[Archive of Papers from the Leighton Family of Scotland and Ireland, Including Correspondence, Photographs, and Ephemera, Spanning More Than a Century]

[Various places, 1932. About very good.. Approximately 150 letters, most 1-2pp. in length, plus several pieces of ephemera including calling cards, confirmation certificates, and newspaper clippings; also eighteen photographs (mostly cabinet card or carte-de-visite). Some light to moderate wear and soiling, most quite legible. A sprawling group of letters, documents, and photographs from the Leighton family of Scotland, Ireland, and England. Correspondents herein include the Scottish author John Murray Leighton; his son, Irish solicitor John Alexander Leighton; and Archibald Leighton, son of J. A. who moved to America, among others. John M. Leighton was the author of several works on Scotland, including Select Views of Glasgow (1828), Scenes in Scotland (1831), and Lakes of Scotland (1835). There are approximately fifty letters here addressed to him (at Glasgow, 1823-1826); these concern literary work as well as family matters.

The other significant group of letters is written by John Alexander Leighton (1841-1928), a noted Belfast solicitor. Here, J.A. writes to "Ruth," possibly a daughter or niece. The two share family news, and the letters are written quite regularly from 1909-1912; in 1910 they appear to have been written weekly. There are about sixty altogether, with a few letters also written to other recipients, providing a picture of domestic life in Ireland in the early 20th century. J.A.'s son and business partner, Robert Henry Leighton, subsequently emigrated to British Columbia. There are also two letters (1908) addressed to J.A. from J. & J. Leighton, antiquarian booksellers in London from the 1870s to 1930. In one, J.A. Leighton seems to be ordering two of his father's literary works. Another of J.A.'s children emigrated to Pennsylvania, Archibald O. Leighton (d. 1964) and his wife and children. Most notable was his daughter, Gertrude C. K. Leighton, a lawyer and professor of political science at Bryn Mawr College. There are a handful of letters addressed to Gertrude and to her mother, mostly written by her father and brother from the Philadelphia area. Other family members mentioned herein are William, Mary, and Katie Leighton.

Additional material includes a stack of John M. Leighton's calling cards; a description and illustration for a "Double Power Water Engine" designed by D. Maggaty in 1825; and a group of 19th-century family photographs, many of which have been identified by Katie Magowan in 1949.