Scope and Content Note
The papers of William Sydney Thayer (1830-1864) span the years 1835-1901, with the bulk from 1835 to 1895. The collection consists of correspondence, dispatches, journals, essays, addresses, poems, clippings, printed matter, photographs, and memorabilia dealing primarily with Thayer's activities in Nicaragua and Egypt. Included is information on Henry Lawrence Kinney and his 1855 Nicaraguan expedition, in which Thayer participated; pamphlets relating to Nathaniel Prentiss Banks; Thayer family genealogy; and papers and correspondence of family members James Bradley Thayer, Abijah Wyman Thayer, and Sarah S. Thayer. Other correspondents include Francis Dainese, Charles Hale, John Bigelow, and Kinney. An incomplete set of dispatches treats Thayer’s service as consul general in Egypt, 1861-1863.
A supplement to the collection also contains letters from James Bradley Thayer, Abijah Wyman Thayer, Francis Dainese, Charles Hale, and others. With the exception of a few letters of political interest written prior to the Civil War, the correspondence deals principally with the activities of Thayer as consul in Egypt, the settlement of his estate, and Thayer family genealogy. Included in the supplement are poems by William Sydney Thayer and Sarah S. Thayer. Additional material consists of clippings of Thayer’s activities in Egypt, notes and clippings concerning the Thayer family, addresses of James Bradley Thayer, pamphlets relating to Nathaniel Prentiss Banks, photographs and views, and mementoes.
The main portion of the Thayer collection, dated 1835-1895, has been microfilmed by the University of Virginia at Charlottesville, and is organized in the order in which it was filmed.