Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Berkey family papers
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Berkey family papers
- Date
- 1858-1867, undated
- Extent
- 1.9 Cubic feet
- Subjects
- Antietam, Battle of, Md, 1862.
- Assassination--United States
- Atlanta Campaign, 1864.
- Civil War in the North
- Families of military personnel--United States
- Gettysburg, Battle of, Gettysburg, Pa., 1863
- Presidents--United States--Election--1864
- United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Correspondence.
- United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Social life and customs.
- United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged into four series: James J. Berkey papers, Mary A. Berkey correspondence, John Marihugh correspondence, and Assorted papers.
- Preferred Citation
- 2009ms132.0104 : [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Berkey family papers, 1858-1867, undated, University of Kentucky Special Collections.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- The Berkey family lived in Iowa and participated in the Civil War either as soldiers or on the home front. Jameson J. Berkey (1835-1925), son of Roswell Berkey and Elizabeth Faith, fought for the Union army in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas and practiced law in Iowa. Mary Ann Berkey (1835-1900), Jameson's wife, remained on the home front in Iowa caring for their son, relatives, and home. John Marihugh (1858-1917), Mary's brother, fought as a soldier in two separate regiments for the Union army and after the war raised sheep in Kansas.
- American Letters collector Wade Hall is a native of Union Springs, Alabama. Since 1962, he has lived in Louisville, where he has taught English and chaired the English and Humanities/Arts programs at Kentucky Southern College and Bellarmine University. He has also taught at the University of Illinois and the University of Florida. He holds degrees from Troy State University (B.S.), the University of Alabama (M.A.), and the University of Illinois (Ph.D.). He served for two years in the U.S. Army in the mid-fifties. Dr. Hall is the author of books, monographs, articles, plays, and reviews relating to Kentucky, Alabama, and Southern history and literature. His most recent books include A Visit with Harlan Hubbard; High Upon a Hill: A History of Bellarmine College; A Song in Native Pastures: Randy Atcher’s Life in Country Music; and Waters of Life from Conecuh Ridge.
- Scope and Content
- The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Berkey family papers (dated 1856-1867, undated; 1.9 cubic feet; 3 boxes) comprises correspondence, quartermaster papers, a receipt, and newspaper clippings which document the Berkey family. The papers detail the daily activities of a soldier in the Civil War; the conditions and feeling of family and friends on the home front; and opinions on politics, religion, and war during this period.
- The collection primarily contains correspondence between Jameson Berkey, Mary Berkey, and John Marihugh. Other materials include Jameson's quartermaster inventories, accounts, and invoices; the correspondence of a relative, Lewis Berkey; and assorted materials. Prominent persons mentioned include Confederate president Jefferson Davis, Senator Stephen Douglas, General Ulysses S. Grant, General Robert E. Lee, Union General Thomas West Sherman, General William Tecumseh Sherman, John Wilkes Booth, Union General Robert Anderson, George B. McClellan, Union General John McAllister Schofield, Confederate General James Longstreet, Union General Nathaniel P. Banks, and President Abraham Lincoln (including his 1864 reelection and 1865 assassination). Important battles and campaigns mentioned include Antietam, Gettysburg, New Orleans, Vicksburg, and Sherman's march through Georgia.
- The Berkey family papers are part of the Wade Hall Collection of American letters, which includes correspondence and diaries from all over North America covering the time period of the Civil to Korean Wars. The materials were collected by Wade Hall and document everyday men and women.
Restrictions on Access and Use
- Conditions Governing Access
- Collection is open to researchers by appointment.
- Use Restrictions
- Property rights reside with the University of Kentucky. The University of Kentucky holds the copyright for materials created in the course of business by University of Kentucky employees. Copyright for all other materials has not been assigned to the University of Kentucky. For information about permission to reproduce or publish, please contact Special Collections.
Contents of the Collection
Jameson J. Berkey papers, 1858-1865
Biographical Note
Jameson J. Berkey (1835-1925) was born in Ohio to James A. Berkey and Elizabeth Faith. He married Mary Ann Marihugh in 1856 and made a home in West Union, Iowa. They had a son named Lewis C. Berkey born about 1856. Jameson was a lawyer, but joined the Union army during the Civil War as an officer in Company A of the Iowa 38th Infantry Regiment from 1863-1865. After two years in the army, he was promoted from Lieutenant to Captain and worked as a Quartermaster in 1864. He fought in the commands of William T. Sherman, George W. Morgan, and Nathaniel P. Banks throughout the states of Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. He survived the war and remained a lawyer in Iowa until his death in 1925.
Scope and Contents note
The Jameson J. Berkey series comprises correspondence, quartermaster materials, and a receipt. The series documents his life during the Civil War, camp life, battles, political arguments, and his personal relationship to those at home. The series is organized by form.
The bulk of the series consists of Berkey’s correspondence to his wife. Additionally, there are some letters from other family members and officers in his regiment. His correspondence deals with his impressions on the 1864 election, his feelings of daily activities in camp, and the various battles that he participate in. During the 1864 election, he was a democrat and often lectured his wife in his letters on Lincoln and McClellan. One battle in particular that he describes to his wife regards the fight between iron-clads at Fort Morgan (Box 162, Folder 7). His quartermaster materials include inventories, accounts, and invoices for supplies as well as several muster rolls. These papers document the duties of a quartermaster and the conditions of life in camp based on the materials available to the soldiers.
Correspondence, 1859-1865
Quartermaster papers, 1864
Jameson J. Berkey quartermaster oversized papers, 1864
Jameson J. Berky postage receipt, 1858
Mary A. Berkey correspondence, 1861-1866
Biographical note
Mary Ann Berkey (1835-1900) was born in New York to Roswell Marihugh and Elizabeth Rice. She married Jameson J. Berkey in 1856 and moved to his home in Iowa. They had one son named Lewis C. Berkey born in 1856. During the Civil War, she became a laundress to earn extra money. She actively participated in many of women's and Christian societies to help support the Union army.
Scope and Contents note
Correspondence makes up the Mary A. Berkey series, and documents the conditions of the home front. The series is organized by form.
The bulk of the series contains correspondence to Mary's husband, Jameson J. Berkey, during his time as soldier in the Union army. These letters pertain to the gossip around their hometown; conditions at home and of the family; and other news such as elections, battles, progress of the war, and plans for after the war. Other correspondence Mary received from relatives and friends concerning health; weather; the Civil War; and news about friends, family, or husbands that are soldiers. One section of letters to her husband in 1864 illustrates how women understood and participated in politics even before they could vote (Box 163, Folder 2).
John Marihugh correspondence, 1861-1867
- Box 163, Folder 10
Biographical note
John Marihugh (1858-1917) was born in New York to Roswell Marihugh and Elizabeth Rice. He spent most of his young adult life in the service of the Union army during the Civil War. He served as a private in Company E of the 21st Ohio Infantry from 1862-1863. He became a Corporal in Company E of the 42nd Wisconsin Infantry (1864-1865). In 1863, he married Martha J. Stackhouse in Ohio. They had four children: one son named Elmer and three daughters named Louisa, Alsina, and Nora. After the Civil War, he moved his family to Kansas where he continued his service in the Grand Army of the Republic and worked as a stock raiser.
Scope and Contents note
The John Marihugh series consists of correspondence and documents the daily activities, political concerns, and battles of a soldier in the Civil War. This series is organized by form.
This series includes the correspondence of John to his two sisters, Mary and Lora, and his bother-in-law, Jameson. His correspondence relates his opinions on the 1864 election, the capture of Jefferson Davis, the Lincoln assassination, the capture of John Wilkes Booth, and the duties of a soldier. Several prominent figures are mentioned such as Abraham Lincoln, George B. McClellan, General Ulysses S. Grant, General Robert E. Lee, General William T. Sherman, John Wilkes Booth, Jefferson Davis, and Stephen Douglas.
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Assorted papers, 1866, undated
Scope and Contents note
The Assorted papers series comprises correspondence, a discharge form, envelopes, letter and music sheet fragments, newspaper clippings, paper cut-outs, swatches of cloth, and a metal box. This series is organized by form.
The correspondence received by Lewis Berkey from an unidentified relative pertains to family gossip and health. The newspaper clipping contains a poem about the inconsistency of receiving letters in camp.
Discharge form, undated
Metal box, undated
Music sheet fragment, undated
Newspaper clippings, undated
Paper cut-outs, undated
Swatches of cloth, undated
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UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center is open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. Appointments are encouraged but not required. Schedule an appointment here.
Researchers must have an SCRC Researcher Account to request materials. View account set-up and use instructions here.
Questions? Contact SCRC via our Contact Form.
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You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
