Collections

James Verity's journal is a post-Civil War transcript of his diary, probably completed within a few years of the end of the war. The journal covers his service in the 22nd and 18th Ohio Infantry Regiments. Verity pays particular attention to military aspects of the War and provides a detailed account of his wounding at the Battle of Chickamauga.

Verity's journal is a post-war transcript of his diary, probably completed within a few years of the end of the war. The introductory section of the journal covers his service in the 22nd Ohio, a three months' regiment, while it was stationed along the Ohio River and in western West Virginia. However it is his second tour of duty, with the 18th Ohio, that forms the core of the journal, and this part of the journal appears to be an accurate transcript of the diary that he kept in the field. Verity was an avid soldier, staunchly, unquestioningly pro-Union. Verity is not one to complain or to focus on the hardships of a soldier's life. Instead, his journal is an excellent, straightforward account of his service in the Union army, with particular attention to strictly military aspects.

The journal provides excellent accounts of several skirmishes and battles, most notably the attack at Huntsville and the Battle of Limestone Bridge, Ala., the three-day Battle of Murfreesboro and the skirmishes leading up to it, and the Chickamauga Campaign. The description of his wounding at the Battle of Chickamauga is uncommonly detailed and gruesome, and the account of his efforts to obtain medical assistance in a dazed state and unrecognizable condition is moving despite his calm prose.

Also included with the journal is an 1874 commission as Lieutenant in a militia company, and a flier for the fifth annual reunion (1895) of the veterans of Co. G of the 18th Ohio.

This collection consists of six pages of pencil and ink sketches dated from 1861 to 1863 and signed J.M.S. The sketches depict various scenes of the American Civil War from the Union perspective including barracks, soldiers, and steamships related to the blockade of the Confederacy.

This collection consists of six pages of pencil and ink sketches dated from 1861 to 1863 and signed J.M.S. The sketches depict various scenes of the American Civil War from the Union perspective including barracks, soldiers, and steamships related to the blockade of the Confederacy. Two sketches contain page numbers, suggesting they had previously been bound together. Not all sketches include the signature "J.M.S." J.M.S. has yet to be identified.

Sketch 1 includes the notation, "Page 6 Company F passing Marine Barracks Sunday morning / J.M.S. 1861."

Sketch 2 is a portrait of an unidentified young man, "The Corporal, Company F."

Sketch 3 shows "The 1st Corporal and his havelock / Page 3 / J.M.S. 1861."

Sketch 4 contains "U.S. Stmr Nansemond off Hatteras / J.M.S. 1863." This sketch could be a scene from the USS Nansemond's chase of blockade runner CSS Douro in October of 1863 near New Inlet off the coast of North Carolina. Douro was run ashore and captured, with both ship and cargo destroyed.

Sketch 5a depicts a "North Carolina Reserve" soldier armed with a rifle and bayonet.

Sketch 5b displays the demise of Revenue Cutter Caleb Cushing during the Battle of Portland Harbor on June 27, 1863, with the caption "Rev Cutter Caleb Cushing becalmed then blown up." In this sketch, Lieutenant Charles W. Read of the Confederate Navy and his men can be seen abandoning Caleb Cushing on a lifeboat and then in another scene the ship exploding. On the back of page 5 is a pencil sketch of a soldier.

Sketch 6 shows a "Blockade Runner" steamship.

This collection is made up of correspondence, legal documents, and financial records related to Alexander and Chilion A. Trimble of Crown Point, New York. The materials pertain to the Trimbles' financial affairs, Chilion's service as Essex County sheriff, state politics and elections, and other subjects. Many family members wrote of their lives in New York, Illinois, Iowa, and Montana.

This collection is made up of correspondence, legal documents, and financial records related to the Trimble family of Crown Point, New York.

The collection contains two groups of Correspondence . Family Correspondence(approximately 2.75 linear feet) largely consists of incoming correspondence to Alexander Trimble and his son Chilion, both of Crown Point, New York. Alexander's siblings shared personal and local news. James King, an acquaintance in Albany, New York, frequently discussed Alexander's financial affairs. From 1816 to 1841, King corresponded with Chilion Trimble, in which he discussed news from Albany, property ownership, legal disputes, wheat sales, and other business matters. Chilion and his wife Charlotte also received letters from their siblings and other family members in New York, Virginia, Illinois, Iowa, and Montana. The personal letters often concern religion, health, bereavement, farming, and other aspects of the writers' daily lives.

Frank and Hiram Stone, Charlotte's brothers, traveled to California during the 1849 Gold Rush, and Frank later wrote to Charlotte from Helena, Montana, in the late 1860s. Mary L. Cheney and her husband, L. P. Cheney, lived in Chicago, Illinois; their earliest letters describe the Illinois terrain, including prominent corn crops, and their later letters describe the growth of Chicago. Some of the family correspondence pertains to national and local political issues, such as the 1856 and 1860 presidential elections and John Brown's raid on the United States arsenal at Harper's Ferry. A small number of letters from the Civil War era mention the war, occasionally revealing the writers' fears for the union's survival. Charlotte Trimble received condolence messages following her husband's death in 1862, and she continued to receive personal letters until the late 1860s.

The Business Correspondence subseries(approximately 2 linear feet) includes a few early items (1800s-1810s) addressed to Alexander Trimble, concerning finances, real estate, and decedents' estates; the bulk of the material consists of incoming letters written to Chilion Trimble after 1820. Some items pertain to Chilion's involvement in the New York Militia and to political issues and elections. From 1843-1846, the materials relate to Chilion's service as sheriff of Essex County, New York; these often refer to the results of court cases and request assistance in collecting payments or performing other actions related to court judgments. After 1846, Chilion's correspondents often wrote about financial and business affairs such as property ownership, and he received a series of personal letters from John S. Rice of Maquoketa, Iowa, in the early 1860s. The series includes a facsimile letter by Samuel J. Tilden requesting information about New York voters (September 25, 1866) and late letters addressed to George Brown.

The Documents and Accounts series (approximately 0.75 linear feet) contains legal documents, financial records, and account books pertaining to several generations of the Trimble family, particularly Chilion Trimble. Materials include indentures related to property in New York, records concerning real property and decedents' estates, and accounts between James King and Chilion Trimble, often related to sales of wheat. Other groups of items relate to insurance policies, Essex County elections, and Trimble's service as Essex County sheriff. One account book contains entries dated 1894-1901.

The Writings and Ephemera series (approximately 0.25 linear feet) contains fragments, lists, poems, and other materials. Poetry includes an item entitled "Destruction of Pompeii," a religious poem, and a revised version of the Lord's Prayer related to soldiers' experiences during the Civil War.

The Joseph Travis diary and account book documents eight years of the work, financial transactions, social visits, and political involvement of woodworker and painter Joseph Travis, of Monmouth, Illinois.

The Joseph Travis diary and account book contains 105 pages of brief, usually one-line diary entries, covering January 1, 1853-December 31, 1861, and 35 pages of financial transactions for the same period. In the diary, he primarily documented the work that he performed for others, including painting and paint-making, wallpapering, and woodworking. He also recorded his visits to friends and clients, his church attendance (including occasional references to particular preachers), and political rallies and events. Beginning in 1860, Travis wrote somewhat longer entries, and occasionally noted his support of Stephen Douglas, and his attendance at temperance meetings and pro-Douglas political rallies. He also commented on a Confederate sympathizer in Illinois (May 26, 1861) and the high spirits of soldiers leaving for war in Chicago (August 9, 1861). By the end of the diary in December 1861, Travis had not enlisted in the war.

In the back of the book are two sections of accounts, one incoming, and the other outgoing. These provide further insight into Travis' work, including the prices of various services, the supplies he used, and his movements around Illinois

Correspondence and documents relating to the Tower family of upstate New York, primarily relating to business and family affairs.

Most of the letters in this collection pertains to business operations, including incoming and outgoing letters correspondence with bill collectors, shippers, customers, and others. Correspondents frequently commented on the operation of the business and the financial and political climate.

Family correspondence is concentrated in the period between 1821-1848, during which time the Tower children were away at school or college. The collection also includes several account books.

The Tower family papers have multiple important, unprocessed additions, including Civil War correspondence of Charlemagne Tower, of the Pennsylvania 6th Regiment, Company H (the "Tower Guards").

E. C. Tillotson enlisted in the 14th Ohio Infantry during the Civil War, but was unable to serve on active duty because of frequent ill health. Among his papers are 29 letters to his daughter Mary and one each to his wife Angeline and son Charles, which describe the fate of Union dead at Chickamauga, the fortifications at Chattanooga, and other topics. His diary covers a one month period during the summer of 1863 and includes a description of the engagement at Hoover's Gap, Tennessee in June. A series of documents collected during his service include ordnance stores reports and surgeons' evaluations of Tillotson. The collection is completed by letters concerning Tillotson's death and the dispute between Angeline and Mary over his estate.

The Tillotson papers appear to be only a portion of his war-time correspondence, with only one letter present prior to 1863. Among the 80 letters, 29 were written by Lt. Tillotson to his daughter, Mary, and one each to his wife and son. The collection includes three letters from Benjamin St. James Fry and two from Lt. Van Meter concerning Tillotson's death and the dispute between Angeline and Mary over his estate. Finally, there are a series of documents collected by Tillotson during his service, including ordnance stores reports and seven surgeons' evaluations of Tillotson as unfit for duty.

As might be expected from a man so often removed from action, the collection is slight on military news. The diary, which covers only a one month period during the summer of 1863, includes a good description of the engagement at Hoover's Gap, Tenn., in June, 1863. Two letters mention the fortifications at Chattanooga, and one interesting letter discusses three soldiers in the 111th Pennsylvania Regiment and two servants, who froze to death while being transported by rail to Bridgeport, Ala. The best letter by far, however, is a grisly description of the supposed fate of Union dead at Chickamauga. Tillotson charges that Braxton Bragg refused to allow the Union to reclaim their bodies, and that the Confederate Army dismembered bodies, exposed them for hogs to devour, placed skulls on stumps, and took bones to carve into rings and other souvenirs for Southern ladies. An unusual printed poem "On Picket Guard at Stones River" is also noteworthy. On the home front, one letter mentions a gang of escaped prisoners from Johnson's Island who were terrorizing the neighborhood of Cedar Point.

The Tillotson papers will most likely be of interest as an unusual record of a soldier who spends much of his service sitting at home convalescing. Tillotson's mood swings and occasional dark thoughts during his long battle with "neuralgia" and other complaints, and his equally obvious inability either to serve or to secure a discharge are very interesting. The strained relations in his family are also of considerable interest, particularly after they develop into open hostility between mother and daughter over Tillotson's estate.

The George William Taylor papers contain correspondence, documents, photographs, and a journal related to the life of Civil War general George W. Taylor. The collection mainly consists of letters Taylor wrote during his periods in military service and travels abroad.

The George William Taylor papers contain 103 items, ranging in date from 1823 to 1862. The collection includes 92 letters, 1 diary, 4 legal documents, 2 photographs, several sheets of obituary clippings, and some miscellaneous items.

Taylor wrote most of the letters to his family during his periods abroad. The first major section of letters contains letters he wrote home to his parents and family during his time in the Navy while sailing the Mediterranean from 1828 to 1831 on the U.S.S. Fairfield. In these letters, Taylor gave descriptions of naval life, as well as observations of the ports he visited around the Mediterranean, including Gibraltar, Smyrna, Minorca, Venice (July 23, 1829: ". . . that most supurb city so appropriately stiled the 'Ocean Queen' at once spread out before us and free to feast our eyes on her unequaled singularity of beauty."), Palermo, and Marseilles (January 10, 1831: "The French are indeed a very warlike people you see it everywhere, every body is a soldier and there is no doubt that the military science is more generally diffused in France than in any other country.").

The next section of letters contains correspondence written during his time in the army in the Mexican War, from 1847 to 1848, and over the course of his trip to California during the Gold Rush, from 1849 to 1851. Though he saw little action during the Mexican War, his letters give some rich descriptions of a traveler’s view of the country (in particular, see July 21, 1847). Taylor’s California letters detail life in a California mining town, as well as his struggles to make money. After a fire destroyed part of San Francisco, Taylor wrote, "Confidence is destroyed and many will gather together what little they can and go home tired of the struggle . . . Thank God I owe nobody here I have never compromised my honour or self respect and if I carry home nothing it will be with some satisfaction to come out of the ordeal of Ca. untarnished" (May 5, 1851). A large portion of the letters during this period are from Taylor to his wife Mary, who remained in New Jersey during his travels. The collection also contains occasional responses from her, in which she gave news from home and expressed her loneliness over Taylor’s absence.

In the final section are several documents and letters from 1862, during Taylor’s brief time in the Union Army before his death. Several letters are addressed to Taylor from Union General Philip Kearny (1815-1862). Included are Taylor’s will (March 2, 1862) and an October 1862 letter of condolence, addressed to his daughter Mary.

Also in the collection are a 144-page journal from Taylor’s time in the Mediterranean, in which he wrote daily observations about his travels and life in the Navy; two photos of Taylor in Civil War uniform; and a collection of obituary clippings.

This commonplace book belonged to Emile M. Tauzin of Natchitoches, Louisiana, and at least one other author in the 1850s and 1860s. The volume contains French poetry and horoscopes, parlor games, and a letter draft about a Natchitoches resident's experiences during the Civil War.

This commonplace book (37 pages) belonged to Emile M. Tauzin of Natchitoches, Louisiana, and at least one other author in the 1850s and 1860s. The volume contains French poetry and horoscopes, parlor games, and a letter draft about a Natchitoches resident's experiences during the Civil War.

Four French poems (pages 1-2 and 34-36) include a tribute to the state of Louisiana, a poem dedicated to the author's father (dated September 6, 1854), and a poem about a small fowl. One poem, entitled "Tous les Braves," is attributed to Charles D. Paradis, who dedicated the poem to Tauzin. Horoscopes for men and women, also in French, appear on pages 19-29; the men's horoscopes are incomplete. One owner used the book to record several questions for a parlor game (pp. 3-18), each accompanied by 40 possible answers, both humorous and serious. The questions are supposed to foretell topics such as personality, marriage, future disposition, and the number of slaves the respondent would own.

A later owner used the volume for a draft letter to his or her aunts Mary and Josephine (pages 30-37). The letter begins on page 32, and is written over the French poetry on pages 34, 35, and 36. After expressing pleasure about hearing that the recipients also sympathized with the Confederacy, the author recounted his or her experiences during the Union Army's occupation of Natchitoches during the Civil War. According to the letter, federal troops raided stores for goods to distribute to former slaves, threatened to shell the town, and disinterred a child's body to search for valuables.

From 1860-1862, Franklin C. Stout used this volume to record financial transactions, notes about historical events, and an account of a trip to the Delaware Water Gap.

From December 8, 1860, to the summer of 1862, Frank C. Stout used this volume to record financial transactions, notes about historical events, and an account of a trip to the Delaware Water Gap.

The first 56 pages are comprised of financial accounts dated December 8, 1860, to March 5, 1862, most of which relate to foodstuffs. On several occasions, Stout noted political events, such as the secessions of South Carolina and Alabama from the Union and Abraham Lincoln's visit to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in February 1861. Around 10 pages of additional financial records are written at the end of the volume; some concern social events, such as a festival, a ticketed lecture, and Republican Club activities. Stout's other notes include instructions for loading, firing, and cleaning a gun manufactured by Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company. Two newspaper clippings pasted into the volume offer health advice for Union soldiers expecting to serve in the South.

On July 19, 1862, Franklin C. Stout and four companions left Bethlehem for a "pedestrian expedition" to the Delaware Water Gap, a journey that Stout described in detail (12 pages). While walking to their destination, the group visited several acquaintances, and they often spent their leisure time playing games of euchre. At the Delaware Water Gap, Stout commented on the flora and fauna, as well as the group's sightseeing activities.

The Storer family papers contain letters and documents concerning members of the Storer family of New Haven, Connecticut, particularly their travels and Civil War service in the 15th and 27th Connecticut Infantry.

The Storer family papers comprise 11 letters and 5 military documents, spanning 1851-1865. Alexander Storer wrote the four earliest letters during a trip around New York and Ohio in July 1851. In these letters, written to his wife and children, he gave detailed descriptions of viewing Niagara Falls, and commented on his food and accommodations.

George Storer wrote three letters in the collection in May and June 1863, during his service with the 27th Connecticut Infantry. On May 2, 1863, he recounted a surprise visit from his father and sister at camp, and noted that his regiment awaited orders to go to Washington, D.C. On June 10, 1863, he wrote about the dullness of camp life, his rations, and having an ambrotype taken, which he considered "poor" and decided not to send home.

Justus Storer contributed three letters. He described the opening of a pie shop next to his camp and his hopes of getting a furlough (November 22, 1863), the halting of furloughs (December 17, 1863), a yellow fever outbreak, and plans to look for a wife (December 2, 1864). His friend Adelbert H. Whaley, also in the 15th Connecticut Infantry, wrote one letter, in which he described the death of a sergeant, furloughs allowing soldiers to vote, and new recruits, some of whom he characterized as "the worst kind of dead beats" (September 27, 1864).

The Document series contains five items related to the Civil War service the Storer brothers. The items concerning Justus Storer are an 1862 appointment as 4th sergeant, an 1865 promotion to 1st sergeant, and 1865 discharge papers. Also included are an 1863 draft notice for Henry Storer, and a letter of introduction, allowing Alexander Storer to visit his son George in Annapolis.