Collections

This collection consists of 106 volumes, dating from c. 1550 to 1770 (with one volume containing items from as late as 1848). Five numbers in the sequence (10, 23, 59, 69, and 77) are missing, and two additional numbers (50a and 98a) have been added. Seven numbers are multi-volume sets. The collection totals 119 volumes in all. Most of the volumes are collections of short manuscripts and printed documents pertaining to a variety of topics. Over 2,000 items are present, about 1,550 in manuscript and roughly 500 in print. All of the documents are on paper and are bound in contemporary vellum. While most of the manuscript documents are written in an italic cursive, a few examples of broad humanist script are present in the collection. A fair number of engravings, woodcuts, ink drawings, and watercolors supplement the text documents.

The Luis Alberto Guajardo Collection of Músquiz, Mexico Records contains administrative records from the town of Músquiz, Coahuila, Mexico. The records were collected by Luis Alberto Guajardo, a general in the Mexican Army. Guajardo's military travels allowed him to visit local record offices in Coahuila to research the history of the region, collect documents, and make copies of original documents. This research led to the formulation of Guajardo's Apuntes Datos y Noticias Para la Historia de Coahuila, a history of the Coahuila region. Much of the material contained in this collection appears to have been used in the creation of the Apuntes Datos y Noticias.

The Bernhard Knollenberg Collection comprises original and copied manuscripts of American historical interest which were collected by the former Yale University Librarian in connection with his historical studies and presented to the Yale University Library in 31 accessions since 1939. Covering the entire span of American history, the collection is of major importance for the Colonial, Early National and Ante-Bellum Periods and is frequently consulted by the leading scholars of these periods. The typed and photostatic copies of manuscripts were obtained from many libraries and historical societies and from private collections.

The records consist of material relating to the study of the Lee plantation conducted by the Mabel Brady Garvan Institute of American Arts and Crafts at Yale. Included are the Stratford survey report, financial records, background materials, correspondence, and subject and administrative files.

The Puebla Archives consist of legal manuscripts relating to the church and state affairs of the Mexican state of Puebla covering the years 1567-1904. The state capital, also called Puebla, is one of the oldest and most picturesque cities of Mexico. In 1537, the Jesuits founded the College of the Holy Ghost, which is now a university. Puebla is known as a city of churches and has an outstanding ancient cathedral constructed between 1552 and 1649. A theater, built in 1790, is claimed to be the oldest on the continent. The state of Puebla is largely mountainous (average altitude 7000 feet) and occupies part of the central portion of the Mexican plateau. Across the center extends the volcanic belt, which includes on Puebla's border three of the highest peaks in Mexico: Pico de Orizaba, Popocatepetl, and Ixtachihuatl. Primarily an agricultural area, there is some mining of gold, silver, and copper. The state contains many archaeological sites of pre-Columbian and pre-Aztec origin; the most famous is the Pyramid of Cholula.

The collection consists of a variety of documents from Jewish communities in Italy, mainly in the northern regions of Piedmont, Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy and Veneto. The documents include records of Jewish communal organizations, correspondence of rabbis and community leaders, legal decisions, and liturgy. There are also official notices and rulings from various Italian authorities pertaining to the Jewish community. A portion of the documents in this collection relate to the emancipation of the Jews of Italy following Napoleon's conquest. Most of the documents are entirely hand-written, but some are printed or written on printed forms or letter-heads.

The Pamphlet Collection contains a wide range of printed material which documents the cultural, economic, political, and social history of many nations and geographic regions. The vast majority of items are twentieth century publications. Earlier publications (pre-1900) for Latin American (and South American) nations are available in the Latin American Pamphlet Collection (MS 1350).

The following finding aid is a complete inventory of the contents of Osborn fb177. This list was reformatted from previously existing cataloging.

The collection contains letters to Ulysse Rouchon; documents and manuscripts related to the Department Haute-Loire in France, its capital Puy, and the natives of this region; miscellaneous pamphlets related to the same Department and consisting of decrees, public announcements, circular letters, pastoral letters, proclamations, petitions, court appeals, patriotic songs, and materials concerning the princes and counts of Polignac, other local aristocracy and gentry, clergy, industry, commerce, tariffs, roads, military conscriptions, and religious and public festivals. Also included are miscellaneous printed materials and notes referring to the same region, and arranged according to their respective subjects of anthropology, fine arts, folklore, linguistics, literature, philosophy, religion, and traditions.

The Pruden family papers are composed of three diverse parts. The first consists of fourteen letters written to Joseph S. Pruden during the years 1865-1866. The letters deal with financial problems and debts owed to Pruden by D. B. Thompson of Columbus, Georgia. Some personal and family news is included in Thompson's letters.