One of my personal favorite archival collections is the family papers of Mary Catherine Haughwout and Alonzo Butts of Mariners Harbor. Married in 1870, the young couple was often separated by Alonzo’s career as a seaman and oysterman. While he was away from home, working on ships along the Eastern seaboard, Mary wrote him heartfelt letters telling of life at home and her longing to see him again. This correspondence, along with letters written to family and friends, paints a portrait of daily life on Staten Island.

Among the letters in the collection is one that tells of a major political controversy of the time. We all remember the dispute over the 2000 U.S. Presidential election, but did you know that the year 1876 witnessed an equally contested and controversial event? Republican Rutherford B. Hayes ran against Democrat Samuel J. Tilden, and while Tilden clearly won the popular vote, the electoral vote was disputed in several states. Congress established an Electoral Commission to resolve the matter, and in the end, with the vote following party lines, Hayes was declared President of the United States.

On November 12, 1876, Mary wrote a letter to “Dear Sister and Friends,” giving her opinion of these events:

“I thought I would not write to you until I knew who was to be our President but as I don’t know when it will be decided I will not wait any longer. Did you ever know such a time I am afraid Tilden will be the one. Every thing went Democratic here, we have had some good meetings and processions here, I sat up until 12 o’clock one night to see a Republican procession pass and it was nice I can tell you. I saw a Democratic one pass too one evening but oh what a lot of rufscuffs if such a set are to rule I don’t know what the country will come to especially with Tilden for President, but we must leave it in God’s hands.”

The letter was written 135 years ago, but the concerns and sentiments it expresses could have just as easily been written (or tweeted) today. It reminds us that our modern-day debate over the value of the Electoral College vs. the popular vote is not so new after all.

- Maxine Friedman

Deciding What To Keep

To me, autumn has always seemed a good time for decluttering around the house.  Kids are going back to school, so they need room for new wardrobes and school supplies.  College students are heading back to campus.  The weather is cooling off enough that housework seems possible, and before you know it, we'll need space for all the holiday tchotchkes.  So, it's time to fill up a few trash bags and set aside some bins of “attic treasures” to give to charity.

In the museum world, decluttering is known as “deaccessioning.”  It's a structured process that we don't undertake lightly, and it prevents us from making impulsive decisions.  Our job is to save things that will have future value—not necessarily monetary value, but things that will give future generations a sense of the American experience from the 17^th century to today.  In your own home, you can choose to take some old Barbies to the trash, and you may regret it someday, but you won't have violated a public trust.  For museum curators, there's a little more pressure.

Some of the most fun and interesting objects in the collections at Historic Richmond Town are things that might well have been victims of decluttering, because they wouldn't necessarily seem like museum-quality specimens.  They somehow escaped that fate, either because they struck someone's fancy, or because someone was too lazy to get rid of them, or because they were connected to some fond memory.  One of our current exhibits, “Bringing Up Baby,” has things like silver spoons and rattles that are typically kept as keepsakes.  Even more importantly, it also displays things like baby bottles and battered little potty chairs—things that were part of everyday life, that weren't particularly “special.”

Today, we seem to upgrade more often, so we could easily drown in our household stuff if we didn't remember to send out the old as we bring in the new.   But, still... if we can find room, I think we should all keep just a few of those indispensable everyday items.  For instance, if anyone out there still has their first cell phone, please hang on to it. Someday, you (or your historical society) will be glad you did!

by Sarah Clark, 9/14/11