Contents and Arrangement
Peter Pitchlynn Letter and William B. Pitchlynn Manuscript Fragment, 1871 May 19
Collection Overview
Collection Description & Creator Information
- Content Description
Consists of a letter written by Peter Pitchlynn addressed to his nephew William Boykin Pitchlynn, along with a fragment of an official Choctaw Nation document docketed at the top with William B. Pitchlynn's name.
The letter is dated May 19, 1871, and sent to Perryville, Choctaw Nation, from Washington, D.C., where Peter Pitchlynn was serving as the Choctaw delegate to the U.S. government. The letter is written in a different hand than Pitchlynn's signature that is signed beneath it. Pitchlynn also signed below his own handwritten postscript. In the letter, Pitchlynn makes multiple references to his allies and relations in the struggle for control of the Choctaw Council, with two mentions of Peter Folsom (1814-1885), along with three references to David Folsom Harkins (1828-1879). He also mentions that Cooper has been spreading lies, likely referring to Euro-American former Indian Agent Douglas H. Cooper.
The manuscript fragment has William B. Pitchlynn's name at the top (likely in his own hand) and the rest in manuscript by Edward Washington Folsom (1787-1885). It lists 1876 as the date.
Collection History
- Acquisition:
Purchased from Donald Lippincott in March 2025 (AM 2025-108).
- Appraisal
No material was separated during processing.
- Processing Information:
Items processed and described by Lauren C. Williams in June 2025, incorporating description provided by the dealer.
Access & Use
- Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research.
- Conditions Governing Use
Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.
- Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.
- Credit this material:
Peter Pitchlynn Letter and William B. Pitchlynn Manuscript Fragment; Princeton University Library Single Item Acquisitions, C1771, Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library
- Location:
-
Firestone LibraryOne Washington RoadPrinceton, NJ 08544, USA
- Storage Note:
- Firestone Library (mss)
- Boxes B-002124
