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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.

Jones, William E. (1824-1864) Contract with Henry H. Sibley, witnessed by H. P. Brewster.

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02711.23 Author/Creator: Jones, William E. (1824-1864) Place Written: Washington, D.C. Type: Autograph document signed Date: 9 March 1857 Pagination: 1 p. ; 24.9 x 19.8 cm. Order a Copy

Henry H. Sibley and William E. Jones agree that Jones will be the sole agent in the manufacture and sale of Sibley's patented "Improved Conical Tent." Contract states agreement.

Born in Louisiana, Sibley graduated from West Point in 1838. In the 1850s he invented the "Sibley" tent and the "Sibley" stove, avidly used on the frontier. After his unsuccessful New Mexico campaign in 1862, he was given minor commands and struggled with alcoholism. In 1863 he was court-martialed in Louisiana, though not convicted. After the war he served as an advisor to Egypt.

Sibley, Henry Hastings, 1811-1891
Jones, William E., 1824-1864

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