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Jonathan Pearson (1813-1887) was a notable Union College graduate, instructor and administrator. He received his early education in New Hampshire. He graduated first in his class in 1835 and returned to the school in the fall of 1836 as a tutor. In 1839 he became a professor of chemistry and natural history, and later taught botany and agriculture. He served as the college's librarian for more than 40 years and was also the school treasurer from 1854 to 1883. Along with his career at Union and maintaining his diary, Pearson produced five works on local history, most notably “The History of the Schenectady Patent.” This collection includes 16 diaries with enclosures written between 1828 and 1875 totaling 2,500 pages in length. They start with the scribblings of a young man, detailing his experiences and travels, and continue through his college years and his employment at the College. The diary holds accounts of Pearson’s travels in New England and through parts of the United States, and documents his time as a member of the College administration. Interestingly, the diary becomes critical of the longtime president of Union College, Eliphalet Nott, and Pearson discusses what he exposes as incompetence in the administration as it waxes and wanes. In addition, Pearson, a devout Baptist, reflects on many aspects of the society of his day, such as slavery, as he records his impressions of historical events. Pearson himself suffers illness, engages in many travels, and lives as a father through the travails of family life.
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The John Bigelow Papers consist of the extensive correspondence of Bigelow and his family, his scrapbooks and his writings, records and correspondence detailing his professional activities, diaries and journals belonging to Bigelow and other family members, genealogical documents and records of the Bigelow family, and a variety of photographs. The Correspondence series includes around 24,000 letters from prominent cultural and political titans, including Andrew Carnegie, Charles Dickens, John Jay, J.P. Morgan, Theodore Roosevelt, Mark Twain, and Thurlow Weed. The letters detail Bigelow’s activities such as the U.S. Consul to France during the Civil War, his position on the boards of the New York Public Library and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the founding of the Panama Canal, and Lincoln’s assassination. Letters are also from family members and friends. The diaries of his wife, Jane Tunis Poultney Bigelow, make up the majority of the Diaries and Journals series. Just as respected and loved as her husband, Jane was an important figure in the New York literary and social scene. Her diaries details their life and travels. Some especially delightful tidbits are her entries wherein she writes about Charles Dickens and Oscar Wilde when they stayed with the family during their trips to New York City.
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This collection contains recordings and transcripts of oral history interviews conducted by students in the class titled Gender and Society taught by Professor Sharon Gmelch. The interviews were conducted in 1995, and interviewees consist of faculty members, wives of faculty members, staff and students in the Union College community regarding experiences before, during and after coeducation was adopted at Union College.
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Newspaper clippings, ephemera, correspondence, publications, and other materials on Union College alumni compiled by the Alumni Office. Also includes files on nineteenth century faculty.
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Postcards of mostly of Adirondack scenes. Most of the postcards are the work of photographer Harold Ross.
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The front covers of 21 newspaper issues belonging to three different Haitian periodicals: Le Moniteur Haitien (12 issues), Feuille du Commerce (10 issues), and Revue du Commerce et des Tribunaux (7 issues).
Le Moniteur Haitien: January 7, 1854 to December 9, 1854
Feuille du Commerce: March 18, 1854 to July 1, 1854
Revue du Commerce et des Tribunaux: April 29, 1854 to June 10, 1854
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An editorial from the New York Evening Post by John Bigelow describing Baron Montgomery's experience as a Black American émigré living in Haiti in the mid-19th century.
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A 1904 postcard sent from Poultney Bigelow to his sister Grace Bigelow. Poultney was in Germany at the time, and Grace was in Highland Falls, NY with her father, John Bigelow.
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A passenger list for the Red Star Line Steamships from May 1-9, 1887. Shows travel path from New York to Antwerp.
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Entries from Jane Bigelow's dairy when her and her family traveled to London, England between February and March of 1860.
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The seventh part of a series of posts about Bigelow's experience in Haiti in 1854.
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The fourth part and continuation of part six of a series of posts about Bigelow's experience in Haiti in 1854.
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The fifth and sixth parts of a series of posts about Bigelow's experience in Haiti in 1854.
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A continuation of the third part of a series of posts about Bigelow's experience in Haiti in 1854.
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A letter from John to Jane Bigelow on January 4, 1854 during his trip to St. Thomas.
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A letter from John to Jane Bigelow around the time he traveled to St. Thomas after visiting Haiti in 1854.
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Notes by John Bigelow about his trip to Jamaica in 1850.
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A letter from James M. Brown to John Bigelow on March 25, 1886 relating to Panama Canal business.
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A letter from John Bigelow to James M. Brown, President of the NY Chamber of Commerce, related to Panama Canal business.
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A letter from President Theodore Roosevelt to John Bigelow on January 6, 1904 regarding the Panama Canal.
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A letter from President Theodore Roosevelt to John Bigelow on January 6, 1904 regarding the Panama Canal.
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A letter from President Theodore Roosevelt to John Bigelow on March 14, 1904 thanking him for his letter about Panama Canal business.
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A letter from John Bigelow to President Theodore Roosevelt on June 28, 1904 regarding Panama Canal business.