12 December 1838

Harrison, William Henry, 1773-1841

Autograph letter signed

Title: to John Brown Dillon

Harrison offers his opinion to Dillon, who is publishing a pamphlet on the subject of slavery: "our Union is a Union of Sovereign Independent States &... in every particular where power is not expressly surrendered by that instrument to the General Government it is retained by the States..." Argues that its omission from the Constitution leaves the slavery question up to individual states, not to the federal government. Emphasizes he is writing as a friend, not for publication. Includes a note written in pencil at the top of page one, pertaining to the purchase of this letter and…

GLC02946

9 March 1841

Harrison, William Henry, 1773-1841

Document signed

Title: [Presidential authority to the Secretary of State to affix the seal to the pardon of James P. Smith].

Smith, convicted of larceny, was pardoned under the recommendation of judge and jury due to his youth and good character.

GLC04911

circa 1856

Harrison, William Henry, 1773-1841

Engraving

Title: W.H. Harrison

One print of President William Henry Harrison. Engraved by Edwards from an original painting by Wilhelm Hendrik Franquinet. Incudes an inset of the Battle of Tippicanoe.

GLC08878.1161

February 21, 1839

Harrison, William Henry, 1773-1841

Autograph letter signed

Title: to C. W. Hanson

Writes briefly of their correspondence and paying a bill for "spring wheat" he purchased. Discusses his candidacy for president in the 1840 election. Mentions Henry Clay, who was a candidate for the Whig nomination, and says he was informed there are many states where the votes would be given to him instead of Clay, including Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois and Indiana. The Whigs ended up nominated Harrison over Clay. On the issue of slavery he writes, "...the Louisville Journal declares that if I were the only candidate opposed to VB [Martin Van Buren], I would…

GLC07732.01

25 April 1836

Harrison, William Henry, 1773-1841

Letter signed

Title: to C.S. Knapp

Discusses at length the present state of the government and the unconstitutional and monarchal rule of the current president, Andrew Jackson. Quotes Edward Gibbons' "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire," and George Washington. Expresses his views on democracy, the Constitution, and the principles of government. Ends by accepting the nomination for the presidency from the Anti-Masonic State Committee of Vermont, which Knapp headed.

GLC06614

12 June 1819

Harrison, William Henry, 1773-1841

Manuscript signed

Title: To the Editors of the National Intelligencer

Defends himself against General James Winchester's attack on his character and conduct in the command of the North Western Army in the War of 1812 Ohio campaign. Concerns who was to blame for sending out a detachment of the army beyond the reach of support. The detachment was almost completely destroyed by the British and Indians. Includes a copy of a letter written to Harrison by Samuel G. Hopkins and dated 24 February 1813 that supports his views. With corrections and an autograph endorsement signed by Harrison on pages 11 and 12.

GLC05565

4 November 1827

Harrison, William Henry, 1773-1841

Autograph letter signed

Title: to William Creighton, Jr.

Provides a copy of a statement "which took place in the Senate," discussing allegations of a deal between John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay to win Adams the presidency in 1824, in which an investigation into the matter was refused. Asks that it be published.

GLC05462

10 September 1840

Harrison, William Henry, 1773-1841

Pamphlet

Title: Gen. Harrison's speech at the Dayton convention, September 10, 1840.

Campaign speech for the 1840 election. Includes comments by the publisher about the reaction of the crowds, what was going on and the atmosphere. Harrison denies being a Federalist and assures the crowd of his interest in the people's welfare: "I pledge myself before Heaven and earth, if elected President of these United States, to lay down at the end of the term faithfully that high trust at the feet of the people!" Says that he only differs from Jacksonians in favoring paper money. Does not like the banks, but is in favor of a correct banking system. Published by the Whig Repulican…

GLC00267.181

July 9, 1813

Harrison, William Henry, 1773-1841

Manuscript letter signed

Title: to John Armstrong

Harrison makes an urgent request to the Secretary of War Armstrong for medical supplies to be sent to Cleveland, Ohio. Also asks that all liquor shipments be sent with a "dry-barrel" because "Experience has long since convinced all those in the western Country" that it is the only way to prevent its plunder. Letter written during the Siege of Fort Meigs. Numbered "No. 72."

GLC01193

December 27, 1819

Harrison, William Henry, 1773-1841

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Mathew Carey

Encloses (not present) a joint resolution of the Agricultural & Manufacturing Society indicating the course the Society wishes Congress to follow. Addressed at bottom of second page to Carey as the President of the Society for the Encouragement of Manufactures.

GLC01803

13 August 1793

Harrison, William Henry, 1773-1841

Autograph document signed

Title: [Orders to Commissary "for a Putawalimi chief one quart whisky"]

Harrison signed as Aide de camp while serving under General Anthony Wayne during the Indian Wars of the Old Northwest. Docket identifies the document as number 294.

GLC01624

November 27, 1830

Harrison, William Henry, 1773-1841

Autograph letter signed

Title: to James Heaton

Harrison thanks Heaton for his continued support. He describes at length a "project" by "political friends" and others to denounce him so as to destroy his chances for election to the Senate. States that, "There is no one I believe who knows me that can for a moment entertain the opinion that I would change my political principles for personal advantage." Letter addressed to Heaton in Butler County, Ohio.

GLC01645

1840

Harrison, William Henry, 1773-1841

Book

Title: Life of Major General William Henry Harrison.... [election campaign biography]

Election campaign biography. Bound in green paper boards with glazed cloth spine. Frontispiece and three plates. Printed by Grugg and Elliot. (The only printing cited by Howes.) Howes H246, Miles 133.

GLC08607.01

November 4, 1838

Harrison, William Henry, 1773-1841

Autograph letter signed

Title: to J. F. Cox

William Henry Harrison urges Cox to reconsider his decision not to attend an upcoming convention for he is relying on his influence to " ... counter act certain sinister movements which were apprehended." Discusses his presidential prospects in Ohio for the 1840 election. "I knew enough of the foolish Conduct of some of the leading Whigs to make me believe that they had imbibed very erroneous notions in relation to the Whig strength in the State. But greatly as I lament the result, It has smoothed my way greatly in this State." Mentions that many men have avowed to give up on Henry Clay as a…

GLC00112

January 29, 1813

Harrison, William Henry, 1773-1841

Autograph letter signed

Title: to James Morrison

William Henry Harrison writes to the deputy quartermaster in Franklinton, Ohio regarding matters of money, supplies, and ordnance. Optimistically describes his plans for the upcoming battle of Fort George. Notes that the cold is impeding his writing.

GLC00127

December 19, 1840

Harrison, William Henry, 1773-1841

Autograph letter signed

Title: to J. C. S. Harrison

Written in response to a letter from his grandson, J. C. S. Harrison. President-elect Harrison advises him at Asbury University in Greencastle, Indiana, for success in life. Encloses five dollars. Harrison misspells the name of the university as "Astbury."

GLC00211

October 16, 1822

Harrison, William Henry, 1773-1841

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Joseph Gales, Jr. and William W. Seaton

Letter to the publishers of the "Annals of Congress: Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States" regarding his finances. Says he will pay them as soon as the "account for adjustment" he has before the "2nd & 3rd Auditor" is approved. Notes that he is waiting on a duplicate of a single voucher. Briefly mentions his defeat in the race for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, which he lost because of his pro-slavery stance during the Missouri Compromise debates. Says the issue of slavery led to his defeat. Docketed in pencil. Numbered on front and back "13456." "…

GLC00496.032

August 3, 1829

Harrison, William Henry, 1773-1841

Autograph letter signed

Title: to John Cleves Short

Written after recall by Jackson as U.S. Minister to Colombia. Attacks Andrew Jackson and Simon Bolivar in some detail, and accuses them both of being ruthless men. Worries that Colombia will soon be very unstable, and that with his departure the United States will lack a capable man there during these troubled times. John Quincy Adams appointed Harrison the first Minister to Colombia on May 19, 1828. Harrison did not arrive until February 5, 1829. One month later Jackson replaced Adams as President, and four days into office relieved Harrison of his duties and recalled him to the United…

GLC00632

17 September 1807

Harrison, William Henry, 1773-1841

Manuscript

Title: An Act concerning the introduction of Negroes & Mulattoes into this Territory

One clerical copy of a document entitled, "An Act concerning the introduction of negroes and Mulattoes into this Territory," dated September 17, 1807. Pertains to Black enslaved people over the age of 15, in the Indiana Territory which the government had split into 14 sections. Relays the territories mandates for fees and requirements to enslave Black people in Indiana. Notes that if a person is enslaved under the age of 15, it is lawful for a Black man to remain enslaved until the age of 35 and a Black woman to remain enslaved until the age of 32. Black children born from the aforementioned…

GLC00697

July 9, 1826

Harrison, William Henry, 1773-1841

Autograph letter signed

Title: to B. Tappin

William Henry Harrison asks Tappin to send more lime for use in the construction of an aqueduct for Harrison's distillery.

GLC00655.08

February 17, 1834

Harrison, William Henry, 1773-1841

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Thomas Chilton

A very long letter to Chilton, a Kentucky congressman, in which Harrison recounts his experiences in the wars in the Northwest Territory. Voices his support for Chilton's proposal to extend the pension laws to veterans of the Indian Wars in the northwest, describing those conflicts as a continuation of the American Revolution. Reviews General Anthony Wayne's campaign in Ohio from 1793-1795 (Harrison served as his aide-de-camp). Describes the hardships faced by soldiers, and issues relating to recruitment, pay, and casualties. Recounts, at length, the careers and hardships of two…

GLC05300

1836

Harrison, William Henry, 1773-1841

Signature

Title: [Signature of William Henry Harrison] [Incomplete]

Scrap of paper laminated in plastic signed, W. H. Harrison. Might not be his original signature. Printed along top is Major General William Henry Harrison, and at bottom "by an Act of Congress 1836 by James B. Longacre in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Eastern District at P. . ." Cut off after the P. Originally from the sentiment book of Mary S. Harrison, GLC07732.02.

GLC07732.05

12 July 1837

Harrison, William Henry, 1773-1841

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Silas m. Stilwell

Ours is a "Civil War" for the White House: "The glory to be gained is not from the victory we may achieve but from the use we make of it," warning that "confidence in the weakness of an enemy has produced the most disatrous defeats on record."

GLC08116

04 March 1841

Harrison, William Henry, 1773-1841

Broadside

Title: [National Intelligencer Extra]

Printed presidential inauguration address of William Henry Harrison.

GLC08205

17 September 1807

Harrison, William Henry, 1773-1841

Manuscript document

Title: [Slavery laws of the Indiana Territory]

Approved by Harrison and also signed by Jesse B. Thomas as Speaker of the House and B. Chambers as President of the Council (this is a copy). Title continues: "Laws of the Indiana Territory Comprising those Acts formerly in force and as Revised by Moses John Rice Jones and John Johnson and passed after amendments by the Legislature and the Original Acts passed at the first Session of the Second General Assembly of the said Territory ." Section labeled Chapter LXIV, "An Act Concerning the introduction of Negroes and Mullattoes into the Territory," which permits bringing slaves into…

GLC08939