Collection pertains to both the Howe and Richards families. Includes mostly letters to them from friends and colleagues, and a few other items.

Correspondence, journals, compositions and other papers of Samuel Gridley Howe and Julia Ward Howe, and materials relating to other Howe family members.

First part of the collection consists of letters written to Maud Howe Elliott by various correspondents, discussing daily life, literature discussions, and the literary works of the Howe family. Several letters from William Henry Hurlbut written while he was in Europe discuss the details of his life there and the welfare of mutual acquaintances. The second part of the collection consists of an 1863 diary of Julia Ward Howe, recording her expenditures and daily activities, a folder of contemporary translations of the Battle Hymn of the Republic, and a composition by Julia Ward Howe about the Massachusetts governor.

Winner of the Barondess/Lincoln Award from The Civil War Round Table of New York “Fascinating reading. . .this book eerily reflects some of today’s key issues.” – The New York Times Book Review From an award-winning historian, an engrossing look at how Abraham Lincoln grappled with the challenges of leadership in an unruly democracy An awkward first meeting with U.S. Army officers, on the eve of the Civil War. A conversation on the White House portico with a young cavalry sergeant who was a fiercely dedicated abolitionist. A tense exchange on a navy ship with a Confederate editor and businessman. In this eye-opening book, Elizabeth Brown Pryor examines six intriguing, mostly unknown encounters that Abraham Lincoln had with his constituents. Taken together, they reveal his character and opinions in unexpected ways, illustrating his difficulties in managing a republic and creating a presidency. Pryor probes both the political demons that Lincoln battled in his ambitious exercise of power and the demons that arose from the very nature of democracy itself: the clamorous diversity of the populace, with its outspoken demands. She explores the trouble Lincoln sometimes had in communicating and in juggling the multiple concerns that make up being a political leader; how conflicted he was over the problem of emancipation; and the misperceptions Lincoln and the South held about each other. Pryor also provides a fascinating discussion of Lincoln’s fondness for storytelling and how he used his skills as a raconteur to enhance both his personal and political power. Based on scrupulous research that draws on hundreds of eyewitness letters, diaries, and newspaper excerpts, Six Encounters with Lincoln offers a fresh portrait of Lincoln as the beleaguered politician who was not especially popular with the people he needed to govern with, and who had to deal with the many critics, naysayers, and dilemmas he faced without always knowing the right answer. What it shows most clearly is that greatness was not simply laid on Lincoln’s shoulders like a mantle, but was won in fits and starts.

Correspondence, journals, compositions and other papers of Samuel Gridley Howe and Julia Ward Howe and materials relating to other Howe family members.

Collection documents all three families and Gardiner, Maine. Includes correspondence, compositions, photograph, and notebooks of verse.

Contains genealogy book of the Howe family, including birth and death information, employment history, and stories told by family members. Collection also includes poetry and essays by Howe. Letter book includes letters by Howe concerning "Howe's Poems and Essays" to the books printer discussing design and cost. Howe also wrote to many booksellers, and tried to convince them to sell copies. Some of these booksellers cheated him out of money, and the letters also document the failure of the published work.