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The Archives read more …
The archives of the Working Men’s Institute are divided into two sections – the Branigin Archive and the Lilly Archive. The Branigin Archive was built in the 1970s. It houses the manuscripts collected from the Harmonist and Owen communal societies established at New Harmony, 1814-1827. It also contains items from the close of the Owen community in 1827 up to the present day including materials from the after-glow period when New Harmony was known as the “Athens on the Wabash” (1827-1900). Besides manuscripts, the Branigin Archive houses books on New Harmony and related subjects. The Lilly Archive was built in 1999. It is the repository for our rare book collection. It contains books from the libraries of William Maclure, David Dale Owen, Richard Owen, Robert Dale Owen and other important figures from New Harmony’s past. Starting with our oldest publication from1538, the books housed in the Lilly Archive are the finest in science, literature and history found in their day. Many of these books can be found in only a handful of libraries worldwide and often only on microfilm. Search the Archives
The archives are searchable in the following ways. · Use the online catalog Athena. If B SC is before the call number, the item is found in the Branigin Archive. If SC appears before the call number, the item is located in the Lilly Archive. · For items in the Branigin Archive consult the online finding aids. Finding AidsEach year, portions of the documents housed in the Branigin Archive are digitized. This has been made possible by funding from the LSTA Grant Program. Along with a searchable finding aid, the documents themselves are available online. For series or collections not yet digitized, an online finding aid is available.
New Harmony Series The New Harmony Series was first cataloged in the 1950s by Dr. Arthur Bester. Material was added in the 1970s by Josephine Mirabella Elliott. The remaining materials were cataloged in the last few years. The series are as follows. Finding aid and letters digitized. Letters concerning the New Harmony Community range from 1812-1871. Many are from key people in the Harmonist and Owen communities at New Harmony.
This is a subset of Series I and contains only letters between William Maclure and his long time friend and colleague, Madame Marie Duclos Fretegoet. The letters have been transcribed and annotated in Partnership for Posterity by Josephine Mirabella Elliott. Bibliographical information for this book may be found on Athena. The letters were microfilmed at the time Bestor catalogued them. Selected letters concerning education at New Harmony can be viewed on microfilm with transcriptions and in Dr. Bestor’s book, Education and Reform at New Harmony: Correspondence of William Maclure and Marie Duclos Fretageot, 1820-1833. Bibliographical information for this book may be found on Athena.
This is a small but interesting collection. All items in this collection are dated after the communal societies. The first 14 volumes in this series were cataloged by Dr. Bestor and are the existing records of the Owen Community. Volumes starting with 15 have been cataloged at various times and are concerned with the period following the Owen experiment. They are classified as community records, but they are more correctly records of community organizations. A subset of this series is Series III WMI. Contained in this subset are the records of the Working Men’s Institute. This series is divided into three subsets. IVF are the papers of Madame Marie Duclos Fretageot. IVM are the personal papers of William Maclure. IVO are the personal papers of the Owen family. Documents in this series range from notebooks, diaries, account books and scrapbooks to weather reports and manuscripts for books to be published. One of the finest collections we have within this series are the papers and manuscripts of the highly honored children’s author and descendant of Robert Owen, Caroline Dale Snedeker. Mostly consisting of land grants and mortgages, the earliest item dates to 1804. A number of items pertain both communal societies or to key New Harmony figures dealing with the selling of the Owen Community. There are a number of lawsuits and several very unique items. An assortment of receipts, bills of lading, individual accounts pages. Scattered among this rather ordinary collection are several very significant items including papers on Harmonist business activities in New Harmony after the group moved back to Pennsylvania. The items in this series are stored in the map case and over-sized documents case in the Branigin Archive. Included are 24 historic maps of New Harmony cataloged by Dr. Bestor.
Series IX, X and XI are remain a mystery. They seem to not exist. Perhaps these numbers were left open in anticipation of a series that was not cataloged as a “New Harmony Series” or was absorbed into another series. A series XI does show up in the microfilm as a small miscellaneous collection of articles and clippings. It is not clear if this series XI is New Harmony Series XI. These are records of New Harmony businesses after the conclusion of the Owen Community. These include records for New Harmony and Posey County. Included are Justice of the Peace dockets, regimental records, county court records and a variety of other records. New Harmony Gazette 1825-1828 and The Disseminator are digitized and on microfilm. All other New Harmony Newspapers are on microfilm. The microfilm is available for in house use at the Working Men’s Institute. New Harmony newspapers on microfilm can also be found at the Indiana State Library and the Indiana Historical Society. This collection includes newspapers, Posey County court records, selected portions of the New Harmony Series’, records of the Harmony Society from Old Economy and state of Pennsylvania, and miscellaneous items. This series contains a wide variety of items including posters, art, images, play bills, newspapers and photographs. It is located in the Branigin Archive in the oversized document case above the map case. Individual Collections in the Branigin Archive
The Golden Family Collection consists of the professional and personal papers of a nationally known theater troop who made New Harmony, Indiana their home base during the last half of the 19th century. The Schwartz-Manning Collection Includes Gentry family genealogy and memorabilia from the Tri-State Rodeos put on in the 1930’s by the Gentry family’s Tri-State Rodeo Company. Caroline Dale Baldwin Allen Paper The papers of Caroline Dale Baldwin Allen (Mrs. Bewley) were given to the New Harmony Workingmen’s Institute by her family after the settlement of her estate in 1991. They consist of 32 legal-size Hollinger document cases, 1 regulation size Hollinger storage box, a board game published in 1805, map, books. The collection is available to researchers in accordance with the Workingmen’s Institute rules for the use of manuscripts. This collection was purchased in 1967 by Governor Roger Branigin and Kenneth Dale Owen and presented to the Working Men’s Institute. It contains correspondence, personal papers and a journal of Robert Dale Owen. It also contains Owen Family business and legal papers and correspondence and a journal of Mary Jane Robinson Owen (Mrs. Robert Dale Owen). Finally, it contains papers relating to the sale of Harmonie to Robert Owen. This finding and items within the collection are digitized. The Owen Armstrong Collection is a collection of 15 items of which 12 are correspondence. The correspondence is mainly to Joseph Neef from William Maclure or between Richard Owen and his wife Anne Eliza Neef Owen. There is an essay by Neef describing the first kiss between he and his wife. There is an official paper in Latin, possibly a marriage certificate. There is also a copy of Neef’s certificate of citizenship. The items are photocopies of originals that belong to the Owen Armstrong Collection and are not the property of the Working Men’s Institute. As such, they can be referred to for informational purposes, but not quoted. This collection includes business papers and correspondence of business man Gellert Schnee who lived in New Harmony in the 1800s. In addition to Schnee family history, the collection contains a number of Civil War letters from Gellert’s nephews and a brother-in-law from different fields of battle.
The Pelham family connection with New Harmony begins with William Pelham, 1759-1827. Born in Williamsburg, VA, he was a surgeon in the Revolutionary War.
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