A guide to the Nine Months in the United States by Thomas Kennet-Were, 1869
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San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
2014
Building E, Fort Mason
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A Guide to the Nine Months in the United States by Thomas Kennet-Were
HDC0336
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, National Park Service2014, National Park Service
Title: Nine Months in the United States by Thomas Kennet-Were
Date: 1869
Identifier/Call Number: HDC0336 (SAFR 17253)
Creator:
Unknown
Physical Description:
1 item.
Repository:
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, Historic Documents Department
Building E, Fort Mason
San Francisco, CA 94123
Abstract: Nine Months in the United States by Thomas Kennet-Were (SAFR 17253, HDC 336) consists of a thirty-eight page reproduction
of an article titled "Nine Months in the United States" written for The Gazette in England by Thomas Kennet-Were in 1869.
The article is about Were's travels around the United States and Canada beginning in 1868. He touches on many topics with
anecdotes about American life and peculiarities he encounters along his travels (some topics include: U.S. streets, traffic,
elections, houses, horse racing, train travel, hotels, food, Niagara Falls, Harvard, Canadian ice sports, tobacco, West Point,
The Shakers, gold mining in California, Chinese in San Francisco, California's large trees and wine growing). He also writes
brief histories or descriptions of the cities he visited (a few of the many cities he writes about include: New York, Philadelphia,
Boston, Montreal, Quebec, Ottawa, Toronto, Chicago, Washington D.C., Richmond, the U.S. South, Salt Lake City, New Orleans
and San
Francisco. Some of his descriptions are brief while others "e.g. New York and San Francisco" are lengthier). He also writes
several pages about the Mormons he met in Utah and his interview with Brigham Young. The collection is available for research
use without restriction.
Physical Location: San Francisco Maritime NHP, Historic Documents Department
Language(s):
In English.
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[Item description], [Location within collection organization identified by Collection Number/Series Number/File Unit Number/Item
Number], HDC0336 (SAFR 17253), Nine Months in the United States by Thomas Kennet-Were, San Francisco Maritime National Historical
Park
SAFR-00001
This collection was transferred from Golden Gate National Recreation Area to San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park.
Historical or Biographical Note
Thomas Kennet-Were, an English gentleman and artist, traveled across the United States and part of Canada in 1868 and 1869.
He documented his trip by writing an account of his travels, which he titled "Nine Months in the United States" and by painting
many scenes in watercolor.
Kennet-Were left England in October 1868 on a boat bound for New York, arriving twelve days later. During his journey he visited
a number of Eastern cities, various Civil War sites, Florida, and then New Orleans where he caught a Mississippi steamer to
St. Louis. He traveled across the West--on the still-to-be-completed Union Pacific Railroad through Nebraska and Wyoming to
Utah and then on the Central Pacific to Nevada and California. From San Francisco, he traveled to Panama, crossing the isthmus
by train, then returned to New York and back to England, all in nine months.
Not only did Kennet-Were describe in his writings his experiences in post-Civil War America, but he also wrote social commentary.
He noted the use of language by Americans, and described certain customs, such as the duel he witnessed near New Orleans,
and the suggestion he carry a gun.
Excerpt from the American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming Library
Nine Months in the United States by Thomas Kennet-Were (SAFR 17253, HDC 336) consists of a thirty-eight page reproduction
of an article titled "Nine Months in the United States" written for The Gazette in England by Thomas Kennet-Were in 1869.
The article is about Were's travels around the United States and Canada beginning in 1868. He touches on many topics with
anecdotes about American life and peculiarities he encounters along his travels (some topics include: U.S. streets, traffic,
elections, houses, horse racing, train travel, hotels, food, Niagara Falls, Harvard, Canadian ice sports, tobacco, West Point,
The Shakers, gold mining in California, Chinese in San Francisco, California's large trees and wine growing). He also writes
brief histories or descriptions of the cities he visited (a few of the many cities he writes about include: New York, Philadelphia,
Boston, Montreal, Quebec, Ottawa, Toronto, Chicago, Washington D.C., Richmond, the U.S. South, Salt Lake City, New Orleans
and San Francisco. Some
of his descriptions are brief while others "e.g. New York and San Francisco" are lengthier). He also writes several pages
about the Mormons he met in Utah and his interview with Brigham Young. The collection is available for research use without
restriction.
This is a collection of a single item.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
History
Interpretation of cultural and natural resources
Voyages and travels
Articles