This collection is made up of 9 letters written by members of the Folsom family of Urbana, New York, between 1826 and 1857. Siblings Emily Folsom (later Brundage), Charles A. Folsom, and Lewis G. Folsom wrote about aspects of life in antebellum Mississippi, and about Lewis Folsom's involvement in an invasion of Cuba.
Lewis G. Folsom wrote 3 letters to James and Emily Brundage, his sister and brother-in-law, between 1835 and 1839, and 1 letter to Zebulon P. Brundage, his nephew, in 1851. He provided news of his life in Brandon, Mississippi; shared his desire to move to Texas; and described his travels in the South. In his letter of July 9, 1835, he wrote at length about a recent African American uprising in a nearby county, and mentioned its effects on the local white community. In his final letter, he discussed his involvement in Narciso López's failed invasion of Cuba in 1850.
Letters by Charles A. Folsom, Lewis P. Brundage, and Emily V. Folsom concern various aspects of the writers' lives and travels, including journeys within Iowa and from Mississippi to New York. In his letter of June 5, 1857, Lewis P. Brundage told his brother Hiram of an encounter with a large group of Mormon pioneers heading for Salt Lake City.
James Brundage was born in New York around 1799, and lived in Urbana, New York, where he married Emily Folsom. They had at least seven children, including Louisa, Almira, Lewis P., James, Hiram, Susan, and Zebulon. Emily Folsom had at least two brothers, Charles A. and Lewis G., who both moved to Mississippi in the early 19th century. Lewis G. Folsom lived in Brandon and Gainesville, Mississippi; he served as deputy sheriff of Brandon and participated in Narciso López's failed attempt to liberate Cuba from Spanish forces in 1850. Charles A. Folsom lived in Harrisville and Hancock, Mississippi, and had at least 2 daughters with his wife Martha: Mary and Susan.
