Browse By Collection Title | Illinois History and Lincoln Collections

Manuscript Collections Beginning With "B"

444 Babb, Thomas (1841-1915). Diaries and Notes, 1905-1912 (8.0 volumes)

Thomas Babb was born in 1841 in Staffordshire, England, but moved to the United States in 1860. Settling first in Ohio, where he was married, Babb moved to Mahomet, Champaign County, Ill., in 1861. Babb spent the next two decades acquiring and farming several hundred acres of land throughout the ...

479 Baber, Adin. Papers, 1946-1967 (1.0 folder)

This collection contains a typed manuscript providing a narration of the 1864 Charleston Riot, a typed copy of a talk on Abraham Lincoln’s career as a surveyor, and a handwritten letter sent from distant Lincoln relative Adin Baber to Lincoln scholar and collector Henrietta Calhoun Horner in 1946. Adin Baber (1892-1974), ...

005 Babson, Jane F. Papers (0.8 cubic feet)

445 Bailey Family. Letters, 1855-1889 (0.2 cubic feet)

The Bailey collection contains 52 letters written to Josiah Bailey in Maine by various members of his family in Illinois. The majority of the letters are from Isaac Bailey, Josiah's brother. Isaac Bailey spent a large portion of his life working with the Illinois railroad companies. In the letters he ...

446 Baird, Samuel John (1817-1893). Correspondence, 1861-63 (10.0 items)

Samuel Baird, a Presbyterian clergyman and author, was known for his study of the Presbyterian form of government. These letters, written during his time as a pastor in Woodbury, N. J., discuss Baird's beliefs on the role of the clergy in the Civil War. These items are photocopies of the originals ...

447 Baker, Ira Osborn (1853-1925). Papers, 1870-1920 (0.2 cubic feet)

The Ira Baker Papers focus on his [i]Semi-Centennial History of the College of Engineering of the University of Illinois[/i]. The work was prepared by Professor Baker between 1920 and 1923 at the request of President David Kinley. The manuscript contains a significant amount of material on the early history of ...

830 Baker-Busey-Dunlap Family. Papers, 1866-1933 (4.54 cubic feet)

This collection consists of personal papers from the Baker-Busey-Dunlap family. The materials relate primarily to Kate Baker Busey (1855-1934), but materials from George W. Busey (1861-1944), Mary Elizabeth "Lizzie" Baker (1836-1913), Ellen "Nellie" Dunlap (1840-1891), and Hiram J. Dunlap (1841-1919) are also included. The collection contains personal family items, including ...

448 Baldridge, Henry W. Papers, 1875-1897 (0.23 cubic feet)

This collection contains correspondence, diaries, pamphlets, advertisements, receipts, and illustrations related to Henry Baldridge. The correspondence includes personal letters from young women in Macon County and Decatur, Illinois, and business letters concerning Baldridge's activities as a salesman of Darby Gas Burners. In his diaries, he discusses courtship, social behavior, church programs, ...

449 Ball, William. Slave Bill Of Sale, 1803 (1.0 item)

On Jan. 22, 1803, William Ball of Frederick County, Va., sold an enslaved 13-year-old boy named Wilson to James Powers, for 80 Pounds U.S. money. The sale was witnessed by William Patton and Charles Bakley or Barkley. Paul Hardin, University of Illinois Office of Instructional Resources, donated this item to the ...

450 Bancroft-Bliss Families. Papers, 1861-1865 (2.0 folders; 18 items)

The Bancroft-Bliss collection contains photocopies of official and personal correspondence of Leiutenant Colonel Alexander Bliss. It also contains photocopies of three letters sent to Bliss's mother, Elizabeth Davis Bliss Bancroft. Leiutenant Colonel Alexander Bliss (1827-1896) was assistant quartermaster general of the Union forces and a colonel of the United States Army ...

451 Barnes, Jacob H. Correspondence, Bills, Receipts, and Legal Documents, 1850-1898 (0.2 cubic feet)

The collection includes fifteen letters, 1866-71, from Henry Brown to Jacob H. Barnes. In the earliest letter, Brown instructs Barnes on how to travel to Bement, Ill., from Youngstown, Ohio, while later letters are written from Brown's homestead in Buffalo, Kansas, and urge Barnes to move to Kansas. Brown's letters ...

671 Barrett, George. Papers, 1854-1872 (11.0 items)

This collection contains correspondence, documents, and manuscripts written by and relating to Reverend George Johnson Barrett (1818-1876), an itinerant Methodist clergyman from Pittsfield, Illinois. George Johnson Barrett (1818-1876) was born in Washington County, New York. He moved to Morgan County, Illinois, in 1837, where he began traveling as a Methodist preacher. ...

1014 Barrett, Oliver R. Papers, 1933-1952 (2.0 cubic feet)

This collection consists of correspondence between Oliver R. Barrett and Carl Sandburg, as well as letters sent to each of them. Oliver Barrett (1873-1950) was a Chicago lawyer and Lincoln collector. Carl Sandburg, an Illinois writer best known for his poetry, was also a Lincoln scholar who wrote several biographies on ...

635 Barrett, Oliver R., et al. Sandburg and Angle, Mary Lincoln, Wife and Widow, 1930-1932 (0.4 cubic feet)

This collection documents the publication of Carl Sandburg and Paul M. Angle's [i]Mary Lincoln, Wife[/i] [i]and Widow [/i](New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1932). In particular, it documents the role of Oliver R. Barrett in the publication of the book. In 1930, Logan Hay, a lawyer in Springfield, Illinois, and president ...

452 Barstow, Wilson. Papers, 1861-1864 (2.0 folder; 16 items)

This collection consists of copies of letters from Captain Wilson Barstow to his sister, Elizabeth Drew Barstow Stoddard, and her husband, Richard Henry Stoddard. Wilson Barstow (died 1869) was a captain in the Union Army and aide-de-camp to General John A. Dix, who commanded the Department of Virginia and the Department ...

453 Bartels, Louis. Letter, 1919 (1.0 item)

During World War I, Louis Bartels served as a private in Co. D, 308th Machine Gun Battalion, 78th Division. The 78th was composed largely of men from northern New York, New Jersey, and Delaware. Bartels went "over the top" twice during the Meuse-Argonne offensive (Sept. 26 - Nov. 11, 1918), ...

454 Bartlett, Truman H. Correspondence, 1919 (1.0 folder; 3 items)

The sculptor Truman H. Bartlett was an instructor in modeling at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for twenty-one years. This collection includes three letters from Bartlett to Professor Robert Tait McKenzie, physician, sculptor, and Director of the Department of Physical Education at the University of Pennsylvania. Two letters concern Bartlett's ...

455 Bartley, Samuel (1828-1909). Correspondence, 1857-90 (1.0 folder; 22 items)

Samuel Bartley, a graduate of Delaware College (Ohio Wesleyan University) in Delaware, Ohio, taught school at Murphysboro, Ill., from 1858 to 1859, before becoming principal of a school in Ohio. In 1870 he moved to Edgewood, Ill., to continue working as a school principal. Bartley, an amateur botanist, later ran ...

981 Barton, William E., and Robert S. Barton. Collection, 1890-1954 (10.0 cubic feet)

This collection consists of the personal and research papers William E. Barton, as well as the research papers of his son, Robert S. Barton. Both Bartons were Lincoln scholars who wrote extensively on Abraham Lincoln. William E. Barton (1861-1930) was a minister and Lincoln biographer. Born in Sublette (Lee County), Illinois, ...

914 Baselt, Fonda D. and Josephine F. Moeller. Champaign County, Ill., Cemetery Research Collection, 1937-1984 (0.4 cubic feet)

This collection consists of research materials compiled by Fonda D. Baselt and Josephine F. Moeller related to cemeteries in Champaign County. Materials include copies of maps, articles, notes, and photographs. In the early 1980s, Fonda D. Baselt and Josephine F. Moeller made copies of the maps created by Godfrey Sperling during ...

456 Bassett, Mark M., and John G. Reckord Papers, 1863-1865, 1944 (6.0 items)

Mark M. Bassett, from West Point, Ill., served in Co. E of the 53rd Ill. Vol. Inf. Enlisting as a sergeant on Jan. 1, 1862, Bassett was a first lieutenant when he was taken prisoner on July 12, 1863, during the Union assault on Jackson, Miss. He escaped from Libby ...

938 Bates, Emily C. Album, 1833-1837 (1.0 folder)

This collection contains one album dating from 1833-1837 that likely belonged to Emily Caroline Bates, daughter of Fredrick Bates, who was the second Governor of Missouri. Emily Caroline Bates was born in St. Charles, Missouri, in 1820 to Fredrick Bates and Nancy Opie Ball Bates. Emily Bates married her first cousin, ...

778 Bates, J. Leonard. Papers (14.0 cubic feet)

779 Bates, J. Leonard. Thomas Walsh Research Collection (9.8 cubic feet)

457 Bates, Erastus Newton (1828-1898). Letters and Other Materials, 1862-1904 (0.5 cubic feet)

Born in Massachusetts in 1828, Erastus Newton Bates moved to Ohio in 1836, and later attended Williams College and Union Theological Seminary. In 1859, after practicing law in Minnesota for three years, he moved to Centralia, Ill. In 1862, he mustered into the 80th Ill. Vol. Inf. as a major. ...

458 Baynton, Wharton, and Morgan. Papers, 1757-1799 (6.0 microfilm reels; 2 folders and 24 items)

This collection relates to the activities in the Illinois Country of the Philadelphia mercantile firm of Baynton, Wharton, and Morgan. It also documents the subsequent career of George Morgan. The collection consists of 6 reels of microfilmed papers and 10 transcripts of correspondence not on film. In addition, there are ...

459 Beal-Casey Family. Papers, 1886-1940 (0.5 cubic feet)

Alvin Casey Beal was a professor of Agriculture at Cornell University and a noted expert on horticulture. Born in Mt. Vernon, Ill., in 1897, Beal earned his master's and doctoral degrees at Cornell. In 1899, he married Ervilla B. Lefever, a school teacher from Milmine, Ill. The Beals had one ...

460 Beaman, David. Papers, 1786-1885 (1.0 folder; 31 items)

The Beaman Papers consists mainly of invoices, receipts, and deeds from Antwerp, Jefferson County, N.Y. There are also two letters between David Beaman and his brother Hiram, living in LaBeouff, Erie County, Pa., that discuss farm production and prices. The papers belonged to Dean Charles M. Thompson of the University of ...

1128 Beardslee, Evelene E. Monticello Seminary Scrapbook, 1931-1938 (1.0 boxes)

This collection contains a scrapbook with black-and-white photographs and ephemera compiled by Evelene Beardslee during her time at Monticello Seminary in the early 1930s. Evelene Elizabeth Beardslee (1914-2009), from Michigan, attended Monticello Seminary in Godfrey, Illinois from around 1931 to 1933. Around 1934, Evelene Beardslee enrolled at Michigan State College. She ...

647 Beardstown, Ill. General Store Ledger, Account Book, 1840-49, 1885 (0.2 cubic feet)

This ledger is composed of invoices of goods and services purchased at a general merchandise store, Beardstown, Ill., indicating if and how each account was settled. Included is an entry in the ledger for Thomas Beard, the founder of Beardstown. The ledger also contains a few pages of sales records ...

461 Beckman, Arnold O. Farm Records, 1906-1982 (0.2 cubic feet)

Arnold Beckman's farm records include papers, abstracts of title, and title insurance data for farms in Sullivan Township, Livingston County, Ill. Dr. Beckman donated the records to the University of Illinois in 1986.

462 Beerli, Annis C. Papers, 1932 (2.0 items)

Annis Beerli's letter of Feb. 19, 1932, and her notes, relate to her ancestors, including Col. Joseph Ball (George Washington's mother's grandfather) and the abolitionist John Brown.

463 Bell, John. Papers, 1860-1861 (3.0 folders; 17 items.)

The materials in this collection concern the 1860 presidential candidacy of John Bell of Tennessee. Included are correspondence between Bell and Alexander H. H. Stuart, who helped organize the Constitutional Union Party, Jeremiah Clemens, a Unionist from Alabama who attempted to prevent secession, and Washington Hunt, a former governor of ...

464 Belote, James L. (1833-63). Letters, 1862-1863 (1.0 folder; 38 items)

James Belote, a member of the 19th Mich. Vol. Inf. during the Civil War, died of dysentery on Apr. 20, 1863. In these letters to his wife, Belote comments on soldiering in Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky. Other letters discuss in some detail the battle of Thompson's Station near Franklin, Tenn., ...

006 Belting, Natalia M. Collection, 1954, 1976-1986 (24.4 cubic feet)

This collection contains research and personal papers of Dr. Natalia Maree Belting, a professor of history at the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana (UIUC) from 1942 to 1985. It includes Belting’s research, particularly on French colonial and Native American history in the Kaskaskia area of Illinois. The collection also provides insight ...

465 Bender, Lucy. Papers, 1936 (1.0 folder)

The Bender collection contains a description of the recovery work Lucy Bender did with Gallatin County records that had previously been missing. There is also a twelve-page typewritten article entitled "A Brief History of Shawneetown, Gallatin County, Illinois."

466 Berdahl, Clarence A. Papers, 1943-1971 (0.2 cubic feet)

Clarence Berdahl was born on June 12, 1890, in Baltic, So. Dak. He began teaching at the University of Illinois in 1920, where he served as chairman of the Department of Political Science from 1935 to 1939. In 1961 he became chairman of the Division of Social Science and Professor ...

467 Besaucon, Octave (d. 1905). Papers, 1851-1897 (0.6 cubic feet; 19 items)

Octave Besaucon, of Oak Lawn Plantation, New Orleans, La., served in C.S.A. Gen. Braxton Bragg's bodyguard. He later held various public offices in Jefferson Parish, La. The Besaucon collection mainly contains newspaper clippings during the Civil War and Reconstruction. There are also two poems, a letter of honorable discharge for ...

468 Bestor, Arthur E. Research Collection on Communitarianism, 1935-1962 (19.0 cubic feet; 14 microfilm reels, 20 rolls of 35mm film, and 1 small color slide. An additional 4 reels of microfilm contain copies of papers in Series IV.B: Brook Farm.)

Arthur E. Bestor (1908-94) earned his B.A. and Ph.D. degrees at Yale. He taught history at Columbia, Stanford, and the University of Wisconsin before joining the faculty at the University of Illinois in 1947. While at Illinois he published his major works, [i]Backwoods Utopias[/i] (1950) and [i]Educational Wastelands[/i] (1953). In ...

469 Birkbeck, Morris (1764-1825). Papers, 1774, 1805-1825 (1.0 folder; 4 items)

Morris Birkbeck was one of the founders of the English Settlement in Edwards County, Ill. The Birkbeck Papers contain an original 1822 deed signed by Morris Birkbeck, selling a parcel of land in Edwards County to James Forest Jackson. Also included is a photocopied 1774 letter from an M. Birkbeck ...

470 Bishop Hill Colony, Henry County, Ill. Correspondence, 1850 (1.0 folder; 7 items)

Bishop Hill Colony, founded in 1846, was a fairly self-contained Swedish communitarian society in Henry County Illinois, engaging in agriculture, linen weaving, and the production of woolen goods. The correspondence, copied from originals in the Illinois State Historical Library, is published in Harry E. Pratt, "The Murder of Eric Janson, Leader ...

1137 Black United Front of Cairo. Broadsides, 1971-1972 (1.0 folder)

This collection contains two broadsides advertising events hosted by the Black United Front of Cairo in 1971 and 1972. The Black United Front in Cairo, Illinois, was a coalition of Black activist organizations founded in 1969 by Reverend Charles Koen (1945-2018). Koen had also founded the Black Liberators in St. Louis, ...

471 Blair and Rives. Papers and Letters, 1860-1861 (1.0 folder; 2 items)

John C. Rives (1795-1864) and Francis P. Blair (1791-1876) were publishers of the [i]Congressional Globe[/i]. One letter, dated Dec. 3, 1860, describes the meeting of the last Congress before Secession; the other, dated Apr. 28, 1861, the military situation of Washington, D.C. The letters were photocopied from the originals in the ...

1116 Blair, Henrotin, Hockaday, and Price Family. Papers, 1859-1962 (0.28 cubic feet)

This collection contains the correspondence of four generations of women from the Mills, Hockaday, Price, Blair, and Henrotin families, as well as some family records and photographs. Emily Hockaday (née Blair) Henrotin (1883-1965) was born to Frank Preston and Florence Price Blair in 1883. The Blairs were a prominent Missourian family ...

973 Blair, Leverett, and Stifler Family Papers, 1805-2006 (73.7 cubic feet)

This collection contains the papers of the Blair, Leverett, Stifler, and other related families. The papers document these families as well as life in Illinois from the nineteenth through the twenty-first century. Materials include correspondence, photographs, personal papers, printed works, newspaper clippings, ephemera, business and legal records, family histories and ...

472 Bliss, Neziah Wright (1826-1910). Ledger Book, 1854-1862 (1.0 volume)

This ledger was used by Neziah Wright Bliss to record weather statistics at Warsaw, Ill., from Aug. 1854 to Sept. 1856. He also used the book as a diary, including recipes, garden and farm notes, and data on natural phenomena. Bliss's son, Wyllys King Bliss, gave the ledger book to the ...

473 Bloxham, Alfred. Letters, 1843-1847 (1.0 folder; 14 items)

In this correspondence, Alfred Bloxham, a miller at Nashville, Ill., wrote to members of his family about financial, health, and family matters. The collection also contains a letter, dated Jun 22, 1841, from H. H. Rasin of St. Louis, Mo., certifying Bloxham as a skilled miller.

474 Bloxsom, G. W. (d. 1868). Letter, 1860 (1.0 item)

G. W. Bloxsom of Sydney, Ill., wrote to Joseph Sim on Mar. 10, 1860, regarding lands available for purchase in Champaign County. Sylvia Renner Hadden of Urbana, Ill., donated the letter to the Survey.

1090 Blue Family. Papers, 1798-1920 (2.0 boxes)

This collection consists of four volumes of documents from the Blue family such as correspondence, receipts, promissory notes, bills, land documents, and miscellaneous items. Uriah Blue (1799-1863) and his sister Isabella Blue (1789-1861) were born in Hampshire County, Virginia, in present-day West Virginia. Uriah married Jemima Welton (1813-1871) in 1834. Isabella ...

475 Boden, John Ridgway. Reminiscence, 1863-1865 (1.0 item)

In "With the Third Iowa Cavalry," a copy of a 21-page account, John R. Boden recorded the Civil War experiences of an anonymous friend, "Len." It relates incidents of army life, campaigns, and plundering in the South.

007 Bodman Family. Diaries, Correspondence, Papers, 1855-1903, 1973 (2.0 cubic feet; 1 oversize)

The five Bodman brothers (Samuel, Lewis, Elam, Luther, and Joseph) and other relatives, including Sereno K. Bodman (son of Samuel Bodman), bought extensive tracts of land in Piatt County, Ill., in the 1850s, where several of the brothers settled to farm. The diaries in the collection include one of S. ...

476 Bonar, Sue. Letter, 1865 (1.0 item)

On June 13, 1865, Sue Bonar, a school teacher in Oak Point, Iowa, wrote to Harry Lawrence, in Lexington, Ohio. Lexington may have once been Bonar's home as she mentions several people there, but she also discusses school, weather, crops, and health. The Survey bought the letter in 1975.

477 Bond Family. Papers, 1853-1940 (0.4 cubic feet)

Jehiel Bond (1842-1939) became a minister of the Religious Society of Friends after attending Spiceland Academy, Henry County, Ind. Although he preached in meetings from eastern Illinois to eastern Ohio throughout his long career, he remained a member of the Dover Monthly Meeting, his family's meeting near Webster, Wayne County, ...

1067 Bond, Morgan. Sutler Account Book, circa 1862-1865 (1.0 volume)

This collection consists of the account book of Morgan Bond, a Civil War sutler with the 94[sup]th[/sup] Illinois Infantry. Bond traveled with the regiment selling goods to soldiers. The 94[sup]th[/sup] Illinois Infantry was mustered into service at McClean, Illinois, in August 1862, and campaigned throughout the South. Morgan Bond, a civilian ...

478 Born Family. Papers, 1890-1915 (1.0 folder; 19 items)

The Born Family collection contains personal records of John, Henry, and Ella Born, including bank books, insurance policies, leases, ledgers, and probate documents. Ann Skagenberg of Monticello, Ill., donated the collection to the Library in 1990.

811 Borneman, Henry S. Papers, 1840-1926 (1.0 microfilm reel)

Henry Borneman collected these 24 letters, typescripts, and clippings relating to Brook Farm and Fourierism. Many of the letters are to John S. Dwight. Also included is "Reminiscences of Brook Farm and its Founder: A Lecture Read at Waltham, Monday, March 26, 1900," written by Frank B. Sanborn of Concord, ...

480 Boston Union Of Associationists. Record Book, 1846-1848 (1.0 microfilm reel)

This collection contains one microfilm reel of the Boston Union of Associationists' record book. The Boston Union of Associationists, an affiliate of the American Union of Associationists, was organized in November 1846. This society was devoted to the propagation of Fourierism and its membership included many participants in the Brook Farm ...

481 Bostwick, Alanson. Journal, 1839-1841 (1.0 item)

This journal of schoolteacher Alanson Bostwick gives an account of his journey to and from Chicago during the summer of 1839, from his home in Winchester, Ill. There is also an account of a trip, Oct. 19-Dec. 6, 1841, from New York to Springfield, Ill. In addition to topographical descriptions, ...

482 Boswell, N. C. Letter and Notes, 1898 (1.0 folder; 2 items)

This collection includes a typescript of a letter of Jan. 24, 1898 from N. C. Boswell of Neponset, Ill., to Dr. W. T. Hall of Toulon, Ill., sketching the lives of Martin and Perry Dukes, pioneers of Osceola Grove, Stark County, Ill. It also includes a typescript of excerpts from ...

1000 Bails, E. M. Collection of Letters, 1864-1959 (1.0 folder)

This collection consists of two letters belonging to E. M. Bails. It includes a letter written by H. L. Bosworth describing Abraham Lincoln’s attendance of a church service in Washington, D.C., during the Civil War and a letter from Carl Sandburg commenting on the historical value of the first letter. Ellwyn ...

837 Boyd, Horatio Nelson. Diary, 1864 (1.0 microfilm reel)

Horatio Nelson Boyd (1844-1930), born in Wilmington, Del., enlisted at Galva, Ill., on Sept. 1, 1861, as a private Co. L, 7th Ill. Cav., re-enlisted in the same unit in 1864, and mustered out on Nov. 4, 1865. After the war, Boyd moved to Belleville, Kans. He was twice elected ...

483 Boyle, John. Letter, 1848 (1.0 item)

John Boyle wrote this letter from Tremont, Ill. on February 28, 1848 to Representative D. M. Barringer of North Carolina. Boyle's letter is sewn together with handwritten copies of affidavits written on behalf of the heirs of Maj. George Walls. These affidavits claimed that neither Maj. Walls nor his widow ...

484 Bracken, William. Papers, 1865, 1902 (1.0 folder; 2 items)

The collection consists of William Bracken's army discharge from Co. A, 12th Ky. Cav., dated Sept. 7, 1865, and a tax receipt dated Jan. 18, 1902. Robert E. Lawson of Villa Grove, Ill., donated these items to the Survey in 1983.

851 Brannon, Mildred J., Photographs and Papers, 1988-1990 (0.2 cubic feet)

The first notebook in this collection contains pictures (mostly slides but some prints) of Lincoln Hall, Altgeld Hall, Memorial Stadium, Huff Gym, and University High School on the campus of the University of Illinois as well as other nearby landmarks, including the Wesley Foundation, Carle Park, and Allerton Park. The ...

485 Breese, Sidney (1800-1878). Correspondence, 1839-1869 (1.0 folder; 12 items)

Sidney Breese was a U.S. Senator, 1843-49, and a justice of the Illinois Supreme Court, 1857-78. Three of the incoming letters are from William Martin of Alton, Ill., about business matters. Among the outgoing correspondence is a June 14, 1869 letter to Myra Bradwell, who led the movement to open ...

009 Brichford, Maynard J. Political Ephemera Collection, 1953-2012 (2.6 cubic feet)

This collection is comprised of political ephemera from Maynard J. Brichford, former University Archivist for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Brichford collected a variety of political ephemera promoting candidates for federal, state, and local elections. The collection includes campaign flyers, newspaper clippings, voters' guides, correspondence, and other materials. The political ...

910 Brichford, Maynard J. Railroad Ephemera Collection, 1913-1989 (2.0 cubic feet)

This collection consists of railroad ephemera from across the United States and dating mostly from the 1950s and 1960s. The ephemera includes time tables, annual reports, guides, and publications related to 29 rail lines across the country, including Illinois Central, Amtrak, Chicago and Eastern, Chesapeake and Ohio, and New York ...

486 Bridge, Sereno. Letters, 1861-62 (3.0 items; 1 folder)

Sereno Bridge of Elgin, Ill., served in Co. G, 15th Ill. Vol. Cav. as a private; he mustered in on Oct. 25, 1861 and mustered out Oct. 31, 1864. The Company was attached to the 52nd Ill. Vol. Inf. during the time of these letters. The three letters were written to ...

487 Brisbane, Albert. Papers, 1830-1832, 1840-1936 (4.3 cubic feet)

This collection contains the papers and diaries of Albert Brisbane, a leading propagandist for Fourierist Socialism in the United States during the 19th century. The bulk of the collection consists of Brisbane's family correspondence and personal papers, but it also include photographs, newspaper clippings, and drafts of publications written by ...

010 British Archives and Depositories. Papers, 1547-1858 (14.0 cubic feet; 2 oversize folders and 18 microfilm reels)

This collection consists of photocopies, transcripts, and microfilm of correspondence and other documents found in various British Archives and Depositories. The bulk of these materials were collected by the Illinois History Survey under the leadership of Clarence W. Alvord and Theodore C. Pease in the early twentieth century. The Survey ...

488 Bromwell, Henry Pelham Holmes (1823-1903). Letters And Papers, 1862-1866 (2.0 folders; 9 items)

This collection consists of originals, photocopies, and transcriptions of correspondence sent to and from U.S. Representative Henry Pelham Holmes Bromwell during the Civil War. Henry Pelham Holmes Bromwell (1823-1903) was a lawyer and politician from Illinois. He was friends with Abraham Lincoln and was a presidential elector for him in 1860. ...

489 Brook Farm Community. Record Book, 1841-1847 (1.0 microfilm reel)

Material in the Brook Farm Community record book concerns the formation and government of the Brook Farm Phalanx. The minutes from meetings and Board of Directors conferences discuss the establishment of the Community and weekly business issues. Interspersed throughout the notes are drafts of the Constitution of the Community, with ...

490 Brooks, Francis J. Papers, 1876-1979 (1.75 cubic feet)

Francis J. Brooks was a motion picture projectionist and local historian in Monticello, Ill. This collection consists of Brooks's personal papers, including materials related to the motion picture industry, photographs of people and places taken in the period 1880-1910, and film of Arizona and Illinois. The Piatt County Historical and Genealogical ...

1071 Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers Auxiliary. Record Book, 1896-1898, 1902-1903 (1.0 item)

This collection consists of a record book kept by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers Auxiliary, Division 14, of Springfield, Illinois, from 1896-1898 and 1902-1903. Prior to 1897, the organization was known as the Grand International Auxiliary to the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. The Grand International Auxiliary to the Brotherhood of Locomotive ...

492 Brown, Bob. Research Collection on Communitarian Colonies, 1919-1942 (1.2 cubic feet)

This collection consists of the research papers and correspondence of Bob Brown, a writer and publisher, for his exploration of communitarian colonies in the United States conducted in the 1930s. Bob Brown (1886-1959), born Robert Carlton Brown II, was a writer and publisher from Oak Park, Illinois. He was known for ...

1181 Brown, Jacob. Letter, 1863 (2.0 items)

This collection includes a letter from Private Jacob Brown of the 115th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment to his brother Henrey M. Brown and the envelope that contained the letter. The letter describes Hilton Head, South Carolina, and why the 115th Infantry was reassigned to Hilton Head. The letter mentions ...

491 Brown, Paul. Manuscript, 1839 (1.0 microfilm reel)

Paul Brown, a radical pamphleteer, was a member of the New Harmony Community about which he had published an extensive account. The microfilm contains "The Woodcutter or a Glimpse of the 19th Century at the West," a manuscript, evidently designed for publication, that contains 43 essays advocating social reform on ...

493 Brown, William H. Business Records and Correspondence, 1882-1901 (1.0 volume; 1 folder. 14 items)

William Brown was a businessman in Heyworth, McLean County, Ill., during the late nineteenth century. The collection includes Brown's ledger of individual business accounts, 1882-1901, primarily recording the sale of beef; other business records; and several letters. The collection was purchased by the Library in 1974.

011 Browning, Orville Hickman. Papers, 1829-1887, 1920-1935 (0.6 cubic feet)

This collection consists of personal papers from Orville Hickman Browning. Materials include copies and transcripts of correspondence, notes, speeches, and photographs. An early leader in the national Republican Party, Orville Hickman Browning helped Abraham Lincoln secure the 1860 presidential nomination. Browning served in the U.S. Senate from 1860 to 1863, and ...

494 Bryan and Morrison. Business Records, 1800-1857 (8.0 microfilm reels)

This collection consists primarily of microfilmed business records and correspondence of the firm of Bryan and Morrison. Guy Bryan, the firm's senior partner, was a Philadelphia Quaker who had connections with a number of prominent Philadelphia merchants including George Logan, Peter Muhlenberg, and Chandler Price. By 1790, Bryan operated a ...

495 Bryant, Arthur (1803-82). Letter, 1830 (1.0 item)

Arthur Bryant, writing to his brother John Howard Bryant from Jacksonville, Illinois, on December 30, 1830, describes the agricultural conditions in Southern and Central Illinois. Having just arrived in the region to farm, he elaborates upon the types of soil, crops, weather conditions, and prices for agricultural goods. This typescript of ...

012 Buck, Solon (1884-1962). Correspondence, Paper, and Bibliographic Notecards, 1910-1916, 1931 (1.6 cubic feet)

Solon J. Buck was a member of the staff of the Illinois Historical Survey and a research associate in the University of Illinois History Department from 1910 to 1914. After leaving Illinois, he held the position of Superintendent of the Minnesota Historical Society (1914-1931) and later, Professor of History at ...

1050 Buckley, John. Letter, November 3, 1838 (1.0 item)

This collection consists of a letter written by John Buckley to Samuel Allen in 1838 describing life in Tremont, Illinois. John Buckley was a man from Gorham, New York who travelled west to Illinois around 1838 to purchase land and start a farm with his family. He settled in Tremont, Illinois, ...

1097 Bullard, Martin Lozelle. Album, 1937 (1.0 boxes)

This photo album contains images of Martin Lozelle Bullard's time at a Civilian Conservation Corps Camp in Macomb, Illinois, as well as some recreational images of family and friends. Martin Lozelle Bullard (1917-1982) was born in Mount Sterling, Illinois, as the oldest of nine children. He worked in a Civilian Conservation ...

999 Bunn, Jacob. General Store, Springfield, Ill., 1843-1853 (3.0 volumes)

Jacob Bunn was a merchant and banker in Springfield, Ill. This collection includes three ledgers relating to his general store business. Two volumes document daily sales of coffee, sugar, butter, cheese, candles, whiskey, and the like, June 1, 1843-Feb. 13, 1847 (609 pages), and Aug. 24, 1848-Mar. 27, 1849 (535 ...

496 Burnham Family. Clippings, 1894-97 (1.0 folder; 16 items)

The clippings of the Burnham family mainly concern the deaths of Julia F. and A. C. Burnham, and the public institutions they supported--Burnham Hospital and the Burnham Athenaeum. See also the Champaign Public Library and Burnham Athenaeum Collection.

992 Burnham Family. Photographs, circa late 1800s (1.0 folder)

This collection contains photographs of the Burnham and Burnham/Harris family in carte-de-visite and cabinet card format and three handwritten family trees. The Burnham and Harris families were both notable Champaign families. Albert C. Burnham was a Champaign banker and philanthropist. In 1894, he donated $50,000 for the creation of a public ...

497 Burr, Amos Shelton (1848-1911). Family Papers, 1877-1961 (2.0 cubic feet; 1 oversize folder)

Amos Shelton Burr was born in Bridgeport, Conn. in 1848, and came to Bement, Ill., in 1880 as a representative of the Bodmans of Massachusetts. Although he was trained as a lawyer and banker, Burr purchased Thornton Farm, in Piatt County, and developed it into one of central Illinois' show ...

498 Busch, Alvina. Art History Book, 1888 (1.0 item)

Alvina Busch was a school teacher in Champaign County in the late nineteenth century. This volume is her notebook from an art history class she took as a student in Pennsylvania. The fly page shows her address as Ogontz, Pa., but little else is known about her. The notebook contains her ...

1061 Busey, J.K. Booklet on "Beauty Spots of Illinois", 1924 (1.0 item)

This collection consists of Joseph C. Blair's copy of an unbound booklet titled "Beauty Spots of Illinois," compiled by J. K. Busey in 1924. J.K. Busey may have been Josephine Kathryn Busey (1897-1976), the daughter of prominent Urbana banker James Buchanan Busey (1856-1935). She graduated from the University of Illinois at ...

989 Busey-Yntema Collection, 1902-1999 (7.0 cubic feet)

The Busey-Yntema collection mainly contains the papers of Garreta Helen Busey (1893-1976), but it also includes papers of her sister, Margaret Jeannette (Jean) Busey Yntema (1898-2002), and publications of her husband, Leonard F. Yntema (1892-1976). In addition, the collection includes correspondence from William Maxwell (1908-2000) to Garreta Busey, Jean Yntema, and ...

014 Butterfield, Justin. Letter, 1849 (1.0 folder)

A photocopy of a letter from Justin Butterfield to Indiana Representative Caleb Smith. Butterfield served as commissioner of the General Land Office of the United States from 1849 to 1852. The letter is dated June 1, 1849, and it documents Butterfield's position as a Zachary Taylor supporter. The Illinois Historical Survey ...

500 Buttles, M. R. Account Book, 1852-1873 (1.0 volume)

Leather goods, agricultural and practical implements, and livestock are the main categories of goods included in this account book of a store, the location of which is perhaps Bloomington, Ill. The accounts are for customers, most of whom lived in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin.