Samuel Latham Mitchill papers, 1801-1829 (majority within 1801-1813)
518 items (1 linear foot)
The Samuel L. Mitchill papers consist of 522 letters or fragments dating between 1801 and 1829 (bulk 1801-1813). Most of the letters are from Samuel Latham Mitchill to his wife, Catharine Akerly Cock Mitchill, with the exception of four letters written by him to other recipients and 15 letters written by other senders. Mitchill's detailed letters cover a wide variety of topics, including domestic national and state politics; relations with European powers; the Barbary Wars and other naval matters; the Aaron Burr conspiracy; Washington, D. C., society; Mitchill's scientific endeavors and sample collection; and his family life and travel plans.
In addition to the letters from Samuel L. Mitchill to his wife, the collection includes:
- Four letters written by Samuel Mitchill: one each to Priscilla Akerly, his mother-in-law; T. H. Gallaudet, a pioneer in deaf education; La Cépède, a French naturalist; and Mary Latham Mitchill, his mother
- Four letters written by Catherine Mitchill to her sister Margaret Miller
- Nine letters written by Margaret Miller: four to her husband Silvanus Miller and five to Catherine Mitchill
- Two letters received by Samuel Mitchill: one from Hugh Williamson and one from a Miss Coates of Charleston, South Carolina
In addition to this finding aid, the Clements Library has created two other research aids: a Partial Subject Index and a Chronological Inventory.