The archivists at the Filson Historical Society in Louisville, Kentucky are also blogging about archives month.  Archivist Jennie Cole has written a fantastic, clear description of what the work of an archivist entails.  Instead of reinventing the wheel, I thought I would share her well written summary:

“I am an archivist. You are familiar with librarians’ work?  Providing access to books, audio-visual recordings, journals, and other information through in person assistance, online library catalogs, recommended reading lists, etc.? My work entails similar functions, but I usually do not work with items that have duplicates readily available.  I work with mostly one-of-a-kind items – correspondence, photographs, diaries, contracts, voice recordings, digital files – records capturing personal, community, and organizational history. I work to provide access to yesterday’s world for today, and to capture today’s world for tomorrow. I write descriptions of this material so that it can be discovered. Through descriptions, as well as phone calls, emails, and in-person discussions, I provide connections between users and primary source material. I select documents to preserve for the future; I determine whose papers to collect, and what portion of the tidal wave of records created daily is worth preserving for the future. I provide accountability – I document functions, activities, and decision-making to ensure transparency and answerability. I embrace the importance of diversity, and seek to document the broadest range of human experience possible within my institution’s mission. I believe that I have a responsibility to society, and while I serve the needs of my institution, I also keep in mind that the archival record I am preserving is part of the history of our entire society. I believe that I provide an essential service to the public good, and I am proud of my profession.”

The Filson Historical Society’s blog is at http://blog.filsonhistorical.org/.

Second Connecticut Heavy Artillery Scrapbook

A reader of the blog has requested an entry related to the Kilbourn family as part of our Archives Month celebration.  Upon seeing her request, one item immediately came to mind.  Shown above is the Record Book of the 2^nd Connecticut Volunteer Heavy Artillery, donated to the Litchfield Historical Society in September of 1940 by Miss Minnie L. Bates.  The scrapbook was compiled by Dwight C. Kilbourn.  This is no ordinary scrapbook.  Kilbourn was a veteran of the Civil War, a first lieutenant in the second company of the Second Connecticut Volunteer Heavy Artillery.  He compiled an index of all of the men who fought in the regiment, and for as many as possible he amassed vital statistics, newspaper clippings, images of the men, and accounts of their experiences in battle.  Upon Kilbourn’s death in 1914, the regiment elected Mr. George H. Bates (father of Miss Minnie L. Bates) historian, and he took over the record keeping responsibilities until his death in 1929.  The veterans voted to donate the record book to the Litchfield Historical Society when it was as close to completion as possible.  In keeping with their wishes, Miss Bates brought it to the Society in 1940, after all but one veteran had passed away.  This scrapbook is a remarkable resource for researchers, from genealogists to Civil War reenactors, thanks to the diligent effort of the creators.

In addition to the historical evidence contained within it, the record book also provides an example of the challenges faced by institutions charged with preserving the past.  The scrapbook is stored in a stable climate, and everyone who uses this resource must do so with the utmost care.  To prolong the life of the item, the staff has implemented basic handling practices, like only opening the book with supports for the heavy pages and binding.  It is stored on a shelf, flat and closed.  Unfortunately, the composition of the book contributes to the concern over its condition.  Along with vast information about Litchfield County’s Civil War soldiers, the record book contains acidic newspaper clippings mingled with tintypes, photographs taped to pages and an enormous amount of added material that stretches the binding.  The steps taken to maintain a stable environment will ensure the longevity of the scrapbook until the Society can afford to undertake professional conservation treatment.

Please send me (archivist@litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org) your requests for other items you would like to see this month!

For those of you not in the know, October is American Archives Month.  It’s time to celebrate the value of historic records.  Every week this month, I will post tidbits from the Historical Society’s Helga J. Ingraham Memorial Library.  If you have requests for specific topics, please let me know.

The Society is fortunate to have a small conservation fund, and every so often we are able to have a few things treated.  Last week three letters written by Augustus Cincinnatus Hand were returned by the conservator who was treating them.  Hand was a student at the Litchfield Law School between 1827-1828.  He came to Litchfield from Vermont, and settled in New York after completing his course of study.  He served in the United States Congress from 1839-1841.  He later became a State Senator in 1844 followed by the position of Associate Judge of the Supreme Court (NY) 1847-1855.  The home he built in 1849 in Elizabethtown, NY is part of the Hand-Hale Historic District.  His three sons became lawyers, and two of his grandsons became U.S. Circuit Court judges.

Here are a few things he had to say:

Letter to his father, Samuel Hand, 1827 Nov 12

In the morning I called upon & introduced myself to his honor Judge Gould being ushered into the presence of an old grey headed sinner of between 50 & 60 who received me with the greatest cordiality took & interest in my affairs introduced me to his wife (who did the same by procuring me a washer woman sent his son to reconnoitre the boarding houses etc. etc.

In explaining his boarding situation to his father (the students often roomed in one house and boarded in another), Hand says of his host:

E. Harrison Esquire Town Clerk Litchfield is the gentleman_ The only house under 2.75_ Our table is set for Mr. & Mrs. H. _ A Doctor_ A Lawyer_ Editor & fellow student who has been here about a year_ The only mar to our society is that I am unfortunately the only Jacksonian in the family all besides being warm Adamsites_

He goes on to say,

This is indeed the place for Law_ It is all Law_

The following January, Hand wrote to his father again.  This time he had a different motivation than reporting on his arrival.  He says,

My dear Father_

I set down to write you a long letter I hope a good one_ But as Shakespeare says, “there is a rub” & this shall come first that when it is disposed of you may read the other part with better appetite_ is to say My dear father I have no notion of giving you a ‘pill’ in molasses but the pill & then the molasses.  “Tis about cash!”

Without letters like this, we would not have such a good idea of what Litchfield looked like during the early republic, or what a law student experienced upon arriving here. Hand gives further explanations of the costs involved in attending the school, the actual work involved, and the personalities in town at the time.

Thanks to the Web site findagrave.com, I can tell you the inscription on Hand’s tomb:

Here rests all that is mortal of Augustus C. Hand, born September 4, 1803, died March 8, 1878.  A learned lawyer, a faithful representative of the people in state and nation,  a just judge, a blameless citizen, a loving husband and father.

The Hand letters are part of the Litchfield Law School Collection.  Check out the finding aid to learn about related documents in our collection.

This Litchfield Historical Society is pleased to announce the acquisition of the original sketch of the South East View from Chestnut Hill by John Warner Barber.

The drawing was discovered in an antique shop in Stonington, CT by a friend of the museum.  The staff quickly jumped into action and contacted the antique shop owner.  He was thrilled the museum was interested and the transaction was quickly finalized.

John Warner Barber (1798-1885) was born in East Windsor, CT.  He learned the art of printmaking and opened his own business in New Haven, CT.  He is most noted for his engravings of Connecticut towns.  These were compiled into a book by Barber in 1837  called Connecticut Historical Collections. The book sold 7,000 copies in its first year even though it cost three dollars, then an average weeks pay.

Barber started with rough pencil sketches and developed them into more detailed wash drawings. He then transferred the drawings directly to small blocks of boxwood on which he engraved the designs.

Above is the published engraving of his original pencil drawing.   It is often thought Barber inserted himself into his prints.  The gentleman in the foreground of the completed print is thought to be Barber.

The Litchfield Historical Society is thrilled to add this rare piece of material culture to the museum’s permanent collection.

James P. Woodruff to Lillian C. Bell

Telegrams may be a thing of the past, but they appear in our present with some regularity.  While accessioning[i] a new donation I came across this gem.

If you are having trouble with the script, it is from James Parsons Woodruff to Lillian Churchill Bell dated one day prior to their wedding date.  It says:

“Have started wait for me don’t take the best man.”  For more about J.P. Woodruff, see this entry in Taylor’s Legislative History and Souvenir of Connecticut 190-.

[i] Accessioning is the process by which a donation is formally added to the collection.