Scope and Contents

This collection includes letters written by David Woodman to his wife Jane while he was in California in 1852-1853. His early letters describe the trip from Paw Paw, Michigan to the Sacramento area by riverboat and wagon train. Later letters tell of living conditions, social life and gold mining. Woodman became very disillusioned with California and especially with the prospects of becoming rich through gold mining. The collection also includes home remedies for diphtheria and catarrh.

Scope and Contents The papers consist mainly of correspondence, diaries and account books of the Edward Parsons family from 1824 to 1910. Most of the material is personal correspondence between the Edward Parsons family and relatives living in Livingston and Clinton Counties, New York. A great number of letters between Edward and his father, Reverend Levi Parsons (1779-1864) are included. The contents of these letters range from Levi's concern over Edward's problems at Hamilton College (Clinton, New York) in...