Portrait of Silas Wier Michell

MITCHELL, S. WEIR (SILAS WEIR), 1829-1914

Papers, 1788 (1850-1928) 1949

MSS 2/0241-03

Acc. 1990-146


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Genealogical Information, 1788-1912
Family Papers, 1806-1949
Correspondence, 1851-1928
Travel Journals and Diaries, 1851-1912
Literary Notebooks, 1889-1910
Writings and Manuscripts, 1841-1944
Clippings, 1881-1925
Biographical Project, 1914-1931

Biographical


S. Weir Mitchell, physician, novelist, and poet, was born in Philadelphia on 15 February 1829. Mitchell was the son of John Kearsley Mitchell (1798-1858), a physician and lecturer at Jefferson Medical College, and Matilda Henry Mitchell (1800-1872). S. Weir Mitchell entered the University of Pennsylvania at the age of fifteen but withdrew during his senior year when he became ill. In 1848, he enrolled in Jefferson Medical College, and by March 1850, at the age of twenty- one, Mitchell had completed his medical degree.

In the fall of 1850, S. Weir Mitchell departed for Europe with his sister, Elizabeth. Elizabeth stayed with her younger sister in England, and Mitchell settled in Paris to study medicine. During this influential year, Mitchell dined with Sir James Paget and Edward Jenner, studied with Claude Bernard, and purchased his own microscope. After a year in Paris, he travelled with his sister in Italy and Switzerland. At the request of their ailing father, Mitchell and Elizabeth returned home in the fall of 1851.

Upon returning to Philadelphia, Mitchell set up a demanding schedule for himself; he assisted his father during the day and worked in the laboratory in the evenings. It was during this time that Mitchell conducted experiments with snake venom and first became interested in neurology. By 1855, John Kearsley Mitchell had retired, and Mitchell became responsible for the support of his parents and siblings. A few years later, Mitchell started a family of his own. He married Mary Middleton Elwyn in 1858, and the couple had two children, John K. Mitchell (1859-1917) and Langdon Elwyn Mitchell (1862-1935). In 1862, Mitchell's wife died of diphtheria.

During the Civil War years, Mitchell worked as a contract surgeon in Turner's Lane Hospital in Philadelphia, an army hospital for nervous diseases. Turner's Lane was an ideal location for Mitchell to pursue his interest in nerve diseases and wounds of the nerves. Mitchell was joined by William W. Keen and George R. Morehouse in conducting extensive neurological research at the hospital. The three physicians took careful notes, wrote detailed case studies, and published the results of their findings in numerous articles and books, including Reflex Paralysis (1864) and Gunshot Wounds and Other Injuries of Nerves (1864). Their pioneering work was praised for its accuracy, thoroughness, and wealth of statistics. In 1864, having received some degree of notoriety from his work at Turner's Lane, Mitchell resigned as a contract surgeon. Known as an authority on nervous diseases, he soon limited his practice to this specialty. In the early 1870s, Mitchell was appointed to the Philadelphia Orthopaedic Hospital and Infirmary for Nervous Diseases where he continued his neurological research and developed innovative treatments for patients with nervous ailments. During this period, Mitchell discovered a disease called erythromelalgia, or Weir Mitchell's disease. Mitchell also discovered the connection between eyestrain and headaches, and he introduced the "rest cure", a revolutionary method of treatment for patients, especially women, who suffered from hysteria and neurasthenia. Mitchell continued to publish medical works during the 1870s, including Injuries of Nerves and their Consequences (1872), which was still used by the French as late as World War I; Wear and Tear (1873), a book on overwork and mental fatigue written for a general audience; and Fat and Blood (1877), which describes Mitchell's rest cure treatment. In terms of his personal life, Mitchell married Mary Cadwalader in 1875, and his daughter, Maria Gouverneur, was born in 1876.

By 1880, at the age of fifty, Mitchell embarked on a serious literary career. He wrote poetry and several novels, including In War Time (1882), Roland Blake (1886), Hugh Wynne (1896), Dr. North and his Friends (1900), Circumstance (1901), Constance Trescott (1905), and Westways (1913). Having secured his reputation as a "literary physician", Mitchell became a popular figure both at home and abroad; he corresponded regularly with such notable figures as Oliver Wendell Holmes, Andrew Carnegie, William Dean Howells, Sir William Osler, and George Meredith. Mitchell frequently gave speeches before social clubs and professional organizations, and when his busy schedule allowed, he travelled extensively in the United States, Europe, Japan, and Egypt.

S. Weir Mitchell was actively involved in numerous local and national medical societies. He was founder and first president of the American Neurological Society and first president of the Philadelphia Neurological Society. Mitchell also served presidential terms for the Association of American Physicians, the American Association of Physicians and Pathologists, the Congress of American Physicians and Surgeons, and the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. Mitchell's honors and achievements include honorary memberships in the British Medical Association, the American Academy of Medicine, and the Royal Academy of Medicine in Rome. He was awarded honorary degrees from Harvard University, the University of Bologna, the University of Edinburgh, Princeton University, the University of Toronto, Jefferson Medical College, and Johns Hopkins University. In 1906, S. Weir Mitchell received the Franklin Medal.


Scope and contents


The S. Weir Mitchell Papers, spanning 1788 to 1949, contain Mitchell's correspondence, travel journals, diaries, literary notebooks, and manuscripts of his speeches, poems, and unpublished autobiography. The bulk of the collection concerns Mitchell's family life and literary career, but also present is material pertaining to Mitchell as a physician, such as correspondence with his British and American colleagues and records of his studies of patients with nerve injuries. The collection also includes Mitchell family papers, genealogical information, clippings, and correspondence pertaining to the preparation of a Mitchell biography.

S. Weir Mitchell's personal papers are in Series 1; of special interest are items pertaining to Mitchell's estate, including papers left on his desk at his death, a will written by Mitchell just weeks before he died, and appraisals of his wines, books, and china. Also present is a list of items sold at a sheriff's sale in the 1930s and an inventory of Mitchell's rare book and autograph collection, which was sold to an auction house in 1941. Subseries 1.2, which contains royalties statements from several different publishing houses, provides a record of Mitchell's wages as an author. These monthly statements, spanning 1882 to 1918, document Mitchell's earnings from each of his works, whether a medical book, novel, or volume of poetry.

Other personal papers in Series 1 include Mitchell's academic transcript from the University of Pennsylvania (complete with a record of misconduct charges) and lecture notes (1849-1850) from Charles D. Meigs's class on obstetrics at Jefferson Medical College. Also present are items that Mitchell might have saved for sentimental reasons, such as obituaries of his father and older brother; souvenirs from his trip to Japan in 1901; a photograph of himself with a child, perhaps one of his grandchildren; and records of the military service of his younger brothers. Also of interest are literary manuscripts presented to Mitchell by his friends, including a typescript play (1894) by Thomas Wharton and Owen Wister based on Mitchell's Francois Villon, and a signed, typescript poem (1892) by Oliver Wendell Holmes.

As is evident from the papers in Series 2, S. Weir Mitchell took a keen interest in genealogy and spent considerable time researching his family history. (For information on Mitchell family genealogy, consult Appendix A.) Mitchell's genealogical research involved collecting and studying his ancestors' papers and corresponding with distant relatives. Subseries 2.1 contains the papers of physician Alexander Mitchell (1766-1804), S. Weir Mitchell's grandfather; included are several letters and his 1799 list of balances. Also present is correspondence concerning the possible friendship between Robert Burns and John Mitchell, Mitchell's great-grandfather.Series 2 contains correspondence and miscellaneous papers of John Kearsley (d. 1819), S. Weir Mitchell's great-grandfather. Also present is genealogical information concerning the Henry family, Mitchell's mother's side of the family; included are letters from Mitchell's grandfather, Alexander Henry (d. 1847), and genealogical information pertaining to the Fitz-Randolph and Snowden families. Present in Subseries 2.4 is correspondence with Bessie Symons, Mary Hay, and Howard F. Hay concerning the link between the Mitchell, Symons, and Penn families. Finally, Series 2 contains miscellaneous correspondence concerning genealogy and an essay, "Adventures and misadventures in the wilds of Virginia" (1860), the author of which is unknown.

Series 3 contains Mitchell family correspondence and papers. Included in this series are the papers of S. Weir Mitchell's father, John Kearsley Mitchell (1798- 1858), and his son, John K. Mitchell (1859-1917), who were both physicians. In addition to providing specific information about the Mitchell family, the papers in Series 3 provide general information about life in Philadelphia during the nineteenth century. (For additional information on the Mitchell family, consult Appendix A.)

Subseries 3.1 contains John Kearsley Mitchell's diary from an 1817 voyage to China; in the diary, he recounts the trans-Atlantic journey, describes the native people of Sumatra and Java, and explains the Malay language. Also present are numerous letters from John Kearsley Mitchell to his wife, Matilda, many of which send reports from Canton, China, where he was stationed. These letters reveal a great deal about social conventions, courtship, and the status of physicians during the early nineteenth century. Subseries 3.1 also includes John Kearsley Mitchell's correspondence with Michael Faraday, William F. Johnston, David Rittenhouse Porter, and Richard Rush; the finding aid contains an item-level calendar of this correspondence. Matilda Mitchell's (1800-1872) papers, including numerous letters to her husband and her son, S. Weir Mitchell, are in Subseries 3.2.

Series 3 contains letters from Mitchell's sister, Elizabeth Kearsley Mitchell (1825-1874), to her family and to her friend, Bessie Kane. Also present are S. Weir Mitchell's letters to his family written while he was studying and travelling abroad during 1850 and 1851; these letters contain descriptions of English hospitals, surgical techniques, and physicians, and accounts of Mitchell's daily life and medical studies in Paris. This series contains nearly one hundred letters from Mitchell to his son, John K. Mitchell, most of which were written during the 1870s when John was attending St. Paul's School in New Hampshire. Mitchell's letters from his 1901 trip to Japan are also in this series.

Series 3 includes a small amount of correspondence from S. Weir Mitchell's younger sisters, Sarah Mitchell Neilson (1831-1906), called "Saidie" by her family, and Letitia ("Tish") Mitchell Harrison (1832-1914). This series also contains the papers of S. Weir Mitchell's brothers; included are Robert Walsh Mitchell's (1836-1872) letters to his family from Panama, where he worked on the Panama Railroad in the 1850s, and military records from his service as an army captain during the Civil War. Also present are letters and personal papers relating to Edward Donnaldson Mitchell's (1843-1864) service as a medical cadet during the Civil War. Included are several letters to William W. Keen, whom Edward befriended during the war.

Mary Cadwalader Mitchell (d. 1914) became S. Weir Mitchell's second wife in 1875. Her papers, in Subseries 3.10, consist of letters to S. Weir Mitchell and to her daughter-in-law, Anne K. W. Mitchell. Also present is her essay describing an African-American servant who worked for the Cadwalader family when Mary was a girl. The collection includes two letters written by Maria Gouverneur Mitchell (1876-1898), S. Weir Mitchell's daughter, who died of diphtheria at the age of twenty-two. Present in Subseries 3.12 are John L. Cadwalader's (1837-1914) letters to his sister, Mary Cadwalader Mitchell, and brother-in-law, S. Weir Mitchell.

The papers of S. Weir Mitchell's son, physician John K. Mitchell (1859-1917), include a poetry notebook, the manuscripts of two lectures on nursing, and letters to S. Weir Mitchell, Mary C. Mitchell, and Talcott Williams. Other correspondents include Sophy Dallas Irwin, Fanny Kemble, Amelia Gere Mason, Fielding H. Garrison, and Sir William Osler; the finding aid contains an item- level calendar of these letters. Papers belonging to John K. Mitchell's wife, Anne K. W. Mitchell, are contained in Subseries 3.14. Included are letters to S. Weir Mitchell and Mary C. Mitchell; correspondence with the Century Company concerning the publication of the essays of her father, John Worthington Williams; miscellaneous correspondence, including a signed letter from William H. Taft; and papers relating to her genealogical research. Series 3 also contains letters from S. Weir Mitchell's granddaughters, Mary Mitchell Freedley (b. 1894) and Sarah Worthington Mitchell Macdonough (b. 1896). The papers of S. Weir Mitchell's younger son, Langdon Elwyn Mitchell (1862-1935), are in Subseries 3.15. Included are letters to family members and newspaper clippings documenting his career as a playwright and his 1891 marriage to actress Marion Lea.

Series 4 contains Mitchell's correspondence with physicians, literary figures, and other acquaintances. The letters are original, unless otherwise noted on the finding aid, and in some cases, a run of correspondence is accompanied by a letter explaining its provenance. Subseries 4.1 consists of a disbound letterbook containing resolutions from various societies and sympathy letters on the 1858 death of Mitchell's father, John Kearsley Mitchell; included are letters from Robley Dunglison and Samuel Henry Dickson. S. Weir Mitchell's correspondence with American and British physicians is contained in Subseries 4.2; included are letters from John Shaw Billings, Sir Lauder Brunton, Harvey Cushing, Simon Flexner, Fielding H. Garrison, George M. Gould, J. Hughlings Jackson, William W. Keen, Hugo Munsterberg, Hideyo Noguchi, Sir William Osler, Sir James Paget, W. S. Playfair, Sir D'Arcy Power, Sir Ronald Ross, Beverley R. Tucker, Sir John Batty Tuke, and J. William White.

Correspondence with literary figures is in Subseries 4.3. Included are letters from Richard Watson Gilder, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Henry Charles Lea, George Meredith, Elizabeth Stuart Phelps, Howard Pyle, Agnes Repplier, James Ford Rhodes, James Whitcomb Riley, A. L. Wister, and Owen Wister. Also included is Mitchell's extensive correspondence with Amelia Gere Mason (170 items) and Sarah Butler Wister (106 items). Both women, who were among Mitchell's closest friends, offered support and advice on personal and literary matters. General correspondence with friends and acquaintances is in Subseries 4.4; correspondents include Andrew Carnegie, Danske Dandridge, professor Max Farrand, artist Frank Holl, Frances Butler Leigh, Louisa S. Minot, Anne Thackeray Ritchie, Agnes M. Swann, William H. Taft, Charles D. Walcott, and Owen Jones Wister. Correspondence and papers relating to studies of patients with nerve injuries are also in Series 4. Included is the correspondence of S. Weir Mitchell and John K. Mitchell, both of whom conducted follow-up studies of the patients S. Weir Mitchell treated during the Civil War; these studies were included in John K. Mitchell's Remote Consequences of Injuries of the Nerves and Their Treatment (1895). In addition to correspondence, Subseries 4.5 contains completed patient questionnaires, case reports, and miscellaneous papers. Finally, Series 4 contains miscellaneous correspondence pertaining to nursing, fear of cats, psychotherapy, and a proposed monument to Civil War surgeons. Also present are letters from John Bigelow, Horace Howard Furness, William Dean Howells, and James Whitcomb Riley, in which the correspondents respond to Mitchell's queries about their sleep and dream experiences; the finding aid contains an item-level calendar of these items.

Series 5 consists of thirty-one travel journals and diaries, spanning 1851 to 1912. Early in life, Mitchell kept a journal only when he travelled; the earliest journal in the collection documents his 1851 trip through Europe with his sister Elizabeth. Also present are journals of his frequent camping and fishing trips, made between 1869 and 1874, to the Great Lakes region of Canada and the United States. Included in Series 5 is a journal from Mitchell's 1879 trip to Yellowstone Park, Wyoming, and several journals recounting trips to Europe made between 1880 and 1891. Many of the journals contain poem manuscripts, probably written during Mitchell's travels.

Mitchell did not make a serious attempt to keep a daily diary until the mid- 1890s. Series 5 contains all of his diaries spanning 1894 to 1912, with the exception of the 1902 and 1913 diaries. (Mitchell's 1913 diary was part of an earlier gift presented to the Historical Collections of the Library of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia by Mitchell's granddaughters, Mrs. Mitchell Macdonough and Mrs. Vinton Freedley.) The diaries are sketchy; Mitchell frequently went for days or even weeks without making an entry, and the entries he did make consist of fairly brief observations about his activities. Because of Mitchell's shaky hand, many of the entries in the later journals are hard to decipher; the later journals also contain entries written in another hand, perhaps by Mitchell's personal secretary. The diaries reflect the pace of S. Weir Mitchell's daily life and provide a record of the people he met, the places he visited, and his general health and state of mind.

Present in Series 6 are ten volumes of S. Weir Mitchell's literary notebooks, spanning 1889 to 1910. These volumes contain poetry manuscripts and notes for Mitchell's novels, including outlines, story ideas, character sketches, quotations, and references from other works. The notebooks reveal sources that inspired Mitchell and explain how he developed plot and characters; the notebooks also document the extensive historical research Mitchell conducted before writing an historical novel. Included in these volumes is an early draft of Phillip Vernon (1895), notes for Hugh Wynne (1896), and historical notes, probably used for The Red City (1907). Other notes and outlines are for works that Mitchell never completed. Many of the poems in the notebooks were inspired by different locations, such as Venice, Newport, Egypt, and Japan.

Series 7 provides additional examples of S. Weir Mitchell's writing. This series contains a typescript copy of his unpublished autobiography, and holograph and typescript speech manuscripts spanning 1896 to 1913. The speeches, some of which were never published or delivered, cover both literary and medical topics. A selection of manuscript and printed poems is in Subseries 7.3, and Subseries 7.4 contains Mitchell's miscellaneous writings. Present is his 1841 account of a visit to Newport (written when Mitchell was only twelve), his reminiscences of a discussion with President William H. Taft, and his unpublished work, "An adventure on Fifth Avenue". Also present are tear-sheets of Mitchell's short story, "The waters of oblivion", which was published in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine in 1944 through the efforts of his daughter-in-law, Anne K. W. Mitchell. The final item in Series 7 is a typescript copy of A catalogue of the scientific and literary work of S. Weir Mitchell, published in 1894.

Series 8 contains hundreds of clippings, spanning 1881 to 1925, from British and American newspapers and journals. The clippings are stamped with dates and the titles of the periodicals from which they came, and many are labeled with numbers that correspond to their subject content. About half of the clippings relate to S. Weir Mitchell (reviews of his work, obituaries, general articles about the man); the other half pertain to the wages of physicians and literary figures. The source of these clippings is unclear; they might have been collected by a clipping service.

Series 9 contains correspondence and other materials pertaining to the preparation of a biography of S. Weir Mitchell. Talcott Williams (1849-1928), a friend of S. Weir Mitchell and the Mitchell family, agreed to write a biography of Mitchell in 1916, but he died before the project was completed. Series 9 contains Williams's correspondence, most of which pertains to his attempt to collect copies of Mitchell correspondence; included are letters from Robert Abbe, John Shaw Billings, Harvey Cushing, Bayard Henry, William W. Keen, Amelia Gere Mason, and Owen Wister. Anne K. W. Mitchell, as the inheritor of S. Weir Mitchell's papers, oversaw the biographical project from the start; Series 9 includes her correspondence with Fielding H. Garrison, William W. Keen, Louisa S. Minot, Langdon Elwyn Mitchell, and Beverley R. Tucker. After the death of Talcott Williams in 1928, Anne K. W. Mitchell hired Anna Robeson Brown Burr (1873-1941) to complete the biography; some of Burr's correspondence is also in Series 9. Subseries 9.4 contains a large collection of typescript notes, probably prepared by Anne K. W. Mitchell's assistant, Elizabeth Dunbar, which were used in the preparation of the biography. Other papers pertaining to the biographical project, such as contracts and publication materials, are in Subseries 9.5.


Provenance


After S. Weir Mitchell's death in 1914, his papers were left to his son, John K. Mitchell. Three years later, when John K. Mitchell died, his widow, Anne K. W. Mitchell, inherited the papers. During the 1920s, the Mitchell Papers were transferred between Langdon Elwyn Mitchell, Talcott Williams, and Anna Robeson Brown Burr, all of whom were considering writing a biography of S. Weir Mitchell. Burr's biography, Weir Mitchell: His Life and Letters (1929), was the only one completed. In 1950, Ernest Earnest published a second biography, S. Weir Mitchell: Novelist and Physician. In the forward to this work, Earnest states that:

Mitchell papers and letters are widely scattered. In the possession of the family are diaries from 1894 to 1912, the manuscript Autobiography, family letters from Mitchell's student days in Paris, letters to his sons, and the Sarah Butler Wister correspondence.

Thus, in 1950, most of Mitchell's papers were still with the Mitchell family, probably with one of his granddaughters, Mrs. Vinton Freedley or Mrs. Mitchell Macdonough. By the 1980s, a book dealer came into possession of the Mitchell Papers; eventually, Palinurus Rare Books came to hold the collection as it now stands, which includes Mitchell's papers, papers of the Mitchell family, and notes and correspondence pertaining to the Mitchell biographical project.

The Mitchell Papers were purchased by the Historical Collections of the Library of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia from Palinurus Rare Books on 21 December 1990. The purchase of the Mitchell Papers was made possible by donations from the McLean Contributionship, the Barra Foundation, the Hassell Foundation, the Groff Family Trust, the Claneil Foundation, and the Library Books Fund. Contributions also were made by the following individuals: Steven Peitzman, John Eckman, Philip Hodes, Mrs. George Blumstein, Fred Rogers, David Cooper, and Harry Shubin.

The S. Weir Mitchell Papers were processed and catalogued from September 1992 to February 1993. Acidic copies and clippings were photocopied and discarded. Printed items, such as books, pamphlets, and reprints, were also removed from the collection (see Appendix B).

1788 (1850-1928) 1949
20 boxes (8.5 linear ft.) and 1 oversize folder

2/18/1993
wvg

1. PERSONAL PAPERS, 1839-1941.


Box 1

1.1 S. Weir Mitchell estate, 1908-1941.

  1. Papers left on SWM's desk at his death, 1908-1912, [n.d.]. (18 items) Includes genealogical information, poetry, correspondence, and business accounts.
  2. Will : holograph, 6 p., 1913 Dec. 5. (1 item)
  3. Obituaries/Memorials : typescript, 1914, 1925, and [n.d.]. (3 items)
  4. Appraisals of wines, books, and china, 1913-1915. (3 items)
  5. Correspondence re: memorials to SWM, 1915-1936. (6 items)
  6. Correspondence re: property at 256 S. Van Pelt Street, 1923-1924. (4 items)
  7. Sheriff's office sale sheets, [193-]. (1 item) Includes list of items sold, prices, and purchasers.
  8. Lists of items sold to auction house, 1941. (2 items)

1.2 Royalties statements, 1882-1918.

  1. J. B. Lippincott & Co., 1882-1913. (1 folder)
  2. Houghton, Mifflin & Co., 1888-1895. (1 folder)
  3. The Century Co., 1895-1918. (4 folders)
  4. Miscellaneous publishers, 1899-1911. (1 folder)

1.3 Miscellaneous personal papers, 1839-1910.

  1. Obituaries of Alexander H. Mitchell (1823-1839) and John Kearsley Mitchell (1798-1858), [1839, 1858]. (2 items)
  2. SWM's academic transcript--University of Pennsylvania, 1844-1847. (1 item)
  3. Lectures on obstetricy : the science and the art / by C[harles] D. Meigs : Jefferson Medical College, 1849-1850. (1 volume)
  4. Papers re: Edward Donnaldson Mitchell's service as a medical cadet, 1862-1910. (7 items)
  5. Papers re: SWM's membership in the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the U.S., 1887-1908. (5 items)
  6. Diploma for honorary degree from University of Bologna, 1888 (3 items) Oversize document (O.V. 1). With wax seal and leaves.
  7. Passports, 1891 and 1898. (3 items)
    Box 2
  8. Holmes, Oliver Wendell, 1809-1894. Untitled poem, signed by the author : typescript, 4 p., 1892 Apr. 18. (1 item) With holograph emendations.
  9. Wharton, Thomas and Owen Wister (1860-1938). Francois Villon: A romantic drama in four acts with songs / by Thomas Wharton and Owen Wister : typescript, 80 p., 1894. (1 item)
  10. Ribbon bestowed on SWM by the Princeton Class of 1876 at the Princeton Sesquicentennial Celebration, 1896. (1 item)
  11. Papers re: Robert Walsh Mitchell's military service, 1899-1903. (5 items)
  12. Souvenirs from Japan, [1901]. (8 items)
  13. Miscellaneous poems : typescript and holograph, [n.d.]. (5 items)
  14. Salmon drawing, [n.d.]. (1 item)
  15. Photographs of SWM and John K. Mitchell (1859-1917), [n.d.]. (3 items)
  16. Miscellaneous, [n.d.]. (7 items) Includes photographs of a horse (perhaps SWM's horse, Jerry) and a map of property in Newport, R.I.
TOP

2. GENEALOGICAL INFORMATION, 1788-1912.


2.1 Mitchell family, 1788-1911.

  1. Correspondence of Alexander Mitchell (1766-1804), 1788-1804. (5 items)
  2. Alexander Mitchell--list of balances, 1799. (1 volume) Includes alphabetical list of patients and balances due.
  3. Papers re: Alexander Mitchell's estate, 1804-1822, [n.d.]. (11 items)
  4. SWM's correspondence re: John Mitchell and Robert Burns, 1908-1911. (9 items)
  5. [Essay on the Mitchell and Kearsley families]: typescript, 14 p., [n.d.]. (1 item)
  6. Miscellaneous notes, [n.d.]. (6 items)

2.2 John Kearsley (d. 1819), 1797-1910.

  1. Correspondence, 1797-1813. (4 items)
  2. Miscellaneous papers, 1819-1910. (6 items)

2.3 Henry family, 1825-1912.

  1. Correspondence of Alexander Henry (d. 1847), 1825-[183-]. (2 items)
  2. Correspondence, clippings, and notes concerning the Fitz-Randolph, Snowden, and Henry families, 1879-1897, [n.d.]. (5 items)
  3. Clipping re: the Henry family, 1912. (1 item)

2.4 Symons family, 1907-1911.

  1. SWM's correspondence with Bessie Symons, Mary Hay, and Howard F. Hay, 1907-1911. (23 items) Includes photographs of Hatt House, Cornwall.
  2. [Hay, Mary?]. Early recollections of the Symons family : typescript, 39 p., [n.d.]. (2 items)
  3. Miscellaneous notes, [n.d.]. (5 items)

2.5 Miscellaneous, 1792-1911.

  1. Correspondence, 1895-1911. (15 items) With letters from J. W. Hamilton, Harmon Pumpelly Read, and Agnes M. Swan.
  2. Adventures and misadventures in the wilds of Virginia : holograph, 9 p., 1860. (1 item)
  3. Miscellaneous, 1792-1890, [n.d.]. (5 items) Includes a sermon, a funeral announcement, and an essay on Anna Seward.
TOP

3. FAMILY PAPERS, 1806-1949.


Box 3

3.1 Mitchell, John Kearsley (1798-1858), 1806-1858.

  1. Biographical information, 1853, 1858. (3 items)
  2. Personal papers, 1826-1855. (19 items)
  3. Lecture tickets from Ayr Academy, the Medical Department of the University of Pennsylvania, and Jefferson Medical College, 1806-1853. (29 items)
  4. Diary of trip to China, 1817, 1819. (1 volume) Includes an account of the trans-Atlantic voyage and descriptions of Macao and Canton, China; recounts interactions with the native people of Sumatra and Java, and provides a detailed explanation of the Malay language.
  5. Letters to Matilda Mitchell, 1819-[ca. 1855]. (81 items)
  6. Letter to Alexander H. Mitchell, 1833. (1 item)
  7. Letters to Elizabeth K. Mitchell, 1833-1850. (7 items)
  8. Letters to S. Weir Mitchell, 1849-[1853?]. (14 items)
  9. Miscellaneous correspondence, 1817-1854. (32 items) With letters from Michael Faraday (1791-1867), Richard Rush (1780-1859), and Pennsylvania Governors William F. Johnston (1808-1872) and David Rittenhouse Porter (1788- 1867), whose son John Kearsley Mitchell was treating.
Box 4

4 3.2 Mitchell, Matilda Henry (1800-1872), 1819-[1868?].

  1. Letters to John Kearsley Mitchell, 1819-1840. (52 items)
  2. Letters to Elizabeth K. Mitchell, 1850-[1868?]. (15 items)
  3. Letters to S. Weir Mitchell, 1839-1857. (26 items)
  4. Letters to Letitia Mitchell Harrison, [1855?]. (2 items)
  5. Letter to Nathaniel Chapman Mitchell and Edward Donnaldson Mitchell, [1855?]. (1 item)

3.3 Mitchell, Elizabeth Kearsley (1825-1874), 1849-[ca. 1873].

  1. Letters to John Kearsley Mitchell, 1850-1851. (2 items)
  2. Letters to Matilda Mitchell, 1850-1851. (13 items)
  3. Letters to S. Weir Mitchell, 1849-1857. (35 items)
  4. Letter to Sarah Mitchell Neilson, 1851. (1 item)
  5. Letters to Letitia Mitchell Harrison, 1850-1851. (3 items)
  6. Letter to "Little Brothers", 1851. (1 item)
  7. Letters to John K. Mitchell, [ca. 1873]. (6 items)
  8. Letters to Bessie Kane, 1850-1864. (23 items) With typescript copies of letters.

3.4 Mitchell, S. Weir (1829-1914), 1849-1913.

  1. Letters to family from Europe, 1850-1851. (40 items) Descriptions of English hospitals, surgical techniques, and physicians, and accounts of Mitchell's daily life and medical studies in Paris.
  2. Letters to Elizabeth K. Mitchell, 1849-1873. (44 items)
  3. Letter to Sarah Mitchell Neilson, [n.d.]. (1 item)
  4. Letters to Nathaniel Chapman Mitchell, 1873. (2 items)
  5. Letters to Mary Elwyn, [n.d.]. (2 items)
  6. Letters to Mary C. Mitchell, 1888. (5 items) 5
    Box 5
  7. Letters to John K. Mitchell, 1868-1913, [n.d.]. (98 items)
  8. Letters to Anne K. W. Mitchell, 1897-1913. (14 items)
  9. Letters from Japan to Anne and John K. Mitchell, 1901. (14 items)
  10. Letters to Langdon E. Mitchell, 1873, 1884, [n.d.]. (4 items)
  11. Letters to Elizabeth Mitchell Horsbrugh, 1913, [n.d.]. (3 items)
  12. Letter to Mary Mitchell Freedley, 1899. (1 item)
  13. Letters to S. Worthington Mitchell Macdonough, 1911-1912. (2 items)

3.5 Neilson, Sarah Mitchell (1831-1906), 1850-1906.

  1. Letters to Matilda Mitchell, 1850-[1851?]. (2 items)
  2. Letters to S. Weir Mitchell, 1905-1906, [n.d.]. (3 items)

3.6 Harrison, Letitia Mitchell (1832-1914), [1850?]-1902.

  1. Letters to S. Weir Mitchell, [ca. 1856]-1902. (6 items)
  2. Letter to Sarah Mitchell Neilson, [1850?]. (1 item)

3.7 Mitchell, Robert Walsh (1836-1872), [ca. 1840s]-1872.

  1. Letters to Matilda Mitchell, 1860-1863. (3 items)
  2. Letters to S. Weir Mitchell, [ca. 1840s]-1872. (29 items)
  3. Correspondence with Col. Richard H. Rush, 1862. (4 items)
  4. Civil War papers, 1864 Aug.-Sept. (17 items) Includes muster-out rolls, lists of quartermaster's stores, inventories, and inspection reports.

3.8 Mitchell, Nathaniel Chapman (1840-1900), 1884-1887.

  1. Letter to S. Weir Mitchell, 1884. (1 item)
  2. Letter from Charles Evert Cadwalader (1839-1907), 1887. (1 item)

3.9 Mitchell, Edward Donnaldson (1843-1864), 1851-1864.

  1. Personal papers, 1860-1864. (5 items) Includes diplomas and discharge papers.
  2. Consolidation [of Philadelphia] : holograph, 3 p., 1854. (1 item)
  3. Letters to Matilda Mitchell, 1863. (8 items)
  4. Letters to S. Weir Mitchell, 1851, 1863. (13 items)
  5. Letters to "Sister", 1863. (4 items)
  6. Letters to William W. Keen (b. 1837), 1862. (5 items)

3.10 Mitchell, Mary Cadwalader (d. 1914), 1898-1913.

  1. Letters to S. Weir Mitchell, [1898?, n.d.]. (27 items)
  2. Letters to Anne K. W. Mitchell, 1898-1901, [n.d.]. (10 items)
  3. Miscellaneous correspondence, 1898-1913, [n.d.]. (9 items) With letter [copy] from Elihu Root (1845-1937), and letters to Alice Child and Sarah Butler Wister (1835-1908).
  4. Account of a slave : typescript, 4 p., [n.d.]. (1 item)

3.11 Mitchell, Maria Gouverneur (1876-1898).

Letters to Alice Child, [ca. 1890s]. (2 items)

3.12 Cadwalader, John L. (1837-1914).

Letters to S. Weir and Mary C. Mitchell, [1874-1914]. (23 items)

3.13 Mitchell, John K. (1859-1917), [1870s]-1917.

  1. Personal papers, 1874-1916. (8 items) Includes report cards and M. D. certificate.
  2. Letters to S. Weir Mitchell, 1875-[1909?], [n.d.](41 items)
  3. Letters to Mary C. Mitchell, 1876-[1895?], [n.d.](15 items)
  4. Letters to "Family", [1870s-1890s]. (10 items)
  5. Letter to Anne K. W. Mitchell, [1894?]. (1 item)
  6. Correspondence with Aunt and Grandmother, 1873, [n.d.]. (3 items)
  7. Letters to Talcott Williams (1849-1928), 1901-1916, [n.d.]. (19 items)
  8. Miscellaneous correspondence, 1876-1916, [n.d.]. (21 items) With letters from Sophy Dallas Irwin, Fanny Kemble (1809- 1893), Amelia Gere Mason, Fielding H. Garrison (1870-1935), and Sir William Osler (1849-1919).
  9. Poetry notebook, 1888-1890. (1 volume)
  10. Nursing in the rest cure : address delivered at St. Luke's Hospital, New York, N.Y. : typescript and holograph, 26 p., [1894 or 1895]. (1 item)
    Box 7
  11. Graduation address : Nursing School of the Orthopaedic Hospital, Philadelphia, Pa. : typescript, 8 p., 1911 Dec. 8. (1 item) With holograph emendations.
  12. Huesman, Mary Reed. Father and son [obituary] : typescript, 1917. (1 item)
  13. Biographical entry for Jordan's Encyclopedia of Biography : typescript, [after 1917]. (1 item)

3.14 Mitchell, Anne Keppele Williams, 1890-1948.

  1. Letters to S. Weir and Mary C. Mitchell, 1890-1909. (14 items)
  2. Correspondence with the Century Co. re: publication of the essays of John Worthington Williams, 1916. (17 items)
  3. Publication materials for the essays of John Worthington Williams, [ca. 1916]. (8 items)
  4. Correspondence regarding real estate, 1924-1942. (11 items)
  5. Miscellaneous correspondence, 1901-1943. (10 items) With letters from William H. Taft (1857-1930), Clements Collard Fry (1892-1955), and Samuel X Radbill (1901-1987).
  6. Genealogy of the Wyman, Keyser, and Stauffer families, 1916 and [n.d.]. (11 items) 7. Genealogy of the Keppele family, 1928-1948, [n.d.]. (16 items)
  7. Miscellaneous papers, 1905, 1917, [n.d.]. (4 items)

3.15 Mitchell, Langdon Elwyn (1862-1935), 1876-1928.

  1. Letters to S. Weir Mitchell, 1889, [n.d.]. (6 items)
  2. Letters to Mary C. Mitchell, 1877, 1889. (2 items)
  3. Letters to John K. Mitchell, [ca. 1870s]. (6 items)
  4. Letters to Talcott Williams (1849-1928), 1897-1915. (3 items)
  5. Clippings, 1892-1923. (19 items)
  6. Miscellaneous items, 1876-1928. (3 items) Includes a miniature portrait of his mother, Mary Middleton Mitchell, and a biography of John Langdon (1739- 1820).

3.16 Freedley, Mary Mitchell (b. 1894), 1876-1949.

  1. Letters to S. Weir Mitchell, 1908, [n.d.]. (4 items)
  2. Letters to Sophia and Talcott Williams (1849-1928), 1917-1919, [n.d.]. (8 items)
  3. Letter to Mary Mitchell Freedley, 1949. (1 item)
  4. Certificate permitting Angelo T. Freedley to practice law in the Philadelphia District Court, 1876. (1 item)

3.17 Macdonough, S. Worthington Mitchell (b. 1896), 1910-1919.

  1. Letters to S. Weir Mitchell, 1910, [n.d.]. (2 items)
  2. Letters to Talcott Williams (1849-1928), 1919, [n.d.]. (5 items)
TOP

4. CORRESPONDENCE, 1851-1928.


Box 8

4.1 Letterbook [disbound], 1858. (1 volume)

Letters and resolutions from individuals and societies on the death of John Kearsley Mitchell; includes items signed by Robley Dunglison (1798-1869) and Samuel Henry Dickson (1798- 1872).

4.2 Correspondence with physicians, 1851-1928.

  1. Billings, John Shaw, 1838-1913. Letters sent, 1890-1903. (3 items) Discusses his professorship at University of Pennsylvania and work at the Library of the Surgeon General's Office and the New York Public Library.
  2. Brunton, Sir Thomas Lauder, 1844-1916. Letter received [copy only], 1911. (3 items) Includes Brunton's obituary of SWM [ca. 1914] and a letter (1928) from his daughter, Alice H. Henry, explaining the provenance of the Mitchell letter.
  3. Cushing, Harvey, 1869-1939. Correspondence [copies, with one original], 1907, 1910, [n.d.]. (3 items)
  4. Flexner, Simon, 1863-1946. Letters received [copies only], 1903-1928, [n.d.]. (8 items)
  5. Garrison, Fielding H. (Fielding Hudson), 1870-1935. Letters received [copies only], 1912-1913. (5 items) Anecdotes about Mitchell's relationship with John Shaw Billings, including how they met and how Mitchell led an unsuccessful campaign to get Billings appointed as surgeon general.
  6. Gould, George M. (George Milbry), 1848-1922. Letters received [copies only], 1896-1899, [n.d.]. (9 items) Mitchell comments on Gould's work and discusses the concept of the "literary physician".
  7. Jackson, J. Hughlings (John Hughlings), 1835-1911. Letters sent, 1872-1904. (3 items) Includes responses to Mitchell's requests for advice on neurological cases.
  8. Keen, William W. (William Williams), b. 1837. Letters received [copies only], 1865-1912, [n.d.] (12 items) Mitchell discusses the Philadelphia medical community, the end of the Civil War, activities at the College of Physicians, and the anti-vivisectionists.
  9. Osler, Sir William, 1849-1919. Letters sent, 1905, 1912. (2 items) Osler discusses his son, the Dublin bicentenary, his involvement with the Bodleian Library at Oxford, and his plans to lecture at Yale and the College of Physicians.
  10. Paget, Sir James, 1814-1899. Letters sent, 1865-1894. (18 items) Paget discusses Mitchell's work, describes his own neurological research, reports on the congress of the British Medical Association, and introduces Mitchell to Frank Holl, who later painted Mitchell's portrait. Includes chronological index of letters.
  11. Playfair, W. S. (William Smoult), 1836-1903. Letters sent, 1880, [n.d.]. (2 items) Includes description of two cases of hysterical women and how they were treated according the recommendations in Mitchell's Fat and Blood (1877).
  12. Power, Sir D'Arcy, 1855-1941. Letters sent [copies only], 1910-1912. (5 items) Power discusses William Harvey.
  13. Ross, Sir Ronald, 1857-1932. Correspondence, 1907-1928. (12 items) Includes discussions about poetry, especially Ross's poem "In Exile", and the concept of the physician as poet.
  14. Tucker, Beverley R. (Beverley Randolph), 1874- Correspondence [copies only], 1904-1913, [n.d.]. (7 items) Includes career guidance and acknowledgment of the birth of Tucker's son, Weir Mitchell Tucker.
  15. Tuke, Sir John Batty, 1835-1913. Letters sent, 1891-1894. (3 items) Tuke discusses Mitchell's work and the need for asylum reform.
  16. White, J. William (James William), 1850-1916. Letters received, 1905-1912, [n.d.]. (18 items) Mitchell discusses his various social engagements in Philadelphia and expresses regret at missing dinner with Henry James. Also present is a letter (1921) from Letitia White explaining the provenance of the letters.
  17. Miscellaneous, 1851-1911, [n.d.]. (7 items) With individual letters from Hideyo Noguchi (1876-1928) and Hugo Munsterberg (1863-1916).

    4.3 Correspondence with literary figures, 1858-1913.

  18. Gilder, Richard Watson, 1844-1909. Correspondence, 1898-1907, [n.d.]. (17 items) Includes letters from Mitchell discussing editorial matters. Also present is a letter (1925) from Rosamond Gilder explaining the provenance of the correspondence.
  19. Hale, Edward Everett, 1822-1909. Letters sent, 1886-1898. (4 items)
  20. Higginson, Thomas Wentworth, 1823-1911. Letters sent, 1885-1905. (6 items) Describes his wife's nervous condition and asks for Mitchell's assistance in curing her.
  21. Holmes, Oliver Wendell, 1809-1894. Letters sent [copies only], 1858-1864. (5 items) Comments on some of Mitchell's early works.
  22. Lea, Henry Charles, 1825-1909. Letters sent, 1885-1893. (3 items) Discusses his latest book and cites Mitchell as his inspiration.
  23. Leland, Charles Godfrey, 1824-1903. Letters sent, 1883-1889. (3 items) Discusses his works on folklore.
    Box 9
  24. Mason, Amelia Gere. Correspondence [copies, with five autograph letters], 1883-1913. (170 items) Covers a variety of personal and literary topics, including Mason's criticism of Mitchell's work. With chronological index of letters.
  25. Meredith, George, 1828-1909. Letter sent [copy], 1898. (1 item) Contains Meredith's comments on Hugh Wynne (1896).
  26. Page, Thomas Nelson, 1853-1922. Letters sent, 1897-1908. (3 items)
  27. Phelps, Elizabeth Stuart, 1844-1911. Letters sent, 1887, 1897. (9 items) Discusses Mitchell's work and expresses her desire to write a medical novel. With index of letters.
  28. Pyle, Howard, 1853-1911. Letters received [copies only], 1896-1905. (7 items) Discusses Pyle's illustrations for Hugh Wynne (1896).
  29. Repplier, Agnes, 1855-1950. Letters sent, 1894-1913. (5 items) 9 4.3 13. Rhodes, James Ford, 1848-1927. Letters sent, 1908-1913. (4 items) Praises Mitchell's The Youth of Washington (1904) and Westways (1913).
  30. Riley, James Whitcomb, 1849-1916. Correspondence [copies only], 1898-1913. (8 items) Includes a letter (1925) from Mary Riley Payne explaining the provenance of the correspondence.
  31. Stedman, Edmund Clarence, 1833-1908. Letters received, [copies only], 1886-[1897?].(12 items) Includes three letters to Stedman's brother, Arthur.
  32. Wister, A. L. (Annis Lee), 1830-1908. Letters sent, 1888-[1909?]. (11 items) With index of letters.
  33. Wister, Owen, 1860-1938. Correspondence, [1906]-1910, [n.d.]. (11 items) With index of letters. Includes several birthday poems that Wister wrote for Mitchell.
    boxes 9-10
  34. Wister, Sarah Butler, 1835-1908. Correspondence, 1886-1905, [n.d.]. (106 items) Personal and literary topics, including discussions of Mitchell's work. With chronological index of letters.
Box 10

4.4 General correspondence, 1855-1920.

  1. "A", 1888-1898, [n.d.]. (6 items)
  2. "B", 1893-1913. (11 items)
  3. "C", 1885-1912. (20 items) With letters from John Cadwalader (1842-1925).
  4. Carnegie, Andrew, 1835-1919. Correspondence [copies, with one autograph letter], 1906-1913, [n.d.]. (15 items) Includes Carnegie's letter in which he asks Mitchell what he would do with $5-10 millon, with Mitchell's reply.
  5. Child, Clarence Griffin, 1864-1948. Letter sent, 1906. (1 item) With translation of the legend of St. Erkenwald. 6. Clark, G. E. Letters sent, 1901-1910. (6 items) Letters re: getting Mitchell's grandnephew, Edward, into the Naval Academy. With letter from the Secretary of War, Elihu Root (1845-1937).
  6. "D", 1855-1907. (9 items) Includes letters from Samuel Henry Dickson (1798-1872) and Mr. and Mrs. E. L. Dana, patients of SWM.
  7. Dandridge, Danske, 1858-1914. Letters sent, 1911. (5 items)
  8. Dow, Mrs. Charles. Letters received, 1890-1901, [n.d.]. (13 items)10 4.4 10. "F", 1878-1909. (4 items) With letters from Frank Furness and Alice Fisher (1839-1888).
  9. Farrand, Max, 1869-1945. Correspondence, 1902-1920. (8 items) Letters re: Professor Farrand's teaching of Hugh Wynne (1896) in his history class.
  10. "G", 1885-1910. (9 items) With letter from patient Lewis Gates about his rest cure treatment.
  11. "H", 1857-1912. (7 items) With letter concerning SWM's submission of a paper on rattlesnakes.
  12. Holl, Frank, 1845-1888. Letters sent, 1884-1887. (10 items) Letters concern Holl's painting of Mitchell's portrait. With index of letters.
  13. "J", 1886-1907 (6 items) With letter re: women and medicine.
  14. "K", 1892-1906, [n.d.]. (7 items)
  15. "L", 1875-1912. (12 items) With letter re: sleep and dreams.
  16. Langley, S. P. (Samuel Pierpont), 1834-1906. Letters sent, 1885, 1894. (4 items) Includes letters concerning psychic events.
  17. Larned, Charles W. (Charles William), 1850-1911. Letters received [copies only], 1910. (7 items)
  18. Leigh, Frances Butler, 1838-1910. Letters sent, [1890-1907, n.d.]. (14 items) With index of letters.
  19. "M", 1898-1909, [n.d.]. (8 items)
    Box 11
  20. Minot, Louisa S. Letters sent, [1907-1913?]. (21 items) With index of letters.
  21. "N", 1856-1910. (6 items)
  22. "O", 1908, 1913. (2 items)
  23. "P-Q", 1887-1909, [n.d.]. (15 items)
  24. "R", 1862-1912. (21 items)
  25. Ritchie, Anne Thackeray, 1837-1919. Letters sent, 1898, [n.d.]. (5 items)
  26. "S", 1878-1911. (8 items)
  27. Swann, Agnes M. Letters sent, 1900-1912. (14 items)
  28. "T", 1910, 1912. (2 items) With letter from William H. Taft (1857-1930).
  29. "U-V", 1907, [n.d.]. (2 items)
  30. "W", 1898-1912. (10 items) 11 4.4 33. Walcott, Charles D. (Charles Doolittle), 1850- 1927. Correspondence [copies and originals], 1901-1914. (18 items)
  31. Wister, Mary Channing, d. 1913. Letters sent, [n.d.]. (2 items)
  32. Wister, Owen Jones, 1825-1896. Letters sent, 1885. (2 items)
  33. Unidentified correspondents, 1903, [n.d.]. (5 items)

4.5 Follow-up studies of patients with nerve injuries, 1863-1906.

  1. Correspondence, 1890-1906. (19 items) With letters from John Shaw Billings (1839-1913) and lists of patients contacted.
  2. Questionnaires, 1893. (19 items)
  3. Case reports, 1863, 1893. (2 items)
  4. Miscellaneous papers, [n.d.]. (3 items)

4.6 Miscellaneous correspondence, 1892-1913.

  1. Letters re: nursing, 1892, [n.d.]. (6 items) With letters from William V. Keating.
  2. Letters on cat fear, 1904-1906. (6 items)
  3. Letters re: the Real Estate Trust of Philadelphia, 1906-1908. (9 items)
  4. Letters re: Edmund Randolph and The Red City, 1906-1908. (16 items)
  5. Letters and clippings on psychotherapy and Christian Science, 1908. (6 items) With The deadly error of Christian Science. The Church Literature Publishing Co.: 1901.
  6. Letters re: monument to Civil War surgeons, 1908-1913. (11 items)
  7. Letters on sleep and dreams, 1911. (15 items) With letters from John Bigelow (1817-1911), William Croswell Doane (1832-1913), Horace Howard Furness (1833- 1912), William Dean Howells (1837-1920), Louisa S. Minot, James Whitcomb Riley (1849-1916), and James Joseph Walsh (1865-1942). Includes Joseph Jastrow's An inquiry in regard to dream types and composition. Madison, Wisconsin: 1911.
TOP

5. TRAVEL JOURNALS AND DIARIES, 1851-1912.


Box 12
  1. Travel journal--Italy, 1851 June. (1 volume) With sketches.
  2. Notebook--Europe, 1851. (1 volume) Contains a list of expenses and numerous sketches.
  3. Travel journal--Lake Superior, 1869 Aug. (1 volume)12 5
  4. Travel journal--Lake Superior and Lake Nipigon, Ontario, Canada, 1870 Aug. 6-30, 1874 Aug. (1 volume) Includes manuscripts of poems, including "After sunset-- Lake Weelokenebakok", "Evening storm--Nipigon", and "Noonday woods--Nipigon". Also included are two water colors, sketches by John K. Mitchell (1859-1917), and a list of Chippewa phrases.
  5. Travel journal--Lake Superior and Lake Nipigon, Ontario, Canada, 1871 Aug. 9-Sept. 3, 1874 July 20- Aug. 14. (1 volume) Includes manuscripts of poems, including "The carry", "The rapids", "Campfire in three lights", "Paddle song", "Solitude", "Nipigon Lake", "Night--Lake Helen", and "Windfall". Also included are sketches by John K. Mitchell (1859-1917).
  6. Travel journal--Europe, 1872 July-Oct. (1 volume) With manuscripts of poems, including "Milan: Da Vinci's Christ", "Bruges: Quai des Augustins", "Near Amsterdam: After Albert Cuyp", and "After Teniers".
  7. Travel journal--Yellowstone Park, Wyoming, 1879 July 3-27. (1 volume)
  8. Travel journal--England, 1880 June. (1 volume)
  9. Travel journal--Europe, 1884 June 14-Nov. 5. (1 volume)
  10. Diary, 1887 July 30-Dec. 11. (1 volume)
  11. Travel journal--Europe, 1888 May 25-Nov. 6. (1 volume)
  12. Travel journal--Spain, 1889. (1 volume)
  13. Travel journal--Europe, 1891 Feb. 17-Nov. 4. (1 volume) Includes passenger lists from both trans-Atlantic voyages.
    box 13
  14. Diary, 1894 Jan. 1-Dec. 31. (1 volume)
  15. Diary, 1895 Jan. 1-Dec. 31. (1 volume)
  16. Diary, 1896 Jan. 1-Dec. 28. (1 volume)
  17. Diary, 1897 Jan. 7-Dec. 31. (1 volume)
  18. Diary, 1898 Jan. 1-Nov. 27. (1 volume)
  19. Diary, 1898 Dec. 16-1899 Dec. 26. (1 volume)
  20. Diary, 1900 Jan. 1-Oct. 22, Dec. 1-15. (1 volume)
  21. Diary, 1901 Jan. 1-Dec. 29. (1 volume)
    Box 14
  22. Diary, 1903 Jan. 1-Dec. 31. (1 volume)
  23. Diary, 1904 Jan. 1-Dec. 31. (1 volume)
  24. Diary, 1905 Jan. 1-Dec. 31. (1 volume)
  25. Diary, 1906 Jan. 1-Dec. 30. (1 volume)
  26. Diary, 1907 Jan. 1-Dec. 29. (1 volume)
  27. Diary, 1908 Jan. 1-Dec. 29. (1 volume) Includes letter from actress Marion Lea, SWM's daughter-in-law.
  28. Diary, 1909 Jan. 1-Dec. 31. (1 volume)
  29. Diary, 1910 Jan. 1-Dec. 31. (1 volume)
  30. Diary, 1911 Jan. 1-Aug. 11, Oct. 3-Dec. 14. (1 volume)
    Box 15
  31. Diary, 1912 Jan. 1-Apr. 13, May 10-Dec. 26. (1 volume)
TOP

6. LITERARY NOTEBOOKS, 1889-1910.


  1. Poems about Venice and Newport, 1889-1890. (1 volume) Includes manuscripts of "September", "A psalm of the water", "The waves at midnight", "Evening by the sea", "The Quaker lady", and "Dreamland".
  2. Transferred notes, 1891-1892. (1 volume)
  3. Notes and early draft of Phillip Vernon, 1893. (1 volume) Includes manuscript poems.
  4. Notes for Hugh Wynne, [ca. 1895-1896?]. (1 volume)
  5. Poems and notes, 1896-1897. (1 volume) Includes manuscripts of "Lullaby" (published as "A child's prayer"), "Guidarello Guidarelli", and a long dramatic poem.
  6. Poems and notes, 1897, 1904. (1 volume) Includes manuscripts of "To a magnolia flower", "Guidarello Guidarelli", "Lullaby" (published as "A child's prayer"), "Henry the Fifth", and "A war song of Tyrol". Also contains a list of characters appearing in Hugh Wynne.
  7. Poems and notes inspired by trip to Egypt, 1898-1900, 1904. (1 volume) Includes a manuscript of his poem "Egypt", journal entries, and miscellaneous notes, including story ideas and character sketches.
  8. Poems and notes inspired by trip to Japan, 1901-1905. (1 volume) Includes poems, speech notes, and historical notes, probably for The Red City.
  9. Poems and notes, 1909-1910. (1 volume)
  10. Historical notes, [n.d.]. (1 volume) Notes are arranged alphabetically.
TOP

7. WRITINGS AND MANUSCRIPTS, 1841-1944.


Box 16

7.1 Autobiography [disbound] : typescript, 313 p., [n.d.].

  1. p. 1-46 (genealogy, childhood). (1 folder)
  2. p. 47-122 (childhood, college, first trip abroad). (1 folder)
  3. p. 123-155 (early work in hospitals). (1 folder)
  4. p. 156-193 (literary career, correspondence with R. S. Woodward). (1 folder)
  5. p. 194-221 ("Honors"). (1 folder)
  6. p. 222-275 ("People"). (1 folder)
  7. p. 276-313 (President Taft, childhood memories by Sarah Mitchell Neilson). (1 folder)
  8. Miscellaneous sections of autobiography (4 folders)

7.2 Speeches, 1896-1913.

  1. Address delivered at reception of Colonial Dames : Senate House, Washington, D.C. : typescript, 8 p., 1896 Mar. 5.
  2. Man, the individual : [n.p.] : typescript, 22 p., 1902 Jan.
  3. [College dinner notes] : College of Physicians of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa. : holograph, 3 p., 1903.
  4. [Address delivered at dinner in honor of Sir William Osler (1849-1919)?] : [Charaka Club, New York, N.Y.] : typescript, 6 p., [1905 Mar. 4].
  5. Dr. Mitchell on athletics : address before the New York City Alumni Association, New York, N.Y. : typescript, 4 p., 1906 Jan. 16.
  6. [Notes for dinner celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Benjamin Franklin] : American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia, Pa. : typescript, 7 p., 1906 Apr. 20.
  7. [Address delivered at the dinner celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Benjamin Franklin] : American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia, Pa. : typescript, 7 p., [1906 Apr. 20]. Includes an early draft of his poem, The memory of Franklin.
  8. Anniversary...St. Andrews Society : address before the St. Andrew's Society of Philadelphia, [Hotel Bellevue-Stratford, Philadelphia, Pa.] : typescript, 7 p., [1906 Nov. 29].
  9. [Address on the] 50th anniversary of Pathological Society [of Philadelphia], Philadelphia, Pa. : holograph, 15 p., [1907].
  10. Country doctor : address delivered in Toronto, Canada : typescript, 9 p., 1907.
  11. Lectures on the conduct of the medical life : [n.p.] : typescript, 78 p., 1908. Not delivered due to illness.
  12. [After-dinner speech at the banquet in celebration of the opening of the new building] : College of Physicians of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa. : typescript, 7 p., [1909].
  13. [Memoir of Richard Watson Gilder, 1844-1909] : [n.p.] : typescript, 8 p., [1909]. With holograph emendations.
  14. [Address before the alumni of the University of Pennsylvania at the unveiling of a tablet in honor of Nathaniel Chapman (1780-1853)] : College of Physicians of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa. : typescript, 15 p., 1910 Mar. 29.
  15. Lecture on William Harvey : Baltimore, Md. : typescript, 67 p., 1910.
  16. Lecture on William Harvey : College of Physicians of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa. : typescript, 68 p., 1910.
  17. William Harvey, M.D. : address delivered in New York, N.Y. : typescript, 66 p., 1911 Apr. 1.
    Box 17
  18. [Novels and novelists] : [n.p.] : typescript, 49 p., [1910?]. With holograph emendations.
  19. Novels and novelists / by S. Weir Mitchell, M.D. : read at John Kane's, New York, N.Y. : typescript, 44 p., 1911 Jan.
  20. Some remarks on sleep symptoms and the prae-dormitium : address before the Philadelphia Neurological Society, Philadelphia, Pa. : typescript and holograph, 27 p., 1911 Mar. 24. With holograph emendations.
  21. Some remarks on sleep symptoms and the prae-dormitium / by S. Weir Mitchell, M.D. : address before the Philadelphia Neurological Society, Philadelphia, Pa. : typescript, 28 p., 1911 Mar. 24.
  22. [The medical department in the Civil War] : address before the Physicians' Club, Chicago, Ill. : typescript, 48 p., 1913 Feb. 25. With holograph emendations.
  23. [The medical department in the Civil War] : address before the Physicians' Club, Chicago, Ill. : typescript, 30 p., 1913 Feb. 25.
  24. Lectures and lecturers : address before the Girls' High School of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa. : typescript, 49 p., [n.d.].
  25. [Lecture on student life] : Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, Pa. : holograph, 9 p., [n.d.]. Never used.
  26. [Address before the St. Andrew's Society of Philadelphia] : Philadelphia, Pa. : typescript, 7 p., [n.d.]. With holograph emendations.
  27. [Address at dinner in honor of John Bach McMaster (1852- 1932)] : Philadelphia, Pa. : typescript, 5 p., [n.d.].
  28. [Address before the president and alumni of Princeton University] : Princeton, N.J. : typescript, 5 p., [n.d.]. Never used--was ill.
  29. [Introduction to his reading of Francois Villon] : read before the post-graduates of West Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa. : typescript, 9 p., [n.d.]. Used, not printed. With holograph emendations.
  30. [Memoir of] James Wilson [1742-1798] : Christ Church, Philadelphia, Pa. : typescript, 6 p., [n.d.].
  31. [Address on the relation of the creations of the poet or novelist to the facts of history and the relation of an era to its own poets : [n.p.] : printed, 24 p., [n.d.].

7.3 Poetry, [1887?]-1907.

  1. [On the 100th anniversary of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia?] : typescript and holograph, 8 p., [1887?].
  2. The birth and death of pain: a poem read October sixteenth, MDCCCXCVI, at the commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the first public demonstration of surgical anaesthesia. Boston: The Merrymount Press, [1896].
  3. A prayer : printed, [1898].
  4. The birthday of Washington. Proceedings of University Day. Philadelphia: The University of Pennsylvania, (1902 Feb. 22), 8-12. With holograph emendations.
  5. The pure of heart--Gennesaret : holograph, 9 p., 1904 Oct.
  6. Verses read to the Franklin Inn Club on the birthday of Franklin : typescript, 4 p., [1905?] Jan. 6.
  7. Verses read to the Franklin Inn Club on the birthday of Franklin. Philadelphia: The Lippincott Press, [1905?].
  8. The return of the flags : holograph, 6 p., 1905 Aug.
  9. The song of the flags on their return to the States of the Confederacy. Collier's, (1906 Apr. 21), 23.
  10. [Lines given to M at Christmas] : holograph, 3 p., [1905].
  11. [The comfort of the hills] : holograph, 9 p., [1906]. 12. The memory of Franklin : printed, 1906.
  12. How champagne was invented : typescript, 5 p., [n.d.].
  13. To the man with the spelling bee in his bonnet : typescript, 1 p., [n.d.].
  14. Untitled poem : holograph, 15 p., [n.d.].
  15. Miscellaneous printed poems, 1899, 1907, [n.d.]. (4 items)

7.4 Miscellaneous writings, [1841]-1944.

  1. Account of a visit to Newport : holograph, 3 p., [1841 July 31].
  2. The seven ages of Washington : typescript, 36 p., [1896].
  3. [Reminiscences of a discussion with President William H. Taft] : typescript, 10 p., 1910 July 22.
  4. The waters of oblivion. Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, (1944 Jan.), 111-115.
  5. An adventure on Fifth Avenue / by Dr. S. Weir Mitchell : typescript, 75 p., [n.d.].
  6. Untitled sketch : holograph, 2 p., [n.d.].

7.5 A catalogue of the scientific and literary work of S. Weir Mitchell : typescript, 31 p., [1894].

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8. CLIPPINGS, 1881-1925.


Box 18

8.1 Clippings re: S. Weir Mitchell, 1883-1925.

  1. Reviews, 1888-1913. (1 folder)
  2. Obituaries, 1914-1925. (1 folder)
  3. From the morgue of the Philadelphia North American, 1900-1919. (1 folder)
  4. Miscellaneous, 1883-1920. (2 folders)

8.2 Clippings regarding wages, 1881-1920.

  1. Wages, physicians (331.2.610), 1881-1919. (1 folder)
  2. Wages of physicians (331.2.610.7), 1885-1916. (1 folder)
  3. Wages, poets (331.2.8), 1916-1919. (1 folder)
  4. Wages, literary ([331.2.]800), 1884-1914. (7 folders)
  5. Wages, American literature (331.2.810), 1901-1914.(1 folder)
  6. Wages, American [poets] (331.2.811), 1894-1913. (1 folder)
  7. Wages, poets (331.2.821), 1886-1911. (1 folder)
  8. Wages, English fiction (331.2.823), 1884-1914. (1 folder)
  9. Wages, French novelists (331.2.843), 1891-1913. (1 folder)
  10. England--History of wages table (331.2.942), 1920.(1 folder)
  11. Miscellaneous, 1886-1911. (1 folder)
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9. BIOGRAPHICAL PROJECT, 1914-1931.


Box 19

9.1 Correspondence of Talcott Williams (1849-1928), 1914-1928.

  1. "A", 1920, 1927, [n.d.]. (6 items)
  2. Abbe, Robert, 1851-1928. Letters sent, 1917-1926. (4 items)
  3. "B", 1919-1922, [n.d.]. (6 items) Includes letters from Gamaliel Bradford (1863-1932).
  4. "C", 1920. (5 items)
  5. The Century [Publishing] Co. Correspondence, 1919-1923. (29 items) Includes letters from John Shaw Billings (1838-1913) and Isaac R. and Bevan A. Pennypacker.
  6. Cushing, Harvey, 1869-1939. Letters sent, 1920-1923. (6 items)
  7. "D", 1919-1920. (4 items) With letter from Henry S. Drinker (1850-1937).
  8. "F", [n.d.]. (2 items) With letter from Horace Howard Furness (1865-1930).
  9. "G", 1920. (5 items)
  10. "H", 1920-1924, [n.d.]. (14 items) With letters from Guy Hinsdale (1858-1948), M. A. De Wolfe Howe (1864-1960), and Houghton-Mifflin & Co.
  11. Henry, Bayard, 1857-1926. Letters sent, 1920. (4 items)
  12. "I-J", 1920. (5 items)
  13. "K", 1920-1922. (4 items)
  14. Keen, William W. (William Williams), b. 1837. Letters sent, 1914-1924. (10 items) Includes his responses to questions about S. Weir Mitchell asked by Talcott Williams (1849-1928).
  15. "L", 1920. (7 items)
  16. "M", 1920, 1923. (4 items)
  17. Mason, Amelia Gere. Letters sent, 1920. (3 items)
  18. Mitchell, Anne K. W. (Anne Keppele Williams). Correspondence, 1919-1927, [n.d.]. (8 items)
  19. "O-P", 1920. (7 items)
  20. "R", 1928, [n.d.]. (2 items)
  21. "S", 1919-1922. (12 items)
  22. "T", 1914-1923. (10 items) Includes letters from William J. Taylor (1861-1936), William Sydney Thayer (1864-1932), and Beverley R. Tucker (1874- ).
  23. "W", 1919-1920. (6 items) Includes letters from J. C. Wilson (1847-1934) and George W. Wickersham (1858-1936).
  24. Wister, Owen, 1860-1938. Letters sent, 1914, 1920. (3 items)

9.2 Correspondence of Anne K. W. Mitchell, 1917-1931.

  1. "A", 1919-1928. (9 items) With correspondence from the Atlantic Monthly.
  2. "B", 1918-1928. (8 items)
  3. "C", 1928. (7 items)
  4. The Century [Publishing] Co. Correspondence, 1917-1928. (3 items)
  5. Duffield Publishing Co. Letters sent, 1928-1930. (5 items)
  6. Dunbar, Elizabeth. Letters sent, 1928. (10 items)
  7. Furness, Horace Howard, 1865-1930. Letter sent, [n.d.]. (1 item)
  8. "G", 1928. (2 items)
  9. Garrison, Fielding H. (Fielding Hudson), 1870-1935. Correspondence, 1928. (7 items)
  10. "H", 1919, 1928. (12 items) Includes letters from Guy Hinsdale (1858-1948), M. A. De Wolfe Howe (1864-1960), and Houghton-Mifflin & Co.
  11. "J", 1928. (3 items)
  12. Keen, William W. (William Williams), b. 1837. Correspondence, 1919-1928. (4 items)
  13. "L", 1923, 1928. (5 items) With letters from Alfred Pyle Lee (1871-1940).
  14. J. B. Lippincott & Co. Correspondence, 1928-1929. (6 items)
  15. "M", 1928. (6 items) With letter from Andrew Jackson Montague (1862-1937).
    Box 20
  16. Minot, Louisa S. Correspondence, 1928, [n.d.]. (6 items)
  17. Mitchell, Langdon Elwyn, 1862-1935. Correspondence, 1927-1931, [n.d.]. (10 items)
  18. "N", 1928. (7 items) Includes correspondence re: the papers of Charles Eliot Norton (1827-1908).
  19. "P", 1928. (7 items) With correspondence from Mrs. Howard Pyle.
  20. "R", 1928. (4 items) With letters from Agnes Repplier (1855-1950), Elihu Root (1845-1937), and Sir Ronald Ross (1857-1932).
  21. "S-T", 1928. (7 items) Includes correspondence with the Smithsonian Institution.
  22. Tucker, Beverley R. (Beverley Randolph), 1874- Correspondence, 1928. (5 items)
  23. "U", 1928. (4 items) With correspondence re: University of Pennsylvania.
  24. "W", 1919, 1928. (14 items) Includes correspondence with Owen Wister (1860-1938).
  25. Williams, Talcott, 1849-1928. Letters received, 1926-1927, [n.d.]. (12 items)

9.3 Correspondence of Anna Robeson Brown Burr (1873-1941), 1928-1929.

  1. Dunbar, Elizabeth. Correspondence, 1928. (17 items)
  2. Keen, William W. (William Williams), b. 1837. Letters sent, 1928. (2 items)
  3. Mitchell, Anne K. W. (Anne Keppele Williams). Letters received, [n.d.]. (3 items)
  4. Miscellaneous correspondence, 1929, [n.d.]. (3 items)

9.4 Notes for biography, typescript, [n.d.].

  1. Family and genealogy, including a list of birth, deaths, and marriages (1 folder)
  2. Family, military service (1 folder)
  3. Excerpts from poetry and letters (1 folder)
  4. Honors and memberships, excerpts from diary and letters of 1901 (1 folder)
  5. University of Pennsylvania, including transcript and course of instruction (1 folder)
  6. Jefferson Medical College (1 folder)
  7. Miscellaneous notes (1 folder)
  8. Alphabetical index of correspondence (1 folder)
  9. Note cards with bibliographic citations and information on Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919) (1 folder)
  10. Miscellaneous notes and memoranda re: the progress of the biography and the transfer of materials between Talcott Williams (1849-1928), Anne K. W. Mitchell, Anna Robeson Brown Burr (1873-1941), and Elizabeth Dunbar. (1 folder)

9.5 Miscellaneous, [ca. 1880]-1929.

  1. The novels and poetry of Dr. S. Weir Mitchell, '48 C. The Alumni Register. (Fall 1880?), 257-268. (1 item) Tearsheets with holograph annotations.
  2. Contracts for biography, 1916, 1929. (2 items)
  3. Burr, Charles W. (Charles Walts), 1861- [Selections from his S. Weir Mitchell Oration] : typescript, 1919. (1 item)
  4. Publication materials, [ca. 1929]. (1 folder) Includes page proofs, list of illustrations, and publisher's catalog.
  5. Organization of the Biological Club of Philadelphia : typescript, [n.d.]. (1 item)

1788 (1850-1928) 1949
20 boxes (8.5 linear ft.) and 1 oversize folder
2/18/93
wvg
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