Jump to Content

Collection Guide
Collection Title:
Collection Number:
Get Items:
Alexander D. Miner Correspondence
mssHM 80846-80948  
View entire collection guide What's This?
Search this collection
Collection Details
 
Table of contents What's This?
  • Descriptive Summary
  • Access
  • Administrative Information
  • Biographical Note
  • Scope and Content
  • Indexing Terms

  • Descriptive Summary

    Title: Alexander D. Miner Correspondence
    Dates (inclusive): 1834-1883
    Bulk dates: 1852-1883
    Collection Call Number: mssHM 80846-80948
    Creator: Miner, Alexander Douglas
    Extent: 109 items in 3 boxes
    Repository: The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens. Manuscripts Department
    1151 Oxford Road
    San Marino, California 91108
    Phone: (626) 405-2191
    Email: reference@huntington.org
    URL: http://www.huntington.org
    Abstract: This collection consists almost entirely of family letters sent by farmer Alexander Miner (1802-1873) in Lima, New York, to his daughter Martha Matilda Miner, a college student attending Oberlin College in Ohio (Class of 1863).
    Language of Material: The records are in English.

    Access

    Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.

    Administrative Information

    Publication Rights

    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.

    Preferred Citation

    [Identification of item]. Alexander D. Miner Correspondence, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

    Provenance

    Gift from Dr. Malcolm Rohrbough, May 12, 2014.

    Biographical Note

    Alexander Douglas Miner (1802-1873) was born on June 22, 1802. He married Abby E. Skinner on May 28, 1848. Miner was a farmer in Lima, New York. The couple had two daughters, Martha Matilda Miner and Nellie W. Miner.
    Martha was born on October 30, 1842. She studied at Oberlin College and graduated in 1863. She married Reverend John Gaius Fraser on July 1, 1868. Fraser was a clergyman from East Toledo, Ohio. The couple had one daughter, Grace Selina Fraser.
    Alexander D. Miner died in 1873.

    Scope and Content

    The correspondence of Alexander Douglas Miner consists almost entirely of letters sent by Miner addressed to his daughter, Martha Matilda Miner, a college student attending Oberlin College in Ohio. The letters sent from Miner to Martha span from 1852 to 1872. Some of the letters include a postscript from Martha's mother, Abby E. Miner.
    The letters begin in Lima, New York in June 1852. Martha's mother, Abby E. Miner, begins the letter with an update on her father's health. The majority of these letters cover news on family members and friends, including church and social activities along with Martha's studies. Illnesses and deaths of friends and family are also commonly reported by Miner. Cholera morbus (gastroenteritis), erysipelas, and measles are some of the illnesses mentioned. Besides the common updates on family and friends, there are a couple of highlights in Miner's letters including a trial for perjury and a shooting during a sermon about slavery.
    Although Miner did not fight during the Civil War, he mentions several friends who did, including a boy who participated in the First Battle of Bull Run. In regards to the war, he writes, "I am more than ever convinced that this war, before we see its termination, will be felt and realized as the direst calamity which has ever befallen our beloved country" ([after 1860], July 24).
    There is a strong moral and religious tone in Miner's writing. In a letter dated October 1, 1858, Miner writes "We may set about any worldly enterprise, with firm health, and with every advantage for accomplishing the object of our pursuit, and yet...all these advantages may be removed from us, and if destitute of this trust in God, we shall be left to struggle alone unaided against the adversities of life." Miner also appears to have been deeply concerned about his daughter's moral development, as seen throughout his letters. "Avoid also a sort of stiffness of behavior, be familiar, not distant and cold, not waiting to be approached always by others, but prompt to do your part in exhibiting the courtesies and civilities of life" (1856, Mar. 17). In another letter dated February 1, 1859, Miner writes "I am afraid I have encouraged you in pride, in thinking of yourself more highly than you ought, in drawing comparisons between yourself and others ... in respect to smartness."
    Martha's younger sister, Nellie W. Miner, appears to have been adopted. Miner reports, "She was found alone on the tow path of the canal by a lady of Rochester, who took her to the home. She says that her Mother put her there, and told her to stay till she came for her, and to tell people that her name was Helen Wells, and that she was six years old, she says that she came on a boat, and that her mother's name is Julia Wells. This is about all we know" ([1856], Sep. 29). Nellie was not the only abused and neglected child mentioned by Miner. In another letter, Miner writes about visiting another girl that needed a home on September 23, [1857]. In Miner's later letters, it appears that Nellie eventually moves to Oberlin, Ohio to attend college as well.
    Also included with the collection are miscellaneous manuscripts and notes by John Gaius Fraser on religion, a receipt, and a carte-de-visite of Alexander D. Miner. There are also three volumes: an autograph book, notebook, and an album. These volumes contain various sentimental messages from friends. There are also two empty volumes where the original letters were contained.

    Arrangement

    Boxes 1-2 contain correspondence organized chronologically, followed by miscellaneous notes, ephemera, and photograph, followed by bound volumes in Box 3.

    Indexing Terms

    The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Huntington Library's Online Catalog.  

    Personal Names

    Miner, Alexander Douglas

    Titles

    Bible—Romans—Commentaries

    Subjects

    Abandoned children
    Child abuse
    College students--Religious life
    Conduct of life
    Etiquette
    Erysipelas
    Families--United States
    Farmers--New York (State)
    Fathers and daughters
    Gastroenteritis
    Moral development
    Neck--Infections
    Orphans
    Parenting--Religious aspects
    Students
    Universities and colleges--Religion
    Lima (N.Y.)
    New York (State)--Religious life and customs
    New York (State)--Social life and customs
    Oberlin (Ohio)
    United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1863--Public opinion

    Genre

    Correspondence--United States--19th century