Collection Title: Isaac I. Hayes Papers
Collection Number: Ms. Coll. 135
Dates of Collection: 1844-1882
Repository: Chester County Historical Society, West Chester, PA 19380
Language: English
Project Archivist: Heidi Benedict
Isaac Israel Hayes (1832-1881), physician and Arctic explorer. He was born March 5, 1832, to Benjamin and Ann Borton Hayes of ChesterCounty. He attended WesttownAcademy and received his MD from the University of Pennsylvania. In 1853 he sailed as surgeon in the second Arctic expedition of Elisha Kent Kane. Hayes undertook his own expedition in 1860-1861. Upon his return he enlisted in the Union Army as a surgeon. He made a third voyage to the Arctic in 1869, joining artist William Bradford on an expedition to Greenland. Hayes published several books about his Arctic experiences, including The Open Polar Sea, Arctic Boat Journey, Cast Away in the Cold, The Land of Desolation, and Picture of Arctic Travel. As a member of the New York Assembly (1875-1881), he was active in canal affairs and the promotion of the Hudson River Tunnel. Hayes died on December 17, 1881, in New York.
Sources: Chester County newspaper clippings files and Dictionary of Biography
The collection includes letters written by, written to, and concerning Isaac I. Hayes, as well as manuscripts of his unpublished works and notes taken by him regarding his readings.
The letters written by him are arranged chronologically and the letters written to him are arranged alphabetically by the sender’s surname. His unpublished manuscripts are arranged alphabetically.
BOX 1.
Correspondence
Family Correspondence of Isaac Hayes
Dates: 1844-1882
Quantity: 1 folder
Arrangement: chronological
Contents Description:
Includes letters written by Isaac Hayes to his mother, father, and brother before leaving on 1853, 1860, and 1874 expeditions. Also includes letters of and to other family members, several of which are in regard to Hayes’ death.
Folder 1: 1844-1882, 13 items
Letters, 18556-1877, written by Isaac I. Hayes
Quantity: 4 folders
Arrangement: Chronological, except for undated letters which are arranged by recipient’s surname.
Contents Description:
Letters written by Isaac I. Hayes, including multiple letters to A. D. Bache; Brown, Taggard, and Chase; William Parker Foulke; Redpath and Fall; S. J. McCormick; August Sonntag; [?] Wilson; and one letter from Dr. Elisha Kent Kane. Topics include expedition plans, funding requests, speaking engagements, finances, and publications.
Folder 2: 1856-1861, 13 items
Folder 3: 1862-1872, 17 items
Folder 4: 1873-1877, 18 items
Folder 5: 5 items
Undated letters to Mr. [Butler], Mr. E.C. [Chapman], Mr. Redpath, and August Sonntag.
Letters, 1858-1881, written to Isaac I. Hayes
Quantity: 6 folders
Arrangement: Alphabetical by senders’ surname
Contents description: Letters are primarily business related. Topics include expedition plans, speaking engagements, finances, and publications.
Folder 6: [not signed]-Crothers, 24 items
Folder 7: Darlington et. al.-Horn, 19 items
Folder 8: Howland & Aspinwall-Mannoir, 15 items
Folder 9: [Nae]-Rudolph, 13 items
Folder 10: [Sch?]-Sonntag, 13 items
Folder 11: [Sonnenberg]-Wilson, 11 items
Other Letters, 1857-1874
Folder 12: 1857-1874, 13 items, chronological
Includes other letters regarding Isaac I. Hayes, but not written by or to him. Several letters refer to gold medals awarded to Dr. Hayes by the Royal Geographical Society (London) and the Geographic Society of Paris. Others letters discuss the use of a “captive balloon” (E.B. Hunt, 1860), photographs of the Arctic expedition (1863), finances, and speaking engagements. Also included is a letter (1873) regarding on the woolen industry and a letter from Augustus Petermann (1876) regarding an expedition to the North Pole.
Miscellaneous Papers, 1859-1879
Folder 13: 1859-1879, 8 items, chronological
Includes draft of proposal to raise funds for 1860 expedition, draft of remarks made before New York Assembly regarding the reduction of salaries in New York City, and invitations and receipts.
Drawings of Isaac I. Hayes
Folder 14: n.d., 15 items
Sketches of ships, maps, and landscape, including a pencil sketch of Salix Arctica, Arctic Willow.
Writings and Notes of Isaac I. Hayes
Dates: n.d.
Quantity: 4 folders
Folder 15: 17 items
Poetry
Folder 16: 10 items
Odd pages from articles and books
Folder 17: 3 items
Translations. Folder includes “Monsieur de Philomele by Madame Emile Girardin” and of pieces by Peter Martyr.
Folder 18: 6 items
Miscellaneous excerpts, etc.
BOX 2.
Writings, Manuscripts of Unpublished Works
Dates: n.d.
Quantity: 9 folders
Arrangement: Alphabetical by title
Folder 19: The Adventures of Paul Disco
Folder 20: Bessie Blake
Folder 21: The Bride of Brediford
BOX 3.
Writings, Manuscripts of Unpublished Works
Folder 22: Dr. Molkes Friends (2 different drafts, both beginning with “chapter iv”)
Folder 23: Dublin Dane: A Tale of the Times of Old, 1878
Folder 24: The Land of the Icebergs
Folder 25: Life Under the Midnight Sun
Folder 26: The Northwest Passage
Folder 27: The Viking (chapter 1)
Additional material located in the Chester County Authors Collection:
Additional material located in the Manuscript Collection:
(See card file under “Hayes, Isaac I.” or “Hayes, I.I”.)
Additional material (newspaper clippings, 1853-1901) located in Scrapbook Collection (Box 35).
225 N. High Street, West Chester, PA 19380 | 610-692-4800
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