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Across the continent
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W. R. Densmore photograph album of early automobile touring
Visual Materials
An early automobile photograph album and scrapbook compiled by W. R. Densmore of the Packard Motor Car Company, Detroit. The album contains over 100 professionally-made photographs, with 19 approximately 8 x 10 inches, and also contains newspaper clippings about Densmore, early automobiles, and races. The album primarily chronicles Densmore's driving tours, although it also contains material dealing with other aspects of his life. Many images chronicle the famous Los Angeles to San Francisco drive of 1904, with Densmore and three companions seen in a Packard touring car. The other men were: H. B. Larzelere of Pacific Motor Car Company, San Francisco; Wallace W. Everett, guide; and H. A. French, correspondent for The Automobile magazine. Other images record similar overland auto journeys, in the White Mountains (1905); Long Island, New York (1905); the Wilkes-Barre Mountains, Pennsylvania (1905); and a grand tour of Italy (1913). Most of the automobiles featured are early Packard models, with riders in open-air cars, often wearing goggles and duster coats.
photCL 231
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W. R. Densmore photograph album of early automobile touring
Visual Materials
An early automobile photograph album and scrapbook compiled by W. R. Densmore of the Packard Motor Car Company, Detroit. The album contains over 100 professionally-made photographs, with 19 approximately 8 x 10 inches, and also contains newspaper clippings about Densmore, early automobiles, and races. The album primarily chronicles Densmore's driving tours, although it also contains material dealing with other aspects of his life. Many images chronicle the famous Los Angeles to San Francisco drive of 1904, with Densmore and three companions seen in a Packard touring car. The other men were: H. B. Larzelere of Pacific Motor Car Company, San Francisco; Wallace W. Everett, guide; and H. A. French, correspondent for The Automobile magazine. Other images record similar overland auto journeys, in the White Mountains (1905); Long Island, New York (1905); the Wilkes-Barre Mountains, Pennsylvania (1905); and a grand tour of Italy (1913). Most of the automobiles featured are early Packard models, with riders in open-air cars, often wearing goggles and duster coats.
photCL 231
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Myrtle Albright travel diary and scrapbook
Manuscripts
Scrapbook compiled by Myrtle Albright while on her transcontinental railroad trip in the summer of 1920 with her sister Julia. Their journey crossed the central Great Plains, the Southwest, with a visit to a Native American school in New Mexico, and Southern California before continuing to the San Francisco Bay area, Salt Lake City, Yellowstone, Chicago, and back to Durham. The scrapbook contains souvenir postcards and clippings, buttons for "Elliott Tours," excursion tickets and pieces of travel ephemera, and photographs. A detailed account, most likely written by Albright, describes locations visited, the sights seen, and their experiences both on the train and at various destinations. Accompanying the scrapbook is a separate 21 page hand-written account of a 1925 motor tour that describes touring in the vicinity of Washington, D.C. and Richmond, Virginia, and describes historic monuments and the weather.
mssHM 84084
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Photograph album of Barbara Hartman's automobile travels across the United States
Visual Materials
A travel album of approximately 500 snapshots and a few lithographic cards and commercially-produced photographs, compiled by a young woman named Barbara Hartman who lived in Seattle and possibly the Los Angeles area. The photographs are annotated with neatly-written captions that contain identifications and recollections of multiple automobile trips across the American West, to the East Coast and to the South in the years 1946-1949. The album documents ski trips to Snoqualmie Pass, Washington; nature and wildlife in Oregon and Wyoming; excursions to Glacier National Park and a stay at Many Glacier Hotel; the French Quarter, New Orleans; Miami and the Florida Keys; the Mammoth Caves, Kentucky; Washington D.C.; Mount Vernon; Philadelphia; New York City; Chiricahua National Monument and the town of Hayden, Arizona; the redwoods of Northern California; several popular tourist destinations in Southern California (including a visit to the Huntington Library); and repeat visits to a mountain cabin in Lake Arrowhead, California. A couple of different young women, identified only by first names, and sometimes her parents and others are pictured on trips with Barbara, who presumably took most of the photographs. There are scenes of large family gatherings and some trips to relatives' houses in different parts of the country. Photographs at the beginning of the album show Barbara and other young women outside a house in Seattle with their cats; she is also pictured ice skating with friends in Chicago and on jaunts with other women to New York City and Boston. Other scenes of note include a tour of antebellum plantation homes in Natchez, Mississippi; the Date Festival in Indio, California; and two women posing in a tourist "Tijuana jail" photo booth. This album provides a rich visual representation of automobile touring in postwar America and the experiences of women travelers.
photCL 612
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Travel Diary of Sir William Robert Clayton recounting his trip to America
Manuscripts
Sir William Clayton's journal details his 1871-1872 tour of the United States and parts of Central America. After crossing the Atlantic aboard the steamship Abyssinia, Clayton and his travelling companion arrive in New York at the end of October 1871. A brief stay in New York is followed by a train journey to Niagara Falls and thence to Chicago by way of Buffalo and Pittsburgh. After a brief description of the fire ravaged city, the journey continues on to Omaha. From Omaha, the train journey continues to Salt Lake City, where the travelers stay at the Townsend House. Several pages are devoted to Salt Lake, including a description of services at the Tabernacle. Next, Clayton departs via Pullman car to San Francisco, where he and his companion arrive in November 1871. Their stay in San Francisco includes visits to Cliff House, "China Town" and other sites, plus a trip to the New Almaden quicksilver mines near San Jose. Clayton leaves California by ship to return to New York via Panama. In addition to an account of Panama, Clayton describes visits to Jamaica, Mazatlan, Guatemala, Louisville, and New Orleans. Clayton returns to England in March of 1872. Clayton is an avid observer of "Americans" and throughout the journey describes, in great detail, his encounters with said individuals.
mssHM 70258
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Howell Family Papers
Manuscripts
The entire collection spans 240 years of American history and includes seven generations of the Howell and Taylor families starting with Ebenezer Howell, who was born at sea en route to Delaware from Wales in 1725, and ending with William Henry Taylor born in Pomona, California in 1912. The collection covers land ownership in the New Jersey colony, the Revolutionary War, the Mexican War, the Civil War and Jefferson Davis, the removal of the Pawnees to their new reservation in Indian Territory, farming in early 20th century southern California, the Gila River Relocation Center, the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration and refugees in post-World War II Europe, and life in late 20th century southern California. More detailed scope and content notes are below: Manuscripts The inclusive dates for the 13 manuscripts are c.1776-1949. They include a note by A. N. Burgess regarding lumber prices; a journal, memorandum, and notebook by Joseph Burr Howell; four diaries of Phoebe Sutton Howell (1897-1901); the Constitution, By-laws, and Meeting Minutes of the Mount Laurel Lyceum; a report to the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration by William Henry Taylor (1945); a notebook regarding Engle family genealogy; and an obituary for George F. Howell, 1878-1949. There is also a list of evidence in a possible court-martial against James Matthews (c.1776), written to Major Richard Howell by an unknown author. The manuscripts are arranged alphabetically by author. Correspondence There are 1,077 pieces of correspondence in the collection with the inclusive dates of 1776-1985. The majority of the correspondence is written by members of the Howell and Taylor families. The subjects range from the Revolutionary War to post-World War II Europe and California in the late 20th century. The correspondence is arranged alphabetically by author and addressee. A detailed description of the correspondence, by family member (the number in parentheses, following each name, is the number of letters by that individual): Howell, Richard, 1754-1802 (4) Subject in Letter (1776, Sep. 26) to his twin brother Lewis Howell, 1754-1778, and a letter by Lewis Howell (1776, June 26) to his father, Ebenezer Howell, discuss the Howell brothers' experience in the Revolutionary War. Howell, Joseph Burr, 1794-1874 (26) Subject in Letters (1853-1871) regarding family-owned fisheries, land, business, etc., in New Jersey. Howell, William Burr, 1796-1863 (26) Subject in Letters (1832-1861) to brother Joseph B. Howell regarding his move to New Orleans, and his family's participation in the Mexican War and the Civil War, and his son-in-law Jefferson Davis. Gläser, Beulah Howell (4) Subject in Letters (1837-1862) from Germany and New York. Twenty-four letters by her son, Franklin Gläser, containing family news, and comments on European opinion of Civil War. Agnew, Sarah Howell (18) Subject in Letters from Sarah Howell Agnew (1835-1867) discuss the Civil War, Jefferson Davis, slaves, and cholera breakout in Pittsburgh. Also 4 letters (1839-1866) by her daughter Mary Agnew Allen, mention war conditions in Batesville, Arkansas, and escaped slaves. Davis, Varina, 1826-1906 (2) Subject in Letters (1850-1858) to her uncle Joseph B. Howell. Also 2 letters (1853-1858) by Jefferson Davis to Joseph B. Howell. Added note: Letters by Jefferson Davis Howell (Varina's brother) mention Jefferson Davis. Howell, George F., 1844-1909 (146) Subject in Letters (1837-1905) to his parents and his wife, Phoebe Sutton Howell. Letters discuss his work with the Pawnee in Nebraska and Oklahoma. There are many other letters that talk about the reservation and a scandal involving payroll records; the authors of those letters are William D. Bishop, William Burgess, Stacy Matlack and Charles H. Searing. Also 78 letters (1870-1898) by Phoebe Sutton Howell, chiefly regarding family news. Taylor, Mary Howell (11) Subject in Letters (1883-1926) to family from Pasadena and San Dimas. Also 24 letters by her husband, Levi Shoemaker Taylor. These letters mainly contain family news, but also provide a look at life in early 20th century southern California. Taylor, William Henry (157) Subject in Letters (1921-1946) to different family members; largest group of letters are written to his wife, Jean Engle Taylor, while he was in Arizona and Europe (1942- 1946). He was working at the Gila River Relocation Center and in Europe with the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNNRA); he was stationed in Egypt, Italy, Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, Austria and France. William spent a lot of time in Belgrade, Serbia, and several of his letters describe the conditions of the city. There are also 31 letters (1938-1965) by Jean Engle Taylor to her mother and friends regarding her life in Pasadena, her work in the Pasadena Playhouse, and art school. Ephemera There are 680 pieces of ephemera with the inclusive dates of 1750-1990. The ephemera includes albums, certificates, court documents, diplomas, empty envelopes, financial records, genealogy notes regarding the Howell, Taylor and Engle families, land deeds, land surveys and maps, leases, marriage records, pamphlets, wills, tracts, notes, and newspaper clippings. There are over 300 photographs, which include daguerreotypes, cyanotypes, photograph albums, and portraits of individual family members and friends, as well as group and candid shots. Also included are fifteen stereographs of Pawnee Indians by William Henry Jackson [c.1868-1871] and two issues of The Indian Herald (1876). There is also ephemera related to the Howell family-owned Gloucester Fishery and the Engle family-owned Engleside resort, both of which were in New Jersey. Some notable items contained in the Miscellaneous Ephemera folders are: two tracts regarding the "slavery question" [c.1860]; a map of New York [c.1861]; pamphlet "Irving's Rip Van Winkle" with an insert regarding Edwin Booth and Booth's Theater (1870); published version of the will of George Washington (1876); pamphlet entitled "Major Richard Howell of New Jersey: A Centennial Sketch" (1876); map of Pasadena [c.1902]; dissertation by Levi Shoemaker Taylor entitled "An Electrical Method for the Combustion of Organic Compounds" (1905); and a map of Oklahoma Territory [before 1907]. The oversize ephemera contains photographs, diplomas, and marriage records; the ephemera also includes several monographs that belonged to the families.
mssHM 66800-67889, mssHM 69632-69644