After my second day scouring folders at the Sydney Howard Gay papers at Columbia University’s Rare Book & Manuscript Library that I had run out of time to search within during my last research trip to New York City about two years ago (I didn’t find any significant sources for my projects in the boxes other than those in which I had already searched, but I needed to do my due diligence to make sure I didn’t miss any), I picked up my rental car at Newark Airport and headed northeast to upstate New York. It was nice to be driving again (I don’t drive in the UK - I never got around to getting my licence) especially because this road trip takes me through such beautiful parts of the country. It’s so lush and green, with rolling hills and well-kept old wood-sided farmhouses accompanied by weathered barns and round-topped silos.

The following morning (Friday) I went first to the Madison County Historical Society in Oneida. Its Mary King Library holds many artefacts related to Gerrit Smith and his family. The immensely wealthy Smith was a passionate abolitionist, reformer, and philanthropist who poured vast amounts of his money, time, and energy to help black Americans obtain freedom from slavery and racial oppression and to expand opportunities for their economic and social well-being. He and James McCune Smith also became good friends and regular correspondents. They frequently supported one another’s efforts on behalf of black Americans. For example, McCune Smith helped administer Smith’s land grant scheme, in which he donated or sold land at very low prices to black New Yorkers, both to help them qualify to vote (the state required that its black citizens own at least $250’s worth of property to be eligible to do so) and to help them become more economically self-sufficient. Smith and McCune Smith also supported one another in their personal lives. For example, McCune Smith regularly provided Smith with medical advice (Smith suffered from some chronic health problems), Smith and his wife (likely) visited McCune Smith and his family when they were in town (McCune Smith doesn’t appear to have been able to take up Smith’s invitations to visit him in Peterboro, mostly because McCune Smith’s medical practice made it difficult for him to leave New York City), and they provided mutual advice and constructive criticism on many issues.

I was initially guided to the Madison County Historical Society by one of McCune Smith’s letters to Smith and one of John Stauffer’s citations in his writings on McCune Smith. In his letter to Smith from 17 February 1865, McCune Smith wrote: ‘Enclosed please find photographs of dear wife and self.’ And in his book The Black Hearts of Men (p. 65) Stauffer cited a carte de visite (small photograph for distribution) of McCune Smith in a photo album at the MCHS. Several years ago, the MCHS kindly tracked down the photo for me in the album and, sure enough, the photo of Malvina was there as well; they scanned both and sent them to me, for a very reasonable fee. Though I hoped against hope to find other artefacts directly associated with McCune Smith’s life here, neither myself nor the very helpful lady at the MCHS did this time. But there are still lots of unprocessed materials there that the MCHS are still going through and cataloguing - always a slow process, and at the moment they’re operating with very few staff - and, perhaps over time, things will turn up.

Next, I went to the Burke Library at Hamilton College in Clinton, Smith’s alma mater (class of 1818). They have lots of papers and other sources related to Smith, especially his ongoing efforts and donations on behalf of the college. The College boasts an incredibly lovely campus, with handsome and elegant buildings in a beautiful setting, just what one might picture if seeking an aesthetically ideal college experience. The archivists and librarians there were extremely hospitable and helpful.

Though I found several helpful sources tangentially related to McCune Smith - which will come in handy in my annotations for the McCune Smith collected works project and perhaps in the notes for the biography - the most directly useful was a complete list of deeds for Smith’s land transfers in Essex, Franklin, and Hamilton counties. Clipped to the front of the first page was a note (above) describing McCune Smith’s role in administering Smith’s land grant scheme. The unnamed clergymen were Charles Bennett Ray and Theodore S. Wright, both good friends of McCune Smith’s. McCune Smith attended Wright in his final illness and was there when he died.) And as I wrote in the biography manuscript, McCune Smith and Ray both hoped to eventually settle in the Gerrit Smith lands, at North Elba, at the foot of the Adirondacks. But they never did: neither was able to see how they could adequately support their families in that small, cash-strapped community.

The following morning - a dreary, grey, rainy day - I organized my research from the day before and began writing this post. In the afternoon, I went to Peterboro to meet Norman Dann and Dorothy Willsey (Dot), who manage the Gerrit Smith Estate National Historic Landmark there. Dann has also written a biography of Gerrit Smith - among his many other books - and Dot helps run the MCHS, among her many other projects pertaining to local, abolitionist, and reformist history.

It’s a sweet pretty little hamlet and the Estate is lovely too, but due to the ongoing chilly rain, we didn’t tour it. (I took no photos either, sorry! But there are some on the Estate’s website.) Instead, we enjoyed extended discussions of Smith and McCune Smith and their world. Dann gifted me the newest edition of Practical Dreamer (I linked to the original version available online, but I recommend picking up the new one instead), Dot took me on a private tour of the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Abolition, and both insisted on taking me to dinner. Go visit - you’ll get a warm welcome and enjoy learning from deeply knowledgeable hosts. I look forward to making it back myself.

Now it’s time to get ready for my second day of research in the next archive. To be continued…