8 June 1876 • Hartford, Conn. (American Art Association catalog,
16 April 1925, lot 26; and Brownell 1944, p. 5, UCCL 01339)
IⒶemendation have sketched Francis Lightfoot Lee, &Ⓐemendation it was my purpose to come to Philadelphia the first week in July (as was, I believe, the suggestion of your general circular).1explanatory note Ⓐemendation But I (as do others of our guild,Ⓐemendation) find myself in doubt as to what is expected or what is to be done. Can you resolve these doubts for me?
For instance:Ⓐemendation Are Ⓐemendation the several authors to go to Philadelphia? Are they to read theirⒶemendation several sketches themselves? Or are they not to be read at all, but simply filed?Ⓐemendation
IfⒶemendation the authorsⒶemendation are to come in person,Ⓐemendation I would mainlyⒶemendation desire to learn if you know, by their promises,Ⓐemendation that any considerable number of them will be present. ItⒶemendation will not be easy for me to go to Philadelphia &Ⓐemendation therefore ifⒶemendation I can fulfil myⒶemendation Centennial duty byⒶemendation sending my MSⒶemendation to you &Ⓐemendation remaining home, I would like that. There are doubtless authors in your list whom I would willingly travel to Philadelphia to see, but then, they may not be there.2explanatory note
J. Hammond Trumbull told me yesterday that the day you have set will fall on a Sunday—but that was caused by a misprinted calendar, I suppose.3explanatory note
The circular has not been recovered. It presumably accompanied the invitation to participate in Philadelphia’s centennial celebration that Clemens received in February (see 23 Feb 1876 to Ettingclick to open link).
Clemens was the best known of the authors of the 156 papers—each “a brief biographical sketch of one of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence, or of some other prominent Revolutionary patriot”—prepared for the 1 July event. That day many of the authors “were unable, through illness or other engagements to be present, but had sent their sketches” (“Centennial Anniversary,” Philadelphia Public Ledger, 3 July 1876, 1). Clemens did attend, however, persuaded by Etting’s 18 June reply to the present letter (see 20? June 1876 to Trumbullclick to open link, 24 June 1876 to Stokleyclick to open link, 14 Sept 1876 to Fairbanksclick to open link). Clemens’s “Francis Lightfoot Lee” was published in 1877 in the Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography (SLC 1877a).
The celebration originally had been scheduled for Sunday, 2 July 1876, the actual centennial of the Colonial Congress’s resolution of independence, but was moved up one day.
All variants between the source texts are reported here. The readings identified by the siglum ‘MTP’ are editorial emendations of the source readings made because none is deemed correct by itself.
The text is based on two printed transcripts, each of which derives independently from the manuscript.
Wholihan 1949, 21.
Collection of “the late William F. Gable,” offered for sale by the American Art Association in April 1925.
More information on provenance may be found in Description of Provenanceclick to open link.