This index to the Miscellaneous Letters of the Department of State, 1789-1906, collection provides the dates each reel covers. Government Information MAY NOT hold all of these reels. The record in the library catalog describes the extent of our holdings. For help, or to make an appointment to view a reel, email rad@colorado.edu
On the 1310 rolls of this microfilm publication are reproduced the "Miscellaneous Letters" received "by the Department of State, 1789-1906, along with Calendars of the Miscellaneous Letters for 1789-1825.
The records consist of most of the original letters and related enclosures received by the Department of State from sources other than ILSo and foreign diplomatic and consular officers. The letters cover a wide variety of subjects relating to both domestic and international affairs. Many of them contain complaints from UoSo merchants, shipmasters, and travelers about their treatment abroad. Some of these complaints developed into claims against foreign governments, were settled by diplomatic negotiation or by claims commissions or arbitrations, and are reflected in diplomatic or consular correspondence. There are also requests for information on foreign customs and laws and on the provisions of treaties and their interpretation.
Communications received from Government officials include, for example, letters from the Treasury Department relative to the execution of the customs laws; letters, reports, resolutions, and requests from the Senate and the House of Representatives and the various committees of Congress, and letters and opinions from the Attorney General on such matters as the position of the Federal Government regarding redress claimed by the French Charge d’Affaires for ill-treatment accorded his countrymen within the State of Louisiana (1837) the interpretation of the fourth article of the treaty with Algiers (1816), the question of diplomatic immunities (1818 and 1820), and the right of aliens to hold real estate in the United States (1819).
The domestic functions of the Department of State are represented by letters relative to the publishing of laws; communications from the governor, secretaries of state, and other officials of the State governments; and letters and reports from the various Territorial officials. Letters from governors of States and others regarding the adoption of amendments to the Constitution have been removed from this series and now form a part of the Constitution papers in Record Group 11. The registers to this series list many letters concerning patent applications and immigration, but the letters themselves were probably transferred, along with these functions, to other Government agencies.
Calendars of the "Miscellaneous Letters" appear on Roll 1 as follows: (l) Calendar of the Miscellaneous Letters of the Department of State, 1789-1820, a volume published in 1897 for the use of the Department; (2) a typed "Supplement to the Calendar of Miscellaneous Letters," 17.89-1820; and (3) a typed volume labeled "Misc. Index, A-J, 1821-25," and typed pages of the remainder of the index (K-Z). These "Calendars" provide an index to the Miscellaneous Letters, 1789-1825, by name of writer; indicate the date of each letter; and give an abstract of its contents.
The records reproduced in this microfilm publication are a part of Record Group 59, General Records of the Department of State.
The spreadsheet attached below contains a reel-by-reel description of the complete collection.