radical politics, including the legal and health problems it caused him.
-
Papers of David Stewart Courtenay,
1787-1900.
0.25 linear feet (20 items).
Location: Historical Manuscripts
The papers of David Stewart Courtenay consist of correspondence, guardians' and executors' financial records, and biographical/genealogical materials pertaining to various family members, including the family of Courtenay's mother, Isabella Purviance. Included are documents created in the course of conducting various business transactions, such as the settlement of the estate of Dr. John Boyd, receipts of debts owed, and receipts pertaining to David Courtenay's guardianship of John Larsh. The latter documents the cost of clothing, board, tuition, and other items around 1830. David Courtenay's account book dating from 1820 to 1824 documents the estate of John H. Purviance as well as the accounts of members of the Courtenay family. Correspondence among David Courtenay and his nephew, David Courtenay, Jr., and three insurance companies discusses the transfer of stock in 1871. Also included is a certificate verifying Sarah M. Courtenay's donation of $1 to the Washington National Monument Society. Zachary Taylor signed the certificate.
-
Papers of the Cresap/Bruce Family,
1885-1987.
0.25 linear feet (141 items).
Location: Historical Manuscripts
Thomas Cresap (c. 1692-1790) was a Maryland pioneer, patriot and frontiersman. He surveyed Maryland's western frontier for what is known today as the National Road and fought in the French and Indian War and the American Revolution. His son, Michael, led Cresap's Riflemen during the American Revolution. Later generations include the family names Bruce and Neff. In 1916, Cresap descendants formed the Cresap Society. The collection dates from 1860 to 1987 and consists mainly of correspondence of family members, their genealogical research, Cresap Society newsletters, and newspaper clippings highlighting Cresap history. Also included are Cresap family charts, documents, and photographs.
-
Papers of the Davis Family,
1784-1867.
4.50 linear feet.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
This collection consists of the papers of the Davis family, who owned a Frederick County, Maryland, farm for several generations. Their records document the financial activities of a dairy farm. Receipts, bills, advertisements, and World War II ration books detail the domestic consumer patterns of a farm family between 1895 and 1945. Land transfer and estate inheritance are also prominent topics.
-
Papers of the Dawkins Family,
1883-1931.
1.25 linear feet.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
This well-to-do Baltimore family included James A. Dawkins, a member of the Maryland House of Delegates from 1903 to 1915. The Dawkins papers contain letters and diaries documenting upper-class Maryland family life between 1883 and 1931.
-
Papers of Leonidas Dodson,
1842-1889.
1.00 linear feet.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
Easton, Maryland, resident Leonidas Dodson (1822-1889) was a teacher, banker, and active participant in civic affairs. The journals he kept between 1842 and 1889 detail his thoughts on religion; the Civil War, its causes and results; local and national politics; slavery; temperance; crime and punishment; and many other issues of his day.
-
Papers of Mary Louis Doherty,
1920-1963.
0.50 linear feet.
Location: Literary Manuscripts
Mary Louis Doherty (1896-1995) was an expatriate American who lived in Mexico most of her life, working for Mexican government officials as well as private institutions and individuals. After meeting in Mexico in 1921, Miss Doherty and Katherine Anne Porter continued their friendship through correspondence. They were reunited in Mexico City in 1931 and in Washington, D. C., in 1944, where they shared residences for brief periods. The collection consists of correspondence, biographical materials, publications, and legal documents. The materials in the collection document Miss Doherty's life and relationships with her family, Miss Porter, and others she knew in Mexico.
-
Papers of the Edmondson/Jacobs Family,
1836-1954.
1.75 linear feet.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
The bulk of the Jacobs Family papers consists of correspondence between Emma Edmondson Jacobs and her brother, William V. E. Jacobs, her mother, and her sisters. Emma Edmondson Jacobs lived in various locations throughout Maryland, including New Market, Easton, and Church Creek. Also included is a diary belonging to Emma Edmondson Jacob's mother, Emma V. E. Jacobs, dated 1854, and describing her life and how her beau asked her father for her hand in marriage. Other items in the collection include receipts, invoices, manuscripts, photographs, financial records, and ephemera. This collection is unprocessed, but a detailed inventory is available.
-
Papers of Donald Elder,
1940-1963.
0.25 linear feet.
Location: Literary Manuscripts
Donald Elder (1913-1965) was an editor at Doubleday, Doran and Company and author of Ring Lardner, A Biography. While at Doubleday, he assisted in the publication of Eugene Pressly's English translation of Jos? Joaquin Fernandez de Lizardi's The Itching Parrot under Katherine Anne Porter's name. The Elder papers contain correspondence between Elder and Miss Porter. Important subjects include writers and writing and Porter's personal interests and opinions.
-
Papers of William Emory,
1861-1873.
1.50 linear feet.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
Queen Anne's County, Maryland, native William Hemsley Emory (1811-1887), an 1831 graduate of the United States Military Academy, served in the United States Army during the Mexican War, Civil War, and occupation of the former Confederate states. Emory retired from the army in 1876 with the rank of brigadier general. Letters between Emory and his family (dated 1861 to 1873) document family concerns, social life in Maryland on the eve of the Civil War, military life, and personal finance.
-
Papers of Gilbert Fraser,
1911-1919.
0.75 linear feet.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
British diplomat Gilbert Fraser (1848-1924) was based in Baltimore while he served as his government's consul-general for Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Kentucky between 1913 and 1919. His diaries and personal correspondence cover his daily activities, his thoughts on the First World War, Baltimore social life, and other concerns.
-
Papers of Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven,
1917-1933.
4 linear feet.
Location: Literary Manuscripts
Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven (1874-1927) was an avant-garde artist and poet associated with the Dada movement. Her papers consist of correspondence, poetry, and biographical and autobiographical notes and manuscripts. The collection documents her life, including her relationship with Djuna Barnes, and her literary career.
-
Papers of Reuben Gilder,
1815-1827.
1 linear inch.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
The papers of Reuben Gilder consist of twenty-six letters written by Gilder to his former military comrade, Isaac Dutton Barnard, between 1815 and 1822. Subjects covered in the correspondence include: former military comrades, acquaintances, and experiences related to the War of 1812 in Canadian territory; military conflict with the Creek tribes of Native Americans; a variety of contemporaneous political matters and figures, including those in the local, national, and international arenas; and family, business, and health matters.
-
Papers of R. Sumter Griffith,
1877-1936.
0.25 linear feet (20 items).
Location: Historical Manuscripts
R. Sumter Griffith was an early graduate of the Maryland Agricultural College who later became a physician. His papers include class admission tickets and photographs, documenting Griffith's life and studies at the Maryland Agricultural College and at the College of Physicians and Surgeons in Baltimore.
-
Grimes Family Papers,
1821-1902.
3.25 linear feet.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
The Grimes family of Oxon Hill, Prince George's County, Maryland maintained a farm as well as a store and tavern or 'ordinary' throughout the nineteenth century. The Grimes family papers include financial ledgers from the store, daybooks recording work on the farm, weather, and local and family news, legal agreements about land and labor, and correspondence.
-
Papers of the Hamilton Family,
1803-1923.
0.25 linear feet (100 items).
Location: Historical Manuscripts
The Hamiltons of Port Tobacco are descended from one of the oldest Roman Catholic families in Charles County, Maryland. Covering the period 1803 to 1883, the collection consists primarily of correspondence. Topics addressed include tobacco farming and other agricultural concerns, family matters, Catholic education at Georgetown and Mount Saint Mary's Colleges, slavery and emancipation, the Civil War, and the development of the West.
-
Papers of Charles Fleetwood Hanna,
1873-1925.
0.50 linear feet.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
Charles Fleetwood Hanna worked for the Customs Service in Baltimore, Maryland. His papers contain his unpublished autobiography, dating from 1913, correspondence and other writings, financial and legal documents, and photographs. Much of it is undated and handwritten in pencil. Some of the writings are on U.S. Treasury Department stationery. The correspondence covers many topics,including Hanna's rental property, retirement pensions for Civil Service employees, his life in Baltimore, and his requests to remain employed after reaching 80 years of age. The writings include notes on his family history, his own life and miscellaneous topics. The documents include copies of his will and leases for property he owned in Baltimore. Two professional photographs of unidentified men are dated 1900 and 1903.
-
Virginia Harrold Collection,
1864-1961.
0.50 linear feet.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
The collection includes materials belonging to the Hamilton and Hendrix families of Baltimore, such as correspondence, dressmakers ledgers, Confederate vouchers, religious verse, and calling cards.
-
Papers of the Harwood Family,
1652-1919.
53 items.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
Legal documents, land plats, and receipts primarily relating to Richard and Thomas Harwood and their lands on Buzzard's Island and other places in Calvert County, Maryland. Included are materials from Aquila Beall, Thomas Holliday, and a property named "Glengary" in Frederick County, Maryland.
-
Papers of Ann Heintze,
1945-1976.
0.50 linear feet.
Location: Literary Manuscripts
Ann Heintze (1921-1987), a niece of Katherine Anne Porter, was a professional dancer and ballet instructor. She danced with the San Carlo Opera Ballet, Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, and at Radio City Music Hall. The collection includes letters and postcards to Mrs. Heintze and her family from Miss Porter. The correspondence discusses personal life, Miss Porter's trips, Mrs. Heintze's ballet career, and her mother, Gay Porter Holloway.
-
Hepburn Family papers,
1739-1813.
18 items.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
The Hepburn Family Papers consist of legal documents, public notices, and land records primarily related to Prince George's County, Maryland. Included is a three-party prenuptial agreement between Philip Thomas, John Hepburn, and his soon-to-be wife Mary Chew, regarding the disposition of Mary Chew's property, including 30 named slaves; bonds of credit that John Hepburn extended to named local citizens; and accounting receipts for tobacco deliveries. Also included is a deed of gift for a slave that Samuel Hepburn gave to son John Muir; and a broadside that names Samuel Hepburn as the executor of Samuel Leche's will. The remaining documents include property records for Prince George's County land owned by various Maryland personages; a circular notice by London merchant William Molleson; a circular advocating smallpox vaccination in Baltimore; and a letter of estate administration.
-
Papers of the Pleasant Hunter Family,
1852-1890.
105 items.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
Pleasant Hunter was born in Maryland in 1810 and lived his adult life in Baltimore County in the area of Parkton and Wiseburg along York Road. He was a farmer, an innkeeper, a Baltimore County sheriff (1853), a member of the Board of County Commissioners (1851-1852 and 1875-1876), and a delegate to the Maryland General Assembly (1860-1861). During the 1850s he also collected taxes and other monies. The papers of the Pleasant Hunter Family consist primarily of personal correspondence between Pleasant Hunter's daughter, Eliza ("Lida") Hunter, and her cousins and friends, dating from 1860 to 1870. Also included is other family correspondence, including letters to Pleasant Hunter and his wife, Margaret. Topics covered include daily activities, weather, places visited, illnesses, weddings, births, and deaths. A portion of the collection documents Pleasant Hunter's business and political activities, primarily dealing with financial matters. Correspondents include Joshua Frederick ("Fred") Cockey Talbott, U. S. Congressman from Maryland.
-
Papers of Laura Riding Jackson,
1938-1966.
0.75 linear feet.
Location: Literary Manuscripts
Laura Riding Jackson (1901-1991) was an American poet, critic, and editor. She was closely associated with the Fugitive group, a cluster of American Southern writers centered at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, which included John Crowe Ransom, Allen Tate, and Robert Penn Warren. The collection consists of correspondence between Jackson and Robert Nye, a British author, editor, and playwright, as well as manuscripts, newspaper and magazine clippings, and photographs. Subjects discussed include writers and writing as well as Jackson's relationships with Martin Seymour-Smith, Robert Graves, and Robert Nye.
-
Papers of the Thomas Kensett Family,
1856-1908.
26 items.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
Correspondence between Thomas Kensett to his Baltimore fiancee, Gertrude W. Brown, during their courtship. Topics include day-to-day life, ill health, dental work, a poem about the joys of smoking, and skin problems. Also included are documents pertaining to the couple's daughter, Gertrude Kensett Vanderhoef, including her 1906 will. A sister collection may be found at the Maryland Historical Society in Baltimore (MS 2854).
-
Papers of William C. Kerr,
1915-1927.
0.25 linear feet.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
Businessman William C. Kerr corresponded with his family in Catonsville, Maryland, during the 1920s. The letters document family activities, local society, politics, business, and religion.
-
Papers of Isaiah S. and Martha Lang,
1858-1928.
0.5 linear feet.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
New Hampshire farmer Isaiah Lang and his wife Martha corresponded with family members and friends in Maryland and on the Minnesota frontier between 1858 and 1874. Subjects include farming, frontier life, medicine, the Civil War in Maryland, and personal finances.
-
Papers of Seymour Lawrence,
1955-1980.
3.75 linear feet.
Location: Literary Manuscripts
Seymour Lawrence (1926-1994) was Katherine Anne Porter's publisher, first at Atlantic Monthly Press and later with his independent imprint, Seymour Lawrence, Inc. Lawrence was also associated with Alfred Knopf, Dell/Delacorte, E. P. Dutton, and Houghton Mifflin. As editor-in-chief at Atlantic Monthly Press, he oversaw the publication of Porter's novel Ship of Fools. The papers consist of correspondence, galley proofs, editing notes, and clippings that document Lawrence's professional and personal relationships with various writers, especially Miss Porter.
-
John McConnell Collection,
1859-1885.
49 items.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
The collection consists of forty-nine letters written to John McConnell between October 1859 and August 1885 by a variety of correspondents, including his fellow ministers in the German Reformed Church and his brother George McConnell. Of particular interest are discussions of the organization of the German Reformed Church, relations of the German Reformed Church to other Christian denominations, problems in individual churches, and theological questions. George McConnell discussed many personal issues with his brother, including his wife Catharine's mental problems, his son John F.'s alcoholism, and his unhappiness at his son Elias's choice of a wife.
-
Papers of John McDowell,
1790-1818.
29 items.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
John McDowell (1751-1820) was a professor and principal at the newly formed Saint John's College at Annapolis from 1789 to 1805 and a member of the college's board of visitors and governors from 1815 to 1820. The papers consist largely of letters McDowell received from his friend Charles Goldsborough (1765-1834), governor of Maryland from 1818 to 1819. Goldsborough discusses his opposition to the War of 1812, his opinions regarding the democratization of Maryland politics, and his personal and family affairs.
-
Papers of Hope Mirrlees,
1920-1960.
0.25 linear feet.
Location: Literary Manuscripts
Author of novels, poems, and translations, Hope Mirrlees (1887-1978) is best remembered for her circle of literary friends, which included T. S. Eliot, Virginia Woolf, and Lady Ottoline Morrell. Her papers consist of correspondence from these individuals relating to a variety of personal topics, including social events, household affairs, cats, and mutual acquaintances.
-
Papers of Lady Ottoline Morrell,
1916-1934.
0.25 linear feet.
Location: Literary Manuscripts
During the World War I-era, the British-born Lady Ottoline Morrell (1873-1938) was a literary hostess to the Bloomsbury Group, which included such figures as D. H. Lawrence, E. M. Forster, T. S. Eliot, Aldous Huxley, H. G. Wells, and Virginia Woolf. The collection includes correspondence to Siegfried Sassoon, publications, and photographs. Subjects discussed in the correspondence include D. H. Lawrence's death, books, health, mutual acquaintances, and travel.
-
Papers of the Newton Family,
1770-1873.
1.00 linear feet.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
The papers of the Newton Family date between 1770 and 1873 and consist of legal records, publications, and financial records.
-
Papers of the Richard P. Newton Family,
1925-1956.
0.75 linear feet.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
Correspondence comprises the largest portion of the Papers of the Richard P. Newton Family and documents the daily lives of Richard Newton, Dorothy Speilman Newton, Lillian Boehm, and some of their friends. The collection also contains religious, legal, and genealogical documents, a pair of torpedo-shaped earrings, holiday cards, and photographs. Also included are issues of two military publications: Plans of the Day and Radio Press News from the USS George K. MacKenzie (DD-836). The correspondence focuses on domestic concerns and military life. The documents include certificates commemorating religious and school events, union membership, and military life. The majority of the photographs are not identified or dated. They consist of individual and group photographs and views taken from and on a ship, probably the USS George K. MacKenzie (DD-836) at sea.
-
Papers of the Thomas H. Osbourn Family,
1840-1949.
82 items.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
The Papers of the Thomas H. Osbourn Family consist mainly of tax documents for the Prince George's County, Maryland, properties held by various members of the family in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The correspondence includes a letter of recommendation from Benjamin Hallowell, who was president of the Maryland Agricultural College in 1859.
-
Papers of the Osburn Family,
1857-1864.
0.25 linear feet.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, brothers Lewis and James Osburn both served in Maryland regiments of the Union army during the Civil War. The Osburn family papers consist largely of letters the soldiers sent to their mother and sister Ginnie during their service. Notable topics include army life, illness, family concerns, financial worries, travels on the frontier, business prospects, and local news.
-
Papers of Harry C. Perry, Jr.,
1958-1966.
0.25 linear feet.
Location: Literary Manuscripts
Harry C. Perry, Jr., (b. 1919) was Katherine Anne Porter's tax accountant for approximately five years in the early 1960s. The collection contains correspondence, financial papers, and newspaper clippings related to Miss Porter. The correspondence reveals Miss Porter's opinions on contemporary social issues and her frustration over her financial instability.
-
Papers of Willis A. Pomeroy,
June - September, 1861.
0.25 linear feet.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
Early in the Civil War, Willis A. Pomeroy (1841-1867) of Suffield, Connecticut, served as a Union army captain, before illness forced him to resign his commission. In seven letters written to his family between his enlistment in May 1861 and his resignation in November, Pomeroy describes his duties and experiences while stationed in Maryland and Pennsylvania. Subjects include Pomeroy's illnesses, his financial concerns, his duties as brigade commissary, and life in the Army of the Potomac.
-
Katherine Anne Porter papers,
1842-1980.
174.25 linear feet.
Location: Literary Manuscripts
Katherine Anne Porter (1890-1980) is best known for her short stories and the novel Ship of Fools, but she also published many nonfiction works and some poetry; she also taught at colleges and universities and lectured widely. The Porter collection contains correspondence, notes and drafts of her works, publications, legal documents, and financial records. The collection also contains memorabilia, furniture, awards, and diplomas, as well as her personal library. Her papers reflect her interests in writing, travel, politics, and current events and also document her private life and relationships with a wide variety of individuals.
-
Papers of Paul Porter,
1892-2004.
12.25 linear feet.
Location: Literary Manuscripts
Harrison Paul Porter (b. 1921) is a nephew of Katherine Anne Porter and was her legal guardian from 1977 to 1980. His papers include correspondence, guardianship records, published materials and notes, audio tapes, and photographs. The collection documents his relationship with Miss Porter.
-
Papers of the Preston Family,
1799-1916.
3.50 linear feet.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
The Prestons of Baltimore, Maryland, were an upper-middle-class Catholic family. The family papers include correspondence and diaries that document life among Baltimore's affluent Catholics during the nineteenth century. Major topics include Baltimore domestic life, social events, religion, politics, health concerns, girls' education, and spousal abuse.
-
Papers of E. Barrett Prettyman,
1962-1984.
1.25 linear feet.
Location: Literary Manuscripts
E. Barrett Prettyman, Jr., (b. 1925) was Katherine Anne Porter's lawyer and close friend from the mid-1960s until her death in 1980. He is also the author of the novel Death and the Supreme Court. His papers include personal letters and business correspondence relating to Miss Porter. The correspondence with Miss Porter discusses her relationship with him, current events, daily life, and her health. Also included in the collection is significant correspondence with Cyrilly Abels, Joan Daves, and Owen Laster, all of which concerns Miss Porter and her legal affairs.
-
Papers of Mr. and Mrs. John A. Prince,
1957-1978.
0.25 linear feet.
Location: Literary Manuscripts
John Prince (b. 1922) moved to Washington, D. C., in 1954 and married Catherine Graves a year later. The Princes met Katherine Anne Porter through Marcella Com?s Winslow and nurtured a close friendship with Miss Porter through correspondence and occasional visits. The collection contains correspondence, financial and legal documents, and books relating to the Princes' relationship with Miss Porter. The correspondence concerns Miss Porter's interests in cooking and literature, her travels abroad, and her relationship with the Princes.
-
Papers of John E. Rastall,
1861-1864.
2 linear inches (128 items).
Location: Historical Manuscripts
Lieutenant John E. Rastell of Wisconsin was adjutant of the Union Army's First Eastern Shore Regiment of Infantry, Maryland Volunteers. Rastell's regiment was stationed in Salisbury, Maryland, during most of their Civil War service; their duty was to "pacify" the volatile, Southern-sympathizing Eastern Shore. Lieutenant Rastell's letters to his family describe his impressions of daily life in the Union Army; the impact of the Civil War on the citizens of Maryland, especially on the Eastern Shore; and his experiences at the Battle of Gettysburg.
-
Joseph Raynes papers,
1831-1849.
10 items.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
Correspondence between British immigrant Joseph Raynes to his family in Bonsall, Derbyshire, England, describing an Atlantic sea voyage; the Chesapeake Bay; Baltimore life in the nineteenth century, including buildings, prices, and Lexington Market; slavery; the failure of the Bank of Maryland; and the Wesleyan Methodist Church in Cincinnati. Also included is news of friends, family and deaths.
-
Papers of Milton A. Reckord,
1851-1975.
12.50 linear feet.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
General Milton A. Reckord (1879-1975) joined the Maryland National Guard in 1901 and served as its Adjutant General from 1920 to 1961. His service included combat duty in France during World War I and command of support troops stateside and in Europe during World War II. Reckord's papers include wartime correspondence between Reckord and his family and the diaries he kept during World War II.
-
Papers of Ferdinand Reyher,
1894-1972.
17.00 linear feet.
Location: Literary Manuscripts
Ferdinand Reyher (1889?-1967) was a novelist, newspaper correspondent, and playwright. He wrote The Man, the Tiger and the Snake, I Heard Them Sing, which became a movie, and the biography, David Farragut, Sailor. Reyher was influential in bringing German playwright Bertolt Brecht to the United States. The collection consists of correspondence with Ansel Adams, Berenice Abbott, Sinclair Lewis, Dorothy Pound, Wallace Stevens, and Bertolt Brecht; typescripts; working notes; clippings; diaries; legal documents; and photographs. The correspondence and diaries record personal matters and discuss the relationships between Reyher and his friends.
-
William Sands papers,
1860-1880.
0.50 linear feet.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
William Bell Sands (1842-1913) was one of the first two graduates of the Maryland Agricultural College (now the University of Maryland, College Park), receiving an A. B. in 1862. His papers include letters written to his future wife during his undergraduate days and an 1877 letter to the Board of Trustees of the Maryland Agricultural College outlining his views on the college's future.
-
Sellman Family papers,
1828-1908.
1.50 linear feet.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
The Sellman Family Papers span the years 1828 through 1908 with the bulk of the material dating between 1850 and 1865 and document the lives of a landowning family in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. The collection contains family and business correspondence; bills and receipts; guardianship documents; handwriting exercises; and household and farm account books and diaries. Subjects covered include daily life; farm management; the cholera epidemic in Grand Gulf, Mississippi; treatment of slaves; sale of crops in Baltimore; and the education of the Sellman children at home and at St. John's College in Annapolis.
-
Papers of Karl Shapiro,
ca. 1917-1968.
1.00 linear feet.
Location: Literary Manuscripts
Karl Shapiro (b. 1913) is an American poet and literary critic born in Baltimore, Maryland. In 1945, he won the Pulitzer prize for V-Letters and Other Poems. His papers consist of correspondence, manuscripts of poems, and photographs, most of which date from 1941 to 1945. Personal topics discussed in the correspondence include daily life in the Army; his relationship with Evalyn Katz, who became his wife; and writers and writing.
-
Papers of Grace Delafield Day Spier,
1928-1931.
0.25 linear feet.
Location: Literary Manuscripts
Grace Delafield Day Spier (1901-1980) was a social activist, a friend of Katherine Anne Porter, and the sister of Dorothy Day, editor of the Catholic Worker. She became active in the literary and intellectual circles of Greenwich Village in the second decade of the twentieth century. The collection consists of correspondence from Katherine Anne Porter that discusses such personal topics as domestic life, children, and mutual acquaintances.
-
Papers of James F. Stepter,
1862-1864.
0.25 linear feet (21 items).
Location: Historical Manuscripts
Union Army Private James F. Stepter enlisted in the Sixth Maryland Infantry Regiment in August 1862. Wounded and captured during the Battle of the Wilderness in May 1864, he died a prisoner of war at Andersonville, Georgia, in October of that year. In twenty-one letters written to his wife Amanda between 1862 and 1864, Stepter expresses his opinions on the Civil War and military life, politics, and his sadness at his separation from his family.
-
Sterling Family papers,
1862-1864.
0.25 linear feet.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
Will Sterling was a Union Army officer, probably of the First Maryland Infantry, stationed in Annapolis and Baltimore during the Civil War. The Sterling family papers include wartime letters between Will Sterling and his wife Tillie, between Will and his father, and Tillie Sterling and her mother. The letters touch on military affairs, family concerns, travel, social events and entertaining, and Maryland and national affairs.
-
Papers of James Stern,
1940-1986.
0.25 linear feet.
Location: Literary Manuscripts
James Stern (1904-1993) was an Irish-born author of short stories, nonfiction, and translations. His works include The Heartless Land, The Hidden Damage, and The Stories of James Stern. Stern's papers consist primarily of correspondence he received relating to Djuna Barnes, both from her and from others. Barnes's personal correspondence discusses mutual acquaintances, social events, and other related personal matters.
-
Papers of John William Stewart,
1857-1906.
49 items.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
The Papers of John William Stewart span the years 1857 to 1906 with the bulk of material dating from 1857 to 1869 and consist primarily of correspondence written to John William Stewart from relatives and friends in Emmitsburg, Maryland and Shippensburg, Pennsylvania. They report on their health and that of family members and friends, engagements, marriages, prayer meetings, a trip on the Mississippi, and the Civil War. Included in one letter is an 1864 flyer entitled "Greeting to the Churches of the Presbytery of Baltimore from the Presbytery's Committee of Foreign Missions."
-
Frederick Stone papers,
1864-1903, 1985.
0.25 linear feet.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
Frederick Stone (1820-1899) was a lawyer, U. S. Congressman, Maryland Delegate, and judge of the Court of Appeals of Charles County, Maryland. This collection consists of correspondence to Frederick Stone from his wife, Jennie, and his daughters, especially his daughter Bessie Brown, who wrote to him from New Orleans, and who died after a long illness in 1889.
-
Papers of William B. Stone,
1762-1876.
0.25 linear feet (75 items).
Location: Historical Manuscripts
The papers of affluent Charles County, Maryland, lawyer William Briscoe Stone (1797-1872) include personal letters from William Plater, a client and friend. Among the personal issues covered in Plater's letters to Stone are the friendship between the two men, Plater's financial difficulties, and the death of his wife and sickness of his child.
-
Papers of the Swann-Mason Family,
1751-1930.
0.75 linear feet.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
The Swanns and Masons were an extended family with a long history in Maryland and Virginia. Members included Thomas Swann, governor of Maryland from 1866 to 1869. The family papers include colonial-era indenture agreements from Loudoun and Prince William counties in Virginia; personal correspondence of numerous generations of family members; and financial and legal records.
-
Papers of the Thomas Family,
1793-1816.
17 items.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
Members of an affluent Quaker family from Cecil County, Maryland, Philip Thomas and his son Philip Thomas, Jr., were slaveholding planters and businessmen. Eleven letters written and received by the Thomases between 1804 and 1811 document business affairs, family life, religion, politics and civic affairs, and slavery.
-
Papers of the Hubert Kelly Waldron Family,
1815-1962.
6.75 linear feet.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
The papers of the Hubert Kelly Waldron family of Ireland provide insight into mid-nineteenth century Irish life and customs. Subjects include the 1840s potato famine, Anglo-Irish relations, the Fenian Uprising, immigration to America, aid to the poor, and the 1848 murder of Hubert Kelly Waldron. The collection includes letters, poems, recipes, and funeral memorials. Many correspondents are Waldron family women.
-
Warfield Family Papers,
1801-1960.
10.00 linear feet.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
Edwin Warfield (1848-1920) of Howard County, Maryland, was a lawyer, banker, newspaper publisher, senate president, and governor of Maryland (1903-1907). His papers include correspondence and diaries that cover family life, Warfield's European travels, Maryland society and politics, etc.
-
Weems-Reynolds Family papers,
1713-1940.
1.50 linear feet.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
One of Maryland's oldest families, the Weemses settled in Anne Arundel County, where "Marshes Seat," the family estate, was founded in the eighteenth century. Members of the family have long played a prominent role in Maryland and national affairs. The collection includes the correspondence of several nineteenth-century generations of Weemses, both male and female. The letters discuss family relationships, racial theory and race relations, agriculture, and business.
-
Glenway Wescott Collection,
1932-1977.
9.00 linear feet.
Location: Literary Manuscripts
The author, poet, and essayist Glenway Wescott (1901-1987) was a close friend of Katherine Anne Porter for many years. The collection contains drafts of the manuscript for a never-completed edition of correspondence between Miss Porter, Wescott, Monroe Wheeler, Barbara Harrison Wescott, George Platt Lynes, and Russell Lynes, tentatively entitled Letters to a Circle of Friends 1933-1962: Thirty Years of Friendship. It also includes the original letters and notes and miscellaneous published materials by and about Miss Porter. The correspondence between Miss Porter and her circle of friends provides information about her relationships with publishers and other writers, finances, travels, and views on society in general.
-
Papers of John T. Whalen,
1917-1919.
58 items.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
The papers of John T. Whalen (1898-1980) consist of fifty-five letters written by Whalen to his mother in Mt. Hebron, Maryland, between 1917 and 1918, when Whalen was in the U. S. Army during World War I. Whalen wrote from Fort Howard, Maryland; Locust Point, Maryland; Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D. C.; Sparrows Point, Maryland; and Fort Monroe, Virginia. The letters inquire about family matters and describe his life as a member of the Coast Artillery Corps and as a patient in the hospital. There is one additional bill dated May 1919 to John T. Whalen for an operation, although the purpose of the operation is unknown. Also included is one photograph of Whalen in uniform, ca. 1917.
-
Papers of George and Toni Willison,
1932-1996.
0.75 linear feet.
Location: Literary Manuscripts
George (1896-1972) and Toni (1903-1998) Willison were long-time residents of Malta, New York. They arranged to purchase South Hill, the only home Katherine Anne Porter ever owned, from her in 1946. The collection contains letters and cards from Miss Porter to the Willisons concerning South Hill and other aspects of Porter's life. The collection also includes other Porter/Willison-related correspondence, notes, clippings, printed matter, and photographs. The correspondence documents the Willisons' purchase of South Hill, as well as Miss Porter's financial state, activities, politics, illnesses, reading, and acquaintances she shared with the Willisons.
-
Papers of J. Franklin Witter,
1926-1944.
0.50 linear feet.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
J. Franklin Witter was a 1928 graduate of the University of Maryland College of Agriculture. Witter's papers include letters he wrote to his girlfriend, Frances LaRue King, during and soon after their days as undergraduates (ca. 1926-1930). The letters discuss Witter's life as a student in the late 1920s: his relationship with Frances King, his involvement in campus organizations and clubs, his roommates and fraternity brothers, his jobs, and University of Maryland campus life.
-
William W. W. Wood papers,
1879-1881.
26 items.
Location: Historical Manuscripts
Commodore William W. W. Wood served in the United States Navy for thirty-five years until his death in 1882. He also owned "Jutland," a 520-acre estate in Saint Mary's County, Maryland, during most of his navy career. Wood's papers consist of letters written between 1879 and 1881 to A. L. Taveau, his overseer at "Jutland," concerning their efforts to run the farm and make it more profitable. Subjects include family affairs, business dealings, and the day-to-day workings of a large farm.
-
Papers of John and Margaret Hood Zug,
1837-1851.
1.50 linear feet (83 items).
Location: Historical Manuscripts
Lawyer and temperance activist John Zug and his wife Margaret moved from southern Pennsylvania to Baltimore soon after their July 1841 wedding. The eighty letters in their papers, dated 1837 to 1851, document their brief life together: their courtship and marriage, the birth of their son in 1842, John's frequent illnesses and subsequent death in 1843, and, finally, Margaret's remarriage. The subjects covered include the temperance movement, religion, courtship and marriage, politics, travel, family issues, and health and financial concerns.