This collection contains works, notes, diaries and papers regarding explorations and military
campaigns concerning the early history of much of the trans-Allegheny West. Collected by Lyman Draper, most of the approximately 500 volumes material cover the time period from the 1740's through the 1810's.
There are several indexes and subsets. Each collection of papers has been assigned a letter or letters and then subdivided into volumes. These designations are often used in citations and references. See the list below, the microfilm is arranged by this scheme. Series with indexes or calendars are indicated.
| Series Name | Designation
(Index, click call number) |
|---|
| Bedinger Papers | A |
| Draper's Life of Boone | B |
| Boone Papers | C |
| Border Forays | D |
| Brady and Wetzel Papers | E |
| Brant Papers | F |
| Brant Miscellanies | G |
| Daniel Broadhead Papers | H |
| (none desgnated) | I |
| George Rogers Clark Papers | J
(Z6623.D7 D7 1981a) |
| George Rogers Clark Miscellanies | K |
| Jonathan Clark Papers | L |
| William Clark Papers | M |
| William Croghan Papers | N |
| Daniel Drake Papers | O |
| Draper's Biographical Sketches | P |
| Draper's Historical Miscellanies | Q |
| Draper's Memoranda Books | R |
| Draper's Notes | S |
| Forsyth Papers | T |
| Frontier War Papers | U
(Z6623.D7 D7 1981a) |
| Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina Papers | V |
| Harmar Papers | W |
| William Henry Harrison Papers | Y |
| Thomas S. Hinde Papers | Z |
| Illinois Papers | AA |
| Irvine Papers | BB |
| Simon Kenton Papers | CC
(Z6623.D7 D7 1981a) |
| Kentucky Papers | DD
(Z6623.D7 D7 1981a) |
| King's Mountain Papers | EE |
| London Documents at Albany | EE |
| Mecklenburg Declaration by Draper | EE |
| Mecklenburg Declaration Papers | EE |
| Mecklenburg Declaration Miscellanies | EE |
| (nothing designated) | EE |
| Newspaper Extracts | KK |
| North Carolina Papers | KK |
| Paris Documents at Albany | LL |
| Robert Patterson Papers | MM |
| Pittsburgh and Northwest Virginia Papers | NN |
| Pension Statements | OO |
| Potter Family Papers | PP |
| Preston Papers | QQ
(Z6623.D7 D7 1981a)
|
| Rudolph-Ney Papers | RR |
| Shepherd Papers | SS
(Z6623.D7 D7 1981a) |
| South Carolina Papers | TT
(Z6623.D7 D7 1981a) |
| South Carolina in the Revolution Miscellanies | UU |
| Sumter Papers | VV |
| John Cleves Symmes Papers | WW |
| Tennessee Papers | XX
(Z6623.D7 D7 1981a) |
| Tecumseh Papers | YY
(E99.S35 S39x) |
| Virginia Papers | ZZ
(Z6623.D7 D7 1981a) |
The main general guide guide to the collection is Guide to the Draper Manuscripts, by
Josephine L. Harper (State Historical Society of Wisconsin). This guide describes each set of
papers within the collection and has several useful appendixes, but no detailed subject
index.
Another guide relating to materials in the Draper Collection is Descriptive list of manuscript collections
of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, together with reports on other collections of
manuscript material for American history in adjacent states. Edited by Reuben Gold Thwaites, the book includes a good name index.
There is a photocopy located in the Reference Collection the the book is also reproduced on microfilm at the end of the Draper Collection). Also browse Reuben Gold Thwaites for
more Draper-related information.
For an excellent guide which may reference additional indexes, consult the BGSU Library
guide to the Draper Manuscripts.
