Sarah Helen Whitman papers (Ms. 79.11)

The Sarah Helen Whitman papers contains over six hundred items. This collection contains materials created by Sarah Helen Whitman and those within her possession from other sources. Together, these items span a large part of the nineteenth century and provide many insights into that period. Perhaps the greatest interest in the collection is provided by Sarah Helen Whitman's relationship with Edgar Allan Poe. Yet, this collection represents also a good resource for examining the period's interest in spiritualism, and it also contains valuable information about minor American poets, both male and female. Additionally, this collection can be used as a partial guide to measure public opinion of some of the major events such as presidential elections and the Civil War.

The Whitman papers offer many insights into the life of Edgar Allan Poe, not only through the eyes of Mrs. Whitman but also through the letters of many of their correspondents. After Poe's death, Whitman corresponded extensively with several of his biographers, including Richard H. Stoddard, William F. Gill, John Henry Ingram, and Eugene L. Didier. The letters provide not only information about Poe himself, but also insight into the evolution of the biographers' works through their letters. This is especially true with Ingram. Although Whitman eventually exhibited a personal preference for Ingram over the other biographers, it is clear that she supplied them all with any information that they requested and refused to given any of them exclusive rights to any material. Whitman wanted the full and true story of Poe and his life to be told for two reasons: she thought Poe was a great artist and she also wanted Rufus Griswold's earlier critical biography of Poe to be refuted.

Yet, while the Whitman papers are concerned largely with the biographies, its contents are not limited to this one topic. Whitman's interest in spiritualism, an aspect of transcendentalism, reflects the general interest of many nineteenth century intellectuals. She was in contact with a number of spiritualists and people who were interested in spiritualism as Horace Greeley, Prof. William Tappen, George Bush, and Anna Cora Ritchie.

Additionally, the collection is a resource for the investigation of minor poets and writers. Whitman was a friend of William Douglas O'Connor and although few items of their correspondence in this collection exist, his influence upon Sarah Helen Whitman can be seen by her frequent reference to him in her own letters. Whitman also corresponded with several women writers including Frances Sargent Osgood, Sarah Gould Day, Julia Deane Freeman (Mary Forest), Sarah Sprague Jacobs, and Louise Chandler Moulton.

Finally, the correspondence between Sarah Helen Whitman and her friends and relatives in the South provides a brief but clear picture of the differences and animosities between the two parts of the nation before and after the Civil War.