MSS 0098. Delaware Miscellaneous Historical Manuscripts

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One typed letter from Delaware Governor Elbert N. Carvel to Freda E. Ritz, thanking her for her letter about the educational program recommended by the Delaware State Educational Association.

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Billk Frank's collection of information and clippings regarding Delaware Senators and U. S. Representatives, particularly James A. Bayard and Thomas McKean. Also included is a letter from Jeffrey Welsh, the Press Secretary for the office of the Governor, concerning Buena Vista, a home that once served as the Governor's mansion.

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Reply to H. D. Trevillian's letter requesting Delaware author Christopher Ward's autograph on his copy of The Dutch and Swedes on the Delaware.

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A letter of friendship, presumed to be from Charles Mifflin (signed "Nimrod"), on behalf of the Wilmington Fishing Club, lamenting the group's lack of replies to Thomas Howard's previous letters and their continued regard for him.

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Letter from Captain Patrick Boggan, Revolutionary War leader, to Thomas Lawrence about the purchase of land in "Willing's Town," an early name for Wilmington, Delaware.

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Legal document stating that an enslaved boy named Caleb Cox has been sold by Mary and William Herdman, administrators of the estate of John Herdman, to John Thompson of New Castle, Delaware.

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Descriptive list of a detachment of recruits assigned to the 42nd regiment, United States Infantry, forwarded to Camp McComb near New Castle, Delaware, by order of Major Thomas Stockton.

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A note of exchange between Reynell Coats and John Bringhurst and Co., stating that thirty pounds sterling should be paid to Reynell Coates thirty dates after the date of the note.

Abstract The papers contain three items related to William R. Jones. Includes is a handwritten will (amendment?) for Jones, which provides for the emancipation of his slaves after his death. Also included is a letter from Captain Daniel Woodall to Mrs. Jones, outlining the movements of the Delaware First Regiment from the time they left Norfolk, Virgina, through the Battle of Antietam, and descrbied the type of conditions the troops endured on the march and in battle. A letter from Jones to his wife...

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Confederate Lieutenant James C. Saltus's handwritten manuscript describing his Civil War experience from April-June 1864. The manuscript was written while Saltus was a prisoner of war at Division 22 Officers Barracks, Fort Delaware, on October 14, 1864. Also included is a letter from Saltus to his niece on her letter writing and family matters, sent while he was at Fort Delaware.

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Brief reminiscence of the day of President Abraham Lincoln's death written by Emalea Pusey Warner, an instrumental spokesperson for the Women's College at the University of Delaware.

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Handwritten court document detailing a suit brought by Sussex County, Delaware, resident Richard Goodwright against Thomas Thrustout for Peter Marsh's unlawful entry of Goodright's rented land and subsequent ejection of Goodwright as the tenant before the end of his rental term. The document includes the signature of William Peery, a member of the United States Continental Congress from Delaware and a Revolutionary War commander for a Lewes, Delaware, militia.

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Two handwritten letters from Lieutenant Sydney I. Wailes, who served at Fort Delaware during the Civil War, to his friends, describing the day to day activities at the Fort. Typed transcripts of the letters are available in the collection file.

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Two letters from Samuel Francis du Pont to Alexander Dallas Bache, a professor of Chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania, about a planned future visit by du Pont to Bache's residence. Also included is a letter of application to Bache on behalf of an individual who has worked with du Pont in the past.

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A handwritten letter to Sophie Madeleine du Pont, wife of Samuel Francis du Pont, possibly from her friend Clementina Smith. The letter consists of discussion of a number of personal matters, including Sophie du Pont's recent poor health, as well as problems Clementina has encountered in procuring access to a building for Sunday school, among others.

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Thirteen letters from five Confederate soldiers imprisoned at Fort Delaware. The names of the soldiers are: Sam Spengler, Abraham Shillingburg, Joseph G. [Sager], Edward [Sheets], and Albert Snead. All were soldiers from the 10th Virginia Infantry, the 7th Virginia Cavalry, or the 23rd Virginia Infantry. Letters are written to Mrs. Nannie Sellman, or Mr. H. F. Hebb. Also included is one letter from a mother of one of the prisoners and one letter from a father of a prisoner.

Abstract Eleven handwritten accident reports, eye witness accounts, and court declaration make up this small collection documenting an accident involving a horse-drawn wagon, driven by Robert Marshall Hannum, and Wilmington City Railroad Co. trolley car no. 15, on February 22, 1901 . Also included is the subsequent lawsuit brought by Mr. Hannum. Documentation includes accident reports completed by the conductor of the car, Adolph Edwards, and by the car’s motorman, William Anseaume, as well as the...

Abstract This one sheet of eight W. Young, Mills & Son (W Y & Co.) watermarked bank bonds for duties payable at Bank of United States dates from circa 1803-1811. This was William Young (1755-1829) & Co. of Philadelphia who established a paper mill in Delaware about 1794 with his partner, Robert Gilmour. Young became the sole proprietor in 1803 and had a thriving business until a fire destroyed his paper mill in 1814. The charter for the First Bank of the United States was granted in 1791...

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A certificate of exemption for a drafted person on account of disability dated September 16, 1863, certifying that by reason of physical disability, Emile J. Bucher, of Wilmington's 3rd Ward in New Castle County, is unfit for military duty. The second document is an oversized United States of America passport for Emile E. Bucher (1868-1914), Bucher's son, describing his physical characteristics, signed by U.S. Senator Thomas F. Bayard (D-Del., 1869-1885), and issued on September 6, 1888.

Abstract These twelve letters were written by Delawarean Fagan H. Simonton to his mother, Mrs. W. A. (Hettie) Simonton, who resided in Wilmington, Delaware, during his service in the U.S. Army during the first World War. The letters, which date from June 1918 to May 1919, document the experiences of training and embarkment from Camp Meade to France. With references to trenches, gas "the flu," and the armistice, the letters Simonton's experiences in Europe during America's late entrance to the Great...

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A manuscript land survey of plots of land in Town of New Castle, in the name of New Castle merchant Samuel Vanleuvenigh but probably written by a clerk, dated May 28, 1752.

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One-page typed letter from Attorney General Mitchell Palmer to Delaware state judge Robert H. Hollet. In the letter, Palmer discusses the critical role Woman Suffrage will play in creating a peaceful and equitable nation.