William Plumer Papers, 1794-1856

Title:

William Plumer Papers, 1794-1856

Creator:

Plumer, William, 1759-1850

Accession / Call Number:

1886.001

Object ID:

1886.001

Date:

1794-1856

Physical Description:

93 items in 1/2 box and 10 vols. 2 boxes ; 4 volumes

Scope and Content:

The William Plumer Papers, 1794-1856, include correspondence and writings of the New Hampshire politician. Plumer's correspondence is a miscellany of business and political matters but also contains several 1804 to 1805 letters to his wife and sister describing the social scene in Washington, DC, in which he comments, for example, about Thomas Jefferson as a hose. John Adams writes to Plumer in 1813 about writing history and his son's service in St. Petersburg, Russia. There is one letter referring to the Dartmouth College Case. In 1818 John Quincy Adams writes about historical publications; in 1828 he solicits Plumer's statement and recollections about a "Northern or New England Confederacy" that has been proposed in 1803 and 1804. Plumer's writings include his "Repostitory” and biographies. The biographies were written between the late 1820s and early 1840s. Plumer used secondary material for most of them and occasionally provided a footnote, though in the form only of a surname or full name of his source, not the title of the work from which the information was taken. The entries vary in length from a few lines to many pages. His subjects were primarily prominent men in England and both Colonial and Republican America; he included women if they were politically active or in some way "remarkable." For example, he wrote an entry for Deborah Gannett (d. 1827), a Massachusetts woman who served in the Revolutionary War as a man. Information about his subjects include: birth date, birthplace, education, religious affiliation, political party and activities, professional accomplishments, death date, cause of death, and place of death. For many, he offered an assessment of the person's appearance, character, personality, and success (or not) in life. If they were adults during the Revolutionary War, he recorded whether they were Loyalists or Patriots as well as details on their political and military activities. Occasionally he included the profession of the subject's father, name of the subject's wife (especially if she was related to other prominent people), number of children, and whether they survived him. For a few, he gave a physical description. He was interested in Native Americans [called "Indians" in the biographies] and wrote entries for a number of them. Starting around 1800, he noted African Americans [called "negros" or "black man/woman" in the biographies], who were over 100 years old at the time of their deaths. These entries sometimes indicate whether the subject was a slave or free and occasionally give an account of the person's life. Notable among such entries is that for Zechariah Kelsey (died 1829), a New Hampshire African-American, who served in the Revolutionary War. Plumer recorded the names of people who died at an advanced age; there are many short entries that give only a subject's name, age at death, and place of residence, though some also note anything he considered remarkable about the person. Plumer wrote The History of North American in approximately 1809 for his son and is actually a recounting of ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Roman history, and how the virtues of those civilizations led to the triumph of England in European affairs. The Repository, Volume 5 is from the years 1803 to 1805 and 1812. Entries are dated. Some are copies of letters on legislation; others are Plumer's observations and anecdotes about people with whom he interacted in the course of his work. Some seem to be rough drafts for entries that reappear in his Biographies.

Credit Line:

Gift of William L. Plumer, on behalf of Governor William Plumer's grandchildren, in 1886.
Gift of William Plumer Fowler in 1971.

Restrictions:

Available for research.

Level Description:

Collection