Strangers – Today

Charles Dickens, February 7, 1812 — June 9, 1870

Charles Dickens was an author and social critic, perhaps the best known and most widely read author of the Victorian Era, responsible for works such as Oliver Twist (1838), A Christmas Carol (1843), A Tale of Two Cities (1859), and Great Expectations (1861). Dickens arrived in the United States for the first time in January 1842, touring the country and stopping briefly in Philadelphia for a few days in March. Dickens stopped at multiple Philadelphia landmarks, including Girard College, the Fairmount Water Works, Eastern State Penitentiary, and the Athenaeum, his impressions of some of which are recorded in his travelogue American Notes (1842). Dickens also met with another literary mind while in Philadelphia, a young Edgar Allan Poe. Dickens' pet raven, which was said to have inspired Poe's poem, The Raven, was taxidermied after its death and is held by the Free Library of Philadelphia. The Athenaeum holds in its collections multiple first and early editions of Dickens' works.

Portrait courtesy of Smithsonian Open Access — Source — Source — Source — Source

Joseph Janvier Woodward, October 30, 1833 – August 17, 1884

Joseph Janvier Woodward was an American surgeon. He was born in Philadelphia and studied at the University of Pennsylvania, receiving his medical degree in 1853. He began his medical practice in Philadelphia, and was an instructor and demonstrator of surgery at the University of Pennsylvania. After the outbreak of the Civil War, Woodward offered his services to the Union army, and was assigned to the Surgeon General's office at Washington. While there, he helped collect materials to document the medical and surgical history of the war, to be included in a later Military Medical Museum. During and following the war, he continued his research of photomicrography and microscopy, about which he published extensively, contributing significantly to the field. The Record of Strangers indicates that Woodward visited the Athenaeum on multiple occasions, signed in by a member with the same initials and last name, possibly his father.

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John Brown Francis, May 31, 1791 — August 9, 1864

John Brown Francis was an American politician. He was born in Philadelphia to a wealthy merchant family from Providence, Rhode Island, where he spent much of his early life. He attended Brown University and law school, though he never practiced law. Instead, he spent several years managing his family's business and estate before entering politics as a representative in the Rhode Island General Assembly in 1821. Francis then served in the state senate before being elected governor in 1833, a position he held until 1838. He subsequently served several more terms in the state senate, and one term in the United States senate. Francis was also involved in the leadership of Brown University, serving on the board of trustees for nearly three decades, and as Chancellor from 1841 to 1854. The Record of Strangers indicates that Brown visited the Athenaeum multiple times throughout his career.

Portrait courtesy of Wikimedia Commons — Source — Source — Source

Noah Webster Jr., October 16, 1758 — May 28, 1843

Noah Webster Jr. was a lexicographer, author, editor, and politician. He is best remembered for the dictionaries he contributed to and published, first in 1806 as A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language, and later as An American Dictionary of the English Language in 1828. The rights for the latter were acquired by George and Charles Merriam upon Webster's death, who published revised editions under the Merriam-Webster name. All contemporary Merriam-Webster dictionaries trace their lineage back to Webster's 1828 publication, a copy of which is in the Athenaeum's collections. Webster also wrote a number of textbooks for elementary schools, as he was dissatisfied with textbooks imported from England and believed that Americans should learn from American books. Webster's legacy is further felt in the realm of copyright law, as he was instrumental in the passing of the Copyright Act of 1831, which protected musical compositions and extended the duration of copyright protections. The Record of Strangers indicates that Webster visited the Athenaeum on this occasion with his son-in-law, politician William W. Ellsworth.

Portrait courtesy of Smithsonian Open Access — Source— Source — Source — Source

William Wolcott Ellsworth, (November 10, 1791 - January 15, 1868)

William W. Ellsworth was an attorney and United States politician. Ellsworth became a professor of law after graduating from Yale, before being elected three times to the United States House of Representatives. Following his Congress terms, Ellsworth was elected Governor of Connecticut, serving from 1838 - 1842, and finally became judge of the Connecticut Supreme Court in 1847. Ellsworth retired in 1861, turning down multiple nominations to the United States Senate. The Record of Strangers indicates that Ellsworth visited with Noah Webster, his father-in-law. Ellsworth's visit would have come a few days after the start of his second term in Congress.

Portrait courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Levi Woodbury, December 22, 1789 – September 4, 1851

Levi Woodbury was an American jurist and politician. He graduated from Dartmouth College and rose through the New Hampshire state government and courts, and was elected the state's ninth governor in 1823. As governor, he sought to improve the state's transportation and judicial systems. Following his term, Woodbury served in the U.S. Senate, and was appointed Secretary of the Navy and later Secretary of the Treasury under President Andrew Jackson. Woodbury was later appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1845 by President James K. Polk. Although he personally disagreed with the institution of slavery, Woodbury interpreted the Constitution as protecting the rights of enslavers in his court decisions. Woodbury served on the Supreme Court until his death in 1851. He was one of a small number of individuals to have served in all three branches of the federal government.

Portrait courtesy of Smithsonian Open Access — Source — Source — Source — Source

Elias Kent Kane, Sr., April 4, 1771 — October 3, 1840

Elias Kent Kane, Sr. was an American merchant and naval officer. He was the father of Elias Kent Kane, a pro-slavery Illinois politician. The Record of Strangers indicates that he visited the Athenaeum multiple times over the years.

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Elias Kent Kane, June 7, 1794 – December 12, 1835

Elias Kent Kane was an American politician. He graduated from Yale in 1813 and studied law before being admitted to the bar and setting up a practice in Nashville, Tennessee. Kane was appointed judge of the Territory of Illinois, and helped to craft the state's constitution. He was an enslaver, and pushed for the constitution to allow for slavery in the state, but his efforts were defeated. Kane became Illinois' first Secretary of State in 1820, and again pushed to enshrine slavery in the constitution, but his efforts were blocked by Governor Edward Coles, a frequent visitor of the Athenaeum. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1824, where he served until his death in 1835. The Record of Strangers indicates that Kane visited the Athenaeum multiple times over the years.

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