William M. Marine collection

The William M. Marine Collection covers the years 1808-1904, with the bulk of the material falling into the period between 1860 and 1890. The Fire of 1904 destroyed some of Marine's papers. Among the papers lost was Marine's collection of letters from famous men of his day, and a book of autographs entitled, Authors I Have Known.

The collection contains Letterbooks of correspondence received by Mr. Marine between the years 1861-1894; this correspondence covers both legal and political matters. A voluminous amount of correspondence can also be found in various folders. The bulk of this loose correspondence covers the period between 1889-1890. Most of the correspondence is handwritten; however, after the typewriter became popular in business the researcher will find some typewritten correspondence. The researcher will also find that a small part of the correspondence has been copied and the original is not to be found in the collection. Among the loose correspondence is to be found a typed letter concerning the burial place of Edgar Allan Poe; as well as a hand drawn map pointing out the supposed final resting place of Poe.

Among the many papers of William Marine the researcher will also discover speeches written and given by Mr. Marine on various occasions. There are a few speeches that are unidentified. Among those identified the researcher will find the following speeches and addresses:

A speech given before veteran defenders during the centennial year;

A speech given before the William Pinkney Literary Association;

A speech given at Temperance Temple on the 4th of July, 1864;

A speech given at the Teacher's Institute of Harford County on Dec. 21, 1887;

An address before the graduating class of Eastern Female High School in 1896;

An address at Mt. Carmel Cemetery, 1891;

An oration on the Life and Public Services of Thomas Holliday Hicks

The researcher will also discover that Mr. Marine was a creative writer in his spare time. For example, there are several poems: Battle of Yorktown; The Light at Assateague; The Picnic Day; and The School Teacher. Also included in the Marine Collection are two novels by William: Lavern, and The Scouts of the [UNK], A Romance of the War of 1812... There is also a writing entitled Autobiography, which may be another fictional writing by Marine.

The collection also contains newspaper clippings of articles written by Marine during his European travels, 1899-1901. During this same period Marine also kept diaries of his travels, 1890-1901. The researcher will also find a diary for the year 1867.

Scrapbooks covering the years 1859-1865, 1870's-1880's and 1890-1894 are also included in the Marine Collection. These scrapbooks are made up of newspaper clippings which cover political matters and events of the times. Newspaper clippings also give a daily account of events which shaped American history between 1859-66, namely the attack on Harper's Ferry, the Civil War, and the assassination of Lincoln.

Of course, the collection also contains a voluminous amount of material dealing with the legal practice of William Marine. The researcher will find dates as early as 1808 among the legal papers. The legal papers which deal with the court cases of Marine include, among others, the Hopper Case, Hopper vs. Jones, Smyse vs. Schiller, Reckefus vs. Lyon, Hance vs. Clagett, House vs. Knight, Shaw vs. Conway, and Ridgaway vs. Zion Methodist Church. The collection also has papers dealing with the Oriental Insurance Company Case. A good deal of the legal material also deals with the estates of Robert G. Harrison, Margaret Schreiner, and A.J. and George T. Lyon. Cases before the Court of Appeals are also to be found in the Marine Collection. Marine was the solicitor for the Old Town Building Company and, in the collection, material concerning the 1874 Case of the German Bank vs. Old Town Building Co. can be found. Deeds, mortgages, and papers pertaining to land purchases made by the Marine family (dating back to 1813) are among the legal materials of the collection.

One box in the collection contains material which related to William M. Marine's position as Collector of the Port of Baltimore during the 1890's. These papers deal with court cases, claims, pensions, etc.

The collection also contains two boxes of material which deal with the correspondence and estate of Col. Ephraim F. Anderson, who was the appraiser for the Port of Baltimore. Anderson's appointment as appraiser was signed by Andrew Johnson and this too is in the Marine Collection. In 1874 Anderson was on trial over a matter concerning his job as appraiser, and Marine represented him; therefore, the Anderson court case is also in the collection.

The collection also contains a great deal of material classified as taxes, bills, and receipts. Here the researcher will find state and city taxes dating back to the 1860's, as well as water rents and gas bills. There is a voluminous amount of such material for a house located at 385 East Baltimore Street.

The researcher will also find some political material about the Republican Party of which Marine was a loyal supporter.

Under the heading of Miscellaneous the researcher will find many interesting items. There are recommendations for a territorial appointment. Newspaper clippings from the 1892 Morning Herald, written by William M. Marine and containing James Whitcomb Riley's poem [UNK] and an 1892 clipping from the Sunday News which contains Col. Vannort's reply to Burchinal also can be found under this section. There are also blank legal [UNK] a patent for Fast's Traveling Cushion (1870); Alexander's Proposition on the Fugitive Slave Laws; there are pamphlets on religious subjects, such as Sixth Report of the Female Christian Home. There is also a copy of The Pioneer, newspaper, Vol. Vii, No. 6, Baltimore, Md. June 1, 1886. There are also letters [UNK] William's father, Fletcher Marine, which give information about Brother John Hersey, a wandering Methodist minister. [More material on Brother John Hersey can be found in the collection dealing with Fletcher Marine.] Under Miscellaneous the researcher will also find material dealing with William Marine's travels, such as photos of hotels where he stayed and hotel bills. There are also used commutation tickets, advertisements to various theatre performances, lectures, and invitations to dinners. There are also some checkbooks and accounts from Old Town Permanent Building and Loan.

The collection also has the penmanship books of a very young William M. Marine.