Manuscripts
Volume one contains approximately 180 original letters primarily from Eliza Bicker Walter Smith to her son, General Thomas Kilby Smith, during the American Civil War. In the letters to her son, Smith expresses concern for his health and frustration with the slowness of news over troop movements. The letters also deal with family news; domestic life in Ohio, New York, and Pennsylvania; politics and social life during the war; the Roman Catholic church; and friends and associates, including William T. Sherman, and Ulysses S. Grant. Also included are letters from Eliza's children and family. There is an envelope consisting of three loose items: Bella to "Dear Papa," June 1869 and R.W. Deming to Thomas Kilby Smith, August 1905, and an undated note. Volume two contains reproduced typescripts of selected letters compiled by Thomas Kilby Smith in 1905. Smith transcribes letters from his mother Eliza Bicker Walter Smith, along with her children and family, 1848 to 1870. Included are three envelopes with two loose letters: Anna Bigelow to "My dear Cousin," April 13th and M.J. Worthington to Lizzie, 1870 May 8; newspaper clippings; and a photograph of Eliza Bicker Walter Smith. Thomas Kilby Smith's introduction in both volumes indicates that not all the original letters have been transcribed, additionally not all the transcribed letters appear in the volume of original letters.
mssHM 83862
