Partridge Family Collection

The collection consists of a variety of documents.  Carrie's grandfather, Williams Partridge, as a lawyer, wrote many deeds and mortgages, as well as receipts for purchases pertaining to the daily needs of the family and promissory notes either for himself or individuals living in Onondaga Hill, and documents relating to Williams' service to the town in his capacity as Commissioner.  There are genealogical materials relating to both the Partridge and Powell families.  Several pieces of correspondence include letters from family members describing their struggles of living in Iowa and Kansas, a letter from an Army Private serving on the plains of the Indian Territory, and a letter from a Missionary serving in Gawan, Turkey, to a school class in Auburn, New York, writing about his experience teaching Turkish students in 1854.  Carrie's uncle, James Albert Partridge, who opened the first telegraph office in Syracuse, was a student in the early 1830s at the Onondaga Valley Academy, located in Onondaga Hollow.  A large amount of his school essays on a variety of topics such as slavery, temperance, and stenography are included in this collection as well as receipts for tuition and books.  From the many family letters, much of the writing shows evidence of a strong religious family as well as being steadfastly against the evils of alcohol.