Dorsey correspondence, 1856 February 16-1918 May 1

The Donaldson papers consists of four series: Donaldson papers, Hammond papers, Dorsey papers, and Miscellaneous. The first series is further arranged into subseries according to the individual about whom the records relate. Folders within each subseries are arranged according to date, followed by undated materials.

Series I, Donaldson family, contains materials related to the family of John Johnston Donaldson and his wife, Caroline Dorsey Donaldson. Subseries A, John Johnston Donaldson, consists entirely of correspondence. The earliest letters, dated 1811-1812, are addressed to a Miss Sophia Rogers. Donaldson writes to his "dear friend" frequently, often describing his feelings for "C", for whom he harbors strong feelings. On February 12, 1812, he writes, "From the first moment I loved her, but I knew to conceal a passion that my youth and situation in life forbade me to indulge. But I saw her too often not to feel that her idea mingled in every thought and guided my every action." His letters continue throughout his courtship of Caroline, and a few years into their marriage. On August 18, 1813, he announces the birth of his first child, a daughter named Elizabeth. "Who she resembles," he writes, "the little gypsy has not yet disclosed. "

Also included in John J. Donaldson's outgoing correspondence are various letters to his son, Thomas Donaldson, who was first away at school and then working in Cumberland, Maryland, as a civil engineer. His letters contain updates on family members and their health, and community news. In a letter dated November 23, 1839, Donaldson writes, "our religious public has been much excited by a Baptist preacher named Grapp. From all accounts, he is a common, vulgar, undeducated man- takes off his coat in the pulpit." In a further (undated) letter to his children, Donaldson writes a lengthly description of the character of his wife and their mother, who died when the children were young. "I propose to give you a sketch of the life and history of that attachment between her and myself, which commenced early in life and continued unabated until the will of Heaven dissolved it." It is possible that this was a short draft of a longer description, as there is little more than one page included.

The remainder of Subseries A contains four folders of letters from John J. Donaldson to his daughter, Elizabeth Donaldson, circa 1823-1864. The father and daughter shared a prolific correspondence, and John often shares with Elizabeth detailed descriptions of his comings and goings when they are apart. On a visit to White Sulphur Springs on July 30, 1834, John Donaldson writes, "Everything here is sulphur. We eat sulphur, drink sulphur, bathe in sulphur, and the atmostphere is nothing but sulphur. As we are all saturated with the same materials, no one has a right to complain of his neighbor, but all much fear too near an apparoach to a flame. It is well that we visit the bathing springs before we return or you would not be able to endure the smell."

Series I, Subseries B, contains papers relating to Caroline Dorsey Donaldson, the wife of John J. Donaldson. Two folders in this subseries contain correspondence from Caroline Dorsey (before her marriage) to a Mary Ann Murray, circa 1810-1812. Caroline frequently comments on a "friend" they have in common, and it is often clear that Mary Ann acts as the "middle man" between the two. Caroline later refers to the "friend" as "Mr. D", and on the eve of her marriage, it becomes clear that "Mr. D" is in fact John J. Donaldson. Thus, Caroline's letters to Mary Ann reveal a long and sometimes tumultuous courtship with her future husband. On July 1, 1811, she writes, "And now my dear Mary Ann I must earnestly entreat you to explain to me all you mean, all you apprehend, when you accuse me of trifling with him- it implies clearly to me that you think I am in great danger of losing whatever influence I may have had over his heart...Because I am not willing to sacrifice all my prospects of future happiness for the pleasure of an occasional interview, you accuse me of not knowing his worth. At this period of our friendship, does it remain for me to tell you all I have felt, all I have suffered, from having been too well acquainted with his merit?"

The two remaining folders in Series I, Subseries B, consists of a book of poems and the estate papers of Caroline Dorsey Donaldson. The estate papers contain two deeds from her lifetime, dated 1815-1818, granting her land in Baltimore County. Further papers, dated after Mrs. Donaldson's death, consist of correspondence, receipts, and legal documents pertaining to the adminstration of her estate.

Series I, Subseries C, contains papers relating to Elizabeth Donaldson, the eldest child and only daughter of John J. Donaldson and Caroline Dorsey Donaldson. The three folders in this subseries consist of Elizabeth's incoming and outgoing correspondence, and her last will and testament. Most of her outgoing letters are addressed to her brother, Thomas Donaldson. At least six of these letters are dated circa 1830-1831, while Thomas was at Harvard, and Elizabeth often laments that the whole family cannot be together. In her 1889 will, Elizabeth divides her assets between her nieces and nephews, the children of her brothers. The will was verified by the city on January 21, 1891 stating Elizabeth's death, meaning she likely passed sometime in late 1890 or January 1891.

Series I, Subseries D, contains papers relating to Thomas Donaldson, eldest son of John J. Donaldson and Caroline Dorsey Donaldson. The first folder in this subseries, outgoing correspondence, contains early letters from Thomas Donaldson to his father and sister. While at Cambridge, Thomas writes rich descriptions of his circumstances, particularly in a letter of September 1833 to his sister Elizabeth, after returning to Cambridge for a new year. He writes, "Tho' recommencing study after seven weeks of frolicking and idleness seems rather dry, yet I feel glad to return to it- I had grown tired of having no regular duty and nothing to occupy my time but amusement. However, it seemed rather odd, almost unnatural to be sitting down and pouring over Locke on the Human Understanding- philosophy and metaphysics following so hard upon the conversation and smiles of our Baltimore belles- the continual thoughts of whom it was no easy matter to dismiss from my mind."

While Thomas Donaldson's outgoing correspondence is almost entirely of a personal nature, the incoming correspondence contains a mix of both personal and business matters. Much of the incoming correspondence is undated, and penned by a cousin named Elizabeth "Lizzie" Pickering Nichols (1829-1912). Lizzie was his wife's first cousin, though she and Thomas developed their own affectionate relationship. She writes affectionately to Thomas, and sends frequent news of friends, family, and thoughts of the current war (circa 1861-1864). In an undated letter of "Monday evening," she writes, "Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah! Do you think McClellan will catch them? I wish I could talk by telegraph with you and find out what you are saying about it. McClellan's own dispatches must mean a victory- and he does not promise anything, nor say again he will push them to the wall. If they did come to Maryland and Pennsylvania for anything except a foraging expedition they must be gratified with the result. Their reception in Maryland must be rather a severe disappointment. Maryland is safe forever now I should think..."

The remainder of Thomas Donaldson's papers consist of his own writings and speech notes, an inventory of his personal property after his death, and a sketch of his life by George W. Brown. Two bundles of papers filed in the folder of speech notes contain pages of handwritten notes for speeches planned for the 1850 Maryland Convention. It is evident that Donaldson's familiarity with the law plays a large part in his opinions, although he does not shy away from questioning written laws.

Series I, Subseries E, contains papers relating to John J. Donaldson, brother of Thomas Donaldson. The subseries contains one folder of outgoing correspondence, three letters addressed to his father and sister, Elizabeth. In a letter from White Sulphur Springs in July 1840, John reveals a recent illness but states that he is "in great hopes of recovery."

Series I, Subseries F, contains correspondence by and to John J. Donaldson, son of Thomas Donaldson and Mary Elizabeth Pickering Dorsey. The only letter in the folder written by John Donaldson is undated, but likely dates around the mid-1860s. Addressed to his sister Elizabeth, John admonishes her for her poor spelling, and tells her that their mother doesn't look well, as "she looks badly and creeps about the house." The incoming correspondence mostly concerns business, although there are a few undated letters concerning Dorsey family genealogy.

Series I, Subseries G, contains a single photograph of Samuel C. Donaldson, son of Thomas Donaldson and Mary Elizabeth Pickering Dorsey. Although undated, the photograph (taken by the Perkins studio at 311 E. Baltimore St.) depicts an older gentleman with a white beard and receding hairline.

Series I, Subseries H, contains papers relating to Samuel Johnston Donaldson, brother of the first John J. Donaldson. This subseries contains Samuel J. Donaldson's letters to Judge Ezekiel F. Chambers, Judge of the Circuit Court of the Second Judicial District and later, member of the Court of Appeals at Annapolis. Both Donaldson and Judge Chambers were members of the Episcopal Church, and their correspondence, which extends from 1838 to 1859, reveals their deep interest in church matters. The remainder of the materials in this series concern matters related to Samuel J. Donaldson's estate.

Series I, Subseries I, contains papers related to the business interests of the Donaldson family, primarily Thomas Donaldson and his son, John J. Donaldson. Several folders in this subseries concern the Pennsylvania, Wilmington, and Baltimore Railroad, of which Thomas Donaldson served as Director and John J. Donaldson as solictor. Much of these papers relate to the issue of the railroad's "right of way" through property in Canton, Baltimore, belonging to the Canton Company. The collection contains the original articles of agreement drafted circa 1834-1836, as well as the correspondence of the 1880s-early 1900s that arose when the agreements were disputed.

Series I, Subseries J, contains papers related to land disputes in the Donaldson family, including correspondence, court records, and miscellaneous documents. Many of these papers concern land in Garrett County originally owned or deeded by John. J. Donaldson (the elder) and his brother, Samuel J. Donaldson to a Noah Harvey.

Series II consists of papers relating to the Hammond family, of which Caroline Dorsey Donaldson was a member. Caroline's grandmother, Mary Hammond, was the sister of William Hammond, whose 1810 will exists in this collection. The two subsequent folders in this subseries contain the correspondence of William Hammond's children. Dr. Thomas Pindell Hammond (1799-1850), William Hammond's eldest son, lived in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, and frequently wrote to his sisters in Baltimore. His file of correspondence contains 55 individual letters, dated 1835 to just before his death in 1850. The third folder in this series contains miscellaneous correspondence to and from members of the Hammond family, including several letters from William F. Tilghman (1828-1866) to his aunt, Caroline Hammond, and letters from "Mary" to "Aunt Eliza Hammond."

The final folder in Series II contains miscellaneous papers attributed to the Hammond family, including clippings, poems, and notes. This folder also contains a lock of hair addressed to Thomas H. Tilghman, 1845.

Series III consists of papers relating to the Dorsey family, of which Caroline Dorsey Donaldson was also a member. Papers included in this series include financial (checks, receipts, accounts), correspondence, and legal. Many of the papers in this series are attributed to William H. G. Dorsey of Howard County, whose legal and business interests form the majority.

Series IV, Miscellaneous, contains additional papers that concern individuals or families not necessarily belonging to the Donaldson, Hammond, or Dorsey families, or papers that concern a mix of the families. The first folder in the series constains deeds and indentures, dated 1795-1864. Twelve of the deeds in the folder are attributed to John McDonough, with various Dorsey, Johnston, and Donaldson names coming up. The deeds concern land in Baltimore, Baltimore County, Howard County, and Anne Arundel County. The series also contains papers related to the Hill family (of which Caroline Dorsey Donaldson was a member), and the Eccleston family (of which Ellen Shoemaker Donaldson, wife of John J. Donaldson, was a member). Also in this series is a handwritten book of poetry by Severn Teackle Wallis, a friend and colleague of Thomas Donaldson. The pages of the book are numbered, and most poems contain a title or the date on which it was written.