Joseph Henry McChesney Papers, 1859-1875

This collection includes transcripts and copies of records and correspondence documenting the activities of Joseph Henry McChesney prior to and during his time as U.S. Consul at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England (1862-1869).

Joseph Henry McChesney (1828-1895) was trained professionally as a geologist, serving as a member of the Illinois Geological Survey. He was an early member of the Illinois Natural History Society and held a professorship at the University of Chicago. He was appointed as U.S. Consul in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England, in 1862, a position he held until 1869. As consul, McChesney would have been in a diplomatic role, tasked with protecting U.S. commerce abroad.

This collection is comprised of transcriptions (1 folder) and copies of correspondence and records (4 folders) documenting the activities of Joseph Henry McChesney from 1859-1875. The transcriptions in this collection are primarily related to McChesney’s purchase of a Roman tablet which was unearthed in Scotland in 1866. The bulk of the copies of correspondence and documents relate to McChesney’s work as U.S. Consul at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England from 1862-1869. The correspondence from this time includes references to the Civil War; political events in the U.S. and England; the creation of a scientific exchange program between the United State Department of Agriculture and various agencies and groups in England and Germany; and Secretary of State William H. Seward’s request for aid in finding information about a missing U.S. sailor. The collection also contains materials related to McChesney’s work as an Illinois state geologist before the war; items documenting the wartime activities of O.M. Dorman, a unionist from St. Augustine, Florida; a description of oil properties in Washington County, Ohio; a letter from Cyrus H. McCormick to the Trustees of Lake Forest University concerning the creation of a college named after himself; and several letters requesting out-of-print Smithsonian Institution Reports.

This collection was transferred to the Illinois History and Lincoln Collection from the University of Illinois Archives in 1971.