johnson rare books & archives, ABAA (4 results)

A small archive of 25 postcards sent in 1933 to Missouri State Senator Carl J. Henry, urging him to support the "local option" on the issue of prohibition of alcohol. Also included is a political postcard, urging a vote for Henry as state representative on the Democratic ticket. The 3 1/4 by 5 1/2 inch postcards are uniformly printed with unique handwritten and typed messages from constituents in Clinton, Missouri. All are dated December 4, 1933, the eve of the repeal of the 18th Amendment. "As one of your constituents living in a county that voted 'dry' by a strong majority, I humbly request that you give such counties the justice that rightfully belongs to them," one Mrs. Brownell wrote. In 1887, Missouri's legislature adopted a local option law and within 19 months, 61 of the state's 114 counties voted dry. Another 35 voted dry in the years that followed. Despite the adoption of the 21st Amendment, Missouri law still allowed the local option. However, the state soon thereafter adopted liquor control laws that superseded local law. Today, Missouri has no dry jurisdictions and it has become known as one of the least restrictive states when it comes to alcohol regulation. Some light toning to the postcards; else very good or better.

Seller Inventory # 64652

An archive of family letters written to Gratia Turnbull Fuller Blake during the mid-19th century covering a wide range of historic topics including the U.S. Civil War, slavery, yellow fever, and a legal dispute over land in New York City. Born in Lawrence, Ohio, Gratia married Cincinnattus Blake (1830-1918), a farmer, Union soldier, and Sheriff of Gallipolis, Ohio, in 1857. Together, they raised six sons. This archive contains a six-page letter Gratia received from her sister-in-law, Mary B Fuller. Mary's husband (Gratia's brother) was Captain Emilius Fuller (1815-63), a Confederate Army officer, commander of the St. Martin Rangers Company Infantry in Louisiana, and captain of a boat called the Queen of the West. He was seriously wounded and taken prisoner when his boat was destroyed in Bayou Teche on April 14, 1863. He was transferred to Johnson's Island, Ohio, where he died on July 25. In her letter dated December 15, 1867, Mary's bitter feelings about slavery and the war are still fresh. "I have the most of my work to do myself. I prefer doing it rather than have a free trifling negress around me. Their impudence I cannot ensure," she wrote from her home in St. Martinsville, Louisiana. "They are free as they may stave with their freedom for all I care. I can have a woman by feeding her of giving her a cabin or a room to sleep in and that would cost me less than when I owned them, for then we had to clothe, feed and take care of them when sick. Many of them are getting their eyes opened and say they have had no good times since the Yankees came among them." Along with their personal losses, Mary's family is concerned about an outbreak of yellow fever. Her son, James, wrote to his Aunt Gratia on October 26, 1867 about "yellow jack" which caused 1/3 of the St. Martinsville population to flee: "133 names are published of the victims and except for one or two - they all died since September 11 and about 2/3 of the names only are given which would swell the mortuary list to about 200." An undated letter from her sister-in-law, Julia (Blake) Eaton (1836-1927), includes a negative report of her visit to Cincinnati: "I saw too much suffering while there to feel very happy. I saw a great many of the poor fellows that were wounded at Pittsburgh carried off the steamboats. Poor fellows. God help them." This collection contains 15 letters written in 1856-58 by Cincinnatis to Gratia before they were married. In October 1856, he wrote about all he is doing to yield a living from his Ohio farmlands in order tomake a home for his future bride: "If I do not buy a house, I shall have to build such as my means will allow. I shall have to earn part of the money if not raise my wagon cover and live under it. If my hut is of cornstalks and brush, I shall be happy if Gratia will share it with me." Another group of nine letters was written by Cincinnatis to Gratia in 1877-78 when he was running a steamboat operation, taking potatoes from his farm in Ohio to market in New Orleans along with other goods such as coal picked up along the way. "No good news to speak of and a great deal of bad news," he wrote on November 10, 1878. "Lost the big boat Trowbridge have only the small boat Blake left us. We can only run a part of a day or night at a time the wind is blowing now . the wind blew so hard that the waves came over the side splashboards . I think this is my last March trip forever and if we get this one down safe, I think it a miracle." The collection includes three other letters written to his "boys" and the family during this period. Another group of letters in this archive are related to the ongoing dispute over property in New York with a branch of Cincinnatus Blake's family known as the "Brower heirs". His sister, Visalia, wrote on March 4, 1867 urging him to join other members of the family to cooperatively hire an attorney to pursue their rights: "We will proceed to enter into a contract with the lawyer whom we have selected as our council b.

Seller Inventory # 72110

An archive of hundreds of letters, bills, receipts, and other legal documents from the family of Academy Award-winning actress Jane Fonda dating from 1786 to 1880. This branch of the Fonda family traces its roots back to New York in 1651 when Jellis Fonda migrated from the Netherlands with his wife and four children. His grandson, Douw Jellis Fonda (1700-1780), is considered the founder of the Dutch village now named Fonda about 30 miles west of Albany. He lived a long and prosperous life as a farmer and merchant but was killed at age 79 during a raid by the British Army, aided by the Mohawk Indians. This collection includes two early hand-drawn property maps of some of the Fonda-owned lands. One of the undated maps, completed for John Fonda, shows part of Mayfield with lots drawn and numbered. The second map, also undated, shows acreage for the heirs of A. Fonda, except 150 acres sold to John C. Smith and 100 acres sold to David and Samuel Loomis. The earliest material in this collection is connected to Douw Jellis Fonda's six children and grandchildren following the American Revolution. They were leaders in their community, serving as judges, state elected officials, and military officers. There are five handwritten legal documents signed by various members of the family related to the payment of bonds associated with the appointment of loan officers and treasury officials for Montgomery County between 1786 and 1792. At the conclusion of the war, the New York Legislature passed laws placing taxes on land and personal estates of all inhabitants in order to defray war expenses, discharge its debts, and support the state government. Supervisors of each county appointed individuals to "superintend" the raising of taxes within their respective counties. These documents include: April 19, 1786 three-page document signed by Judge Jellis Fonda on pages two and three, concerning a 12,000-pound bond for the appointment of Peter Schuyler as one of the Montgomery County loan officers May 9, 1786 document of three pages concerning Jellis Fonda's bond in the amount of 12,000 pounds for the appointment of his son Douw Fonda as one of the Montgomery County loan officers January 8, 1787 document of one and a half pages concerning Adam Fonda's bond in the amount of 5,000 pounds providing surety for Douw Fonda as treasurer of Montgomery County June 29, 1791 one-page document signed by Adam Fonda and Douw Fonda, providing 4,000 pounds as surety for John Yates to be the treasurer of Montgomery County May 2, 1792 document of two and a quarter pages signed by Douw Fonda, Adam Fonda, and John Fonda, providing a 9,400 pounds surety bond for Douw Fonda as a Montgomery County loan officer This collection also includes a group of documents associated with Henry Fonda (1766-1828), who fought in the War of 1812 and was appointed Brigadier General of the 11th Infantry in 1820. During 1807, 1816, and 1819, he was a member of the New York State Legislature, representing the Fourth Senatorial District of Tryon County. This collection includes two printed broadsides headed "Brigade Orders" issued by him calling regiments to rendezvous and parade "for military exercise and improvement" in 1826 and 1828. There are also 20 handwritten bills and receipts dating from 1792 to 1824 for various items he purchased ranging from flannel to gin, and three holographic legal documents for funds he was owed. An additional four letters in the collection were written to Henry, addressed variously as major, colonel, and general, dating from 1813 to 1828. Among them is a three-page letter from Daniel Cockstock dated March 6, 1826, contemplating the impacts of various new stage routes in the region. Another group of more than 120 letters, receipts, and other documents is connected to Henry's brother, Peter Fonda (1802-74), who was a merchant and hotel keeper, ran a stagecoach for a period, worked as a contractor, and helped build roads in the community. There are several letters.

Seller Inventory # 73244

An archive of research and writing materials gathered for a biography of Ormer Locklear, the daredevil aerial stuntman who was the first to change planes mid-air and died while filming the silent movie The Skywayman (1920). It took more than a decade for author Art Ronnie to research Locklear's life and find a publisher for his book, Locklear: The Man Who Walked on Wings (1973). Born in Greenville, Texas, Locklear (1891-1920) became fascinated with flying when aviation pioneer Calbraith Perry Rodgers landed in a Fort Worth field to unclog a fuel line. With his brothers, Locklear built gliders and later, learned to fly after joining the U.S. Army Air Force in 1917, eventually becoming a flight instructor. He left the Army in 1919 and with two colleagues, joined show promoter and manager William Pickens to form an aerial circus before he was recruited for the silver screen. In his personal life, Locklear married Ruby Graves in 1915, but they separated in 1919 and thereafter she refused to grant him a divorce. After moving to Hollywood, he became involved with silent screen actress Viola Dana, who was at the airfield the night of the accident and witnessed his death. One of the key items in this archive is a scarce, original poster for Locklear's first feature film, The Great Air Robbery (Universal, 1919). After watching one of Locklear's aerial circus shows, Carl Laemmle signed Locklear to a series of motion pictures. In this movie Locklear played Larry Cassidy, a pilot for the U.S. Air Mail Service, who defends a shipment of $20,000 in gold from the villainous clutches of the evil Chester Van Arland (Ray Ripley). The film made use of all the stunts that had made Locklear a household name as a barnstormer. The picture was a hit, and Locklear was well on his way to a fabulous career on the silver screen. The stone lithographic posters measures 27" x 41" and features a portrait of the daring aviator. It is archivally framed with an acid-free mount and UV plexiglass. This film and The Skywayman are both considered "lost films" as no known prints exists in archives. This archive also includes more than 300 hundred negatives and photographs of Locklear's short life and career that were collected by Art Ronnie from Locklear family members, newspapers, movie studios, and historical societies. Included among them is a framed 8" x 10" black-and-white photograph that is signed by Locklear who is wearing his military uniform. A second framed photograph from his Hollywood days includes a signature framed below the photo. Neither of these images have been inspected outside the frame. Ronnie was a meticulous record keeper. This archive includes copies of letters the author wrote to Locklearfamily members, friends, film studios, libraries, and historical societies. It includes two expandable folders containing copies of the more than 300 letters Ronnie wrote researching the book, with the recipients' responses attached. He began his research in 1961 while working at the Los Angeles Herald Examiner, using the newspaper's stationary with the intention of writing a magazine piece on spec. After the initial article was published, he decided to pursue a book and many of his later letters reflect the struggle to find a publisher. By 1962, he is using Twentieth Century Fox Television letterhead after having switched careers to be a publicist with the network. Among the early letters Ronnie wrote is one to Locklear's sister, Anita Mae Locklear, who still lived in the family's hometown of Fort Worth, Texas. "Would you please write down anything you recall about Ormer - his personality, his motorcycling and racing days, any amusing anecdotes, his first desires to fly, his decision to come to Hollywood and his funeral, which I understand was one of the largest ever held in Fort Worth." In her return letter, Anita shared a few facts: "He was flying with Pickens Flying Circus when the studio was interested and signed him up for the pictures." Ronnie appear.

Seller Inventory # 74692