Scope and Contents:
United States politics and the progression of the Civil War are frequently referenced throughout the letters. In his letter dated November 15, 1860, Selby commented on the victory of Abraham Lincoln in the recent presidential election, alluding to the successful efforts of the Wide Awakes—a youth political group that supported Lincoln’s election—as well as Stephen A. Douglas’ early career as a cabinetmaker, and Lincoln’s mythologized past “mauling rails” (splitting trees). In Selby’s letter dated April 12, 1864, he described a “gold rush,” as he observed the passage of many people, who Selby theorized were draft dodgers, through Iowa City heading west.
Biographical/Historical Context:
Josiah Selby (1822-1888) was an itinerant Methodist pastor. Selby preached at the Hixson Grove Methodist Protestant Church in Newton, Iowa in 1864; the Beulah Methodist Protestant Church near New London, Iowa from 1876 to 1877; and the Methodist Church in Downey, Iowa. Before finding work as a pastor, Selby worked as a clerk for the government of Hopewell Township, Ohio; a schoolteacher near Berwick, Ohio; and as a farmer.
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