246

Papers of Pearl Nye, canal boat guy.

Various places, 1890s-1947
Approximately 100 items (0.3 linear feet); condition generally strong.

  • Notes: Pearl Robert Nye (1872-1950) was born on a canal boat on the Ohio and Erie Canal. He captained boats on that canal until it was closed in 1913, and spent the rest of his life preserving its music and lore. He lived in Akron, and then in his final years in a ramshackle house by the old canal in Roscoe Village, OH.

    The Ohio and Erie Canal (not to be confused with its more famous cousin in New York) cut across Ohio from the Kentucky line to Cleveland, giving countless Ohio farmers access to the markets of the Great Lakes. This collection includes:

    Photograph album. 98 small silver prints and cyanotypes laid down on 13 leaves (plus 21 more laid in). Oblong 4to, original worn paper wrappers, rebacked with cloth; minimal wear to contents. Most of the photographs are attractively captioned. Many show scenes along the working canal in 1912 and 1913, in Ohio towns including Akron, Boston, and Cleveland. Canal cats and dogs are a favorite topic. A few are from visits to Washington, DC; New York; and Louisville, KY. A lone photo shows a seaman (Nye?) at Camp McKenzie, GA in 1899. Various places, early 1890s-1917 and undated.

    Manuscript sheet music to four of his original songs: "Come Ye Jolly Boatman"; "O Daddy Be Gay (Henpecked)"; "Canal Ball"; and "Whiskers on the Moon (We're Going to Pump Out Lake Erie)."

    Partial typescript carbon of his epic ballad, "The Old Canal," in 80 verses, pages 3-33.

    Folder of miscellaneous song lyrics.

    Approximately 75 letters to Nye, 1930-1947 (bulk 1937-1947), plus manuscripts and clippings, sleeved together in one thick binder. The letters are from old canal folks, extended family members, journalists, and historical societies. Several are from Sarah Gertrude Knott of the National Folk Festival, 1941-1946. One person and heartfelt letter is from renowned ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax of the Library of Congress, undated. 

    11 letters from Akron journalist Helen Stocking Waterhouse, 1938-1941 and undated, plus a manuscript contract signed by both, regarding a proposed book project. Their contentious relationship is also reflected in material in the binder, particularly a long manuscript in Nye's hand titled "What 'She' had Done (Briefly Stated) and Not." 

    A collection of Nye's earlier correspondence and Lomax field recordings of his songs is held by the Library of Congress.
  • Condition:
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November 20, 2025 10:30 AM EST
New York, NY, US

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