Collections: Manuscripts

Manuscripts

A-C D-G H-L M-O P-R S-Z

American Union Lodge, No. 1, Collection

The American Union Lodge, No. 1, Collection consists of papers, dating from 1790 to 1826, that are related to the Washington County, Ohio, membership of this organization. (1 mss box)

Ebenezer Baldwin Andrews Papers

A graduate of Marietta College with the Class of 1842, Ebenezer Baldwin Andrews (1821-1880) was professor of geology at Marietta College, assistant to the Ohio state geological survey, and colonel of the 36th O.V.I. during the Civil War. The collection includes notebooks, papers, and publications related to geology. (2 mss boxes)

Catharine Barker Memoirs

Catharine (Barker) Barker (1806-1885) was the daughter of Joseph Barker and Elizabeth (Dana) Barker, New England farmers who traveled west to Ohio in 1789. Between 1880 and 1885, Catharine filled seven volumes with her memoirs and hand-written copies of earlier correspondence. She began with her childhood on the family’s farm in Washington County, Ohio, and included recollections of family members, chores, education, and the social life of the community. Many of her youthful adventures were shared with her sister Frances, who was later famous as Frances Dana Barker Gage, the woman’s rights activist. Catharine described her marriage to Francis Augustus Barker, their residence in Morgan County, Ohio, and issues related to raising her children after she and her husband moved to Iowa. Many details of the family’s hardships and pioneer living conditions in the west are provided. (2 mss boxes)
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Charles L. Barker Collection

Charles L. Barker (1825-1900), son of Luther D. Barker and Maria (Devol) Barker, was a prominent citizen of McConnelsville, Morgan County, Ohio. Barker operated a general store of dry goods, notions, and groceries, and this collection includes his business papers, dating from 1842 to 1856. (1 mss box)

Abraham Blakely Manuscript of "Scenes in the West, Deacon Strong and Squire Croy"

Rev. Abraham Blakely (also known as Abram) was a Presbyterian minister in Ohio, Kentucky, and Kansas in the mid-19th century. “Scenes in the West, Deacon Strong and Squire Croy” is a narrative written by Blakely describing events in the ministry of “Deacon Strong” as well as the general religious environment in southern Ohio in the 1820s or 1830s.
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Gutzon Borglum National Start Westward Monument Papers

Gutzon Borglum (1867-1941) was an American sculptor best known for his work on Mount Rushmore. In 1936, Borglum visited Marietta, Ohio and agreed to build the National Start Westward Memorial, known colloquially as the Start Westward Monument. The monument would commemorate the pioneers who settled in Marietta and began the nation’s expansion west. The Gutzon Borglum National Start Westward Memorial Papers consists of materials dated 1937-1938, including sketches, diagrams, correspondence, progress and budget reports, and drafts of a speech to be given at the dedication. (1 half document box)
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Margaret (McCaddon) Burlingame Letters

Margaret (McCaddon) Burlingame (1830-1908) grew up in Washington County, Ohio, where she married William Rufus Burlingame (1826-1868), great-grandson of General Rufus Putnam. The couple moved to Illinois and raised their family on a farm in Tazewell County. Most of the letters in this collection, dating from 1845 to 1904, were written by Margaret’s relatives back in southeastern Ohio, conveying news and describing events. (1 mss box)

Ellen Lewis (Buell) Cash Collection

Ellen (Buell) Cash (1905-1989) graduated from Marietta College with the Class of 1926. Much of her career was spent in New York City, where she was the children’s book editor for the New York Times. Ellen’s mother, Ellen Lewis (Nye) Buell, was a descendant of Betty Washington, sister of George Washington. The Buell family was descended from the pioneers of Marietta. The collection consists of family correspondence (1840-1985), newspaper clippings, photographs, and book reviews. (9 mss boxes)

Josiah Dexter Cotton Family Collection

The Cotton Collection contains letters written in southern Ohio, between the years of 1848 and 1921, most from 1848 to 1868. The majority of the correspondence is between Ann (Steece) Cotton (1828-1911) and her husband, Dr. Josiah Dexter Cotton (1822-1903), of Marietta. Ann traveled frequently to visit family and friends, and the couple stayed in touch by mail. The letters are rich in the detail of daily life as experienced by a small-town physician’s family during the middle of the nineteenth century. Also included is a diary kept by the couple’s daughter, Mary Cotton, during the 1870s. (1 mss box)
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Ephraim Cutler Family Collection

This extensive collection is focused on the correspondence and papers of Ephraim Cutler (1767-1853) and of his son, William Parker Cutler (1812-1889). These two men, son and grandson respectively of Manasseh Cutler, played prominent roles in the legislative, economic, and educational growth of Ohio. Topics covered include Ohio and United States politics, including the first and second Ohio Constitutional Conventions; road, canal, and railroad building; William P. Cutler’s Congressional service during the Civil War; and financial, educational, and family concerns. (26 mss boxes+)

Fred Carter Cutter Collection

Fred Carter Cutter (1888-1962) graduated from Marietta College with the Class of 1910. A native of Marietta, Cutter was later a businessman in Missouri and Kansas. The collection contains family papers and photographs related to nineteenth-century Marietta and Marietta College. (11 mss boxes)

Dana Family Papers

The collection consists of original manuscript material related to the Dana family of Belpre and Newport, Ohio. It contains over 600 letters, documents, clippings, photographs, and ephemera, dating from 1824 to 1938. (6 mss boxes)

Charles Gates Dawes Autograph Collection

This collection of 146 letters and documents of internationally known men and women of the past 400 years was presented to Marietta College in 1938 by Charles Gates Dawes (1865-1951), a graduate, Class of 1884. Vice President of the United States from 1925 to 1929, Dawes compiled the collection while serving as general purchasing agent of the American Expeditionary Forces in France during World War I. It includes documents of statesmen, artists, authors, monarchs, musicians, philosophers, and scientists. (5 mss boxes)

Rufus Dawes Collection

Rufus R. Dawes (1838-1899), grandson of Ephraim Cutler and descendant of William Dawes who rode with Paul Revere, graduated from Marietta College in 1860. He was colonel of the Sixth Wisconsin Infantry during the Civil War, and a hero of the Battle of Gettysburg. Dawes later served as a member of Congress from 1881 to 1883, and was the father of Vice President Charles Gates Dawes. These materials focus on Dawes’ work following the Civil War, until the time of his death. (4 mss boxes)

Ann Tabitha (Marshall) Devol Collection

Ann Tabitha (Marshall) Devol (1838-1896) was the wife of William Dudley Devol (1834-1906). The couple raised their family at “Walnut Hill Farm” in Muskingum Township, Washington County, Ohio. “Bitha” kept journals in which she recorded family concerns, neighborhood social life, local news, weather, and the daily routine of nineteenth-century farm life. This collection includes all of her journals with the exception of 1857-67 and 1878-79. (4 mss boxes)
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Cornelius E. Dickinson Collection

The material in this collection includes correspondence, photographs, scrapbooks, sermons, poems, and other writings of Cornelius E. Dickinson (1835-1925), pastor of the First Congregational Church of Marietta, Ohio, from 1883 to 1896. The Reverend Dickinson was also a Marietta College trustee and the author of A History of the First Congregational Church of Marietta, Ohio (1896), and A History of Belpre, Washington County, Ohio (1920). (1 carton)

Caleb Emerson Collection

Caleb Emerson (1779-1853) was a lawyer and newspaper editor who participated in many Marietta organizations and activities. The collection includes business correspondence, notes, meeting minutes, and printed pamphlets, dating from 1807 to 1925. (1 mss box)
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Ralph Waldo Emerson Letters

This small collection contains five original letters and several manuscript copies of letters written by American poet and essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) to his friend Emily (Mervine) Drury from 1851 to 1856. (1 mss box)

Catharine (Fay) Ewing Diary

Catharine A. (Fay) Ewing (1822 - 1897) was born in Westboro, Massachusetts, and in 1835 moved with her parents, William and Elizabeth (Lankton) Fay, to Marietta, Ohio. After serving as a teacher among the Choctaws, she returned to the Marietta area, and used her own savings to establish a home for orphaned children. In 1866 Ewing successfully petitioned the Ohio Legislature for funding, and her home became the first publicly supported children’s home in Ohio. This diary for the year 1866 describes the hardships, obstacles, and emotional stress she encountered while tried to provide a safe home for orphaned and neglected children in Washington County, Ohio.
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Paul Fearing Collection

Paul Fearing (1762 – 1822) was the first attorney of the Northwest Territory, and this collection documents his land management activities. Fearing acted extensively as an agent for non-resident shareholders and their heirs who lived in the eastern states. The correspondence and legal papers, dating from 1788 to 1827, are arranged chronologically, with undated material at the end. A subset of the Paul Fearing Papers is the Fearing-Willis papers, dating from 1791 to 1811. The letters in this group are of a more personal nature, the correspondents being Paul Fearing’s sister, Lucy (Fearing) Willis, and her husband Nathan Willis. (9 mss boxes)

Judson Guitteau Collection

An early Marietta pioneer, Judson Guitteau (1749-1823) was a native of Connecticut who served as a provision supplier to soldiers during the American Revolution. Judson’s daughter, Jerusha, married William Rufus Putnam, son of General Rufus Putnam. Most of the material in this collection is related to land transactions and business affairs. (2 mss boxes)

Seth and Benjamin Franklin Hart Letters to Alfred Andrews

Dr. Seth Hart and Dr. Benjamin Franklin Hart were physicians in and around the area of Harmar, Ohio (now part of the city of Marietta) in the 19th century. The Seth and Benjamin Franklin Hart Letters to Alfred Andrews consist of letters and an autobiography written by the Harts to assist Andrews with his research for his book Genealogical History of Deacon Stephen Hart and his descendants.

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Rotheus Hayward Collection

This collection comprises the papers of the Rotheus Hayward (1781-1842) and his family of Waterford, Washington County, Ohio, including correspondence, diaries, and publications. The correspondence dates from 1804 to 1945, with most covering the years 1804 to 1865. The letters of Rotheus Hayward begin when he leaves Easton, Massachusetts, and travels to Ohio in search of an occupation. Letters to his family contain descriptions of people and places, as well as detailed accounts of his activities in farming and raising a family in southeastern Ohio. (4 mss boxes)
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William Heyen Papers

The Heyen Papers consists of correspondence, drafts of poems, and printed publications of poet William Heyen (1940- ), dating from 1969 to 1990. It includes some of Heyen’s correspondence, dating from 1978 to 1982, in which he discusses his work, as well as events in his daily life. Also, there are drafts of his poetry and essays, in which notes and alterations in text are evident. (2 mss boxes)

Highland Ridge Church Records

The First German Evangelical Protestant Church in Muskingum Township of Washington County, now known as Highland Ridge Community Church, was founded on October 10, 1835. The original church building was completed in 1936, and the church remains active as of 2020. The Highland Ridge Community Church Records contains photocopies of business records, ceremonial records, and ephemera created by the church from 1844-1983, a translation of some records created in 1994, and two original baptism certificates. (.7 linear feet) 

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Samuel P. Hildreth Collection

The Hildreth Collection contains the correspondence, essays, and other material of Samuel Prescott Hildreth (1783-1863), a Marietta physician, geologist, botanist, and amateur historian. The material documents the early history of the Ohio Valley from 1787 to 1847, and is enhanced with papers related to natural history and geology. Three volumes of meteorological records, part of the data from Hildreth's 40 years of weather observation, are unique for that time, and his journals of disease (1831-1854) are also significant. Of especial interest are the reminiscences of early Ohio pioneers. Notes for his work on two publications, Pioneer History (1848) and Biographical and Historical Memoirs of the Early Pioneer Settlers of Ohio (1852) are also included. Samuel Prescott Hildreth had a wide field of correspondence, and he preserved numerous letters and documents which he received from scientists and other important historical figures. (18 mss boxes)
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Sally Hille Collection

Sally Hille was the first female radio broadcaster in the Mid-Ohio Valley, working for radio station WMOA beginning in 1966. In addition to announcing the weather (from a home studio set up in her bathroom) and recording commercials, she hosted several programs. Sally’s radio interviews included many famous guests, such as Hugh Downs, Rock Hudson, Gene Kelly, and Cloris Leachman. This collection contains audio recordings of her work during the 1960s and 1970s. (8 cartons)

Hille Family Collection

The primary focus of this collection is papers related to the Augustus Hille (1844-1918) family of Archer’s Fork in Washington County, Ohio. Included are deeds and guardianship papers. Of especial note is a 1794 writ signed by R. J. Meigs and addressed to the Sheriff of Washington County, with orders to take Dean Tyler into custody. (1 mss box)

Lois Caswell Howison Collection

Lois Caswell Howison was born on August 14, 1837 to Alvarus and Ann White Sampson Caswell. She was the wife of George Holmes Howison, a Marietta College Alumnus (Class of 1852; Lane Seminary, 1855). They were married on November 25, 1863. Lois Howison died on February 14, 1931. For many years, George Howison was Professor of Philosophy at Berkeley, University of California. He was a well-known philosopher of his day.This collection consists of approximately 120 documents, 96 of which are dated. Most of the documents are letters (1883 – 1910) written by Lois Caswell Howison to her sister, Serena Caswell Lane (b. 10 December, 1827). The letters concern family and domestic matters. 

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John H. James Copies of Northwest Territory Records

John Hough James (1800-1881) was involved in a wide range of professional pursuits including law, banking, railroads, and farming. In the 1830s he began work on a history of Ohio. The John H. James Copies of Northwest Territory Paper contains James’ manuscript copies of reports, letters, orders, and proclamations issued in the Northwest Territory from 1788-1792 by Arthur St. Clair and Winthrop Sargent, governor and secretary of the Northwest Territory respectively.
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Johnson-Lehman Collection

The genealogical research of Mary Jean (Johnson) Lehman is documented in this collection of papers primarily related to the Johnson and Uhl families of West Virginia. In addition to correspondence regarding genealogy, there are also original family letters and materials dating from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. (5 mss boxes)

Gary Kott Creative Warehouse

The Gary Kott Creative Warehouse contains scripts for television programs, pilots, movies, and stage plays, as well as print ads, television commercials, and personal memorabilia related to the career of award-winning writer Gary Kott, Marietta College Class of 1969. The focus of the collection is the nearly 200 scripts written for NBC’s The Cosby Show, including first drafts, revised final drafts, and final drafts for programs that aired from 1985 through 1990. Also included are handwritten pages of scenes from The Cosby Show, along with VHS tapes of rough cuts from various episodes, and related memorabilia. In addition, there are scripts for other television shows, including Angie, Fame, Glitter, Goodbye Charlie, Hotel, It’s Not Easy, Punky Brewster, Remington Steele, and The White Shadow. (10 cartons)

Leonard-Latham-Anderson Collection

The Leonard-Latham_Anderson Collection consists mainly of the correspondence, business, and legal papers of Benjamin Greene Leonard, Allen Latham, and Richard Clough Anderson, all of whom played important roles in the settlement and development of the Virginia Military District in Ohio. The collection includes family and business correspondence, legal documents connected to the law practice of Leonard and Latham in Chillicothe, Ohio, and records related to Virginia military bounty land warrants. The material dates from 1779 to 1875 (18 mss boxes)

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Local Government Records and Legal Documents

Dating primarily from 1788 to 1815, this collection consists of a variety of court, election, and tax records, and miscellaneous legal documents. While most items are related to Washington County, Ohio, a few are from other areas of southeastern Ohio, such as Athens, Gallipolis, and Zanesville. (4 mss boxes)

Digital reproduction of the 1810 Census

Introduction to the 1810 Census of Washington County

Ludwig Church Records

St. Jacob’s Evangelical Protestant Church of Lawrence Township, colloquially known as Ludwig Church, was a German church founded in 1868 in Washington County, Ohio. The church held regular services until around 1930. The St. Jacob’s Evangelical Protestant Church of Ludwig Township Records contains materials related to the operation of the church from its founding in 1868 until 1905. (.21 linear feet) 

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Francis Macmillen (1885-1973) Papers

Francis Macmillen (1885-1973) was a Marietta native and world-famous violinist. The collection includes McMillen family correspondence from 1860 through 1910, as well as business correspondence, posters, concert programs, concert tickets, photographs, and miscellaneous items pertaining to Francis’ musical career. The letters provide details of the family support system needed to maintain an internationally-known musician during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. (10 mss boxes)

Edward Bosworth Manly Collection

Edward Bosworth Manley (1904-1982), a 1926 graduate of Marietta College, served as a radio operator for several Arctic expeditions from 1926 through 1930. His trips included the Bartlett-Putnam American Museum Greenland Expedition (1926), the Stoll-McCracken Expedition of the American Museum of Natural History (1928), and the Bartlett East Greenland Expedition (1930). Manley’s papers from these expeditions consist of journals, correspondence, notes, photographs, maps, and newspaper articles. (9 mss boxes)
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Angelique (Le Petit) Martin Papers

Angelique (Le Petit) Martin (1793-1865) was born in France and married Gilles Marie Martin (1794-1865) in England in 1821. The couple moved with their family to Washington County, Ohio, where in 1833, they purchased land in Union (now Muskingum) Township. Angelique was interested in women’s rights and corresponded with feminist thinkers such as Albert Brisbane, Lucretia Mott, and Amelia Bloomer. The Martins eventually moved to a communal living area in northern Ohio known as the Trumbull Phalanx. Most of the letters in this collection deal with political issues of the time period, such as feminism and the abolition of slavery, as well as on the concept of communal living. (1 mss box)
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John Mathews Collection

John Mathews (1765-1828), nephew of General Rufus Putnam, was one of the original 48 pioneers who came west from New England in 1788. Mathews was a surveyor for the Ohio Company, and for many years he was active in the mercantile business in Ohio. He also carried on a large-scale farming operation, including a saw mill and a flour mill, after moving to Muskingum County, Ohio. This collection contains material related to the mercantile and land interests of John Mathews on the Ohio frontier, especially in the areas of Fort Loramie, and Zanesville. Mathews’ work as a surveyor is also represented; of especial note is a journal kept in 1786-87, containing an account of his experiences while surveying in Ohio’s Seven Ranges. (8 mss boxes)
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John McBurney Collection

Dr. John McBurney (1817-1888), a resident of Guernsey County, Ohio, was one of Ohio’s leading educators throughout his professional life from 1859 until his retirement in the early 1900s. He was the first superintendent of schools in Cambridge and a professor of natural science at Muskingum College. The items of this collection are illustrative of the educational history of southeastern Ohio. (2 cartons)

Mellor Gold Rush Letters

Dating from 1849 to 1852, the nine letters in this collection detail the trials and tribulations of male gold rushers during the height of the California gold rush. The majority of the correspondence is from William V. Mellor (1824-1885) and Benjamin Y. Mellor (1822-1854) in California to their father, Samuel Mellor, in Malta, Morgan County, Ohio.
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John Mills Collection

John Mills (1795-1882), born in Marietta, was involved in mercantile, banking, and manufacturing businesses his entire life. He was president of the Bank of Marietta from 1824 to 1843, and later president of the Marietta branch of the State bank, director of the Marietta National Bank, and of the First National Bank. His other business pursuits included the Marietta Chair Company, the Marietta Gas Company, and the Marietta & Cincinnati Railroad. Mills was also engaged in many community organizations, and served as a trustee of Marietta College from the time of its establishment. Most of the material in this collection, dating from 1815 to 1861, is related to Mills’ business affairs, but a few family letters are included. (6 mss boxes)

Jesse C. Morrow Collection

Jesse C. Morrow (1833-1915) spent most of his early life in western Washington County, Ohio. When the Civil War began, he was living in Athens County, and enlisted from there as a private in the 36th O.V.I. Morrow served in four different companies and rose through the ranks to become captain of Company D of the 36th. Following the war, he returned to Washington County, where he followed blacksmithing in Wesley Township, and later served as the county sheriff. This collection contains Morrow’s military appointments, and a roster of Company D, 36th O.V.I., as well as several books from his personal library. (2 mss boxes)

Manuscripts and Documents of the Ohio Company of Associates

The Manuscripts and Documents of the Ohio Company of Associates describe the role played by a group of Revolutionary War officers in opening the Old Northwest Territory to organized settlement. It is a collection of legal documents, business records, and correspondence related to the business of this early Ohio land company, and includes the original book of minutes of the directors, the record book of deeds, correspondence, survey plats, and field notes of the surveyors. Most of the Ohio Company papers have been digitized and are accessible online. (12 mss boxes+)
Website
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Bibliography
Surveyors' Notes Index

Melzar Nye Memoir

Written about 1872 when Melzar Nye was 87 years old, this 24-page memoir recounts the Nye family’s trip from Connecticut to Marietta, Ohio, in 1790, and tells of their experiences on the early Ohio frontier.
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Edward S. Parsons Collection

Edward S. Parsons was president of Marietta College from 1919 until 1936. This collection contains transcripts of many of his sermons and speeches. (4 mss boxes)

David Pleasant Collection

David Henderson Pleasant (1881-1911) reached adulthood in the Belpre area, and in 1902, he enrolled in Marietta Academy, then in Marietta College in 1904. He was the eighth African American student to attend MC and the only one enrolled at that time. Unlike most of the previous black students, who had sponsors, Pleasant worked his way through school by mowing lawns, waiting table, and other odd jobs. Following his graduation in 1908, Pleasant entered law school at Ohio State University. He was struck and killed by a train in 1911. This collection contains notebooks of Pleasant’s academic work and journal entries regarding his thoughts and activities while a student at MC. (1 carton)

Records of the Presbyterian Congregation of Windsor

The Presbyterian Congregation of Windsor met in Windsor Township, Morgan County, Ohio and was active from at least 1824-1847. The records of the Presbyterian Congregation of Windsor consist of one record book, dated 1824-1847, in which the congregation recorded meeting proceedings.(1 folder) 

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David Putnam Papers

David Putnam, Sr., (1769-1856) was born in Pomfret, Connecticut, the grandson of General Israel Putnam. In 1793, he graduated from Yale, and the following year accepted a position on a ship bound for London. Putnam suffered many difficulties during the trip, and the ship wrecked along the coast of France. A journal that he kept of the experience is included in his papers. When Putnam returned to the United States, he studied law, and in 1798, married Betsey Perkins. The couple relocated to Marietta, Ohio, where David Putnam held many positions, including teacher, postmaster, and banker, while continuing to practice law. The collection, which includes journals, notes, letters, and legal records, is owned by the Marietta Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and has been deposited at Marietta College for preservation and access. (2 mss boxes)
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Rufus Putnam Papers

Rufus Putnam (1738-1824) was a Revolutionary War officer, superintendent of the Ohio Company of Associates, and surveyor general of the United States. His prominence in the military and political life of the early years of the Republic brought him into contact with some of the most noted persons of the time. This collection reflects the hazardous economic, military, and political life of the time in which he lived. It includes correspondence, journals, legal documents, business records, and memoranda of early events in the Ohio country. While many of the Rufus Putnam Papers have been digitized and are accessible online, a large quantity of additional papers is available to researchers in Special Collections. (13 mss boxes+)
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Samuel H. Putnam Letters

Samuel Hildreth Putnam (1835-1911) was the son of Douglas Putnam and Mary Ann (Hildreth) Putnam. After attending Marietta College, he assisted his father with the operation of a bucket factory. In 1861 Putnam enlisted with Company L of the 1st Regiment, O.V.C. He rose to the rank of 1st lieutenant, and was with the escort of Gen. George H. Thomas, commander of the 14th Army Corps. This collection, dating from 1861 to 1879, contains letters written home during his Civil War service, as well as courtship letters written to Abigail Mixer, who he married in 1866. (1 mss box)
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William Rufus Putnam Collection

William Rufus Putnam, Sr., (1771-1855), the son of General Rufus Putnam, was an agent for many non-resident proprietors of the Ohio Company. This collection, dating from 1794 to 1852, contains his correspondence with clients for whom he was managing land affairs. (8 mss boxes)

William Rufus Putnam, Jr., Collection

William Rufus Putnam, Jr., (1812-1881) was the grandson of General Rufus Putnam. He served as commander in charge of Camp Marietta during the Civil War, and his orders and correspondence related to that position are included in this collection. (2 mss boxes)
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Wilbur Schramm Collection

Wilbur Schramm (1907-1987), a native of Marietta, graduated from Marietta College in 1928, and obtained advanced degrees from Harvard University and the University of Iowa. He taught English at Iowa for several years, and became the director of its school of journalism. He later created communications programs at the University of Illinois, Stanford University, and the East-West Center, University of Hawaii. Schramm was the author and editor of numerous articles related to literature and communication, and he received many honors and awards. Sometimes called “the father of communication studies,” Schramm was a major influence on the development of communication research. This collection contains correspondence (1973-1987), reports, notes, publications, and essays related to his work. (15 cartons)

Rodney K. Shaw Papers

Rodney Keene Shaw (1829-1913) was born and educated in the state of New York. He taught school briefly, before being admitted to the bar in 1856. Shaw arrived in Marietta in 1860, and accepted a position as clerk in the law office of Thomas W. Ewart. At the outbreak of the Civil War, he was made captain of Company G, 63rd Regiment, O.V.I, but was forced to retire from the military due to poor health. In 1863, Shaw resumed his law practice. In addition to his legal work, Shaw was a poet who wrote patriotic verse, much of which was related to the Civil War. The collection contains Shaw’s correspondence, which includes over 400 letters to his family, business associates, and publishers (with their rejections). Also included are genealogical notes, Civil War military papers, and drafts of poems. (6 mss boxes)

Sitka Church Records

The Evangelical Protestant Society of Lawrence Township held meetings as early as 1853 in the German school in the village of Sitka, Lawrence Township, Washington County, Ohio. The church, known colloquially as Sitka Church, was later known as the Evangelical Protestant Christian Church of Lawrence Township. The Evangelical Protestant Christian Church of Lawrence Township Records contain photocopies of church constitutions, membership lists, and business records as well as two ceremonial certificates dated 1853-1951. (.16 linear feet)

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Charles Goddard Slack Collection

The Slack Collection consists of over 250 signed documents and illustrative prints of persons notable in the history and culture of the Old Northwest. It includes letters written by such notables as Daniel Boone, Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, nearly all the governors of Ohio, and all but two of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. The core of the Slack Collection was presented to Marietta College in 1905 by Charles Goddard Slack, Class of 1881.

Helen (Hill) Sloan Genealogical Collection

The Sloan Collection contains material of interest to genealogists. It includes research notes, family charts, bible records and cemetery readings related to many local families. (9 mss boxes)

St. Jacob's Church Association of Fearing Township Records Photocopies

St. Jacob’s Church was founded by 8 families in Fearing Township, Washington County, Ohio in 1857. The congregation met regularly until 1940 and last worshipped in 1962. In 1990 the St. Jacob’s Church Association of Fearing Township was established to care for the property owned by the congregation. The St. Jacob’s Church Association of Fearing Township Records Photocopies contains photocopies of records produced by the church and by the Association, including constitutions, membership lists, and administrative records dating from 1906-2015. (.22 linear feet) 

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St. John's Evangelical Church of Lowell Records Photocopies

St. John’s Evangelical Church of Lowell was founded in Lowell, Ohio in 1858 and remains active as of 2020. The St. John’s Evangelical Church of Lowell Records Photocopies contains photocopies of ceremonial and administrative records from 1858-1966.(1 document box) 

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St. John's Evangelical Church of Watertown Records Photocopies

St. John’s Church was founded in 1845 in Watertown Township, Washington County, Ohio. The St. John’s Evangelical Church of Watertown Records Photocopies contains photocopies of two ledgers of church records dated 1862-1878 and 1901-1955.(1 document box)

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St. Luke's Evangelical Church Records

St. Luke’s Evangelical Lutheran Church was founded in Marietta, Ohio in 1858 when a group of parishioners broke off from St. Paul’s Church in Marietta. The St. Luke’s Evangelical Lutheran Church Records contains photocopies of ceremonial records, the church record and constitution, financial records, and ephemera dating from 1858-1929 and one original program from 1992. The earliest records are in German, but English begins to appear starting around 1900. (.67 linear feet)

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St. Paul's Evangelical Church Records

The congregation that became St. Paul’s Evangelical Church broke off from the German Religious Society in Marietta, Ohio in 1839. The current church building, located at the corner of Fifth and Scammel Streets was dedicated in 1850. The St. Paul’s Evangelical Church Records contain originals and photocopies of ceremonial records, financial records, membership lists, copies of the church constitution, the records of the Youth Organization, clippings and ephemera in German and English dating from 1839- 2008. The bulk of the materials date from 1849-1964.(1.13 linear feet) 

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Stone-Moore Collection

This collection is composed of the courtship letters and family correspondence of Lydia Loring Stone (1829-1922) and her husband, Samuel Alexander Milton Moore (1823-1909) of Belpre, Washington County, Ohio, and Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio. The collection contains letters written in southeastern Ohio, from 1847 through 1854. Topics discussed are religion, marriage, housework, river travel, recreation, and events of the time, such as the California Gold Rush. The letters provide details of daily life as experienced by young adults during the middle of the nineteenth century. (2 mss boxes)

Nahum Ward Collection

Nahum Ward (1785-1860) was an influential Marietta mayor and one of the largest land owners in Ohio. The Ward Collection includes material such as family correspondence, deeds, nineteenth-century valentines, and minutes of the local Union Soldiers Relief Association. (4 mss boxes+)

Waxler Church Records

St. John’s Evangelical Protestant Church was founded in the 1860s in Liberty Township, Washington County, Ohio. the congregation was active until at least 1948, but was inactive as of 2020. The St. John’s Evangelical and Reformed Church of Liberty Township Records contains photocopies of Germanlanguage ceremonial records, membership lists, and administrative records dating from 1868-1912 with one item from 1948. Translations of these records made by Ernest Thode in 2002 are also included. (.35 linear feet) 

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(West) Virginia Court Records

This collection of legal papers dates from 1754 to 1789, and primarily concerns civil suits in Hampshire County, (West) Virginia. (1 mss box)
Digital Archive
Finding Aid

Woodbridge-Penrose Collection

The Woodbridge-Penrose Collection focuses on the Penrose and Woodbridge families of Marietta, which descend from Dudley Woodbridge (1748-1823), an early merchant. It includes correspondence, legal papers, literary writings, and miscellaneous ephemera, dating from 1776 to 1964. (7 mss boxes)

Zion Evangelical Church of Elk Township Records Photocopies

Zion Evangelical Church was formed in what is now Elk Township, Noble County, Ohio in 1852 and was active until at least 1972. The Zion Evangelical Church Records Photocopies contains photocopies of ceremonial records, constitution and official acts, membership lists, and business and financial records in German and English dating from 1841-1972. The bulk of these materials date from 1852-1922.
Finding Aid

General Manuscript Collection

In addition to the individually named collections, hundreds of additional letters, diaries, memoirs, account books, maps, and other documents, too numerous to list, are also preserved in Special Collections. Many additional collections are currently being processed.