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Granville Wilcox Correspondence
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Held at: Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division [Contact Us]
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division. 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
Granville Wilcox (1836-1886) graduated from the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) in 1856. He became a lawyer and later, an Arkansas legislator. In 1859, he married Julia Hubby Hamilton (1839–1905).
The collection consists chiefly of letters sent by Wilcox to members of his family while he was a student at the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University). The letters document the life of a Princeton student in the mid-nineteenth century and provide a contemporary view of the town of Princeton, New Jersey. Fifteen of the letters are addressed to Wilcox's father, Henry Wilcox (1800-1864), his mother, Sarah Pleasant Pettus (1812-1894), and his sister, Rebecca (1838-1909), who lived in Van Buren, Arkansas. In these letters, Wilcox writes about the cost of decorating his room; seeing President Franklin Pierce when he visited the College; friends, college life, classes, examinations, faculty; and about Dr. John Maclean succeeding Dr. James Carnahan as president of the College.
Also included is a letter, dated April 9, 1852, from William Edward Moore (Princeton Class of 1853) to Wilcox's father, who had asked for his views about the College of New Jersey. (One of Moore's selling points is that Princeton is a "Southern College." None of the professors, he claims, "hold free soil principles." "In answer to your inquiries I would say by all means send your son to Princeton.") In addition, there are four letters (1856-1857) by James W. Bryant (Princeton Class of 1856) to Wilcox, posted from Sumterville and Gainesville, Alabama, and several visiting cards.
The letters are arranged chronologically.
Purchased on November 12, 1963. (AM 17660)
For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.
Folder inventory added by Nicholas Williams '2015 in 2012.
Finding aid updated by Faith Charlton in February 2016.
Torn items were repaired by Preservation in 2016.
No appraisal information is available.
Organization
- College of New Jersey (Princeton, N.J.)
- College of New Jersey (Princeton, N.J.). Class of 1856
- Princeton University
Place
Occupation
- Publisher
- Manuscripts Division
- Finding Aid Author
- Faith Charlton
- Finding Aid Date
- 2008
- Access Restrictions
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Collection is open for research use.
- Use Restrictions
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Collection Inventory
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