Frémont, John C. Collection, 1828-1890 | Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Title: Frémont, John C. Collection, 1828-1890

ID: 01/02/02/POST-1650 MS 0022

Primary Creator: Spence, Mary Lee

Other Creators: Frémont, John Charles (1813-1890), Nicollet, J. N. (Joseph Nicolas) (1786-1843)

Extent: 17.0 Items

Arrangement: The collection is arranged in chronological order, with undated items placed at the end.

Date Acquired: 02/18/1985

Subjects: Law - United States, United States - History - Civil War, 1861-1865

Languages: English, French

John Charles Frémont (1813-1890) participated in surveying expeditions throughout the United States in the 1830s and 1840s, eventually earning a commission in the United States Army Corps of Topographical Engineers. After his assignment to California in 1846, he participated in the Bear Flag Revolt and commanded the California Battalion during the Mexican-American War. Following his dismissal, reinstatement, and resignation from the Army in 1847, he settled in present-day Mariposa County, California, before embarking on a further expedition.

Frémont served as a United States Senator from 1850-1851 and became the Republican Party's first presidential candidate during the election of 1856. After receiving a commission as major general, he commanded the Union Army's Department of the West (July-November 1861) and its forces in western Virginia (1862). After the war, he returned to his business interests and also served as the governor of the Arizona Territory (1878-1881). He and his wife, Jessie Benton Frémont (1824-1902) married in 1841 and had five children.

Source

Herr, Pamela. "Frémont, John C." American National Biography Online. Oxford University Press, 2000. doi: 05-00252

Law - United States
United States - History - Civil War, 1861-1865

Repository: Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Access Restrictions: The collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions:

This collection is the physical property of the Rare Book & Manuscript Library. Intellectual property rights, including copyright, may reside with the materials' creator(s) or their heirs.

The Rare Book & Manuscript Library welcomes requests for reproductions made from works in our collections, though restrictions may apply to certain materials. Please contact the library with any questions.

Acquisition Source: Donated by Mary Lee Spence

Related Materials: The University of Illinois Archives holds a collection of Mary Lee Spence papers.

Finding Aid Revision History: Revised by Meg Hixon, August 2016

URL: https://i-share-uiu.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01CARLI_UIU/17ks9l7/alma99519322612205899

Box and Folder Listing

Box 1

Folder 1

Item 1: Document from John W. Mitchell, Charleston, S.C., to Peter Campbell, Angus Stewart, Matthew Redmond, Robert C. Cumming, Alphy Benney, and Henry Tovey, 1828 July 10

1 item (1 page): printed, with manuscript additions. Subpeona for recipients to testify in the case of Thomas Mounsey v. Neill McDuffie. With a signed note by John C. Fremont.

Folder 2

Item 2: Letter from Joseph N. Nicollet, Washington, D.C., to John C. Fremont, 1841 July 11

1 item (3 pages): manuscript. In French. A letter to Fremont, then stationed in Saint Louis, Mo.

Item 3: Letter from John C. Fremont, Washington, D.C., to Lewis J. Cist, 1848 March 3

1 item (1 page): manuscript. Offers an apology for an unstated offense.

Folder 3

Item 4: Document by John C. Fremont and Jessie Benton Fremont, Washington, D.C., 1853 July 7

1 item (2 pages): manuscript. Signed statements regarding the illness that prevented John C. Fremont from attending the second session of the 31st U.S. Congress.

Item 5: Portrait of John C. Fremont, 1856?

1 item (1 page): print. Engraving of John C. Fremont. Printed on an envelope.

Folder 4

Item 6: Document from John C. Fremont, New York, N.Y., to Charles Gould, 1857 January 1

1 item (2 pages): printed, with manuscript additions. $1,000 bond between John C. Fremont and Charles Gould. With signed manuscript addenda regarding Charles Gould's transfer of the bond to John T. Howard (1857 August 4) and Howard's transfer of the bond to Fremont (1861 February 26).

Item 7: Letter from John C. Fremont, New York, N.Y., to L. O. Bierer, 1857 January 19

1 item (1 page): manuscript. Offers to make Bierer's acquaintance.

Folder 5

Item 8: Letter from John C. Fremont, Athenaeum Club, London, to A. A. Selover, 1861 May 1

1 item (1 page): manuscript. Requests that Mrs. Selover temporarily look after his niece, Nina, following Nina's unexpected arrival in London.

Item 9: Letter from John C. Fremont, Astor House, to Simon Cameron, 1861 July 14

1 item (1 page): manuscript. Recommends Edmund Blunt, Jr., for a lieutenant's commission in the United States Army, based on information from George W. Blunt and Edmund Blunt.

Item 10: Letter from John C. Fremont, Astor House, to Marshall O. Roberts, 1861 December 6

1 item (1 page): manuscript. Requests that Roberts help Lewis Wood, an injured member of Fremont's body guard, travel to San Francisco.

Folder 6

Item 11: Letter from John C. Fremont, Washington, D.C., to Clarence Bell, 1886 May 15

1 item (1 page): manuscript. Shares his reasons for declining and invitation to speak for a Grand Army of the Republic event.

Item 12: Letter from John C. Fremont, Washington, D.C., to William G. Stahlnecker, 1887 February 19

1 item (1 page): manuscript. Expresses his support for awarding a medal to Captain d'Arnaud and mentions d'Arnaud's work as a "confidential agent."

Folder 7

Item 13: Photograph by L. H. Doremus, Paterson, N.J.,, 1890

1 item (1 page): cabinet card. Autographed portrait of John C. Fremont.

Folder 8

Item 14: Note from John C. Fremont, New York, N.Y.?, undated

1 item (1 page): manuscript. A brief note regarding a possible economic transaction.

Folder 9

Item 15: Photograph of John C. Fremont's birthplace in Savannah, Ga., undated

1 item (1 page): photographic print.

Item 16: Photograph of John C. Fremont's birthplace in Savannah, Ga., undated

1 item (1 page): photographic print.

Folder 10

Item 17: Charcoal portrait of John C. Fremont, undated

1 item (1 page): print. Artist's signature: "Bray."