Manuscripts

Samuel Nichols papers

Description: The collection contains letters from Samuel Nichols to family discussing his 1849 overland journey and 1850 ocean voyage to San Francisco via Panama. There are also four letters from his wife, Sarah Ann Taylor Nichols. Among other family papers, there is a diary, from 1821 to 1822, and autobiography, 1821, by Benjamin Hodge, a relative of the Nichols family.
Type: Manuscripts(Opens in new tab)
Date: 1753-1897
Call number: mssHM 48250-48298
Creator: Nichols, Samuel (-1850)(Opens in new tab)
Provenance: Purchased from Mary E. Nichols, May 1936.
Restrictions: Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.
Rights: The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining permission rests with the researcher.
Associated people: Hodge, Benjamin.; Nichols, Sarah A.
Find out more: View in the Library catalog(Opens in new tab); View in the Online Archive of California(Opens in new tab)

Samuel Nichols papers

Manuscripts

The collection contains letters from Samuel Nichols to family discussing his 1849 overland journey and 1850 ocean voyage to San Francisco via Panama. There are also four letters from his wife, Sarah Ann Taylor Nichols. Among other family papers, there is a diary, from 1821 to 1822, and autobiography, 1821, by Benjamin Hodge, a relative of the Nichols family.

mssHM 48250-48298

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Nichols family archive

Manuscripts

The Nichols family archive consists of correspondence, manuscript volumes, military records, and photographs. George Granville Nichols's letters constitute the largest group of correspondence. His letters from Iowa covered economic, social, and political life in the antebellum Midwest. He wrote about the politics of slavery and abolition, and activities of the local fraternities and lodges. His letters also contained detailed discussion of his plans to go West to mine for gold, complete with considerations of logistics, competitors, and financial risks. His wartime letters covered the entire period of his service in the 42nd Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. Nichols's letters to his family contained highly informative and vivid descriptions of the American Civil War in Louisiana, including his encounters with slaves, "contrabands," women of color, "rebels," Confederate prisoners, spies, and even some rather creative cotton smugglers. Smith Woodward Nichols, Jr.'s letters described his studies the Naval Academy and his American Civil War service, including an account of the assault of Fort Fisher. In addition to letters from the Nichols brothers, letters from other family members are present in the collection and present a great resource for examining family and social dynamics of the American Civil War era.

mssNichols

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Memoriam -- In Memoriam. George Granville Nichols, [1899]

Manuscripts

mssNichols

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Discharge -- Nichols, George Granville, (1863, Aug. 20)

Manuscripts

mssNichols

Joseph Nichols diary, 1758-1766

Manuscripts

Journal kept by Joseph Nichols during May -- Nov. 1758. Long, detailed daily entries describe the formation of the company and regiment, the march from Farmingham, Mass. to Ticonderoga, military operations, including the battle of Carrillon; the commanding officers -- Jonathan Bagley, James Abercromby, Robert Rogers, Rufus Putnam, and others; regimental news and camp life, courts martial and punishments meted out for various transgressions, sickness, etc. Also included is a roster of Taplin's company. The rest of the manuscript contains miscellaneous daily entries, accounts, promissory notes, and a recipe "How to Make Ink;" this portion covers the period from Mar. 22, 1759 to May 1766. There is also the following title (crossed out): "Fortunatus Nichols Aboard the Cutter September 23. I Begun a journal." Also included are 9 receipts, promissory notes, etc. by Joseph and Fortunatus Nichols.

mssHM 89

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Appointment -- Commonwealth of Massachusetts to George Granville Nichols, (1864, Aug. 18)

Manuscripts

mssNichols

Samuel Nichols papers

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Samuel Nichols papers

Nichols family archive

Memoriam -- In Memoriam. George Granville Nichols, [1899]

Discharge -- Nichols, George Granville, (1863, Aug. 20)

Joseph Nichols diary, 1758-1766

Appointment -- Commonwealth of Massachusetts to George Granville Nichols, (1864, Aug. 18)