Document Types and Their Symbols
The collection of Bishop Chase’s papers is
large and varied. Along with his numerous publications, there are also thousands
of pages of manuscript documents. We have broken these documents down into three
main categories: letters and documents, sermons, and journals.
The journals comprise the smallest portion of the corpus of manuscript
materials. Kenyon owns two of Chase’s journals (both from his England voyage
to raise money to establish his theological seminary in Ohio). Perhaps the most
fascinating aspect of these journals is the vast amount of sketches done by
Chase of the folks aboard the Orbit, the frigate in which he sailed to
and from England.
The sermons, though a larger collection of nearly one hundred, are also a
relatively simple set of documents. All contain a list of dates and places where
they were delivered, as well as the Biblical passages discussed. There are
several which are not dated, and a several which are fragments.
The “letters and documents” category contains pretty much everything else.
It contains letters between Chase and his family, friends, and colleagues. It
also contains a few “diary letters” (signified by the symbol “DL”) which
Chase wrote to his wife, Sophia, while he was in England. (Diary letters are a
series of letters Chase wrote daily, which he then sent as one package.)
Many of the letters in the collection are Chase’s copy (called the “file
copy” or “FC”), or are drafts (indicated by “Df”). Among the letters
are many documents, certificates, circulars, as well as many transcriptions and
incomplete letters. Please see the key below to identify the symbols used to
describe the document type. These symbols are used both in the document
description preceding the full-text document, as well as in the Inventory Lists.
Key to Document Type Symbols
ALS - autograph letter signed
AL - autograph letter
L - letter
LS - letter signed
D - document
DS - document signed
Df - draft
Tr - transcript (this symbol will only be used if the original letter
cannot be obtained)
FC - file copy (a.k.a. author’s copy)
DL - diary letter (will be used to describe each of the individual daily
letters contained within the diary letter pack)
Fr - fragment
Ex - extract
[S] - used with other symbols and denotes that the signature has been
clipped