Oregon Trail notebooks, 1852–1853. Luzern Humphrey,

Luzern Humphrey Nez Perce listOhio farmer Luzern Humphrey recorded his overland journey from Kanesville, Iowa, to the Oregon Territory, as part of his efforts to create a travel guide. Shown here are his descriptions of Fort Laramie and the rocky scenery of the Nebraska Territory, as well as a list of English words and their counterparts in the language of the Nez Perce Indians. Gift of Philip Ashton Rollins, Class of 1889. Luzern Humphrey Papers, Manuscripts Division.

New Jersey land deed, 1674.

Indian land deedThis deed is one of the first recorded land transfers in the New Jersey colony. In return for “sundry species of Tradeing goods,” it grants the land now known as Tinton Falls, New Jersey, “called by the Indians Warumnonung and by the English, The Falls,” to John Bowne, Richard Hartshorne, and James Grover of Middletown. The deed bears the marks and seals of Matappeas, Taptawappamund, and Sepequena, sachems of Toponemese (“inland inhabitants”) of the Lenape Indians. Gift of Harry Irvin Caesar, Class of 1913. General Manuscripts Miscellaneous Collection, Manuscripts Division.

James Madison Indian peace medal, 1809. John Reich (1768–1833),

Ex_4523_Madison_Peace_Medal001

Medals such as these were distributed to Native American leaders to mark the conclusion of a treaty or other important occasions. This silver medal, issued during the presidency of James Madison (1751–1836), was given in 1809 to Keokuk (ca. 1780–1848), chief of the Sauk tribe, and has been pierced for wearing. Gift of Mrs. Archibald A. McLeod, Sr., in memory of her son, Archibald A. McLeod, Jr., Class of 1906. Numismatics Collection.

FOR FURTHER EXPLORATION: Read more about this item in a previous exhibition, “Capping Liberty: The Invention of Numismatic Iconography for the New American Republic.”

Lexicon (Basel, 1645). Johann Buxtorf (1564–1629),

Buxtorf Ed_2291.231.11The binding of this book is made of otterskin, with decorations characteristic of Eastern Woodland Indians. It covers a Hebrew and Chaldean (i.e., Aramaic) dictionary owned by David Brainerd (1718–1747). Brainerd became a missionary after he was expelled from Yale University for making controversial religious statements. He preached for four years among Native Americans in New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey before dying in the home of Jonathan Edwards (1703–1758), third president of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University). Gift of Mrs. William F. H. Edwards. Edwards Collection, Rare Book Division.

FOR FURTHER EXPLORATION: See this item’s catalog record, with a larger image of the book. Read more about this item on the Rare Book Division’s blog.

A New Map of the North Parts of America Claimed by France (London, 1720). Herman Moll (1654–1732),

Moll France HMC01_1081-1The English cartographer Herman Moll produced this map to support British claims to American territories. A message below the map’s title emphasizes the importance of maintaining alliances with neighboring Iroquois and Cherokee Indians to protect Britain’s territories against appropriation by French settlers. Gift of the estate of Noel Bleecker Fox, Class of 1899. Historic Maps Collection.

FOR FURTHER EXPLORATION: See this item’s catalog record, with a larger image of the map.

A New and Exact Map of the Dominions of the King of Great Britain (London, 1726). Herman Moll (1654-1732),

Moll New and Exact Map HMC01_1085-1This famous map is known as the “Beaver Map” for the inset reference to American industriousness and the lucrative fur trade. The map also documents Great Britain’s ongoing dispute with France over the boundaries of their American colonies. Historic Maps Collection.

FOR FURTHER EXPLORATION: See this item’s catalog record, with a larger image of the map.

Petition to the General Court of Massachusetts, May 14, 1676. Peter Freeman,

Freeman C0077_Bx2_F72_rectoIn 1676, an Indian named Peter Freeman asked the General Court of Massachusetts for his wife’s freedom “by reason of services rendered the English and as promised by Gov. [Josiah] Winslow.” Near the end of King Philip’s War, there was confusion about which Native Americans were English allies, which had surrendered, and which were still enemies, and many were mistakenly imprisoned or punished. Gift of Gladys Straus. Straus Autograph Collection, Manuscripts Division.

FOR FURTHER EXPLORATION: See the finding aid for this item.

Captivity diary, 1758. Thomas Gist (d. 1786),

Gist C0199_no376_pp52_53The son of Ohio Valley explorer and Indian agent Christopher Gist (1706–1759), Thomas was captured in 1758 during the French and Indian War by Wyandot (Huron) Indians near Fort Duquesne (Pittsburgh). Taken with other prisoners to the Huron town opposite Fort Pontchartrain (Detroit), Gist was adopted by a Wyandot family and well treated. He escaped after a year of captivity. This account may have been written by a family member after Gist’s return. Gift of P. Blair Lee and E. Brooke Lee. General Manuscripts Bound, no. 376, Manuscripts Division.

FOR FURTHER EXPLORATION: See this item’s catalog record.

The Generall Historie of Virginia, New-England, and the Summer Isles (London, 1624). John Smith (1580–1631),

John Smith map ExKa_Americana_1624q_map_following_p40The soldier and adventurer Captain John Smith became president of the Jamestown Colony’s governing council in 1608. He led the colony through its first year by improving defenses, cultivating land, and maintaining relations with Native Americans, whose agricultural knowledge and food stores were vital to the colonists’ survival. Between 1623 and 1624, during a period of weakening trust in the Virginia Company, Smith rushed to publish this major work supporting the Jamestown settlement. This copy bears the arms of King James I of England (r. 1603–1625). Rare Book Division.

FOR FURTHER EXPLORATION: See this item’s catalog record.

Photographs of North American Indians, 1847–1865.

North American Indians WC054_Box 4_Album_1_leaf_71These photographs of Algonquian and Dakota Indians belong to one of two albums containing more than 1,000 mounted albumen prints, including portraits of delegates to Washington, D.C., expedition photographs, and early Western studio portraits. The numbers in the corner of each photograph may be in the hand of renowned photographer William Henry Jackson (1843–1942).

Clockwise from upper left: Op-Po-Noos (1847, photograph by Thomas M. Easterly); Cut Nose (ca. 1862, photograph by Joel E. Whitney); unidentified Dakota man (ca. 1858, photograph by James McClees Studio); Medicine Bottle (1865, photograph by Joel E. Whitney); Bum-Be-Sun (1847, photograph by Thomas M. Easterly); Ma-Za-Ka-Te-Mani (1858, photograph by James McClees Studio). Western American Photographs Collection, Manuscripts Division.

FOR FURTHER EXPLORATION: See larger images of this item.

“The First Decade Conteyning the Historie of Travell into Virginia Britania,” 1612. William Strachey (1572–1621),

Strachey_Secota_at_Roanoke croppedThe first permanent English settlement in North America was Jamestown, Virginia, founded in 1607. William Strachey sailed to Jamestown in 1609 and became the Virginia Company’s secretary to the colony. This manuscript is a contemporary scribal copy of Strachey’s eyewitness account of the colony, with his handwritten corrections and signature. It was extra-illustrated with 27 hand-colored engravings made in 1590 by Theodor de Bry (1528–1598). Depicted here is the Algonquian village Secotan. The continent’s Native American population may have numbered in the tens of millions before European settlement. In 1612, Strachey presented the manuscript to Henry Percy (1564–1632), 9th earl of Northumberland, known as the “Wizard Earl” for his interest in science. Gift of Cyrus H. McCormick, Class of 1879. General Manuscripts Bound, no. 1416, Manuscripts Division.

FOR FURTHER EXPLORATION: See this item’s catalog record.