%eadnotat; ]> barnh1900.xml Henry Barnard Papers A Guide to the Henry Barnard Papers at the Connecticut Historical Society Compiled by NHPRC Project Staff EAD conversion sponsored by grant funding from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. Grant # 98-101 Connecticut Historical Society
1 Elizabeth Street Hartford, CT 06105

Copyright 1998, Connecticut Historical Society

November 1998 Collection Overview US/CTH/BARNH/1900 Connecticut Historical Society Henry Barnard Papers 1828-1899 Henry Barnard Collection consists predominantly of correspondence to and from Henry Barnard 2 boxes; 30 folders; 254 items; 0.40 feet Manuscript stacks Related Material

An index of 83 catalog cards is available to access Barnard related material in other collections at the item level. Access is through writer, recipient and date. The card catalog is located in the library reading room.

 Barnard related material at other repositories Daniel Coit Gilman Papers. MS. 1,Milton S. Eisenhower Library,The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD. Henry Barnard Papers. Trinity College and the Watkinson Library, Hartford, CT. Henry Barnard Papers. Fales Library and the Elmer Holmes Bobst Library, New York, NY. Henry Barnard Papers and the Elias Loomis Papers. Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library,Yale University, New Haven, CT. Horace Mann Papers. Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston, MA. Letters of Henry Barnard. Special Collections, James P. Adams Library, Providence, RI. Manuscript Collection. Rhode Island Historical Society, Providence, RI. Lyman Draper Collection. The State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Madison, WI. Scope and Content

Collection consists predominantly of correspondence, both personal and business related. Of particular noet are those letters addressed to Barnard as corresponding secretary of the Connecticut Historical Society concerning a celebration of the first Constitution of Connecticut.

Organization

Materials are organized into 3 series, based on custodial history.

Emily Barnard Collection Connecticut Historical Society Collection Broadsides Arrangement

Materials in this collection are arranged chronologically in each series to compliment access points from the card catalog.

 Holographs; holographs, signed. Young Men's Institute (Hartford, Conn.). Connecticut Historical Society (Hartford, Conn.). Costume. Biographical Sketch

Henry Barnard was born on January 24, 1811 in Hartford, Connecticut, to Chauncey Barnard and Elizabeth Andrus. Barnard graduated with a BA from Yale College in 1830 and before studying law taught at Wellsboro Academy inPennsylvania. He studied law with Willis Hall in New York City, and with William Hungerford in Hartford; in 1833 he entered Yale Law School. He was admitted to the Connecticut bar in 1835.

That same year Barnard was elected to the Connecticut General Assembly (without even standing as a candidate), and was returned in that capacity for three successive years. In1838 he framed a Bill for the State Board of School Commissioners, passed as 'An Act to provide for the better supervision of the common schools.' His proposals, which meant an increase in taxes, met with some opposition from conservatives, and as the political climate changed Barnard left the Legislature.

Barnard, however, remained in Hartford until 1845, involving himself with the founding of the Hartford Young Men's Institute, which later became Hartford Public Library, and with work as secretary of the Connecticut Historical Society. In 1845 he was appointed as secretary of the Board of Education of Rhode Island, returning to Connecticut in 1849 as Superintendent of Common Schools. Between 1850 and 1854 Barnard was Principal of the state normal school in New Britain, and from 1858 until 1860, Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin. In 1851 Yale College awarded him the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws; Union College followed in the same year, and Harvard College in 1852.

Barnard established and edited the Connecticut Common School Journal, the Journal of the Rhode Island Institute of Instruction, and as the encyclopedic American Journal of Education, which ran to 32 volumes and appeared at irregular intervals until 1882. These works were instrumental in establishing Barnard, alongside Horace Mann, as a nationally recognized educational reformer with broad popular and political support.

Barnard became the first US Commissioner of Education in 1867, but the noted educationalist was only partially successful in Washington, where he found Congress ill disposed to educational reform.

Henry Barnard was married to Josephine Desnoyers of Detroit in 1847; they had five children. Barnard died in Hartford on July 5, 1900.

 Series list Series 1: Emily Barnard collection Series 1: Emily Barnard Collection 1833-1888 13 folders; 93 items BARNH/1900 -- I. Consists of letters to Henry Barnard, poems regarding the first Constitution of Connecticut, and replies from notable persons to invitations to the Connecticut Historical Society's bicentennial celebration of the Constitution.

Conservation note: letters glued to acidic paper

 Folder A Archive control file. (7 items) Undated Folder I.1 Invitation, letter of introduction. (2 items) 1833 Folder I.2 Letters to Henry Barnard, and of introduction. (3 items) 1834 Folder I.3 Letters to Henry Barnard, and of introduction. (15 items) 1835 Folder I.4 Letters to Henry Barnard, and of introduction. (7 items) 1836 Folder I.5 Letters to Henry Barnard, and of introduction. (6 items) 1838 Folder I.6 Letters to Henry Barnard. (6 items) 1839 Folder I.7 Letters to Henry Barnard re. the Connecticut Historical Society's celebration of the first Constitution of Connecticut. (15 items) April 3-10, 1840 Folder I.8 Letters to Henry Barnard re. the Connecticut Historical Society's celebration of the first Constitution of Connecticut. (19 items) April 11-20, 1840 Folder I.9 Letters to Henry Barnard, and of introduction. (2 items) April 21-30, 1840 Folder I.10 Poems sent to Henry Barnard for the Connecticut Historical Society celebration of the first Constitution of Connecticut. (3 items) April, 1840 Folder I.11 Letters to Henry Barnard for the Connecticut Historical Society celebration of the first Constitution of Connecticut. (2 items) April, 1840 Folder I.12 Letter of introduction for Henry Barnard. (1 item) 1888 Folder I.13 Letters to and concerning Henry Barnard. (5 items) [18--?] Series 2: Connecticut Historical Society Collection Series 2: Connecticut Historical Society Collection 1792-1838 16 folders; 183 items BARNH/1900 -- II. Consists of letters to and from Henry Barnard. Folder II.1 Letters to Eli Todd. (2 items) 1828 Folder II.2 Letters of introduction for Henry Barnard (one in German). Letter to Catherine Todd from Emma Willard. Fragment of letter signed by Chalmers. (8 items) 1830-1835 Folder II.3 Letters to Henry Barnard. (11 item) 1836-1839 Folder II.4 Letters to Henry Barnard and supporting documents re. the Connecticut Historical Society's Celebration of the first Constitution of Connecticut. Fragment of letter signed by Chalmers. (19 items) 1840 Folder II.5 Letters to Henry Barnard. Fragment of note from Emma Willard. (19 items) 1841-1849

Conservation work required

 Folder II.6 Letters to Henry Barnard with supporting documents and letters of introduction. (One in French). (10 items) 1850-1853 Folder II.7 Letters to Henry Barnard, and letters of introduction. (11 items) January - June, 1854 Folder II.8 Letters to Henry Barnard, and letters of introduction. (One in German, one in Dutch). (11 item) July - December, 1854 Folder II.9 Letters to Henry Barnard, and letters of introduction. (19 items) 1855-1857 Folder II.10 Letters to Henry Barnard, and letters of introduction. (One in German). Letters from Emma Willard to Mrs. Eli Todd. (14 items) 1858-1859 Folder II.11 Letters to Henry Barnard, and letters of introduction. (One in German). (14 items) 1860-1869 Folder II.12 Correspondence of Henry Barnard, including letters in French and German). (20 items) 1870-1879 Folder II.13 Letters and, supporting documents, to Henry Barnard. Letter to Mr. Smith. (11items) 1880-1890 Folder II.14 Letters to Henry Barnard. (4 items) 1890-1899 Folder II.15 Letters to Henry Barnard. Envelope containing dried flower specimen from T. H. Seymour. (20 items) 18--? Folder II.16 Letter to T. Bland. from George Tucker. (1 item) Williamsburg, September 21, 1781

Letter found in Barnard Papers. Provenance unknown.

 Series 3: Broadsides Series 3: Broadsides 1838 1 folder; 1 item BARNH/1900 -- II. Consists of an advertisement of lecture series at the Hartford Young Men's Institute. Folder II.17 Facsimile of a broadside advertising a series of lectures at the Hartford Young Men's Institute (1 item) 1838

Original transferred to the Broadside Collection.

 Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions on access to the collection.

 Use Restrictions

Use of the material requires compliance with the Connecticut Historical Society's Library Regulations.

 Preferred Citation

Item, The Henry Barnard Papers (US/CTH/BARNH/1900 -- box #. Folder #), at the Connecticut Historical Society.

 Processing Details

Collection was physically processed by Marilyn Paul-Lewis under an NHPRC grant (#89-003) in November, 1998.

Finding aid and EAD instance compiled by Stephen Yearl in November, 1998.

 Accruals

The collection is open, but additional material is not expected.

 Accession Register Accession # Date Source Details 30019 November, 1919 Donation - Emily Barnard (Henry's youngest daughter) Letters to Henry Barnard, 1839-1840; Young Men's Institute lectures; CHS celebrations