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The Newton H. Klingman collection contains letters and postcards that Kingman, a nonagenarian and Civil War veteran, wrote to Judge Edward D. Shurtleff of Marengo, Illinois, about politics, his genealogy, and other topics. The collection also includes a biography of Kingman and a newspaper clipping.

The Newton H. Kingman collection (20 items) contains 16 letters and postcards that Kingman sent to Judge Edward D. Shurtleff of Marengo, Illinois, between September 11, 1928, and November 9, 1933; a biography of Kingman published on his 91st birthday (May 20, 1928); an additional letter and postcard to Shurtleff (March 23, 1929, and May 30, 1935); and a newspaper clipping (October 19, 1933). A few of Kingman's early letters are copied on stationery belonging to Shurtleff.

Kingman's correspondence with Shurtleff pertains to his genealogy, his health, his involvement in local South Dakota politics in the mid-1880s, and contemporary party politics; he supported Herbert Hoover, the Republican Party, and temperance. Kingman commented on the commemorative biography first printed on his 90th birthday and responded to Shurtleff's attempts to locate Kingman family grave markers. One postcard with a holly border contains printed Christmas greetings (December 25, 1931). Shurtleff also received a letter from Lew Siebrecht and Mrs. F. McCormick regarding the death of their father, August Siebrecht, and a postcard from Mrs. E[dmund] B[ogardus] Kingman about Newton H. Kingman's inability to write.

The remaining items are a newspaper clipping with images of the South Dakota prairie (October 19, 1933) and the second edition of Life Story of Captain Newton H. Kingman, issued on his 91st birthday (May 20, 1928). The 39-page booklet includes a description of his Civil War services and pictures of Kingman in and out of uniform.