Brawley and Carpenter families collection
Scope and Content
The Brawley Collection contains a private journal of Henry B. Brawley dating from 1867 to 1871. The journal contains daily records of weather conditions and work activities on the farm in Ames Township. The first six pages list his purchases and items sold in 1867 and 1868 and lists accounts held with Hardin and Nimrod Goen, Austin Smith, Samuel Weaver, and Aaron Dunfer. The last page contains an inventory of property owned as of 1867.
Several loose articles in the journal include a "Programme of the Ohio Methodist Church," 1870; two short memos from Brawley, 1847; three court summons written by Brawley, 1845 - 1846; and, an abstract of the enumeration of the youth between the ages of five and 21 in Ames Township, September 1869.
The Collection also contains an attendance record of the schools taught by Maria Brawley. It includes student names, attendances and absences from 1854 - 1859. The names of the schools are not provided. There is a short passage written by Maria indicating her previous teaching positions.
Finally, the Collection contains a bound "Moss Rose" autograph album belonging to Ann Carpenter. The album was published by J.C. Riker and contains five multi-colored sketches of various flowers. The album has 32 entries covering the period 1855 - 1866. These include autographs of students at Ohio University and friends of Carpenter. Most autographs include a short poem or famous quote. An entry by Dr. Gabrielle Miesse of Greenville, OH reads, "This day at 4:00 a.m. the southerners commenced battle against the laws of the Constitution of the U.S."
Dates
- Creation: 1854 – 1871
Language of Materials
The records are in English.
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open under the rules and regulations of the Ohio University Libraries.
Conditions Governing Use
Ohio University retains all property rights to the collection.
Ohio University retains all copyrights unless retained by the donor, other correspondents, or other artists.
Biography of the Brawleys and Carpenters
Henry Baltzer Brawley was born in Brownsville, PA on December 19, 1806. His widowed mother came with her four sons to Ohio and settled in what is now Ames Township, Athens County. Brawley married Elizabeth McCune in Amesville on October 31, 1833. They had four children, Edward H., Maria E., John P., and M. Kate. Elizabeth died in Amesville on June 22, 1863 after 30 years of marriage.
Henry Brawley, in addition to being a farmer, served as Justice of the Peace of Ames Township for one term in 1840. He was a devout and active member of the Amesville Methodist Episcopal Church and he was well known for his outstanding integrity and kindness. He died in Amesville on June 5, 1879.
Maria E. Brawley, the daughter of Henry and Elizabeth, was born in Ames Township in 1837. She began teaching school at the age of fifteen in Sharpsburg in the "Possum Schoolhouse." At the age of seventeen she left that school and taught elsewhere in the township.
Ann Elizabeth Carpenter was born in Canaan, Athens county, Ohio in 1837 of Harvey and Abbie (Arnold) Carpenter. She married Charles Henry Brown on April 7, 1867 and died six months later on October 23, 1867 at the age of 30.
Extent
0.3 cubic feet
Abstract
Personal journal, notes, school attendance record, and autograph album owned by the families.
Statement of Arrangement
This collection remains in its original arrangement.
Acquisition Information
The Ohio University Archives received the collection as a gift from Dr. Paul Krauss in 1949.
Existence and Location of Copies
Ohio University will entertain requests to photocopy reasonable amounts of material from the collection for the convenience of individual researchers.
Description Note
Original, legacy collection inventories may contain inaccuracies or be incomplete. Collection descriptions may change or be updated as they are verified. Please contact Mahn Center staff if you note any errors or discrepancies.
Subject
- Brawley family (Person)
- Carpenter family (Person)
- Brawley, Henry Baltzer (Person)
- Brown, Ann Carpenter (Person)
- Brawley, Maria E. (Person)
- Title
- Finding aid for the Brawley and Carpenter families collection
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Carolyn Copper in 1985
- Date
- 2020
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English
- Sponsor
- The finding aid was converted into EAD with funding support from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.
Revision Statements
- 5 January 2024: Subjects and other notes added from ALICE MARC records and Mahn Center Microsoft Office finding aids by Ohio University Libraries Metadata Services Department Python scripts.
Repository Details
Part of the Mahn Center for Archives and Special Collections Repository
