INDEX TO THE Franklin Pierce Papers THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS • PRESIDENTS' PAPERS INDEX SERIES INDEX TO THE Franklin Pierce Papers MANUSCRIPT DIVISION • REFERENCE DEPARTMENT LIBRARY OF CONGRESS WASHINGTON: 1962 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 60-60077 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington 25, D.C. - Price 25 cents Preface THIS INDEX to the Franklin Pierce Papers is a direct result of the wish of the Congress and the President, as expressed by Public Law 85-147 of August 16,1957, and amended by Public Law 87-263 dated September 21,1961, to arrange, micro­ film, and index the papers of the Presidents in the Library of Congress in order "to preserve their contents against destruction by \'.'ar or other calamity," to make the Pierce and other Presidential Papers more "readily available for study and research," and to inspire informed patriotism. An appropriation to carry out the provision of the law was approved on July 31, 1958, and actual operations began on August 25. The microfilm of the Pierce Papers became available in 1960. Positive copies of the film may be purchased from the Chief, Photoduplication Service, Library of Congress, \Vashington 25, D.C. A positive print is available for interlibrary loan through the Chief, Loan Division, Library of Congress. Contents Introduction PAGE Provenance . V Selected Bibliography vi How to Use This Index vi Reel List viii A b brevia tions viii Index The Index 1 Appendices National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections card 14 Description of the Papers 15 Sources of Acquisition 15 Statement of the Librarian of Congress 16 III Introduction Provenance These surviving Pierce Papers represent but a small part of \vhat must have existed when Pierce left the E\V HAMPSHIRE \vas silent for half a \Vhite House. Mr. Ford, while Chief of the Manu­ c~ntury ~n the subject of Franklin Pierce. * script Division, characterized the collection in 1904 N ::\ot until 1915 when the feelings and as "a small one in size ... merely a remnant of emotions of the Civil \Var and Reconstruction had \vhat was probably a large collection of Pierce subsided did the state extend recognition by erecting Papers. I sa\v little of special historical value. There a statue to its only President. The record is equally are some good letters from members of his cabinet silent on the fate of his personal papers from 1869, from his political advisers, and such journalists a~ the year he died, to 1903, when \Vorthington C. Edmund Burke. There are drafts of Pierce's State Ford for the Library of Congress found surviving papers; but I sa",I few of his own letters." 4 documents in the possession of a nephevv' of Pierce. In the dozen years of his life after retiring from In the President's will, dated January 22, 1868, the Presidency, Pierce may have disposed of or there were numerous specific bequests but no refer­ destroyed many of his own papers.5 Dr. Roy F. ence to his personal papers. He bequeathed "All Nichols, his biographer, writes that he "seemingly of the rest and residue of my Estate of every kind destroyed his papers for those four years (1853~ 1857), & description whether real personal or mixed ... carefully saving a few odd pieces ..." Since few to my nephew Frank H. Pierce." 1 Frank Pierce letters from Mrs. Pierce to her husband survive, Dr. served as U.S. Consul at Mantanzas, Cuba, and at Nichols suspects "that Pierce before his death de­ Vancouver, British Columbia, and later practiced stroyed \vhat must have been a voluminous corre­ law in New York. Probably because of his absences spondence between himself and his wife." 6 The from New Hampshire, his brother, Kirk D. Pierce, "Prefatory Note' to the Calendar (p. 3) refers to a had possession of President Pierce's personal papers fire which is said to have destroyed many of the in 1903 and later sold them to the Library of Congress. Pierce Papers. ~o other reference to this fire has The Library organized the manuscripts and published been found, and members of the Pierce family do a calendar of them in 1917.2 not recall hearing of such a fire. 7 In 1922 and 1926 other manuscripts from the Since it is evident that many Pierce manuscripts Pierce family \vere acquired by the New Hampshire have not survived, researchers may wish to examine Historical Society. This organization generously the following papers and collections in the Library permitted the Library of Congress to obtain photo­ of Congress \vhich contain one or more letters \vritten stats of these items, and by a repetition of that courtesy by, to, or about Pierce: the photostats are included in the microfilm repro­ American Academy of Burke, Edmund duction and in this index of the Pierce Papers. Simi­ Arts and Letters Callaghan, Charles larly, the Henry E. Huntington Library, which Benham-Mc~ eil Cushing, Caleb possesses a diary kept by Pierce during the Mexican Blair, Francis P. Davis, Jefferson \Var, generously permitted the Library of Congress in 1924 to photostat this valuable item and now to include it in the microfilm and in the index. ville. Three years later, when the war danger was past, the papers were returned to Washington. A statement concerning The assembled papers and photostats were micro­ the evacuation appears in Annual Report oj the Librarian oj filmed in 1959, and the film was released in 1960; Congress, 1945, p. 59. 3 the papers \vere subsequently rebound in 26 volumes. 4 Memorandum to Herbert Putnam, December 3, 1904, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress. *Grateful acknowledgement is made to Dr. Roy F. Nichols who read and commented on a draft of this essay. 5 Roy F. Nichols to David C. 1fearns, March 31, 1959, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress. 1 Photostat in John B. Murphy Collection of Presidential Wills, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress. 6 Nichols, Franklin Pierce, Young Hickory oj the Granite Hills 2 Calendar oj the Papers oj Franklin Pierce (Washington, (Philadelphia, 1958), pp. 553~554, 576. Quoted with per~ 1917). mission of the University of Pennsylvania Press. 3 The Pierce Papers were evacuated from the Library of 7 Miss Mary K. Pierce to David C. Mearns, December 8, Congress late in 1941 to the University of Virginia in Charlottes- 1961, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress. v Fish, Hamilton Meigs, Montgomery C. Nichols, Roy F., Franklin Pierce, Young Hickory of the Hart, C. C., Autograph Mordecai, Alfred Granite Hills (Philadelphia, 1958), pp. vii-x, 547­ Collection Murphy, John B., Col- 578. Jackson, Andrew lection of Presidential Powell, C. Percy, List of lvIanuscript Collections Re­ Johnson, Andrew Wills ceived in the Library oj Congress, July 1931 to July King, Horatio Polk, James K. 1938 (Washington, 1939), pp. 10, 16. Lincoln, Abraham Presidential Papers~ "The Present Status of Presidential Papers," Manu­ Manypenny, George W. General scripts, VIII (Fall 1955), p. 12. Marble, Manton Van Buren, Martin RO\,vland, Buford, "The Papers of the Presidents," Marcy, William L. American Archivist, XIII (July 1950), p. 202; re­ printed in Autograph Collectors' Journal III (Summer In addition to the Pierce manuscripts in the Henry 1951), p. 47. E. Huntington Library, San Marino, Calif., and in U.S. Library of Congress, Handbook of Manuscripts in the New Hampshire Historical Society, Concord the Library oj Congress (vVashington, 1918), pp. N.H., which are included in this index, the latter 329-330. library has added in recent years more than 25 manuscripts to its Pierce collection. Other libraries known to possess one or more Pierce manuscripts are the Bowdoin College Library, Brunswick, Maine; the William L. Clements Library of the University of How to Use This Index Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich.; the Concord Public Library, Concord, N.H.: the New Jersey Historical Society, Newark, N.].; the New York Public Library, This index to the Franklin Pierce Papers is designed New York, N.Y.; the Historical Society of Pennsyl­ primarily as a means of ascertaining what documents vania, Philadelphia, Pa. A Guide to Archives and exist in this collection and \vhere they may be found .Manuscripts in the United States, edited by Philip M. on the microfilm reproduction. It is essentially a Hamer (New Haven, 1961), which includes references name index listing names of writers and recipients indexed under "Presidents, U.S.," may lead a of letters, alphabetically first and then chronologically searcher to other Pierce manuscripts. The National when the same name appears more than once. It Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections now being is not a subject index, but materials such as Pierce's assembled at the Library of Congress may in due diary, speeches, a,nd drafts of messages to Congress course reveal the whereabouts of other Pierce found in this collection are cross-indexed under these manuscripts. subject headings as well as under the name of the writer. Some miscellaneous items, for \vhich no name appears, are listed under a subject title. To find a document or furnish a reference, note first the series number. The reproduction of the Selected Bibliography manuscript will be found in chronological order \vithin the series. If for any reason the normal chronological order does not apply, the date after Annual Report of the Librarian of Congress, 1905, pp. which the item will be found appears in the addenda 41-42,53; 1918, p. 44; 1925, p. 62; 1926, p. 66; column. The reel list appears on page viii. 1931, p. 58; 1932, p. 37. This index was produced by the use of key-punched Garrison, Curtis W., List of .Manuscript Collections in cards which sorted and printed mechanically.