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A portion of
a note written by C. Hart Merriam to B.K. Emerson
before the Harriman Expedition. |
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Emerson's
scrawled notes on the back of Merriam's letter. |
A researcher's first job is determine the document's authenticity by raising questions about the letter itself. Where did the document come from? Is it consistent with other documents produced by Merriam? Does the penmanship, paper and ink belong to the period in which it was created? Since this letter was found among Emerson's files, and since the penmanship and style are consistent with Merriam's other letters, this note is considered authentic.
Another research task is to carefully transcribe the hand-written note, creating an accurate typescript copy that can be more easily read. A transcript of the first paragraph reads: "Mr. E. H. Harriman, a wealthy New Yorker, is going to Alaska about the end of May, to be gone about 60 days from Seattle. He has engaged one of the best steamers on the Pacific coast and expects to go as far as Kadiak Id., going by the inside passage, Yakutat and Cook's Inlet & returning direct."
Researchers must also analyze
the document. What does it tell us about the expedition and
the people involved? The second illustration shows what has
been judged to be Emerson's writing, jotted on the back of
Merriam's note. A partial transcription "very difficult to
leave Amherst before June 1/await Harriman summons/assume
expenses covered from New York" tells us that Emerson wanted
to go but was concerned about the schedule and about money.
Hardly earth-shaking revelations, but rather one small set
of clues that 21st century researchers can use in studying
the methods and motives behind a 19th century expedition to
Alaska.
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For information on the Harriman Retraced Expedition e-mail: harriman2001@science.smith.edu |