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John Mitchell journal
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Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]3420 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6206
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts. 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
This journal documents John Mitchell's intimate thoughts on death, depression, and vaccination. He recounts the deaths of close family members, including his brother (p.34) and his infant son (p. 25); references general debility; his health; chronicles his inner struggles and wavering convictions concerning his faith. His journal opens with a section titled: answers to Barrow's questions on the New testament. The journal entries begin on May 15th, 1818 (p. 6), and end on September 26, 1834 (p. 26). Mitchell conveys his distrust of vaccinations in his entry on October 17, 1829: "my son Wm. Henry Mitchell of Convulsions, he had been inoculated for the Cow Pocks...he was never perfectly well after this, and it is supposed the Inoculation operated, but too powerfully on his Constitution" (p. 25).
This journal documents John Mitchell's intimate thoughts on death, depression, and vaccination. Pages 27-96 are blank. Original foliation noted in upper right corner; journal is slightly browned, original half calf, worn, with gilt spine.
Sold by Dean Cooke Rare Books (Bristol, England), 2022.
Samantha Dodd processed, wrote and encoding the finding aid, 2023. Acquired for Penn Libraries with the assistance from the Julia B. Leisenring Book Fund.
- Publisher
- University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts
- Finding Aid Author
- Samantha Dodd
- Finding Aid Date
- 2023 June 27
- Access Restrictions
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This collection is open for research use.
- Use Restrictions
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Copyright restrictions may exist. For most library holdings, the Trustees of the Unversity of Pennsylvania do not hold copyright. It is the responsibility of the requester to seek permission from the holder of the copyright to reproduce material from the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts.