Collections : [University of Michigan William L. Clements Library]

This collection contains correspondence, a printed circular, and photographs related to the Hoyle family of Champlain, New York, and to the town of Hoyleton, Illinois. The material concerns George and Timothy Hoyle, life in Hoyleton, and fundraising efforts for the construction of a seminary.

This collection contains 2 personal letters, 1 printed circular, and 2 photographs related to the Hoyle family of Champlain, New York, and to the town of Hoyleton, Illinois.

The first item is a brief personal letter (1 page) that George V. Hoyle wrote to John H. Whiteside of Champlain, New York, about the recipient's personal financial matters. The letter, dated at Malone, New York, is written on illustrated stationery from the Northern Rail Road Office. Eliza M. Miner, Reverend Ovid Miner's wife, wrote a 5-page letter to her sister, Mrs. L. M. Nye of Champlain, New York, while living in Hoyleton, Illinois (May 23, 1858, and June 2, 1858). Miner commented on the harsh weather, her social life, and an acquaintance's death. The circular letter, entitled "Hoyleton Colony in Southern Illinois" (1 page, December 25, 1858) provides a brief history of the town, focusing on the religious beliefs of its founders and stating their intent to build a seminary. The authors, whose names are printed at the bottom of the letter, outlined existing financial contributions for the project, such as "land payments" from the residents and pledged support from the Illinois Central Railroad Company, and requested additional monetary assistance. The circular describes Hoyleton as "one of the outposts of Congregationalism" in Illinois. Two cartes de visite depict brothers Timothy and George V. Hoyle, members of the Hoyle family in Champlain, New York.