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Jonathan Humphrey Bissell papers

 Collection
Call Number: MS 1442

Scope and Contents

The papers consist primarily of Jonathan Humphrey Bissell's letters to his family in Hartford, written while he was a student at Yale. There are forty-five letters in all; thirty-eight were written to his brother, Titus L. Bissell, Jr. In the letters, Bissell describes his college activities, mentions schoolbooks and pictures that he has purchased for his younger brothers, requests that particular items of clothing be mended or sent from home, and details his academic expenses, since he relied on monetary support from his father and brother. There is also a single letter that Bissell wrote in 1821 from Hartford to his brother Titus, then in New York City.

Dates

  • 1815-1821

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

The materials are open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator(s) of this collection are in the public domain. There are no restrictions on use. Copyright status for other collection materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The papers were a gift to the Yale Library.

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically.

Extent

0.25 Linear Feet (1 box)

Language of Materials

English

Catalog Record

A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog

Persistent URL

https://hdl.handle.net/10079/fa/mssa.ms.1442

Abstract

The papers consist primarily of Jonathan Humphrey Bissell's letters to his family in Hartford, written while he was a student at Yale. There are forty-five letters in all; thirty-eight were written to his brother, Titus L. Bissell, Jr. In the letters, Bissell describes his college activities, mentions schoolbooks and pictures that he has purchased for his younger brothers, requests that particular items of clothing be mended or sent from home, and details his academic expenses, since he relied on monetary support from his father and brother. There is also a single letter that Bissell wrote in 1821 from Hartford to his brother Titus, then in New York City.

Biographical / Historical

Jonathan Humphrey Bissell, son of Titus Lucretius Bissell, Sr., and Eunice (Humphrey) Bissell, was born on June 9, 1800, in Windsor, Connecticut. The family moved to Hartford, Connecticut, during Bissell's youth. He entered Yale College in 1815, received his B.A. in 1819, and returned to Hartford to study law. After beginning his law practice in New Orleans, Louisiana, he moved to Charleston, South Carolina in 1824. Around 1830 he gave up his legal career to become manager and agent for a North Carolina gold-mining company. Bissell never married; he died of pneumonia on March 18, 1845, in Philadelphia, while traveling to New York City on business.

Title
Guide to the Jonathan Humphrey Bissell Papers
Status
Under Revision
Author
compiled by Catherine Lawrence
Date
January 1996
Description rules
Finding Aid Created In Accordance With Manuscripts And Archives Processing Manual
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English.

Part of the Manuscripts and Archives Repository

Contact:
Yale University Library
P.O. Box 208240
New Haven CT 06520-8240 US
(203) 432-1735
(203) 432-7441 (Fax)

Location

Sterling Memorial Library
Room 147
120 High Street
New Haven, CT 06511

Opening Hours