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The Clark Manuscript
The Clark manuscript is not a book manuscript in the traditional sense. Rather,
it is a compilation of illustrations and the personal correspondence of General John S.
Clark (1823-1912). Even though the surviving exchanges are fragmented, I was able
to determine the names of at least three individuals in correspondence with Clark in
the late nineteenth century, all of whom appear to have been Jesuit priests: Patrick H.
Kelly and R.A. Dewey from Woodstock College, Maryland; and George E. Quinn
from Fordham University, New York. While the details of each letter vary, the priests
seem to have played a vital role in helping Clark translate and identify various
religious artifacts, while acting as collectors and historians in their own right.
The Clark Manuscript is currently housed in the Rochester Museum and
Science Center. The sketches and watercolor reliefs in the manuscript depict in great
detail the common types of religious medals and crucifixes that were recovered from
various native sites in upstate New York. Unfortunately, the details are too vague to
enable the modern reader to know exactly where the artifacts were being taken or
traded from. However, Clark hailed from Auburn and was mostly collecting artifacts
that would have come from Cayuga territory (Hamell 2010, personal communication).
Thus, the descriptions of the types are still applicable to the findings in Seneca
territory. In addition to some very helpful illustrations, the collaborators behind the
Clark manuscript also managed to translate the Latin inscriptions and Christograms
found on the medals. This not only helps to identify the medals, but also may yield
insight pertaining to the religious devotions of the time, as well as potentially what
aspects of Catholicism were being “exchanged” with native people.
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