Browse Items (638 total)
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Letter from Mary Adair to her sister, 16 March 1797
Letter from Mary Adair to her sister, Mary McCalla, mentioning her son, Alexander. -
Mary Adair letter, 23 November 1799
Letter from Mary Adair to her sister, updating her on her family and wishing she has enjoyed "all of the happyness of a wife and mother in the midst of an agreeable family." She worries of her father dying soon because without him she will be "destitute of any other home." -
Letter from John Allen to Jane Allen, 28 August 1812
Camped at Mill Creek near Cincinnati, Ohio, John Allen writes to his wife that he has received her letter by favor of Major Hardin and he briefly notes the problems of having a barn built at home. He mentions the probable fall of Detroit due to William Hull's "perfidy" and "departure from honor," the possible fall of Fort Wayne, and the capture of and massacre at Fort Chicago. The loss of Detroit and its artillery, arms, and ammunition have caused their own army to delay. The army is excited by the recent disasters. Governor Harrison now in command. -
State of Kentucky: Richard Henderson & Co., land grant, 1796
Land-grant survey which was made at the request of Robert Burton, Esq., agent for Richard Henderson & Co., on 20 April 1796, after a grant of 200,000 acres was made to the company by the Virginia Assembly. -
Map of the state of Kentucky: with the adjoining territories, 1795
Map showing the Old Northwest and Southwest territories along with their rivers, towns, creeks, mills, courthouses, traces, forts, and salt licks. Includes tracts held by the Ohio, New Jersey, and Wabash Companies, the Virginia donation lands and land set aside in Tennessee for the "North Carolina troops." -
Letter from Richard Clough Anderson to Jonathan Clark, 9 July 1792
Anderson writes his brother-in-law, Jonathan Clark, a letter from his home near Louisville about what the newly seated Kentucky legislature has accomplished. He writes of the dreadful state of American-Indian affairs, with two recent defeats at the tribes' hands and failed negotiations. He fears his friend Colonel John Hardin, who has been sent to negotiate with them, will be killed, like Major Freeman. As gloomy and discouraging as the situation, Kentucky is too promising a country to abandon. Jonathan's presence would be of great assistance to his parents and one of his siblings who are suffering from an upsetting situation that his father-in-law John Clark has discussed with him several times, but he has not been authorized to discuss it and shall say no more other than to inform Jonathan that there is a situation of concern regarding the elder Clarks and a sibling. [Although not specified, the situation most likely concerns Fanny Clark's tumultuous marriage with James O'Fallon.] William Clark has been assisting Anderson with Jonathan's land investments and has sent records. -
Letter from Richard Clough Anderson to Jonathan Clark, 17 October 1801
Richard Anderson writes Jonathan Clark from his home, Soldiers Retreat, near Louisville, with William Clark as the letter's carrier since he is traveling east to Jonathan's. He discusses land business, his son Richard Jr., attending school in Virginia, and his instructions and goals regarding his education. -
Letter from James L. Armstrong to Adam Beatty, 4 October 1803
Letter to Adam Beatty from James L. Armstrong, secretary of the Lexington Medical Society, inviting him to join and lists the questions and subjects they intended to focus on during the winter. -
The history of Kentucky, from its earliest settlement to the present time.
A history of Kentucky. -
Letter from James Asturgus to Richard Woolfolk, 27 June 1788
Letter from Asturgus to Woolfolk at Mrs. Christian's in Mercer County. Mentions kettles and furnaces (saltworks). Mentions proposed partnership with Mrs. Christian, hopes Woolfolk will put in a good word for him. -
Portrait of "Fanny" Frances Latham Slaughter
"Fanny" Frances Latham Slaughter was a wife and a mother who had strong ties with her family as seen through letters sent to her daughter and other relatives. "Time passes away tedious and heavy" writes Frances Latham Slaughter to her daughter (who left home) on 12 October 1816. Women who were separated from family and friends often experienced loneliness on the frontier. -
Miniature portrait of Ann Rogers Clark Gwathmey
In the era before photography, miniature portraits were popular mementos of loved ones that could be easily carried across long physical distances. The watercolor on ivory portraits were desired for the way artists could accurately capture a subject, working in such small dimensions. Ann Rogers Clark Gwathmey (1755-1822) was the sister of George Rogers Clark and William Clark. She was married to Owen Gwathmey. She and her husband moved to Louisville with at least five of their twelve children in 1797. They purchased 335 acres and built a home near Harrod's Creek, east of Louisville not very far from her sister Lucy Croghan's home at Locust Grove. The proximity to her sister and other family members ensured that Ann had a strong social network to rely on. The Gwathmeys enslaved twenty individuals on their estate, whose labor created economic advantage and comfort for the family. -
Miniature portrait of John Gwathmey
John Gwathmey (1774-1824) migrated to Jefferson County, KY, as a child with his parents Owen and Ann Clark Gwathmey. He married Ann Booth Gwathmey in 1800. He bought five acres near 6th and Cedar streets in Louisville, where he built a two-story brick house later known as the Grayson House. He operated the Indian Queen, a hotel at 6th and Main Streets, and an important social and civic hub in the city. In 1816, he sold his home and moved his family to New Orleans where he operated the Merchants Coffee House, the oldest coffee house in the city. In the era before photography, miniature portraits were popular mementos of loved ones that could be easily carried across long physical distances. The watercolor on ivory portraits were desired for the way artists could accurately capture a subject, working in such small dimensions. -
Miniature portrait of Ann Booth Gwathmey
Women experienced death and loss regularly on the frontier. Ann Booth Gwathmey (1782-1862) was no exception. The daughter of William A. and Rebecca Hite Booth, she migrated to Jefferson County, KY, with her family as a child. She married John Gwathmey in 1800 when she was eighteen years old, and he was twenty-six. She was nineteen years old when she gave birth to their first daughter, who died less than six weeks later. During the next twenty-five years, Ann lost both of her parents, two more pre-school aged children, and her husband. In her senior years, two of her adult children preceded her in death. See also the mourning necklace that belonged to her. -
Bedspread with trapunto design, 1800-1825
Cotton bedspread belonging to Elizabeth Tyler Sturgeon. Elizabeth married Thomas Sturgeon in 1816, who died only seven years into their marriage. Elizabeth then took on the responsibility of managing their farm while also raising her three young sons. Elizabeth enslaved seven people who provided crucial labor that contributed to the success of the farm and household. After her husband died, an unidentified enslaved woman helped Elizabeth manage the farm. In 1833, Eliza died from cholera, leaving her three sons, all under the age of eighteen, to live with her brother. -
Bedcover (white on white), 1800-1825
Handwoven, linen bedcover belonging to Elizabeth Tyler Sturgeon. Elizabeth married Thomas Sturgeon in 1816, who died only seven years into their marriage. Elizabeth then took on the responsibility of managing their farm while also raising her three young sons. Elizabeth enslaved seven people who provided crucial labor that contributed to the success of the farm and household. After her husband died, an unidentified enslaved woman helped Elizabeth manage the farm. In 1833, Eliza died from cholera, leaving her three sons, all under the age of eighteen, to live with her brother. -
Linen coverlet, 1800-1825
Linen coverlet belonging to Elizabeth Tyler Sturgeon. Elizabeth married Thomas Sturgeon in 1816, who died only seven years into their marriage. Elizabeth then took on the responsibility of managing their farm while also raising her three young sons. Elizabeth enslaved seven people who provided crucial labor that contributed to the success of the farm and household. After her husband died, an unidentified enslaved woman helped Elizabeth manage the farm. In 1833, Eliza died from cholera, leaving her three sons, all under the age of eighteen, to live with her brother. -
Sheet, 1800-1825
Sheet belonging to Elizabeth Tyler Sturgeon. Elizabeth married Thomas Sturgeon in 1816, who died only seven years into their marriage. Elizabeth then took on the responsibility of managing their farm while also raising her three young sons. Elizabeth enslaved seven people who provided crucial labor that contributed to the success of the farm and household. After her husband died, an unidentified enslaved woman helped Elizabeth manage the farm. In 1833, Eliza died from cholera, leaving her three sons, all under the age of eighteen, to live with her brother. -
Sheet, 1800-1825
Sheet belonging to Elizabeth Tyler Sturgeon. Elizabeth married Thomas Sturgeon in 1816, who died only seven years into their marriage. Elizabeth then took on the responsibility of managing their farm while also raising her three young sons. Elizabeth enslaved seven people who provided crucial labor that contributed to the success of the farm and household. After her husband died, an unidentified enslaved woman helped Elizabeth manage the farm. In 1833, Eliza died from cholera, leaving her three sons, all under the age of eighteen, to live with her brother. -
Bars quilt
Quilt belonging to Elizabeth Tyler Sturgeon. The quilt has strips of hand-woven cloth believed to have been made locally in Jefferson County, Kentucky, alternating with a commercial indigo print that was imported into the United States. The quilt, the oldest quilt in the Filson's collection, is more than 100 inches long on each side and was completely hand-stitched. Eliza married Thomas Sturgeon in 1816, who died seven years into their marriage in 1822. Eliza then took on the responsibility of managing their farm in addition to rearing her three young sons. Eliza enslaved seven people who provided crucial labor for the success of the farm and household. After her husband died, an unidentified enslaved woman helped Eliza manage the farm. In 1833, Eliza died from cholera leaving her three sons, all under the age of eighteen, to live with her brother.