General Historical Manuscripts and Ephemera collection
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Scope and Content
This artificially created collection consists of notes, letters, documents, and photographs created by and for important American and European historical figures. Arranged chronologically, the collection includes letters written by Thomas Jefferson and William S. Smith; a document certifying the results of the 1850 Los Angeles Justice of the Peace election; autographed notes and letters penned by members of Abraham Lincoln's Cabinet; a stock certificate signed by Grover Cleveland; letters sent to Ruth LePrade from Eugene Debs en route to and from prison; a letter signed by Franklin Roosevelt; locks of George and Martha Washington's hair; a letter from Oscar Wilde; a letter regarding the activities of the British East India Company; a letter from an unidentified son to his mother sent from British Ceylon; and a 1605 proclamation by King James I of England. Of particular interest, for their content, are the Thomas Jefferson, William Smith, and Eugene Debs letters, and the election results document.
Dates
- Creation: 1605-1928, undated
Creator
- Blair, Montgomery (Person)
- Bryan, William Jennings, 1860-1925 (Person)
- Cameron, Simon (Person)
- Chase, Salmon P. (Salmon Portland) (Person)
- Debs, Eugene V. (Eugene Victor) (Person)
- Dennison, William (Person)
- Dornberger, Walter, 1895-1980 (Person)
- Fessenden, William Pitt (Person)
- Forster, George, -1836 (Person)
- Freiligrath, Ferdinand, 1810-1876 (Person)
- James, King of England, I, 1566-1625 (Person)
- Jefferson, Thomas (Person)
- Lamartine, Alphonse de, 1790-1869 (Person)
- Raymond, Henry J. (Henry Jarvis) (Person)
- Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano) (Person)
- Seward, William Henry (Person)
- Smith, William Stephens (Person)
- Strange, Thomas Andrew Lumisden, 1756-1841 (Person)
- Von Braun, Wernher, 1912-1977 (Person)
- Wilde, Oscar (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Advance notice required for access.
Conditions Governing Use
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Manuscripts Librarian. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
Extent
3.21 Linear Feet (2 boxes, 1 oversize folder)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
This artificially created collection consists of notes, letters, documents, and photographs created by and for important historical figures, mostly American, from 1605, 1790 to 1928, and undated. Of particular historical interest are the letters written by Thomas Jefferson, William Smith, and Eugene Debs, and the 1850 Los Angeles Justice of the Peace election results document.
Acquisition
The documents in this collection were acquired from a number of sources. The William S. Smith letter was donated by Harris Woods, April 1982. The Lincoln Cabinet members autographs were donated by Dr. Edward M. Pallette, February 1954. The Los Angeles election manuscript was purchased from the Historical Society of Southern California, 1988. The British East India Company letter was purchased from the Wayfarer's Bookshop, 2014. The letter from British Ceylon was purchased from Ken Spelman Books, 2019.
Subject
- Blair, Montgomery -- Correspondence (Person)
- Bryan, William Jennings, 1860-1925 -- Correspondence (Person)
- Cameron, Simon -- Correspondence (Person)
- Carrillo, Jose Antonio -- Archives (Person)
- Chase, Salmon P. (Salmon Portland) -- Correspondence (Person)
- Cleveland, Grover -- Archives (Person)
- Debs, Eugene V. (Eugene Victor) -- Correspondence (Person)
- Dennison, William -- Correspondence (Person)
- Dornberger, Walter, 1895-1980 -- Correspondence (Person)
- Dundas, Henry, 1742-1811 -- Correspondence (Person)
- East India Company -- Archives (Organization)
- Fessenden, William Pitt -- Correspondence (Person)
- Forster, George, -1836 -- Correspondence (Person)
- Freiligrath, Ferdinand, 1810-1876 -- Archives (Person)
- James, King of England, I, 1566-1625 -- Archives (Person)
- Jefferson, Thomas -- Correspondence (Person)
- Lamartine, Alphonse de, 1790-1869 -- Correspondence (Person)
- Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 -- Archives (Person)
- Lindbergh, Charles A. (Charles Augustus), 1902-1974 -- Photographs (Person)
- Raymond, Henry J. (Henry Jarvis) -- Correspondence (Person)
- Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano) -- Correspondence (Person)
- Sepulveda, Juan Capistrano -- Archives (Person)
- Seward, William Henry -- Correspondence (Person)
- Smith, William Stephens -- Correspondence (Person)
- Strange, Thomas Andrew Lumisden, 1756-1841 -- Correspondence (Person)
- Von Braun, Wernher, 1912-1977 -- Correspondence (Person)
- Washington, George -- Archives (Person)
- Washington, Martha -- Archives (Person)
- Wilde, Oscar -- Correspondence (Person)
Genre / Form
Geographic
- Ceylon -- History -- 19th century -- Archival resources
- Great Britain -- History -- Archival resources
- Great Britain -- History -- James I, 1603-1625 -- Sources
- Los Angeles (Calif.) -- History -- 19th century -- Archival resources
- United States -- History -- 18th century -- Archival resources
- United States -- History -- 19th century -- Archival resources
Topical
- Title
- Finding aid for the General Historical Manuscripts and Ephemera collection
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Sue Luftschein
- Date
- 2011 November
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Revision Statements
- 2015 October: Finding aid updated to include Thomas Strange letter.
- 2019 June: Finding aid updated by Bo Doub to include the 1833 letter from British Ceylon
- 2019 July: Finding aid updated to include folders 17-22.
- 2021 September: Finding aid updated by Bo Doub to include the 1605 proclamation by King James I.
Repository Details
Part of the USC Libraries Special Collections Repository
Doheny Memorial Library 206
3550 Trousdale Parkway
Los Angeles California 90089-0189 United States
specol@usc.edu