The Winterthur Library

The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and Printed Ephemera

Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum

5105 Kennett Pike, Winterthur, Delaware 19735

302-888-4600 or 800-448-3883

OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION

Creator: Ward, William E. (William Evans), 1821-1900

Title: Notes of European travel

Dates: 1867, April 20-August 19

Call No.: Doc. 366

Acc. No.: 81x19

Quantity: 1 volume (248 pages)

Location: 31 D

BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT

William E. (William Evans) Ward was born in Wayne, Indiana, on April 29, 1821, the son of Hannah Ann Evans and John Ward, who were Quakers. He married Tacy Anne Lukens of Philadelphia, and a fellow Quaker. In the 1860 census, the Wards (and his mother) lived in Greenwich, Connecticut, where he worked as a master machinist. In the 1870 and 1880 censuses, Ward was listed as living in Rye, New York, a manufacturer of carriage bolts. (His wife’s name was mis-recorded as Sadie in 1870.) The Wards had two children: William (age 16 in 1870, but age 23 in 1880) and Mary J. (age 22 in 1880; later married Edson S. Jones of Rye).

Ward was one of the founders of Russell, Burdsall, Ward Corp., makers of nuts and bolts (and still in business as RB&W) and founder of Portchester Bolt & Nut Company (which merged with the earlier company). Ward invented several machines for making bolts and nuts.

William E. Ward died sometime between July 29, 1899 (when he wrote his will) and March 10, 1900 (when his will was probated). In his will, he mentioned his wife and children, as well as sister-in-law Dr. Anna Lukens. (The Lukens were Quakers in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.)

SCOPE AND CONTENT

Describes a trip to Europe taken by William E. Ward from April 20 to August 19, 1867. The diary opens with an account of Ward's sea voyage aboard the steamer, St. Laurent. He began recording observations of the European scene with his arrival in Brest, France, on April 30. Ward began his sightseeing in Paris and then journeyed to Italy, passing through Lyons, Marseilles, Nimes, and Nice along the way. He offered his opinion of each of the stops. While in Italy, Ward visited Genoa, Naples, Rome, and Florence. He next headed for Switzerland and on June 5 was in Geneva. From there, he went to Chamonix, France, to see the Mer de Glace, a glacier that was a famous tourist attraction. He pronounced the sight thrilling. Ward traveled in the Alps of Switzerland and France for about ten days and summed up his experiences by writing: "The whole tour through the mountains, on and by the lakes, cities, villages, rural districts and all, have imparted a refreshing tone to my feelings and thoughts."

From June 17 until July 5, Ward was back in Paris to attend the Universal Exposition of 1867. At the exposition he was most interested in the displays of firms that manufactured metal products, which he and Abram S. Hewitt investigated together. Ward commented on the London Bolt and Nut Company's exhibit and compared the French system of making bolts with the English one. He concluded that the Whitworth Company from Manchester, England, made superior engines and tools and that W. Sellers and Company of Philadelphia, Pa., had a "creditable display of tools." He believed that European safes, especially those manufactured in France, were of excellent quality. He noted that the Prussians made superior cast iron ornamental work. In summing up his observations of the exposition, Ward wrote that "the progress made in the working of metals in Europe is truly astonishing" and that "I find so much more of interest to me there than anywhere else I have been in Paris." Ward also visited the art exhibits and the exhibits about different countries. While in Paris, he saw the Sultan of Turkey several times, Emperor Napoleon III once, and met Dr. Mary Edwards Walker at a Fourth of July celebration. He also described the August 15 celebrations in Paris for the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

After Ward left Paris, he traveled in Germany, Austria, Bohemia, and the Netherlands. He cruised the Rhine from Cologne, visited small towns, and found the architecture in Berlin to be impressive. Ward returned to Paris on August 4 and took in additional sights, including the Gobelin tapestry works, the catacombs, and the Garden of Acclamation. The diary closes with Ward in London, where he attended a Quaker meeting and visited the zoo.

During his travels, Ward met with various artists. In Rome, he visited the American sculptors Rogers (undoubtedly Randolph Rogers), Joseph Mozier, and Harriet G. Hosmer. While in Florence, he called on Hiram Powers and a young American sculptor named Mead (probably Larkin Goldsmith Mead). He also met artists in Germany and Belgium. During his travels, he visited churches, art museums, palaces, and other tourist sites. He was quite taken with the scenery of the Alps. He commented on crops, livestock, and the presence of factories. He wrote little about the people he encountered, the food he ate, or what he purchased. Most of the people he mentioned were referred to only by their surnames, and he misspelled some names, thus making identification difficult.

ORGANIZATION

Entries are in chronological order.

LANGUAGE OF MATERIALS

The materials are in English.

RESTRICTIONS ON ACCESS

Collection is open to the public. Copyright restrictions may apply.

PROVENANCE

Purchased from Craig W. Ross.

ACCESS POINTS

People:

Hewitt, Abram S. (Abram Stevens), 1822-1903.

Rogers, Randolph, 1825-1892.

Hosmer, Harriet Goodhue, 1830-1908.

Powers, Hiram, 1805-1873.

Mozier, Joseph, 1812-1870.

Walker, Mary Edwards, 1832-1919.

Topics:

Exposition universelle de 1867 à Paris.

Voyages and travels.

Manners and customs.

Ocean travel.

Hotels.

Metal-work - History - 19th century.

Artists, American.

Men – Diaries.

Fourth of July celebrations.

Gambling.

Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Europe - Description and travel.

Italy - Description and travel.

France - Description and travel.

Switzerland - Description and travel.

Netherlands - Description and travel.

Germany - Description and travel.

Austria - Description and travel.

Diaries.

Travelers.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION

Location: 31 D

Index to Doc. 366 (acc. 81x19)

Note: For the most part, the index includes only the names of people that Ward actually met. With some exceptions, names of artists whose works he saw in museums, historical personages, cities or places visited, and companies which exhibited at the Exposition Universelle de 1867 à Paris are not included in the index below.

Abd ul-Aziz, Sultan of Turkey 156, 166, 167-168, 173

Abendroth, Wm. P. 175-177

[The 1880 U.S. Census lists a William P. Abendroth in Rye, Westchester County, N.Y.; he was the proprietor of an iron foundry]

"Bavaria"(statue) 192-193

Belvidere Gallery 201

Bidwell (of Pittsburgh, maker of plows) 141

Bonheur, Rosa 157, 228

Brooks, Dan 141, 148

[referred to as a neighbor, but whether in New York or at the hotel is not known]

Brooks, Katy 148

Burdsall 210

[One of Ward’s partners was Ellwood Burdsall]

Campbell 173

[several notable Americans of this name at this time; possibly James Hepburn Campbell (1820-1895), who was the U.S. minister to Sweden and Norway in 1867; or possibly James Campbell (1812-1893), the former U.S. Postmaster General; both men were from Pennsylvania.]

Canova 194, 200-201

Caserta 154, 202

[the Palace of Caserta, Italy]

Charles XV, King of Sweden 186-187

Cohill 247

Cole 152

[holder of a patent for a machine of some kind (difficult to read)]

Cooper, E. & Co. [no page number given]

Cooper, Misses 171, 177

Crappo, Johnny 149

[“Johnny Crappo,” derived from Jean Crapaud, was the personification of the French people, much as “John Bull” was used for English people; indeed, “Johnny Bull” is mentioned in the same sentence.]

Curtin, Gov. 173

[probably Andrew Gregg Curtin, governor of Pennsylvania, 1861-1867]

Deshler, Mr. and Mrs. (from Columbus, Ohio) 123, 124, 128, 165, 166, 177

Dougherty, Dan 173

[perhaps Daniel Dougherty, Philadelphia lawyer and orator, and one of the founders of the Union League of Philadelphia]

Ellwood 138

[probably reference to Ellwood Burdsall]

Fomey(?) 173

[a notable American, but not identified]

Gilpin, Charles 247

[Member of Parliament; also a Quaker]

Gobelin Factory 229

Hall, Miss 171, 177

Herrings of New York 236

[maker of safes]

Hewitt, A. S. 20-21, 89, 137, 140-145, 147, 148, 167, 169, 170, 176

[Hewitt, Abram S. (Abram Stevens)]

Hosmer, H. (Miss) 71

[Harriet Hosmer, of course]

Hudson, Capt. 156, 170

[John M. Hudson, who, with Francis Edward Fitch, had in 1866 crossed the Atlantic in a lifeboat called the Red, White and Blue; the boat was on display at the exposition]

Humboldt (steamer) 179

Hupe, Francis (Frank) (Ward’s courier) 20-21, 26, 90, 106, 107, 119, 120, 128, 137, 138, 198, 200, 204, 226, 244

Jackson, Mr. (of New York) 226, 245, 247

Jewel, Dr. and Mrs. 165, 173

Kollack [?] 190

[unidentified artist with a studio in Munich; artist was perhaps Swiss; surname may be Kollbach, or some variation, and it might start with H rather than K; did a piece illustrating the story of William Tell]

Krupps [steel works] 215

“Lincoln” (statue) 190

Linde, Dr. 208

[German homeopathic physician]

London Bolt & Nut Company 140, 152-153

Mazzolini [Roman artist] 65

Mead 78

[American sculptor in Florence, probably Larkin Goldsmith Mead, but possibly William Rutherford Mead]

Merritt, Edward (of New York) 17, 145

Mozier, Joseph [spelled Mosier] 69

Muller [artist] 228

[evidently Charles Louis-Lucien Muller, as Ward saw his painting “Role Call,” i.e. “The Roll Call of the Last Victims of the Terror”]

Napoleon III 167-169

Paris Exposition (1867) 18-20, 138-139, 141-144, 146-152, 155-171, 175-176, 226-227, 234-238

Pomeroy, Mr., (of Cincinnati) 159

Powers, Hiram 78

Price, R. & S. (cousins) 18

Reith(?), Mr. 247

Rhine River 181

Rodgers of N.Y. 159

[he probably meant John Rogers, whose studio was in New York]

Rogers (spelled as Rodgers, the American sculptor) 71

[this is probably Randolph Rogers, an American sculptor who lived in Rome]

Russell, H., & family 18-20, 247

Russell, H. E. 137

Schwanthaler family 193

[sculptors in Munich]

Sellers (tool maker of Philadelphia) 148-149

St. Laurent (ship) 2

Sweet, John 138-139, 142, 148, 153, 162, 227, 238

[inventor of a kind of type-setting machine]

Tresca, Mr. 145

[head of Institution of Mechanical Engineers for Conservatory of Arts]

Verboeckhoven, Eugene 223

[spelled Verbockhoffen; known for his paintings of animals]

Walker, Miss Dr. 173-174

[Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, who served in the Civil War and was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor]

Watkins, Mr. 152-153, 162

[an American, from St. Louis, but principal of London Nut & Bolt Co.]