The collection contains letters, sheet music manuscripts, memorabilia and books from Griffes’ personal library that offer insight into the musical training and personal progression of Charles Tomlinson Griffes. The collection documents the formative years of Charles Tomlinson Griffes containing 28 original letters written during his early adulthood while studying music in Berlin, Germany, 1903-1906. The letters are addressed to Miss Mary Selena Broughton, his former piano teacher at Elmira College and his mother, Clara Griffes. A number of sheet music manuscripts of Griffes’ most important works: “Sonata,” “White Peacock” and “The Lake at Evening,” are included. The poetry that played an important role in Griffes’ musical process is represented in the collection by numerous books from his personal library.

This collection is comprised of facsimiles of portions of the Cyril Clemens Collection owned by the Mark Twain House and Museum, Hartford, Connecticut. The collection contains correspondence between Mark Twain and family, friends and contemporaries. The collection also contains the correspondence of Cyril Clemens, primarily in regard to his interest in Mark Twain and his position as founder and president of the International Mark Twain Society and editor of the Mark Twain Quarterly/Mark Twain Journal.

The collection contains minutes, correspondence, mailings, programs and membership lists since the creation of the Bath Branch of the American Association of University Women in 1953.

The bulk of the collection is comprised of the multidisciplinary works of Elizabeth Case. Paintings, illustrations, sketches, animation, poetry, spoken word and written works are the artistic disciplines represented in the collection. The personal papers of Elizabeth Case are at a minimum; however, a compilation of editorials, personal photographs and photograph slides from exhibitions as well as certificates of her lifetime achievements provide a unique perspective of the artist.

The papers document Herb Wisbey’s tenure as the Director of the Center of Mark Twain Studies at Elmira College from its inception in 1983 to 1986. The collection contains research materials for many of his published articles, primarily for those published in the Mark Twain Society Bulletin. Correspondence, Mark Twain research materials and a research file of predominantly local figures represent the extent of the collection.

The bulk of the records of the New York State Federation of Women’s Clubs are papers collected during the tenure of each elected president of the organization. These papers document the history of the organization from 1898 – current. Minutes from meetings, reports of the New York Districts, Convention programs, and club events are common documents found in the presidential records. Financial records, newsletters and yearbooks of the organization are not complete. Most notably absent are records from the administrations of nine presidents including the first three: Mrs. Jennie Cunningham Croly, Mrs. William A. Montgomery and Mrs. Cornelius Zabriski.

The bulk of the Howard Baetzhold papers are comprised of correspondence with members of the Mark Twain community. The majority of the letters, though touching on Twain topics, are of a personal nature. The collection contains little documentation of Baetzhold’s academic contributions in the field of Mark Twain studies and primarily documents the Twain scholarly community.

The Howard Baetzhold Papers contain materials from Baetzhold’s tenure at the Mark Twain Papers at the University of California and correspondence with other members of the Twain scholarly community. The correspondence contains little in the way of scholarship and primarily focuses on Baetzhold’s professional and personal relationships in Mark Twain studies.

The Ida Langdon Papers contain an assortment of teaching and lecture materials from her early tenure as a professor of English Literature at Elmira College, including collegiate materials from her matriculation at Bryn Mawr College. The collection also includes materials from Dr. Lane Cooper, a professor at Cornell University where Langdon received her Doctorate and various letters of correspondence and newspaper clippings. Items concerning her association with her uncle, Mark Twain, are at a minimum.

After Samuel Clemens’ death in 1910, Clara Clemens Samossoud and Katy Leary, a native of Elmira, N.Y. and trusted family servant for over thirty years, closed Twain’s final home in Redding, Connecticut called “Stormfield.” Clara permitted Katy Leary to select books from Twain’s personal library as keepsakes. Many of the books contain inscriptions, signatures, notes and markings by Samuel Clemens.