Rare, Obscure and Lost Americana from Primary Sources

Primary Sources has published their Catalog 7 Winter 2023 of Uncharted Americana. They specialize in unknown and obscure sources of information about America in earlier times. These are often personal writings and other documents, a few very rare books, some archives of material. The format of their catalogues is to present just 25 items with very thorough descriptions and accompanying images. They place the items in their historical context, the result being that their catalogues are not just a listing of items but history lessons as well. These are outstanding and informative sources. Here are a few selections from what you will find.

The forced removal of America's native tribes from the South and the horrific “Trail of Tears” is well-known today. Not as well-known is that natives in the North were also forced to move West. This printed broadside issued by the notary public of Allegan County, Michigan, is a reminder of that time and the sacrifices Chippewas and Ottawas in Michigan had to make to be allowed to stay in their homeland. It was signed by a group of chiefs and others, and it reads, “We the undersigned descendants of the Chippewa and Ottawa tribes of Indians, having been born in the State of Michigan, and always resided therein—being attached to the soil, where the bones of our Fathers are laid...that we may enjoy the benefits of civilization and christianity, and the privileges and civil rights of citizens and voters: do hereby with our Chiefs, solemnly declare that we yield our laws and Government up for laws of the United States and of Michigan; that we mean to adopt the habits of civilized life, to clear land and cultivate the soil, to build houses to live in, and to have our children educated in the habits, customs, language, and mode of living of the white men our neighbors, and that in all things we mean to claim the protection of the laws of the Government, and submit ourselves to the jurisdiction and control of the laws both in civil and criminal matters.” They were forced to give up all that they were to simply remain in their homeland. Item 13. Priced at $6,500.

In the early days of the American republic, there was a high level of illiteracy, especially among women as many thought their roles didn't require it. Consequently, we don't have a lot letters written by women from this time. This is a remarkable archive of them, 57 letters written between 1801-1804 by Sarah “Sally” Phillips and Mehitable “Hetty” Church. They are almost evenly divided. Hetty was two years older and they were born in separate communities in Rhode Island but at some unknown point in childhood became close friends. At the beginning of the correspondence, they were 16 And 18 years old. Sally would in time marry Hetty's older brother, William. At one point, 16-year-old Sally writes about her future husband, “I heard that William was sailing yesterday and the day before...O Dear what a better advantage man has than woman for they can enjoy themselves any which way while we poor creatures must be confined to the house.” I hope he took her sailing after they married. Actually, many in their families did sailing of a more serious nature – Sally's father was a ship's captain who eventually was lost at sea. She comments long before then, “We that have friends to sea must hope for the best and prepare for the worst.” In 1803, Hetty writes of the death of her 8-year-old sister, death among children being common in those days of primitive medical care. “Alas how short and uncertain is the date of human life, little did I think when I wrote you last that I should be called upon so soon to witness the solemn scene which death presents to our pain to mourn over the last remains of my departed sister.” This archive presents a remarkable look at the lives of young women at the turn of the 19^th century. Item 4. $11,000.

Here is the writing of another 19^th century young, though not quite as young, woman. Her name was Annie P. Merriam and this her diary contains 20,000+ words from a woman who was 24 years old at the time. She was an idealist and a caring woman, a teacher who went to teach freed slaves and poor whites in parts of the of the South controlled by the Union during the Civil War. She served mostly in Washington and Beaufort, North Carolina, where many escaped slaves came because they were controlled by Union forces. She was there to educate people who had been denied any education as educating slaves was illegal in the South. Her diary begins on January 1, 1864, while she is en route from her home in Worcester, Massachusetts, to Washington. She taught half-day and evening classes, while having time for social events, long walks, and dining with local families. However, they are soon alarmed by rumors of advancing Confederate troops and within a few weeks she is forced to retreat from the area. For a while, she is pressed into hospital duty as the need is greater there. She ends up teaching in Beaufort and when summer closes the schools, she returns to Worcester. Three months later, she is back in North Carolina teaching again. Her diary provides a look at an obscure part of the Civil War, an early attempt at Reconstruction of the South before the war even ended. Merriam would go on to teach in freedmen's schools in the South for another six years after the war ended, married a Republican businessman from Georgia who registered black voters while that was still possible. She later moved back to Worcester and then to Arizona where their son was the Speaker of the Arizona legislature. She died at age 83 in Riverside, California. Item 16. $25,000.

Have you ever read St. Louis' The Daily Organ and Reveille? Probably not. Not only was it published long before anyone alive today was born, 1851-1852, but only two issues are held in institutional collections, February 25, 1851 and January 29, 1852. Primary Sources is offering a collection of 130 sequential issues from February 1 - July 24, 1851 (missing 10 issues). By the middle of the 19^th century, St. Louis was the second largest port city in the U.S. after New York and the largest city west of Pittsburgh. It had nine newspapers. Among them were the Reveille and the People's Organ. Both were formed in the 1840s. Both had seen their offices destroyed in a fire in 1849 so perhaps that was a cause of their merger. It was not enough and the combined paper ceased publication in 1852. The editions were four pages each, folio in size. Item 12. $6,250.

Gold brought prospectors to Colorado from 1858 when it was still part of Kansas to its separation into a new territory in 1861. Not a lot, but some of the seekers were African Americans. Colorado strongly supported the Union during the Civil War and this must have brought hope to the new residents who came to work in the mines or escape the South after the Emancipation Proclamation. In 1861, Colorado's first voting statutes extended voting rights to all all male residents 21 and older. However, when voters approved a constitution in 1864 in an attempt to obtain statehood, they limited the right to white male residents 21 and older. It was not accepted but another attempt was made in 1865. That resulted in this petition to Governor Alexander Cummings by a group of black citizens. Noting that many had come to Colorado under the promise of voting rights made in 1861, they petitioned the Governor for assistance and asked Congress to reject Colorado's petition for statehood until this wrong was corrected. This petition is printed on one of four pages, the other three being the Governor's letter to the Colorado legislature. Governor Cummings was sympathetic to the African Americans. His letter points to the promise of voting rights and also to the black citizens being taxed for schools their children could not attend. Ultimately, Colorado's petition for statehood was vetoed by President Johnson and Congress could not gather enough votes to override his veto. However, that was not based on racial injustice. Johnson was not sympathetic to black rights. He felt there weren't enough people in Colorado to justify statehood. Only three copies of this petition are known. Item 17. $15,000.

Primary Sources can be reached at 734-355-2986 or primarysources25@gmail.com. Their website is found at www.psamericana.com.