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This collection is made up of letters that Minerva Fox Skinner received from and about her husband, Addison D. Skinner of the 8th Michigan Infantry Regiment, in 1864. Skinner's letters describe his travels and discuss his homesickness; the remaining letters pertain to his death and burial.

This collection contains 9 letters that Minerva Fox Skinner of Parshallville, Michigan, received from and about her husband, Addison Dwight Skinner, in 1864. He wrote 6 letters to his wife while serving with the 8th Michigan Infantry Regiment from March 1, 1864-March 29, 1864. He described his travels to Flint, Michigan; Cincinnati, Ohio; Louisville, Kentucky; and Annapolis, Maryland, and wrote of his homesickness and his love for his wife and children. In his letter of March 23, 1864, he complained that he had not yet been paid; on March 29, 1864, he reported on the spread of measles throughout the regiment and confided to his wife that the death of George Griswold, a soldier from his regiment, had been caused by a case of "clap."

Minerva Fox Sinner received 2 letters from her brother, Wells B. Fox, about her husband's failing health and death (April 24, 1864, and May 30, 1864). In his second letter, Fox expressed his sympathy and offered reassurances that Skinner had thought often of his family during his final days. He also noted his resolve for the army to march to Richmond. Helen M. Noye (later Hoyt), a nurse at the Naval Academy Hospital in Annapolis, Maryland, wrote to Minerva Skinner on May 11, 1864, offering condolences for the death of A. D. Skinner, and discussing his burial. Noye, who believed that Minerva Skinner had yet learned of her husband's death, informed Minerva that the remains could be exhumed, but advised against doing so.

The Alexander T. Stewart collection contains around 300 letters that Stewart received from strangers requesting financial assistance, employment, and other means of support. Many commented on the Civil War's negative economic impact on their lives, particularly in the South.

The Alexander T. Stewart collection contains around 300 letters that Stewart received from strangers requesting financial assistance, employment, and other means of support. Many commented on the Civil War's negative economic impact on their lives, particularly in the South.

The majority of the letters are dated 1865-1876, including a large group (around 215 items) dated 1869-1870. Stewart's correspondents requested loans, donations, or employment; some wrote more than once. Writers include war widows, former soldiers, and others who had been affected by the war, particularly in the South. Many provided details of recent financial hardships, such as spouses' or parents' deaths, unemployment, and the effects of the Civil War, and some provided character witnesses or references. A soldier requested money for a camp stove (January 6, 1865); another man requested help after having difficulty collecting loans from southern borrowers (February 27, 1862); and a third writer mentioned displaced persons in South Carolina (March 9, 1867). Correspondents occasionally enclosed carte-de-visite portraits or newspaper clippings, and some pasted return postage onto their letters. The letters reveal the authors' views on wealth, social status, employment, and philanthropy in the Reconstruction-era United States.

Stewart received letters from correspondents in states including Alabama, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin. The few items that are not begging letters include a letter that Alexander T. Stewart wrote about his business affairs with P. Whitin & Sons (September 30, 1861) and a letter offering Stewart medical advice (April 7, 1873).

The collection contains 4 printed items: a ticket to a charity festival at the Astor House (February 22, 1855), 2 newspaper articles relating to Alexander T. Stewart, and a printed advertisement for A.T. Stewart & Co.'s store (September 23, 1871).

The Connecticut Comptroller records are comprised of 69 letters to Leman W. Cutler, who was the state's comptroller from 1861-1865. Town officials corresponded with Cutler about bounty payments to families of soldiers serving in Connecticut regiments during the Civil War. Some items pertain to the taxation of insurance companies from other states and to other financial issues.

The Connecticut Comptroller records are comprised of 69 letters to Leman W. Cutler, who was the state comptroller from 1861-1865.

Town officials corresponded with Cutler about the bounty payments to the families of soldiers serving in Connecticut regiments during the Civil War. Some sought clarification of procedures regarding payments to soldiers' wives, children, and other dependents, and many provided details about individual soldiers and their dependents. Cases dealt with issues such as estranged couples, war widows, and deserters. Writers occasionally described economic hardships and stated their reasons for believing that a particular individual should receive a bounty. The letters also pertain to payments owed to the family of a prisoner of war (August 14, 1862), to the children of a soldier who had divorced his wife (December 5, 1862), and to the families of disabled veterans (February 24, 1863, and March 11, 1863). One correspondent from Concord, New Hampshire, questioned whether a 16-year-old boy's enlistment in a Connecticut regiment entitled his mother, then living in New Hampshire, to payments from the state of Connecticut (June 6, 1862). Some of the letters include Cutler's notes about his inquiries into the writers' complaints, which often required checking muster rolls and contacting military officers.

Some of Cutler's correspondence concerns other aspects of his duties as comptroller, such as a request that the Ladies Soldier's Aid Society of New Haven, Connecticut, be permitted to use rooms in the statehouse (January 15, 1863). Cutler also received 6 letters about the state's taxation of "foreign" insurance companies (those based in other states) and a letter about the Norwalk Horse Railway Company (February 15, 1863).

This collection is made up of correspondence related to Stephen M. Klima and his wife, Mary Samut Klima. Stephen Klima reported on his experiences with the United States Army's 16th Infantry Regiment at various camps in the United States and in North Africa. Mary Klima continued to write letters to her husband after he was reported killed in action in April 1943, and many items pertain to her bereavement and widow's allowances.

This collection is made up of the World War II-era correspondence of Stephen M. Klima and his wife, Mary Samut Klima. Stephen Klima reported on his experiences with the United States Army's 16th Infantry Regiment at camps in the United States and in North Africa. Mary Klima continued to write letters to her husband after he was reported killed in action in April 1943, and many items pertain to her bereavement and widow's allowances.

The Personal Correspondence series (approximately 1.75 linear feet) comprises the bulk of the collection. The majority is personal letters to and between Mary Samut and Stephen Klima (January 26, 1939-January 7, 1952). Items include manuscript and typed letters, telegrams, V-mail, and picture postcards.

The earliest letters are incoming correspondence to Mary Samut from several acquaintances and, after July 1940, from Stephen Klima, her friend, fiancé, and husband. He wrote about his work with the Civilian Conservation Corps in Nevada, Idaho, and Oregon until January 1941, when he enlisted in the United States Army. Klima, who served with Company F of the 16th Infantry Regiment for his entire military career, described his experiences at Fort Wadsworth, New York; Fort Devens, Massachusetts; Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Camp Blanding, Florida; Fort Benning, Georgia; Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania; and in England and North Africa. He commented on their romantic relationship, his feelings about being separated from his wife and young son, training and military life, travel, and local people (particularly in England). He repeatedly encouraged Mary not to worry about him. His final letter is dated March 15, 1943; he was reported missing in action a short time later.

From March 3, 1943-February 12, 1944, Mary Klima continued to write to her husband. Though she acknowledged that he had been formally reported dead, she believed that he would one day receive her letters and write back. She provided updates about their son, discussed her religious and social activities, and shared her hope for her husband's return. The envelopes from this period have stamps from military post offices indicating that Klima had been reported as killed in action.

Mary Samut Klima received letters from friends and family members throughout and after the war. Joan O'Hara (later Nelson), one of Mary's most frequent and consistent correspondents, wrote about her life in New York, California, and Pennsylvania. Her letters from the late 1940s and early 1950s largely pertain to her family life and her daughter Linda. Klima's other correspondents included military personnel, such as John C. Kulman (Company G, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines), Michael Desko (Company B, 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment), and Donald J. Crocker (Naval Air Technical Training Center, Chicago, Illinois). These men reported on their experiences in the military and usually signed their letters affectionately; Desko wished her luck in her romantic endeavors. Mary's brother Edward ("Eddie") wrote about his training with Company B of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment (82nd Airborne Division) at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in 1946. Enclosures include photographs and a matchbook (July 26, 1944).

The Military Correspondence series (approximately 0.25 linear feet) consists of typed and manuscript letters that Mary Klima received from organizations including the United States War Department, United States Army Finance Office, American Red Cross, American Legion, and Army Relief Society. Many items are responses to Mary's repeated requests for information about her husband, who was reported missing in action in late March 1943 and killed in action in April 1943. Other materials concern her pension and her husband's medals.

The Ephemera and Printed Items series (approximately 0.25 linear feet) is primarily comprised of greeting cards for Christmas, Easter, birthdays, and other occasions. Other items include a newspaper clipping with a humorous essay about World War I army service, Mary's manuscript notes begging for censors to let it pass through the mail, an advertisement and order form for a history of the United States Army's 1st Division, and a humorous permit allowing Stephen Klima to associate freely with both men and women.