Washington State University Libraries: Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections
New Holland Library
Pullman, WA 99164-5610 USA
(509) 335-6691
http://www.wsulibs.wsu.edu/holland/masc/masc.htm

Guide to the Bissett-Witherspoon Collection of Abraham Lincoln Ephemera, 1830-1958


Cage 174





Finding aid prepared by Torchie Corey and Terry Abraham

Finding aid encoded by Mark O'English, 2003
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.


Overview of the Collection
 
Repository Name:
 

Washington State University Libraries: Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections

New Holland Library
Pullman, WA 99164-5610 USA
(509) 335-6691
http://www.wsulibs.wsu.edu/holland/masc/masc.htm
 
Collection Number:
 

Cage 174
 
Title:
 

Bissett-Witherspoon Collection of Abraham Lincoln Ephemera

 
Dates:
 

1830-1958 (inclusive)
 
Quantity:
 

9 containers.
5 linear feet of shelf space.
500 items.
 
Languages:
 

Collection materials are in English 

 
Summary:
 

Manuscripts, holograph and facsimile; magazine articles, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, programs, brochures, illustrations and other material by and about Abraham Lincoln and his times.
 

Historical Note

"The cornerstone of the Lincoln Library of the State College of Washington was laid in 1941 by a gift of two hundred well-selected pieces of Lincolniana, purchased by the members of the Agricultural Extension Service. The decision to develop a collection of material on Lincoln in the library of a land-grant college was most appropriate. Every section of our country should have accessible a depository of records which reveal the personality of Abraham Lincoln, so that each generation may find renewed inspiration and guidance in the study of the life and precepts of statesmanship of one of our greatest presidents. Furthermore, it was Abraham Lincoln who signed the Morrill Act, July, 1862, which created the Land-Grant College System.

The Witherspoon gift in 1941 of the Bissett Collection, one of the ten outstanding collections in the world, assured the State College of Washington of pre-eminence in Lincolniana in the West. The Bissett Collection ranks high in quality of material with regard to both the rareness of some of the books and the beautiful format and excellent condition of these items. Among the nearly 2,000 items are manuscript documents of Lincoln himself, of Andrew Johnson, the vice-president who strove to carry on Lincoln's policies after his assassination; of Carl Sandburg, John Drinkwater, and Edwin Markham; of Edward Everett, Sam Houston; various members of Lincoln's cabinet; General Grant, and Horace Greeley. Among the rare books is The Life, Speeches, and Public Services of Abram Lincoln, together with the Life of Hannibal Hamlin, a volume published during the 1860 presidential campaign to acquaint the electors with the opinions and virtues of the Republican candidates. This was probably the first life of Lincoln ever published. There are likewise five extra-illustrated volumes which contain the original manuscripts of hundreds of letters, telegrams, and other documents." (The Record, October, 1945, 10)

In the thirty years which have passed since the acquisition of the Bissett-Witherspoon Collection of Lincolniana by the Washington State University Library, many changes have taken place in the world, in the college, and in the Lincoln Collection. To provide easier access for student use of the collection, the nearly 2000 monographs have been separately catalogued and shelved, leaving, as residue, approximately five hundred ephemeral materials such as magazine articles, newspaper clippings, pictures, photographs, pamphlets and other material which are described here. The collection has not been stagnant as both monographic and ephemeral materials have been added to it over the years.

Content Description

The ephemeral Lincolniana consists of an original Lincoln manuscript, a small number of other manuscript material relating to Lincoln, his era, or Lincoln collecting; facsimiles of Lincoln materials, magazine articles, newspaper clippings, photographs and illustrations, programs, pamphlets, brochures and other items with a Lincoln theme, and several Lincoln bibliographies.

Other Descriptive Information

Except, of course, for the Lincoln manuscript, much of this material is not considered properly collectable by Lincoln scholars. In the period since this collection was acquired by the Washington State University Library, bibliographic guides have refined the area of Lincoln studies to exclude most of the truly ephemeral Lincoln literature, the material only tangentially related to Lincoln. Some of that class of early twentieth-century Lincoln ephemera remains among this material.

Arrangement

This material has been arranged in chronological order to illustrate the changing focus of Lincoln studies over the years.

Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Access 

This collection is open for research use.

Preferred Citation 

[Item Description]. Cage 174, Guide to the Bissett-Witherspoon Collection of Abraham Lincoln Ephemera. Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.

Subjects

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.

 
Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865
Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865--Miscellanea

Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.


 

Series 1: Manuscripts
 
 
Container(s)
Description
 
box
1		 folder
1
On administration, by Abraham Lincoln, undated
 
 
2
Facsimiles of Lincoln's letters, speeches, notes and other papers, 1905-1950
 
24 items.
 
3
University of Kentucky Library. Lincoln Facsimiles, no. 10 1/2-30. (incomplete), April, 1961-May, 1965
 
10 items.
 
4
Todd, George B. Letter, to brother Harry S. Todd, giving an account of Lincoln's assassination., April 15, 1865
 
 

Portrait of George B. Todd, view of the turret of USS Montauk, and Lincoln's funeral car.
 
 

Memo concerning the George B. Todd Letter and how it was photographed, signed by E. L. Bangs, undated
 
 
5
Typescript addresses, copies of articles, poems and essays, including several prepared or compiled by Charles C. Boland, and a Lincoln Day address by Judge Malcolm Douglas, at Wenatchee, February 12, 1926.
 
19 items.
 
6
Bissett, Clark Prescott. Correspondence, notes and other papers concerning Lincoln collecting. Correspondents include: E. L. Bangs, Carl Sandburg, Henry B. Rankin, and Lord Charnwood, 1909-1930.
 
61 items.
 
7
Witherspoon, Archibald William. Correspondence of A. W. and Eda M. Witherspoon, the State College of Washington (E.O. Holland and C. R. Armstrong) and C. P. Bissett, Jr. concerning the acquisition of the Bissett Collection, 1941-1965.
 
66 items.
 
8
Abraham Lincoln Book Shop. Correspondence between the WSU Library and Ralph Newman, other collectors and dealers, re: the acquisition of Lincoln materials, 1941-1961.
 
102 items.
 

Series 2: Magazine Articles
 
 
Container(s)
Description
 
box
2		 folder
9		 item
1
Mechlin, Leila. "The Proposed Lincoln Memorial." The Century Magazine, undated
 
 
2
Bartlett, Truman H. "The Physiognomy of Lincoln." [n.p.], undated
 
 
3
Piety, C. R. "A Song to the Sangamon." poem clipping, undated
 
4
Johnson, Rem. A. "Ballade of Victory." poem clipping, undated
 
5
Allen, Lyman Whitney. "Lincoln's Pew." poem clipping, undated
 
6
Bangs, John Kendrick. "Lincoln's Birthday." poem clipping, undated
 
7
Lincoln on Negro Suffrage. [n.p.], undated
 
8
Mathison, Minna. "Abraham Lincoln." [poem clipping], undated
 
9
Gard, Wayne. "Carl Sandburg Interprets Young Lincoln." The Literary Digest International Book Review, undated
 
 
10
Moran, Frank E. "Colonel Rose's Tunnel at Libby Prison." [n.p.], undated
 
 
11
Wightman, Richard. "Lincoln 1809-1865." [poem clipping], undated
 
12
Zane, Charles S. "Lincoln As I Knew Him." Sunset, the Pacific Monthly, undated
 
 
13
Oberholtzer, Ellis Paxson. "A Midnight Conference and other passages from the papers of Secretary Salmon P. Chase." [n.p.], undated
 
 
14
Atkinson, Eleanor. "Lincoln's Alma Mater." Harper's Monthly Magazine, undated
 
 
15
"Centenary Tributes." p. 509; Huidekoper, Gen. H. S. "On Guard at White House." pp. 510-512; Montgomery, Benjamin F. "Lincoln's Richmond Visit." pp. 513-514; Dolman, Mahlon T. "With Lincoln Every Night." pp. 514-515; Proctor, Edna Dean. "The Grave of Lincoln." p. 516; Beck, W. H. "As Seen by Soldier Boys." p. 516; Ayers, Daniel W. "From an old Friend." pp. 517-519; Proctor, Edna Dean. "At a Lincoln Reception." p. 519; "Lincoln's Proposal." p. 520; Predigo, W. C. "A Battlefield Cane." p. 521; "Address at Gettysburg." p. 521; Taylor, Tom. "Tom Taylor's Tribute." p. 521; "Tributes to Lincoln." pp. 523-524. The Living Lincoln, [n.p.], undated
 
 
16
Gleason, Arthur H. "Lincoln." [n.p.], undated
 
 
17
Chapin, Katherine Garrison. "Nancy Hanks." [poem clipping], undated
 
 
18
Rutledge, Archibald. "A Southerner Views Lincoln." [n.p.], undated
 
 
19
Quinn, Hon. James H. "Lincoln, the Lawyer." Case and Comment [n.p.], undated
 
 
20
Two Recent Tributes to Lincoln. [McClure's Magazine] [n.p.], undated
 
 
21
Lambert, William H. "A Lincoln Correspondence Twenty-two letters of historical interest here published for the first time." The Century Magazine [n.p.], undated
 
 
22
Hay, John. "A Young Hero: Personal Reminiscences of Colonel E. E. Ellsworth." [n.p.], undated
 
 
23
Phelps, Elizabeth Stuart. "Chapters From a Life.
 
 
24
Crane, James L. "Grant As A Colonel. Conversations between Grant and his Chaplin. - Reminiscences and Anecdotes.
 
 
25
Miss Tarbell's Life of Lincoln. McClure's Magazine, undated
 
 
26
An unpublished letter by Lincoln regarding his defeat by Douglas in 1858: [n.p.], undated
 
 
27
Ayres, Philip W. "Lincoln as a Neighbor." The American Review of Reviews, [n.p.], undated
 
 
28
Bullard, F. Lauriston. "The New England Ancestry of Abraham Lincoln." New England Magazine, [n.p.], undated
 
 
29
Teillard, Dorothy Lamon. "Lincoln in Myth and In Fact." The World's Work, [n.p.], undated
 
 
30
Kaine, John Langdon. "Lincoln as a Boy Knew Him." The Century Magazine, [n.p.], undated
 
 
31
Lincoln's Pledge. His secret promise to cooperate with McClellan to Save the Union if the Latter should be Elected. The Century Magazine, [n.p.], undated
 
 
32
Skinner, Otis. "The Last of John Wilkes Booth: the story of how Edwin Booth, in the dead of night, burned his brother's papers and costumes." The American Magazine, [n.p.], undated
 
 
33
McLean, Mrs. Eugene. "When the States Seceded." Harper's Monthly Magazine, [n.p.], undated
 
 
34
Van Rennselaer, M. G. "Saint-Gaudens's Lincoln." [n.p.], undated
 
 
35
Knapp, George L. "Lincoln." [n.p.], undated
 
 
36
Steell, Willis. "Mrs. Abraham Lincoln and Her Friends." Munsey's Magazine, [n.p.], undated
 
 
37
Woodrow Wilson's Tribute to the Spirit of Abraham Lincoln. [n.p.], undated
 
 
38
Synon, Mary. "The Bounty-Jumper." [n.p.], undated
 
 
39
Perry, James Raymond. "The Poetry of Lincoln." The North American Review. [n.p.], undated
 
 
40
Remensnyder, Junius B. "With Lincoln at Gettysburg." Hearst's Magazine, [n.p.], undated
 
 
41
Wiley, Alma Adams. "The Lincoln Memorial." [poem clipping], undated
 
42
Williams, Jesse Lynch. "The Guerin Decorations for the Lincoln Memorial; How they were done." [n.p.], undated
 
 
43
Berger, W. M. "Making a Great Statue; How French's Lincoln was put into marble." [n.p.], undated
 
 
44
Strunsky, Rose. "Abraham Lincoln's Social Ideals." The Century Magazine, [n.p.], undated
 
 
45
Payne, Frank O."Lincoln in Bronze." Munsey's Magazine, [n.p.], undated
 
 
46
Morgan, Arthur E. "New Light on Lincoln's Boyhood." [n.p.], undated
 
 
47
The Lincoln Farm Association. [n.p.], undated
 
 
48
The Speed Memorial to Abraham Lincoln. [n.p.], undated
 
 
49
Willsie, Honore. "Benefits Forgot." [n.p.], undated
 
 
50
Stanton, Robert Brewster. "Abraham Lincoln: Personal memories of the man." [n.p.], undated
 
 
51
Charles H. Spilman, 33°, Reveals Interesting Lincoln Story. Chicago Scottish Rite Magazine, undated
 
 
52
Lemmon, George T. "The Feminine Element in Lincoln." The DeZineater, undated
 
 
53-54
Nicolay, John G. & John Hay. "Abraham Lincoln: A History." [n.p.], undated
 
 
10 55
Der Sammler, Ein Blatt zur Unterhaltung and Belehrung. v. 34; Augsburger Abendzeitung Beilage. [Contains articles on Lincoln and Booth.], 1865
 
 
56
The Assassination of Mr. Lincoln. The Economist, April 29, 1865
 
 
57
The Earliest Portrait of Lincoln. McCZure's Magazine, 1895
 
 
58
Tarbell, Ida M. ed. "Abraham Lincoln." [thirteen parts] McClure's Magazine, Nov. 1895-Nov. 1896
 
59
Calver, Dr. Thomas. "The Lincoln National Museum." Women's Home Companion, 1902
 
 
60
Roper, R. C. "The Religious Beliefs of Abraham Lincoln." The Open Court, February, 1903
 
 
61
Thompson, Seymour D. "Lincoln and Douglas: The Great Freeport Debate." American Law Review, March-April, 1905
 
 
62
Moores, Charles W. "The Career of a Country Lawyer." [two parts] American Law Review, Nov.-Dec., undated
 
 
63
Montgomery, Harry Earl. "Abraham Lincoln, The Lawyer." American Law Review, undated
 
 
64
Powell, Lyman P. "Washington and Lincoln: A Comparative Study." The American Monthly Review of Reviews, undated
 
 
65
[Abbott, Dr.] "The Agnosticism of Abraham Lincoln." The Outlook, undated
 
 
66
Parker, George F. "The Possible Origin of a Lincoln Phrase." The American Monthly Review of Reviews, undated
 
 
67
Markham, Edwin. "Lincoln, The Man of the People." [poem clipping], undated
 
68
Strunsky, Rose. "Abraham Lincoln's Social Ideals." The Century Magazine, undated
 
 
69
Orr, Lyndon. "The Courtships of Abraham Lincoln." Munsey's Magazine, undated
 
 
70
Tarbell, Ida M. "The Story of Lincoln's Nomination in 1860. Based on the personal reminiscences of the men who were most instrumental in securing the nomination." [n.p.], undated
 
 
71
Tarbell, Ida M. "The Later Life of Lincoln. Embracing unpublished letters and reminiscences, and other new documents and material, relating to Lincoln's personal life during the war." [n.p.], undated
 
 
72
Tarbell, Ida M. "Lincoln's Method of Dealing with Men." [n.p.], undated
 
 
73
Atkinson, Eleanor. "Lincoln's Boyhood: reminiscences of his cousin and play-mate, Dennis Hanks." [n.p.], undated
 
 
74
Tarbell, Ida M. "He Knew Lincoln." The American Magazine, 63 , Feb. 1907
 
 
75
In the Interpreter's House. A Talk about Lincoln. The American Magazine, [n.p.], undated
 
 
76
Tarbell, Ida M. "Father Abraham, Another 'He Knew Lincoln' Story." The American Magazine, 67, Feb. 1909
 
 
77
Lehmann, Frederick W. "Abraham Lincoln." The Mirror, Feb. 1908
 
 
78
Laughlin, Clara E. "Lincoln and Booth: A chronicle of their last days." Hampton's Magazine, , Feb. 1909
 
 
79
Shaw, E. R. "The Assassination of Lincoln: The hitherto unpublished account of an eye-witness." [n.p.], undated
 
 
80
Laughlin, Clara E. "Our American Cousin." [n.p.], undated
 
 
81
Allen, James Sidney. "Abraham Lincoln in 1848." [n.p.], undated
 
 
82
Kaiser, P. H. "Lincoln at Fort Stevens." [n.p.], undated
 
 
83
Williams, George H. "Abraham Lincoln: Reminiscences of the martyr President by one who knew him personally, and who was associated with him in public life." The Pacific Monthly, undated
 
 
84
Chapple, Joe Mitchell. "Affairs at Washington." National Magazine, 29 , Feb. 1909
 
 
85
Gilder, Richard Watson. "Lincoln the Leader." The Century Magazine, 77 , Feb. 1909
 
 
86
Taylor, Hannis. "The Lincoln-Douglas Debates and Their Application to Present Problems." North American Review, 189 , Feb. 1909
 
 
87
Dole, Nathan Haskell. "Banner Memories." The North American Review, 189 , Feb. 1909
 
 
88
Lincoln and Darwin, Emancipators. Appleton's Magazine, 13 , Feb. 1909
 
 
89
Dodge, Grenville M. "What I Saw of Lincoln." Appleton's Magazine, 13 , Feb. 1909
 
 
90
Watterson, Henry. "Abraham Lincoln." Cosmopolitan Magazine, 46 , Mar. 1909
 
 
91
Brownlow, W. P. "Defense and Vindication of Andrew Johnson." The Taylor-Trotwood Magazine, undated
 
 
92
Tarbell, Ida M. "Father Abraham. Another 'He Knew Lincoln' Story." The American Magazine, 67 , Feb. 1909
 
 
93
Gerry, Margarita Spalding. "Lincoln and the Boy Regiment." Hampton's Magazine, 22, May 1909
 
 
94
Creelman, James. "Why we love Lincoln." [n.p.], undated
 
 
95
Grant's Appointment as Lieutenant General. [n.p.], undated
 
 
96
Gerry, Margaria Spalding. "Lincoln and the Boy Regiment." Hampton's Magazine, 22, May 1909
 
 
97
Barnes, John S. "With Lincoln from Washington To Richmond in 1865." Appleton's Magazine, 9, May, 1907
 
 
3 11 98
Ferris, George T. "Lincoln's 'Must'." The Columbian Magazine, 3 , Feb. 1911
 
 
99
Dwyer, James Francis. "The Bust of Lincoln." The February American, 73 , Feb. 1912
 
 
100
Nicolay, Helen. "Characteristic Anecdotes of Lincoln." The Century Magazine, undated
 
 
101
Forgotten Lincoln Caricatures. The Literary Digest, undated
 
 
102
Thayer, William Roscoe, ed. "Lincoln and Some Union Generals from the unpublished diaries of John Hay." Harper's Monthly Magazine, Dec. 1914
 
 
103
Thayer, William Roscoe, ed. "With Lincoln at the White House." Harper's Magazine, 130 , Jan. 1915
 
 
104
Abraham Lincoln in Contemporary Caricature. Record of Current Events, undated
 
 
105
Lee, James Melvin. "Lincoln as Vanity Fair Saw Him." [n.p.], undated
 
 
106
Remensnyder, Junius B. "With Lincoln at Gettysburg." [n.p.], undated
 
 
107
Gilder, Richard Watson. "Lincoln the Leader." The Century Magazine, 77 , Feb. 1909
 
 
108
Lambert, William H. "A Lincoln Correspondence, twenty-two letters of historical interest here published for the first time." The Century Magazine, [n.p.], undated
 
 
109
Milice, Charles. "Abraham Lincoln." The Index, Feb. 13, 1915
 
 
110
National Magazine, 43 , Feb. 1916
 
 
111
Clark, Herma N. "When Local 'Lights' Outshone Lincoln." The Continent, Feb. 3, 1916
 
 
112
I Saw Lincoln One Day When - The Continent, Feb. 3, 1916
 
 
113
H. 0'H. "Lincoln in Life and in Caricature." Pearson's Magazine, April, 1917
 
 
114
Starrett, Vincent. "Lincolniana." Reedy's Mirror, Feb. 8, 1918
 
 
115
Wiley, Franklin B. "Lincoln - The First American." The Ladies' Home Journal, , Feb. 1920
 
 
116
Pence, L. S. "Life Sketches of Rev. Jesse Head, Who Married President Lincoln's Parents." [n.p.], undated
 
 
117
Eggers, George William. "Chicago as an Art Center." Art and Archaeology, 12, Sept.-Oct., 1921
 
 
118
Taft, Lorado. "The Monuments of Chicago." Art and Archaeology, 12, Sept.- Oct. 1921
 
 
119
Lincoln Folder Campaign Begun by H. B. Rankin. Illinois State Journal, Jan. 29, 1922
 
 
120
Stoddard, William 0., Jr. "How Lincoln Came to School No. 300." The Atlantic Monthly, , Feb. 1922
 
 
121
Barton, William E. "Lincoln, the Young Rail-Splitter." Association Men, , Feb. 1922
 
 
122
Abraham Lincoln and the Union Pacific. The Union Pacific Magazine, , Feb. 1922
 
 
123
Oursler, J. M. "A. Lincoln." The Union Pacific Magazine, , Feb. 1922
 
 
124
Hodges, Leigh Mitchell. "The Tail of the Army Calls on Lincoln." The Outlook, Feb. 15, 1922
 
 
125
Remensnyder, Junius B. "Lincoln at Gettysburg." McClure's Magazine, , Mar. 1922
 
 
126
Lockley, Fred. "The Birth of Lincoln as told by the grandson of Nancy Lincoln's Nurse." McClure's Magazine, , Feb. 1923
 
 
127
Lincoln's Mother, how American Historians regard Nancy Hanks. McClure's Magazine, , Feb. 1923
 
 
128
Booth, John Wilkes II. "The Secret of My Life." True Confessions, , Feb. 1923
 
 
129
Rankin, Henry B. "Was Lincoln Capable and Sincere?" Illinois State Journal, Feb. 11, 1923
 
 
130
How Lincoln Heard News of Nomination in Journal Office Told in Magazine. Illinois State Journal, Feb. 26, 1923
 
 
131
Mencken, H. L. "The Style of Lincoln." The Nation, May 16, 1923
 
 
132
Ferguson, William J. "I Saw Lincoln Shot!" The American Magazine, Aug. 1920