The collection is composed mainly of correspondence between Andrew and his extended family written mostly between 1862 and 1865. There is also a letter from 1867 and several which are undated. The majority of the correspondence is between Andrew and Eliza, with correspondence to/from Amara. The majority of the letters concerns farm life and what to do on the farm. Of particular note is a letter dated Sept. 17, 1864 from Seymour Clark to Amara Bachelder from a Camp near Atlanta, Georgia, describing the siege of Atlanta. There is one folder devoted to writings and poems written or copied by Andrew while he served during the Civil War. In the Miscellaneous No Name folder there is a poem called “Love Letter to a Soldier.” The Oversized folder includes newspaper clippings and a bounty form for Andrew. The first folder in the collection contains biographical information on the above mentioned people. Illustrations are limited to letterhead.
Biography:
Andrew S. Clark was born in 1831 in New York (State) and died in 1869 in Grand Traverse County, Michigan. Andrew married Eliza A. Clark (Wyckoff). There is evidence that together they had two daughters: Catherine (Kitty) Clark and Mirthy Clark. Prior to her marriage to Andrew, Eliza was married to a Dr. Joseph Wentworth Bachelder, with whom she had a son, Amara J. Bachelder, and a daughter, Emma Bachelder. Andrew enlisted as a private in Company C, 23rd Michigan Infantry on September 12, 1862 at Flint, Michigan. He was mustered out on June 28, 1965. His brothers, all named for presidents, Martin V.B. Clark, George W. Clark, and Henry H. Clark, as well as his brother-in-law, John N. Dumond (married to Andrew’s sister, Almira) also served in the Union army. Andrew also had a sister, Nancy Mead. Eliza had at least two brothers who are represented in the collection, Samuel B. Wyckoff and John R. Wyckoff.
Amara J. Bachelder was born in 1847 in New York (State) and died in 1919 in Petoskey, Michigan. He served as a private in Company I, 30th Michigan Infantry Regiment. He enlisted on December 12, 1864 and was discharged on July 1, 1865. Later, he married Ida Ruth (Lomprey) Bachelder. Together they had two daughters, Myrtie L. (Bachelder) Limpert and Bess Ruth (Bachelder) Stetson. (This information is from the collection.)