de Leu, Thomas

The preeminent American Catholic historian of his day, John Gilmary Shea (1824-1892) amassed an extraordinary collection of correspondence, manuscripts, and research materials. The John Gilmary Shea Papers preserved in the Georgetown University Library Special Collections Division provide valuable documentation of both American History in general and American Catholic History in particular. Along with a small amount of outgoing correspondence from Shea, most of which was sent to Edmond Mallet, the John Gilmary Shea Papers include a large quantity of incoming correspondence to Shea, most notably letters deriving from his editorship of "Frank Leslie's Illustrated Weekly." Many prominent individuals corresponded with Shea, and this collection includes letters from the likes of Frederick Douglass, Thomas Edison, and Harriet Beecher Stowe. Shea's correspondence provides key insights into nineteenth century America. In addition to his rich correspondence, Shea's papers feature a substantial amount of documents relating to Native American linguistics and history. Scores of original documents in Native American languages, most dating to the 1800s, are preserved in this collection. Many grammars, vocabularies, and other written records of Native American languages exist within this archive. Original letters and papers of Lewis Cass, Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, and William Wadden Turner are retained. As a large portion of the collection highlights American Catholic History, letters and documents to and from notable figures; such as Frederic Baraga, Pierre Jean DeSmet, John Joseph Hughes, and Elizabeth Ann Seton; are preserved. One box alone consists of transcripts of Archbishop John Carroll correspondence, the source material for Shea's writings on America's first Roman Catholic bishop. The research material in the Shea Papers documents the early history of the Catholic Church in America and includes original documents from the colonial period from Canada, Louisiana, New York, Florida, northern Mexico, and other regions. The research files served as the basis for Shea's monumental four-volume work "The History of the Catholic Church in the United States" (1886-92) and his other prolific writings. Moreover, Shea's personal manuscript collection holds original documents of historical significance. Documents signed by Patrick Henry, Louis XIV, Anthony Wayne, and others show the breadth of his collecting interests. The manuscripts and primary sources in the John Gilmary Shea Papers complement the library of John Gilmary Shea, which is also housed in the Georgetown University Library Special Collections Division. Over 5,000 printed books, journals, newspapers, and pamphlets once belonging to Shea are available to researchers. In many cases, individuals appear as both authors of books in the Shea Book Collection and correspondents in the Shea Papers. Taken together, Shea's books and manuscripts provide a thorough record of his career. Georgetown University Library owns over 60 books authored or edited by Shea, some of which are stored in the Georgetown University Library main stacks. Others are located in the Special Collections Division. The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. holds some papers related to John Gilmary Shea. That institution retains the papers of Shea's biographer Peter Guilday.

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ABBREVIATIONS: AC - Autograph Card ACS - Autograph Card Signed AD - Autograph Document ADS - Autograph Document Signed AL - Autograph Letter ALS - Autograph Letter Signed AM - Autograph Manuscript AMS - Autograph Manuscript Signed AN - Autograph Note ANS - Autograph Note Signed LS - Letter Signed TEL - Telegram TL - Typed Letter TLS - Typed Letter Signed TM - Typed Manuscript TMS - Typed Manuscript Signed