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The Busbey papers contain the personal and professional correspondence of William H. Busbey and many of his family members. Of note are letters to and from William and his brother during the Civil War; letters between William and his wife Mary after the war; and a letter from Ann Busbey, William's mother, which documents her 1894 trip west from Chicago, with vivid descriptions of the scenery in Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and California.

The Busbey papers collect the personal and professional correspondence of William H. Busbey and several generations of his family. Included are 1,259 letters, 6 documents and receipts, 117 writings, 9 photographs, 134 newspaper clippings, and additional printed materials.

The earliest item in the Correspondence series is a letter from William's grandfather, Hamilton Busbey in Coles Country, Illinois, to his son Thomas (November 9, 1839). Included in the early letters are 33 items of schoolwork from the Busbey children in the late 1840-1850s, such as several essays, notes, and small decorated name tags. The collection also contains letters to and from William and his brother Hamilton during their service in the Civil War. The letters describe events at war, including the Battle at Stone River and watching gun boats patrolling the Tennessee River, as well as the brother's health and daily activities. Letters from Ohio report on deaths in the family back home and how the town and family are coping with the war. In one particularly poignant letter from a member of the Botkin's family, the author reports on local boys who have died and been discharged from the war, then writes:

"I have seen the tears trickle down the cheeks of old and young, while conversing on the subject of this unholy war. Secession, was their pet idol and it has ruined thousands, utterly bankrupt those who were wealthy, happy, and prosperous under the old flag. The new, has brought them nothing, but poverty and wretchedness -- well yes, I might say, it has brought swarms of Yankees, to bask in the salubrious rays of the glorious sun far down in the land of cotton..."

Approximately 70 letters were written by Mary (Molly) Busbey and William to each other, most of them in the months prior to their wedding in 1868. They wrote extensively about love and the health and welfare of their friends and family. Before their wedding, several letters were exchanged between Mary’s parents and William, regarding William's request for permission to marry their daughter. William's work as managing editor of the Inter Ocean is documented through letters to the editor and inter-office communication.

The Busbey family papers also collect letters to Mary from her family and friends, letters to their daughters Grace and Mabel, and letters to William from both his parents. Of note are three letters (23 pages) from Ann Busbey, William's mother, which document her 1894 trip west from Chicago, with vivid descriptions of the scenery in Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. Mary's mother, sisters, and friends wrote about 70 letters to Mary, with news about the family’s health and economic well-being.

The Documents and Receipts series contains 5 business receipts and a document related to estate of Ezra P. Jones of Ohio.

The Photographs series is composed of 8 photographs of various members of the Busbey family.

The Writings series is comprised of copies of William Busbey’s published works and rough drafts of articles, stories, and speeches from his career in the newspaper business. Topics include the newspaper business, the press and the Cuban question (1898), the Monroe Doctrine (1905), family and genealogy, and a biographical sketch of William H. Busbey.

The Printed Material series is composed of miscellaneous printed items such as poems, advertisements, invitations, programs, and other items. Of note is a list of members of the 1st Kentucky Infantry, Company C (of which Busbey was a Sergeant), and a fairwell card to Elwyn A. Barron of the Inter Ocean signed by other 23 employees.

The Newspaper Clippings series consists of 134 newspaper clippings, including several copies of the Inter Ocean's tribute to William's personal and professional achievements after his death. Miscellaneous items, such as ribbons, children's cards, and empty envelopes, conclude the collection.

The Charles E. Shryock journal recounts Shryock's experiences in the 51st Regiment of the Virginia Militia during the first year of the Civil War. Colonel Shryock described camp life, related the regiment's movements, and reported war news from other units stationed in northern Virginia.

The Charles E. Shryock journal (62 pages) contains entries on Shryock's experiences as a colonel in the 51st Regiment of the Virginia Militia during the first year of the Civil War. Shryock described camp life, related the regiment's movements, and reported war news from other units stationed in northern Virginia. He began his journal on September 17, 1861, with a summary of his experiences since July 3, 1861, when his regiment was mustered in for service in the Confederate Army. The remainder of the volume, entitled "Brief notes on the life and experience of a soldier," covers September 6, 1861-January 16, 1862, through a series of nearly daily journal entries that provide updates on his regiment's locations and experiences just south of the Potomac River. Though Shryock focused primarily on facts, he occasionally offered his opinions on the war, and predicted that future historians would glorify the Battle of Manassas, "the effect of which, will be felt till the 'crack of doom' by every vendor of wooden nutmegs north of Dixie" (September 17, 1861). Other entries center on news of Confederate and "Yankee" troop movements in northern Virginia, where the 51st Virginia Militia was stationed, and document the day to day existence of southern soldiers early in the war. Shryock occasionally reported recent skirmishes and "the Enemy's" movements, and kept detailed notes on the location of his own unit. Of particular interest are Shryock's notes on a meeting with the Union Army near "Dam No. 4" on September 26, 1861; he described the skirmish in great detail, explaining how the weather conditions negatively affected their cannons; the attempt ultimately failed, and Shyrock and his unit were not able to destroy the canal as planned.

This collection comprises five letters apparently sent and received by Captain Edward Willoughby Anderson in correspondence with Miss Maria Davis in 1864. The letters concern life in Richmond and a Confederate soldier's perspective of the Civil War. Also present are two photographs taken in and after 1915 of Charles Freeland Penley, a Union soldier who captured the Anderson/Davis correspondence during the Civil War.

This collection comprises five letters apparently sent and received by Captain Edward Willoughby Anderson in correspondence with Miss Maria Davis in 1864. The letters concern life in Richmond and a Confederate soldier's perspective of the Civil War. Also present are two photographs taken in and after 1915 of Charles Freeland Penley, a Union soldier who captured the Anderson/Davis correspondence during the Civil War.

See the Box and Folder Listing below for details about each item in the collection.

This collection is made up of correspondence, military records, photographs, newsletters, scrapbooks, and other items pertaining to the military career of Charles H. Foster, who served in the United States Navy from 1898-1934.

The Charles H. Foster collection consists of correspondence, military records, photographs, newsletters, scrapbooks, and other items pertaining to the military career of Charles H. Foster, who served in the United States Navy from 1898-1934.

The collection's correspondence (144 items) primarily relates to Foster's naval service after 1902. Letters, memorandums, orders, and reports concern his ship assignments and work at the Naval Gun Factory (Washington Navy Yard) during World War I. One group of letters from the early 1920s relates to the acquisition of dependent's pay for Foster's mother. A series of World War II-era documents respect Foster's fitness for active duty. After World War II, he received letters from military acquaintances and veterans of the Spanish-American War.

Charles H. Foster's 1918-1919 diary concerns his travel on the Huron between the United States and France. Notes, newspaper clippings, and a telegram laid into the volume regard deaths, the military, and historical inquiries.

The papers include 4 of Charles H. Foster's scrapbooks, which contain materials related to the USTS Alliance's 1897-1898 training mission; naval ships, personnel, and theatrical and musical programs and performances; the Mexican Revolution and Mexican politics in the mid-1910s; and naval equipment, camps, and weapons tests.

Sixty-three photographs depict U.S. Navy sailors and vessels. One group of pictures show scenes from the Huron's voyage between France and the United States during World War I. The collection also features photographic postcards sent by Charles H. Foster and others from Mexico, the Philippines, Japan, Germany, and Borneo.

Financial records, legal documents, and service records primarily pertain to Charles H. Foster, with a focus on his time on the USS West Virginia in the 1920s and his mother's financial dependency. Documents, blueprints, photographs, and other items relate to devices patented by Charles H. Foster and others. Two service ribbons appear in the collection, mounted onto a wallet printed with "United States Battle Fleet, Sydney, 1925," which also contains a travel pass and membership card for Charles H. Foster.

The collection includes 429 typescripts about early American history, the Civil War, South Carolina Confederate soldiers, the Spanish-American War, aviation, and the US Navy. Rosters of American Navy ships and personnel include information on Union vessels during the Civil War; casualties from the 1898 USS Maine explosion; USTS Alliance naval apprentices in 1898; USS West Virginia officers in 1926; and the names and addresses of members in several naval veterans' associations.

A "Personal Log" by Royal Emerson Foster relates to his service on the SSAC Bedford in early 1919, with descriptions and illustrations of naval equipment, ship construction, signaling, personnel, and other subjects. The navy publication Rules to Prevent Collisions of Vessels also appears in the Log.

US Naval Ex. Apprentices Association materials include copies of Trade Winds, the association's newsletter, from 1939-1964. The newsletters are accompanied by a list of Alliance apprentices in 1898. A copy of Rocks and Shoals, a publication for former crewmen of the USS Memphis, is also present. Other printed works include military publications about equipment and procedures, a handbook on medicine, the Mariner's Pocketbook, A History of Guantanamo Bay, newspaper clippings, a souvenir book from the US Naval Training Station in Newport, Rhode Island, a death announcement, and a map of Arlington National Cemetery.

Notes, reports, and a bound volume concern the history of the Foster, Yates, and Lindstrom families.

As a soldier in the 23rd Massachusetts Infantry during the Civil War, Charles Maxim wrote to his family about his and his fellow soldiers' political beliefs, the morale and motivations of soldiers, and opinions on the performance of African American troops.

The Charles Maxim papers shed light on the attitudes of a Union soldier in the trenches during the last year of the war and the earliest period of Reconstruction in the South. An outstanding reporter of political views -- both his and his fellow soldiers' -- Maxim is at his best in discussing the morale and motivations of soldiers and the formal and informal politics during the election years of 1864 and 1868. Not inclined to extremes in his politics, he plied a middle road between the abolitionists and racial equality persons on one side and the much-despised copperheads on the other, yet never foregoing his strong Unionist principles. Even the postwar letters continue the thread of opposition to Democratic copperheadism.

Few letters in the Maxim papers contain discussions of military activities in the limited sense, though two letters include interesting discussions of the Battle of the Crater and what Maxim perceived as the failure of African-American soldiers under fire. More generally, several other letters, however, include discussions of generalship, morale, and soldiery, and the palpable increase in his resolve as the war winds down in the late spring, 1865, makes an interesting case study.

Finally, two letters from Maxim's friend and fellow veteran, J.C. Bolles, are worth special mention. In the first (July 17, 1869) Bolles describes his new homestead in Ottawa County, Kans., and the absurd fear on the parts of whites of Indian attack. The second letter (1870 June 1) includes an emotional reflection upon their service during the war, sparked by a Memorial Day celebration by members of the Grand Army of Republic.

This collection is made up of correspondence, legal documents, and other items related to Michigan lawyer and politician Charles S. May, including letters between May and George Willard. The materials pertain to politics, family history, and May's legal career.

This collection (59 items) is made up of correspondence, legal documents, and other items related to Michigan lawyer and politician Charles S. May.

The Correspondence series (47 items) largely consists of incoming and outgoing letters related to Charles S. May, including correspondence between May and George Willard of Kalamazoo and Battle Creek, Michigan. Writing to Willard in 1855 and 1856, May discussed his work for the Detroit Tribune and politics; Willard also discussed political issues, such as the presidential election of 1856. Two items pertain to May's service with the 2nd Michigan Infantry Regiment in 1861: a letter that May wrote to his wife about his experiences just before the First Battle of Bull Run, including a description of being attacked by enemy fire (July 20, 1861), and a doctor's letter to Captain Dwight May about Charles's affliction with "nervous exhaustion" and other ailments that together rendered him unfit for duty (September 12, 1861).

After the war, Charles S. May wrote to George Willard about his legal career in Kalamazoo, state politics, and his failed political ambitions. He received two letters from United States Representatives William L. Stoughton (April 25, 1870) and Allen Potter (December 15, 1876); Potter discussed the disputed presidential election of 1876. Samuel May of Leicester, Massachusetts, wrote 10 letters to May from 1874-1883, requesting information about May family history and sharing his admiration for Charles's speaking talents. A group of items from the 1890s and early 1900s includes a letter that Charles May received from the Grand Army of the Republic soliciting donations for an exhibition (February 12, 1892).

Legal Documents (8 items) include two sets of undated notes about legal cases, court documents regarding Charles S. May's legal career, a certificate of copyright for May's Wat Tyler: An Historical Tragedy in Five Acts (February 24, 1879), and Civil War pension documents for Eliza E. May (October 12, 1901) and George W. Clark (January 19, 1904).

The Speeches and Printed Items series (4 items) contains undated notes from a lecture about Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton and a printed edition of a speech that Charles S. May delivered during the dedication ceremonies for a library in Leicester, Massachusetts, on July 8, 1896. Several testimonials regarding May's orations are enclosed with the speech notes. The series also includes a group of testimonials and advertisements concerning Charles S. May's speaking engagements and a small broadside advertisement for May's lecture about Patrick Henry, delivered in Kalamazoo, Michigan, on February 3, 1876.

The Clark-Whedon papers document the activities of at Michigan cavalry officer serving in northern Virginia during the Civil War, including descriptions of the Battle of Gettysburg and the Appomattox Campaign.

The Clark Papers contains eight letters, seven of which were written by John A. Clark to William Wesley Whedon (1827-1907), of Chelsea, Michigan, and his wife, Helen Turner. One letter, written by Clarence Whedon, William's brother, includes a good description of the Battle of Fredericksburg. Clarence served in the 20th Michigan Infantry

Clark's letters are highly literate accounts of the cavalry service during the Civil War, filled with descriptions of the strenuous, active and mobile life of the horse soldier. His letters describing the days before and after the Battle of Gettysburg, and his 14 page letter describing the Appomattox Campaign and the close of the war in the east are memorable. His letter of August 10th, 1863, includes a description of counter-guerrilla activity in the Shenandoah Valley that highlights the brutality and uncertainty of guerrilla warfare and the sometimes extralegal means to which Federal troops had to resort to suppress the guerrillas.

The Clement Boughton papers consist of letters written home during Clement's service in the 12th Wisconsin Infantry as part of the occupying forces in Tennessee and Mississippi. The collection also contains other family correspondence and letters regarding Boughton's death.

The Clement Boughton papers include 86 letters from Clement Boughton to his mother, brothers and sister, 85 of which were written during his service in the 12th Wisconsin Infantry. The remaining 59 items in the collection include five documents relating to Boughton's service, four letters from a cousin, Mariette Bent, to Clement while he was in the service, a letter from an officer in the 12th Wisconsin relating news of Clement's death and several letters of bereavement from relatives and acquaintances. The balance of the collection is comprised of letters form other members of the Boughton family, both pre-War and post, most addressed to Clement's mother.

Boughton's Civil War letters form the heart of the collection and provide a complete account of the military service of an upright young farmer. While Boughton considered himself to be religious and while he held high standards of conduct for himself and his comrades, he was not prone to moralizing or quick condemnation. He was instead an avid, well-intentioned soldier doing his duty far from home, who felt pangs of guilt at being away during the harvest, and who continued to provide support, encouragement and advice to his mother, younger brother and sister on running the farm and leading their lives. His letters to his younger siblings Augustus and Anna are very affectionate and indicate how important he must have been in raising the children. His relationship with his twin, Clarence, is more difficult to ascertain. Clarence appears to have been an unusually poor correspondent and while Clement's tone in the one letter that survives between them seems strained, it is not clear whether there was actual tension between the two.

Among the more interesting letters in the Boughton are the series describing their duties in Kansas and Natchez. Devoid of any real action, they nevertheless paint an interesting portrait of military life away from the front, and include some good descriptions of Union-occupied territory. Boughton's letters written during the Vicksburg siege are also excellent, and include an interesting account of McPherson's attempt to tunnel under the Confederate fortifications as well as a fine sense of the tense, but at the same time boring life in the rifle pits awaiting the capitulation. Finally, Boughton's journal-like letter of the failed expedition from Memphis into northern Mississippi in December, 1862, to January, 1863, graphically details the hardships of field service in the deep south, the exhausting marches, mud, cold and hunger the soldiers faced, and the swings in morale that resulted when the objectives could not be attained.

Among the related materials, there is an interesting letter from members of the Baptist congregation at Chester, Conn., to Eliza Boughton, sending a small amount of money to help support her and her children after the death of her husband, Newell. A typescript of most of the Civil War letters was prepared by a descendant and is available upon request.

Clinton H. Haskell Civil War collection contains miscellaneous letters, military orders, telegrams, and documents related to the Civil War.

Clinton H. Haskell Civil War collection (120 items) contains miscellaneous letters, military orders, telegrams, and documents related to the Civil War from 1843 to 1895. The bulk of the collection is comprised of letters written by army officers and politicians, both Union and Confederate, during and after the Civil War.

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).