This collection is unprocessed; materials are arranged in the order received.
Accession No. RARE.2019.0008: Purchased, 2018 June; Accession No. RARE.2019.0009: Purchased, 2018 June; Accession No. RARE.2019.0097: Larry Michaels, 2019 June; Accession No. RARE.2019.0098: Purchased, 2019 July; Accession No. RARE.2019.0120: Ed Hoffman, 2019 October; Accession No. RARE.2019.0122: Sean Andres, 2019 October; Accession No. RARE.2019.0123: Larry Michaels, 2019 October; Accession No. RARE.2019.0153: Purchased, 2019 December; Accession No. RARE.2020.0041: Purchased, 2020 December; Accession No. RARE.2020.0042: Purchased, 2020 December; Accession No. RARE.2022.0070: Purchased, 2022 October; Accession No. RARE.2023.0030: Purchased, 2021 November; Accession No. RARE.2023.0031: Purchased, 2021 December; Accession No. RARE.2023.0032: Purchased, 2022 September; Accession No. RARE.2023.0033: Sean Andres, 2022 April; Accession No. RARE.2024.0006: Purchased, 2023 September; Accession No. RARE.2024.0007: Purchased, 2023 October; Accession No. RARE.2025.0187: Purchased, 2025 September; Accession No. RARE.2025.0188: Purchased, 2025 October
[identification of item], Sarah Piatt Collection, SPEC.RARE.0256, Rare Books and Manuscripts Library, Ohio State University
Materials in this collection are available for use, but may be used in the Thompson Library Special Collections reading room only.
Materials in this collection may be protected by copyright, and are made available for research and educational purposes. In general, the OSU Libraries do not own the copyright for materials from our collections and cannot grant copyright permissions for these materials. The user is responsible for making a final determination of copyright status. If copyright protection applies, permission must be obtained from the copyright holder to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exceptions to the law. Works in the public domain are not protected by copyright and do not require permission to use.
This collection is unprocessed. Finding aid written by: Nicole Miller, 2019 January; Ashleigh Minor, 2019 July, 2020 October-December; Beth Crowner, 2019 October-December; Lindsay Resnick, 2022 November, 2023 June; Sabrina Gorse, 2024 February; Allison McPherson, 2025 December
Sarah Morgan Bryan Piatt (1836-1919) was an American poet born outside Lexington, Kentucky, but spent most of her life in Ohio. Piatt sometimes published poetry under the name "Sallie M. Bryan." In 1861, she married journalist and poet John James "J.J." Piatt (1835-1917). Sarah Piatt's earliest poems were published in the
The Sarah Piatt Collection includes personal and business correspondence from Sarah Piatt's husband John James Piatt, and her editor George D. Prentice, portraits of both Sarah and John James Piatt, as well as correspondence from other members of the Piatt family and their business aquaintances. Topics include requests for autographs, Sarah Piatt's poetry, John James Piatt's career, George D. Prentice's career and lectures, publishing, and other related subjects. Poetry and music written by John James Piatt is also included, as well as his certificate appointing him to a United States Consul position in Ireland. One poem by Sarah Piatt, "A Bird Without a Mate," portraits of Prentice, and a 3-page, handwritten autobiography by Prentice is also included, believed to have been written for his book,
Published in Volume 70 of
Accession No. RARE.2019.0122 includes a 1935 letter written by Sarah Piatt's daughter-in-law, Anna Hester Sigerson Piatt, to a Mr. O'Hanes about publishing a book Sigerson Piatt wrote. Also included is a handwritten excerpt of a poem by Sarah Piatt's husband, John James Piatt, inscribed to a "W.I. Young, Esquire" and dated from 1893, as well as an 1874 musical score for the song "The Flower May Hide Its Lovely Face," with words written by John James Piatt and music by George L. Osgood.
Accession No. RARE.2020.0042 includes (3) handwritten letters from George D. Prentice to an F. Robinson and other unknown recipients; the letter to Robinson is dated December 15, but does not identify the year; the other two letters are dated 1858 and 1860. The letters mention Prentice's upcoming lectures, his health, and visits from the recipients. Also included are two undated black-and-white portrait engravings of Prentice, one of which is printed on a carte de visite.
Accession No. RARE.2022.0070, dated circa 1893-before 1918, includes two poems by John James Piatt. One, "The Walnut-Gatherer," is typewritten and signed by Piatt, noting that it was typed in Piatt's home village of North Bend, Ohio. It is dedicated "to a little boy out in the woods." The other, "Sunshine and Rain," is handwritten and signed by Piatt, noting that it was written in Cleves, Ohio.
Accession No. RARE.2023.0030, dated 1895 June-November, contains two magazine clippings. One clipping contains a hand-drawn portrait of Sarah Piatt with the caption "Mrs. John J. Piatt." The other clipping contains a hand-drawn portrait of John J. Piatt. Both portraits were clipped out of a copy of
Accession No. RARE.2023.0031, dated 1888 April, contains a signed cabinet card featuring a photograph of John James Piatt, the United States Consul at Queenstown (as of 1920, Cobh), Ireland, from 1887 to 1893. The photographic print contains a signed note from Piatt wishing the recipient his "kind regards." The verso of the cabinet card includes an inscription in an unknown hand listing Piatt's dates of service as the Consul.
Accession No. RARE.2023.0032, dated 1860 March 15, contains an autographed note by George D. Prentice. The note is likely in response to a request for an autograph from an unknown fan, and in it, Prentice states that he will provide the fan with an autograph even though writing is difficult for him. The note is attached to another sheet of paper, onto which someone has written "'The greatest wit of the day' Editor of the
Accession No. RARE.2023.0033, dated 1849 October 27, contains a letter written in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, by John Bear Piatt, father of John James Piatt, to John Hastings, a Democratic congressman in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. In the letter, Piatt tells the recently re-elected Hastings that he would like to continue working with him, and asks for his help in being elected Sergeant at Arms.
Accession No. RARE.2024.0006 contains an envelope postmarked North Bend, Ohio, 25 April, 1907. The envelope is handwritten by Sarah Piatt and addressed to "Miss Piatt" in North Cornwall, England. Miss Piatt is likely Sarah's daughter, Marian. "Greeting! for May 7th" is handwritten on the back of the envelope, possibly indicating that Sarah was writing to Marian for her birthday.
Accession No. RARE.2024.0007 contains a letter (one page, two-sided) handwritten by John J. Piatt on 16 June, 1864, from Washington, D.C. In the letter, Piatt writes about the books the recipient requested to borrow that were written by Piatt, Follet and Foster's plans to publish a volume by "Mr. Howells," answers to questions regarding Mr. Batehaur and a poet named Mr. Browning, and sending regards to the recipient on behalf of Mr. Smalley, "formerly of the Painesville paper." The letter includes a signature from D.L. Wyman Esquire of Perry, Ohio.
A single handwritten letter sent to Mr. W. Austin and signed by John J. Piatt. It is written on official Consulate of the United States at Cork (Queenstown) stationery. The letter contains an acknowledgement and acceptance of membership into the N.E. Library & Historical Society. The letter is dated June 9, 1881.
Three letters sent to James C. Young and signed by John J. Piatt. The letters contain conversation about books and poetry written by John J. Piatt and his wife Sarah Morgan Bryan Piatt. The letters are dated July 9, 1900 - September 3, 1902.