Descriptive SummaryMSS 1600Samuel Guthrie Collection,
1828-1932Guthrie, Samuel, 1782-1848L. Tom Perry Special Collections1 box (5 linear inches)American chemist and
inventor of chloroform and the percussion cap.Correspondence, patents, legal
documents, genealogies, newspaper articles, obituaries, and historical accounts
by or about Samuel Guthrie and other members of the Guthrie family. The
correspondence between Samuel Guthrie and his daughter Harriet Guthrie
Chamberlain concern personal and family matters and describe Samuel's patents
on chloroform and the percussion cap. Items by Alfred Guthrie include
information about the steamboat inspection and regulation in the United States
and a detailed account of his brother Edwin's war experiences during the war
with Mexico (1845-1848). Other materials also relate to the westward movement
of the 1840's, the Anti-Mason party, and the presidential election of 1828 and
inauguration of 1829.ProvenanceBetween the years 1981 and 1990, the collection was acquired in three
installments by donation and purchase from Roberta M. Drissler of Provo, Utah.
The collection came into her possession from a cousin, Thaddeus Samuel
Chamberlain, of Chicago, Illinois. Thaddeus was the son of Harriet Guthrie
Chamberlin and thus the grandson of Samuel Guthrie. Thaddeus married Harriet
Tracy in 1874. Roberta Drissler is related to the Tracy family. Beyond this,
little is known of the circuitous route the various manuscripts may have
followed in passing from person to person in the Guthrie family between the
time of their creation and their arrival at a final destination in the BYU
Library. One can surmise, given the preponderance of letters addressed to
Samuel's daughter, Harriet, that virtually all of these materials were in her
hands as a result of having received the letters written to her and of her
father either having given her the remainder near the end of his life or of her
having inherited them. Alfred Guthrie's notebook may have come together with
the other papers after his death in 1882. The copy of Edwin Guthrie's war
journal in the form of a letter to his father came into Alfred's possession in
1849 along with other effects of his father. Handwriting analysis might reveal
that the letter is in fact a copy, all in the same hand, made from the original
sent to Samuel Guthrie, Jr.
AccessThe collection is open for research use by any qualified scholar.
Conditions of UseThe holders of the copyright of the manuscripts and other materials in
this collection is largely undetermined. Presumably, it is held largely by the
descendants of Samuel Guthrie or is in the public domain. Such literary rights
(copyright) as were possessed by the donor at the time of donation were
assigned to the Brigham Young University Library. In accordance with the U.S.
Copyright Law, it is the responsibility of the user to determine copyright
prior to publishing any item in the collection in its entirety.
Permission to publish material from the Samuel Guthrie Collection must
be obtained from the Supervisor of Reference Services and/or the L. Tom Perry
Special Collections Board of Curators.
Preferred CitationInitial Citation:MSS 1600; Samuel Guthrie
Collection, 1828-1932; 19th Century Western and Mormon Americana; L. Tom Perry
Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University.
Following Citations:MSS 1600, LTPSC.
Biographical HistoryGUTHRIE, Samuel,chemist; born Brimfield,
Mass., 1782; son of Samuel and Sarah Guthrie; attended College of Physicians
and Surgeons, N.Y.C., 1810-11, Univ. of Pa., 1815; married Sybil Sexton, 1804,
four children, Alfred, Edwin, Harriet, and Cynthia. Moved from Sherburne (N.Y.)
to Sackets Harbor, N.Y., 1817, practiced medicine, set up experimental
chemistry laboratory; said to have invented an effective priming powder called
"percussion pill" and punch lock for exploding it which together made
the flintlock musket obsolete; devised process for rapid conversion of potato
starch into molasses, 1830; made "chloric ether" by distilling
chloride of lime with alcohol in copper (later proved to be chloroform).
Author:The Complete Writings of Samuel Guthrie(collection of
letters and comments), 1832. Died Sackets Harbor, Oct. 19, 1848.*
GUTHRIE, Alfred,engineer; born Sherburne,
N.Y., April 1, 1805; eldest son of Dr. Samuel and Sybil Sexton Guthrie; studied
medicine and chemistry under his father; married Nancy Piper, Oct. 2, 1823;
married secondly Phoebe Guthrie, March 31, 1857. Moved West due to financial
distress, 1845; engineered, designed and constructed hydraulic works on
Illinois and Michigan Canal in order to carry Chicago sewerage to the
Mississippi River; aided development of federal system of steamship inspection,
inspected over 200 vessels and determined their defects, succeeded in having
bill introduced into Congress providing for regulation of steamboats, 1851;
placed at head of enforcement bureau when bill passed, 1852; number of
steamboat accidents steadily decreased under his leadership. Died Chicago, Aug.
17, 1882.*
GUTHRIE, Edwin. "Captain Edwin
Guthrie, son of Dr. Samuel Guthrie, Jr., was born in Smyrna, N.Y., Dec. 11,
1806. He removed with his parents to Sacket's Harbor, where he married Adaline
Jewett, Sept. 7, 1827 [and where, for a time, he was active in the Anti-Mason
Party]. They removed to Iowa, where he became prominent in the political
affairs of the state. In 1846 he was commissioned Captain of Company K.
Fifteenth U.S. Infantry, and went to Mexico [where he served in the theater of
war under the command of General Winfield Scott.]. . . He was wounded in the
knee by a guerrilla on June 20, [1847] and after suffering two amputations,
died on July 20, 1847, a few hours after dictating [several letters to members
of his family.]" [This statement is excerpted from pp. 55-56
ofRecords of the Guthrie Family. See folder 5.]
CHAMBERLIN, Harriet Guthrie. "Harriet
Guthrie, daughter of Dr. Samuel Guthrie, Jr., was born in Smyrna, Chenango Co.,
N.Y. in 1810. She removed with her parents to Sacket's Harbor, where she united
with the First Presbyterian church. She married Thaddeus Sterns Chamberlin,
Feb. 12, 1832. They removed to Chicago, Ill., in 1845, where she . . . became
deeply interested in church work.
She was a noble woman, full of sympathy for all kinds of human
suffering, and during the anti-slavery struggle she was engaged in many public
enterprises, which espoused the cause of the oppressed. Her devotion to her
country was unbounded. During the Civil War she ministered in numerous ways to
the needs of the soldiers, cheerfully devoting her time and strength to the
cause. She was one of the first ladies of Chicago who assisted in raising funds
for the establishment of a permanent Soldier's Home.
Harriet . . . died in Chicago, Ill., Sept. 3, 1864. Her husband,
Thaddeus S. Chamberlin, was born in Hudson, N.H., May 28, 1808. . . . He
removed with his parents to Sacket's Harbor, where he united with the First
Presbyterian church; his father and mother uniting at the same time. He removed
with his family to Chicago in 1845, where he remained until his death, Oct. 19,
1848, leaving his wife and three children to mourn a double loss. His wife's
father, Dr. Samuel Guthrie, died the same night at Sacket's Harbor." [This
statement is excerpted from pp. 56-67 ofRecords of the Guthrie
Family. See folder 5.]
*Both biographical statements were copied with
minor changes fromWho Was Who in America, Historical Volume,
1607-1896, p. 224. For additional biographical information on the Guthrie
family see Harriet N. and Eveline Guthrie Dunn,Records of the Guthrie
Family. . . ., Chicago, Illinois, 1898, a copy of which is filed in
folder 5 of the collection. For information on those individuals documented in
this collection see especially pp. 22-41, 48-59, and 86-87.
Sackets Harbor has been spelled with one
"t" and no apostrophe throughout this register (except in direct
quotes) to match the postmark on the envelopes; in other places in the
collection and in published works it is sometimes spelled with two
"tt"s and with an apostrophe after the "t". Also, because
T. S. Chamberlin signed his name without an "a" in the final syllable
his spelling has been used throughout the register. This is in contrast with
variant spellings of his name by Samuel Guthrie in his letters and in published
information about the family.
Scope and Content NoteThe Samuel Guthrie Collection consists of some of his personal and
legal papers, as well as a few items belonging to or generated by other members
of his family.
Samuel Guthrie. This segment of the
collection containslegal documents(viz. deeds, bill
of sale, will);correspondence(primarily letters to
daughter Harriet and her husband T. S. Chamberlin; includes one letter written
by his wife Sybil and one written to his daughter Cynthia), with the letters
concerning primarily family matters, news, and business--e.g. farming, the move
westward, the farm in Iowa, taxes, money problems, land and legal matters,
births, deaths (including his son Edwin's untimely demise in the Mexican War),
sorrows, and sickness, etc.--but also (in two important letters), his
inventions and patents (chloroform and percussion caps);writings, consisting of reprints and published articles
about Guthrie;genealogy, consisting of a published
Guthrie family history;photographs, consisting of
three views of the Guthrie family home and one view of the The Guthrie Boulder,
a monument to his memory in Chicago; anda
scrapbookof newsclippings for the years 1884-1889.
Alfred and Edwin Guthrie. This segment of
the collection consists of a one volume notebook compiled by Alfred entitled,
"Alfred Guthries' Collection of Facts in Science, Arts and
Manufactures." Alfred kept records of his work as Supervising Inspector of
Steamboats in the Chicago District. He lists 24 U. S. inspection districts and
gives the names of supervising inspectors, districts, and salaries. He includes
several pages of inspection data resulting from his work in St. Louis and
Cincinnati in 1851. He lists the steamboats by name and includes, in columns,
such information as the number of engines, the size of the wheel and the
boilers, and brief comments on the effectiveness and deficiencies of some of
the boats.
He also made notes about a variety of subjects of general interest,
some related directly to his work, others not. General, scientific,
technological and engineering topics are included, with some ink drawings.
Topics include the Holy Land, theology and the Bible, astronomy, physics,
chemistry, mathematics, standard measurements, hydraulics, metals, medicine,
rivers and shipping, boilers and steam engines, history, geography, meterology,
languages, geology, experiments with steam engines and drawings and working
principles for pumps, and a list entitled, "Catalogue of articles for
California." There is also an occasional diary entry, a few financial
travel accounts for his work as an inspector, and a few clippings. Also present
is a small tintype (2 1/2 x 3 1/4)(6 1/2 x 8 1/2 cm.) of headstones in a
cemetery plot of (primarily?) the family of Ossian Guthrie. Four persons stand
around the fence, two women, a man, and a child. (Photocopy only.) On the last
page is a clipping of an obituary of Samuel Guthrie and a list of family death
dates. One loose ledger page, unrelated, is inserted at the back of the volume.
A reprint from "Scientific American," Feb. 18, 1854, is tipped onto
the back endpaper.
In the notebook he also included information about his brother Edwin.
In his brother's memory, he pasted Edwin's last letter from Mexico to the front
end paper and inserted at the rear a copy of a long letter that Edwin wrote to
his father in which he shared passages from his journal and other papers
relating to the events of June 3-14, 1847. Under the leadership of first, a
Colonel McIntosh and later a General Cadawallader, Captain Guthrie's company
was assigned escort duty for a supply train leaving Vera Cruz in an attempt to
support General Winfield Scott near Mexico City. General Scott had won several
major victories, but as of June 3 was cut off from his supply base on the gulf
coast by Mexican guerrillas in the mountains between the capital city and Vera
Cruz. During the 11 grueling days which Captain Guthrie describes in vivid and
often touching detail, he and 300 other volunteer troops, infantry and
dragoons, made frustrating and only partially successful attempts to protect
their four mile long train of 1500 mules and 600 wagons from the raids of the
guerrillas. Sweeping out of ravines and side canyons in the thick chapparall,
the guerrillas killed mules and men and stole mules. The train was carrying
ammunition, specie to pay the troops, salt, and other supplies, including the
goods of some private sutlers accompaning the train. Guthrie was wounded in the
knee by a guerrilla musket ball at La Hoya on June 20. He died on July 20 at
Perote, ca. 108 miles from Vera Cruz after two amputations and a month of pain.
His diary entries describe conditions generally, including comments on lack of
water and food, sickness (yellow fever and dysentery), the heat, the conflict
between professional soldiers and the volunteers, poor leadership on the trip
and the frustrations and exhaustion of guarding a long train with too few men,
the Mexican bridges and fortifications, and the beauty of the passing
countryside. He includes a few handdrawn maps of battle sites. The manuscript
concludes with a list of his fellow officers who sent condolences to his widow
and the names of the soldiers who contributed--and the amount--to return his
remains to Iowa.
Harriet Guthrie Chamberlin. In addition to
the letters her father wrote to her which are filed under his name, the
collection contains three additional letters--one of extreme significance from
her brother Edwin at age 22 in which he describes political activities in
Sackets Harbor during the 1828 presidential inaugural festivities, including
information on both the supporters of Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams; and
two from her fiancee T. S. Chamberlin on the eve of their marriage.
Overall, the research value of this collections belies its small size.
In addition to Guthrie family history and the history of Sackets Harbor, New
York, it contains significant information about several aspects of American
history, including the Westward movement, Chicago, Illinois, the Iowa
agricultural frontier, the invention of chloroform and percussion caps, the
Mexican War, steamboat inspection on western rivers, the Anti-Mason party in
New York, and the presidential election and inauguration of 1828.
Notes on ArrangementSeparation Statement
Three original photographs, a small tintype, and a printed
illustration were separated to the BYU Photoarchives; photocopies were retained
in folder 6 and (of the tintype) in Alfred Guthrie's notebook. The original
scrapbook was discarded due to the brittleness of the paper and the highly
oxidized and rotten state of the leather binding. Because the scrapbook was a
converted financial ledger, sample pages were checked prior to discarding to
ensure that no information was recorded beneath the clippings.
Subject TracingsPeopleGuthrie family--GenealogyGuthrie, Samuel, 1782-1848--BiographyGuthrie, Alfred, 1805-1882--BiographyGuthrie, Edwin, 1806-1847--BiographyChamberlain, Harriet Guthrie, 1810-1864--BiographyPlacesUnited States--History--1825-1829--SourcesJackson County (Iowa)--History--SourcesJefferson County (N.Y.)--History--SourcesWest (U. S.)--Description and travelGenre/FormScrapbooksNotebooksBiographiesLettersGenealogiesSubjectMuzzle-loading firearms--United
States--History--SourcesFreemasonry--United States--History--SourcesShips--Inspection--United States--History--SourcesPresidents--United
States--Inauguration--History--SourcesChloroform--History--SourcesMexican War, 1846-1848--History--SourcesContainer ListSamuel and Sybil Guthrie SeriesSamuel and Sybil Guthrie,
1831-1935BoxFolderContents
fd. 1-2 are legal documents
11(D.S.)Deed noting sale of land in Hounsfield, New York
to Harriet Chamberlin April 3, 1842, for the amount of $400. No witness or seal
on the document. Printed document with handwritten additions; may be in Samuel
Guthrie's hand. Recorded by the Jefferson County clerk on
April 9, 1842.(A.D.S.)Bill of Sale for 160 acres of land in
Jackson County, Iowa to Harriet Chamberlin for the amount of $200 on
August 13, 1846. No
witness; no seal. May be a draft only, probably in Samuel's hand.(A.D.S.)Certified copy of the Last Will and
Testament of Samuel Guthrie, made on
October 16, 1848and
recorded
Feb. 26, 1849, in
Jefferson County, New York. This certified copy is dated
March 27, 1849. Also
partial typescript copy and typescript carbon thereof. The original manuscript
was cleaned and encapsulated by the Conservation Department on
Jan. 15, 1992. No
handwriting is obscured by the bound end of the encapsulation.12(D.S.)Title of Property, Examination of Title, and
Abstract of Title (several) to "the south 43 3/4 acres of the west half of
the south-west quarter of section 9, T.39.N.R.13, east of 3rd P.M." [Cook
County, Illinois],
October 9, 1849--
August 28, 1923. Signed by
various notaries and the Assistant Secretary of the Chicago Title and Trust
Company.13Correspondence:- Letters to Harriet Guthrie Chamberlin, T. S. Chamberlin
and Cynthia Guthrie,
1833 to 1848.
- A.L.S. to Harriet Chamberlin in Lebanon, St. Clair
County, Illinois, from Sybil Guthrie in Sackets Harbor, N.Y.,
July 21-27, 1833.
Expresses concern for their reported illness and her loneliness, and recounts
her own and Samuel's struggles with illness.
- A.L.S. to Stearns and Harriet Chamberlin somewhere west
of Chicago from Samuel, [Sackets Harbor,
1833?]. Recounts family
news and describes his illness; writes of pioneering, the way west, and traffic
on the Great Lakes.
- A.L.S. to Harriet Chamberlin in Bellevue, Iowa Territory,
from Samuel and Cynthia Guthrie, Sackets Harbor, N.Y.,
Feb 15-17, 1846. Money
has been sent, hoping to come to Iowa as soon as health permits, and other
family news.
- A.L.S. to Harriet Chamberlin in Bellevue, Iowa Territory,
from Samuel, Sackets Harbor, N.Y.,
May 2, 1846. Concerns
family and local news and family finances. Short note from Sybil
appended.
- A.L.S. to Harriet Chamberlin in Bellevue, Iowa Territory,
from Samuel, Sackets Harbor, N.Y.,
June 20-22, 1846.
Regarding his farm near Bellevue, the difficulties of making a living on the
frontier, and family disputes over deeding the farm to Harriet.
- A.L.S. to T.S. Chamberlin in Chicago from Samuel, Sackets
Harbor, N.Y., [
June 12, 1846 or 47?].
Indicates his desire to supply Chamberlin with a good team, wagon, and harness
and the means to erect a "good pleasant home" on the Bellevue farm
but cannot do so unless his "boys will do right by me." Mentions
patent refusal for "my paper cap" and a lost damage suit due to the
death of his witness.
- A.L.S. to Harriet Chamberlin [in Chicago?] from Samuel,
Sackets Harbor,
Feb. 1-29, 1848.
Recounts the death of her brother, Edwin Guthrie, and the growing success of
his discovery, chloroform, which he called "sweet whiskey." Tells her
that she was the first person to ever receive chloroform for relief of pain
during illness. Also discusses Harriet's and the family's financial future in
light of Edwin's unpaid debts. The remains of the envelope are also present. A
note on the envelope refers to this item as "the Chloroform
letter."
- A.L.S. to Cynthia Guthrie in Chicago from Samuel in Fort
Madison, Iowa,
May 11/12, [1848?].
Says he is too ill to travel further and will leave for home on the steamer New
Orleans the morning of the 12th. He encourages her to remain in Chicago for a
"charming visit," presumably with her sister Harriet.
- A.L.S. to T.S. Chamberlin in Chicago from Samuel, no
place,
Sept. 15 - Oct. 4,
[1848?]. Expresses concerns about their two farms near Bellevue,
Iowa, his desire for Chamberlin to be his agent, and his assurance that the
taxes have been paid.
- Note fragment. Concerns money and Harriet. n.d., n.p., no
signature.
14Writings: Reprints, publications and clippings,
1890-1919.- Guthrie, Ossian. "The Discovery of Chloroform And
Other Chemical Investigations by Dr. Samuel Guthrie,"The
Apothecary,
September, 1893, 11p.
Reprint.
- ______. "The Lake Michigan Glacier and Glacial
Channels Across The Chicago Divide," Paper read before the Geological
Society of Chicago,
Oct. 30, 1890. 16p. 5
maps. 1 chart. Reprint.
- _____. "Memoirs of Dr. Samuel Guthrie and the
History of the Discovery of Chloroform." Reprinted from the
1887edition of the book
of the same title with additions by T. S. Chamberlin. Chicago,
1919. 40p.
Reprint.
- "Guthrie's Home Recognition," constituting a
reprint in pamphlet form of page 407 ofTHE HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY,
NEW YORK FROM 1797 TO 1878, L. H. Everts & Co. Publishers, J. B.
Lippincott & Co. Press, Philadelphia, Penn.
- "Samuel Guthrie Pioneer Chemist,"The
Chicago Chemical Bulletin, Vol. 4 (
February, 1917) No. 2,
pp. 21-24. One complete reprint of No. 2 and two 7p. reprints of the article
only.
- The Woodland Courier, Chicago, Illinois,
March 13, 1925,
"Boulder Is Memorial to Dr. Guthrie, Discoverer of Chloroform and
Percussion Powder, Says Mrs. Murphey." Newsclipping and photocopy.
15Genealogy: Dunn, Harriet N. and Eveline Guthrie
Dunn,Records of the Guthrie Family, Chicago, Illinois: H. N. and
S. L. Dunn,
1898. x, 178p, index.
Includes photocopy of pp. 48-59 and 86-87 of the book.16Photographs: Photocopies only. Originals transferred to
Photoarchives.- Postcard snapshot of Guthrie home in Sackets Harbor.
Horse and buggy with man in buggy in foreground. Caption: "Home of Dr.
Guthrie, Discoverer of Chloroform & Inventor of Percussion Powder Caps,
Sacketts Harbor N.Y.
1831."
- Snapshot of New York State Education Department historic
marker at the Guthrie home. Erected
1932. Caption on verso
of photograph: "Taken at Sackets Harbor, New York,
July 1,
1935."
- [Bookplate?] with illustration of the Guthrie home.
Caption: "Old Homestead--Sacket's Harbor, N.Y."
- 8 x 10 b/w photograph of "The Guthrie Boulder,"
a Chicago monument to Samuel Guthrie.
- Scrapbook of News clippings
1884-1889: Photocopies
only. Bound volume discarded due to its brittle condition. Sample pages were
washed to remove the clippings and insure that the paper underneath was blank
prior to discarding the original pages. Photographs of the bound volume are
included. The news clippings cover a wide range of topics. The compiler (S.
Guthrie?) was a regular clipper of articles about politics, science, wonders of
nature, geography, history, current events, and crime. The bulk of the
clippings seem to have come from the following Chicago newspapers:The
Times, The Tribune, The Evening News, The Sunday Herald, andThe
Journal.
171884-1886181886-1889Alfred and Edwin Guthrie SeriesAlfred and Edwin Guthrie,
n. d.BoxFolderContents
19"Alfred Guthries' Collection of Facts In Science,
Arts and Manufactures." 1 volume, 25 x 20 cm., 96 leaves; two leaves
fastened to end papers, others inserted loose, and some missing entirely.
Partially paginated by hand. pp. 31-34 missing, torn out; also 138-139 and some
pages after p. 156. Includes 8 leaves and a letter fragment of Edwin Guthrie in
the form of two letters, one containing extensive passages from his Mexican War
Journal. The original is restricted from normal patron use. Patrons must use
the photocopy in Folder 9a. Use of original requires curator
approval.19aPhotocopy of the volume in Folder 9.For additional EDWIN GUTHRIE records and
information see HARRIET GUTHRIE CHAMBERLIN, Correspondence, fd. 10, below, and
SAMUEL GUTHRIE, Correspondence, fd. 3, above.
Harriet Guthrie Chamberlin SeriesHarriet Guthrie Chamberlin,
1828-1832BoxFolderContents
110Correspondence:- A.L.S. from E. Guthrie, Sackets Harbor, N.Y.,
Jan 19, [1828]. Her
brother Edwin, then 22 years old, wrote to Harriet at her grandparents home in
Smyrna, Chenango County, N.Y., relating family and community news and
describing the recent inaugural festivities in Sackets Harbor for President
Andrew Jackson.
- "We had one of the most Splendid Balls here upon the
8th of this month that I have ever witnessed and I doubt wheather our county
has ever produced a finer display of military equipage than was exhibited upon
that occation. We all gave them the best we had. You may be surprised at the
interist we Adams men [reference to President John Quincy Adams, Jackson's
opponent] have taken in this Jackson Celebration and we can only excuse our
selves by saying that although we were opposed to him for Presicent yet we do
not depreciate his talents as a General or dishonour that noble victory
obtained by him at New Orleans."
- He also describes the recent Anti-Mason political
convention as one of their "most respectable," from which his brother
Alfred was elected as a delegate to the state convention.
- A.L.S. from T.S. Chamberlin, Sackets Harbor, N.Y.,
Feb. 4, 1832. Family
news and pre-wedding arrangements.
- A.L.S. from T.S. Chamberlin, Sackets Harbor, N.Y.,
Feb. 6, 1832. An
invitation to a dance. This letter and the one above were written just days
prior to their marriage on
Feb. 12.
See also SAMUEL GUTHRIE, Correspondence,
fd. 3, above.