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At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Smith, Calvin, 1768-1840 to William Smith

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC04601.12 Author/Creator: Smith, Calvin, 1768-1840 Place Written: Natchez, Mississippi Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 23 December 1827 Pagination: 3 p. : address ; Height: 25 cm, Width: 20 cm Order a Copy

Apologizes for not writing sooner but he was suffering from rheumatism in his shoulder. Laments the fact that William's son was left crippled. Reports that he left Philadelphia on the last day of September and arrived in Natchez on 6 November. Tells about his journey. Talks about crops. Updates on his family and gives regards to William's. There is an unsigned, scrawled quotation or poem about the United States on the 4th page.

Smith, Calvin, 1768-1840
Smith, William, 1754-1820

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