James Buchanan Family Papers, Part 2 Papers of Harriet Lane Johnston, Series 1 Correspondence
Description
James Buchanan Family Papers, Part 2 Papers of Harriet Lane Johnston, Series 1 contains the correspondence of Harriet Lane Johnston.
Subseries 1 contains letters written by Harriet to James Buchanan, Lily Macalester and Charles Macalester, Lois Buchanan, Hiram B. Swarr, Mary Speer, and others from 1848-1902.
Subseries 2 contains letters written to Harriet from Captain W. R. Palmer, Alfred Pleasanton, Laura Pleasanton, Isaac E. Hiester and others from 1854 to 1897, including several describing Washington, D.C. in 1861.
Admin/Biographical History
Born on May 9, 1830, Harriet Lane was the youngest surviving child of Elliot Toll Lane and Jane Buchanan Lane. When both of her parents died of consumption, now known as tuberculosis, Harriet went on to be her Uncle James Buchanan's ward in 1841. A well-educated lady, Harriet attended several boarding schools before graduating from the Georgetown Academy of Visitation Convent at the age of 18. When James Buchanan served as the U.S. Minister to Great Britain, Harriet Lane joined him for a time and served as a hostess. During her time in England, which she noted as "the realization of a beautiful dream," she befriended none other than Queen Victoria. When her Uncle assumed the presidency, Harriet Lane assumed her role as hostess. She is considered the first First Lady, as the title had initially been given to the president's hostess during Harriet's time in Washington.
After Buchanan's presidency, Harriet Lane married Henry Elliot Johnston, a banker from Baltimore, on January 11, 1866. She was 35 years old. The couple went on to have two sons, both of whom would pass away from rheumatic fever in their early teenage years. Two years after losing her youngest son, Harriet lost her husband to pneumonia. By 1884, Harriet was a childless widow. She would go on to leave a legacy for generations to come, including establishing a children's hospital in Baltimore called The Harriet Lane Home for Invalid Children (today the Harriet Lane Clinic at the John's Hopkins Children's Hospital), preserving her Uncle's letters and manuscripts, bestowing her art collection to the Corcoran Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C., and constructing the St. Alban's School, a school for choir boys. She died on July 3, 1903. [ https://www.lancasterhistory.org/about-wheatland/, accessed 10/24/2019]
James Buchanan Papers, Dickinson College Archives & Special Collections http://archives.dickinson.edu/collection-descriptions/james-buchanan-papers
James Buchanan and Harriet Lane Johnston Papers, Library of Congress https://www.loc.gov/collections/james-buchanan-and-harriet-lane-johnston-papers/
James Buchanan Papers, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, http://www2.hsp.org/collections/manuscripts/b/Buchanan0091.html
James Buchanan Papers, Penn State University Libraries, https://libraries.psu.edu/findingaids/1458.htm
Related Item Notes
James Buchanan Family Papers
James Buchanan Collection, MG0096
Historical Society of Pennsylvania microfilm
Photograph collections
Curatorial collections
Wheatland Mansion
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Please use digital images and transcriptions when available.
Original documents may be used by appointment. Please contact archives@lancasterhistory.org at least two weeks prior to visit.
Copyright
Images have been provided for research purposes only.
LancasterHistory retains the rights to the digital images and content presented. The doctrine of fair use allows limited use of copyrighted material without permission from the copyright holder. Fair use includes comment, criticism, teaching, and private scholarship. Any images and data downloaded, printed or photocopied for these purposes should provide a citation. All other uses beyond those allowed by fair use require written permission.
Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory. Some items are photocopies from other collections--researchers must obtain permission for reproduction and publication from the owner of the original material. Persons wishing to publish any material from this site must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright or other use restrictions. Publication fees may apply.
Please contact archives@lancasterhistory.org for a high-resolution image and permission to publish.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Description Level
Series
Custodial History
The James Buchanan Family Papers were collected by the James Buchanan Foundation for the Preservation of Wheatland. This collection was relocated from the Wheatland mansion to the LancasterHistory archives in the Spring of 2009. Digitization of the James Buchanan Family Papers was funded by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, PHMC Appl ID # 201808013051, 2019-2020.
James Buchanan Family Papers, Part 5 Papers of Other Members of the Buchanan Family, Series 1 Correspondence
Description
James Buchanan Family Papers, Part 5 Papers of Other Members of the Buchanan Family, Series 1 Correspondence contains papers from members of the Buchanan family, excluding James Buchanan, Harriet Lane Johnston, James Buchanan Henry and Edward Young Buchanan. Subseries 1 is correspondence from members of the Buchanan Family and Subseries 2 is correspondence to members of the Buchanan Family. The letters span over one hundred years, from 1809 through 1925, with the bulk of the items from 1845 to 1873.
The earliest items are excerpts of letters written by James Buchanan and his parents at the beginning of his law career and from his early political years. There is a collection of typed transcripts of letters to Maria Lois Buchanan, affectionately known as "Lodie," from her family who was taking care of James Buchanan at Wheatland from March through June 1868. The remaining letters are between various family members concerning the family and their well-being, as well as the purchasing of homes and financial matters.
Admin/Biographical History
Many additional members of James Buchanan's family are included in this part of the collection. Including the following relations: James Buchanan (1761-1821) and Elizabeth Speer (1767-1833) James Buchanan's parents; Harriet Buchanan (1802-1840), James Buchanan's sister; James Buchanan Lane (1814-1863), James Buchanan's nephew and Harriet Lane's older brother; Jessie Magaw, James Buchanan's niece from his sister, Maria Buchanan Magaw (1795-1849); Mary Nicholson Henry, James Buchanan Henry's first wife; and Louisa Anderson Henry James Buchanan Henry's second wife; Reginald E. Henry (Louisa and James' son) and Robert Edward Henry, Jr. (Louisa and James' grandson); Edward Y. Buchanan's wife, Ann Elizabeth Foster, and his daughters, Anne Buchanan (1838-1927), Harriet Buchanan (1841-1912), Henrietta ("Netsie") Buchanan (1844-1906) and Maria Lois Buchanan Cassatt (1847-1920) (referred to as "Lois" or "Lodie"), and Alexander J. Cassatt (Lois Buchanan's husband). The letters to Maria Lois Buchanan show a good chronological history.
System of Arrangement
JBFP Part 5 Series 1 Correspondence
Subseries 1 Letters from Members of the Buchanan Family
Subseries 2 Letters to Members of the Buchanan Family
James Buchanan Papers, Dickinson College Archives & Special Collections http://archives.dickinson.edu/collection-descriptions/james-buchanan-papers
James Buchanan and Harriet Lane Johnston Papers, Library of Congress https://www.loc.gov/collections/james-buchanan-and-harriet-lane-johnston-papers/
James Buchanan Papers, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, http://www2.hsp.org/collections/manuscripts/b/Buchanan0091.html
James Buchanan Papers, Penn State University Libraries, https://libraries.psu.edu/findingaids/1458.htm
Related Item Notes
James Buchanan Family Papers
James Buchanan Collection, MG0096
Historical Society of Pennsylvania microfilm
Photograph collections
Curatorial collections
Wheatland Mansion
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Please use digital images and transcriptions when available.
Original documents may be used by appointment. Please contact archives@lancasterhistory.org at least two weeks prior to visit.
Copyright
Images have been provided for research purposes only.
LancasterHistory retains the rights to the digital images and content presented. The doctrine of fair use allows limited use of copyrighted material without permission from the copyright holder. Fair use includes comment, criticism, teaching, and private scholarship. Any images and data downloaded, printed or photocopied for these purposes should provide a citation. All other uses beyond those allowed by fair use require written permission.
Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory. Some items are photocopies from other collections--researchers must obtain permission for reproduction and publication from the owner of the original material. Persons wishing to publish any material from this site must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright or other use restrictions. Publication fees may apply.
Please contact archives@lancasterhistory.org for a high-resolution image and permission to publish.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Description Level
Series
Custodial History
The James Buchanan Family Papers were collected by the James Buchanan Foundation for the Preservation of Wheatland. This collection was relocated from the Wheatland mansion to the LancasterHistory archives in the Spring of 2009. Digitization of the James Buchanan Family Papers was funded by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, PHMC Appl ID # 201808013051, 2019-2020.
James Buchanan Family Papers, Part 8 Papers of Others (Not Part of the Family), Series 1 Correspondence
Description
James Buchanan Family Papers, Part 8 the Papers of Others (Not Part of the Family), Series 1 contains correspondence from various individuals who, although not familiarly related to James Buchanan, may be related through business, extended family relationships, and friends and guests of Wheatland.
Named recipients and authors include Joseph C. Passmore (1843), Virginia Pleasonton (1849), Ann Elizabeth Foster Buchanan (1850), George S. Bryan (1855); H. S. Gara (1855), George Steinman (1857), Morrison Foster (1859), D.G. Eshleman (1860), Hiram B. Swarr (1860), H. M. North (1860), William E. Cooper (1861, 1862, 1864, 1866, 1888), Harry N. Howell (1862), P. S. Dechert (1862, 1864), George W. Birdseye (1863), M. J. Nevin (1877), S. M. L. Barlow (1881), R. J. Brown (1885), William Anderson (1886), Elizabeth C. Hobson (1905), C. H. Robb (1905), Bernard Carter (1905), May S. Kennedy (1905), Mary Speer (1905), and Louisa Anderson Henry.
Subject matter varies greatly from politics to family issues. There is mention of the political figures and climate in Lancaster and Chambersburg, Pennsylvania just prior to and after the start of the Civil War. There are also letters discussing the publication of Stephen Foster's songs, George Ticknor Curtis' biography of James Buchanan, the death of Louisa Anderson Henry, and the status of Harriet Lane Johnston's paintings after her death. The majority of the letters were either from or to Pennsylvania, particularly Lancaster County, with a few from New York and Washington, DC. The letters are arranged in chronological order and range from 1843 through 1905.
Admin/Biographical History
Many of the individuals named throughout this part of the collection are unknown, only their names as they appear on the document and the dates on those documents represent their history. There are a few exceptions.
Simon Cameron was a Pennsylvania senator in 1845 and Lincoln's Secretary of War during the Civil War. Most of his political career was tarnished with corruption scandals and rumors. He was also a staunch opponent of James Buchanan.
George Ticknor Curtis was an attorney and author who wrote a biography of James Buchanan in 1883 entitled "Life of James Buchanan: 15th President of the United States."
Reverend John Grimke Drayton was a highly respected Episcopalian minister from South Carolina, known for advocating on behalf of slaves and creating beautiful gardens on his estate as part of his legacy.
Jonathan Foltz was a Naval doctor and close acquaintance with James Buchanan. Part 7 of this collection contains letters to and from Dr. Foltz.
Virginia Pleasonton was an acquaintance of Harriet Lane Johnston and James Buchanan Henry and there are few letters from her to Mr. Henry in Part 3 of this collection.
Stephen C. Foster was an American songwriter during the 1850's and 1860's, who composed "Camptown Races" and "Oh, Susannah!". His brother was Morrison Foster and his sister, Ann Elizabeth Foster, married Reverend Edward Young Buchanan, James Buchanan's brother, in 1833.
Henry A. Muhlenberg was an attorney who served as both a Congressman and a Senator for Pennsylvania.
1 The Gilder Lehrman Institute. (2015) Mr. Lincoln & Friends: Simon Cameron (1799-1889). Retrieved from http://www.mrlincolnandfriends.org/inside.asp?pageID=84&
2 Syracuse University Libraries. (2008). George Ticknor Curtis Letters. Special Collections Research Center, Retrieved from http://library.syr.edu/digital/guides/c/curtis_gt.htm#adminlink
James Buchanan Papers, Dickinson College Archives & Special Collections http://archives.dickinson.edu/collection-descriptions/james-buchanan-papers
James Buchanan and Harriet Lane Johnston Papers, Library of Congress https://www.loc.gov/collections/james-buchanan-and-harriet-lane-johnston-papers/
James Buchanan Papers, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, http://www2.hsp.org/collections/manuscripts/b/Buchanan0091.html
James Buchanan Papers, Penn State University Libraries, https://libraries.psu.edu/findingaids/1458.htm
George Ticknor Curtis Letters. Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University. http://library.syr.edu/digital/guides/c/curtis_gt.htm
Stephen Collins Foster (1826-1864) Collection; Center for American Music; University of Pittsburgh Library; http://www.pitt.edu/~amerimus/foster.htm
Related Item Notes
James Buchanan Family Papers
James Buchanan Collection, MG0096
Historical Society of Pennsylvania microfilm
Photograph collections
Curatorial collections
Wheatland Mansion
Charles S. Foltz, Surgeon of the Seas: The Adventurous Life of Surgeon General Jonathan M. Foltz In the Days of Wooden Ships, Told from His Notes of the Moment. Indianapolis, IN: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, 1931. Call # 923.5 F671f
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Please use digital images and transcriptions when available.
Original documents may be used by appointment. Please contact archives@lancasterhistory.org at least two weeks prior to visit.
Copyright
Images have been provided for research purposes only.
LancasterHistory retains the rights to the digital images and content presented. The doctrine of fair use allows limited use of copyrighted material without permission from the copyright holder. Fair use includes comment, criticism, teaching, and private scholarship. Any images and data downloaded, printed or photocopied for these purposes should provide a citation. All other uses beyond those allowed by fair use require written permission.
Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory. Some items are photocopies from other collections--researchers must obtain permission for reproduction and publication from the owner of the original material. Persons wishing to publish any material from this site must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright or other use restrictions. Publication fees may apply.
Please contact archives@lancasterhistory.org for a high-resolution image and permission to publish.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Description Level
Series
Custodial History
The James Buchanan Family Papers were collected by the James Buchanan Foundation for the Preservation of Wheatland. This collection was relocated from the Wheatland mansion to the LancasterHistory archives in the Spring of 2009. Digitization of the James Buchanan Family Papers was funded by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, PHMC Appl ID # 201808013051, 2019-2020.
