I Remain - Digital Archive

Chandler, John.
[Letter] 1714 April, Woodstock [to] Col. William Dudley/ John Chandler.
Chandler explains that though he had endeavored to have his son make the survey on the north half of town as Dudley desired, it was not possible for his son to do so. Chandler points out, however, that Captain George Fairbanks had a survey of his 300 acres, as did Wilson Rawson and Moses Aldridge. Chandler characterizes Fairbanks as the "most Criminall [sic]" for his acquisitiveness about Dudley's land and the land of an Indian (whose name is not specified). Chandler states that Fairbanks should be made an example for "he madly ran over the head all the advice" and entreaties. Chandler then discusses matters arising from the disposal of land belonging to "black James," stating that his opinions have been misrepresented in the matter. He urges Dudley to look up Fairbanks' deed on record, and gives bearings and landmarks.
Cooper, James Fenimore, 1789-1851.
[Manuscript] 1843 May, Cooperstown, Preface to the Battle of Lake Erie / [James Fenimore Cooper].
This manuscript is the Preface to Cooper's Battle of Lake Erie published in 1843. Though he wished to avoid the controversy surrounding the Battle in his Naval History, Cooper states that his present work will answer the attacks made upon him by Messrs. Burges, Duer, and Mackenzie regarding the actions of Oliver Perry during the battle. Cooper, the 11th of 12 children born to the man who founded Cooperstown and built Ostego Hall, is remembered for his books of sailing and wilderness adventure, including the Leatherstocking Series featuring Natty Bumppo, the most well-known of which is Last of the Mohicans (1826), as well as his books on naval history. In addition to enjoying the life of a country gentleman in New York, Cooper also traveled and wrote extensively in Europe.
Emerson, Ralph Waldo, 1803-1882.
[Manuscript] / Ralph Waldo Emerson.
This manuscript was a draft for Emerson's Lecture on Aristocracy which he later collected and published as Lectures and biographical sketches (c. 1883). Emerson covers the topics of self respect, initiative, and conformity, urging listeners to beware of "laughing devils" hidden in well-dressed crowds, and to govern their impulses in order to become "men of honor." In one passage he states that "All reference to models, all comparison with neighboring abilities and reputations, is the road to mediocrity." Emerson discusses Chartism and the "Red Revolution" and urges listeners to maintain positions of "armed neutrality" in the hope that the "music of liberty" will prevail. The manuscript breaks off after Emerson's catalogue of how the ancients equated nobility and largeness of heart with giant proportions and strength; some of the examples he uses do not appear in the published version of this talk. Emerson established the foundation for transcendentalism, a philosophy derived in part from European Romanticism, becoming one of its most well-known spokespersons with the publication of Nature (1836) and "The American Scholar." Actively writing essays, lectures, and poems during the period known as the American renaissance (1835-65), Emerson also helped launch The Dial (1840) a magazine for expressing transcendental philosophies and ideas.
Ford, Paul Leicester, 1865-1902.
[Letter] [18]98 March 3, Brooklyn [to] Mr. Gilder / Paul Leicester Ford.
Ford confesses to being "suprised and not a little indignant" to find that "my Franklin has been dropped out of the March Century" without explanation or apology. Since Gilder never expressed dissatisfaction with Ford's work, Ford assumes the omission must be due to "the pressure of your war articles." He closes by stating that it does not seem like a good business practice to brush aside an "author who is likely to write many books, to favor a man who will probably never write another." A historian and novelist, Ford suffered an early injury to his spine which confined his education to his personal reading and private tutors in his parents' Clark Street home in Brooklyn. He engaged in bibliographical research and the republishing of rare materials, and prior to the writing of this letter he had already published a political novel The Honorable Peter Stirling, and What People Thought of Him (1894) as well as edited collections of the works of Thomas Jefferson and Christopher Columbus, biographies of Washington and Franklin, and the historical romance Janice Meredith: A Story of the American Revolution (1899). Ford died after being shot by his brother Malcolm, former amateur athlete, who had been disinherited.
Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790.
[Letter] 1764 June 7, Philadelphia (Pa.) [to] William Strahan / B. Franklin [Benjamin Franklin].
Franklin acknowledges receiving the sender's favor and promises to answer fully. Franklin asks the sender to find out if he's slighted by William Becket so that he can amend for any fault he may have committed. Franklin mentions that he left receipts for subscription money for books, particularly Stewart's Athens. He closes with a remark at the bottom of the sheet, "We are all well, and as happy as other Folks for the present." At the time this letter was written, Franklin was appointed the agent of Pennsylvania in London (1757-62, 1764-75); prior to assuming these duties, he served as the clerk of the Pennsylvania general assembly (1736-50), postmaster of Philadelphia (1737), delegate to the Continental Congress (1775-76), signer of the Declaration of Independence, and president of the Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention (1776). In addition, due to his scientific experiments, Franklin was also made a member of the Royal Society. Before involving himself in politics, Franklin had a career as a Philadelphia printer, founder of the Pennsylvania Gazette (1728) and the popular Poor Richard's Almanac (1732). Later in life he was president of the trustees of the University of Pennsylvania and the Minister to France (1776-85).