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Lossing (Benson John) Papers Addenda 3
mssLossing3
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Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Benson John Lossing papers addenda 3
Creator:
Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891
Identifier/Call Number: mssLossing3
Physical Description:
2.2 Linear Feet
(3 boxes, 3 volumes, 1 oversize folder)
Date (inclusive): approximately 1865-approximately 1900
Abstract: A collection of material related to Benson John Lossing, American artist and historian.
Language of Material: Materials are in English.
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more
information.
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material,
nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and
obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
[Identification of item]. Benson John Lossing papers addenda 3, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased from Marsha J. Shariro, November 1995.
Benson John Lossing (1813-1891) was an American artist and historian. Lossing was born in Beekman, New York, his father was
descended from a family of old Dutch stock and his mother was a Quaker; they both died during his childhood. He had little
formal education and was mainly self-taught through reading history books. At the age of thirteen he was apprenticed to a
Poughkeepsie watchmaker and was soon taken into partnership; at twenty-two, he became joint owner and editor of two local
papers: "The Telegraph" and "The Casket," a monthly, which Lossing illustrated with wood engravings. Throughout his career
he was author-illustrator of some thirty major works of history, as well as a collaborator on many other publications. He
received several honorary degrees and was a member of numerous learned societies. On June 18, 1833, Lossing married his first
wife Alice Barrit, who died in 1855; he married Helen Sweet in 1868. During his life, Lossing collected over 5,000 books and
documents related to the American Revolution and the framing of the Constitution. He died at home in Dover Plains, New York,
in June 1891.
A collection of material related to the work and family of Benson John Lossing; the collection contains correspondence, family
papers, photographs, drawings, documents, and ephemera. The correspondence includes letters written by Lossing and addressed
to him; maps and photographs of The Ridge, Lossing's home in Dover Plains, New York; engravings and drawings; genealogical
material; financial documents including insurance papers, estate inventories, accounts, and deeds. The collection also includes
the diaries kept by Lossing's children Edwin John Lossing and Helen Lossing Johnson; surveys conducted by the Bureau of Ordnance
of the U. S. Navy, and a Treasurer's daybook for Dutchess County, New York from 1836 to 1842, kept by Nehemiah Sweet, Lossing's
father-in-law. The material in this addenda has been sorted but not fully cataloged.
Processed by Huntington Library Staff, circa 2000. In 2022, Gayle Richardson created the finding aid derived from a legacy
summary report.
Arranged by subject and format.
Former call number: mssLossing addenda 3.
Benson John Lossing papers (mssLS); Benson John Lossing papers addenda 1 (mssLS1); Benson John Lossing papers addenda 2 (mssLS2).
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Artists -- United States
Historians -- United States
Illustrated books -- United States -- History -- 19th century
Dutchess County (N.Y.) -- History
Diaries -- United States -- 19th century
Estate records -- United States -- 19th century
Family papers -- New York (State) -- 19th century
Genealogies (histories) -- United States -- 19th century
Insurance records -- United States -- 19th century
Legal documents -- United States -- 19th century
Letters (correspondence) -- United States -- 19th century
Military records -- United States -- 19th century
Personal papers -- United States -- 19th century
Johnson, Helen Lossing, 1865-1946
Lossing, Edwin John
United States. Navy Department. Bureau of Ordnance