Collection Summary
William Sydney Thayer
Papers
1835-1901
(bulk 1835-1895)
1835-1901
(bulk 1835-1895)
MSS42689
Thayer, William Sydney,
1830-1864
600 items
3 containers
1.2 linear feet
English
Collection material in
English
Manuscript Division, Library of
Congress
Washington, D.C.
Newspaper
correspondent, editor, and United States consul general in Egypt.
Correspondence, dispatches, journals, essays, addresses, poems, clippings,
printed matter, photographs, and memorabilia dealing primarily with Thayer's
activities in Nicaragua and Egypt.
Selected Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
People
Banks, Nathaniel Prentiss, 1816-1894.
Bigelow, John, 1817-1911--Correspondence.
Dainese, Francis--Correspondence.
Hale, Charles, 1831-1882--Correspondence.
Kinney, Henry Lawrence, 1814-1961 or 1965--Correspondence.
Thayer family--Correspondence.
Thayer family.
Thayer, Abijah Wyman, 1796-1864--Correspondence.
Thayer, James Bradley, 1831-1902--Correspondence.
Thayer, Sarah S.--Correspondence.
Thayer, William Sydney, 1830-1864.
Subjects
Diplomatic and consular service, American--Egypt.
Genealogy.
Places
Egypt--Foreign relations--United States.
Nicaragua--Foreign relations--United States.
Nicaragua--History--Filibuster War, 1855-1860.
United States--Foreign relations--Egypt.
United States--Foreign relations--Nicaragua.
Occupations
Diplomats.
Editors.
Journalists.
Provenance
The papers of William Sydney Thayer, newspaper correspondent, editor,
and United States consul general in Egypt, were given to the Library of
Congress by David Rankin Barbee in 1952.
Processing History
The collection was processed in 1952. The finding aid was revised in
2009.
Other Repositories
The main portion of the Thayer collection, dated 1835-1895, has been
microfilmed by the University of Virginia Libraries, Charlottesville, Va.
Copyright Status
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of William Sydney
Thayer is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17,
U.S.C.).
Access and Restrictions
The papers of William Sydney Thayer are open to research. Researchers
are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many
collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these
items for research use.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the
following information: Container number, William Sydney Thayer Papers,
Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Biographical Note
William Sydney Thayer, 1830-1864, was the son of Abijah Wyman Thayer
and Susan Bradley Thayer of Haverhill, Massachusetts. He graduated from Harvard
University in 1850, delivering the commencement poem on that occasion, and
joined the staff of the
New York Evening Post
about 1852. In 1855, he accompanied Colonel Henry Lawrence Kinney on
his expedition to Nicaragua, and was one of the principal actors in that
enterprise. He renewed his connection with the
Evening Post
upon his return from Nicaragua and served as associate editor of the
paper until his resignation in April 1861. Appointed consul general of the
United States at Egypt, he remained at his post until his death in Cairo in
April 1864.
Scope and Content Note
The papers of William Sydney Thayer (1830-1864) span the years
1835-1901, with the bulk from 1835 to 1895. The collection consists of
correspondence, dispatches, journals, essays, addresses, poems, clippings,
printed matter, photographs, and memorabilia dealing primarily with Thayer's
activities in Nicaragua and Egypt. Included is information on Henry Lawrence
Kinney and his 1855 Nicaraguan expedition, in which Thayer participated;
pamphlets relating to Nathaniel Prentiss Banks; Thayer family genealogy; and
papers and correspondence of family members James Bradley Thayer, Abijah Wyman
Thayer, and Sarah S. Thayer. Other correspondents include Francis Dainese,
Charles Hale, John Bigelow, and Kinney. An incomplete set of dispatches treats
Thayer’s service as consul general in Egypt, 1861-1863.
A supplement to the collection also contains letters from James
Bradley Thayer, Abijah Wyman Thayer, Francis Dainese, Charles Hale, and others.
With the exception of a few letters of political interest written prior to the
Civil War, the correspondence deals principally with the activities of Thayer
as consul in Egypt, the settlement of his estate, and Thayer family genealogy.
Included in the supplement are poems by William Sydney Thayer and Sarah S.
Thayer. Additional material consists of clippings of Thayer’s activities in
Egypt, notes and clippings concerning the Thayer family, addresses of James
Bradley Thayer, pamphlets relating to Nathaniel Prentiss Banks, photographs and
views, and mementoes.
The main portion of the Thayer collection, dated 1835-1895, has been
microfilmed by the University of Virginia at Charlottesville, and is organized
in the order in which it was filmed.
Arrangement of the Papers
This collection is arranged by type of material. The supplement is
arranged alphabetically by type of material.
Container List
Container
Contents
1
I. Obituary of Thayer; photographs
of Thayer from William Hunt’s replica, 1865; and photograph of Thayer, 1860.
1
II. Letters exchanged between
members of the Thayer family, 1835-1857, undated; Harvard University,
Cambridge, Mass., program, July 1850; and a few clippings, including a poem of
Thayer on “The Fountain of Youth,” published in the
National Era
.
1
III. Themes written by Thayer while
a student at Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
1
IV. Pamphlets on “The Kinney
Expedition” to Nicaragua; letters from Henry Lawrence Kinney and others;
stocks of the Nicaragua Land Mining Co.; and clippings relating to the
expedition, including a biographical sketch of Kinney.
1
V. Thayer’s special and regular
dispatches to the
New York Evening Post
as Washington, D.C., correspondent, 1860-1861; a few dispatches from
Newport, R.I.; also dispatches to the
London Times
. Clippings mounted on loose sheets.
1
VI. Letters, 1861-1864, including
some on John Bigelow’s sale of his stock in the
New York Evening Post
, 1861; clippings on Thayer’s appointment as consul general to Egypt;
an incomplete diary for 1861; and clippings about Egypt.
1
VII. A-B. Typed copy of Thayer’s
journal, 1852-1864. It comprises few entries for 1852-1853, and includes copies
of letters to members of his family for the years that he was in Egypt inserted
to cover the period when no entries were made. It is chiefly a journal on his
sojourn in Egypt.
(1
folder)
2
(1 folder)
2
VIII. Handwritten copies of
Thayer’s journal for 1861 by his sister.
2
IX. Incomplete set of dispatches,
1861-1863, from Thayer as consul general in Egypt. At the end of this group is
a copy of a dispatch from Francis Dainese reporting Thayer’s death in Apr.
1864.
2
X. Letters concerning the death and
grave of Thayer in Egypt and also the death of his father,
1864-1895
1864-1895
2
XI. Miscellaneous notes and
clippings concerning Thayer and his family,
undated
undated
2
XII. Duplicates of material,
principally typewritten carbon copies of Thayer’s journal.
3
Supplement
3
Clippings relating to Thayer’s
activities as vice-consul in Egypt,
1861-1864
1861-1864
3
Correspondence,
1851-1901, undated
1851-1901, undated
(3
folders)
3
Manuscript and printed poems by
Sarah S. Thayer and William Sidney Thayer
3
Miscellaneous pamphlets,
clippings, and related matter regarding Nathaniel Prentiss Banks
3
Pamphlets and related matter;
addresses of James Bradley Thayer
3
Photographs, views, and mementoes
3
Thayer family and genealogical
material, including manuscripts, pamphlets, and clippings