Manuscripts
George W. Hoffman letters to Dr. Guy Phelps
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John B. Fay and H. B. Tuttle letters to Dr. Guy Phelps
Manuscripts
These two letters, both dated 1850, February 20, are addressed to Dr. Guy Phelps, the founder of the Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Company.
mssHM 82386-82387
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George Bruce Upton letters to his father
Manuscripts
This is a series of nine letters written by George Bruce Upton, Junior, to his father, describing his journey to California and his experiences therein. The first two letters, HM 24681 and 24684, were written in February and April, 1852, while the younger Upton was en route to California aboard the ship "Great Britain." By the next letter (HM 24683, dated April-May, 1852), the ship has landed at San Francisco. HM 24684 (written May 31) sees George Junior in San Francisco, attempting to order goods for the opening of a store. In the next letter, (HM 24685, dated June 15), he travels to gold mines out of curiosity, and to check on an acquaintance, whom had gone there to search for gold. Putnam, the would-be miner, was found not doing well. George Junior likes what he has seen of San Francisco, though he is not enamored with its government. HM 24686, written in San Francisco on November 15, tells of a fire in Sacramento that, according to Junior, will "enhance the value of almost every description of merchandise" in San Francisco. The rest of the letter is concerned with the shipping and prices of goods, and details of the purchasing of a boat and insurance. The next letter in the series is dated January 15, 1854. George Junior is living in a shared house in San Francisco, and he writes "the city has improved wonderfully." The following letter was written May 31, 1854 (HM 24688) and contains George Junior's description of his visit to gold mines, and his own successful attempts at panning and digging. He also mentions quartz mining as a potential and relatively untapped source of revenue. In his opinion, he considers "the idea of the mines giving out, in the usual acceptance of the expression, as highly improbable." The final letter in this series is HM 24689, alleged to have been written in San Francisco in 1854, as only the final eight pages of the twelve-page letter remain. George Junior reports that "the mining population has diminished greatly," and that the market for goods has also fallen. He worries about the long-term prospects of San Francisco, despite its rapid growth during his stay there.
mssHM 24681-24689
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William Walter Phelps papers
Manuscripts
A collection of political, business, diplomatic, social, and family correspondence of William Walter Phelps, chiefly letters addressed to him. The collection numbers 199 items, including items related to American politics and the Republican party, Phelps' diplomatic service, his family, social life and literary interests. Correspondents include, among others, Herbert Nikolaus von Bismarck, James Gillespie Blaine, Benjamin Harrison, Eugene Field, Samuel Langhorne Clemens, and Joseph Pulitzer. Also included is the correspondence of John Jay Phelps, a poem by Eugene Field dedicated to Phelps, an 1882 letter containing an eye-witness account of the battle of Battle of Chapultepec, Mexico (1847), ephemera, photographs, and newspapers clippings. The collection also contains papers related to John Chester Eno's embezzlement from the Second Bank of New York (of which Phelps was a director) and Phelps' negotiations with Eno's father, Amos Richard Phelps, to make good the loss (1884). Materials created by US presidents in this collection include: Rutherford B. Hayes autograph letters signed to William Walter Phelps, 1879 July and December (HM 27382-27383); James A. Garfield and James G. Blaine signed appointment of William Walter Phelps as minister to Austria Hungary, 1881 March 5 (HM 27376); Theodore Roosevelt autograph letter signed to William Walter Phelps, approximately 1888 April 10 (HM 27406); Benjamin Harrison and James G. Blaine signed appointment of William Walter Phelps as commissioner to Berlin Conference on Samoan Affairs, 1889 March 19 (HM 27450); Benjamin Harrison and James G. Blaine signed appointment of William Walter Phelps as minister to Germany, 1889 June and December (includes passport and letter of credit, HM 27484-27485); Benjamin Harrison letters to William Walter Phelps, 1888-1892 (HM 27480-27483); William H. Taft letter signed to Marian von Rottenburg Phelps, 1910 and 1911 (HM 27413-27414).
mssHM 27329-27485
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Charles Hoffman letter to William King
Manuscripts
This letter written by Charles Hoffman to William King was about guano, the excrement and urine of seabirds and bats, which was just being widely recognized as an excellent fertilizer and an important source of nitrates for gunpowder and explosives. It was primarily gathered off the coast of Peru, but Hoffman, who owned many vessels that regularly traded in peanuts and palm oil with West Africa's coast, was apparently the first American entrepreneur to find a source on the island of Ichaboe, now in Namibia.
mssHM 80484
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Hoffman, Edwin B. to W. York
Manuscripts
The Edwin B. Hoffman collection mostly consists of professional correspondence and records related to Hoffman's career at sea, from 1901-1921. The first series includes accounts, forms, correspondence, financial records, legal documents, photographs, and printed ephemera pertaining to his time at the United States Lighthouse Service and United States Shipping Board. Letters and telegrams detail the loss of P.J. Abler (schooner) in 1915 and the collision of Dorr (schooner) and Oklahoma (schooner) in 1916. Included is a certificate indicating Hoffman was pilot on the first torpedo flotilla aboard the United States Ship Whipple. Most of the correspondence in this series is addressed to Hoffman. The second series includes accounts, certificates, correspondence, documents, logs, manifests, and reports concerning his service as Master of Eastern Leader (steamboat) in 1921. Letters and reports detail an accident to the rudder on 1921 May 26, while undocking in Limerick, Ireland for New York. Most of the letters are typed copies retained by Hoffman addressed to colleagues and family.
mssHoffmane
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Hoffman, Edwin B. to W. Wilson
Manuscripts
The Edwin B. Hoffman collection mostly consists of professional correspondence and records related to Hoffman's career at sea, from 1901-1921. The first series includes accounts, forms, correspondence, financial records, legal documents, photographs, and printed ephemera pertaining to his time at the United States Lighthouse Service and United States Shipping Board. Letters and telegrams detail the loss of P.J. Abler (schooner) in 1915 and the collision of Dorr (schooner) and Oklahoma (schooner) in 1916. Included is a certificate indicating Hoffman was pilot on the first torpedo flotilla aboard the United States Ship Whipple. Most of the correspondence in this series is addressed to Hoffman. The second series includes accounts, certificates, correspondence, documents, logs, manifests, and reports concerning his service as Master of Eastern Leader (steamboat) in 1921. Letters and reports detail an accident to the rudder on 1921 May 26, while undocking in Limerick, Ireland for New York. Most of the letters are typed copies retained by Hoffman addressed to colleagues and family.
mssHoffmane