Manumission of "a certain male slave named Frank,"

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  Caroline Brady bill of sale of slaves to Henry A. Ellison

  Manuscripts

  This is a bill of sale for three slaves to Henry A. Ellison by Caroline Brady. It was witnessed by P. M. Bryan. It is undated and the location is unknown.

  mssHM 82545

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  Adrian H. Joline autograph collection

  Manuscripts

  Adrian H. Joline's three volume collection of items signed by U.S. Secretaries of War (from Henry Knox to Henry L. Stimson), Secretaries of State (from Thomas Jefferson to Elihu Root), and Speakers of the House of Representatives (from Frederick Muhlenberg to Joseph G. Cannon). Volumes contain 248 inlaid signed letters, documents, or individual signatures. Also present are portraits of cabinet members, representatives, and some spouses, and other illustrations--mostly engravings and also a few photographs, some of which are signed. Volumes were compiled in 1912. U.S. presidents in this collection include John Quincy Adams, James Buchanan, Ulysses S. Grant, James Madison, James Monroe, Thomas Jefferson, James K. Polk, William H. Taft, and Martin Van Buren; presidential items have been individually cataloged.

  mssHM 4577-4803

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  [Ship's Journal] No. 1 of Le Jeune Louis: [Logbook] from French Clandestine Slave Trade papers

  Manuscripts

  This collection contains the original French documents relating to an African slave trade expedition undertaken by the French ship Le Jeune Louis in 1824-1825. The trip extended from Nantes to the coast of Nigeria, from there to Havana and back to Flushing.There are 38 letters, 63 documents, and five volumes, one of which is the captain's letterbook. All of the papers pertain directly to the slave ships equipment, the crew, salaries, merchandise, accounts, passports, bills of health, and an insurance policy. The actual purchase of the slaves, their prices and negotiations with Negro Kings is discussed in one of the journals and other papers. There are records of suicides and deaths. Information regarding the precautions taken to veil the true nature of the expedition is included. The record of the voyage extends from November 1824 through October 4, 1825.

  mssHM 43974-44029

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  Memoirs and reminiscences

  Manuscripts

  Crosby writes of events in his life, beginning with his birth in New York on July 18, 1818. After spending his early days on his parents' farm, he studied law and became an attorney in 1841. In 1843, he became "Attorney of the Supreme Court of the State of New York." In this capacity, Crosby began to become aware of the tension between California and Mexico, and upon learning of the opportunities for lawyers in California, he decided to relocate there in 1849. The discovery of gold in California urged his decision. He traveled by steamship, and writes of his journey, including a stop in Cuba. He landed in Panama and traveled up the Chagres River, then across to the Pacific Ocean, where he took another steamship to San Francisco, arriving in late February, 1849. Many of the passengers had traveled to search for gold; as Crosby writes, "There was a general disposition to get away from the city, to the gold mines." Crosby prospects himself at several locations. He describes the events leading up to the California constitutional convention in Monterey, as well as details of the convention itself. He describes the convention as "a very harmonious body and I think the members only had the interest of the people at heart." Crosby also relates his experiences as part of the "Land Commission," the function of which was "to Settle Private Land Claims in California," as well as his experiences serving as an ambassador to Guatemala. Crosby claims to have been given "secret instructions" by the President to see if Guatemala might be suitable for the relocation of the recently freed American slaves, but is skeptical that this plan would work. He describes the country and its inhabitants at length, for he feels "there is a great misapprehension among our people with regard to those tropical countries." Crosby relates of the social order of San Francisco, especially events connected to "a very noted cortezan" known as "the Countess." This manuscript appears to be a copy, for it is written in several different hands, and appears to be incomplete, as it ends abruptly.

  mssHM 284