Julia McCombs
September 25, 2001
Professor Rael
History 336
Source Report on The Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain Collection
The Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain Collection is an extensive series of
documents and artifacts from, and relating to, the life of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain.
The collection is an excellent source of both primary and secondary sources covering the
entire span of Chamberlain’s life, from his time as a Bowdoin student until his death in
1914. The collection contains fifteen different types of archived information, all clearly
laid out on the “Special Collections and Archives” page of the Bowdoin College website.
The page is extremely detailed and an excellent resource, but the amount of initial
information it provides can be overwhelming. It may be helpful to the researcher to see
the collection somewhat broken down. The series contains the following categories:
1.Correspondence
2.Biographical & Auto-biographical Essays & Records
3.Personal Material
4.Articles & Addresses
5.Lecture Notes
6.Civil War
7.Family Material
8.Family Material: Thomas D. Chamberlain
9.Associations & Societies
10.Manuscripts, Printed & Typescript
Materials
11.Commemorative Materials
12.Clippings
13.Images
14.Realia
15.Research Materials
The collection itself is located in the Special Collections and Archives department, on the
third floor of the Bowdoin College Library. Unlike many other collections in the library,
this series is not contained in bound volumes. Because it consists of so many historic
letters and other significant materials, it is held in a series of boxes containing a folder for
each individual document. Each folder is labeled with specific information as to its’
contents, including name of the author, date, and location where it was written if possible.
In addition to the hundreds of documents, the collection contains other items that cannot
be filed in boxes and folders. Such items as Chamberlain’s Civil War bracelet and
medals, are displayed in cases in the Special Collections and Archives office.
It is unclear exactly when and by whom the collection was created. However, one
may conclude that the series began out of local interest due to Chamberlain’s close ties to
Bowdoin College and his service to the state of Maine. Materials have been donated to
the collection from a variety of sources over the past century and a half, including the
Chamberlain family, military acquaintances, people he corresponded with, and state
officials. Chamberlain’s records during his time as President of Bowdoin College
became property of the college when he left the position. Furthermore, the college has
also purchased many items from private collectors to contribute to the collection. The
most recent additions to the collection are Chamberlain’s bracelet and “Deathbed Letter,”
both acquired in the 1970’s.1
A great number and variety of people appear in The Joshua Lawrence
Chamberlain Collection. He corresponded with most frequently with members of his
family, especially his wife, Fanny. There are also numerous letters to military officials,
politicians, and public figures. For example, the collection contains correspondences
with such as Ulysses S. Grant, Robert Edwin Peary, and Calvin Ellis Stowe. 2 There are
also many letters to ordinary citizens whom he met and shared interests, or disputes with,
during his life.
As mentioned above, the collection is organized by type of document, or in some
cases, a specific time in Chamberlain’s life, such as the “Civil War” section. Within each
category, the materials are arranged chronologically in carefully labeled individual
folders. The number of folders varies greatly among the categories, the largest being the
“Correspondence” set, containing 687 documents.
To access The Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain Collection, the researcher should
start at the Special Collections and Archives web-page. The site provides a brief
biography of Chamberlain, generally describes contents of the categories into which all
the materials are organized. There is also an electronic link to the more detailed
“container list,” which provides the subject and other basic information about every
document in the collection. For example, in the “Correspondence” category, the
container list tells the researcher the date and both the sender and recipient of each letter.
The container list for the “Family Material” section is an inventory of, among other
things, financial records, schoolwork, poetry, bills, and receipts. 3 While the collection is
extremely well documented in this manner on the Special Collections and Archives webpage, there is still no search tool that allows the researcher to look for a specific word,
subject, or theme without reading through the entire container list. The container list on
the website can be considered a “finding aid” because it lists the collection’s contents, but
it has no search capabilities. One approach that the researcher may find useful is to
narrow his or her focus to a particular time frame and then begin looking through the
categories to find material. This way, the historian can follow along chronologically until
he or she finds the general time frame in the category they desire to study, and then can
begin sorting through the abundant material.
The Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain Collection can answer almost any question
about Joshua Chamberlain’s life that one seeks to ask. If the question is not solved by
studying the collection, it will surely provide the researcher a great deal of background
information on the man, and point them in a direction to continue their research. The
collection spans his entire life and all the factors in it, from his education, to military
service, his career as Governor of Maine, time as President of Bowdoin College, and
1
Ian Graham, Special Collections Librarian, Special Collections and Archives, Bowdoin College Library,
20 September, 2001.
2
Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain Collection, Special Collections & Archives, Bowdoin College Library.
3
Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain Collection, Special Collections & Archives, Bowdoin College Library.
2
extensive insight into his family life. Original copies of correspondences, lectures,
speeches, and manuscripts provide the researcher access to Chamberlain’s interests and
own thoughts on a wide range of topics over his lifetime. Secondary sources such as
biographies, commemorative speeches and newspaper articles, also show what other
people, including Chamberlain’s contemporaries, thought about him. The collection is an
invaluable resource to anyone researching any aspect of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain’s
life.
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