ALFRED LONGLEY:
An Inventory of His Family's Papers at the Minnesota Historical Society
Manuscripts Collection
OVERVIEW
| Creator: | Longley, Alfred, 1809-1851, creator. | |
| Title: | Alfred Longley and family papers, | |
| Dates: | 1832-1869. | |
| Abstract: | Letters to Alfred (1832-1854), primarily from his sister Mary Ann and her husband, Stephen R. Riggs, while missionaries to the Dakota Indians in Minnesota; love letters between Alfred and his future wife, Julia Read (1839-1841); and letters (1864-1869) to Julia from her son Charles in Tipton, Iowa, and other family members, with domestic and social news. | |
| Quantity: | 0.5 cubic feet (1 box), and 1 microfilm reel. | |
| Location: | P2442: See Detailed Description for shelf location |
SCOPE AND CONTENTS
Three series of letters received by Alfred Longley and his wife Julia, from his sister Mary Ann Longley and other family members. The Riggs letters are largely expressions of sentiment, religious doctrine, and personal advice. They also offer information on family affairs, missionary life, and Dakota language, customs, and forms of worship. Also available on microfilm.
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Availability:
The collection is open for research use.
Preferred Citation:
[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Alfred Longley and Family Papers. Minnesota Historical Society.
See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples
Accession Information:
Accession number: 7303; 11,617
Processing Information:
Processed by: Lydia Lucas, January 1993
Catalog ID number: 990017197660104294
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
| P2442 | Longley family correspondence, 1832-1851, 1854. 7 folders. | ||||||||||
| This series of letters was written mainly by Alfred's sister, Mary Ann Longley Riggs, while she was studying at Amherst and Ipswich, Massachusetts (1832-1834) and teaching at Bethlehem, Indiana (1835-1836); and by Mary and her husband Stephen Return Riggs, while missionaries to the Dakota Indians at Lake Harriet, Lac qui Parle, and Traverse des Sioux in Minnesota (1837-1854). Mary Ann was born (1813) in Hawley, Massachusetts, and married the Rev. Stephen R. Riggs in 1837. | |||||||||||
| The Riggs letters are largely expressions of sentiment, religious feelings, doctrines, and personal advice. They also offer information on family affairs; idioms of the "Hoosiers" (July 10, 1835); Mary's decision to accompany Riggs as a wife and "fellow Pilgrim" (1836-1837); Dakota attitudes towards missionaries; Dakota language, customs, forms of worship, and character as observed by the Riggses; comments on the Dakotas' problems with alcohol (Feb. 2, 1846); Stephen's feelings of inadequacy while preaching in the Dakota language (April 9, 1849); his opinions on the role and status of missionaries (March 19, 1838) and the discouragements inherent in missionary work (Feb. 27, 1847); and the contrast between the routine drudgery of a missionary wife and the hopes and aspirations of youth (Nov. 10, 1849). There are also letters from Alfred's parents, Thomas and Martha Longley of Hawley, Massachusetts, and from other brothers and sisters. | |||||||||||
| Alfred Longley and Julia Read correspondence, 1839-1841. 2 folders. | |||||||||||
| Love letters between Alfred and his future wife, Julia Read. They exemplify the ornamental language in common use at the time. | |||||||||||
| Charles A. Longley correspondence, 1864-1869. | |||||||||||
| Letters to Julia Read Longley from her son Charles A., of Tipton, Iowa, and from her stepchildren. They contain domestic and social news and include several school essays. | |||||||||||
| M615 | Alfred Longley and family papers, 1832-1869. 1 reel positive microfilm. 35 mm. | ||||||||||
| A microfilm copy of all of the original collection materials described above. The film is available on interlibrary loan. | |||||||||||
CATALOG HEADINGS
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.
- Topics:
- Dakota Indians -- Missions -- Minnesota.
- Dakota Indians -- Religion.
- Dakota Indians -- Social life and customs.
- Dakota language.
- Religion -- United States.
- Persons:
- Read, Julia.
- Riggs, Mary Ann Clark Longley, 1813-1869.
- Riggs, Stephen Return, 1812-1883.
- Organizations:
- American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. Lac Qui Parle Mission (Minn.).
- Places:
- Traverse (Minn.).
- Document Types:
- Love letters.
- Occupations:
- Missionaries.
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