Guide to the Christopher Gist's Journals by William M. Darlington, 1882-1893 DAR.1925.14

Repository
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Title
Christopher Gist's Journals by William M. Darlington
Creator
Darlington, William M. (William McCullough)
Collection Number
DAR.1925.14
Extent
0.92 Linear Feet (1 box and 2 oversized boxes)
Date
1882-1893
Abstract
This collection primarily contains manuscript drafts of William Darlington's book, Christopher Gist's Journals, published posthumously in 1893 by J.R. Weldin & Co. in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Included are many handwritten research notes, manuscript drafts, a partial galley proof, and several printing plates of the maps used in the publication. A digitized version of the published Christopher Gist's Journals can be found online at the Internet Archive website (http://www.archive.org/details/christophergists00gistuoft). Digital reproductions of this collection are available online.
Language
English .
Author
Matt Gorzalski.
Publisher
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Address
University of Pittsburgh Library System
Archives & Special Collections
Website: library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
Contact Us: www.library.pitt.edu/ask-archivist
URL: http://library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections

Existence and Location of Copies

Digital reproductions of this collection are available online.

History

William M. Darlington (1815-1889), a Pittsburgh lawyer and avid collector of western Pennsylvanian history, took special interest in the Ohio Company. The Ohio Company was responsible for the exploration and settlement of the Ohio Territory, as well as parts of West Virginia and Pennsylvania. In 1876, Darlington purchased material relating to the Ohio Company, which included a manuscript copy of the journal created by Christopher Gist, the surveyor hired by the Ohio Company to explore the Ohio Territory and negotiate treaties with the Indians in the early 1750s. Darlington also obtained (or commissioned) a bound copy to be made of the journal. (Both journal copies can be found in the Ohio Company Papers (dar192502)). Gist recorded his daily activities and interactions with American Indian tribes and provided the British Crown with the first detailed description of the Ohio Territory. Gist also represented the Ohio Company at the Conference at Loggstown in 1752, which allowed for colonial settlement southeast of the Ohio River. Darlington compiled and edited Gist's journals as Christopher Gist's Journals, published posthumously in 1893 by J.R. Weldin & Co. in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is believed that Darlington's widow, Mary Carson O'Hara Darlington, completed the manuscript after her husband's death in 1889.

Scope and Content Notes

This collection primarily contains manuscript drafts of William Darlington's book, Christopher Gist's Journals, published posthumously in 1893 by J.R. Weldin & Co. in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Included are Darlington's notes on Gist's journals as well as research notes, manuscript drafts, and several printing plates of the maps used in the publication. A small portion of the book's galley proofs (i.e., a typed preliminary version of the final publication) is also present. The materials in this collection are mostly undated, but believed to have been created in the late nineteenth century presumably by Darlington or his wife between 1882 and 1893. The material has been organized to reflect the table of contents in the publication.

The journals of Christopher Gist reflect the surveyor's experiences and observations while exploring the Ohio Territory in the early 1750s. They provide a unique record of early interactions with Native Americans during this period of British expansion that precipitated the French and Indian War. Notes relating to Andrew Montour, an interpreter and negotiator in the Virginia and Pennsylvania frontiers during the 1750s and 1760s, as well as material documenting the Conference at Loggstown, are included. It is important to note that related material can found in the Ohio Company Papers (dar192502), specifically a manuscript copy of Gist's first and second journals believed to have been copied by John Mercer.

A digitized version of the published Christopher Gist's Journals can be found online at the Internet Archive website (http://www.archive.org/details/christophergists00gistuoft).

Access Restrictions

No restrictions.

Acquisition Information

Part of the original donation of William M. Darlington's family library to the University of Pittsburgh in 1918 and 1925 by his daughters, Edith Darlington Ammon and Mary Carson Darlington.

Custodial History

This collection was located in the Darlington Memorial Library in the University's Cathedral of Learning until 2007 when it was moved to the ULS Archives Service Center for processing, storage, preservation and service. However, it remains in the custodianship of the ULS Special Collections Department.

Preferred Citation

Christopher Gist's Journals by William M. Darlington, 1882-1893, DAR.1925.14, Darlington Collection, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System

Previous Citation

Christopher Gist's Journals by William M. Darlington, 1882-1893, DAR.1925.14, Darlington Collection, Special Collections Department, University of Pittsburgh

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Matt Gorzalski in August 2008.

Copyright

No copyright restrictions.

Related Material

Darlington Family Papers, 1753-1921, DAR.1925.01, Darlington Collection, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System

Ohio Company Papers, 1736-1813, DAR.1925.02, Darlington Collection, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System

Bibliography

  • Christopher Gist's journals: with historical, geographical and ethnological notes and biographies of his contemporaries by William M. Darlington (J.R. Weldin, Pittsburgh: 1893). Accessible online at the Internet Archive website: http://www.archive.org/details/christophergists00gistuoft.

Subjects

    Corporate Names

    • Ohio Company (1747-1779)

    Personal Names

    • Darlington, William M. (William McCullough)
    • Gist, Christopher
    • Montour, Andrew

    Geographic Names

    • United States -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775
    • Ohio River Valley -- Discovery and exploration
    • Pennsylvania, Western -- History -- 18th century
    • West Virginia -- History -- 18th century
    • Ohio -- History -- 18th century

    Occupations

    • Surveyors
    • Explorers

    Genres

    • Galley proofs
    • Manuscripts (Document genre)
    • Printing plates
    • Research notes

    Other Subjects

    • Personal papers
    • Virginia -- History -- 18th Century
    • Historians

Container List

Copies of Letters (1768-1776), 1882-1893
Ensign Ward's Deposition (1756), 1882-1893
Introductory Memoir, 1882-1893
Containers
box 1, folder 3-8
Manuscript Draft, 1882-1893
Containers
box 1, folder 9
Notes, 1882-1893
Containers
box 1, folder 10
Notes on Colonel Thomas Cresap, 1882-1893
Notes on Dr. Thomas Walker, 1882-1893
Containers
box 1, folder 12
Notes on Early Travels, Gist's Journals, 1882-1893
Notes General James Grant and Samuel Wharton, 1882-1893
Notes on George Boone, 1882-1893
Containers
box 1, folder 15
Notes on George Croghan, 1882-1893
Containers
box 1, folder 16
Notes on the Ohio Company, 1882-1893
Containers
box 1, folder 17-18
Notes to Gist's First Journal (1750-51), 1882-1893
Notes to Gist's Second Journal (1751-52), 1882-1893
Scheme for a New Settlement, 1882-1893
The Montours, 1882-1893
Containers
box 2, folder 5
Typewritten Draft, Gist's Journal (1753-54), 1882-1893
Walpole Grant, 1882-1893
Containers
box 2, folder 7
Galley Proofs, ca. 1893
Containers
box 3, oversize 1
Galley Proofs, ca. 1893
Containers
oversize 2
Map Printing Plates, ca. 1893
Containers
box 4, oversize 1