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Samuel J. Gummere manuscripts
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Held at: Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections [Contact Us]370 Lancaster Ave, Haverford, PA 19041
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
Samuel James Gummere, (April 28, 1811 - October 23, 1874) was born to John and Elizabeth Buzby Gummere in Rancocas, New Jersey. His father opened a boarding school in Burlington, New Jersey, where Samuel assisted. He later organized the classical department in the Friends' School in Providence, Rhode Island. In 1834, his father became the superintendent of Haverford School, and Samuel became an assistant teacher there. Samuel married Abigail Griscom in 1835, and in 1840, she died. In 1843, the Gummeres reopened the boarding school in Burlington, New Jersey, which had had financial difficulties. In 1845, Samuel married Elizabeth Hooton Barton. In 1862, he returned to teach at Haverford College (previously Haverford School), then became president of the College in 1863, a position he held until his death in 1874. He had three children: Caroline E. Gummere, John Gummere, and Francis Barton Gummere.
This collection is comprised of two volumes of Samuel J. Gummere's manuscripts about his time traveling through Iowa's prairies, and includes both poetry and prose.
Unknown.
Processed by Kara Flynn; completed September, 2015.
- Publisher
- Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections
- Finding Aid Author
- Kara Flynn
- Finding Aid Date
- September, 2015
- Access Restrictions
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The collection is open for research use.
- Use Restrictions
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Standard Federal Copyright Laws Apply (U.S. Title 17).
Collection Inventory
Memoir of his trip across the prairies, entitled, "The Prairie," which focuses on personal reflection, descriptions of scenery, a description of the sale of the horses and carriage to buy land, and reflections on the plight of the North American.
This volume is entitled "The Prairie, or, Iowa Seen from an Open Wagon in the Spring and Summer of 1857" and includes a mix of poetry and prose describing travel across the Iowa prairies, spectators, and settlers.