Brown University

Collections A-Z

In addition to general collections and online subscription databases, journals, and ebooks, the Library holds more than 500 named collections which are distinguished by their specialized subject matter, age, uniqueness, or value. Most of the listed collections on this page are located in the John Hay Library. To locate digitized collections, see the list available at the Center for Digital Scholarship site and search the Brown Digital Repository.

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Hawkins (Rush) collection, 1750-1951

The Rush Hawkins collection (1750-1951(bulk 1830-1917)) contains personal, family, financial, and military correspondence and documents; photographs; and a variety of museum objects ranging from dinnerware and household items to clothing and personal accessories belonging to the Hawkins and Brown families. Most of the collection reflects the life and interests of Hawkins himself, with some items related to his wife Annmary Brown Hawkins and her family. Included in the papers are two significant sub-collections of correspondence: a collection of antebellum historical letters and documents from earlier generations of the Brown family, as well as individual letters from Thomas Jefferson, Nathaniel Greene, Edgar Allan Poe, and Napoleon I; and a collection of Civil War-related correspondence and documents that contains records of Hawkins' Zouaves and much Confederate material, including a subseries of Jefferson Davis's communications to the Senate of the Confederate States.
Format(s): Books, Manuscripts, Broadsides, Museum Objects, Graphics, Letters, Documents, Scrapbooks
Library: John John Hay, Collections Annex
NOTE: Portions of this collection are housed off-site. Prior notice is needed for retrieval
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Access to the collection:

Online Catalog (BruKnow):
General description of the collection available on BruKnow


Other Online Access:
RIAMCO: Guide to the Rush Hawkins collection

Related Collections:
Stillwell (Margaret Bingham) Papers