Personal, family, and business correspondence, land deeds, letter of testamentary, papers of the administrator of the estate of Dr. F.A. Byrd. Business and personal papers, certificates of membership, licenses to practice as Physician and Surgeon, 13 early envelopes (some with stamps attached); business correspondence, statements, invoices, and one bound account book.
John O'Sullivan (1939-2000) was a professor of history at Florida Atlantic University. Dr. O'Sullivan attended Fordham University for his undergraduate studies and then Columbia University where he attained a M.A. and Ph.D. After graduating in 1971, he came to Florida Atlantic University where he served as chair of the History Department (1975-1978) and devoted his entire academic career. Dr. O'Sullivan received numerous research fellowships including the American Philosophical Society, the American Historical Association, and the Sloan Foundation.
Collection consists mainly of photocopies of original manuscripts in Spanish from Archivos General de Indias, Sevilla, Spain. There are a few translations in Spanish and English in holograph, a few typed copies of the translations and transcription, plus some holograph notes and typed pages of the manuscript by Dr. Boyd. These, the microfilm rolls, and other items that are included in the gift by Dr. Boyd are packed in separate envelopes, boxes and other containers.
Samuel A. Portnoy (1920 - 2004) was a professor of History at Florida Atlantic University (1963-1991) in Boca Raton, Florida. Dr. Portnoy was a native New Yorker and received his bachelor's degree and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and his master's from the University of Chicago. In 1963, he began teaching history at Florida Atlantic University where he was actively involved in the planning of the University's academic program. He was also first chairman of the Department of History at FAU. His areas of specialization include Russian and Soviet history, 19th and 20th century European history, and Modern Jewish history. Dr. Portnoy was also a prominent lecturer, speaking on subjects of current and historic importance. These subjects included the Middle East, the Gorbachev revolution, German unification, and select topics in modern Jewish history (Hasidism, Zionism, Jewish labor and social movements in Europe and the United States), and various aspects of Yiddish culture. Much of his research was focused on the Jewish Labor Bund and the life of Vladimir Medem, a Russian Jewish political leader. Portnoy's publications include articles in both Yiddish and English for the journals Labor History, Dissent, and Yiddish. He is also the editor-translator of Vladimir Medem's memoirs entitled: The Life and Soul of a Legendary Jewish Socialist and Henryk Erlich and Victor Alter – Two Heroes and Martyrs for Jewish Socialism.
Dr. Walter Wadepuhl (1895-1989) is well-known for his scholarship on German poets Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Heinrich Heine. Born in Germany in 1895, he immigrated to the United States at the age of twelve. He held a Master of Arts degree from Columbia University and a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin. Dr. Wadepuhl was head of the Department of Languages and Comparative Literature at Elmhurst College where he also taught German for nineteen years. In 1964, he was appointed Distinguished Visiting Professor of German at Florida Atlantic University. Dr. Wadepuhl authored many articles and several books on Goethe and Heine, including Goethe's Interest in the New World (1934) and Heine: Sein Leben und seine Werke (1974). The collection also includes correspondence, research notes, manuscripts, publications, photographs and letters with other German scholars.
The correspondence consists of an envelope and letter dated February 9, 1886, from E. A. Lee to Mrs. William J. Clark, sent from St. Nicholas, Florida. The writer describes to Mrs. Clark, a friend in Ypsilanti, Michigan, her experiences as a winter visitor to Jacksonville, Florida, in 1886. She recounts her arrival in Jacksonville and the boat ride across the St. Johns River to St. Nicholas, a settlement on the east side of the river where she and her brother have rented homes. She describes in detail: the variable winter weater in Florida, with the temperature plunging to 17 degrees in a "cold wave"; her winter home "Sterling Villa," and the St. Nicholas bluff area, with several dwellings bordered by orange groves; and the crossing of the River back to Jacksonville by rowboat with other river options being a ferryboat and a small steamer. She writes admiringly of the "the beautiful St. Johns," but unfavorably regarding the city of Jacksonville, which she describes as flourishing but "not a particularly pleasant city." She finds that the city is frequented by Northerners staying in the "enormous" hotels for the winter, the streets are unpaved, and there is a multitude of stores "mingled indiscriminately together." In closing, while initially disappointed with Florida, she tells of her growing appreciation of the benefits of the mild weather, and the natural beauty of the area.
Consists of the oldest materials in the collection, both including and bookending the Civil War. Materials range from magazines, newspapers, pamphlets, and an array of visual ephemera. Of particular interest is an original Buffalo Soldier muster roll signed by Colonel Abner Doubleday, discharge papers from 1874, and an authentic slave bill of sale.
The collection consists of more than 1,000 items, primarily twentieth century material relating to Jacksonville, Florida. Includes letters, documents, and notes relating to the personal, political, and business activities of Eartha M. M. White. Some subject files include publications, reports, programs, photographs, and memorabilia. Of particular interest are materials pertaining to: Prominent African American leaders, e.g., James Weldon Johnson, A. Phillip Randolph, and Simuel Decatur McGill; Historic Jacksonville business, charitable, and religious organizations including Afro-American Life Insurance Company, Bethel Baptist Institutional Church, Clara White Mission, Community Chest Association, and Jacksonville Negro Welfare League; Florida social and educational organizations including Florida State Federation of Colored Women's Clubs, Florida Baptist Academy / Florida Normal and Industrial Institute. The bulk of the collection are photographs depicting friends, relatives and events from her long life. Sizes of the photographs vary, ranging from 5x7 to 12x16 inches. A significant amount of her business and personal correspondence is also included. An extensive subject index is available for use with the collection. The collection also contains 156 black and white photographs of southern African American religious and labor groups, circa 1946-1949, by photographer R. Lee Thomas of Mound Bayou, Mississippi. His imprint contains the caption: Made by R. Lee Thomas, Mound Bayou, Mississippi, The Oldest Negro Town in America. Mr. Thomas was an African American photographer active in the early twentieth century in the southern United States, whose work provides photographic documentation of southern black social life during that time period. The majority of the photographs depict groups from Birmingham, Alabama, and adjacent areas.