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Collections of college and personal papers, as well as a select number of individual documents, have been briefly described in entries available for browsing and searching on this site. All collection and document descriptions contain a representative image and a summary of the contents.
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January 5, 1845
Senator James Buchanan writes to General James Tallmadge regarding the Oregon border negotiations. Transcript included.
Format: Letters/Correspondence
Location: MC 1998.10, B2, F9
Subject: International Affairs, Politics and Government
Time Period: 1840-1859
January 19, 1845
Senator James Buchanan writes to George Guier and explains why he cannot help Guier's son secure an appointment as a notary public in California. "The President has no power to appoint a Notary Public in California or to make any other civil appointment in that territory," as Buchanan explains. Buchanan cites "the Wilmot proviso and the free soil agitation" to explain why Congress has not yet established a territorial government in California. Transcript included.
Format: Letters/Correspondence
Location: MC 1998.10, B2, F21
Subject: Politics and Government
Time Period: 1840-1859
View Item: Letter from James Buchanan to George Guier
February 1845
Spencer F. Baird, a Professor of Natural Sciences at Dickinson, publishes "Contributions Towards a Catalogue of the Trees and Shrubs of Cumberland County, PA" in the Literary Record and Journal of the Linnaean Association of Pennsylvania College (Vol. 1, No. 4) in February 1845.
Format: Essays and Dissertations
Location: I-Original-1845-1
Subject: Carlisle and Cumberland County, Science and Technology
Time Period: 1840-1859
View Item: "Contributions Towards a Catalogue of the Trees and Shrubs of Cumberland County," by Spencer Baird
April 26, 1845
Secretary of State James Buchanan writes former Representative Caleb Cushing and offers him an appointment as "the chief clerkship in the Department of State." "Your services in this position, in the present state of our foreign relations might be of much advantage to your country," as Buchanan explains. Transcript included.
Format: Letters/Correspondence
Location: MC 1998.10, B2, F9
Subject: Politics and Government
Time Period: 1840-1859
View Item: Letter from James Buchanan to Caleb Cushing
May 6, 1845
Secretary of State James Buchanan (Class of 1809) writes to Charles Breuil, who wishes to be relieved of his current government duties. Buchanan advises Breuil to "get a few of [his] best known friends to write strong letters to" President James K. Polk.
Format: Letters/Correspondence
Location: I-AsbellY-2004-4
Subject: Politics and Government
Time Period: 1840-1859
View Item: Letter from James Buchanan to Charles Breuil
June 6, 184
Secretary of State James Buchanan writes to Francis W. Pickens, a member of the South Carolina Senate, regarding the new James K. Polk administration, Buchanan's adjustment to life as a cabinet appointee, and Pickens' decision to not accept the position of United States Minister to the United Kingdom. "The administration is I think proceeding smoothly as well as firmly," and as Buchanan explains, "Colonel Polk will make himself known to his Country as an able & honest President before the close of his term." Transcript included.
Format: Letters/Correspondence
Location: MC 1998.10, B2, F10
Subject: Politics and Government
Time Period: 1840-1859
June 10, 1845
Richard Rush writes Colonel Thomas Aspinwall to discuss the publication of the English edition of his book, Memoirs of a Residence at the Court of London, which contains "important additions and corrections" that were missing from the Philadelphia edition. Rush does not reflect on his experience as United States Minister to the United Kingdom (1817–1825) and instead describes the publishing methods of this time.
Format: Letters/Correspondence
Location: I-SellersC-1973-2
Subject: Literary Pursuits
Time Period: 1840-1859
View Item: Letter from Richard Rush to Thomas Aspinwall
June 14, 1845
Diplomat and politician Richard Rush writes to Colonel Thomas Aspinwall, discussing the upcoming publication of Aspinwall's book in Philadelphia, the possibility of publishing a second edition in London, and the reproduction of excerpts in Philadelphia newspapers.
Format: Letters/Correspondence
Location: I-Friends-1976-10
Subject: Business and Industry, Literary Pursuits
Time Period: 1840-1859
View Item: Letter from Richard Rush to Thomas Aspinwall
June 20, 1845
Professor John Reed responds to John Penn Brock's question on whether he can receive his diploma at Commencement. While Brock is "entitled to your diploma conferring the Degree of Bachelor of Laws," Reed notes that Brock must first send money. "Five dollars is required by the Faculty which," as Reed explains, "is appropriated to the increase of the College Library." Transcript included.
Format: Letters/Correspondence
Location: I-SpahrB-1940-1
Subject: Dickinson College Academic Affairs, Dickinson College Administration, Education, Legal Affairs, Personal and Family Life
Time Period: 1840-1859
View Item: Letter from John Reed to John Brock
July 10, 1845
This copy of the printed program for the commencement exercises held on July 10, 1845 shows the members of the graduating class and the speeches that they were scheduled to deliver.
Format: Memorabilia and Ephemera
Location: Dickinsoniana Programs
Subject: Dickinson College Events
Time Period: 1840-1859
View Item: 1845 Commencement Program
July 10, 1845
James Biddle Gordon receives his Bachelor of Arts Diploma from Dickinson College on July 10, 1845.
Format: Certificates and Diplomas
Location: Diploma Collection
Subject: Education
Time Period: 1840-1859
View Item: Bachelor of Arts Diploma - James Gordon
July 23, 1845
Secretary of State James Buchanan writes to Charles Ward regarding Ward's appointment as the new "Consul of the U. States for the Island of Zanzibar." Transcript included.
Format: Letters/Correspondence
Location: MC 1998.10, B2, F10
Subject: International Affairs, Politics and Government
Time Period: 1840-1859
View Item: Letter from James Buchanan to Charles Ward
September 22, 1845
Benjamin Rush III, grandson of Dickinson College founder Benjamin Rush, writes to attorney Jervis Spencer regarding debt of Joseph Newcomer. Transcript included.
Format: Letters/Correspondence
Location: I-AsbellY-2003-2
Subject: Economics and Finance
Time Period: 1840-1859
September 27, 1845
Secretary of State James Buchanan to diplomat J. Randolph Clay regarding future diplomatic appointments, the annexation of Texas, and the possibility of a war with Mexico. "I think, from present appearances we shall have no war with Mexico; but this is yet uncertain," as Buchanan explains. Transcript included.
Format: Letters/Correspondence
Location: MC 1998.10, B2, F11
Subject: International Affairs, Military Affairs and Conflict, Politics and Government
Time Period: 1840-1859
October 1845
Spencer F. Baird, a Professor of Natural Sciences at Dickinson, publishes "Catalogue of Birds Found in the Neighborhood of Carlisle, Cumberland County, PA" in the Literary Record and Journal of the Linnaean Association of Pennsylvania College (Vol. 1, No. 12) in October 1845. 1845.
Format: Essays and Dissertations
Location: I-Original-1845-1
Subject: Carlisle and Cumberland County, Science and Technology
Time Period: 1840-1859
View Item: "Catalogue of Birds Found in the Neighborhood of Carlisle," by Spencer Baird
December 1, 1845
Dickinson Professor John Reed writes to John Brock with information about a legal issue. "Judge [Samuel] Hepburn is absent at Juniata Court," but Reed is confident that "I can have the certificate in due form upon his return." Transcript included.
Format: Letters/Correspondence
Location: I-SpahrB-1940-1
Subject: Legal Affairs
Time Period: 1840-1859
View Item: Letter from John Reed to John Brock
December 8, 1845
Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Brooke Taney responds to Garret Dorset Wall's recommendation of former New Jersey Governor Peter Dumont Vroom for the vacancy at the United States Supreme Court. While he may hold Governor Vroom in high regard, Taney explains that he will not interfere in the selection process or voice an opinion on any individuals nominated to replace Associate Justice Henry Baldwin. Wall, an attorney, had represented New Jersey in the US Senate from 1835 to 1841. Transcript included.
Format: Letters/Correspondence
Location: I-SpahrB-1965-16
Subject: Legal Affairs, Politics and Government
Time Period: 1840-1859
View Item: Letter from Roger B. Taney to Garret Wall
1846
The Dickinson College catalog for the 1846-1847 academic year. Through the years, the annual catalog was variously titled "The Bulletin," "Catalogue and Register," "Course Catalog," and similar variants. The catalog typically includes the list of courses offered, requirements for enrollment, requirements for graduation, tuition and other fees, and campus facilities, college policies, and lists of teaching faculty, college trustees, and various administrators.
Format: Books and Pamphlets
Location: Dickinsoniana Periodicals
Subject: Dickinson College Academic Affairs, Dickinson College Administration, Education
Time Period: 1840-1859
View Item: Dickinson College Register for the Academical Year, 1846-47
January 3, 1846
Henry Martyn Harman writes to his father, Andrew Harman, about classes starting at Dickinson. After he "overtook the class in Algebra," Harman explains that he is "now in the second class in college, which is the Sophomore." Harman notes "I have a great deal of hard studying" as a result of that change. In addition, Harman comments on resources available for students at Dickinson, including telescopes to see "Saturn’s ring" and "Jupiter’s Satellites." "The College library contains a great many old and scarce books" and, as Harman observes, "I noticed one nearly three hundred years old." Harman, a member of the Class of 1848, also notes that "there is still snow on the ground here" in Carlisle. Harman is a member of the Class of 1848. Transcript included.
Format: Letters/Correspondence
Location: I-EdwardsR-1946-1
Subject: Carlisle and Cumberland County, Dickinson College Student Life, Education, Science and Technology
Time Period: 1840-1859
View Item: Letter from Henry Harman to Andrew Harman
February 3, 1846
Former Dickinson College President John P. Durbin writes to a committee, which consists of Daniel Gans, William M. Hall, and Charles Black, and thanks them for "the honor" of electing him into their society. Durbin, however, notes his "regret" in having to "decline your kind invitation to deliver the an[nual] Address before your societies." Durbin explains that he also has "been obliged to decline two similar" invitations from the University of Pennsylvania and Wesleyan University.
Format: Letters/Correspondence
Location: I-SpahrB-1966-4
Subject: Education, Personal and Family Life
Time Period: 1840-1859
View Item: Letter from John Durbin to Daniel Gans, William Hall, and Charles Black
February 6, 1846
Secretary of State James Buchanan writes to Jacob B. Weidman regarding appointments of midshipmen to the United States Navy as well as Judge Woodward's confirmation. Transcript included.
Format: Letters/Correspondence
Location: MC 1998.10, B2, F11
Subject: Military Affairs and Conflict, Politics and Government
Time Period: 1840-1859
View Item: Letter from James Buchanan to Jacob Weidman
March 19, 1846
Secretary of State James Buchanan (Class of 1809) writes to Massachusetts Senator John Davis regarding the burglary of Mrs. Sally Blake's house in Boston. The burglar, William Baird, has fled the United States for Britain, and it is Buchanan's opinion that "the expense attending the apprehension of fugitives charged with offences against the laws of one of the States, and their delivery to the authorities of such States, should not be borne by the United States."
Format: Letters/Correspondence
Location: I-AsbellY-2002-45
Subject: Legal Affairs, Politics and Government
Time Period: 1840-1859
View Item: Letter from James Buchanan to John Davis
April 18-24, 1846
William Findlay Shunk, a member of the class of 1847, describes his flight from Dickinson College in April 1846 in his journal. "Amid all my troubles, feeling as if I was under the curse of god and my father [Pennsylvania Governor Francis R. Shunk], I feel as if I would endure ten times as much before I would go back to Dickinson College," as Shunk explains. This is a copy of the original journal. Transcript included.
Format: Diaries and Journals
Location: I-Purchase-1965-14
Subject: Dickinson College Student Life, Personal and Family Life
Time Period: 1840-1859
View Item: Journal of William Shunk (Copy)
May 11, 1846
Dickinson Professor John Reed writes to John Brock and discusses legal issues related to whether women have the right to make a deed. Even though he cites various case law, Reed notes that Brock's "questions... are of a vexed sort and not readily settled." Transcript included.
Format: Letters/Correspondence
Location: I-SpahrB-1940-1
Subject: Legal Affairs
Time Period: 1840-1859
View Item: Letter from John Reed to John Brock
June 1, 1846
Secretary of State James Buchanan writes to Commander William W. McKean instructing him to deliver communications to Mr. Jewett at Callao, Peru. Buchanan also encloses a letter addressed to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Peru. Transcript included.
Format: Letters/Correspondence
Location: MC 1998.10, B2, F12
Subject: International Affairs, Military Affairs and Conflict
Time Period: 1840-1859