University Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

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The items in the Digital Collections of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library contain materials which represent or depict sensitive topics or were written from perspectives using outdated or biased language. The Library condemns discrimination and hatred on any grounds. As a research library that supports the mission and values of this land grant institution, it is incumbent upon the University Library to preserve, describe, and provide access to materials to accurately document our past, support learning about it, and effect change in the present. In accordance with the American Library Association’s Freedom to Read statement, we do not censor our materials or prevent patrons from accessing them.

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Showing 41–80 of 27,185 items
  • Illinois Artillery, 1st Regiment Record Book (Digitized Content)
    Illinois History and Lincoln Collections  ·   Digital Special Collections
    Description
    The digitized content of the Illinois Artillery, 1st Regiment Record Book consists of the company muster book for Joseph Cross's company in the 1st U. S. Artillery Regiment. The record book contains registers of men, priority rolls, accounts of equipage, and individual accounts, all dating from 1812 to 1814. It also features additional content from the 1830s, when some pages in the book were used for secondary purposes. The company of the 1st U. S. Artillery Regiment led by Captain Joseph Cross served at several forts along the Mississippi River in Louisiana Territory during the War of 1812. The regiment saw duty at Fort Belle Fontaine and Fort Massac, with detached services at Forts Madison and Osage. The digitized content contains the company's record book, which contains priority rolls of enlistment and description; registers of men tried, discharged, or transferred; registers of dead, deserted, and missing; provision returns; accounts of clothing and equipage; and individual accounts. In the mid-to-late 1830s, several pages were used for secondary purposes. Some pages were used to record legal fees, and others appear to have been used as scrap paper by a schoolchild. The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections unit at the University of Illinois Library manages the physical items of the Illinois Artillery, 1st Regiment Record Book (MS 800). The collection was completely digitized in 2018. For more information, contact an archivist at ihlc@library.illinois.edu.
  • Knight Family Correspondence (Digitized Content)
    Illinois History and Lincoln Collections  ·   Digital Special Collections
    Description
    The digitized content of the Knight Family Correspondence consists of letters written between the Mack family of Bloomington-Normal, Illinois and the Knight family of Selma and Towanda, Illinois, dating from the 1850s to the 1880s. Most of the letters were written by Martha Mack to her sister, Isabella Knight. Martha and Isabella Gill were sisters and Irish immigrants. Isabella married Harvey J. Knight and they had two children, Martha (Mattie) and Anna Knight The Knight family lived in Selma, Illinois before moving to Towanda, Illinois, outside of Normal, so that Isabella and Martha could be closer to each other. Martha Gill married John T. Mack and the two lived in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois. The digitized content contains letters written between Martha and Isabella about farm life and family updates. Harvey and John also wrote to each other about their farm work. Later letters are written by Mattie and Anna Knight to their mother and father; these letters are about their education in Normal, Illinois, where they were learning to be teachers. The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections unit at the University of Illinois Library manages the physical items of the Knight Family Correspondence (MS 041). The collection was completely digitized in 2020 and 2021. For more information, contact an archivist at ihlc@library.illinois.edu.
  • League of Women Voters of Champaign County, Ill. Records (Digitized Content)
    Illinois History and Lincoln Collections  ·   Digital Special Collections
    Description
    The digitized content of the League of Women Voters of Champaign County, Illinois, Records consists of the Official Secretary Records Volume 1. These records span from October 9, 1922, until May 2, 1933, and include notes on meetings, resumes of presentations by guest speakers, reports of officers and committees, newspaper clippings, and material on the Junior League of Women Voters. The League of Women Voters of Champaign County was formed in 1922. The League of Women Voters is a non-partisan grassroots organization that promotes civic involvement and encourages active participation in the government through voter education. The digitized content contains Volume 1 of the League of Women Voters of Champaign County’s Official Secretary Records. This volume contains 152 bound pages with 44 loose pages of additional materials. These pages include meeting notes, summaries of presentations by speakers, officer and committee reports, newspaper clippings, and material on the Junior League of Women Voters. The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections unit at the University of Illinois Library manages the physical items of the League of Women Voters of Champaign County, Ill. Records (MS 063). This collection was partially digitized in 2024. For more information, contact an archivist at ihlc@library.illinois.edu.
  • Hilgard Family Papers (Digitized Content)
    Illinois History and Lincoln Collections  ·   Digital Special Collections
    Description
    The digitized content of the Hilgard Family Papers consists of correspondence from the 1830s and 1840s between German immigrant Theodor Hilgard, in Belleville, Illinois, and his mother, Madame Maria Dorothea Engelmann Hilgard, in Bavaria. Theodor Hilgard (1790-1873), born in Bavaria, immigrated to the United States in 1836. He settled in the German colony at Belleville, Illinois, with his wife, five daughters, and four sons. Hilgard, himself educated in law at both German and French universities, engaged in farming and real estate promotion, while encouraging his sons in their educational pursuits. The digitized content contains handwritten copies of letters Theodor Hilgard likely made himself before sending the original letters to his mother, Madame Maria Dorothea Engelmann Hilgard, in Bavaria. The letters are densely written in nineteenth-century German script. Also included as supplementary material are handwritten twentieth-century transcriptions of these letters. The letters date from 1836 to 1841. The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections unit at the University of Illinois Library manages the physical items of the Hilgard Family Papers (MS 708). The collection was partially digitized in 2020. For more information, contact an archivist at ihlc@library.illinois.edu.
  • Mary Jane Foster Letter (Digitized Content)
    Illinois History and Lincoln Collections  ·   Digital Special Collections
    Description
    The digitized content of the Mary Jane Foster Letter consists of one letter written in 1869 by Mary Jane Foster to her father, Octavio. Mary Jane Foster lived in Chicago and Evanston, Illinois, during the 19th century, with her husband, George, who owned a business in Chicago. Her father, Octavio, lived in the eastern United States. The digitized content contains one letter written by Mary Jane Foster to her father, Octavio, in 1869. The letter discusses Mary Jane’s move from Chicago to Evanston, Illinois, due to high rent prices, local transportation, and her intention to build a house on the plot of land she recently purchased. The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections unit at the University of Illinois Library manages the physical items of the Mary Jane Foster Letter (MS 1047). The collection was completely digitized in 2020. For more information, contact an archivist at ihlc@library.illinois.edu.
  • Jonathan Baldwin Turner Papers (Digitized Content)
    Illinois History and Lincoln Collections  ·   Digital Special Collections
    Description
    The digitized content of the Jonathan Baldwin Turner papers consists of letters, images, certificates, patents, and circulars pertaining to the life and career of Jonathan Baldwin Turner, a teacher, preacher, agriculturalist, and educational and political advocate. Jonathan Baldwin Turner (1805-1899) was born in Massachusetts and moved to Illinois after receiving his degree in classical literature from Yale University in 1833. He settled in Jacksonville, Illinois, where he was a professor at Illinois College. Turner was an integral figure in the establishment of land grant universities, as well as the founding of the Illinois Industrial University, now the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He was also an agriculturalist who improved agricultural methods and established the use of Osage orange trees for hedge farming. The digitized content contains incoming and outgoing correspondence, images, patents, circulars, and certificates from Turner's career in agriculture and educational advocacy. Correspondents include Illinois politicians, national politicians, and friends and associates involved in Turner's educational pursuits. Many of the letters concern Turner's decade-long effort in establishing the Illinois Industrial University. Turner's circulars and patents concern innovative agricultural methods, including improvements for seeding machines and Pulverizers, and the promotion of Osage orange trees for hedge farming. Images include portraits of Turner, his family, and their residence in Jacksonville, Illinois. The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections unit at the University of Illinois Library manages the physical items of the Jonathan Baldwin Turner Papers (MS 333). The collection was partially digitized in 2020, 2021, and 2022. For more information, contact an archivist at ihlc@library.illinois.edu.
  • World's Columbian Exposition Stereographs (Digitized Content)
    Illinois History and Lincoln Collections  ·   Digital Special Collections
    Description
    The digitized content of the World's Columbian Exposition (Chicago, Ill.) Stereographs consists of five stereograph cards, also called "stereoviews", from the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. The stereograph cards were photographed and published by B.W. Kilburn of Littleton, New Hampshire, in 1893. Stereographs were made in the 1850s and were popular from the 1870s-1920s. Stereoviews consist of two nearly identical photographs paired on thick card mounts, glass negatives, or daguerreotypes. When put through a stereoscope, the two images combine to create a three-dimensional single image to view. The digitized content contains the five cards that depict scenes at the fair, including images at the Horticultural Hall, Illinois State Building, California State Building, the Wool Exhibit at the Agricultural Building, and Puck (a character from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream) at the fair. The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections unit at the University of Illinois Library manages the physical items of the World's Columbian Exposition (Chicago, Ill.) Stereographs (MS 1076). The collection was completely digitized in 2025. For more information, contact an archivist at ihlc@library.illinois.edu.
  • Joseph Hand Papers (Digitized Content)
    Illinois History and Lincoln Collections  ·   Digital Special Collections
    Description
    The digitized content of the Joseph Hand Papers consists of letters dating from 1843-1903 and a set of two broadsides from 1844-1845 relating to Joseph Hand, a farmer who immigrated to Illinois from England with his family in 1845. The correspondence, the bulk of which dates from the 1840s and 1850s, highlights the lives of the Hands both before and after they left England. Joseph Hand was a farmer living in Yoxall, Staffordshire, England. In 1845, Hand sold his farm and set sail for America with his wife and six of their seven children. Hand's wife, Sarah Shipton Hand, died while the family was at sea. Upon arriving in Illinois, Hand purchased land at Paddock's Grove in Madison County, and soon expanded the farm across the county line into Bunker Hill in Macoupin County. After Joseph's death in 1860, his daughter Sarah A. Hand took over management of the family farm. The digitized content contains correspondence, dating from both while the Hands were living in England and after their arrival in the United States. The collection illustrates the lives of rural English people, English politics and social conditions in the 1840s, and exchanges between family members in England and the United States. The digitized content also contains auctioneers' broadsides for the sale of the family's farm in Yoxall. The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections unit at the University of Illinois Library manages the physical items of the Joseph Hand Papers (MS 688). The collection was partially digitized in 2013. For more information, contact an archivist at ihlc@library.illinois.edu.
  • Century of Progress Tickets and Passes (Digitized Content)
    Illinois History and Lincoln Collections  ·   Digital Special Collections
    Description
    The digitized content of the Century of Progress, Tickets and Passes, 1934 consists of one volume of tickets and passes from the 1933-1934 A Century of Progress International Exhibition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair). The tickets and passes have been pasted onto 36 pages. The volume was compiled by Ernst Hertzberg & Sons, bookbinders in Chicago. They gifted this specially bound volume to the library in 1935. The collection contains a volume of admission tickets and passes, many of which are stamped "SPECIMEN." The tickets vary, with some being for entry to the fair itself while other tickets provide admission to the various exhibits throughout the fair. Most of the items are dated 1934, the second year of the Century of Progress International Exposition. The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections unit at the University of Illinois Library manages the physical items of the Century of Progress, Tickets and Passes, 1934 (MS 972). The collection was completely digitized in 2025. For more information, contact an archivist at ihlc@library.illinois.edu.
  • Neziah Wright Bliss Ledger Book (Digitized Content)
    Illinois History and Lincoln Collections  ·   Digital Special Collections
    Description
    The digitized content of the Neziah Wright Bliss Ledger Book consists of a ledger book with records from the years 1854-1862 regarding weather statistics in Warsaw, Illinois, as well as diary entries, recipes, garden and farm notes, and data on natural phenomena. Neziah Wright Bliss was born in Vermont in 1862 and died in Illinois in 1910. He kept a ledger book from 1854-1862 with weather data and farming information. The digitized content contains a ledger book with records from the years 1854-1862 regarding weather statistics in Warsaw, Illinois, as well as diary entries, recipes, garden and farm notes, and data on natural phenomena. In this ledger book, he keeps track of the weather by morning, noon, and evening degrees, and also notes the wind and general weather notes like rain, hail, or clear skies. His garden and farming records are thorough and include the exact types of fruits and vegetables being planted, when and how many were planted, and how long they will need to fully mature. The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections unit at the University of Illinois Library manages the physical items of the Neziah Wright Bliss Ledger Book (MS 472). The collection was completely digitized in 2019. For more information, contact an archivist at ihlc@library.illinois.edu.
  • Frederick Wainwright Perkins Papers (Digitized Content)
    Illinois History and Lincoln Collections  ·   Digital Special Collections
    Description
    The digitized content of the Frederick Wainwright Perkins Papers consists of architectural drawings prepared for one of Perkins's many commissions, the Charles H. Schweppe residence in Lake Forest, Illinois, in 1914 and 1915. Frederick Wainwright Perkins (1866-1928) was a prominent Chicago architect engaged in active practice from 1886 to 1924. Perkins designed many residences and buildings, mostly in the Chicago area but also in Duluth, Minnesota (where he had an office) and in downstate Illinois. The digitized content contains three sets of architectural drawings for the Charles H. Schweppe residence in Lake Forest, Illinois, one of Perkins's many commissions in the Chicago area. The sets include floor plans as well as exterior views. Note that the drawings digitized represent only a small portion of the documentation physically preserved for this commission, and the Charles H. Schweppe residence is only one of many commissions documented in the Frederick Wainwright Perkins Papers. The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections unit at the University of Illinois Library manages the physical items of the Frederick Wainwright Perkins Papers (MS 885). The collection was partially digitized in 2019. For more information, contact an archivist at ihlc@library.illinois.edu.
  • George Durfee Correspondence (Digitized Content)
    Illinois History and Lincoln Collections  ·   Digital Special Collections
    Description
    The digitized content of the George Durfee Papers consists of the correspondence of George S. Durfee, a soldier and captain during the United States Civil War and a member of the Illinois Vicksburg Commission. George S. Durfee (1840-1907) was born in Marshall, Michigan. The Durfee family moved to Decatur, Illinois, when George Durfee was seventeen. In 1861, he joined Company A, 8th Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He served with the unit until 1866, rising to the rank of captain. He married Sarah A. Powers in 1857, and the couple had four daughters. The digitized content contains the correspondence of George Durfee from 1861-1901, most of which was created during the United States Civil War. The correspondence in this collection describes camp life, various political and military figures, and army policies. Durfee reports on several campaigns and battles, including Fort Donelson, Vicksburg, and the occupation of Texas. The collection also contains papers regarding family matters and Durfee's 1901 appointment by Governor Richard Yates as a member of the commission to determine and mark the positions of Illinois troops in the siege of Vicksburg, the Illinois Vicksburg Commission. The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections unit at the University of Illinois Library manages the physical items of the George Durfee Correspondence and Papers, 1861-1901 (MS 603). The collection was completely digitized in 2021. For more information, contact an archivist at ihlc@library.illinois.edu.
  • Marion H. Drake Campaign Leaflet (Digitized content)
    Illinois History and Lincoln Collections  ·   Digital Special Collections
    Description
    The digitized content of the Marion H. Drake Campaign Leaflet consists of a campaign leaflet from the Marion H. Drake Campaign Committee. Marion H. Drake was the Progressive Party candidate in the April 1914 election for alderman of the First Ward in Chicago, Illinois. She graduated from the Chicago College of Law in 1892 and worked as a suffragist and lawyer. Drake ran against incumbent John “Bathhouse” Coughlin, who began his career as alderman for the First Ward of Chicago in 1892. Drake lost the 1914 election to Coughlin, who would serve as alderman until his death in 1938. The digitized content contains an envelope and a campaign leaflet. The campaign leaflet is promoting alderman candidate Marion H. Drake in her campaign against Alderman “Bathhouse John” Coughlin, accusing Coughlin of crime and graft while promoting Drake for her strength and virtue. The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections unit at the University of Illinois Library manages the physical items of the Marion H. Drake Campaign Leaflet, 1914 (MS 1184). The collection was completely digitized in 2025. For more information, contact an archivist at ihlc@library.illinois.edu.
  • Corrie Family Papers (Digitized Content)
    Illinois History and Lincoln Collections  ·   Digital Special Collections
    Description
    The digitized content consists of the Corrie Family Papers from 1814 to 1897. The collection contains mainly family letters, as well as family genealogy documentation and various pieces of ephemera. In 1828, Robert Corrie (1779-1863) emigrated with four of his brothers from England and Scotland to Wabash County, Illinois. He and his wife, Sarah, (1785-1864) maintained active correspondence with family, particularly with those who remained in England. The correspondence was continued by their children: Jane (1827-1908), who married a Presbyterian minister, Samuel C. Baldridge, and John Robert (1816-97), who maintained the family farm in Wabash County. Lester Linn Corrie of Urbana is the grandson of John Robert Corrie. The digitized content contains microfilm images of the nineteenth century letters in the collection, as well as accompanying typed transcriptions for some letters. It also includes legal documents and some printed ephemera. This collection highlights an emigrating family's continuing cross-Atlantic ties, with references to contemporary events, presidents, and the Civil War. The Corrie family also had extensive land holdings which are frequently mentioned in the correspondence. The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections unit at the University of Illinois Library manages the physical items of the Corrie Family Papers (MS 558). The collection was completely digitized in 2021; however, only the nineteenth century materials are currently available online. For more information, contact an archivist at ihlc@library.illinois.edu.
  • Daniel Torrey Papers (Digitized Content)
    Illinois History and Lincoln Collections  ·   Digital Special Collections
    Description
    The digitized content of the Daniel Torrey Papers consists of personal and business papers dating from 1832-1869 of Daniel Torrey, a shop owner and craftsman who lived in Illinois and Missouri in the mid-1800s. Daniel Torrey (1808-1896) was a scythe maker and owned a wagon and blacksmithing shop in Payson, Adams County, Illinois. He married his first wife, Florinda Thompson in Maine in 1830, and together they had three children. In the 1830s the Torreys moved from Maine to Quincy, Illinois, and later, to Payson, where he established his shop. After his first wife's death in 1842, he married Priscilla Blood, and together they had seven children. In 1856 they moved to Missouri and, after 1870, to Fairbury, Nebraska. The digitized content consists of materials from Torrey's time in Maine, Illinois, and Missouri, and includes a small notebook, filled with diary entries; personal and business documents and financial records, including a letter from his second wife's relative, Amos Blood, regarding an order of steel ploughs and other farm equipment; and home remedies for common illnesses. The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections unit at the University of Illinois Library manages the physical items of the Daniel Torrey Papers (MS 844). The collection was partially digitized in 2018. For more information, contact an archivist at ihlc@library.illinois.edu.
  • The Perfectionist and Theocratic Watchman (Digitized Microfilm)
    Illinois History and Lincoln Collections  ·   Digital Special Collections
    Description
    The digitized content of The Perfectionist and Theocratic Watchman. (Digitized Microfilm) consists of publications from Volume 4 Issue 1 (1844) to Volume 5 Issue 24 (1846). The periodical was published in Putney, Vermont by publisher S. R. Leonard and editors J. H. Noyes and J. L. Skinner. The newspaper’s creator and editor, John Humphrey Noyes, was an American preacher and utopian socialist who founded the Bible Communists in 1836 in Putney, Vermont and the Oneida Community in 1848 in Oneida, New York. The digitized content contains periodical issues discussing Christian perfectionism, collective settlements in Putney, Vermont, complex marriage, and utopian socialism. The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections unit at the University of Illinois Library manages the microfilm copies of the The Perfectionist and Theocratic Watchman. (Digitized Microfilm). The collection was completely digitized in 2022. For more information, contact an archivist at ihlc@library.illinois.edu.
  • Stephen Dennis Letter (Digitized Content)
    Illinois History and Lincoln Collections  ·   Digital Special Collections
    Description
    The digitized content of the Stephen Dennis Letter consists of one letter written by Stephen Dennis to his grandfather, William A. Dennis. Stephen Dennis was a farmer in Greenville, Bond County, Illinois. William A. Dennis lived in Virginia. The digitized content contains a letter Stephen Dennis wrote to his grandfather in 1850. The letter describes family matters and challenges of the past three crop seasons, including weather and the transition from farming corn to farming wheat. The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections unit at the University of Illinois Library manages the physical items of the Stephen Dennis Letter (MS 920). The collection completely digitized in 2020. For more information, contact an archivist at ihlc@library.illinois.edu.
  • World’s Columbian Exposition Watercolor Prints (Digitized Content)
    Illinois History and Lincoln Collections  ·   Digital Special Collections
    Description
    The digitized content of the World's Columbian Exposition Watercolor Prints consists of seventeen watercolor painting prints that depict scenes from the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition before and during the fair. All but two prints were signed by thirteen different artists. Most of the prints were likely used as illustrations from the publication World’s Columbian Exposition. The book of the builders; being the chronicle of the origin and plan of the World’s Fair by Daniel Hudson Burnham and Francis Davis Millet, published in 1894. The digitized content contains seventeen watercolor painting prints. Four prints depict scenes during the construction of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition while the remaining prints depict various scenes during the fair’s run. These prints include murals and statues displayed at the fair as well as scenes showing spectators viewing different cultural events. The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections unit at the University of Illinois Library manages the physical items of the World's Columbian Exposition Watercolor Prints (MS 407). The collection was completely digitized in 2025. For more information, contact an archivist at ihlc@library.illinois.edu.
  • Jay Montgomery Hurd Memoirs (Digitized Content)
    Illinois History and Lincoln Collections  ·   Digital Special Collections
    Description
    The digitized content of the Jay Montgomery Hurd Memoirs consists of the autobiographical writings of Jay Montgomery Hurd, titled “A Few Incidents in the Life of a Sexagenarian.” The memoirs describe Hurd’s life story from 1809 to 1874. Jay Montgomery Hurd held many jobs in his lifetime; his first position was helping newly freed slaves settle in Illinois. He later became a constable, farmer, storekeeper and politician. Hurd helped to establish Jersey County, Illinois, and served as a judge in Jerseyville from 1847-1869. During this time he became known by prominent politicians such as Stephen A. Douglas. Hurd moved from Greene County to Christian County in 1858, and then to Johnson City, Nebraska, in 1872. The digitized content contains the handwritten memoirs of Jay Montgomery Hurd, written in 1874. In his memoirs Hurd described politics, travel to the East Coast, and farming operations, as they evolved into mechanized processes during his lifetime. Hurd also mentioned abolition, religion, and frontier life, among other topics. Although Hurd lived through the Civil War, it is rarely mentioned in his writing. The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections unit at the University of Illinois Library manages the physical items of the Jay Montgomery Hurd Memoirs (MS 791). The collection was digitized in 2020. For more information, contact an archivist at ihlc@library.illinois.edu.
  • McNitt Family Papers (Digitized Content)
    Illinois History and Lincoln Collections  ·   Digital Special Collections
    Description
    The digitized content of the McNitt Family Papers consists of correspondence and related materials, dating from 1861 to 1886, of three sisters, Sophronia, Hellen, and Jennie McNitt. The bulk of the correspondence is between soldiers serving in the Illinois infantry during the Civil War and Sophronia McNitt. The McNitts were a farming family who lived in rural Montgomery County, Illinois, near the townships of Hillsboro and Irving. The family, including the three daughters, Sophronia, Hellen, and Priscilla ("Jennie"), had connections throughout the county. During the Civil War, many men that they knew left the county to make lives in the West or fight in Illinois volunteer infantry regiments. These men, along with other friends, maintained connections to the McNitts through correspondence. The digitized content contains letters written to the McNitt sisters, particularly Sophronia, by friends, suitors, or other connections from their local community in Montgomery County. These letters give a glimpse into the activities and lives of Civil War soldiers from rural Illinois, politics and anti-war movements of the 1860s, and courtship of the era. The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections unit at the University of Illinois Library manages the physical items of the McNitt Family Papers (MS 117). The collection was partially digitized in 2018. For more information, contact an archivist at ihlc@library.illinois.edu.
  • The Perfectionist (Digitized Microfilm)
    Illinois History and Lincoln Collections  ·   Digital Special Collections
    Description
    The digitized content of The Perfectionist (Digitized Microfilm) consists of publications from Volume 3 Issue 1 (1843) to Volume 3 Issue 23 (1844). The periodical was published in Putney, Vermont by editors J. H. Noyes and J. L. Skinner. The newspaper’s creator and editor, John Humphrey Noyes, was an American preacher and utopian socialist who founded the Bible Communists in 1836 in Putney, Vermont and the Oneida Community in 1848 in Oneida, New York. The digitized content contains periodical issues discussing Christian perfectionism, collective settlements in Putney, Vermont, complex marriage, and utopian socialism. Each issue contains doctrinal essays by John Humphrey Noyes, contributions on spiritual topics by members of the community, essays on other religions and their comparison to Perfectionism, news of the second coming (which the community believed would happen in 1843), editorials, and a page of correspondence. The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections unit at the University of Illinois Library manages the microfilm copies of The Perfectionist. (Digitized Microfilm). The collection was completely digitized in 2022. For more information, contact an archivist at ihlc@library.illinois.edu.
  • Margaret A. King Correspondence (Digitized Content)
    Illinois History and Lincoln Collections  ·   Digital Special Collections
    Description
    The digitized content of the Margaret A. King Correspondence consists of original correspondence written between February and October 1864, primarily from Margaret A. King, who lived in Warren, Illinois, to her husband Philander B. King, who had moved to Nevada Territory. Philander and Margaret King were farmers who lived in Warren, Illinois, though Philander moved west to Washoe City, Nevada Territory in 1864 to try to find work in the gold mines. While he was away, Margaret cared for their farm and their children. The Kings moved to the state of Washington in 1902, where Margaret died in 1906 and Philander died in 1907. The digitized content contains sixteen letters, most of which are from Margaret King to Philander King. In her letters to her husband, Margaret described the difficulties of her life alone on the farm, as well as details such as the weather and the prices of goods. She also wrote about local news from Warren, Illinois, especially news regarding the Civil War. The digitized content also contains letters from Philander to Margaret, which give insight into his life in Washoe City, and letters sent to Philander from his relative J. M. Barber; J. E. Scace; and D. C. Allen. The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections unit at the University of Illinois Library manages the physical items of the Margaret A. King Correspondence (MS 037). The collection was completely digitized in 2018. For more information, contact an archivist at ihlc@library.illinois.edu.
  • Gustave Koerner Papers (Digitized Content)
    Illinois History and Lincoln Collections  ·   Digital Special Collections
    Description
    The digitized content of the Gustave Koerner Papers consists of printed and hand-written speeches given by Koerner during his time as a democrat in the Illinois Legislature from 1842-1844. Also included is a signed cabinet card photograph of Koerner. A native of Gemany, Gustave [also spelled “Gustav”] Koerner (1809-1896) moved to St. Clair County, Illinois in 1833. He became an influential state and national political figure, especially amongst the German American settlers of St. Clair. Koerner became a member of the Illinois General Assembly in 1842, and later served as the Lieutenant Governor of Illinois (1853-1857). This collection contains items relating to Koerner’s years in the Illinois legislature (1842-1844), including two printed copies of his July 5, 1842 speech voicing support of the Illinois Michigan Canal Bill; a handwritten speech on the nature of the current government, the National Bank, the depreciation of money, and anti-Van Buren views; and a cabinet card photograph of Koerner with his signature. The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections unit at the University of Illinois Library manages the physical items of the Gustave Koerner Papers (MS 044). The collection was partially digitized in 2019. For more information, contact an archivist at ihlc@library.illinois.edu.
  • Florence Kelley Letter (Digitized Content)
    Illinois History and Lincoln Collections  ·   Digital Special Collections
    Description
    The digitized content of the Florence Kelley Letter consists of one letter on Hull House letterhead, dated February 11, 1897, from Florence Kelly to Dr. Braun. Florence Kelley (1859-1932) was a social reformer who campaigned for labor rights. The recipient, Dr. Braun, was most likely Dr. Heinrich Braun (1854-1927), editor of several socialist publications for which Florence Kelley wrote several articles. Hull House, founded in 1889 by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr, served as a social and educational hub for immigrants in Chicago. The digitized content contains one letter written on Hull House letterhead. In the letter, Kelley describes her struggle to write objectively on subjects she feels strongly about. She writes, “…it is not easy to write as an interpreter. The temptation is too strong towards writing as advocate of certain measures of reform.” Kelley writes to Braun that she will make an effort to write her articles “strictly scientific.” The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections unit at the University of Illinois Library manages the physical items of the Florence Kelley Letter (MS 1065). The collection was completely digitized in 2020. For more information, contact an archivist at ihlc@library.illinois.edu.
  • The Witness (Digitized Microfilm)
    Illinois History and Lincoln Collections  ·   Digital Special Collections
    Description
    The digitized content of The Witness. (Digitized Microfilm) consists of publications from Volume 1 Issue 1 (1837) to Volume 2 Issue 26 (1843). The periodical was published in Ithaca, New York for the first four issues and then published in Putney, Vermont by editors J. H. Noyes and H. A. Noyes. The newspaper’s creator and editor, John Humphrey Noyes, was an American preacher and utopian socialist who founded the Bible Communists in 1836 in Putney, Vermont and the Oneida Community in 1848 in Oneida, New York. The digitized content contains periodical issues discussing Christian perfectionism, collective settlements in Putney, Vermont, complex marriage, and utopian socialism. Issues contain doctrinal essays by John Humphrey Noyes, contributions on spiritual topics by members of the community, essays on other religions and their comparison to Perfectionism, editorials, and testimonies. The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections unit at the University of Illinois Library manages the microfilm copies of The Witness (Digitized Microfilm). The collection was completely digitized in 2022. For more information, contact an archivist at ihlc@library.illinois.edu.
  • Communitarianism Periodicals (Digitized Microfilm)
    Illinois History and Lincoln Collections  ·   Digital Special Collections
    Description
    The digitized content of the Communitarianism Periodicals (Digitized Microfilm) consists of published periodicals related to the 1800s communitarianism movement in the United States. The communitarian movement, popular primarily in New England and the Midwest, encouraged communal living and shared work within a community. The movement challenged established nineteenth-century American ideals of industrialization and independence by prioritizing community cooperation. The four subcollections focus on communitarianism periodicals published from 1837-1846 in Putney, Vermont. The periodicals’ creator and main editor was American preacher and utopian socialist John Humphrey Noyes. Titles include: The Perfectionist and Theocratic Watchman, The Perfectionist, The Spiritual Moralist, and The Witness. The digitized content includes topics regarding Christian perfectionism, collective settlements in Putney, Vermont, complex marriage, and utopian socialism. The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections unit at the University of Illinois Library manages the physical items of Communitarianism Periodicals (Digitized Microfilm). For more information, contact an archivist at ihlc@library.illinois.edu.
  • Arthur E. Bestor Research Collection on Communitarianism (Digitized Content)
    Illinois History and Lincoln Collections  ·   Digital Special Collections
    Description
    The digitized content of the Arthur E. Bestor Research Collection on Communitarianism consists of photographs taken in the 1930s and 1940s of community sites and buildings in New England, the Mid-Atlantic, and the Midwest by Professor Arthur E. Bestor, as part of his study of American Utopian movements. Arthur E. Bestor (1908-1994), a historian and professor whose career spanned multiple universities across the United States, joined the faculty of the University of Illinois in 1947 and left in 1962. While at Illinois, Bestor published Backwoods Utopias (1950), his major work on American Utopian movements that were antecedents to the Fourierist movement of the 1840s. He particularly focused his research on Robert Owen and his utopian goals in New Harmony, Indiana. The digitized content contains photographs taken by Bestor in his research of utopian communities from 1937 to 1946. The images depict structures, scenery, and sites in more than twenty communities in the eastern and midwestern United States and in Quebec, Canada. The photographs were digitized from the original nitrate negatives. The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections unit at the University of Illinois Library manages the physical items of the Arthur E. Bestor Research Collection on Communitarianism (MS 468). The collection was partially digitized in 2018. For more information, contact an archivist at ihlc@library.illinois.edu.
  • Sheffer Family Papers (Digitized Content)
    Illinois History and Lincoln Collections  ·   Digital Special Collections
    Description
    The digitized content of the Sheffer Family Papers consists of materials documenting the lives of George K. Sheffer and his extended family across the Midwest and West. The materials date primarily from 1836-1911, with items dated as late as 1993, and include family correspondence, Civil War military service documents, financial and family records, and miscellaneous photographs and newspaper clippings. George K. Sheffer was born in Williamsport, Indiana in 1840. He served in company K of the 33rd regiment of Indiana Infantry during the Civil War and was wounded at the Battle of Peach Tree Creek. In 1866, he and his family moved to Champaign where Sheffer was a member of the G.A.R. and served multiple terms as the Champaign Township Clerk. The digitized content primarily consists of letters exchanged by family members across the Midwest and Western U.S., as well as military, financial, and family records. The military service materials relate to George K. Sheffer's service in the Civil War and include discharge papers and pension documents. The family records include George and Martha's marriage certificate from 1864, with a list of their children on the reverse side. There are also mixed materials with items relating to various organizations and clubs to which different family members belonged, photographs, newspaper clippings, and miscellaneous ephemera. The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections unit at the University of Illinois Library manages the physical items of the Sheffer Family Papers (MS 304). The collection was completely digitized (with the exception of one especially fragile item) in 2016. For more information, contact an archivist at ihlc@library.illinois.edu.
  • Woman's Christian Temperance Union (W.C.T.U.), 10th Congressional District of Illinois, Records (Digitized Content)
    Illinois History and Lincoln Collections  ·   Digital Special Collections
    Description
    The digitized content of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (W.C.T.U.), 10th Congressional District of Illinois, Records consists of a record book, dated 1883-1901, for the annual conventions of the group as well as records from executive committee meetings for the organization in select years. The Illinois W.C.T.U was founded in Bloomington, Illinois, in 1874 with the aim of promoting total abstinence from alcohol. In the decades that followed, county and local unions were established across the state. Annual Conventions for the 10th congressional district brought together representatives from both local and county unions in the area. These included the W.C.T.U. of Peoria County, Knox County, Stark County, Fulton County, and Marshall County, as well as numerous local unions. The digitized content documents the substance of the conventions, including devotions, discussions and proposals, paper presentations, reports of county and local unions, and resolutions passed. Specific efforts to engage the youth, such as "Bands of Hope" and "Y's" [Young W.C.T.U.] are also noted. The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections unit at the University of Illinois Library manages the physical items of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (W.C.T.U.), 10th Congressional District of Illinois, Records (MS 405). The collection was completely digitized in 2020. For more information, contact an archivist at ihlc@library.illinois.edu.
  • Wilhelm Julius Grahn Diary and Note (Digitized Content)
    Illinois History and Lincoln Collections  ·   Digital Special Collections
    Description
    The digitized content of the Wilhelm Julius Grahn Diary and Note consists of a photocopied diary written by Grahn from 1870-1873, a partial translation of the diary, and a biographical sketch about Grahn written in 1965. Wilhelm Julius Grahn (1840-1930) immigrated to the United States in 1869 from German-speaking central Europe. He arrived in New York, and soon moved to Wisconsin where he enlisted in five years of military service in 1871. He was sent to Newport, Rhode Island, to Camp Douglas in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Mississippi, and to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. In 1879, he married Caroline Freimuth Trimpe and the couple moved onto 80 acres of prairie land in Clay County, Illinois. The digitized content contains a photocopied diary, a partial translation of the diary, and a biographical sketch. The diary was written by Wilhelm Julius Grahn from 1870-1873. In his writing, there is an emphasis on his faith in God through reading scripture, especially the New Testament, and singing hymns. He also describes camp life, problems with Native Americans leaving their reservations, and the garden he and other soldiers maintained at Camp Douglas. The biographical sketch was written in 1965. The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections unit at the University of Illinois Library manages the physical items of the Wilhelm Julius Grahn Diary and Note (MS 658). The collection was completely digitized in 2019. For more information, contact an archivist at ihlc@library.illinois.edu.
  • Carrie E. Ober Letter (Digitized Content)
    Illinois History and Lincoln Collections  ·   Digital Special Collections
    Description
    The digitized content of the Carrie E. Ober Letter consists of one letter from Carrie Ober to her cousin, Isa. Carrie E. Ober and her husband, Albert Ober, moved from Beverly, Massachusetts, to Three Oaks, Michigan, around 1870. The recipient of her letter, Carrie’s cousin Ida, lived in Massachusetts. Three Oaks is a village in Southwest Michigan that had a stop on a high-traffic route of the Michigan Central Railroad. The digitized content contains one letter dated October 14, 1871, from Carrie Ober to her cousin, Isa. The letter describes the outbreak of fires in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Illinois, including the Great Chicago Fire, and recounts details such as causalities and acres of land burned. The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections unit at the University of Illinois Library manages the physical items of the Carrie E. Ober Letter (MS 1059). The collection was completely digitized in 2020. For more information, contact an archivist at ihlc@library.illinois.edu.
  • North American Phalanx Records (Digitized Content)
    Illinois History and Lincoln Collections  ·   Digital Special Collections
    Description
    The digitized microfilm of North American Phalanx. Records, 1843-1855 consists of the Record of the Proceedings of the North American Phalanx, 1843-44, and the minutes of the sessions of the Executive Council and resident members, Jan. 5 - Feb. 1, 1847, along with other various administrative documents, 1843-55. The North American Phalanx was an experiment in secular utopian socialist commune life, established in September 1843 in Colts Neck Township, New Jersey. The complex’s vital mill was destroyed by a fire in September 1854, which ended the experiment. The community was the longest-running of about 30 Fourierist Associations in the United States. Prominent members of the North American Phalanx included Albert Brisbane and Horace Greeley, who were two leading members of the Fourierist movement. The digitized content contains their constitution, meeting minutes, account books, correspondences, newspaper clippings, and publications relating to the North American Phalanx and research on the Fourierist movement. The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections unit at the University of Illinois Library manages the physical items of the North American Phalanx. Records, 1843-1855 (MS 155). This collection was completely digitized in 2023. For more information, contact an archivist at ihlc@library.illinois.edu.
  • Thomas Babb Diaries and Notes (Digitized Content)
    Illinois History and Lincoln Collections  ·   Digital Special Collections
    Description
    The digitized content of the Thomas Babb Diaries and Notes consists of 8 travel journals created by Thomas Babb from 1905-1912. Thomas Babb was born in 1841 in Staffordshire, England, but moved to the United States in 1860. Settling first in Ohio, where he was married, Babb moved to Mahomet, Champaign County, Illinois, in 1861. Babb spent the next two decades acquiring and farming several hundred acres of land throughout the county, before starting a hog and grain business in 1880. These businesses flourished, and in 1897 Babb began splitting his time between Illinois and Texas, where he owned a cattle business. After his wife's death, Babb traveled throughout the world until his own death in 1915. These diaries document Babb's daily life during his travels. Book A describes a return trip to Great Britain in 1905, while Books B-D record a lengthy trip around the world from 1908-1909. Books E-F trace Babb's travels in Italy, Egypt, and the Middle East in 1909 and a 1910 journey through Texas. Book G begins with a visit to England in 1911, and ends with a trip to Texas, where he remarried in early 1912. Finally, Book H is a record of a trip to the West Coast and back during fall 1912. The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections unit at the University of Illinois Library manages the physical items of the Thomas Babb Diaries and Notes (MS 444). The collection was completely digitized in 2019. For more information, contact an archivist at ihlc@library.illinois.edu.
  • Pope County Survey Plat Book (Digitized Content)
    Illinois History and Lincoln Collections  ·   Digital Special Collections
    Description
    The digitized content of the Pope County Survey Plat Book consists of one volume of land survey records from Pope County, Illinois, and includes three hundred and seventy pages of entries covering almost every township from the 1830s to the 1880s. Pope County was founded in 1816, from Gallatin and Johnson Counties and is the southeasternmost county in Illinois. The county was named after Nathaniel Pope, who served as the secretary of Illinois territory from 1809-1816, served as U.S. district judge for Illinois from 1819-1850, and whose efforts led to the statehood of Illinois 1818. The digitized content contains one volume of three hundred and seventy pages with hand-drawn entries recording surveys of Pope County, Illinois, from the 1830s until the 1890s. Pages document surveying landmarks, such as oak, sycamore, or gum trees, and land ownership, including the names of owners and when they acquired particular sections. The collection may have been an official county record or belonged to a land survey company. The author of the volume may have been James Hanna (1821-1909), who served as county surveyor of Pope County, Illinois, during the nineteenth century. The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections unit at the University of Illinois Library manages the physical items of the Pope County Survey Plat Book (MS 197). collection was completely digitized in 2022. For more information, contact an archivist at ihlc@library.illinois.edu.
  • American Fur Company Letterbooks, Ledger, and Calendar (Digitized Microfilm)
    Illinois History and Lincoln Collections  ·   Digital Special Collections
    Description
    The digitized content of the American Fur Company. Letterbooks, Ledger, and Calendar, 1803-1851 consists of a copy of a ledger (1803-1851) from Mackinaw Island and the New Indian Credit Book, Sept. 29, 1829- and records accounts held from 1824-1845. The American Fur Company was incorporated into New York State in 1808 by John Jacob Astor and dominated the fur trade in the United States by the 1820s. The Mackinaw Island ledger of the John Jacob Astor Fur Company records accounts held by the Fur Company with individuals from 1803-1851. A portion of the ledger is titled “New Indian Credit Book, Sept. 29, 1829-” and records accounts from 1824-1845. The microfilm was acquired in 1970 from Northwestern Michigan College. The digitized content contains business records relating to the American Fur Company, Mackinaw Island in Michigan, and the fur trade broadly in the early nineteenth century. People mentioned include Ramsay Crooks (1787-1859) and Robert Stuart (1785-1848). The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections unit at the University of Illinois Library manages the microfilm copies of the American Fur Company Letterbooks, Ledger, and Calendar, 1803-1851 (MS 422). The collection was partially digitized in 2022. For more information, contact an archivist at ihlc@library.illinois.edu.
  • Osbun Family Letters (Digitized Content)
    Illinois History and Lincoln Collections  ·   Digital Special Collections
    Description
    The digitized content of the Osbun Family Letters consists primarily of photocopied Civil War letters written to Private Freeman Osbun, Company D, 102nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry, by various family members from 1862-1866. There are no letters from Freeman Osbun in the collection, only letters addressed to him or between other parties. Private Freeman Osbun served in Company D of the 102nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War. Company D was mustered on September 6, 1862 at Covington, Kentucky, and was mustered out on June 30, 1865 at Nashville, Tennessee. Most of the letters Osbun received were from his immediate family in Mansfield, Ohio, especially his sister Emma and his brother Mel. His parents, Ezra and Emily Osbun, wrote their 19-year old son frequently as well. The digitized content contains photocopied letters addressed to Private Freeman Osbun of Company D, 102nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry, during the Civil War. The collection contains only letters addressed to Osbun from various family members, or between other parties. The letters, written mostly by women, describe their perceptions of the war, Copperhead sentiments against the war, and life on the home front. Many of the letters also mention the railroad being built nearby and problems with Irish railroad workers. Also included is a letter describing the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections unit at the University of Illinois Library manages the physical items of the Osbun Family Letters (MS 167). The collection was completely digitized in 2017. For more information, contact an archivist at ihlc@library.illinois.edu.
  • Adler and Sullivan Oakland Passenger Station Drawings (Digitized Content)
    Illinois History and Lincoln Collections  ·   Digital Special Collections
    Description
    The digitized content of the Adler and Sullivan Oakland Passenger Station Drawings consists of 12 drawings of architects Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan's plans for the Oakland Passenger Station, an Illinois Central Railroad Company passenger station located on 39th Street, in Chicago. The plans were prepared in May 1893 to accommodate "local passenger transportation" to the World's Columbian Exposition. Architects Dankmar Adler (1844-1900) and Louis Sullivan (1856-1924) gained prominence through their joint firm, Adler & Sullivan, during the 1880s and early 1890s. Adler emigrated with his family from Germany in 1854, and Sullivan was born in Boston, the son of two immigrant parents. Sullivan is known as the "father of modernism" and mentored Frank Lloyd Wright. After beginning their careers separately, in 1880 Sullivan became a partner in Adler's firm, beginning a productive period for each architect. The digitized content contains twelve drawings signed by Adler and Sullivan, Architects, and by E. T. Jeffrey, General Manager. Only item 12 lacks any signatures, and 7 and 9 lack Jeffrey’s name. The drawings feature floor plans and construction for the Oakland, or 39th St., Passenger Station and surrounding area. The Illinois Central Railroad Company passenger station was intended to provide train transport for local passengers attending the World’s Columbian Exposition, and the plans were prepared in May 1893. The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections unit at the University of Illinois Library manages the physical items of the Adler and Sullivan Oakland Passenger Station Drawings (MS 001). The collection was completely digitized in 2019. For more information, contact an archivist at ihlc@library.illinois.edu.
  • George L. Childress Diaries (Digitized Content)
    Illinois History and Lincoln Collections  ·   Digital Special Collections
    Description
    The digitized content of the George L. Childress Diaries consists of duplicate 163-page typescripts of George L. Childress' diaries from January 1, 1862 through July 10, 1865. Childress, who served in Company I, 66th Volunteer Infantry, recorded his daily life in the army in his diaries. George L. Childress was from Bridgeport, Illinois. From the age of 22, Childress served in Company I, 66th Volunteer Infantry, which was mustered in November 1861, at Benton Barracks in St. Louis, Missouri, and reenlisted as a veteran in 1863. Company I was mustered out in July 1865, at Louisville, Kentucky. The digitized content contains a 163-page typescript of George L. Childress' diaries in which he recorded his daily life in the army from January 1, 1862 to July 10, 1865. He described battles and skirmishes as well as camp life and marching. His unit fought at Donelson, Shiloh, Corinth, Iuka, and in the Atlanta campaign. Childress also recorded a list of items that he purchased while on duty. The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections unit at the University of Illinois Library manages the physical items of the George L. Childress Diaries (MS 536). The collection was completely digitized in 2018. For more information, contact an archivist at ihlc@library.illinois.edu.
  • Minor and Abigail Deming Correspondence (Digitized Content)
    Illinois History and Lincoln Collections  ·   Digital Special Collections
    Description
    The digitized content of the Minor and Abigail Deming Correspondence consists of both personal and family letters of the Demings from 1844-1846 as well as official correspondence related to the role of the governor and state militia around the time of the arrest and subsequent murder of Joseph and Hyrum Smith in 1844. In 1838, two years after marrying, Minor Rudd Deming (1810-1845) and Abigail Barnum Deming (1810-1890) moved to St. Mary's in Hancock County, Illinois, where Minor worked on their farm and taught school. He also served as a brigadier general in the state militia. Minor was elected sheriff of Hancock County in 1844 following the murder of Joseph and Hyrum Smith. This was a time of significant conflict between Mormon and anti-Mormon citizenry in the area. After seeking to arrest those charged with the murder of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, Minor was perceived to have pro-Mormon sympathies and was targeted by anti-Mormon factions. Minor died a few months after killing a prominent anti-Mormon in self-defense. The digitized content contains letters of personal and family correspondence primarily between Minor and Abigail Deming and their family in Litchfield, Connecticut. These letters document their personal experiences of living in Ohio and Illinois, and discuss their strong religious faith and trust in God. There are also letters of official correspondence and proclamations relating to Minor Deming's service as a Brigadier General during the arrest and subsequent murder of Joseph and Hyrum Smith. These include letters to and from Governor Thomas Ford, letters to the citizens of Hancock and Adams counties, and a letter to the editor of a newspaper in Warsaw, Illinois. The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections unit at the University of Illinois Library manages the physical items of the Minor and Abigail Deming Correspondence (MS 491). The collection was completely digitized between 2017 and 2019. For more information, contact an archivist at ihlc@library.illinois.edu.
  • Eames Family Letters (Digitized Content)
    Illinois History and Lincoln Collections  ·   Digital Special Collections
    Description
    The digitized content of the Eames family letters consists of ten letters primarily written by Stephen Eames of Knox County, Illinois to family and friends in Vermont and New Hampshire. Stephen Eames purchased land in Walnut Creek, Knox County, Illinois in 1839. Here he began a farm and built a log cabin. He kept in frequent touch with his family on the East Coast and updated them about his farm and health. The digitized content contains letters primarily written by Stephen Eames to family and friends regarding starting a farm, prices of crops, population growth in the area, and personal health. Eames writes about the advantages and disadvantages to farming in the area such as soil quality, fresh air, wild animals, and sickness along surrounding rivers. He describes Mormon settlements and his thoughts on them, as well as the founding of the Bishop Hill Swedish colony nearby. Other letters are written by Eames’ nephew, Darius Plumb, and his niece, Eveline Eames, to family members in New England. Darius Plumb writes from St. Louis just before his departure to the California gold fields. The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections unit at the University of Illinois Library manages the physical items of the Eames Family Letters (MS 605). The collection was completely digitized in 2019. For more information, contact an archivist at ihlc@library.illinois.edu.