Collection Summary
John Russell Young Papers
circa 1840-1959
1858-1898
circa 1840-1959
1858-1898
MSS46854
Young, John Russell, 1841-1899
28,000 items
46 containers plus 1 oversize
12.4 linear feet
3 microfilm reels
English
Collection material in English
Manuscript Division, Library of Congress
Washington, D.C.
Journalist, editor, diplomat, and
Librarian of Congress. Correspondence, diaries, writings, biography with annotations,
Dow family papers, scrapbook, photographs, and other papers relating primarily to
Young’s career as a journalist and association with Ulysses S. Grant.
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
Alexander, Edward Porter, 1835-1910--Correspondence.
Arthur, Chester Alan, 1829-1886--Correspondence.
Beecher, Henry Ward, 1813-1887--Correspondence.
Bryce, James Bryce, Viscount, 1838-1922--Correspondence.
Chase, Salmon P. (Salmon Portland), 1808-1873--Correspondence.
Clemens, Samuel Langhorne, 1835-1910--Correspondence.
Conkling, Roscoe, 1829-1888--Correspondence.
Cooke, Jay, 1821-1905--Correspondence.
Daly, Augustin, 1838-1899--Correspondence.
Dana, Charles A. (Charles Anderson), 1819-1897--Correspondence.
Dickens, Charles, 1812-1870--Correspondence.
Dow family.
Eisenhower, Dwight D. (Dwight David), 1890-1969--Correspondence.
Emerson, Ralph Waldo, 1803-1882--Correspondence.
Forney, John W. (John Wien), 1817-1881--Correspondence.
Garfield, James A. (James Abram), 1831-1881--Correspondence.
George, Henry, 1839-1897--Correspondence.
Gordon, James B. (James Byron), 1822-1864--Correspondence.
Grant, Ulysses S. (Ulysses Simpson), 1822-1885--Correspondence.
Grant, Ulysses S. (Ulysses Simpson), 1822-1885.
Greeley, Horace, 1811-1872--Correspondence.
Harrison, Benjamin, 1833-1901--Correspondence.
Hay, John, 1838-1905--Correspondence.
Holmes, Oliver Wendell, 1809-1894--Correspondence.
Howard, O. O. (Oliver Otis), 1830-1909--Correspondence.
Howells, William Dean, 1837-1920--Correspondence.
Latrobe, Osmun--Correspondence.
Li, Hongzhang, 1823-1901.
Longfellow, Charles Appleton--Correspondence.
Lowell, James Russell, 1819-1891--Correspondence.
McCook, Anson G. (Anson George), 1835-1917--Correspondence.
McKinley, William, 1843-1901--Correspondence.
Mills, Stephen Crosby, Mrs.--Correspondence.
Morgan, Edwin D. (Edwin Denison), 1811-1883--Correspondence.
Phillips, Wendell, 1811-1884--Correspondence.
Reid, Whitelaw, 1837-1912--Correspondence.
Schurz, Carl, 1829-1906--Correspondence.
Sheridan, Philip Henry, 1831-1888--Correspondence.
Sherman, William T. (William Tecumseh), 1820-1891--Correspondence.
Sickles, Daniel Edgar, 1819-1914--Correspondence.
Smith, Hoke, 1855-1931--Correspondence.
Stanley, Henry M. (Henry Morton), 1841-1904--Correspondence.
Sumner, Charles, 1811-1874--Correspondence.
Taylor, Bayard, 1825-1878--Correspondence.
Watterson, Henry, 1840-1921--Correspondence.
White, Andrew Dickson, 1832-1918--Correspondence.
Young, Dorothy Mills--Correspondence.
Young, G. R. (Gordon Russell), 1891- --Correspondence.
Young, John Russell, 1840-1899.
Young, Mary Dow Davids. Mary Dow Davids Young correspondence and
diaries.
Organizations
Library of Congress--Officials and employees.
United States Military Academy--Students.
Subjects
Journalism--United States.
Voyages around the world--History--19th century.
Places
United States--Politics and government--19th century.
Occupations
Diplomats.
Editors.
Journalists.
Librarians of Congress.
Acquisition Information
The papers of John Russell Young, journalist, editor, diplomat, and Librarian of
Congress, were given to the Library of Congress by his wife, Mary Dow Davids Young,
their son, G. R. Young, and his wife, Dorothy Mills Young, 1924-1927. Additional
material was given by the District of Columbia Public Library, Washington, D.C., 1937.
Some items from the initial accessions were transferred after their receipt to the
papers of Ulysses S. Grant.
Processing History
A portion of the Young Papers was processed in and bound in 1925. Other portions were
arranged and described in 1965-1967, with additional material incorporated into the
collection in 1978. The finding aid was revised in 2010 by Roger Preston and Lloyd
Dunlap. The finding aid was updated in 2024 by Maria Farmer as part of a division-wide
remediation project by the Inclusive Description Working Group.
Related Material
The papers of [Ulysses S.
Grant] in the Manuscript Division include material removed from the Young
collection and placed in Series I, Subseries B of the Grant Papers. The items may be
identified by the notation “AC.2994" placed in the lower right-hand corner of each
page.
Copyright Status
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of John Russell Young is governed by
the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.).
Access and Restrictions
The papers of John Russell Young 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.
Microfilm
A microfilm edition of part of these papers is available on three reels. Consult a
reference librarian in the Manuscript Division concerning availability for purchase or
interlibrary loan
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information:
Container or reel number, John Russell Young Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of
Congress, Washington, D.C.
Biographical Note
Date
Event
1840, Nov. 20
Born, Dunnamanna, County Tyrone, Ireland
1841
Emigrated to U. S. with parents
1856
Apprenticed to printing office in Philadelphia, Pa.
1861
Private secretary to John W. Forney, Washington, D.C.
Published first account of Battle of Bull Run
1862
One of the founders of Union League of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa.
1864
Joined staff of General Nathaniel Prentiss Banks, Red River Campaign
1865
Established
Morning Post
Joined firm of Jay Cooke & Co.
1866
1869
Managing editor,
New York Tribune
Admitted to New York bar
1869
1870
Founded
New York Standard
1870
Special agent of the secretary of the treasury in Europe.
1871
Sent to Europe on confidential mission by Secretary of State Hamilton Fish
1872
In Paris, France, where he joined the
New York Herald
1877
In London, England, where he joined Ulysses S. Grant on world tour
1879
Published
Around the World with General Grant
1882
1885
United States minister to China
1888
Sent to London, England, to establish an English edition of
New York Herald
1891
Director, Union League of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa.
1897
Appointed Librarian of Congress
1899, Jan. 17
Died, Washington, D.C.
Scope and Content Note
The papers of John Russell Young (1840-1899) span the years circa 1840-1959, with the
bulk from 1858 to 1898. The collection includes the [correspondence](gencorres2) and [diaries](diary) of Young and his wife, Mary Dow
Davids Young; writings; [biography](bioyoung) with annotations; a [scrapbook](scrap); photographs, and other papers relating chiefly to
Young’s career as a journalist. There is [Dow family](dowfampap) correspondence from the 1840s through the 1880s,
including correspondence, 1918-1920, to Lilian Lucille (Lee) Mills (Mrs. Stephen Crosby
Mills) from Dorothy Mills (Young), the future wife of Young’s son, G. R. Young. The [General Correspondence](gencorres1)
of John Russell Young relates primarily to political and journalist matters. A topic of
particular significance in the series is a visit to the United States in 1896 of Chinese
leader Hongzhang Li.
As a result of his tour around the world with ex-President Ulysses S. Grant, John
Russell Young was able to obtain many originals of Grant’s incoming and some outgoing
correspondence. This material has been removed from the Young Papers and incorporated
into the Grant Papers also available in the Manuscript Division.
The [Special
Correspondence and Miscellany](specorrmiscel) series includes three volumes of mounted
manuscripts. The first volume contains twenty-three items from Grant to Young, November
15, 1870-August 25, 1883 and undated. The second volume contains correspondence,
September 26, 1864-November 4, 1895, with Henry Ward Beecher, Charles Dickens, Ralph
Waldo Emerson, Charles Appleton Longfellow, James Russell Lowell, Wendell Phillips,
Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894), and others. The third volume relates to a planned
meeting in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania in 1893 and letters of reply to Young from Edward
Porter Alexander, James B. Gordon, O. O. Howard, William Dean Howells, Osmun Latrobe,
Hoke Smith, Anson G. McCook, Daniel Edward Sickles, and others.
The [Addition](addit) includes
letters from Dwight D. Eisenhower to Dorothy Mills Young when he was at the United
States Military Academy.
Other correspondents include Chester Alan Arthur; James Bryce, viscount Bryce; Salmon
P. Chase; Samuel Langhorne Clemens; Roscoe Conkling; Jay Cooke; Augustin Daly; Charles
A. Dana; John W. Forney; James A. Garfield; Henry George; Horace Greeley; Benjamin
Harrison; John Hay; William McKinley; Edwin D. Morgan; Whitelaw Reid; Carl Schurz;
Philip Henry Sheridan; William T. Sherman; Henry M. Stanley; Bayard Taylor; Henry
Watterson; and Andrew Dickson White.
Arrangement of the Papers
This collection is arranged in eleven series:
-
[General Correspondence,
1854-1898](gencorres1)
-
[Biography of Young](bioyoung)
-
[Press Clippings, 1854](presclip)
-
[Miscellany, 1877-1879](miscella)
-
[General Correspondence,
1897-1920](gencorres2)
-
[Special Correspondence
and Miscellany, 1864-1899](specorrmiscel)
-
[Dow Family Papers, circa
1840-1890](dowfampap)
-
[Diaries of John Russell Young
and Mary Dow Davids Young, 1865-1923](diary)
-
[Scrapbook, 1843-1850](scrap)
-
[Addition, 1890-1959](addit)
-
[Oversize](overs)
Container List
Container
Contents
1-25
General Correspondence, 1854-1898
1854-1898
Letters sent and received.
Arranged chronologically.
1
1854, Dec. 12-1863, Aug. 12
1854, Dec.
12-1863, Aug. 12
2
1863, Aug. 20-1865, Nov. 8
1863, Aug. 20-1865,
Nov. 8
3
1865, Nov. 19-1867, Mar. 20
1865, Nov. 19-1867,
Mar. 20
4
1867, Mar. 22-1868, Jan. 23
1867, Mar. 22-1868,
Jan. 23
5
1868, Feb. 1-1868, Aug. 30
1868, Feb. 1-1868,
Aug. 30
6
6 1868, Aug. 31-1869, Jan. 15
6 1868, Aug.
31-1869, Jan. 15
7
7 1869, Jan. 16-1869, July 19
7 1869, Jan.
16-1869, July 19
8
8 1869, July 20-1873, Mar. 25
8 1869, July
20-1873, Mar. 25
9
9 1873, Mar. 27-1875, Jan. 16
9 1873, Mar.
27-1875, Jan. 16
10
1875, Jan. 18-1878, Aug. 18
1875, Jan.
18-1878, Aug. 18
11
1878, Aug.-1879, July 7
1878, Aug.-1879,
July 7
12
1879, July 8-1880, Jan. 1
1879, July 8-1880,
Jan. 1
13
1880, Jan. 8-1880, Dec. 27
1880, Jan. 8-1880,
Dec. 27
14
1880, Dec. 28-1882. Mar. 8
1880, Dec.
28-1882. Mar. 8
15
1882, Mar. 9-1883, May 19
1882, Mar. 9-1883,
May 19
16
1883, May 23-1884, Jan.10
1883, May 23-1884,
Jan.10
17
1884, Jan. 12-1885, June 4?
1884, Jan. 12-1885,
June 4?
18
1885, June 5-1889, Jan. 10
1885, June 5-1889,
Jan. 10
19
1889, Jan. 17-1890, Oct. 13
1889, Jan. 17-1890,
Oct. 13
19A
1890, Oct. 2-1890, Oct. 10
1890, Oct. 2-1890,
Oct. 10
20
1890, Oct. 14-1891, Dec. 20
1890, Oct. 14-1891,
Dec. 20
21
1891, Dec. 21-1893, Feb. 19
1891, Dec. 21-1893,
Feb. 19
22
1893, Feb. 20-1896, Aug. 17
1893, Feb.
20-1896, Aug. 17
23
1896, Aug. 20-1898, Jan. 3
1896, Aug. 20-1898,
Jan. 3
24
1898, Jan. 5-1898, Dec. 28, undated
1898, Jan. 5-1898,
Dec. 28, undated
25
Undated
Undated
26-29
Biography of Young
Annotated and corrected typescript of “John Russell Young, His Life and
Correspondence.”
Arranged in bound volumes.
26
Vol. 1
27
Vol. 2
28
Vol. 3
29
Vol. 4
30
Press Clippings, 1854
1854
Bound volume of clippings titled “The Press of the U.S. on the Letter Written by
Horace Greeley in 1854 to [William H.] Seward When They Were Whigs.”
30
“The Press of the U.S. on the Letter Written by
Horace Greeley in 1854 to [William H.] Seward When They Were Whigs,” 1854
1954
31
Miscellany, 1877-1879
1877-1879
Bound volume including memorabilia and holograph text and corrected proofs
describing the world tour of Ulysses S. Grant in 1877-1879.
31
World tour with Ulysses S. Grant, memorabilia
and written account by Young, 1877-1879
1877-1879
32
General Correspondence, 1897-1920
1897-1920
Correspondence of Young and his wife, Mary Dow Davids Young, and of his
daughter-in-law, Dorothy Mills Young, and her mother and their family.
Arranged chronologically within the two groups.
32
Young, John Russell and Mary Dow Davids,
1897, Jan. 29-1908, Aug. 30
1897, Jan.
29-1908, Aug. 30
32
Young, Dorothy Mills, and others, 1918,
Feb. 24-1920, Apr. 25, undated
Feb. 24-1920, Apr.
25, undated
33
Special Correspondence and
Miscellany, 1864-1899
1864-1899
Bound volumes of correspondence addressed to Young from Ulysses S. Grant,
1870-1883; by literary figures of the period, 1864-1895; concerning a reunion at
Gettysburg, Pa., in 1893; and miscellaneous letters, 1890-1899. Also invitations
and photographs.
Organized by topic or type of material.
33
“Autograph Letters from Charles Dickens and
Others,” 1864-1895
1864-1895
33
“Autograph Letters of General Grant,”
1870-1883
1870-1883
33
“Souvenir of a Reunion at Gettysburg,”
Gettysburg, Pa., Apr. 28, 1893
Apr. 28, 1893
33
Miscellaneous letters and cards, 1890-1899
1890-1899
33
Invitation to decoration of Grant’s Tomb, New
York, N.Y., and miscellaneous photographs, 1877-1886
1877-1886
34-35
Dow Family Papers, circa 1840-1890
circa 1840-1890
Correspondence, journals and a diary, financial material, photographs, and
miscellaneous items.
Arranged in two sets and therein by type of material
34
Set I
34
Correspondence
34
Diary, James G. Dow
34
Envelopes and notes
34
Financial and school papers
34
Journals and diary, Mrs. James G.
Dow
34
Photographs
34
Printed matter
35
Set II
35
Correspondence
35
Memorial of James G. Dow
35
Poetry and miscellany
36-39
1-3
Diaries of John Russell Young and Mary
Dow Davids Young, 1865-1923
1865-1923
Diaries of Young and his wife.
Arranged in separate groups.
36
1-2
Young, John Russell
37
2-3
1865, 1868-1870, 1872-1873, 1875-1880, 1883, 1886
1865, 1868-1870,
1872-1873, 1875-1880, 1883, 1886
38
2-3
1887-1893, 1896-1898
1887-1893,
1896-1898
38
2-3
Young, Mary Dow Davids 1887-1893,
1896-1898
1887-1893,
1896-1898
38
2-3
1891-1892, 18978, 1901, 1906-1912, 1914-1916
1891-1892,
18978, 1901, 1906-1912, 1914-1916
39
1917-1923
1917-1923
40
Scrapbook, 1843-1850
1843-1850
Newspaper clippings.
40
Newspaper clippings, circa
1843-1850
circa
1843-1850
41-45
Addition, 1890-1959
1890-1959
Correspondence and miscellany.
Arranged by type of material.
41
Letters to John Russell Young,
1890-1892
1890-1892
41
Letters to Dorothy Mills, from Dwight D.
Eisenhower, Paul A. Hodgson, and George Fenn Lewis, 1914-1915, undated
1914-1915, undated
41
Letters from Gordon Russell Young to Mary Dow
Davids ( his mother), 1917-1919, undated
1917-1919, undated
41
Correspondence, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Dorothy
Mills Young, 1955-1959
1955-1959
41
Miscellany, 1919-1951, undated
1919-1951, undated
41
Clippings
41
Programs
41
Photographs
41
Certificates and awards [
See Oversize
](con41certawardov)
42-43
Young, Gordon Russell
42-43
Correspondence, memoranda, photographs, and
speeches
44
Correspondence with his mother, Mary Dow
Davids Young, 1908-1923
1908-1923
45
Published books
45
Around the World with General Grant by Young.
45
The Innocents by Sinclair Lewis.
45
Men and Memories by John Russell Young
(2 vols).
45
Our Mr. Wrenn by Sinclair Lewis.
45
The Prince of India by Lew Wallace
(2 vols.)
45
The Second Division
45
Unpublished writing, Pettit, H. W., “Life and
Adventures of Theophilis Bird, A. D.”
OV 1
Oversize
Certificates and awards.
Arranged and described according to the series and container from which the items
were removed.
OV 1
Miscellany
OV 1
Certificates and awards (Container
41)