Diary of Charles Francis Adams, volume 1

Introduction

Guide to Editorial Apparatus

xlvii Acknowledgments Acknowledgments
Acknowledgments

In preparing these volumes of the Diary of Charles Francis Adams, we incurred debts to numerous persons and institutions listed in the Acknowledgments of both the Diary and Autobiography of John Adams and the Adams Family Correspondence. The data which they supplied to the Adams Papers Editorial Files in the Massachusetts Historical Society have been of great assistance in directing our own researches.

As with all such large undertakings, the aid of certain individuals and learned institutions proved indispensable, and we gratefully give our thanks to:

The Administrative Board, whose members appear at the head of this volume, and the members of the Editorial Advisory Committee, who are also listed above, for their leadership in making possible the Adams Papers enterprise and for their confidence in assigning to us this segment of the work. Also, to Time, Inc., for funds to edit the papers of the Adamses; the task could not have been undertaken without such support.

The Massachusetts Historical Society, to which the Adams Papers were deeded in 1956, and under whose institutional aegis those papers are now being edited. To the director of that society, Mr. Stephen T. Riley, who placed at our disposal the vast holdings of the library which are unmatched in their relevance to the Adams family history. To Mr. John D. Cushing, the librarian; and Miss Winifred V. Collins, assistant librarian, who efficiently and gladly searched the stacks for books and manuscripts and gave of their full knowledge of the library.

The Adams Papers staff in Boston. We owe our greatest debt to Mr. Lyman H. Butterfield, editor in chief of the Adams Papers, who read the whole manuscript of the diary and made innumerable suggestions and additions. Along with us, he also read galleys and page proofs and significantly aided in all other tasks connected with the publication of this Adams diary. For the aid of Mr. Wendell Garrett, associate editor of the Adams Papers, we are also grateful. He fielded many difficult questions about illustrations and family genealogies and helped in many other ways over the years. Miss Marjorie Sprague, xlviiiassistant editor of the Adams Papers, has been a cheerful correspondent linking Boston to Baltimore.

All those persons at the Harvard University Press who aided in the planning, editing, and printing of these volumes.

The several busy and learned men who took time to read the galleys of this diary: Mr. Stephen T. Riley, director of the Massachusetts Historical Society; Mr. Malcolm Freiberg, editor of publications of the Massachusetts Historical Society; Mr. Walter Muir Whitehill, director and librarian of the Boston Athenaeum; and Mr. Allan Nevins, senior research fellow of the Henry E. Huntington Library. Their careful reading has saved us many errors of fact and interpretation.

Because in large measure these volumes were edited and annotated in Princeton and Baltimore, our grateful thanks are extended to many persons and places in both those areas:

To the librarians of the Firestone Library of Princeton University, who made it possible for us to borrow from the American Antiquarian Society the microfilm edition of the Adams Papers from which we collated the manuscript and read supporting materials. We also drew on the vast resources of the Princeton University Library to prepare notes for the text and called upon many individuals for their aid. These included Mr. William Shepherd Dix, the librarian; Mr. Lawrence Heyl, the associate librarian emeritus; Miss Eleanor V. Weld, the assistant reference librarian; Mrs. Marguerite McAneny, curator of the Theater Collection; Mrs. Julie Hudson, curator of Rare Books; and Mr. Howard C. Rice Jr., chief of the department of Rare Books and Special Collections.

To the staff of the Johns Hopkins University Library, who allowed us to borrow their copy of the microfilm edition of the Adams Papers for collation and research. We also are grateful for the rich collection of books gathered in the library and for the never failing help of the librarian, Mr. John Berthel; Miss Martha Hubbart; Miss Margaret E. Lough; Mrs. Margaret Moody; and Miss Adelaide Eisenhart.

To the librarians of the Peabody Institute Library in Baltimore, that privately endowed institution with its superb collection of materials on the 19th century. We especially appreciate the gracious assistance of Mr. Frank N. Jones, the director; Mr. P. William Filby, the assistant director; and Mrs. Sidney Painter and Miss Jeanette S. Markell, of the staff.

To the Maryland Historical Society for its large collection of genealogical information as well as its store of manuscripts. Mr. Harold R. Manakee, the director; Mr. John Kilbourne, the librarian; and xlixMiss A. Hester Rich, the assistant librarian, among others, gave of their advice.

To the librarians of the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, who guided us through their unmatched collection of printed genealogical material and their large collection of books. We cannot thank all the librarians by name who gave us their time but perhaps they will allow us to do so through their director, Mr. Edwin Castagna, and their assistant director, Mr. Robert S. Ake.

Persons and institutions in other cities also graciously gave of their time and aid. These include:

The staff of Widener Library of Harvard University and the director of that magnificent library, who is also the librarian of Harvard College, Professor Paul H. Buck. Also, Mr. Kimball C. Elkins of the Archives, who helped solve several problems relating to Harvard College.

Mrs. Dorothy M. Potter of the Essex Institute, Salem, Massachusetts, for her genealogical information.

Mr. Van Courtlandt Elliott of the Roxbury Latin School, Boston, who helped with Greek passages.

Professor James W. Poultney of the Johns Hopkins University Classics Department for assistance on Latin and Greek quotations.

The Smithsonian Institution, which aided us in our search for illustrations. Mr. Thomas M. Beggs, the director of the National Collection of Fine Arts, and his assistant, Mrs, Jewell Baker, were especially kind. Mr. Keith Melder also aided us.

The staff of the Library of Congress and especially those librarians in charge of newspapers and genealogical reference.

Mr. Milton Kaplan of the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress, for his usual expertise and friendliness in guiding us through the resources of his department. And Mrs. Dorothy W. Bartlett of the Reference and Bibliographical Section of the Map Division of the Library of Congress for her careful and gracious help.

The persons in the National Gallery of Art in Washington for their aid in finding Adams portraits.

The research librarians of the Frick Art Reference Library in New York for their information about Adams family portraits.

Mr. Andrew Oliver of New York for his aid in authenticating portraits of various Adamses and for his information about artists and pictures.

Mr. E. Harold Hugo, The Meriden Gravure Company, Meriden, Connecticut, for his expert help on illustrations and printing.

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The American Antiquarian Society and to Mr. Clifton K. Shipton, the director, who allowed us to borrow the Society’s copy of the microfilm edition of the Adams Papers.

Mrs. Frank E. Harris, superintendent of the Adams National Historic Site (“the Old House”) at Quincy, administered by the National Park Service, for her aid, especially on matters concerning the Adams library (the “Stone Library”).

Professor Martin B. Duberman of Princeton University, the author of the recent, prize-winning biography of Charles Francis Adams, which always informed us. Some years ago Professor Duberman began editing the diary of Charles Francis Adams for The Adams Papers, and we found his preliminary work very useful.

Mrs. Jane N. Garrett for preparing lists of the Adams family books at the Boston Athenaeum.

Mrs. Elizabeth E. Butterfield, Mrs. Harriet R. Cabot, and Miss Jean Willcutt, of the Adams Papers staff, who transcribed this portion of the diary from the manuscripts.

Miss Lilly Lavarello, Secretary to the History Department of the Johns Hopkins University, and Mrs. Ann Harkins, who typed portions of the Introduction.