Joseph F. Reed Letters, 1829-1843 | Illinois History and Lincoln Collections

Scope and Contents:

The letters, from Joseph Reed and his wife, Caroline, are addressed to William W. Billing, a tax collector in Washington D.C. and Reed's brother in law. They mainly discuss personal business, such as local living conditions and prices and the health of the family, as well as political issues such as slavery, the political divisions in the nation, and the outcome of elections. Reed also describes the difficulties of publishing a partisan newspaper.

Biographical/Historical Context:

Reed published the Jackson Sentinel in Mansfield, Ohio from 1829 to 1833, and the Tiffin Gazette in Tiffin, Ohio from 1836 to 1837. In 1839, Reed moved to Prairieton in Lawrence County, Illinois, and by 1842 had moved to Olney in Richland County, where he farmed and served as the county's School Commissioner.

Acquisition Source: Mrs. Thomas Frusher donated the letters to the Illinois Historical Survey, predecessor of the Illinois History and Lincoln Collections, in 1951.