History Commons^™

"A Citizen Of No Mean City": Jermain W. Loguen And The Antislavery Reputation Of Syracuse, Milton Charles Sernett

The Courier

This article describes the life and struggles of Jermain W. Loguen (originally named Jarm Logue), born a slave, who escaped to Syracuse, New York. Once in Syracuse, he became active in the Underground Railroad, the abolition movement, and even entered politics as a public speaker. His letters can be found in the Syracuse University Special Collections, as part of the Gerrit Smith papers. Smith was also a leading abolitionist who corresponded with major figures in the antislavery movement and influential freed slaves such as Frederick Douglass.

Common Cause: The Antislavery Alliance Of Gerrit Smith And Beriah Green, Milton C. Sernett

The Courier

The Gerrit Smith Papers in the manuscript collections of the George Arents Research Library at Syracuse University are an indispensable resource for scholars interested in American social reform. Given to the University in 1928 by Gerrit Smith Miller, a grandson, the col

lection reveals that the abolition of slavery dominated the Madison County philanthropist's reform interests from the mid-1830s to the Civil War. Of Gerrit Smith's numerous antislavery correspondents, including such prominent reformers as William Lloyd Garrison, Wendell Phillips, and Theodore Dwight Weld, none maintained a more regular and extensive epistolary relationship than Beriah Green, upstate New York's most radical …

The Stephen Crane Collection At Syracuse University, Edward Lyon

The Courier

This article gives a general overview of the items contained in the Stephen Crane collections at the Syracuse University Libraries. The article divides the collection into letters, manuscripts, presentation inscriptions and annotations, books from Crane's library, and memorabilia. A large portion of the collection is drawn from the Schoberlin collection.

Schoberlin's Annotated Copy Of War Is Kind, Donald P. Vanouse

The Courier

This article explains the controversy that surrounds one of the copies (the Schoberlin copy to be exact) of War Is Kind by Stephen Crane that is contained in Syracuse University's Special Collections. Inaccurate dates, strange annotations, and odd formatting are some of the features that make the copy unique.

Searching For Stephen Crane: The Schoberlin Collection, James B. Colvert

The Courier

This article meticulously recounts the building of the Schoberlin collection, which sought to gather material written by the American novelist Stephen Crane. The task was quite formidable, as competing collectors tried to beat each other to primary sources. The article also points out facts and discrepencies that the sources contain, giving a complex but interesting story about the ill-fated author.

New Stephen Crane Letters In The Schoberlin Collection, Paul Sorrentino, Stanley Wertheim

The Courier

This article recreates several letters written by American novelist Stephen Crane, unique to the Schoberlin Collection. By themselves the letters and inscriptions that are reproduced here do not form a coherent narrative; consequently, brief headnotes and footnotes supply the reader with sufficient detail to understand the context of each document.

Newly Discovered Writings Of Mary Helen Peck Crane And Agnes Elizabeth Crane, Paul Sorrentino

The Courier

Although several members of Stephen Crane's immediate family were writers, scholars know little about their work. Thomas A. Gullason

published writings by Crane's parents and brother Jonathan Townley, but other items remain to be studied and possibly printed. Fortunately, Melvin H. Schoberlin preserved holographs and transcripts of documents by Crane's sister, Agnes, and mother, Mary Helen, that further reveal the family's interest in writing. Because the transcripts, which Schoberlin copied from materials once owned by Crane's niece Edith, are unique to the Schoberlin Collection, researchers cannot verify their accuracy. As scholars examine the Collection, though, they will find that he …

The "Lost" Newspaper Writings Of Stephen Crane, Thomas A. Gullason

The Courier

This article details some of the little-known articles written by Stephen Crane when he was a journalist. He often wrote stories about the local New York society that got him fired from several papers, but served him in creating material for his novels, especially Maggie. The stories are infused with Crane's wit and uncanny sense of irony.

The "Black Dream" Of Gerrit Smith, New York Abolitionist, John R. Mckivigan, Madeleine Leveille

The Courier

This article tells the story of Gerrit Smith, a New York abolitionist who had been loosely linked to the raid on Haper's Ferry by John Brown. Shortly after the insurrection Smith was committed to an insane asylum by his family, and the scandal faded after John Brown's execution. Through their research in the Syracuse University Special Collections, the authors have uncovered much evidence affirming the financial link between Smith and John Brown. The authors also determined that the mental state of Smith seemed rather genuine, and he might have suffered from bipolar disorder. The fallout of the Smith scandal received …

Irene Sargent: A Comprehensive Bibliography Of Her Published Writings, Cleota Reed

The Courier

Irene Sargent (1852-1932), professor of the History of Fine Arts at Syracuse University from 1895 to 1932, was the subject of an article by the author in The Courier, XVI, 2 (Summer 1979),"Irene Sargent: Rediscovering a Lost Legend." A leading art historian of her day, Irene Sargent wrote extensively for The Craftsman and The Keystone and contributed as well to other periodicals. Dr. Sargent's articles merit close study as documents of the development of the Arts and Crafts Movement in America. Her work contributed to the growth of an appreciation of native accomplishments in the arts, including the fine crafts, …

A Piece Of Epic Action: The Trial Of Aaron Burr, Suzanne B. Geissler

The Courier

The trial of the former vice-president Aaron Burr for treason established such usable precedents, bringing to the fore the now-familiar issues of "pre-trial publicity," "leaks to the press," and "executive privilege."

The trial was, nonetheless, a "piece of epic action," inspiring some of the most colorful courtroom histrionics ever seen in America. Masters of the rhetorical flourish, such as William Wirt and Luther Martin, played to packed houses throughout the six-month trial. Thanks to David Robertson, a Petersburg Virginia lawyer, who took down the entire proceeding in shorthand, a record of the trial was made available to the public. It …

Lester G. Wells: An Appreciation, Edwin H. Cady

The Courier

This intimate portrait of Syracuse's Lester G. Wells tells the story of a committed scholar, who contributed important scholarship on the famous and enigmatic author Stephen Crane, as well as works on the Oneida Communiry. Mr. Wells also organized the Lena R. Arents Rare Book Room in 1946, and became Syracuse University's first Rare Book Librarian.

The Paul H. Appleby Papers At Syracuse, Gladys L. Baker

The Courier

The Paul H. Appleby papers in the Syracuse University Archives, a unit in the George Arents Research Library, offer the scholar insight into the achievements and quality of a man who made contributions to the fields of government and public administration as a government administrator, a theorist, a writer, and a teacher of public administration.

The Feminist Movement As Reflected In The Gerrit Smith Papers, Judith Mesinger

The Courier

Judith Mesinger details the work and correspondence of famous abolitionist Gerrit Smith, with special emphasis on his support of the early feminist movement of the nineteenth century. The research was aided by the Gerrit Smith Collection in the Syracuse University Special Collections.

Patience, Thanksgiving, And Opportunity For Learning, William Pearson Tolley

The Courier

Former Chancellor of Syracuse University, William Tolley, writes about the struggles of the library during the mid-20th century. This article was written amidst the dedication of the Ernest S. Bird Library in 1973. The main virtues needed of an academic administration in the trying times, he believes, is patience, thanksgiving, and the ability to utilize opportunities for learning.

Inside Bird, Syracuse Library

The Courier

Library users at Syracuse University increased from 1500 to 7000 in the first two months after the opening of the Ernest S. Bird Library in September 1972.

Following are some typical scenes in the new building, as librarians, faculty and students pursue their common goal of excellence in education.

Research Libraries Enter The Machine Age, Betsy Knapp

The Courier

This article details the struggles of Syracuse University in the early 1970s with the opening of a new library amidst a plethora of problems. Parallels are drawn to the problems of growing catalogs and fledgling mechanization that faced the New York Public Library at the same time. Also mentions the then-nascent MARC format and OCLC.

The Building Of A Library, Warren N. Boes

The Courier

This article details the planning of the Ernest S. Bird Library that took place from the late 1950s until its completion in 1972. Great effort was taken to make the building modular and able to handle future concerns.

Syracuse University Library, 1871-1972, Daniel Brassell

The Courier

This article chronicles the Syracuse University Library, which existed from 1871-1972. It rose from modest beginnings to a respected position as one of the top academic libraries. In 1972, the Ernest S. Bird Library was opened.

Asa Eastwood And His Diaries, 1806-1870, Faye Dudden

The Courier

Like so many men of his day, Asa Eastwood kept a diary. The four volumes he filled from 1806 to 1870 delineate nineteenth century customs, events and patterns of living and are now available for research in the Asa Eastwood Papers at Syracuse University, along with small amounts of his correspondence and legal records. Eastwood was alert to events of historical importance, and episodes such as the 1807 New York-to-Albany voyage of Fulton's Clermont or John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859 did not escape mention in his diaries. Yet his entries are perhaps less significant for the passing …

Geddes, New York, 1829-1935: Letters Of George Owens, Richard G. Case

The Courier

Family papers are among the most telling sources of New York State history. The Geddes letters introduced by Richard G. Case and printed below are part of such a collection. With more than a dozen other such sets of papers originating with specific New York families, they provide researchers in state history with many details of daily life in varying strata of an earlier society.

"I Am Satisfied With What I Have Done": Collis P. Huntington, 19th Century Entrepreneur, Alice M. Vestal

The Courier

The Collis P. Huntington Papers in the George Arents Research Library form one of more than twenty significant collections in the area of transportation. They are equally important as a study of a colorful period in American history and particularly of an extraordinary man in the setting of that period.

The D.L. & W. — A Nostalgic Glimpse, Syracuse University Library

The Courier

The records of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Company form one of more than twenty transportation collections in the George Arents Research Library, making Syracuse University a major research center for the study of American transportation. The corporate records, which occupy more than 1800 linear feet of shelf space, were acquired by the University in 1964 from the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad Company acting under the authority of and with approval of the Interstate Commerce Commission. The materials were carefully selected by University staff in consultation with railroad officials, from documents and records formerly located in New York City; Hoboken and …

Financial Problems Of A Revolutionary: The Memoir Of John Wilkins, Howard L. Applegate

The Courier

In this article, Howard L. Applegate describes and includes an excerpt of the autobiography of John Wilkins, a shop owner in Pennsylvania during the American Revolution period who became a militia captain. Instead of detailing the colonial militia of the time, Wilkins related how militia members often took on significant financial burdens in order to keep the regiment intact, and lamented the rampant devaluation, inflation and speculation that occurred during this turbulent period in American history.

Dorothy Thompson's Role In Sinclair Lewis' Break With Harcourt, Brace, Helen B. Petrullo

The Courier

In this article, Helen B. Petrullo utilizes several documents in the Dorothy Thompson Papers to shed new light on the break of her husband Sinclair Lewis with publisher Harcourt, Brace. It was previously thought the break was impulsive, but the documents reveal Dorothy Thompson had a significant influence on Sinclair Lewis' decision. Also describes the relationship between author and publisher in the twentieth century.