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This collection is made up of letters that Christopher H. Keller of the 124th Illinois Infantry Regiment and Albert C. Cleavland of the 42nd Illinois Infantry Regiment wrote to the Keller family and to Caroline M. Hall during the Civil War. The soldiers described their experiences in the South, including engagements with Confederate troops and guerillas, interactions with local civilians, travel between posts, and life in military camps. They occasionally discussed their feelings about the war and about political issues such as the presidential election of 1864.

This collection is made up of letters written that Christopher H. Keller of the 124th Illinois Infantry Regiment and Albert C. Cleavland of the 42nd Illinois Infantry Regiment wrote to the Keller family and to Caroline M. Hall during the Civil War. The soldiers discussed their experiences in the South throughout the war.

The bulk of the collection is letters that Christopher H. Keller wrote to his parents, George H. and Esther Keller of Batavia, Illinois, and to his future wife, Caroline Matilda Hall of St. Charles, Illinois, between September 2, 1862, and August 14, 1865. He described his travels between camps and other posts in Illinois, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Louisiana, commenting on the weather, the scenery, and destruction caused by the war. His letters provide detailed descriptions of everyday aspects of military life, such as camp conditions, rations and supplies, religious services, and medical care; in February 1863, he described his stay at Overton Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. Keller occasionally expressed his opinions on military doctors, conscripted soldiers, and the war, and reflected on soldiers' deaths. He sometimes shared stories about his interactions with Confederate civilians.

Keller participated in skirmishes throughout his service. Two groups of letters concern his experiences during the Siege of Vicksburg in mid-1863 and the Union campaign for Mobile in the spring of 1865. In March 1865, he visited New Orleans. In 1864, he briefly commented on Abraham Lincoln's presidential nomination and noted his regiment's overwhelming support for Lincoln as they voted; in 1865, he reacted to news of Lincoln's assassination and the death of John Wilkes Booth. Keller's final letters, written from Mobile just after the end of the war, include mentions of freed Confederate prisoners and freedmen. Keller's enclosed a dogwood blossom in his letter of April 10, 1865.

A small number of items in the collection are incoming letters to Christopher H. Keller and, to a lesser extent, Caroline M. Hall. Keller received one letter from Albert N. Hall about Hall's experiences at Pittsburg, Tennessee (March 25, 1862). Albert C. Cleavland wrote letters about his service with the 42nd Illinois Infantry Regiment from 1861-1865. He served in Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia, and his letters include descriptions of skirmishes near Chattanooga, Tennessee, in October 1863, the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, and a visit to Atlanta after its destruction by Union troops. His later letters sometimes include comments about Confederate civilians, the fall of Richmond, and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Cleavland wrote his final letters from Port Lavaca, Texas, in late 1865. The final item in the collection is a letter that Mary Chind of St. Charles, Illinois, wrote to Caroline Hall Keller on December 31, 1865, congratulating Keller on her marriage and enclosing a pamphlet by Theodore L. Cuyler, "A Flaw in the Wedding Link."

The collection includes undated newspaper clippings from the Montgomery Daily Mail and an unknown paper, pertaining to troop movements and the restoration of telegraph services, respectively, and a tintype portrait of an unidentified Union soldier in uniform, posing beside a United States flag.

The Cummings-Durant family collection contains correspondence related to the Cummings family of Rutland County, Vermont, and the Durant family of Boyd, Kentucky, who were related by marriage. George Durant wrote most of the letters about family news, his life in Pennsylvania and Kentucky, his political opinions, and current events.

This collection contains 82 letters and 6 additional items related to the Cummings family of Vermont, and to George B. Durant of Boyd, Kentucky, Avery Cummings's brother-in-law. Durant composed most of the letters, mainly addressed to his sister, Eliza Ann Durant Cummings, and her family in Montpelier, Vermont. Between 1859 and 1914, he wrote about his life in West Manchester, Pennsylvania; Cambridge City, Indiana; and Boyd, Kentucky. He sometimes commented on political matters and current events, including the presidential elections of 1860 (May 10, 1860, August 12, 1860, and August 25, 1860), 1864 (September 23, 1864), 1908 (February 6, 1909), and 1912 (August 22, 1912); the Sayers/Heenan prize fight (May 10, 1860); and the murder of several women in Chicago and the execution of Mrs. Mary Rogers (January 14, 1906).

On September 4, 1862, he described a trip he and his wife took to Cincinnati, Ohio, then under martial law; upon returning to Kentucky, he noted the presence of Confederate forces. Many of his early letters mention religion, including some notes on the origin of the Koran (September 4, 1859). He also discussed his work, which included a job at the Western Pennsylvania House of Refuge between 1859 and 1860, as well as a position as president of a female college in Kentucky (July 12, 1874). Following the death of his sister, he wrote to her son, David Willis Cummings ("Willis"), who remained in Montpelier. Most of his late letters concern family health and other news.

The remainder of the correspondence consists of letters written between members of the Durant and Cummings families. In one letter, T. S. Cummings told his uncle, Avery Cummings, of the reputation of girls in Providence, Rhode Island, and of his resolve to relocate there from Hartford (October 21, 1855). Two later letters from Philena M. Clifford of Danville, Vermont, provide details of the Clifford family genealogy (September 28, 1872 and April 10, 1874).

Additional material includes an unlabeled photograph, a contract between Eliza Ann Cummings and the Vermont Methodist Seminary and Female College (February 11, 1884), a contract between Avery Cummins [sic] and Orin Pithin (August 28, 1841), genealogical notes, and a manuscript diagram of the water pipe system of a house (undated).

This collection contains letters and documents related to the family of Congressman Ebenezer Jackson, Jr., of Savannah, Georgia, and Middletown, Connecticut. Jackson and his father wrote and received personal letters about contemporary political issues. The letters offer commentary on the Missouri Compromise, the 1860 United States presidential election, secession, and the Civil War. Jackson also wrote about his travels in Boston, Massachusetts, and offered advice to his brother Amasa, who attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, in the mid-1820s.

This collection contains 9 letters and 2 documents related to the family of Ebenezer Jackson, Jr., of Savannah, Georgia, and Middletown, Connecticut. Jackson and his father wrote and received personal letters about contemporary political issues such as the Missouri Compromise, the 1860 United States Presidential election, secession, and the Civil War. Jackson also wrote to his father about his travels in Boston, Massachusetts, and offered advice to his brother Amasa, who attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, in the mid-1820s.

Ebenezer Jackson, Jr., authored 4 letters in this collection. He wrote 2 letters to his father in which he discussed his impressions of Boston, a publication in support of the War of 1812 (March 13, 1814), and his Pennsylvania to Connecticut travel plans (July 5, 1825). Jackson's mother, Charlotte Fenwick Jackson, contributed to his first letter, urging her husband to keep "Harriette" in school. Ebenezer Jackson sent 2 letters to his brother Amasa, who attended the Cheshire Academy in Cheshire, Connecticut, in 1820, and the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, in 1823; he offered educational advice and congratulated him on his academic achievements.

Ebenezer Jackson, Jr., received 4 political letters from acquaintances. A committee in Middletown, Connecticut, strongly urged Jackson to accept his nomination for a United States Senate seat in 1834 and explained the reasons why he would be a strong candidate (March 13, 1834). Hezekiah Huntington wrote about political parties and the 1860 presidential election (August 21, 1860); former Florida governor Richard K. Call strenuously voiced his opposition to secession (January 19, 1861); and United States Senator Lafayette Sabine Foster affirmed his support for the Union's military efforts against the Confederacy, as well as his disdain for the peace efforts of Horace Greeley and others (January 27, 1863).

Ebenezer Jackson, Sr., sent 1 letter to William Van Deusen, in which he shared his opinions about the Missouri Compromise (March 25, 1820). He anticipated continued conflicts between the North and South over slavery, and mentioned the possible effects those conflicts might have on British opinion about the United States.

The collection's documents are an undated copy of a 1672 deed between John Stows and John Willcoke for land in Middletown, Connecticut, and an 1836 memorandum of the estate of Ebenezer Jackson, Sr., addressed to Mary C. Oliver of Boston, Massachusetts.

This collection is made up of 25 letters that Lizzie A. Shultz wrote to her husband, Captain Joseph Shultz of the 111th Illinois Infantry Regiment, Company K, during the Civil War. She commented on the war and provided news of their children and her daily life in Salem, Illinois.

This collection is made up of 25 letters that Lizzie A. Shultz wrote to her husband, Captain Joseph Shultz of the 111th Illinois Infantry Regiment, Company K, during the Civil War. Most letters are 4 pages long, revolving around Lizzie's daily activities and the growth of the couple's two young daughters, Lottie and Eliza, in Salem, Illinois; many pertain to the difficulties of raising children and running a household in her husband's absence. Lizzie often mentioned the war, expressing her desire for Joseph's safe return. She commented on his movements with the army. In one letter, she reported an altercation between soldiers and Copperhead sympathizers in Salem (October 4, 1863). Additional letters concern the deaths of large numbers of foreign and African American soldiers at Memphis and "Island No. 10" (January 6, 1864), the Fort Pillow massacre (April 17, 1864), the presidential election of 1864, and the possibility of moving to the South after the war.

The Pennsylvania Civil War pollbook collection contains pollbooks documenting the absentee voting of residents of four Pennsylvania counties during the Civil War, who were in Company C, 11th Pennsylvania Infantry; Company E, 198th Pennsylvania Infantry; and a detachment at Camp Biddle near Philadelphia.

The Pennsylvania Civil War pollbook collection contains three poll books with records of the 1864 election, held October 11, 1864, for soldiers in the field voting by absentee ballot in Pennsylvania.

The book for residents of Westmoreland County within Company C, 11th Pennsylvania Infantry, documents many aspects of the election. These include its location (Fort Dushane in Dinwiddie County, Virginia), the names of the poll officials, the names and residences of the 15 soldiers who voted, and the number of votes received by various candidates. The offices up for election were U.S. Representative, State Representative, Prothonotary, Clerk of Quarter Sessions and Oyer and Terminer, County Commissioner, Director of the Poor, County Auditor, and Trustees of Academy.

The book for voters of Philadelphia and Delaware Counties within Company E, 198th Pennsylvania Infantry, contains similar information for their election, held at "Camp near Petersburg." It includes the names and addresses of 31 voters, as well as names of candidates and number of votes each received for the following offices: U.S. Representative, State Representative, State Senator, Sheriff, Register, Clerk of Orphans' Court, Coroner, County Commissioner, Director of the Poor, County Auditor, Reviewer of Taxes, and City Commissioner.

The pollbook for residents of Wyoming County, within a detachment at Camp Biddle, contains the voting record of just one man, Albert Strong of Northmoreland Township.

This volume contains meteorological tables and diary entries concerning daily life in Rhinebeck, New York, from 1850-1868. The author wrote about local politics, national politics, and the Civil War; the weather's effect on crops and farming; epidemics and health; and other subjects. The first pages of the volume contain brief notes about inflammatory diseases.

This volume (approximately 580 pages) contains meteorological tables and diary entries concerning daily life in Rhinebeck, New York, from 1850-1868. The first page of the volume consists of a brief note regarding intellect, followed by a 2-page essay about the "Influence of Weather on Health," 6 pages of information about diseases and treatments, and a recipe for an adhesive plaster. Some of the medical notes appear to have been copied from outside sources written in the 1840s.

The remainder of the volume is comprised of daily meteorological tables and diary entries written from January 19, 1850-May 10, 1868 (the entries for August 11, 1863-July 31, 1864, appear near the front of the volume). Each page of the meteorological register contains a chart providing information on wind direction and speed, temperature, and general weather conditions for as many as 10-12 days. A key to the numerical system used to denote wind speed and weather conditions is located at the beginning of the weather diary. Newspaper clippings regarding weather patterns and comet appearances were infrequently pasted into the volume.

Additional "Remarks" on almost every page frequently pertain to the weather, agriculture, and local news. The author commented on the weather's effects on various crops, the navigability of the Hudson River, locusts, the appearance of comets, and the prevalence of diseases such as measles and dysentery. Some entries pertain to recent news events (such as the destruction of the Henry Clay in July 1852) and political campaigns, including New York gubernatorial races and the United States presidential elections of 1856, 1860, and 1864. After the secessions of November 1861 and throughout the Civil War, the author reported war news, writing about local regiments and reactions to the war, recent battles, and major political events such as the issuing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Some entries report false rumors.

This collection is made up of one diary of Robert Waterston of Boston, Massachusetts, and a diary of his son, Unitarian minister Robert Cassie Waterston. Robert C. Waterston kept his diary from May 1, 1832, to March 27, 1833. He wrote about attendance at meetings for The Association for Religious Improvement, religion, literature, life, philosophy, travel in New England (with a corresponding mileage log and related expenses), and weather observations. The elder Robert Waterson kept his diary between February 10 and April 7, 1861. He reflected on national politics, the inauguration of Abraham Lincoln, secession, and the Civil War. He also noted weather observations and provided frequent religious mediations.

This collection is made up of one diary of Robert Waterston of Boston, Massachusetts, and a diary of his son, Unitarian minister Robert Cassie Waterston. Robert C. Waterston kept his diary from May 1, 1832, to March 27, 1833. He wrote about attendance at meetings for The Association for Religious Improvement, religion, literature, life, philosophy, travel in New England (with a corresponding mileage log and related expenses), and weather observations.

The elder Robert Waterson kept his diary between February 10 and April 7, 1861. He reflected on national politics, the inauguration of Abraham Lincoln, secession, and the Civil War. He also noted weather observations, provided frequent religious mediations, and included a log of letters sent and received. On the rear cover are "A Few of the Last Words of Baron Bunson", attributed to "Review Chretienne, 15 December 1860".

Samuel B. Morse, a Baptist pastor, kept this journal while teaching at Urania College in Glasgow, Kentucky, and Pacific Methodist College in Vacaville, California, during the Civil War, as well as throughout his studies at Newton Theological Seminary in Newton Centre, Massachusetts, in the late 1860s. He commented on his social life, described his travels between the East and West Coasts of the United States, and mentioned military and political developments during the Civil War.

Samuel B. Morse, a Baptist pastor, kept this journal (460 pages) while teaching at Urania College in Glasgow, Kentucky, and Pacific Methodist College in Vacaville, California, during the Civil War, as well as throughout his studies at Newton Theological Seminary in Newton Centre, Massachusetts, in the late 1860s. He began the diary on January 1, 1861, describing his life in Kentucky and his love for "Miss Mary." He reported on the secessions of Alabama and Louisiana (January 11, 1861 and January 25, 1861), expressed his hope that Abraham Lincoln "may prove better than the people think him to be" (March 4, 1861), and observed the growing animosity between the North and South (March 19, 1861). On April 2, 1861, he mentioned his wish to move to California, and over the next few weeks described his journey onboard a "California Steamer." After his arrival, he wrote about his social life, particularly his courtship with Mary Isabel Wilson.

Morse occasionally commented on the war and politics, including the First Battle of Bull Run (August 3, 1861), the Battle of Corinth (April 15, 1862), the Emancipation Proclamation (August 25, 1862), the Battle of Fredericksburg (December 17, 1862), the Battle of Vicksburg (July 9, 1863), and the 1864 presidential election (November 8, 1864 and November 12, 1864). On April 3, 1865, he reflected on the capture of Richmond; on April 15, 1865, he mourned the death of Abraham Lincoln and, mistakenly, William Henry Seward. He wrote less frequently after the war, but provided an account of his May 1866 journey to Massachusetts, via Nicaragua, to study at Newton Theological Seminary in Newton Centre; there, he heard Charles Dickens give a reading (April 3, 1868). He returned to California by railroad (August 16, 1869), and ended his journal on December 30, 1869, 2 months after his wife and daughter joined him in California.

The journal contains 4 enclosures, including 2 tintypes of a young girl and a printed portrait of Samuel B. Morse. A lock of hair from Mary Page, whom Morse courted during his time in Kentucky, is taped onto the journal's last page.