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Archives and Special Collections: Personal Papers

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Spencer Fullerton Baird papers, 1868-1873.

Spencer Fullerton Baird (1823-1887) was a Dickinson College graduate (class of 1840) and a professor of natural history and science at the college from 1845 until 1850, when he became assistant secretary of the Smithsonian Institute (1850-1878). He was later promoted to secretary of that institution in 1878 and remained in that capacity until his death. The collection consists of correspondence between Baird and ornithologist George Newbold Lawrence regarding natural history specimens they exchanged, their research, and the work of colleagues. A selection of letters from this collection is available online through the Their Own Words website.

Online register (pdf)
Online letters
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Robert Hale Bancroft scrapbook, 1864-1901.

Robert Hale Bancroft (?-1918) was born in Beverly, Massachusetts, and was educated at Harvard Law School and the University of Bremen in Germany. His travels abroad, as well as his interests in local events in Beverly, are reflected in this scrapbook dated 1864-1901. The bulk of the scrapbook consists of newspaper clippings from local newspapers; they note new inventions, the coming of the twentieth century, and his marriage to Elise Milligan. Bancroft's love of the arts is represented by the theater programs and snippets of poetry included in the scrapbook. Other items include maps, tickets and postcards from Germany, correspondence, and certificates from Harvard Law and University of Bremen.

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Charles Gilbert Beetem family papers, 1842-1968.

The collection consists of the papers of Charles Gilbert Beetem, a Carlisle, PA. rug manufacturer, local historian and genealogist, amateur artist, and omnivorous collector. Diaries, manuscripts, letters, advertisements, greeting cards, and extensive runs of Philadelphia and Carlisle turn-of-the-century theater programs are all included in the collection, as well as accounts of Carlisle and Cumberland County history. College memorabilia includes his own drawings for Dickinson's yearbook. The collection also contains the Conodoquinet Yacht Club Archives. Miscellaneous materials include journals and accounts for homes he designed and built as well as those for proposed real estate development in Carlisle. The correspondence reflects Beetem's longtime interest in U. S. island possessions, which is the subject of his large collection of publications and books housed in our library.

Online register (pdf)
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Ricardo Maria Bell family papers, 1830-1856.

The collection contains legal and financial materials related to the settlement of the estates of Richard M. Bell of Santiago, Cuba and Anna Maria Bell de Becerra. Also included are an account ledger of former trustee Robert Ewing, wills, correspondence, and checks.

Online register (pdf)
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Dr. Annie (Wood) Besant papers, 1873-1974.

The collection contains correspondence, pamphlets, and photographs of Dr. Annie (Wood) Besant (1847-1933), a prominent and revolutionary freethinker of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Besant was a Christian wife and mother who later in life became an Atheist doctor and activist. She became active in social reform after her children had been taken from her following her separation from her husband. In her later years Besant moved to India to help champion the cause of home rule in that country. The correspondence consists mainly of letters from Besant to her friends, family, and colleagues in the United States, England, and India. A particularly noteworthy letter is one written to Besant from Mohandas Ghandi. Also included in the collection are pamphlets written by Besant, a stamp from India dedicated to her honor, and several photographs of Besant.

Online register (pdf)
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Andrew Blair family papers, 1803-1861.

The collection consists of correspondence and miscellaneous materials relating to Andrew Blair (1789-1861), a layman and founding member of the Second Presbyterian Church of Carlisle. In 1833, Blair successfully petitioned the Presbyterian Church in favor of founding a second church; he had become disenchanted with the current minister, George Duffield. Some of the correspondence relates to Blair's attempts to downplay the scandal that followed. Most of it, however, is written by Blair to his son-in-law, Rev. J.A. Murray, discussing both personal and church-related topics. The miscellaneous materials of the collection consist mainly of newspaper clippings, including obituaries for Blair, as well as items relating to town matters.

Online register (pdf)
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Arba Blodget family papers, 1859-1919.

The collection consists mainly of correspondence between Arba Blodget (1879-1949), a Philadelphia drama critic and playwright, and his wife Laura and her family. Blodget and his wife had been separated early in their marriage due to his traveling with a theater company; often their only means of contact was via letters. There are also a few miscellaneous materials, such as the journal kept by Blodget beginning in October 1910, and accounts of his theatrical productions. Also included in this collection is a large amount of material relating to the Spooner family, who appear to have been connected to Laura Blodget's family; Charles Spooner was involved with John D. Rockefeller in the founding of the Standard Oil Company. The bulk of the Spooner portion of the collection focuses on the personal and financial correspondence of the family.

Online register (pdf)
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Marianna Bogojavlensky, 1967-1984.

This collection consists of course materials, writings, and translations created by Marianna Bogojavlensky, who taught Russian language and literature at Dickinson College from 1963 to 1981.

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Scott Blum papers, 1977-1981.

The collection reflects Scott Blum's (1959- ) interest in the sciences, particularly computers. The documents and materials relate to Blum's time at Dickinson College, especially his academic career, and consist of notes and notebooks, syllabi, exams, and other materials. Blum graduated from Dickinson College in 1981.

Online register (pdf)
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Thomas Emerson Bond family papers, 1778-1865.

Thomas Emerson Bond, Sr., was a well-known Methodist Episcopal minister and author who served as a trustee of Dickinson College from 1833 until 1835. The collection includes correspondence to and from Bond dating mostly from 1840-1848, as well as journals and records of the Methodist ministry of John Wesley Bond from 1814-1818. Also included are documents of several Methodist Conferences.

Online register (pdf)
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Daniel Bowdle family papers, 1762-1932.

The collection contains materials relating to family life on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and in Ohio. The central figure is Daniel Bowdle (1796-1876), who as a young man moved to Cincinnati and became the successful business man of his family, with real estate and other interests. He aided his less fortunate kin in Talbot County, MD, including making provisions for the old age of James Lloyd, a beloved slave. The letters of William James Bowdle (1834-1876; Class of 1854) reflect student life at Dickinson College; letters of numerous other relatives are supplemented by genealogical notes on the Bowdle Family. Also included are papers on the settlement of the estate of Capt. Patrick Dickey, dated 1806-1841, which involve lands in Ohio and in Mason Co., VA.

Online register (pdf)
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George W. Bowman family papers, 1854-1932

This collection contains materials documenting the personal and business lives of George W. Bowman (1809-1887) and his son Harry Leader Bowman (1848-1915). It also documents the death of George's wife and Harry's mother, Ann Leader Bowman (1813-1885).

Online register (pdf)
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Robert Bridges papers, 1865-1930.

Long a figure of note and power in the American literary world, and often confused with the Poet Laureate of the same name, Robert Bridges was born at Shippensburg, PA, where he prepared for Princeton as a member of the State Teacher's College class of 1879. His best friend through life was his classmate, Woodrow Wilson (Wilson's letters to Bridges are in the Library of Congress), and this association is reflected here in Bridges' college letters, letters from the Wilson family, etc. Bridges was successful as a newspaper reporter, 1880-1887, the literary critic of Life, 1883-1900, the assistant editor and editor of Scribner's Magazine, 1887-1930, remaining with Scribner's until late in life as Director and Literary Advisor. He published occasional prose and verse, notably, Overheard in Arcady, 1894, Suppressed Chapters, 1895, and Bramble Brae, 1902. The collection includes manuscripts of his reviews and books. In general, it reflects the writing and publishing of his time, with points of particular interest in the young authors, notably Booth Tarkington, whose careers he promoted at the onset. Papers are arranged in four groups: Correspondence, Literary Productions, Printed Materials, and Scrapbooks Materials.

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Hazelle Myra Allen Brooks diaries, 1928-1970.

Hazelle Myra Allen Brooks graduated from Dickinson College in 1934. This collection contains diaries kept by her as a college student and as a young mother during World War II. It also includes diaries kept by her mother, Essie Myra Comstock Allen.

Online register (pdf)
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James Buchanan papers, 1808-1991.

James Buchanan was a graduate of Dickinson College, Class of 1809, who went on to become the fifteenth president of the United States. The majority of this collection is comprised of correspondence between Buchanan and his business and political associates; over four hundred letters penned by Buchanan are included in the collection. Drafts of speeches, printed pamphlets, and various memorabilia are also represented. A selection of letters from this collection is available online through the Their Own Words website.

Online register (pdf)
Online letters
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Edward Shippen Burd family papers, 1792-1870.

The collection includes business letters and legal papers of the Burd family, early deeds and patents, settlement of the Edward Shippen Burd estate 1848-1870, and correspondence concerning bequests for St. Stephen's Church, Philadelphia, the Burd memorial there, and the "Burd Orphan Asylum."

Online register (pdf)
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