Manuscripts
George S. Mathews diary
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Peter Andrew Clapsaddle diary
Manuscripts
In this diary, Clapsaddle writes daily entries while on his voyage from New York to San Francisco. In it. he talks about life on board the ship, seasickness, his asthma, three passengers dying on board, church services he attended and the meals he ate. He also gives the ship's position and course. He briefly mentions the ship's stops in Panama and Guatemala, the arrival in San Francisco and a job he obtained with the Evening telegram. With the diary is a typed biography of Clapsaddle, outline of his voyage, map of his voyage and typescript of the diary.
mssHM 75101
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George Forby diary
Manuscripts
The early part of the diary details Forby's daily activities in mid-19th century New York, during which he visits friends, goes to concerts, sings in the choir of his church, and maintains his shop. He also meets and courts Elizabeth Dowd, whom he eventually marries. There is a considerable gap in the diary. There is an entry for August 24, 1851, with Forby still in New York, and the next entry in the diary is dated February 23, 1852, and Forby is en route to California via steamship. There do not appear to be any missing pages. Forby writes in detail of his journey, especially about his fellow passengers. His voyage takes him to Cuba, Panama, and the coast of Mexico, finally landing in California on April 1, and finds work as a painter in San Francisco. Here there is another gap in time, with no entries between November 30, 1852, and August 2, 1879, at which time Forby has been married to Elizabeth Dowd for twenty-four years, and had children, but she has passed away. He writes that he left California twenty-six years ago for lack of work. The first entry of the diary is dated January 5, 1851, and the final entered date is November 8, 1879. Included is a small scrap of paper with the writing "6/28-1824, Albany, NY, date of birth" on one side and "25 yrs old in '51" on the other side.
mssHM 16992
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George Forby letter to Elizabeth Dowd Forby
Manuscripts
In this letter to his wife, Forby describes his journey to California via Cuba and Panama. He witnessed two burials at sea during his voyage, and called Panama "the most singular place I ever saw." Of San Francisco, he writes "you never saw such a set of long faces and idle people as there are here," owing to the decline in mining. Nevertheless, Forby is determined to stay and "try to face it through."
mssHM 16551
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Diary
Manuscripts
Diary and memorandum book of a Boston merchant, probably Peter Verstille. The diarist sailed from Boston to London in October 1768, onboard the Amazon. The largest portion of the diary covers his stay in London from early December 1768 to late April 1769. Much of it is devoted to politics and political debates, especially John Wilkes and the Middlesex elections (the diary opens with an account of the Brentford riot on Dec. 8, 1768), and American policies of the cabinet. The author also recounts his visits to the relatives (one of whom asked him "whether people in America talk'd English"), sightseeing and social life -- coffeehouses, the Old Bailey, Parliament, St. Paul's cathedral, the Tower, etc (including admission fees). Included is a detailed account of a moderated debate at a "Temple Bar Disputing Club" on "whether or not it was to the honour of Britain to tax America." He frequently mentions "John Olds," probably John Olds (1725-1782) of Hartford and Thomas Bromfield (1734-1816), a Boston merchant who had settled in London in 1760. An intensely religious person, he attended services at various London churches, including George Whitefield's Tabernacle; the diary contains detailed records of sermons and preachers. This portion ends with a record of his voyage to Boston onboard the Paoli; he arrived to the city on June 19, 1769.
mssHM 175
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George W. McCune diaries
Manuscripts
Set of four diaries kept by George W. McCune while he was serving as a missionary in England from 1896-1898. The first volume begins with his departure from Nephi in January 1896 and traces his travels by train to Philadelphia and his subsequent sea voyage to Liverpool. McCune's missionary work centered around Norwich, but the diaries also record his travels to London, Wymondham, Lowestoft, Nottingham, Birmingham, Ipswich, Eastbourne, and Lyme. The fourth volume also recounts his December 1897 tour of Versailles, Paris, Brussels, Waterloo, Rotterdam, and The Hague. The fourth volume concludes with McCune's return voyage to New York in March 1898 and follows his return to Utah as far as Denver, where he arrived in April 1898.
mssHM 37546 (1-4)
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George Stein diary
Manuscripts
George Stein kept this diary while on several fishing and camping trips in Washington State from 1934 to 1936. Besides diary entries about his fishing trips, Stein also includes lists of equipment needed for fishing, fly fishing, and camping, as well as details about fish flies and rods, and auto repairs he performs on his car. Also included is a "Camp Food Check List" by Stein.
mssHM 84020