James Lowell Gibbs collection of African-American documents

Collection

Identifier: 4506

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COLLECTION DESCRIPTION

Includes a letter and clippings to Judge W.E. Ambler from John Langston of the House of Representatives, 1890 (copy); letter, photograph, and clipping from W. Willis Menard, African-American member of the House of Representatives, 1892; letter from Edward W. Bemis, School of History and Economics, Vanderbilt University, 1892; letter, with enclosures from Rev. J.C. Price, founder and first president of Livingstone College, 1892; and typed letter from Charles Chesnutt, 1918. Letters to Charles Chesnutt include a handwritten letter (copy) from W.E.B. DuBois in which he discusses his intention to found a magazine, 1903; letter from Kelly Miller, 1903; typed letter from Charles N. Anderson of the Coney Island Jockey Club, 1902; and printed card with an excerpt from his The Marrow of Tradition, signed by Chesnutt (copy). Other letters include a post card and note from Blanche K. Bruce, 1871; letter from William Still to Karl Kotz, 1883; note from Wallace Bruce (U.S. Consul in Edinburgh) to Mr. and Mrs. Angus, 1893; letter from J.W. Rainey, first African-American Congressman, to the President recommending a Henry Noah for the position of Collector of Customs in Charleston, 1887.

Also, a letter from Gerard Ralston, Consul General of Liberia to [Stalerman], 1865 (copy); a letter from black poet Fenton Johnson to Stanley K. Faye, 1915. Also, undated clipping describing a visit to Oberlin of delegates to an NAACP convention in Cleveland; clipping and autograph of black British composer Samuel Taylor-Coleridge; engraving and autograph of Booker T. Washington (copy).

Dates

1865-1918.

Creator

Gibbs, James Lowell (Collector, Person)
Langston, John Mercer, 1829-1897. (Person)
Bemis, Edward Webster, 1860-1930. (Person)
Anderson, Charles N. (Person)
Still, William, 1821-1902. (Person)
Bruce, Wallace, 1844-1914. (Person)
Rainey, J. W. (Person)
Johnson, Fenton, 1888-1958. (Person)
Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963. (Person)
Miller, Kelly, 1863-1939. (Person)
Washington, Booker T., 1856-1915. (Person)
Coleridge-Taylor, Samuel, 1875-1912. (Person)

Language of Materials

Collection material in English

Extent

22 items. (22 items.)

Additional Description

Abstract

Letters from prominent individuals, some of whom were African Americans, and other related materials.

HISTORY OF OWNERSHIP

Collection was formed around a core of materials probably originally collected by Judge W.E. Ambler of Cleveland, who solicited letters or documents from prominent individuals, some of whom were African Americans. Apparently, at a later date, the black writer Charles Chesnutt became involved in the project and also solicited such letters from African-Americans. Eventually, the collection came into the possession of James Lowell Gibbs, whose children donated it to Cornell University in his memory. Copied items were returned to donors.

Physical Description

Letters, a photograph, and miscellaneous printed materials.

General

Contact Information:: Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections 2B Carl A. Kroch Library Cornell University Ithaca, NY 14853 (607) 255-3530 Fax: (607) 255-9524 rareref@cornell.edu http://rmc.library.cornell.edu
Compiled by:: RMC staff
EAD encoding:: Martin Heggestad, January 2002