Manuscripts

A sketch of the life of Captain Elisha Stephens

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Description: A biographical sketch of Elisha Stephens written by Thomas A. Baker who began to hear Elisha Stephens' life story when he was 15 years old. The manuscript deals primarily with the passage over the Sierras and the lack of credit at the time given to Stephens for the accomplishment.
Type: Manuscripts(Opens in new tab)
Production date: 1923, July 14.
Call number: mssHM 26656
Creator: Baker, Thomas A(Opens in new tab)
Provenance: Gift of Thomas A, Baker, September 12, 1934.
Dimensions: 32 cm

Elisha Williams tea permits issued to Leonard Chester

Manuscripts

"Tea permits" issued by Elisha Williams, a magistrate in Wethersfield, Conn. who presided over a local association created in summer 1775 for the purpose of enforcing the boycott of English tea. The permits were granted to people who needed tea because of their "bodily infirmities." The tea permits are addressed to Leonard Chester, pharmacist. The recipients include: Mrs. Sarah Bartes, Edward Pattison, Mr. Sambern, Samuel Boltwood, Richard Lightfoot, Seaman Riley, Hosia Horris, and Mrs. Kellogg.

mssHM 70291-70302

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Joel Robert Chappell letters

Manuscripts

Two letters written to Joel Robert Chappell shortly before his death. The first, dated January 24, 1876, was written by H.L. Binford, a Los Angeles real estate broker who had also lived in Jackson, Tennessee. Binford writes of the restoration of his own health after moving to California, the temperance of the climate, and the successes of local farmers and business professionals. The second letter was written by H. Stephens in Los Angeles and dated February 19, 1876, the day after Chappell's death. In the letter Stephens writes of the availability of timber ("taken as a whole the country is not well wooded"), housing conditions, the cost of land, and sea passage to San Francisco. He also advises Chappell to buy a small amount of land and to save enough money to live on for a year.

mssHM 73669-73670

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Sampson & Tappan letter to Captain George Sweetlin

Manuscripts

Interesting letter showing trade and commerce of the Gold Rush era. Sampson & Tappan write to the captain of their ship "Fanny Forester" (no doubt a nod to the nom de plume of the then popular author Emily C. Judson), stating that they had received the news of his charter party who had promised to send a fee of $1500. The charter party was Alfred Robinson (1806-1895), a businessman from Boston, who sailed to California in 1829 in the employ of Bryant, Sturgis and Company, a firm in the hide and tallow trade. Robinson was the author of Life in California (1846), an influential early description of the politics of the region under the Mexican Republic. Sampson & Tappan also write: "We are much pleased to hear that the ship is in such good order & That the leak is not so troublesome. We notice what you propose doing with the provisions & doubt not that you will manage them to best advantage." They note that they will soon be boarding the Carthage for San Francisco and "she will get away about 15 to 20 September."

mssHM 82559

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Lloyd Stephens Bryce Papers

Manuscripts

The collection consists of an almost equal number of manuscripts and correspondence with a few miscellaneous items. All manuscripts within the collection were submitted to Bryce for publication while he worked as the editor for the North American review. All correspondence is addressed to Bryce and most of it concerns editorial matters. The collection's miscellaneous items include pieces that relate to the personal lives of Bryce and his wife, Edith Cooper, including a marriage settlement on Edith (Cooper) Bryce by Peter Cooper and two passports for Lloyd Stephens Bryce. Authors and correspondents include: Mary Anderson, Sir Edwin Arnold, Phineas Taylor Barnum, Gustave Toutant Beauregard, Henry Ward Beecher, Dion Boucicault, Aaron Burr, Samuel Langhorne Clemens, Jefferson Davis, Charles Dickens, William Ewart Gladstone, Robert Green Ingersoll, William McKinley, Nelson Appleton Miles, Helena Modjeska, Clara Morris, Ouida, Theodore Roosevelt, Anton Seidl, Philip Henry Sheridan, William Tecumseh Sherman, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward, and Walt Whitman.

mssHM 50518-50563

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Leaf from Captain Cook's journal May 3-6, 1770, containing the account of the discovery and naming of Botany Bay : manuscript ; engraved portraits, views and miniature

Manuscripts

A bound volume with the journal leaf tipped in; also with engravings of portraits by William Hodges, John Webber and Nathaniel Dance of James Cook, Sir Joseph Banks and Botany Bay, proofs of engravings of the Copley Medal and a Nathaniel Hone miniature of Cook, on metal, and enameled. The volume is bound in a full red levant morocco with the title on the front cover: "The Only Surviving Leaf of Captain Cook's Journal Containing the Entries Relating to the Discovery and Naming of Botany Bay May 4th 5th & 6th 1770." Please note: In the passage referring to the naming of the bay, the words "Sting Ray Bay" have been deleted, and "Botanist Bay" written in.

mssHM 965

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Life sketch of Margaret Miller DeWitt

Manuscripts

This typescript covers in brief the life of Margaret Miller DeWitt. It describes her mother and sister's disapproval of her conversion to Mormonism, her emigration to the United States to join her sister Jane, and her activities as a Mormon woman.

mssHM 66577

A sketch of the life of Captain Elisha Stephens

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Elisha Williams tea permits issued to Leonard Chester

Joel Robert Chappell letters

Sampson & Tappan letter to Captain George Sweetlin

Lloyd Stephens Bryce Papers

Leaf from Captain Cook's journal May 3-6, 1770, containing the account of the discovery and naming of Botany Bay : manuscript ; engraved portraits, views and miniature

Life sketch of Margaret Miller DeWitt