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Secondary sourceBook1884-1896

The Letters and Times of the Tylers

Lyon Gardiner Tyler · 1884-1896

A three-volume compilation of John Tyler's letters and life, written by his son Lyon Gardiner Tyler.

This book, compiled by Tyler's own son, is a core source preserving his letters and shaping his historical memory.

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A nearly all-black image with a faint, grainy texture and a thin embossed border frame. It appears to be the dark cover of a book, with no visible title or text.
Lyon Gardiner Tyler, The Letters and Times of the Tylers, vol. 1, 1884.

About this source

What it is

This is a three-volume book, published between 1884 and 1896, compiling letters and biographical material about John Tyler. It was written by his son, Lyon Gardiner Tyler.

Why it matters

Because it gathers hundreds of Tyler's own letters, this book has become one of the main printed sources historians use to study his life. It also shows how a son chose to preserve and present his father's legacy, decades after Tyler's presidency ended.

Why it matters

The excerpt shown here is actually a speech reprinted within the book, given to the Jamestown Society, rather than Tyler's own private correspondence.

Look closer

  • Why might a family member be especially motivated to collect and publish a relative's letters?
  • How might a biography written by a son differ from one written by a stranger?
  • What kinds of documents does a collection like this preserve, and what might it leave out?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of John Tyler on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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John Tyler

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