Title: Webber, Thomson R. Papers, 1828-1881
Collection identifier: 376
Primary Creator: Webber, Thomson R. (1807-1881)
Extent: 1.0 cubic feet
Subjects: Black Hawk War, 1832, California, Champaign County (Ill.), Courts, Crops, Cunningham, Joseph O. (Joseph Oscar), 1830-1917, Davis, David, 1815-1886, Douglas, Stephen Arnold, 1813-1861, Frontier and pioneer life, Genealogy, Grant, Ulysses S. (Ulysses Simpson), 1822-1885, Illinois Industrial University (Urbana, Ill.), Kentucky, Law, Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865, Military, Minnesota, Native Americans, Property, Secession, Sherman, William T. (William Tecumsah), 1820-1891, Taxation, Travel, United States--Civil War, 1861-1865, United States--Politics and government, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Weather
Forms of Material: Personal papers, Professional papers
This collection consists of the papers and correspondence of Thomson Rhodes Webber, an early settler of Champaign County, Illinois. Its contents relate to Webber's business dealings as well as his personal life and family.
Thomson Rhodes Webber (1807-1881) was a prominent early settler of Champaign County, Illinois. Upon arriving in Illinois in 1833, Webber settled in Urbana and became the town's first postmaster. When Champaign County was organized, Webber became the first clerk of the circuit and county courts. He served for 25 years as county court clerk and 28 years as clerk of the circuit court. Webber was also Master in Chancery of the circuit court and a delegate to the state constitutional conventions of 1847 and 1862.
The collection primarily pertains to Webber's duties as an attorney and court clerk. It contains business correspondence dealing with everyday legal and financial matters, such as real estate, estate administration, the collection of debts, estate partitions, and foreclosures. Included is extensive correspondence from Merrit and William Canby of Wilmington, Delaware, for whom Webber served as a land agent, as well as a letter from United States Senator David Davis regarding a divorce case.
The collection also contains correspondence with family members. Letters from Webber's second wife, Anna, offer a glimpse into the husband and wife relationship in the mid-nineteenth century. Also of note is a letter from Webber's cousin, Lucy Ayres, that describes in detail the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862 in Minnesota. Additional family correspondence pertains to civilian opinions of Lincoln, the preservation of the Union, and the effects of the Civil War.
Elizabeth N. Sadtler, of Rockford, Illinois, donated the collection to the Library in 1998.
Black Hawk War, 1832
California
Champaign County (Ill.)
Courts
Crops
Cunningham, Joseph O. (Joseph Oscar), 1830-1917
Davis, David, 1815-1886
Douglas, Stephen Arnold, 1813-1861
Frontier and pioneer life
Genealogy
Grant, Ulysses S. (Ulysses Simpson), 1822-1885
Illinois Industrial University (Urbana, Ill.)
Kentucky
Law
Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865
Military
Minnesota
Native Americans
Property
Secession
Sherman, William T. (William Tecumsah), 1820-1891
Taxation
Travel
United States--Civil War, 1861-1865
United States--Politics and government
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Weather
Repository: Illinois History and Lincoln Collections
URL: https://files.archon.library.illinois.edu/ihlcsfa/webber-thomson.pdf
PDF finding aid for Webber, Thomson R. Papers
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