Guide to the Harriet Myer Laird Papers
Open for research.
Harriet Myer Laird was born in 1803 in Wysox, Pennsylvania. Harriet became devoutly committed to the cause of foreign missions in 1821 after hearing a "fiery preacher" at the local Presbyterian church in Wysox. She took this religious fervor with her to Briarcliff, a boarding school in Aurora, New York, around 1822. When she left Briarcliff in 1827 she started a school of her own in Towanda, five miles from Wysox. In 1832 she went on to Lewisburg and founded a "Select School for Young Ladies."
After a brief courtship, Harriet married Matthew Laird on September 30, 1833. Matthew was ordained and appointed a missionary to Liberia on October 1, 1833. In November, 1833 the Lairds sailed for Africa. Once in Liberia, the Lairds both contracted "African Fever" (possibly Yellow Fever or Malaria) and died in 1834.
The Harriet Myer Laird papers consists of correspondence, Matthew Laird's obituary (biographical sketch), and several 1981 transcripts of letters compiled by Harriet Laird's relatives (Richard E. Myer and Jane Myer Rietell).
The correspondence is largely from Harriet to her family, but several letters are to or from Matthew Laird. These letters document Harriet's intense religious zeal throughout her young adulthood, and her dedication to the African mission in Liberia.
Some letters and documents contain handwritten notes that usually function as transcriptions of original text (though these transcriptions are not always accurate). These handwritten notes were most likely created by family descendants. Additionally, there are typewritten transcriptions of some of the original letters and documents.
SERIES I: CORRESPONDENCE, 1822-1835
SERIES II: MISCELLANEOUS, 1835, 1981
Portraits of both Harriet and Matthew Laird were donated to the society, see:
Museum Collection Accession 1478 for Matthew Laird
Museum Collection Accession 1479 for Harriet Laird
Researchers should also check the card catalog for additional information about the Lairds.
Collection processed and finding aid prepared: August 1989, Susan W. Miller, Processing Archivist
| Box | Folder | Description | |
| 1 | 1 | Finding Aid to Record Group 257 | |
| SERIES I: CORRESPONDENCE, 1822-1835 | |||
| 1 | 2 | 1822-1833 | |
| 1 | 3 | 1833 | |
| 1 | 4 | 1833-1835 | |
| SERIES II: MISCELLANEOUS, 1835, 1981 | |||
| 1 | 5 | Obituary of Matthew Laird, 1835 | |
| 1 | 6 | Transcripts of several letters, 1981 |