Ward, Albert Lee (born c. 1835), American diplomat and Red Cross Volunteer

Letters, papers and mementoes of A L Ward relating to his service as private secretary to Elihu Benjamin Washburne (1816-1887), US Minister in Paris during the Franco-Prussian War. With related letters and papers of other members of the Ward family.

1-13: Letters to A.L. Ward (1870-1871).

14-19: Letters to Lucy Leigh Ward, A.L. Ward's mother (1870-1876).

20-26: Miscellaneous letters, including some by Genevieve Ward (1838-1922) (1857-1921)

27-40: Passports, permits and other official documents issued to A.L. Ward and L.L. Ward (1858-1871).

41-50: Receipts for despatches, issued to A.L. Ward (1870-1871).

51-54: Lists of Americans resident in Paris (1870-1871).

55-74: Certificates and ephemera of the Red Cross (1870-1871).

75-115: Miscellaneous ephemera, including Balloon and Pigeon Post documents (1854-1886).

116-135: Medals, badges and other souvenirs of the Franco-Prussian War and siege of Paris (1870-1871).

Language: mainly French, partly German.

MS.6243/134-135 comprises a small hand bomb from the Franco-Prussian War and original object label from the Wellcome Historical Medical Museum.

1854-1921

135 items Partly printed.

Presented to Sir Henry Wellcome by Genevieve Ward, 1921. Transferred from the Wellcome Historical Medical Museum, 1981.

Ward was a member of the American International Sanitary Committee (Red Cross), providing medical care with the American Ambulance Service at the siege of Paris.

At Wellcome Collection:

Further papers of the Ward family are held in Henry Wellcome's personal papers (WA/HSW).

Database description transcribed from Richard Palmer, Catalogue of Western Manuscripts in the Wellcome Library for the History & Understanding of Medicine: Western Manuscripts 5120-6244 (London: The Wellcome Library for the History & Understanding of Medicine, 1999).