American Antiquarian Society

An Inventory of Hispanic-Related Texts at the

American Antiquarian Society

Developed by Aldo Lauria-Santiago

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Document collections - Hispanic, Borderlands, Latin America

Mason, Richard Barnes, 1797‑1850.

Papers, 1815‑1824.

1 folder (42 items)

Richard Barnes Mason (1797‑1850) was a great‑grandson of George

Mason (1725‑1792), the noted Virginia statesman of the Revolutionary

era. Richard Barnes Mason rapidly advanced in the ranks of the army,

being commissioned in 1817 as a second lieutenant and serving as

captain of the 1st Infantry in the Black Hawk War (1832). Mason moved

on, as lieutenant colonel, to take part in the conquest of New Mexico

and California at the outset of the Mexican War. He then became the

first military and civil governor of California, a post that he held

until 1849.

George Mason ( ‑ ), the brother of Richard Barnes Mason,

remained in Virginia, occupied with the affairs of "Gunston Hall," the

large Mason estate, built by his great‑grandfather.

The letters and miscellaneous other items, for the period 1815 to

1824, include various receipts and accounts, in addition to numerous

letters written by Richard Barnes Mason to his brother during his army

service. Richard's letters discussed financial arrangements between

the two brothers, transactions regarding selling or hiring‑out their

slaves, investment in Kentucky and Missouri lands, a few dueling

incidents, and insights into Army life. Also, a few letters describe

a trip to the Wisconsin Territory on the steamboat _Walk‑in‑the‑

Water_.

SUBJECTS: 1. Mason, George. 2. Mason, Richard Barnes, 1797‑1850. 3.

United States. Army‑‑Military life. 4. Walk‑in‑the‑Water (Ship) 5.

Dueling. 6. Real estate investment. 7. Slave‑trade. 8. Slavery. 9.

Kentucky. 10. Missouri. 11. Wisconsin.

CALL NUMBER(S): Mss. Dept., Misc. mss. boxes "M"

Vaughan family.

Papers, 1843‑1918.

2 folders (44 items)

Ernest Howe Vaughan (1858‑1937) was born in Greenwich, Mass., the

son of Joseph P. Vaughan (1820‑1892) and Angenette C. Howe Vaughan

(1837‑1915) of Prescott, Mass. He was graduated from Boston

University School of Law in 1884, settled in Worcester, Mass., as an

attorney, and married Carrie L. Gleason ( ‑ ), daughter of Henry

Gleason ( ‑ ) of Dana, Mass.

This collection consists of business papers, land deeds, and a small

amount of family writings, for the period 1843 to 1918. Included are

an account of Jospeh P. Vaughan with the town of Prescott as its

overseer of the poor, 1861; papers concerning the installation of

lightning rods on the Vaughan property in Dana, 1894; and a

composition entitled "Passing Away," as well as a defense of the

Mexican War, both written by Joseph P. Vaughan while he a student at

the New Salem Academy (New Salem, Mass.), 1843 to 1846.

There are a few business papers of Henry Gleason including three tax

bills for the towns of Dana (1883), Pelham (1889), and Worcester

(1897), Mass., and two invoices.

The land deeds, 1852 to 1918, pertain to purchases made by various

family members and include land and burial plots in Prescott,

northeast Dana, and Greenwich, Mass., much of which is now beneath the

Quabbin Reservoir. There is also a water‑rights deed negotiated by

Angenette C. Howe Vaughan in 1894.

SUBJECTS: 1. Gleason, Henry. 2. Vaughan, Angenette C. Howe, 1837‑

1915. 3. Vaughan, Ernest Howe, 1858‑1937. 4. Vaughan, Joseph P., 1820‑

1892. 5. Vaughan family. 6. Students. 7. Taxation. 8. Dana (Mass.) 9.

Greenwich (Mass.) 10. Massachusetts. 11. Pelham (Mass.) 12. Prescott

(Mass.) 13. Worcester (Mass.) 14. Genre: Essays‑‑19th century. 15.

Genre: Local records‑‑19th century. 16. Genre: Local records‑‑20th

century.

CALL NUMBER(S): Mss. Dept., Misc. mss. boxes "V"

Sumner, Charles, 1811‑1874.

Papers, 1834‑1874.

1 folder (44 items)

Charles Sumner (1811‑1874), U.S. Senator from Massachusetts, 1851‑

1874, leading abolitionist, civil rights activist, and orator, played

a large part in the formation of the Republican Party, served with

distinction as chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations,

and became a leading opponent of Abraham Lincoln's Reconstruction

policies.

This collection contains papers and correspondence of Sumner, 1834‑

1874, including his Harvard Law School diploma, letters relative to

speaking engagements, notes of thanks to James B. Syme ( ‑ ) and

Asa Homan Waters (1808‑1887) for their support during his stand on the

Fugitive Slave Law, and copies of letters concerning the opinion of

Judge Joseph Story (1779‑1845) on copyright laws. Also included are

letters from individuals in Santa Fe, New Mexico, concerning the

Mexican Emancipation Proclamation of 1829, the Unionism of New

Mexicans during the Civil War, and the need for Sumner's help in

investigating the sale of territorial archives to private interests by

New Mexico governor William Anderson Pile (1829‑1889). Other letters

refer to Sumner's determination to fight slavery and the need for

"expurging [sic] bad whites" during Reconstruction.

The collection also contains a printed article written by Sumner in

1871 entitled "The Best Portraits in Engraving," with handwritten

corrections and additions by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807‑1882)

and Edward Lillie Pierce (1829‑1897).

SUBJECTS: 1. Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth, 1807‑1882. 2. Pierce,

Edward Lillie, 1829‑1897. 3. Pile, William A., 1829‑1889. 4. Story,

Joseph, 1779‑1845. 5. Syme, James B. 6. Waters, Asa H. (Asa Holman),

1808‑1887. 7. Abolitionists. 8. Copyright. 9. Engraving‑‑Collectors

and collecting. 10. Fugitive slave law of 1850. 11. Reconstruction.

12. Slavery. 13. New Mexico‑‑Politics and government.

CALL NUMBER(S): Mss. Dept., Misc. mss. boxes "S"

Wagner, Henry Raup, 1862‑1957.

Correspondence, 1932‑1935.

3 v. ; octavo.

Henry Raup Wagner (1862‑1957), of Berkeley, California, was a

notable bibliographer, historiographer, cartographer, and essayist,

primarily in the fields of Western and Hispanic‑American history. He

was also a collector of imprints and rare books on Western

explorations and California history. Among his numerous writings are

The Plains and the Rockies and The Spanish Southwest. Wagner was a

member of various historical societies, including the American

Antiquarian Society.

Summary: This collection contains correspondence bound in three

volumes. The letters, mainly in typescript, concern primarily

Wagner's work on a monograph on Joaquin Garcia Icazbalceta (1825‑

1894), an eminent Mexican bibliographer, book collector, and publisher

of historic Mexican pamphlets. The monograph was published in the

Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society, April 1934. The

first volume contains correspondence, 1932‑1935, with Don Joaquin

Garcia Pimentel ( ‑ ) of Mexico City, Mexico, a grandson of

Icazbalceta. The letters detail his grandfather's life, works, and

rare books library, and contain references to the political unrest in

Mexico during the 1930s, particularly the sacking of various

libraries. Pimentel, who occasionally wrote in Spanish, included

detailed corrections of Wagner's draft of the monograph and

bibliography of Icazbalceta's works. The volume contains photographs

and sketches of Icazbalceta and his home.

Volume 2 consists of correspondence, 1932‑1935, with Clarence

Saunders Brigham (1877‑1963), director of the American Antiquarian

Society, concerning publication details, and includes Wagner's

biographical sketch of Icazbalceta, abstracts of Icazbalceta's

correspondence with Dr. Wilberforce Eames (1855‑1937) during the late

19th century, and a lengthy bibliography of Icazbalceta's works.

There are also assessments made by Brigham of the value of specific

books, as well as photographs of Icazbalceta and his son Don Luis

Garcia Pimentel ( ‑ ), who aided his father with his

publications.

Volume 3 is a compilation of correspondence, 1832‑1934, between

Wagner and Dr. Eames of the New York Public Library. There are

references to Icazbalceta, but the letters pertain primarily to a

bibliography of Mexican imprints before 1600, which Wagner had

undertaken to produce. The volume includes lists of such imprints.

SUBJECTS: 1. Brigham, Clarence Saunders, 1877‑1963. 2. Eames,

Wilberforce, 1855‑1937. 3. Garcia Icazbalceta, Joaquin, 1825‑1894. 4.

Pimental, Joaquin Garcia. 5. American Antiquarian Society. 6.

Bibliographers. 7. Bibliography. 8. Book collectors. 9. Mexico‑‑

History. 10. Mexico City (Mexico) 11. Genre: Photographs.

CALL NUMBER(S): Mss. Dept., Octavo vols. "W"

Poole, Henry Ward, 1825‑1890.

Correspondence, 1857.

1 folder (6 items)

Henry Ward Poole (1825‑1890), engineer, professor, and collector of

Mexicana, was the brother of William Frederick Poole (1821‑1894),

noted librarian and historian. Henry Ward Poole attended Yale

University and in the 1850s became a property agent in Pottsville, Pa.

In 1856‑1857, he was in Mexico as an engineer for the Mexican Pacific

Coal and Iron Mining and Land Company, which had a government

commission to conduct a geological survey of Mexico. Poole's task was

to draw a map for a proposed railway link between Veracruz and Mexico

City. Eventually, Poole returned to Mexico to live and work as a

professor at the College of Mines in Mexico City. He became an avid

collector of Mexicana and corresponded often with the American

Antiquarian Society regarding rare books and manuscripts that he had

discovered.

Summary: This collection contains six letters, February‑May 1857,

written by Henry Ward Poole and addressed mainly to his brother

William and his mother Eliza Poole ( ‑ ). The letters were

written in Ajuchitlan and Acapulco, Mexico, and provide much detail

concerning his travels through Mexico as an engineer for the Mexican

Pacific Coal and Iron Mining and Land Company. There are descriptions

of the land and its people‑‑their customs, food, clothing, and

religious celebrations. One letter to his mother contains sketches of

Mexican trees and fruit. He wrote also of his work and finances.

SUBJECTS: 1. Poole, Eliza. 2. Poole, William Frederick, 1821‑1894.

3. Mexican Pacific Coal and Iron Mining and Land Company. 4. Geology.

5. Surveying. 6. Acapulco (Mexico) 7. Ajuchitlan (Mexico) 8. Mexico.

CALL NUMBER(S): Mss. Dept., Misc. mss. boxes "P"

Hill, Jonathan Henry, 1818‑1890.

Papers, 1841‑1884.

1 box. 7 v. ; octavo.

Jonathan Henry Hill, known commonly as J. Henry Hill (1818‑1890),

was a Worcester lawyer. He taught school in Barre, Mass., and studied

law under Charles Allen and Benjamin F. Thomas in Worcester. After

being admitted to the Bar he held partnerships at various times with

George F. Hoar, Benjamin F. Thomas and Charles Devens. Hill was clerk

and solicitor of the Worcester County Institute for Savings and

president of the Worcester County Horticultural Society.

Seven diaries, 1841‑1842, 1845‑1849, consist of daily entries kept

by Hill while a teacher, law student, clerk, and lawyer. The entries

record both social and business activities. Court cases are

discussed, as well as national political issues of the time. There

are several entries concerning the war with Mexico, bills before

Congress (Bank Bill, War Bill, and Tariff Bill) and political

conventions. Occasional entries record local news.

One manuscript box (1842‑1884) contains legal documents and

correspondence addressed to Hill. Much of the correspondence was

written by clients and there are many letters from George Stillman

Hillard (1808‑1879) and Benjamin Franklin Thomas (1813‑1878). A few

miscellaneous items include papers relating to the Worcester

Horticultural Society and receipts. There are legal documents

appointing Hill Justice of the Peace and Commissioner of Deeds.

SUBJECTS: 1. Hill, Jonathan Henry, 1818‑1890. 2. Hillard, George

Stillman, 1808‑1879. 3. Thomas, Benjamin Franklin, 1813‑1878. 4.

Worcester County Horticultural Society. 5. Lawyers. 6. Mexican War,

1846‑1848. 7. Massachusetts. 8. Massachusetts‑‑Politics and

government. 9. United States‑‑Politics and government. 10. Worcester

(Mass.) 11. Genre: Diaries‑‑19th century.

CALL NUMBER(S): Mss. Dept., Mss. boxes "H", Octavo vols "H"

Briggs, George Nixon, 1796‑1861.

Correspondence, 1832‑1861.

1 traycase ; octavo.

George Nixon Briggs (1796‑1861) began to study law in 1813 and in

1818 was admitted to the bar. In 1824, he was elected town clerk of

Lanesboro, Mass., and in 1826, was appointed chairman of the

commissioners of highways of Berkshire County. In 1830, he was

elected to Congress, where he served from 1831‑1843 as a Whig. He

consistently opposed the extenstion of slavery. In 1844, he became

governor of Massachusetts and was reelected each year until 1851. He

condemned the Mexican War and opposed the annexation of Texas. In

state affairs his strongest interest was in education. In 1853, he

was appointed judge of the court of common pleas. His official career

ended when that court was abolished in 1858. From 1856 to his death

he was president of the American Temperance Union. He was the most

prominent Baptist layman in the U.S. and from 1847 to his death he was

president of the Baptist Missionary Union. He died from an accidental

gunshot wound.

This correspondence was written almost entirely during Briggs'

career as a U.S. Congressman and Massachusetts Governor. Several

letters from Horace Mann (1796‑1859) and, to a lesser extent, from

Mark Hopkins (1802‑1887) and Edward Everett (1794‑1865) illustrate

Briggs' interest in matters concerning education. Briggs received

many letters about politics and legal cases from John Davis (1787‑

1854). For the most part, the remaining correspondence concerns

itself with recommendations, invitations, and various messges of an

official nature. A number of these letters were sent by John Gorham

Palfrey (1796‑1881) and Josiah Quincy (1802‑1882).

SUBJECTS: 1. Briggs, George Nixon, 1796‑1861. 2. Davis, John, 1787‑

1854. 3. Everett, Edward, 17941865. 4. Hopkins, Mark, 1802‑1887. 5.

Mann, Horace, 1796‑1859. 6. Palfrey, John Gorham, 1796‑1881. 7.

Quincy, Josiah, 1802‑1882. 8. Lawyers. 9. Public schools‑‑

Massachusetts. 10. Teachers‑‑Training of. 11. Massachusetts‑‑Politics

and government. 12. Genre: Correspondence‑‑19th century.

CALL NUMBER(S): Mss. Dept., Octavo vols. "B"

Traveler's diary, 1871‑1872.

1 v. (48 leaves) ; octavo.

This volume is entitled "Notes of a Tourist through the Cactus

Plantations between San Antonio & Polafox," and covers the period 21

November 1871 to 8 January 1872. The volume contains the daily

entries of a traveler, possibly a woman, with the medical portion of

the "Band of Hope" [12 December 1871] detailing a circular trip taken

in Texas to San Antonio to Laredo to a post near Rio Grande City to

Brownsville to Corpus Christi and back to San Antonio. The purpose of

the trip seems to be to inspect the post and hospitals at those

places. There are also a few side trips to the Mexican cities of New

Laredo, Camargo, and Matamoros.

The entries contain notations of miles traveled each day, as well as

total number of miles traveled. The writer also describes the

weather, the country being passed through, and the people encountered.

There are also some miscellaneous notations not related to the trip,

as well as a poem.

SUBJECTS: 1. Band of Hope. 2. Voyages and travels. 3. Brownsville

(Tex.) 4. Camargo (Mexico) 5. Corpus Christi (Tex.) 6. Laredo (Tex.)

7. Matamoros (Mexico) 8. Mexico. 9. Mexico‑‑Description and travel.

10. New Laredo (Mexico) 11. Rio Grande City (Tex.) 12. San Antonio

(Tex.) 13. Texas. 14. Texas‑‑Description and travel. 15. Genre:

Diaries‑‑19th century. 16. Genre: Poems‑‑19th century.

CALL NUMBER(S): Mss. Dept., Octavo vols. "T"

Lyon, Nathaniel, 1818‑1862.

Papers, 1840‑1861.

1 folder (25 items)

Nathaniel Lyon (1818‑1862), soldier and author, was born in Ashford,

Conn. A graduate of West Point, he served in the U.S. Army as

lieutenant in Florida fighting Seminole Indians, at Sackets Harbor,

N.Y., as captain in Mexico during the war (1845‑1848), and in

"Bleeding" Kansas. Lyon was also a well‑known political commentator.

He is best known for his leadership at the 1861 battle of Wilson's

Creek, Mo., as a result of which was that Missouri remained in the

Union during the Civil War.

The collection contains twenty‑five letters, most of which Lyon

wrote to his brother‑in‑law, John B. Hasler ( ‑ ). The letters

provide information on life at West Point, tensions caused by the

slavery issue, and soldiering in Florida, on the Canadian frontier, in

Mexico, and in "Bleeding" Kansas. They also contain vivid

descriptions of Mexican people. Included are eleven clippings from

various newspapers containing accounts of the battle at Wilson's Creek

(where Gen. Lyon was killed), battle maps, biographical material,

descriptions of the war hero's funeral, and many eulogies.

Two pages of extracts of poetry by Thomas Moore (1779‑1852) are also

part of the collection.

SUBJECTS: 1. Hasler, John B. 2. Lyon, Nathaniel, 1818‑1862. 3.

Moore, Thomas, 1779‑1852. 4. United States Military Academy. 5.

Mexican War, 1846‑1848. 6. Mexicans. 7. Seminole War, 2nd, 1835‑1842.

8. Slavery. 9. Soldiers. 10. Wilson's Creek, Battle of, 1861. 11.

Canada. 12. Florida. 13. Kansas‑‑History‑‑1854‑1861. 14. Mexico‑‑

Description and travel. 15. Missouri‑‑History‑‑Civil War, 1861‑1865.

16. New York (State) 17. Sackets Harbor (N.Y.) 18. United States‑‑

History‑‑Civil War, 1861‑1865. 19. United States‑‑History‑‑Civil War,

1861‑1865‑‑Campaigns. 20. Genre: Correspondence‑‑19th century.

CALL NUMBER(S): Mss. Dept., Misc. mss. boxes "L"