Digitized Content from the Corrie Family Papers | Illinois History and Lincoln Collections

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 Corrie Family Papers were completely digitized in 2021; however, only the nineteenth century materials are currently available online at the University of Illinois Digital Library. A preservation copy of the items is available to IHLC and digital preservation staff at the Library Digital Repository: https://medusa.library.illinois.edu/collections/2127.