Funk, Henry W. Letters, 1862-1900 | Illinois History and Lincoln Collections

This collection consists of the personal correspondence of Henry W. Funk and his family and friends.

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 149^th Illinois Volunteer Infantry. Funk was mustered out of Danville on February 6, 1865. He spent the remainder of the Civil War stationed in Chatanooga 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.

This collection contains Funk's personal correspondence, 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.

Diane Elizabeth Whitehead and Kenton Whitehead donated the collection to the Library in 2012.