Guernsey family papers

The collection contains 1,384 letters written by 158 different authors, and includes 33 pieces of ephemera. The collection spans several generations of the Guernsey and Donaldson families. The correspondence centers around Emeline Donaldson Guernsey, her immediate family, relatives and friends. The letters give a detailed account of the lives of farmers, millers, shop keepers and school teachers in 19th century Midwestern America. The letters cover a wide range of aspects of their lives, such as family events, their day-to-day activities, trips to visit family and friends, farming, financial hardships, business interests and real estate transactions. Because the majority of the correspondence was written by women, the letters also give a strong female perspective of life on the frontier. There are over two hundred "Round Robin" family letters, spanning the years 1899 to 1957, that were sent to each family member. When the letters arrived, the family member would write a letter, add it to the group and send it on to the next person on the route card. The collection includes over 250 letters of Civil War interest written by William D. Guernsey, Henry A. Guernsey and several other soldiers. Both William and Henry wrote letters home dealing with army life and their experience in the war. The ephemera consists of biographical information, Confederate currency, printed materials, and three photographs.