Digitized Content of the Henry W. Funk Letters | Illinois History and Lincoln Collections

The digitized content of the Henry W. Funk Letters consists of the personal correspondence of Henry W. Funk, and his family and friends, from 1862-1900.

Henry W. Funk was a member of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) from Danville, Illinois, who enlisted as a private in Company E of the 149th Illinois Volunteer Infantry. Funk was mustered out of Danville on February 6, 1865. He spent the remainder of the Civil War stationed in Chattanooga and Tyners Station, Tennessee. He was then stationed at Dalton and LaFayette, Georgia, from June 1865 until the beginning of 1866. There, he often preached to the enlisted men.

The digitized content contains the correspondence of Henry W. Funk, mostly with his wife, Nannie. Other correspondents include Funk's sisters, Kate Brenner, Barbara Funk, and Fanny Funk, his brothers-in-law, Rufus Humphrey and John H. Gibson, and other family and friends. Topics of correspondence include Henry's experiences preaching to enlisted men and his attempt to establish a Sunday school at Camp Butler (Springfield, Illinois), Nannie's struggles with her faith, Nannie's reports on the fall of Richmond and Lee's surrender, John H. Gibson's report on the poor conditions at Camp Butler, reflections on Lincoln's assassination and its aftermath (letter to Funk from Rufus Humphrey, April 20, 1865), and family news.

The Henry W. Funk Letters, 1862-1900 was completely digitized in 2022. Items are 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/1843.