Finding Aids

Abraham Lincoln, Stephen Douglas and the Civil War

Bonney Family. Correspondence

The Bonney Family Civil War Letters collection is comprised of 48 letters written to their parents by Daniel, James, and Seth Bonney, soldiers in Massachusetts regiments during the Civil War. With the exception of one letter from Seth, written in 1868, the correspondence in the collection falls within the period 1860-1864, and describes the various experiences of the three brothers in camp, field, prison, and hospital.

Campbell, William Henry, Correspondence

Letters (1862-1864) from William Henry Campbell, acting assistant surgeon aboard the U.S.S. Commodore McDonough during the Civil War, to his wife Mary Upham Campbell, Watertown, Massachusetts. Stationed most of the time in South Carolina, Campbell related what he observed of plantation and military life.

Carter, Henry Kendall. Papers

The Henry Kendall Carter Papers (1823-1880, bulk 1840-1870) are made up of business documents, primarily concerning Carter's time in New Orleans (circa 1842-1874), personal and business correspondence, and personal memo books and diaries (1850-1878). Together, these items shed light on business life in Antebellum New Orleans, and on the realities of personal and business life in a divided country during the Civil War.

Davis, Jefferson, Trial Papers. MS 979

MS 979 Jefferson Davis Trial papers. These fourteen documents indicate the legal entanglements, ambiguous delays, political floundering, and shifting of responsibilities that occurred during the period from Jefferson Davis' first indictment for treason, on May 10, 1866, through March 6, 1868, when the trial, finally set for March 26, 1868, was postponed again. The collection includes seven original letters and two copies of correspondence between L.H. Chandler, U.S. District Attorney for Virginia; Henry Stanbery, U.S. Attorney General; Edwin Stanton, U.S. Secretary of War; William M. Evarts and Richard H. Dana, assistant council for the prosecution; and Charles O'Connor, Davis' lawyer.

Dodd, William E. Papers

William E. Dodd, historian, professor, author, and diplomat. The William E. Dodd Papers consist of one letter to Albert Burton Moore (1922), student notes from Dodd's classes on American history, a speech, a typescript, and a reprint.

Douglas Family. Collection

The collection contains papers created and collected by descendants of Stephen A. Douglas, particularly his son, Robert M. Douglas, and grandson, Martin F. Douglas. It includes personal and professional correspondence, legal and financial documents, printed material written by or about family members and ephemera collected by family members.

Douglas, Stephen A. Papers

Stephen A. Douglas, lawyer, judge, politician. The Stephen A. Douglas papers document his professional and personal life from 1764-1908. The collection includes correspondence, speeches, reports, memoranda, notes, financial and legal documents, portraits, maps, ephemera, newspaper clippings, and artifacts. The largest portion of the collection consists of Senate and Constituent correspondence.

Dunn Family. Collection

The Dunn Family Collection contains the correspondence of brothers George and William, soldiers during the U. S. Civil War, with their sister Elizabeth.

Hitchcock Family. Papers

This collection is made up of the correspondence, business papers, and assorted miscellany of Dexter and Sheldon Hitchcock, and their families between 1834 and 1878. Of interest to the economic historian will be the shipping receipts and bills of lading in the business papers of Dexter Hitchcock, 1834-1835, and the various personal account books for the post Civil War period in Folder 6. There are also two interesting letters dealing with western lands in the correspondence of Sheldon Hitchcock, and a group of letters written by soldiers in the Union Army to family and friends in Aurora, Illinois.

Kittinger, Isaac. Collection

Isaac Kittinger (1818-1867) Union Army soldier during the United States Civil War. The collection contains correspondence between Kittinger and members of his family in 1863 and 1864.

Lincoln Collection. American Historical Portraits

The American Historical Portraits collection forms part of the William E. Barton Collection of Lincolniana. The majority of the materials in this collection are portraits of political figures; statesmen and soldiers. Included among these are a small number of affiliated professionals, such as writers, clergymen, naturalists, and artists.

Lincoln Collection. American Political Cartoons

The American Political Cartoons forms part of the William E. Barton Collection of Lincolniana and contains an array of cartoons and drawings from the period prior to and during the political career of Abraham Lincoln.

Lincoln Collection. Barton Codex Manuscripts

Bound materials collected and compiled by William E. Barton, a pastor in Oak Park, Illinois, who published and lectured on Abraham Lincoln. The collection includes books, booklets, scrapbooks, pamphlets, published addresses, and periodicals. Of particular interest is the volume titled Lincoln and His Cabinet. These codex manuscripts form part of the William E. Barton Collection of Lincolniana.

Lincoln Collection. Broadsides

This collection is made up of broadsides compiled by William E. Barton. A pastor in Oak Park, Illinois, Baron published and lectured on Lincoln extensively. He also maintained connections with fellow Lincoln experts and carried out multiple research projects that delved into the many different facets of Lincoln's life, times and family history. The Broadsides section of the William E. Barton Collection of Lincolniana contains materials relating to the social and political atmosphere of the Civil War period.

Lincoln Collection. Cartoons, Drawings and Photographs

The Lincoln Cartoons, Drawings, and Photographs collection forms part of the William E. Barton Collection of Lincolniana. The vast majority of the collection consists of cartoons, drawings, and lithographs from the American Civil War period.

Lincoln Collection. Charles Edwards Wilcox. Civil War Diary

This diary was kept by Charles Edwards Wilcox (1839-1931), and includes his experiences during the Civil War as a northern soldier from Diamond Lake in northern Illinois. It forms part of the William E. Barton Collection of Lincolniana.

Lincoln Collection. Currier & Ives Lithographs

This collection of lithographs from the Currier & Ives Printmaking Company forms a portion of the William E. Barton Collection of Lincolniana. Images located here are related to Abraham Lincoln, the Civil War and issues in politics pertaining to this time and the antebellum north in the second half of the nineteenth century through caricatures of migrant African Americans.

Lincoln Collection. Lincoln Law Cases

The Lincoln Law Cases collection contains records of cases handled by Abraham Lincoln and his various legal partnerships from 1837 to 1859. Collection includes plaintiff complaints, summons, affidavits disclosing verdicts of juries. It forms part of the William E. Barton Collection of Lincolniana.

Lincoln Collection. Lincoln Miscellaneous Manuscripts

The Lincoln Miscellaneous Manuscript section of the William E. Barton Collection of Lincolniana contains an array of material relating to Abraham Lincoln, his parentage, the Civil War, and his presidency. This section includes briefs, pardons, and commissions in Lincoln's hand, original letters of Mary Todd Lincoln, one of the few extant letters written by Lincoln to his wife, and a letter written by Willie [William Wallace] Lincoln while accompanying his father on a trip to Chicago. It also includes letters written by members of the Lincoln cabinet and other notable political and military figures of the time, material by Gideon Welles.

Lincoln Collection. Lincoln Portraits

The Lincoln Portraits collection contains photographic and lithographic image replications of Abraham Lincoln from during the course of his life. Images include those which represent him as a young man up until the time of his death on the 15th of April 1865. It forms a part of the William E. Barton Collection of Lincolniana.

Lincoln Collection. Monuments and Memorials

The Lincoln Collection, Monuments and Memorials contains photographs and newspaper articles detailing monuments and memorial sites relating to Abraham Lincoln. It also includes printed reproductions of places and events relating to the Civil War. The collection forms part of the William E. Barton Collection of Lincoliana.

Lincoln Collection. Robert S. Todd. Papers

The Robert S. Todd Papers consists of approximately two hundred-eighty documents from the settlement of the estate of Mary Todd Lincoln's father, Robert S. Todd of Lexington, Kentucky. The papers form part of the William E. Barton Collection of Lincolniana.

Lincoln Collection. Sheet Music

The Lincoln Collection, Sheet Music contains sheet music relating to Abraham Lincoln, the Civil War, and the American nation in general during the nineteenth century. It forms a part of the William E. Barton Collection of Lincolniana.

Lincoln Collection. William E. Barton Collection of Books from the Lincoln and Herndon Law Library

The Lincoln-Herndon Law Library contains a number of law books that were owned by William H. Herndon during his legal practice in Springfield, Illinois. Some of the books in the collection also date from the period when Herndon was a law partner of Abraham Lincoln. The collection consists of legal texts as well as some U.S. government publications.

Lincoln Collection. William E. Barton Collection of Lincolniana. The John Hay Library

The University of Chicago Library's collection of books from the John Hay library consists of twelve books that were purchased by William E. Barton in 1926. Many of these books bear John Hay's signature and most date from Hay's time as secretary to Abraham Lincoln during the latter's presidency. Many are U.S. government publications and others are concerned with governmental and legal matters.

Lincoln Collection. William E. Barton. Papers

This collection is made up of materials compiled by William E. Barton. A pastor in Oak Park, Illinois, Barton published and lectured on Lincoln extensively. He also maintained connections with fellow Lincoln experts and carried out multiple research projects that delved into the many different facets of Lincoln's life, times, and family history. The collection includes correspondence, research notes, manuscripts, proofs, lectures, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, scrapbooks, magazines, and photographs.

Murdock, Fanny Bristol and Sarah Bristol Family. Papers

These papers contain the personal correspondence of Fanny Murdock, her mother Sarah Bristol, and other family members in the mid-19th century. They document the family life and war-related difficulties of a Mississippi family. Material in the collection dates from 1836 to 1866.

Robertson, Wyndham. Papers

Wyndham Robertson, the 20th governor of Virginia actively corresponded with generals during the civil war. Additionally, he traced his family heritage to Pocahontas and authored historical texts. This collection contains family letters business papers, letters to civil war officials, family records and historical research.

Stephens, Alexander H. Collection

Alexander Hamilton Stephens (1812-1883) was an American politician, best known for occupying the position of Vice President of the Confederate States of America throughout the American Civil War. The Collection contains correspondence written by Stephens between 1870 and 1876, and a Bryant, Stratton & Co.'s International College Bank note.

Stoddard, William Osborn. Collection

William Osborn Stoddard (1835-1925) author, inventor, and assistant secretary to President Abraham Lincoln during his first term. The collection contains four letters, three addressed to author James Carleton Young.

Uncle Tom's Cabin. Collection

Uncle Tom's Cabin: or, Life Among the Lowly was an anti-slavery novel that profoundly affected American attitudes towards African Americans and slavery in the United States. The collection contains 23 documents, most of which are of British origin and describe or announce theatrical presentations of the tale.

Walden, John Morgan. Papers

John Morgan Walden, Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church and editor of the Quindaro Chindowan (Kansas Territory). Contains correspondence, a diary, manuscripts, sermons, clippings, speeches, articles, and biographical material. Some material relates to Walden's experiences as a newspaperman in the Kansas Territory and his involvement with the Methodist Episcopal Church, its polity, missions, and attempts at federation.

Winston, Thomas. Papers

Thomas Winston was a physician with Illinois troops during the Civil War. These papers relate primarily to Winston's activities as a surgeon during the Civil War. Includes biographical material, case histories, lists of medical supplies, receipts for effects of soldiers, and various documents relating to individual soldiers. Also contains some material relating to real estate after the Civil War.