Before publishing quotations or excerpts from any materials, permission must be obtained from the Curator of Manuscripts and Rare Books, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library.
Collection is open to all researchers. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.
Government publications printed by the U.S Government Printing Office (GPO) and others from the 1820s-1890s. The formats include legislation, annual reports, histories, speeches, resolutions, reports, rebuttals and more. Topics include abolition of slavery, Mexican War, information and reports about the Civil War, Army register for 1858, annual reports for railroads and banks, historical paper on Christ Church in Norfolk, Virginia (1878), Governor Pierpoint's address to "People of Virginia" (May 19, 1865) and more. This collection appears to be material purposely removed from larger bound reports. Many of the topics relate to matters that concern Virginia and other southern states.
Reports from the House of Representatives and the Senate from the 21st Congress to the 42nd Congress, but not representative of all the congresses or sessions. In order by report number within each session.
Topics include: construction of a national railway; Messages from the President; "an abstract of returns of registered American seamen for...1857;" "list of committees of the Senate...1857;" reports on the arrest of William Walker near San Juan de Nicaragua; a copy of the Constitution of Minnesota; Secretary of War report of disbursement of public money; list of clerks employed in the State Department; discontinuation of the Sound Dues with Denmark; copy of the Federal Constitution of the Swiss Confederation; Indian War in Oregon and Washington Territories; annual report of Passengers Arriving in the United States; execution of Colonel Crabb and Associates; Utah troubles and expedition; Minnesota territory; suits on dockets at United States Courts; correspondence between the late Secretary of War and General Wool, Virginia Military District, Ohio; treaty with the Kingdom of Siam; protection of the Frontier of Texas; Vancouver and British Columbia agreement; volunteers in Florida; military posts from Missouri to New Mexico and possible land fraud in San Francisco.
Reports, speeches, supporting documents for bills, copies of articles from publications and more. Many of the "reports" are printed by others, but reflect issues of the state or federal governments.