Our Collection

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.

Smith, Oliver (fl. 1779) to William Knox

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02437.10013 Author/Creator: Smith, Oliver (fl. 1779) Place Written: London, England Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 29 October 1779 Pagination: 4 p. : address : docket ; 39.3 x 24.4 cm. Order a Copy

Thanks Knox, in Amsterdam, for letters Knox transported from America (the letters were written by Smith's friends). Mentions his plans regarding travel in Europe and his return to America. Hopes that he will be able to travel with William. Discusses mutual female friends in America, deeming the company of American women superior to that of European ladies. Declares, "I cannot my dear Friend get rid of the Idea of our meeting & that soon, our tastes pleasures & pursuits are so much alike that we shall magnifie every enjoyment amazingly... there is a vast difference between this & Amsterdam, as a man may be knows..." Mentions seeing the Fluckers, the family of Henry Knox's wife Lucy. Docket indicates that Oliver Smith was a doctor.

Smith, Oliver, fl. 1779
Knox, William, 1756-1795
Knox, Henry, 1750-1806

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