National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Domestic Life Search this
Extent:
0.15 Cubic feet (1 folder; 2 letters, 27.5 cm. x 22 cm.)
Container:
Box 1
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Letters (correspondence)
Family papers
Place:
Denmark -- emigration -- 19th century
Date:
1866
Scope and Contents note:
Two letters from Line Kallesoe, a Danish immigrant in Philadelphia, to her sister Emma in Denmark, discuss Line and her children's poverty after the death of her husband.
Biographical/Historical note:
According to Poul Anderson, the donor and translater of the letters, apparently Peter Kallesoe, a sailor, left Denmark to seek his fortune in the United States, his wife and children to join him later. Family tradition says that he became involved in contraband running, was caught, and died in prison. Not knowing of his death, his wife Line and children arrived in the United States, and encountered the poverty which she describes in the letters. On the voyage to the United States, the ship's mate, named Anderson, fell in love with Line's daughter Techla, and eventually married her, becoming the donor's ancestor.
Provenance:
Collection donated by Poul Anderson, 1977, July.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Topic:
Domestic relations -- 19th century -- U.S. Search this
Emigration and immigration -- 19th century Search this
Garrett, John W. (John Work), 1820-1884 Search this
Latrobe, Benj. H. (Benjamin Henry), 1807-1878 Search this
Extent:
1 Item (Ink on paper., 12.42 in. x 7.85 in.)
Container:
Box 2, Folder 10
Type:
Archival materials
Holographs
Letters (correspondence)
Place:
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
Scope and Contents:
In this letter, Garrett, President of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, offers the use of his trains to transport Union troops.
Local Numbers:
AC1086-0000010-1.tif (AC Scan)
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
The Samuel Adams Papers document a surgeon's perspective on several major battles and events occurring during the United States Civil War.
Scope and Contents:
This collection is divided into four series and includes letters and other papers of the Civil War surgeon Samuel Adams, as well as two CDs containing scans of the letters and transcriptions, and other documentation. The letters were sent to Adams's family and were written from the sites of major battles of the Civil War, including Antietam, Fredericksburg and Gettysburg. One letter mentions Lincoln's assassination. The collection contains medical papers written by Adams, a military pass, and a list of "maxims" written by Adams's body servant, WIlliam. Additionally, genealogical information connecting the collection donor to Samuel Adams, transcriptions of all handwritten documentation, and a copy of Grandfather to Grandson, which is a collection of letters written by the donor's great-grandfather during the Great Depression, are included.
Arrangement:
Collection is arranged into four series.
Series 1: Supplemental Documentation, 1862-1933, undated
Series 2: Civil War Letters, 1862-1865 (bulk 1862-1863)
Series 3: Medical Papers, undated
Series 4: Miscellaneous Documents, 1861 July 16, undated
Biographical / Historical:
Samuel Adams was born in Maine around 1839, and was a surgeon for the Union Army during the United States Civil War. Adams enlisted on April 16, 1862 as an assistant surgeon, and was commissioned into the U.S. Army Medical Staff as part of the regular Army. Adams received two promotions by brevet during the war to Captain and then to Major. He was present during the battles of Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Gettysburg, and died of yellow fever on September 9,1867 in Galveston, Texas.
Provenance:
Collection donated by Robert K. Hollingsworth on September 26, 2013.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
"The Book of Inventions, Made by Henry Wurtz from about 1850, Compilation and Arrangement, from Scattered Notes, Commenced in September 1861, by H.W." This is a day book that includes brief descriptions of various subjects in the chemical arts. It includes a subject index. Slipped inside is a letter from Wurtz to Joseph Henry, dated November 9, 1861, relating to "warlike inventions."
The box also contains four copies of the book.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Topic:
Inventions -- United States -- History -- 19th century Search this
Genre/Form:
Daybooks -- 1850-1860
Letters (correspondence) -- 1860-1870
Collection Citation:
Henry Wurtz Papers, 1861-1885, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Letter written by a Union Civil War soldier after the Battle of Williamsburg. The letter relates one of the first uses of mechanical land mines in battle as well as the death and destruction witnessed after the battle. (This letter has been transcribed by the Transcription Center.)
Local Numbers:
AC0060-0002559 (NMAH Acc.)
Series Restrictions:
Collection is open for research. Some items may be restricted due to fragile condition.
Series Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Warshaw Collection of Business Americana Subject Categories: Telegraph, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
Funding for partial processing of the collection was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund (CCPF).
Correspondence of William Pettit, clerk in the War Department during the American Civil War, to his wife Hannah Pettit in Wisconsin.
Scope and Contents:
The collection consists of thirty-eight letters which William Pettit wrote to his wife from Washington, D.C.; a letter written soon after Lincoln's assassination by Pettit's wife; a letter from Lucy Pettit (Pettit's daughter) to her grandparents describing her birth on February 2, 1843; and a first draft of "my family reminiscences" - consisting of seventeen hand-written pages describing the family's genealogy from the middle 1600's when they first arrived in this country.
All 38 letters of the collection have been transcribed on typewriter. Pettit was concerned about how much wood his wife should order and what she should pay for it. He commented about his children's schooling and their penmanship. He discussed how much money he was sending home and how he was budgeting himself.
His first letter describes New Year's Day when he went to the White House to see the ambassadors pay their respects to Uncle Sam. He got pushed with the crowd inside the White House and describes Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln and the types of people crowding in. He continued to go to the White House open houses because he was amused at the types of people who went there including those who put on airs, showed off their clothes, or thought they themselves were important.
Pettit had a subtle sense of humor as he describes well-known personages, church leaders, and people he worked with. He lived in a boarding house on 9th St., N.W. He has some interesting comments to make about the life and opinions of the time concerning the United States and war, bureaucracy and politics.
Pettit was strongly anti-slavery and had very positive views of Blacks. Some of these came from his religious convictions and others as a result of actual behavior of Blacks during the War in incidents which he describes.
He wrote about the coming 1864 election and the competition against Lincoln. He mentioned that Grant had been to Washington. He reported about the troops in the Army of the Potomac and rumors of war activities. For example, he mentions that the Southern rebels planned to blow up prisoners of war in Richmond if the city was to be taken. There is a description of an escape from a Confederate camp by a Northern officer.
Pettit tells about meeting with a drunken soldier whom he helped to get food and housing; and who tried to save from being knocked in the head as was happening weekly in Washington.
He went to concerts and commented on the performances. He particularly expressed his preference for Wisconsin performers. He described church services and decorations for Easter and Christmas.
Pettit mentioned a Negro victory in battle, and commented that talk of re-enslaving such men was "mean." He said that Blacks had helped many to escape from the Confederates.
In the letter from Hannah dated April 17, 1865, his wife comments about Lee's surrender and her thoughts on the President's assassination. She said it was like losing a family friend. At first, they had thought it was a mistake but was shocked when it was verified. She said that she had spent a gloomy Easter because of it although the day was beautiful. She asked the rhetorical question whether the vice president could do the job and concluded that this event would be a great trial for the Nation's good.
Biographical / Historical:
William Pettit came to Washington, D.C. from Elkhorn, Wisconsin in the summer of 1863 to work as a clerk in the War Department. He left his wife, Hannah, and three daughters, Mary, Agnes and Lucy, at home. His main duties as a clerk were to answer letters received by the Department. He lived very frugally since he earned only $93.50 per month, part of which sent home to pay for his family's expenses and life insurance. He wrote many letters to his wife describing his activities and his thoughts related to wartime Washington. He took advantage of many opportunities available to a civil servant of the period in the nation's capitol. He occasionally attended the fortnightly open house at the White House, lectures at the Smithsonian Institution, and sessions of the Congress and Supreme Court. Since the letters in this collection are from January 2 through March 30th and October 5th through December 30th, 1864, the six summer months activities are unknown.
According to a note from his great granddaughter, Pettit was riding horseback in Washington, the day after the last letter was written, and was killed. Since there is a letter written April 17, 1865 from his wife, it is impossible to know exactly when he died.
Provenance:
These letters and other material were donated to the Smithsonian Institution in August 1985 by Dr. Bern Dibner of the Burndy Library, Norwalk, Connecticut. He received the materials from Gertrude Durrie Gordon who inherited them from her brother Paul Durrie who died in 1985. His wife was a descendant of the Pettit family of Wisconsin.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Letter from James Hilbern in Bunker Hill, DC to his brother. Stationery has illustration of soldier carrying a United States flag, printed in blue and red. Red imprint along fold: Magee, 316 Chestnut St. Philada [sic].
Local Numbers:
AC0060-0001193a.tif (AC Scan No.: recto, pp. 1, 4)
AC0060-0001200b.tif (AC Scan No.: verso, pp. 2, 3)
General:
In Box 1, Folder 13.
Civil War Selections from the Archives Center
Related Materials:
Civil War series, Warshaw Collection of Business Americana
Series Restrictions:
Collection is open for research. Some items may be restricted due to fragile condition.
Series Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
Funding for partial processing of the collection was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund (CCPF).
Letter from Alonzo Spencer to "Friend George." Stationery has red and blue illustration of Union soldiers carrying flags in battle, with motto "The War for the Union."
Local Numbers:
AC0060-0001191a.tif (AC Scan No.: pp. 1 and 4)
AC0060-0001191b.tif (AC Scan No.: pp. 2-3 )
General:
In Box 1, Folder 12.
Civil War Selections from the Archives Center
Related Materials:
Civil War series, Warshaw Collection of Business Americana
Series Restrictions:
Collection is open for research. Some items may be restricted due to fragile condition.
Series Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
Funding for partial processing of the collection was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund (CCPF).
Letter from Lucy Perkins to Charley Perkins, April 7, 1865
Local Numbers:
AC0060-0001190a.tif (AC Scan No.: recto)
AC0060-0001190b.tif (AC Scan No.: verso)
General:
In Box 1, Folder 11.
Civil War Selections from the Archives Center
Related Materials:
Civil War series, Warshaw Collection of Business Americana
Series Restrictions:
Collection is open for research. Some items may be restricted due to fragile condition.
Series Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
Funding for partial processing of the collection was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund (CCPF).
Civil War series, Warshaw Collection of Business Americana
Series Restrictions:
Collection is open for research. Some items may be restricted due to fragile condition.
Series Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
Funding for partial processing of the collection was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund (CCPF).
Letter from Robert L. Moir from Leaksville, Alabama to his cousin in Illinois in which the Reconstruction efforts are described. At one poinft he writes that "there seems to be no such thing" as Reconstruction. Folded sheet.
Local Numbers:
AC0060-0001188a.tif (AC Scan No.: pp. 1. 4)
AC0060-0001188b.tif (AC Scan No.: pp. 2-3)
General:
In Box 1, Folder 10.
Civil War Selections from the Archives Center
Related Materials:
Civil War series, Warshaw Collection of Business Americana
Series Restrictions:
Collection is open for research. Some items may be restricted due to fragile condition.
Series Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
Funding for partial processing of the collection was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund (CCPF).
Letter from Theodore Price (a soldier) to his sister. Folded sheet. He mentions a soldier who died of natural causes while on guiard duty, although he had survived several battles.
Local Numbers:
AC0060-0001187a.tif (AC Scan No.: pp. 1, 4)
AC0060-0001187b.tif (AC Scan No.: pp. 2-3)
General:
In Box 1, Folder 10.
Civil War Selections from the Archives Center
Related Materials:
Civil War series, Warshaw Collection of Business Americana
Series Restrictions:
Collection is open for research. Some items may be restricted due to fragile condition.
Series Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
Funding for partial processing of the collection was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund (CCPF).
Letter from H. Wruler to Mrs. W. C. Wooster. Single sheet. Red and blue illustration at top left, first page, showing a U.S. flag on a ball, labelled "Our Country," floating in water.
Local Numbers:
AC0060-0001186a.tif (AC Scan No.: recto)
AC0060-0001186b.tif (AC Scan No.: verso)
General:
In Box 1, Folder 10.
Civil War Selections from the Archives Center
Related Materials:
Civil War series, Warshaw Collection of Business Americana
Series Restrictions:
Collection is open for research. Some items may be restricted due to fragile condition.
Series Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
Funding for partial processing of the collection was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund (CCPF).
Letter from Lloyd M. Mayer to "My Dear Rowley," February 2, 1862
Local Numbers:
AC0060-0001185a.tif (AC Scan No.: recto)
AC0060-0001185b.tif (AC Scan No.: verso)
General:
In Box 1, Folder 10.
Civil War Selections from the Archives Center
Related Materials:
Civil War series, Warshaw Collection of Business Americana
Series Restrictions:
Collection is open for research. Some items may be restricted due to fragile condition.
Series Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
Funding for partial processing of the collection was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund (CCPF).
Letter from Peter Worder to Silas Abbott; folded sheet.
Local Numbers:
AC0060-0001184a.tif (AC Scan No.: recto)
AC0060-0001184b.tif (AC Scan No.: verso)
General:
In Box 1, Folder 9.
Civil War Selections from the Archives Center
Series Restrictions:
Collection is open for research. Some items may be restricted due to fragile condition.
Series Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
Funding for partial processing of the collection was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund (CCPF).
Response letter to inquiry from M. Hart about a prisoner.
Local Numbers:
AC0060-0001183a.tif (AC Scan No.; recto)
AC0060-0001183b.tif (AC Scan No.: verso)
General:
In Box 1, Folder 9.
Civil War Selections from the Archives Center
Related Materials:
Civil War series, Warshaw Collection of Business Americana
Series Restrictions:
Collection is open for research. Some items may be restricted due to fragile condition.
Series Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
Funding for partial processing of the collection was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund (CCPF).
Letter from Robert Sewell, Counsellor at Law, New York, June 24, 1863, on letterhead stationery. First paragraph: "James Hyatt 38th Regt discharged prior to his period of enlistment expiring is not entitled to bounty unless discharged for wounds received in battle."
Local Numbers:
AC0060-0001164 (AC Scan No.)
General:
In Box 1, Folder 3.
Civil War Selections from the Archives Center
Related Materials:
Civil War series, Warshaw Collection of Business Americana
Series Restrictions:
Collection is open for research. Some items may be restricted due to fragile condition.
Series Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
Funding for partial processing of the collection was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund (CCPF).
