Manuscripts
Correspondence: Elliot-Various, fragments, ephemera, photographs
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Correspondence: Bowdish-Elliot
Manuscripts
Correspondence between Bell and his fiancee concerns only with their private life. A few letters written by other soldiers after Bell's death, depict hardships of a Civil War soldier's life.
mssBellja
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Correspondence: Bell
Manuscripts
Correspondence between Bell and his fiancee concerns only with their private life. A few letters written by other soldiers after Bell's death, depict hardships of a Civil War soldier's life.
mssBellja
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James Alvin Bell Papers
Manuscripts
This collection contains 135 letters written by James to Augusta during the period 1854-October, 1863, and 141 letters from Augusta to him. The content of their letters is limited to themselves and their limited social sphere. James' war letters provide little description of relevant conditions, but do afford his reactions to the hardships. Another soldier's letters to Augusta (24 in all) during the 1863-1865 period and 12 others written to her after the death of James portray the tragedy of the war. There are other miscellaneous letters, a few of Augusta and James' poems, seven photographs, and some fragments.
mssBellja
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Documents, Diaries, Correspondence and Ephemera
Manuscripts
The collection contains 330 items. The manuscripts and diaries are arranged alphabetically by author and consist of 13 items including John Bell's account of his ocean voyage from New York to Central America, his overland journey by train from Indiana to California and his stay in London. The correspondence is also arranged alphabetically by author and consists of 27 letters, most of which were written to either John or Hannah B. Cooper Bell. The ephemera is arranged alphabetically by type and consists of 219 items, most of which are receipts and statements for property taxes in both the states of New York and California. The ephemera includes the publications: "California Prune Surprise: 100 Recipes for Delicious Prune Dishes" published by the California Cured Fruit Association; "Divine Protection through Extraordinary Dangers, During the Irish Rebellion in 1798" by Dinah Wilson Goff who was John Bell's great-aunt; "An Appeal for the Ancient Doctrines of the Religious Society of Friends," written in 1847; "The Testimonies of Friends," written in 1860; and two insurance manuals. Other ephemera relate to John Bell's business and family life in San Jose. There are 71 items in the volume section arranged alphabetically by title and then chronologically. Forty-nine of these items are volumes relating to John Bell's business in both San Jose (Calif.) and Richmond (Ind.). The other items are notes included in the volumes.
mssBell, John papers
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James Alvin Bell papers addenda
Manuscripts
This small collection contains 14 letters between James Alvin Bell and Augusta Anna Hallock Elliott and two notes by Bell. Most of the correspondence in personal in nature and in them, Augusta talks about her personal life, her teaching job, etc. There are brief mentions of the Civil War. In one letter by Bell, dated 1862, Nov. 28, and written from Belle Plains, Virginia, he goes into more detail about life as a soldier, and talks about McClellan, Burnside, and President Lincoln. Many of Augusta's letters have poems and watercolors on them.
mssHM 82523-82540
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Oversize; Genealogical; Ephemera
Manuscripts
The majority of the collection consists of the correspondence of the Eldred J. Simkins family and their close relatives. Subjects discussed include the California Gold Rush and life in Mariposa County, Calif., during the 1850s and 1870s; the Civil War in Charleston, S.C., from a confederate soldier's point of view; life in South Carolina and Florida after the Civil War; and life in Austin and Corsicana, Texas, during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The collection also contains some photographs, including tintypes, of various members of the Simkins family. Of note in the collection is Edward Henry Trescot's descriptions of his ocean voyage around Cape Horn to California in 1849 abord the "Thomas Bennet" and his descriptions of life in Mariposa County, California. The Civil War correspondence in the collection is primarily between Eldred J. Simkins and his future wife, Eliza Josephine Trescot Simkins. The collection contains letters from both Eldred and Eliza. Eldred describes his station with the South Carolina Artillery and fighting for the confederacy. The letters also discuss the hardships of civilian life in South Carolina during the Civil War. The family correspondence also reflects plantation life in the Beaufort District of South Carolina and Madison County, Florida. Eldred J. Simkins also practiced law with his brother, William Stewart Simkins, in Texas, and there are also materials by William in the colection.
mssSIM