Series I. Whittier Correspondence: Letters Sent contains over 500 letters dating from 1833 to 1882. The series is arranged chronologically. The series includes letters sent to relatives, to long-time correspondents who shared Whittier's political and literary interests, and responses to some of the vast number of letters he received from admirers. The collection contains an extensive number of letters to his cousin, Abby Johnson Woodman, and her daughter, Phebe Woodman. These letters form a portrait of the poet's daily life chronicling his many illnesses, activities, and visits with his wide-ranging set of friends and acquaintances. There are also many letters to the author Mary Abigail Dodge, who wrote under the name Gail Hamilton. Two letters of particular interest concerning Whittier's early career as a political activities are to H. I. Bowditch (July 8, 1845) regarding Whittier's early career as a political writer, and to Henry Wilson (February 3, 1861) describing Whittier's impulse to let the southern states secede at the start of the Civil War. A note to an unknown admirer (April 29, 1881) discusses the source for several of the characters in the poem "Snowbound." A letter to the Haverhill Gazette, in response to the celebration of his 80th birthday all over the country, claims that he cares more for the goodwill of his fellow man than for his reputation as a poet (December, 17, 1887).