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At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Cooper, Peter (1791-1883) [ledger of Peter Cooper]

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC06473.01 Author/Creator: Cooper, Peter (1791-1883) Place Written: s.l. Type: Manuscript document Date: 1836 Pagination: 76 p. ; 19 x 12 cm. Order a Copy

Contains alphabetical list of names in the style of a ledger or account book, often with numbers and/or letters written in the column before the name. This appears to be the original use for the volume. Most names in the latter half of the alphabet have been crossed out. There are notes in a different hand concerning scientific, industrial, and medical matters that fill the balance of the volume. These notes contain, among other things, cures for rheumatism and cholera, and methods for the manufacture of glue and processing of iron.

Cooper was a well known inventor and manufacturer. He built the famous "Tom Thumb" prototype locomotive, which was used to demonstrate the potential of steam-powered rail transport. He was also the founder of the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Art and Science.

Cooper, Peter, 1791-1883

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