Peter F. Rothermel to John H. B. Latrobe, 1847 May 21

The John H. B. Latrobe papers consists of six series: Series I: Correspondence, Series II: Addresses, Series III: Legal papers, Series IV: Miscellaneous papers, Series V: Journals and Scrapbooks, and Series VI: Books.

Series I: Correspondence, is further arranged into two subseries. Subseries A: John H. B. Latrobe incoming correspondence, contains letters sent to Latrobe, 1819-1882. The first letter in this subseries is from Latrobe's father, Benjamin Henry Latrobe, shortly before his death in 1820. Other notable correspondents include his cousin, Charles Joseph Latrobe, Roger B. Taney, Charles Carroll, John P. Kennedy, Zachary Taylor, Washington Irving, Daniel Webster, and Reverdy Johnson, among others.

Subseries B: Other correspondence, contains letters to or from other members of the Latrobe family, as well as individuals outside the Latrobe family. This subseries contains two letters from Robert E. Lee, as well as an 1844 letter in Spanish from Antonio López de Santa Anna while he was President of the Mexican Republic.

Series II: Addresses, contains eleven published speeches, ten of which where given by John H. B. Latrobe, 1834-1880. The topics of these addresses cover various interests of Latrobe's, including the American Colonization Society, law, and freemasons, among other topics. There is also one 1888 published address regarding the founding of the Eastern Shore by Bradley T. Johnson.

Series III: Legal papers, contains five legal documents. These include a bond dated 1799, the 1804 manumission of a Black boy named Charles, an indenture between Charles Carroll of Carrollton and Ferdinand Breech, papers regarding a property dispute between Roger B. Taney and John H. B. Latrobe, and Latrobe's last will and testament.

Series IV: Miscellaneous papers, contain other various papers outside the scope of the first three series. Items of note in this series include an undated sketch of George Washington, presumably drawn from life, and and untitled poem presumably written by Major John André to Margaretta Chew.

Series V: Journals and Scrapbooks, contains ten volumes, beginning with John H. B. Latrobe's commonplace book he kept while a student at West Point, 1818-1821. This volume contains poetry, translations of works, and prose. This series also contains a letter book from Latrobe's early law career, a notebook on legal theory and cases, a journal kept by Latrobe during a steamer voyage in 1847, and several volumes of writings reminiscing on past events. One volume titled "Russian Correspondence, 1856-1857" contains Latrobe's retelling of his trip to Russia. He includes sketches of people and copies of letters, as well as some photographs of individuals he met. Another volume, titled "Sundries of Many Sorts", contains typed recollections of Latrobe's, transcripts of letters he received, as well as transcriptions of letters from his parents. On page 34 of this book he writes, "A glimpse of Washington society- 1812. Extracts from a letter from my dear mother to her life-long and most intimate friend, Mrs. Juliana Miller." He also includes transcripts of leaves from his father's diaries. The only evidence as to when Latrobe wrote this is from the brief notes in the present tense. On page 170, Latrobe writes that "It is now May 1886..." This series also contains an album belonging to Charlotte Virginia Claiborne, Latrobe's second wife, containing poetry written and signed by her friends. There is also a scrapbook belonging to Virginia Isabella Latrobe, John and Charlotte Latrobe's daughter, containing newspaper articles related to the Civil War.

Series VI: Books, contains one undated, handwritten manuscript by John H. B. Latrobe entitled "Mrs. George Fortescue," a book owned and inscribed by Latrobe, and a typed manuscript of a 1917 book by John E. Semmes on the life of John H. B. Latrobe.