Letters in the Research Room

A new year means a new theme for "Materials Monday" posts on the BDC's Facebook page. In 2020, the theme was "The Word "New" appears in the title or subtitle"of the material being highlighted.  I could have continued the "'New'-in-title" theme for another year, but I decided that I needed a fresh topic - but what topic? I began to weigh number of factors as I was thinking through what to highlight each Monday on the BDC's Facebook page during 2021. 

 

Firstly, I wanted a theme that would show the depth and scope of the BDC's holdings. Secondly, I wanted a theme that could cover a variety of topics and/or cover a number of historical periods. (I know that a great many of you are Civil War and/or Reconstruction Era focused but the BDC covers all historic periods, 16th century - 20th century and genealogy, natural history, Gullah culture, events, etc. in Beaufort, Jasper, and Hampton Counties). Thirdly, I wanted a theme that I would offer me some research possibilities to expand upon (perhaps) in the BDC's blogs or serve as a basis for a future BDC program or event. In other words, I wanted a theme that could capture my interests as well as yours. The major question to be answered, then, was "What did the Research Room have at least 50 interesting examples of that could explore a variety of topics, historical periods, and demonstrate the depth and scope of the BDC's holdings to the general public?"

The answer for 2021 became "Letters." The Research Room has a lot of letters and correspondence is a primary source material. Letters can appear in Library collections in book form and in archives as part of record series. Some of the BDC's vertical files contain correspondence too. As I explored the Library's catalog, the archives inventory, and Finding Aids, I discovered that I could research and write posts about the letters in our printed materials and archival collections every Monday for several years. There is plenty of raw material to use. Thus, I settled on exploring the range of correspondence in the BDC as the theme for my "Materials Monday" posts of the BDC's Facebook page in 2021.

I hope that over the course of the year, I will be reminded of some treasures here in the Research Room that I have forgotten we had to share with you. (That always makes me happy.) My hope is that the letters I post this year will encourage you to explore local history more deeply at the Library via the BDC's services, materials, and programs. (That always makes me happy.) If you want to come into the Research Room, please remember to make the arrangements with me in advance of your visit. (When you do so, that always makes me happy, too.) 

So far on Facebook: 

• January 4, 2021 - I introduced the theme of the year.
• January 11, 2021 - Letter from George Trask to Francis Griswold May 1972
• January 18, 2021 - The Library was closed so no "Materials Monday" post
• January 25, 2021 - Some compilations of letters from the confiscated libraries of Beaufort destroyed in the Smithsonian Fire of 1865
  

I will do my utmost to relate the "Materials Monday : Letters" post to something else going on within the BDC, Library, community or on the state or national level. Take, for example, the January posts. 

 

I chose the Trask to Griswold letter for January 11th because it referred to Griswold's setting for his A Sea Island Lady novel first published in 1939 which just so happened to be the featured book kicking off the Friends of the Beaufort Library's "Books Sandwiched In" 2021 series. The letter I chose addressed the author's use of some of the architectural features of Trask's residence of "Tabby Manse" (an historic structure at 1211 Bay Street) in Griswold's somewhat fictional depiction of "Marshlands" (a real historic structure located at 501 Pinckney Street) in the book. 

 

Cynthia Jenkins, Executive Director of Historic Beaufort Foundation, was the featured speaker on January 11th. She used some BDC Research Room materials to prepare her presentation. You can watch the recording of Mrs. Jenkins' very informative and entertaining talk about Griswold's depiction of the built environment of Beaufort in the 1930s in A Sea Island Lady online. 

The Friends have other interesting - but not local history related - reviews coming up soon. Details on how to access the programs are on the clever and cute BSI 2021 poster. JSKY: The next time that I'll remind you about the BSI series will be on February 22 when Peggy Pickett discusses her book about Eliza Lucas Pinckney.

 

I didn't do a Materials Monday post on the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday because the Library system was closed. JSYK: I intend to continue this practice of omitting "Materials Mondays" on holidays until my retirement, whenever that may be.

The January 25th post on the BDC's "Materials Monday" Facebook page covered some of the published correspondence lost in the Smithsonian Fire of 1865, among them Chesterfield's Letters (1777); Horace Walpole's Letters (1842); Life and Correspondence of David Hume (1846); Melmoth's Letters of Pliny (1809); Emerson's Letters from the Aegean (1829); Mattheson's Letters from Various Parts of the Continent, 1785 to 1794 (1799), and Letters from Palmyra (1837). We have copies of some of the other titles listed as on auction on November 17, 1863 (until the sale was cancelled) but not copies of the letters mentioned here. If you want to read Chesterfield's, Walpole's Hume's Melmoth's Emerson's letters, etc., try searching the Internet Archive https://archive.org/ and/or the Hathitrust Digital Library https://www.hathitrust.org/ for digital copies of the volumes.

 

Watch for the "Materials Monday : Letters" posts every Monday that the Library is open in 2021.