Hundreds of Historic Manuscripts. Thousands More Being Digitized.

Collection

    • C
    • E
    • F
    • G
    • H
    • J
    • K
    • L
    • M
    • N
    • P
    • R
    • T
    • W
    • C
    • E
    • H
    • N
    • S
    • T
    • W
    • D
    • E
    • W
Year
All
All Decades
  • 1750
  • 1760
  • 1770
  • 1780
  • 1790
  • 1800
  • 1810
  • 1820
  • 1830
  • 1840
  • 1850
  • 1860
  • 1870
  • 1880
  • 1890
  • 1900
  • 1910
  • 1920
  • 1930
  • 1940
  • 1950
  • 1960
  • 1970
  • 1980
  • 1990
All Years
  • 1700
  • 1701
  • 1702
  • 1703
  • 1704
  • 1705
  • 1706
  • 1707
  • 1708
  • 1709
All Years
  • 1710
  • 1711
  • 1712
  • 1713
  • 1714
  • 1715
  • 1716
  • 1717
  • 1718
  • 1719
All Years
  • 1720
  • 1721
  • 1722
  • 1723
  • 1724
  • 1725
  • 1726
  • 1727
  • 1728
  • 1729
All Years
  • 1730
  • 1731
  • 1732
  • 1733
  • 1734
  • 1735
  • 1736
  • 1737
  • 1738
  • 1739
All Years
  • 1740
  • 1741
  • 1742
  • 1743
  • 1744
  • 1745
  • 1746
  • 1747
  • 1748
  • 1749
All Years
  • 1750
  • 1751
  • 1752
  • 1753
  • 1754
  • 1755
  • 1756
  • 1757
  • 1758
  • 1759
All Years
  • 1760
  • 1761
  • 1762
  • 1763
  • 1764
  • 1765
  • 1766
  • 1767
  • 1768
  • 1769
All Years
  • 1770
  • 1771
  • 1772
  • 1773
  • 1774
  • 1775
  • 1776
  • 1777
  • 1778
  • 1779
All Years
  • 1780
  • 1781
  • 1782
  • 1783
  • 1784
  • 1785
  • 1786
  • 1787
  • 1788
  • 1789
All Years
  • 1790
  • 1791
  • 1792
  • 1793
  • 1794
  • 1795
  • 1796
  • 1797
  • 1798
  • 1799
All Years
  • 1800
  • 1801
  • 1802
  • 1803
  • 1804
  • 1805
  • 1806
  • 1807
  • 1808
  • 1809
All Years
  • 1810
  • 1811
  • 1812
  • 1813
  • 1814
  • 1815
  • 1816
  • 1817
  • 1818
  • 1819
All Years
  • 1820
  • 1821
  • 1822
  • 1823
  • 1824
  • 1825
  • 1826
  • 1827
  • 1828
  • 1829
All Years
  • 1830
  • 1831
  • 1832
  • 1833
  • 1834
  • 1835
  • 1836
  • 1837
  • 1838
  • 1839
All Years
  • 1840
  • 1841
  • 1842
  • 1843
  • 1844
  • 1845
  • 1846
  • 1847
  • 1848
  • 1849
All Years
  • 1850
  • 1851
  • 1852
  • 1853
  • 1854
  • 1855
  • 1856
  • 1857
  • 1858
  • 1859
All Years
  • 1860
  • 1861
  • 1862
  • 1863
  • 1864
  • 1865
  • 1866
  • 1867
  • 1868
  • 1869
All Years
  • 1870
  • 1871
  • 1872
  • 1873
  • 1874
  • 1875
  • 1876
  • 1877
  • 1878
  • 1879
All Years
  • 1880
  • 1881
  • 1882
  • 1883
  • 1884
  • 1885
  • 1886
  • 1887
  • 1888
  • 1889
All Years
  • 1890
  • 1891
  • 1892
  • 1893
  • 1894
  • 1895
  • 1896
  • 1897
  • 1898
  • 1899
All Years
  • 1900
  • 1901
  • 1902
  • 1903
  • 1904
  • 1905
  • 1906
  • 1907
  • 1908
  • 1909
All Years
  • 1910
  • 1911
  • 1912
  • 1913
  • 1914
  • 1915
  • 1916
  • 1917
  • 1918
  • 1919
All Years
  • 1920
  • 1921
  • 1922
  • 1923
  • 1924
  • 1925
  • 1926
  • 1927
  • 1928
  • 1929
All Years
  • 1930
  • 1931
  • 1932
  • 1933
  • 1934
  • 1935
  • 1936
  • 1937
  • 1938
  • 1939
All Years
  • 1940
  • 1941
  • 1942
  • 1943
  • 1944
  • 1945
  • 1946
  • 1947
  • 1948
  • 1949
All Years
  • 1950
  • 1951
  • 1952
  • 1953
  • 1954
  • 1955
  • 1956
  • 1957
  • 1958
  • 1959
All Years
  • 1960
  • 1961
  • 1962
  • 1963
  • 1964
  • 1965
  • 1966
  • 1967
  • 1968
  • 1969
All Years
  • 1970
  • 1971
  • 1972
  • 1973
  • 1974
  • 1975
  • 1976
  • 1977
  • 1978
  • 1979
All Years
  • 1980
  • 1981
  • 1982
  • 1983
  • 1984
  • 1985
  • 1986
  • 1987
  • 1988
  • 1989
All Years
  • 1990
  • 1991
  • 1992
  • 1993
  • 1994
  • 1995
  • 1996
  • 1997
  • 1998
  • 1999
Month
All
All Months
  • Jan
  • Feb
  • Mar
  • Apr
  • May
  • Jun
  • Jul
  • Aug
  • Sep
  • Oct
  • Nov
  • Dec
Day
All
All Days
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • 11
  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
  • 15
  • 16
  • 17
  • 18
  • 19
  • 20
  • 21
  • 22
  • 23
  • 24
  • 25
  • 26
  • 27
  • 28
  • 29
  • 30
  • 31

Topic

Human Aspect

Type

Attribute

Save Search Parameters
Clear All

    Manuscripts (103)

    SORT BY
    Last Added
    • Last Added
    • Date Written
    • A-Z
    • Relevance
    Superlative Battlefield Letter From Bermuda Hundred

    Autograph Letter Signed

    4 pages

    SMC 103

    Add to History Board Share
    Chaim Weizmann on the Assassination of Russian Pogrom Organizer Plehve: A Pity He Didn't Die Years Ago

    Autograph Letter Signed

    2 pages

    SMC 1585

    Russian Interior Minister Vyacheslav Plehve, a notorious pogrom organizer and tormentor of the Jews, had been killed the week before by a bomb. Upon hearing of his death, Chaim Weizmann only wished it had happened sooner.
    Add to History Board Share
    Grover Cleveland Worries He Cannot Bring His Baby Into Recently Quarantined White House After His Inauguration

    Autograph Letter Signed

    3 pages

    SMC 1967

    Add to History Board Share
    Rare Letter to Bereaved: President Nixon's Response to the Kent State Shooting

    Autograph Letter Signed

    1 page

    SMC 1464

    Nixon sends a letter of condolence to the parents of William Schroeder, who was killed at the Kent State anti-war demonstration in May of 1970.
    Add to History Board Share
    Mark Twain Mourns an

    Autograph Letter Signed

    4 pages

    SMC 2377

    Add to History Board Share
    Theodore Roosevelt: “What a Dreadful Creature Wilson is!”

    Typed Letter Signed

    1 page

    SMC 1272

    One of Roosevelt's many jabs at Wilson, whom he labelled a coward for failing to declare war on Germany in 1915 after the sinking of the Lusitania.
    Add to History Board Share
    Harry Truman Declares

    Autograph Letter Signed

    1 page

    SMC 646

    Add to History Board Share
    Homesick General Eisenhower Writes of a WWII Visit to Jerusalem and Levant at Christmas

    Autograph Letter Signed

    3 pages

    SMC 708

    Homesick Eisenhower writes to his wife to thank her for Christmas gifts and to express his longing to see her. He omits his recent promotion as Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces.
    Add to History Board Share
    President John F. Kennedy on the Death of His Infant Son, Patrick Bouvier Kennedy

    Typed Letter Signed

    1 page

    SMC 716

    President John F. Kennedy's infant son Patrick Bouvier Kennedy was born prematurely and lived for 39 hours. Five days later, the president thanks his sister-in-law and husband for their support during this difficult time.
    Add to History Board Share
    Jack London on

    Typed Letter Signed

    1 page

    SMC 719

    Jack London tells a fan and possible relative that London is a common Jewish surname and he has often been approached by Jewish people inquiring if he is related to the Jewish contingent.
    Add to History Board Share
    Orville Wright Sets the Record Straight About the First Flight

    Typed Letter Signed

    1 page

    SMC 728

    Twenty seven years after making history at Kitty Hawk, Orville Wright sets the record straight about three questions surrounding the first flight.
    Add to History Board Share
    Einstein, Working to Save Jews from Hitler, Discusses

    Typed Letter Signed

    2 pages

    SMC 794

    Einstein discusses the Brown Book, an expose documenting, amongst other things, the oppression of Jews. The growing momentum of speaking out against Nazism was encouraging for Einstein, but he thought that it would be more impactful if the criticism came from "only foreign non-Jews." Einstein understood that with his high profile, his public condemnation of Germany would have deadly consequences for German Jews.
    Add to History Board Share
    Andrew Jackson Predicts Martin van Buren Will Win with a Greater Majority Than Any Since Washington

    Autograph Letter Signed

    4 pages

    SMC 944

    Andrew Jackson incorrectly predicts that his Vice President and chosen successor Martin van Buren would win the upcoming election by a landslide. Van Buren emerged victorious, but it was a close race.
    Add to History Board Share
    President John Tyler Says the Presidency is a Prison

    Autograph Letter Signed

    3 pages

    SMC 954

    President John Tyler, writing to his wife amidst a "political storm," tells her that the Presidency is a prison, from which he can only escape for minutes.
    Add to History Board Share
    Pierce on His Favorite Portrait of Himself, That of His Dead Son, and Those of the First Five Presidents

    Autograph Letter Signed

    4 pages

    SMC 962

    Franklin Pierce writes to Francis Bicknell Carpenter, a renowned painter who would go on to achieve even greater fame with his paintings of Lincoln, especially of Lincoln reading the Emancipation Proclamation. Here, Pierce expresses the great satisfaction he and Mrs. Pierce take in Carpenter’s portrait of his dead son – painted from a daguerreotype following the boy's tragic death in 1853.
    Add to History Board Share
    President Pierce Invites a Famous Presbyterian Divine to Visit the White House

    Autograph Letter Signed

    2 pages

    SMC 965

    President Franklin Pierce invites the prominent Philadelphia cleric, Henry A. Boardman, to visit at the White House, "that we may make some time under this roof a period of enjoyment." The Pierces, who lost their last surviving child in a train crash two years earlier, were still in mourning, and Pierce hoped Boardman's visit might bring some comfort to them.
    Add to History Board Share
    President Franklin Pierce Warmly Endorses the Kansas-Nebraska Act as

    Autograph Letter Signed

    4 pages

    SMC 966

    Pierce endorses the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which allowed citizens of those states to decide if they wanted to retain slaves or not. This decision reversed the Missouri compromise of 1820 and sharply divided the nation.
    Add to History Board Share
    Jane Pierce, Recalling Her Deceased Child, is Haunted by Happier Times

    Autograph Letter Signed

    4 pages

    SMC 979

    Just seven months before this letter was penned, her beloved son and only surviving child, Bennie, was struck down before her eyes in a train wreck, in which he was the only fatality. Here she writes to her sister about family matters - but her tragic loss is never far from her thoughts.
    Add to History Board Share
    1858 Senate Report Regarding the

    Typed Manuscript

    30 pages

    SMC 1012

    The 1858 Senate report, which details the murder and rape of the Dickson family in their agricultural colony. The author, Jonathan Steinbeck was a descendent of members of the colony, and the "Outrages at Jaffa" is alluded to in his East of Eden. Herman Melville, inspired by the tragic events, wrote his epic poem Clarel.
    Add to History Board Share
    Account of Execution of Deserters at Beverly Ford Mentions  Rabbi Praying With One of the Condemned Men

    Autograph Letter Signed

    5 pages

    SMC 1026

    Captain Jacob Winans writes to his father about the execution of deserters at Beverly Ford, mentioning the presence of a rabbi to pray with one of the convicted soldiers.
    Add to History Board Share
    Lincoln, Four Days After Son Willie's Death, Tells Sumner Mary Lincoln Needs His Help -

    Autograph Note Signed

    1 page

    SMC 1034

    Four days after the death of his eleven year-old son Willie - and as his youngest son still lay seriously ill - a grieving Lincoln asks Mary Lincoln's close friend, Senator Charles Sumner, to call on his inconsolable wife.
    Add to History Board Share
    President Fillmore Arranges to Attend Opening of the Railroad Line from the Atlantic to the Great Lakes

    Autograph Letter Signed

    2 pages

    SMC 1062

    The railroad connecting the Atlantic to the Great Lakes was a cause for national celebration. It would extend the web of the railway network, contributing to the industrial boom in the United States, enlarging the markets while reducing shipping and production costs.
    Add to History Board Share
    Millard Fillmore Asks Lincoln for a Favor; On the Back of the Letter, Lincoln Takes Steps to Oblige Him

    Autograph Endorsement Signed

    1 page

    SMC 1065

    Former President Fillmore asks President Lincoln to intercede on behalf of his nephew, a disgraced lieutenant. On the verso of the letter, Lincoln takes steps to oblige Fillmore, but ultimately did not intervene in the case.
    Add to History Board Share
    Robert Todd Lincoln is Gratified That His Father's Name is Still Current and His Memory Respected

    Autograph Letter Signed

    4 pages

    SMC 1107

    Robert Todd Lincoln is gratified to learn that a political club is named after his father. In this letter, he also declines to run for president.
    Add to History Board Share
    Robert Lincoln Witnesses Assassinations of Three Presidents

    Letter Signed

    2 pages

    SMC 1108

    When asked if Chester Arthur should be kept under heavy guard, Robert Todd Lincoln responds that if a deranged person wants to kill the president, "it is impossible to thoroughly guard against those classes of people."
    Add to History Board Share
    American Civil War Union General George B. McClellan's Antisemitic Letter

    Autograph Letter Signed

    3 pages

    SMC 1124

    Returning from Germany to the United States in the 1870s, General George McClellan speaks disparagingly of the Jewish people on board, and his success in distancing himself from the "children of Jacob."
    Add to History Board Share
    A Union Officer in the Field Describes the Reaction to News of Abraham Lincoln's Assassination

    Autograph Letter Signed

    2 pages

    SMC 1128

    Here, an Ohio lieutenant, serving in Alabama, describes how the troops there received, and took, "news of the shocking murder of our president."
    Add to History Board Share
    On His Penultimate Day in Office, President Ulysses S. Grant Announces His Intention to Travel the Globe

    Autograph Letter Signed

    2 pages

    SMC 1142

    Just before setting off on a two-year world tour, Grant arranges for bank dividends to be sent to his son and namesake, U.S. Grant, Jr. so that the latter can manage his affairs during the world tour.
    Add to History Board Share
    Lucretia Garfield On How Her Husband's Portents at Chicago Convention Foreshadowed His

    Autograph Letter Signed

    2 pages

    SMC 1150

    Lucretia Garfield, President Garfield's widow, writes two months to the day after his death, still in disbelief. She shares with her correspondent that "the spirit of prophecy fell upon" her late husband, with many of his utterances now coming back to her as eerily foreshadowing his own demise.
    Add to History Board Share
    About to Marry, President Grover Cleveland Longs to Live Away from the White House

    Autograph Letter Signed

    4 pages

    SMC 1162

    President Cleveland writes to his fiance Frances Folsom about many overwhelming social aspects of being in the White House, and longs to live away from it with her in a "small house" like normal people.
    Add to History Board Share
    Grover Cleveland, the Only President to Be Married in the White House, Writes His Bride About Wedding

    Autograph Letter Signed

    4 pages

    SMC 1164

    Love letter from President Grover Cleveland to his secret fiance, Frances Folsom, outlining every detail of their upcoming nuptials in the White House.
    Add to History Board Share
    Secretary of Navy Long: President William McKinley,

    Typed Letter Signed

    2 pages

    SMC 1186

    In this private note to his daughter, in which he discusses, amongst other things, a birthday present for his daughter, Naval Secretary John Long reveals that President William McKinley will absolutely not be seeking a third term.
    Add to History Board Share
    Theodore Roosevelt:

    Typed Letter Signed

    2 pages

    SMC 1276

    Theodore Roosevelt expresses his admiration for Abraham Lincoln and wishes to emulate him in championing the cause of the common people.
    Add to History Board Share
    A Rare Original Watercolor by John F. Kennedy of the Kennedy Palm Beach Home in 1955

    Signed Drawing

    1 page

    SMC 1452

    Likely one of Kennedy's last watercolors, inscribed and gifted to Dot Tubridy, a close family friend of the Kennedys.
    Add to History Board Share
    Lyndon B. Johnson Writes to the Parents of Astronaut Gus Grissom, Killed in the Apollo I Fire

    Typed Letter Signed

    1 page

    SMC 1459

    President Johnson loved the Space Program; loved the astronauts; loved awarding Gus Grissom NASA's Distinguished Service Medal, for being the first American to fly into space twice. Burying Grissom, and his comrades, was a bitter responsibility – which he followed, still, with personal letters of condolence.
    Add to History Board Share
    Richard Nixon, Loathed by Harry Truman, Speaks Well of Him

    Autograph Letter Signed

    1 page

    SMC 1462

    Though Harry Truman called Richard Nixon a lying bastard, Nixon writes to Truman's nephew (and namesake) and tells him their differences were not personal, and that he should be proud of his heritage.
    Add to History Board Share
    President Benjamin Harrison Discusses a Letter Written by his Grandfather, William Henry Harrison

    Autograph Letter Signed

    1 page

    SMC 1235

    President Benjamin Harrison thanks Curtis Guild, Sr., a collector, for sending him a copy of a letter written by his grandfather, William Henry Harrison. The President is pleased to have obtained a letter of "great family interest."
    Add to History Board Share
    President Benjamin Harrison is

    Autograph Letter Signed

    1 page

    SMC 1238

    President Benjamin Harrison writes to his aunt, and tells her that with not a soul in the White House but himself, it is "very lonesome."
    Add to History Board Share
    Theodore Roosevelt: a Condolence Letter on the Death of a Friend's Father

    Autograph Letter Signed

    2 pages

    SMC 1250

    Roosevelt writes to his friend and family physician Dr. Alexander Lambert, whose father had recently passed away.
    Add to History Board Share
    Theodore Roosevelt Bitterly Regrets Being Forced to Sit Through WWI At Home

    Typed Letter Signed

    2 pages

    SMC 1253

    Roosevelt has lost one son to the Great War, and two have been badly injured in it. He can't stand the idea that his sons have been put in harm's way, whilst he remains at home, and finds it terrible that the war takes the young. Roosevelt also finds it "more terrible, of course, if the young fear to face death in a great crisis for a great cause."
    Add to History Board Share
    William T. Sherman Recalls His Trip to the Levant, and Teases His Lady Friend About Harem Life

    Autograph Letter Signed

    4 pages

    SMC 1587

    William T. Sherman writes to Mary Audenried, teasingly warning her that travelling in the Middle East is especially hazardous to women, and that she could find herself in a harem. Sherman insists that western women are treated more as equals than women in the Levant.
    Add to History Board Share
    Grover Cleveland Complains of an Avalanche of Unwelcome Invitations, As He Plans a Pleasure Trip Out of Town

    Autograph Letter Signed

    4 pages

    SMC 1622

    Grover Cleveland expresses his exasperation for the niceties and public appearances necessitated by being the President of the United States, and says he's as "cross as a bear."
    Add to History Board Share
    President John F. Kennedy Recalls Happy Palm Beach Memories With an Old Irish Friend

    Autograph Letter Signed

    2 pages

    SMC 1740

    President John F. Kennedy writes to eight-year-old Aine Tubridy to thank her for her picture of a painting he made of the Kennedy compound at Palm Beach, Florida.
    Add to History Board Share
    John Wild Bets the Black Hills Gold Rush - Set Off by Custer's Discovery of Gold There in 1864 - is a Bust

    Autograph Letter Signed

    2 pages

    SMC 1752

    John Wild is willing to bet that those flocking to find fortune in the Black Hills "will be disappointed by going there."
    Add to History Board Share
    Grant Finds Egypt More Interesting Than Any Other Place He Has Visited

    Autograph Letter Signed

    4 pages

    SMC 1759

    Grant marvels at Egypt's antiquity, at "ruins that have been standing - as ruins - some of them, for many ages before the beginning of the Christian era." This causes Grant to find Egypt more interesting than any other place he has visited.
    Add to History Board Share
    First Lady Edith Roosevelt, Two Weeks After McKinley's Death:

    Autograph Letter Signed

    1 page

    SMC 1778

    Two weeks after President McKinley's death and Theodore Roosevelt's assumption of the presidency, First Lady Edith Roosevelt thanks a friend in Boston for her warm wishes, and confides in her that "Life does not seem very simple just now."
    Add to History Board Share
    Einstein on the Holocaust: He Never Forgot, Never Forgave

    Typed Letter Signed

    1 page

    SMC 1782

    Einstein declines an invitation to join Weltstaatliga (World State League), explaining that he can no longer participate in German public endeavors after the genocide of the Jews.
    Add to History Board Share
    Albert Einstein Renounces German Citizenship;

    Autograph Letter Signed

    2 pages

    SMC 1792

    Albert Einstein writes to his son from aboard the Belgenland, where he has learned that Hitler had given orders to ransack not only his Berlin apartment, but also his summer cottage. He decides whilst onboard to renounce his German citizenship, and tells his son that he will likely never return to Germany again.
    Add to History Board Share
    President McKinley’s Secretary Cancels McKinley's Engagements

    Typed Letter Signed

    1 page

    SMC 1861

    McKinley’s devoted secretary, George Cortelyou regrets to cancel President McKinley's appearance at Harvard University, "owing to Mrs. McKinley's serious illness."
    Add to History Board Share
    Titanic Postcard: Rare Postcard From the Titanic - Sent at Beginning of Voyage; Ship

    Autograph Letter Signed

    1 page

    SMC 1893

    Charlie Shorney writes to his father from the Titanic, telling him that the sea is calm, the ship is a "peach," and that he will be in New York next week. Charlie went down with the ship, and his body was never recovered.
    Add to History Board Share
    President James Garfield's Assassin, Charles Guiteau, Convicted and in Jail, Declares He is Not a Lunatic

    Autograph Letter Signed

    1 page

    SMC 1907

    Here the disagreeable, disputatious, and insane assassin of President Garfield, Charles Guiteau, declares he is not a lunatic, and that the woman, his sister who raised him, and the brother-in-law who acted as his lawyer at his trial, are nuisances, with whom he, a convicted assassin awaiting execution in jail, wants nothing to do.
    Add to History Board Share
    William Henry Harrison's Secretary Announces Harrison's Impending Death

    Autograph Letter Signed

    1 page

    SMC 1928

    President William Henry Harrison's secretary, Henry Harrison, writes to his father, Benjamin Harrison, to inform him of the impending death of the President.
    Add to History Board Share
    General Charles

    Autograph Letter Signed

    3 pages

    SMC 113

    Charles Gordon reveals that he will be going to Palestine. There, he will fulfill a cherished ambition, searching to establish authoritatively the locations of the site of the crucifixion, the line of division between the tribes of Benjamin and Judah, the identification of Gibeon, and the whereabouts of Christ’s tomb.
    Add to History Board Share
    McKinley's Last Tour: Cortelyou Thanks the Mayor of San Francisco for His Help

    Typed Letter Signed

    1 page

    SMC 116

    President McKinley's secretary, George Cortelyou thanks the Mayor of San Francisco on behalf of the McKinleys for all the help they received when Mrs. McKinley had taken ill out West.
    Add to History Board Share
    Custer:

    Autograph Letter Signed

    3 pages

    SMC 126

    General Custer writes to his friend, Judge Christiancy, to share with him a secret: He will be returning to Monroe, Michigan in a few months to be married. Inadvertently foreshadowing his death and Libbie's misfortune, Custer jokingly tells Christiancy that Libbie, who would "unite her destinies" with Custer's, is "fortunate, or unfortunate."
    Add to History Board Share
    President Woodrow Wilson: Lonely in the White House

    Typed Letter Signed

    1 page

    SMC 128

    In Washington, President Woodrow Wilson, writing on the letterhead of his Cornish, N.H. estate at Harlakenden, reports to his daughters, whom he left behind in Cornish, that the White House is the most "empty and forlorn" house imaginable.
    Add to History Board Share
    Lyndon B. Johnson on the Death of an Astronaut in the Apollo I Fire

    Typed Letter Signed

    1 page

    SMC 131

    President Lyndon B. Johnson's letter of condolence to the parents of Roger B. Chaffee, an astronaut who died in the Apollo I fire.
    Add to History Board Share
    Former President William Howard Taft Rejoices in Averting Another Run:

    Autograph Letter Signed

    3 pages

    SMC 134

    William Howard Taft is relieved to finally be a private citizen and does not seek to be reelected to the office of the presidency.
    Add to History Board Share
    President Harry Truman Says

    Typed Letter Signed

    1 page

    SMC 154

    As Truman winds down his time in the White House, he confides to the mother of one of his best staffers that "it will be a relief to get out of Washington."
    Add to History Board Share
    In Refusing a Parole, Lincoln Notes That Federal Prisoners Are Being

    Autograph Letter Signed

    1 page

    SMC 162

    Here, Lincoln replies to a request from his wife Mary’s cousin, Lyman Todd, that he cannot "enlarge on parole" a Colonel Smith. Such a thing would set a precedent, he says, upon which nearly all the prisoners held by the Union might act – and this, in the face of how the Confederacy was treating Federal prisoners, is completely unacceptable.
    Add to History Board Share
    Union Soldier After Gettysburg:

    Autograph Letter Signed

    2 pages

    SMC 168

    A letter from a Union soldier to his family after the battle of Gettysburg. He lists missing soldiers, and reports the numbers of dead, wounded, and missing.
    Add to History Board Share
    Three Days Before He is Assassinated, Abraham Lincoln Orders the Discharge of a Sickly Boy from the Army

    Autograph Note Signed

    4 pages

    SMC 211

    Three days before he will be shot and killed, Lincoln responds to a friend’s letter beseeching his help in arranging the discharge of a sickly boy from the army.
    Add to History Board Share
    Mary Todd Lincoln Issues 1865 Invitation to Presidential Box At Ford's Theatre

    Autograph Letter Signed

    1 page

    SMC 229

    Two months before Lincoln's assassination, Mary Todd Lincoln invites some of Washington's most famous socialites to Ford's Theatre to watch the brother-in-law of John Wilkes Booth perform.
    Add to History Board Share
    Mark Twain On His House

    Autograph Letter Signed

    3 pages

    SMC 281

    Samuel Clemens writes to his daughter Jean about the new house, "Innocence at Home," President Grover Cleveland's morality and abilities, and the doctor's orders for her epilepsy.
    Add to History Board Share
    Prime Minister Winston Churchill on Orde Wingate: A Man of Genius Who Might Have Become a Man of Destiny

    Autograph Letter Signed

    2 pages

    SMC 293

    On his way to the second Quebec conference, Winston Churchill remembers that a year ago, he, Orde, and Lorna Wingate were on their way to the first conference. Churchill offers his condolences to the newly-widowed Lorna.
    Add to History Board Share
    From Prison, a Defiant Alfred Dreyfus Writes to his Family Swearing to Clear His Name

    Autograph Letter Signed

    3 pages

    SMC 295

    Alfred Dreyfus writes to his family from prison, and attempts to lead his family by example by keeping his head held high and not weakening in the fight to clear his name from the stain of treason.
    Add to History Board Share
    Letter From Gettysburg Battlefield, July 4th, 1863: Union Soldier Hopes

    Autograph Letter Signed

    2 pages

    SMC 299

    Writing to his mother on the fourth of July, Private Strouss tells his her that he is alive, unharmed, and although unsure who has won, he hopes that "this Battle will end the war" so that he may return home.
    Add to History Board Share
    President John F. Kennedy Plans a Pleasure Trip to His Ancestral Home, Ireland

    Typed Letter Signed

    1 page

    SMC 341

    Ahead of his trip to Ireland, President Kennedy reassures his close friend Dot Tubridy that she will be included in all presidential functions.
    Add to History Board Share
    President John F. Kennedy On His Historic Trip to Ireland:

    Typed Letter Signed

    2 pages

    SMC 342

    John F. Kennedy writes to his close friend Dot Tubridy to tell her how much he enjoyed his trip to Ireland and seeing her.
    Add to History Board Share
    Abraham Lincoln's Famous Civil War Condolence Letter to Young Fanny McCullough About Loss and Memory

    Autograph Letter Signed

    1 page

    SMC 346

    Written to Fanny McCullough on the loss of her father, Abraham Lincoln makes a very rare reference to his mother's death when he was a boy. Lincoln, too, was dealing with more recent grief, having buried his son earlier that year. This letter was written a week after the battle of Fredericksburg, which claimed the lives of over 1500 men, including Fanny's father.
    Add to History Board Share
    Chaim Weizmann to Lorna Wingate on the Jewish Brigade:

    Autograph Letter Signed

    2 pages

    SMC 375

    Chaim Weizmann tells Lorna Wingate that the Jewish Brigade, and future army, is a long game, and will come with hard work and fortitude.
    Add to History Board Share
    Chaim Weizmann in 1943:

    Autograph Letter Signed

    3 pages

    SMC 376

    Writing during World War Two, Chaim Weizmann assures Lorna Wingate that her husband Orde is on the mend after a bout of typhoid. In the interim, he comments that many things are happening in Palestine that would provoke the British, though he hopes they will not allow themselves to be provoked. It would be "nothing short of a miracle if we do get something out of this war," he ruefully remarks.
    Add to History Board Share
    Chaim Weizmann Writes to Orde Wingate's Widow About Wingate's Death and Memorial

    Autograph Letter Signed

    2 pages

    SMC 377

    Chaim Weizmann writes to Orde Wingate's widow, Lorna, about the upcoming dates for a memorial service for her husband in the Great Synagogues in London and Jerusalem.
    Add to History Board Share
    Chaim Weizmann Agrees to Stand as Godfather to Orde Wingate's Son

    Autograph Letter Signed

    2 pages

    SMC 378

    Chaim Weizmann agrees to stand as Godfather to the son of Major General Orde Wingate, Orde Jonathan Wingate.
    Add to History Board Share
    Chaim Weizmann on the Jewish Brigade and Jewish State in 1944

    Autograph Letter Signed

    3 pages

    SMC 379

    Chaim Weizmann writes to Lorna Wingate, the widow of Major-General Orde Wingate, to tell her that the British government finally approved the creation of the Jewish Brigade. Weizmann's feelings are mixed, though, as Wingate - who died five months earlier - would have made this Brigade "a powerful force."
    Add to History Board Share
    Eisenhower's Trip to Ohrdruf Concentration Camp:

    Autograph Letter Signed

    3 pages

    SMC 393

    General Eisenhower writes to his wife, after seeing the Ohrdruf concentration camp, that he never dreamt that such cruelty could exist in this world. Poignantly, he mentions that many American soldiers do not seem to know what they are fighting for. Eisenhower ordered every unit not on the front lines to tour the camp, and writes here "now, at least, he will know what he is fighting against."
    Add to History Board Share
    Ulysses S. Grant Tries to Lose the Anti-Semite Label Engendered to Him by His Infamous “Jew Order”

    Autograph Letter Signed

    4 pages

    SMC 394

    Add to History Board Share
    Harry Truman Looks at the Potsdam Conference 12 Years Later: An Astonishing Appraisal of What Went Wrong

    Autograph Letter Signed

    8 pages

    SMC 429

    Knowing that his papers would be released for reporters to examine his version of the Potsdam Conference twelve years prior, Harry Truman paints a revisionist history of what happened and what went wrong.
    Add to History Board Share
    Abraham Lincoln's Check to His Son, Robert Lincoln, to Equip Him For Service Under Grant

    Check Signed

    1 page

    SMC 456

    Check from Abraham Lincoln to his son, Robert Todd Lincoln. The president had finally allowed his son to serve in the war, and made sure he was sent to General Grant. This check was to ensure that his son was properly kitted out for war.
    Add to History Board Share
    Mourning Daughter Susy, Mark Twain Describes His Family Life as Adrift, Indifferent, and Derelict

    Autograph Letter Signed

    3 pages

    SMC 484

    Mark Twain describes the listlessness of his family life since the sudden death of his daughter Susy. Whereas once they had a charted course, now they are adrift. And what is more, they are "derelict" and indifferent to their plight.
    Add to History Board Share
    Alfred Dreyfus Thanks Senator Leopold Thezard Who Challenged the Refusal to Allow His Wife to Join Him in Exile

    Autograph Note Signed

    1 page

    SMC 512

    Alfred Dreyfus thanks French Senator, Leopold Thezard, who was also a professor of law at Poitiers University, for his support. Thezard argued against the illegality of the French government to deny Lucie Dreyfus the right to join her husband in exile.
    Add to History Board Share
    President Andrew Jackson Writes of His Loneliness in the White House

    Autograph Letter Signed

    1 page

    SMC 518

    President Andrew Jackson describes himself as"very lonesome" in the White House. Though he was surrounded by many family members, it his his wife, Rachel, whom Jackson desperately misses.
    Add to History Board Share
    Early John F. Kennedy Letter About the Death of His Brother Joe, Which Would Propel Him Into Politics

    Typed Letter Signed

    2 pages

    SMC 524

    This letter thanking Miss Forbush for her condolences and prayers on the occasion of Joe Jr.'s death in World War II marks the beginning of John F. Kennedy's shouldering the mantle of his father's political aspirations.
    Add to History Board Share
    With World War I Still Raging, Theodore Roosevelt Mourns His Fallen Son

    Typed Letter Signed

    1 page

    SMC 550

    Writing a fortnight after the death of his favorite son, Quentin, Theodore Roosevelt admits his difficulty, and remarks that "the old should not live when the young die."
    Add to History Board Share
    The Day He Dies, Lincoln Writes a Pass to Richmond for Wife of the Doctor Who Would Attend His Death-Bed

    Autograph Note Signed

    1 page

    SMC 575

    Lincoln issues a pass for Mrs. Alice Stone to travel to Richmond; by that night her husband, the Lincoln family physician, would be attending at Lincoln’s deathbed.
    Add to History Board Share
    Franklin Pierce Describes Nathaniel Hawthorne's Last Night Alive on Their Trip to New England

    Autograph Letter Signed

    4 pages

    SMC 583

    Former President Pierce tells the story of his friend, the author Nathaniel Hawthorne's demise, detailing their last trip and the epic moment of Pierce’s discovery of his death.
    Add to History Board Share
    Former President Tyler Tells His Son He is Hard Pressed to Support His Family

    Autograph Letter Signed

    3 pages

    SMC 592

    Responding to his son's request for a loan, former President Tyler tells his son that between medical bills, providing for his own growing family and supporting his own brother, he doesn't have much to give, but is prepared to help, should his son not be able to secure a loan from a friend.
    Add to History Board Share
    A Rare 1879 Reprint of

    Signed Book

    1 page

    SMC 2384

    A rare inscribed reprint of Innocents Abroad inscribed by Twain to his wife, Livy. In the past thirty years, only one other book transcribed by Twain to his wife has appeared. This double-volume edition is premium; bound in morocco and gilt.
    Add to History Board Share
    Calvin Coolidge Mourns the Death of His Son, Calvin Jr.

    Autograph Letter Signed

    2 pages

    SMC 2419

    Add to History Board Share
    Lincoln Asks General Grant as a Friend, for a Favor: Find a Place for His Son, Robert, on His Staff

    Autograph Letter Signed

    1 page

    SMC 1548

    In order to broker a compromise between his wife, who had already buried two sons, and Robert Todd, who desperately wished to experience the war, Lincoln writes to Grant, not as President, but as a friend, asking him to find a place on his staff for Robert to serve. Lincoln asks merely for his son to be given a nominal rank and that Lincoln himself, and not the public, would furnish his necessary means.
    Add to History Board Share
    Abraham Lincoln's Scarce Reference to Deaths of Mother and Sister, With Accompanying Poem About Memory

    Autograph Letter Signed

    4 pages

    SMC 1553

    In all of Abraham Lincoln's surviving letters, he only mentions the death of his mother twice, and the loss of his sister once; both are mentioned here. Lincoln also includes a poem he wrote on the occasion of returning to his home state twenty years after he departed it.
    Add to History Board Share
    Grover Cleveland, Recovering From Secret Cancer Surgery, Reports He is

    Autograph Letter Signed

    6 pages

    SMC 1970

    Recovering from his secret cancer surgery aboard a yacht a few months prior, Grover Cleveland reports to his physician and dear friend that he is having "a couple of drinks of whiskey a day, with very good results; and I smoke a cigar every day too."
    Add to History Board Share
    Former First Lady Frances Cleveland Reports Ailing Grover Cleveland is

    Autograph Letter Signed

    3 pages

    SMC 2018

    Although Grover Cleveland seems to be on the mend, with his "temperature, pulse & respiration" now normal, Frances Cleveland is still a bit distraught over her husband's slow recovery. He still has "trouble with his gut" and is perturbed that he's not gaining strength. It appears he's "breaking up generally." Cleveland would live for another seven years.
    Add to History Board Share
    Theodore Roosevelt Lambasts Woodrow Wilson for Refusing to Let Him Lead a Division in World War I

    Typed Letter Signed

    1 page

    SMC 2022

    Fifty-nine year old, arthritic, overweight Theodore Roosevelt lambasts President Woodrow Wilson for refusing to allow him to lead a division in World War I, calling it Wilson's inability to "rise above the cheapest kind of party politics."
    Add to History Board Share
    Mary Surratt's Daughter Petitions Andrew Johnson for the Return of Her Mother's Remains

    Autograph Letter Signed

    1 page

    SMC 2033

    Mary Surratt was hanged as a conspirator in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. She was also the first woman executed by the United States government. Here, her daughter, Anna, successfully petitions President Andrew Johnson for the return of her body.
    Add to History Board Share
    Lincoln Requests a

    Autograph Note Signed

    1 page

    SMC 2038

    Lincoln, who always liked to give his son Tad special gifts, asks here for two maps for his son.
    Add to History Board Share
    General Custer Wants Brother Who Would Die With Him at Little Bighorn Appointed a Second Lieutenant

    Autograph Letter Signed

    3 pages

    SMC 2054

    General Custer unsuccessfully requests that his youngest brother, Boston, be appointed second lieutenant in the Seventh Cavalry. Boston was not even admitted to the US army, due to his frail health. Custer ensured his brother was with him, and ultimately died with him, by appointing him as a scout.
    Add to History Board Share
    Signed Photo of Lyndon Johnson Taking the Oath of Office Inscribed to the Photographer

    Signed Photograph

    1 page

    SMC 2076

    The iconic photograph of Lyndon B. Johnson taking the oath of office hours after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated; inscribed to Cecil Stoughton, the photographer.
    Add to History Board Share
    1862 Nevada Directory Listing Mark Twain as Assistant Secretary of the Nevada Territory

    Ephemera

    2 pages

    SMC 2077

    This rare, early Directory, in which both Clemens and his brother Orion are listed, records for posterity those two months - beginning October 1, 1861 - when "Samuel Clemens" worked as a dollar-a-day clerk for his brother, during the long opening session of the Nevada Territorial Legislature.
    Add to History Board Share
    More Results