Henry L. Sheldon Personal Papers

Résumé du livre

Collection consists of papers documenting Henry Sheldon's personal life, including letters, financial records, diaries, and "conversations", notes written by visitors after he became deaf, sometimes with his written replies. "Conversations" cover the broad range of Sheldon's interests, from history to technology to local personalities to issues of daily llfe. Most are undated, and, in many cases, the identity of the writer is unknown. In some instances, especially in his later years, Sheldon wrote out his half of the conversation. The letter collection (1840-1907) contains most of Sheldon's extensive personal and business correspondence from his teens to his death. He carried on long-term correspondences with a number of people, such as A.H. Copeland, with whom he corresponded from 1868 to 1906. He also kept in touch with his mother, his brothers, and a number of other relatives. Topics include personal and family matters, his work, his health, his investments, and his involvement in freemasonry. From the 1880s on, much of the correspondence concerns his museum, and he was in contact with other collectors, such as William Portus Baxter and historians, such as Abby Maria Hemenway. The financial records (1837-1906) detail Sheldon's personal finances, as opposed to his business interests. He recorded his personal expenses in detail, which increased over time. A ledger covering 1853-1906 (vol. 8) contains lists of notes about a variety of things: the many kinds of wood used in the memorial chair, articles purchased for the museum and repairs made to it, information about the family of Jabez Gale Fitch, autographs collected, etc.