The October release of Territorial Papers of the United States, 1765-1953, includes many letters and little-known documents tracking New Mexico’s controversial Secretary of the Territory, H.H. Heath.

An unsigned memoir from 1868 offers some background:

Mr. Heath is a native of New York, for several years a resident of Washington, he was for a time a (deputy) clerk of the House of Representatives and established here in 1849 or 1850 a newspaper called the “Southern Press” for the express purpose of defending “Southern rights.”

During the Lecompton struggle he was editor of “The North West” “which supported Southern men and Northern, too, who supported them.”

He held the Post Office at Dubuke [sic] for three years, until ejected by Mr. Lincoln.

Heath’s service to New Mexico Territory began a year earlier in 1867 after a brief delay. Writing to Secretary of State William Henry Seward on March 15, 1867, Heath asked:

I have the honor to request permission to delay my departure for New Mexico…to afford me time to make my arrangements for taking my family and household goods with me.

Four months later Heath sent another letter to Seward, this time writing:

I have the honor to report my arrival in this place and the assumption of the duties of Secretary of this Territory.

I arrived her yesterday after a very protracted and tedious trek…of 47 days…

In August Heath wrote again to Seward, this time about documents uncovered in his New Mexico office. Describing the find, he writes:  

After Joanne B. Freeman’s captivating talk on early congressional violence at the 2019 American Library Association Annual Conference, we sat down with the Yale University history professor to dive deeper into her scholarly interests and use of primary documents. We shared highlights with you in the most recent installment of Readex’s Scholars Speak series; however, no conversation with Freeman would be complete without a focus on Alexander Hamilton.

Decades before Lin Manuel Miranda’s inspiration for the Broadway smash hit, a teenager’s interest in this American enigma was struck in the biography section of her local library. Freeman—who calls herself that “crazy person” who knows more about Hamilton than anybody else—realized upon seeing the musical for the first time that her work was the basis for the song “Ten Duel Commandments.”

Enjoy this behind-the-scenes chat as Freeman discusses what first sparked her interest in this enigmatic founding father, why after decades of research he continues to fascinate her, and how she predicts “Hamilton Mania” will impact history.

Readex has released a new family of digital resources that support learning and research across STEM and humanities disciplines. Each of these five fully searchable collections is comprised of thousands of primary source documents from around the world, collected and translated into English by the Central Intelligence Agency between 1957 and 1995:

Created to cajole, convince and inform Americans on nearly every issue of the day, pamphlets had a powerful impact on 19th-century life in the United States. Now a unique digital resource provides more than 25,000 fully searchable pamphlets from across the country. Revealing passionate views and perspectives not seen in other print genres, these rare items address many of today's most heavily researched topics.

Learn more in this short new video:

Discussing this collection, Library Journal writes:

With unique content combined with the superb quality and accessibility, American Pamphlets, Series 1, 1820–1922, is a remarkable product. It will serve researchers from high school to postdoctoral studies and beyond. Large public and university libraries will be interested, and other institutions serving scholars in American politics, history, culture, gender and ethnic issues, religion, and education should consider.

Reference Reviews says:

A unique snapshot of contemporary societal thoughts and concerns….The Readex American Pamphlets collection is an excellent database for researchers and university students. It provides a delightful snapshot of contemporaneous views and thoughts on a variety of topics from the cultural to the political.

And Choice adds:

Pamphlets are…notoriously hard to collect, arrange, and catalog….Having more than 25,000 of these rare items available online for close inspection is a great thing.