REEL ONE General Introduction, Genealogical Chart, Description of the Library of Congress' Ewing Family Collection, Alphabetical List of Correspondents, List of Items Microfilmed, and Correspondence, 1815-1832. The major portion of the correspondence to be found on this reel is connected with Ewing's practice of law. However, interspersed with this are a substantial number of personal letters -- mainly from his wife, Maria Boyle Ewing -- and a few letters, chiefly from 1827 on, of political import. All have been arranged in one over-all chronological series. The first item of correspondence, dated January 11, 1815, is from Charles Ewing, a cousin who was a prominent member of the New Jersey Bar and subsequently Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court, giving young Tom some helpful advise as he prepared to embark upon the study of law. Other items of special interest include: several letters of 1827 relative to Ewing's attendance at the Harrisburg Convention of Friends of Farming and Manufacturing and his attachment to Clay's "American System" as well as to his support for the Adams Administration; several letters of 1827 and 1829 bearing upon his connection with the Lancaster Lateral Canal Company; and a letter of June 17, 1832, from Charles Hammond, a leading member of the Ohio Bar and editor of the Cincinnati Gazette, discussing the prospects for the anti-Jackson forces in Ohio and in the country at large.

REEL TWO Correspondence, 1833-1872; Undated Correspondence; Miscellaneous Memoranda, Notes, Drafts, and Documents, 1826-1868; and Miscellaneous Undated Memoranda, Notes, Drafts, and Documents. This reel continues, to its completion, the correspondence portion of the Thomas Ewing Papers proper. Once again, the major emphasis is upon Ewing's law practice with heavy emphasis also upon his other business enterprises and particularly his land holdings. However, there are also a substantial number of personal letters and a number of letters of political importance. Significant and interesting items include: P. Hitchcock's letter of December 11, 1836, regarding the organization of the Ohio Legislature and the prospects for the election of a United States Senator; a copy from the Marietta Intelligence of July 30, 1840, of a letter from Ewing to L.D. Barker respecting the approaching presidential election; a copy of a letter December 6, 1840, to William Henry Harrison regarding the proposed selection of Ewing as Postmaster General; a number of items in 1849 and 1850 bearing upon Ewing's service as Secretary of the Interior and including President Fillmore's letter of July 20, 1850, accepting his resignation; Governor Seabury Ford's proclamation of July 20, 1850, naming Ewing United States Senator; a copy of a letter of April 17, 1854, to J. Teesdale in which Ewing sets forth his views on the slavery question and urges a policy of moderation in regard to the Kansas-Nebraska dispute; a "suppressed part" of a letter of 1862 to Benjamin Stanton defending General Grant, Sherman, and Prentiss against Stanton's charge of incompetence and misconduct; a copy of a letter of April 19, 1864, to President Abraham Lincoln suggesting the use of compressed air to power steamships; a draft for an unsent letter of April 30, 1869, to some unknown correspondent disputing Grant's fitness for the Presidency; and a copy of a letter of July 5, 1870, to the Pall Mall Gazette defending Cardinal Paul Cullen, Archbishop of Dublin, against a charge of immoral teachings. The majority of the letters from 1866 on are connected with Ewing's real estate holdings. The dated Correspondence is followed by seven undated letters arranged alphabetically by author. They include one from Thomas Corwin relative to the establishment of a Bureau of Agriculture in the Department of the Interior and two by Ewing himself. The next series of items consists of miscellaneous memoranda, notes, drafts and documents. Those which bear dates or have been dated by us range from 1826-1868. All, both dated and undated, have substantial research value.

REEL THREE Law papers. Featured on this reel are various legal papers, most of which are related directly to Ewing's practice. The first series of items, arranged chronologically, consists of miscellaneous law papers ranging from 1804 to 1871. This is followed by various undated law papers arranged alphabetically. The final two items on the reel are bound volumes related to the practice of law by Ewing in partnership with his son, Philemon. The first of these is a Docket Book for the firm of T. Ewing and Son which covers the years 1843 to 1849 and summarizes the disposition of each case handled. Included is an alphabetical index of the cases. This is followed by the final item on th reel, a Letter Book for the firm of T. Ewing and Son which covers the span from January 26, 1843, to December 28, 1847, and contains copies of out-going letters from the firm. Apparently the book had once been used as a Letter Book for the Lancaster Ohio Insurance Company of which Ewing owned two hundred shares. There are a number of pages at the front of the volume which are tied together with a ribbon and which bear copies of out-going letters dated from August 29, 1835, to January 7, 1840, and signed by John Garaghty, the company's secretary. In filming the book, we have taken: first, these letters, then, an index, found in the rear of the volume, for the letters of T. Ewing and Son; and, finally the letters of that firm.

REEL FOUR Law papers; and Department of the Interior. The initial three items on this reel continue and complete the papers relating to Thomas Ewing's law practice. The first of these is "Letter Book #2" of the firm of T. Ewing and Son featuring out-going letters for the period from January 3, 1848