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Source 025 – Personal Letter by Willard E. Draper

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Author: Willard E. Draper
Title: Letter to “Cousin Hannah” [Hannah Parmer Draper]
Date: 13 October 1862
Curator: Christine Fisher
Note:

Corinth, Mississippi
Camp of S. Shooters
13 October 1862

Cousin Hannah:

I sometimes think a soldier’s duty is one of the most burdensome of all duties; but I am about to perform a duty now that is painful in the extreme. I suppose you have heard before this of the great battle at Corinth. Marcus and myself was in the thickest of the fight; we fought as if our beloved Country depended upon our exertion. After hours of hard fighting we succeeded in driving the rebels from the Town. I was among the first who followed up the retreating rebels across the battle field. I found Marcus stretched upon the ground, he had received a mortal wound. The ball entered his head at the top and lodged. I helped bare him to an ambulance; I shed a tear on his memory, that one so brave should fall. I could not leave the field and I have not seen him since, and I suppose he is now numbered among the Cold Clods of the Valley.

Your letter to him came to the Regt. in due time, and I took the liberty to open and answer it thinking I was doing a Soldiers duty. His folks the last time I heard was well; but this will be a severe blow. My folks is well, or was the last I heard. I do not know your opinion of the war; as you did not mention the subject in your letter. I don’t know as I have any relation of my name in the war, I have not heard as there was.

Well, I must attend to duty’s call, so I must close. If you deign to answer this direct as you did to him.

Yours Truly
Willard E. Draper

Source 101 – Military Discharge Paper for Elam Branch Sr

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Name: Elam Branch, Sr.
Date: 24 July 1862
Rank: Private, Captain Hugo’s Company C, first Regiment of Excelsior Brigade
[See: Elam Branch Discharge.jpg]

“To all whom it may concern:
Know ye, that Elam Branch, private of Captain Hugo’s Company C, first Regiment of Excelsior Brigade, N.Y. volunteers who was enrolled on the 23rd day of May one thousand eight hundred and sixty-one to serve three years, is hereby Discharged from the service of the United States, this 24th day of July, 1862, at Detroit, Mich. by reason of a wound in the leg. Said Elam Branch was born in Lawrence in the State of Michigan, is twenty years of age, five feet seven inches high, light complexion, gray eyes, light hair, and by occupation, when enrolled, a farmer. Given at Detroit this 24th day of July, 1862. JR(?) Smith, Lt. Col. USA, Military Commander.

$100 Bounty Paid – March 23, 1866(?), by Maj. W.H. Jameson, Paymaster, USA.
$100 Bounty Paid Washington – May 21, 1868, A.d. Robinson, Paymaster USA, Act July 28, 1866.

Military photo of Elam Branch
http://haldigitalcollections.cdmhost.com/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/p4006coll3&CISOPTR=455&CISOBOX=1&REC=13

Source 084 – Poem: Pittsburg Landing by Marcus S. Nelson

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Author: Marcus S. Nelson
Title: Pittsburg Landing [Battle of Shiloh]
Date: 1862
Curator: Christine Fisher
Note: hand-written poem of the Civil War battle at Pittsburg Landing, shortly before Marcus was killed in action

Copied by Francis M Jones a few days before the author’s death from the original manuscript; who belonged to the same mess with young Nelson.

Oh ‘tis beautiful, ‘tis beautiful
The noble Tennessee
Where it winds among the woodlands
And along the flowing lea;
But the blood of martyred patriots
Has dyed its waters red
Where it sweeps by bloody Pittsburgh
Dark Pittsburgh where they bled.

Twas a fearful scene of carnage
Where the opposing armies stood
Each resolved to win the victory
Or to drench the field with blood
And they fought with desperate valor
Those union soldiers brave
And full many fell at Pittsburgh
At Pittsburgh found a grave.

Where they rest in peaceful slumber
Beneath the traitors soil
Their battles all forgotten
Secure from care and toil.
But full many hearts are mourning
In their distant northern homes
For those who died at Pittsburgh
But bravely met their doom.

In full splendor broke the sunrise
On the fatal Sabbath morn
But its light was soon extinguished
By the rising battle storm.
Then the cannon loudly thundered
And bullets whistled past
And the ground red at Pittsburgh
With the life tide flowing fast.

Bravely fought our patriot soldiers
Firm they met the rebel hosts
But their forces was far outnumbered
And alas the day was lost
Stretched upon that field at sunset
Thousands slept in calm repose
Slept in peace at bloody Pittsburgh
Undistinguished – friends and foes.

That night on the field of battle
Those hostile forces lay
Prepared to renew the contest
By the mornings earliest ray;
Then again the smoke of conflict
Rolled fiercely over the field
And before our fire at Pittsburgh
The traitors ? phalanx reeled.

Awhile the rebels columns
Unbroken – firmly stood
Till their ranks were thinned with carnage
And the soil was red with blood
Then they willingly retreated
From the fray themselves had sought
And we conquered there at Pittsburgh
Though twas victory dearly bought.

Source 128 – Land Indenture for Jonathan Irwin

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Record: Mortgage
Date: 22 December 1857
Party 1: John and Margaret Keyser
Party 2: Jonathan Irwin
Location: Kent Co, MI

This indenture, made the 22 day of December in the year of our Lord 1857, between John Keyser of the first part and Jonathan Irwin of the second part, all of the town of Byron, Kent County, State of Michigan. Witnesseth, that the said party of the first part, for and in consideration of the sum of $100 it being a part of the purchase money to him in hand paid by the said party of the second part, the receipt whereof is hereby confessed and acknowledged, do by these presents grant, sell, remise, release, alien and confirm, unto the said party of the second part and to his heirs and assigns, forever, all that peace and parcel of land lying and situated in the town of Byron, Kent County, State of Michigan, as falons? to ? the south west one fourth of the north west quarter of section thirty town fine north range … west containing forty acres the same more or less. Together ……… (continues)

(back side) For and in consideration of the sum one hundred dollars to me in hand payed by George S. Thomas the except whereof is: hereby acknowledge and confessed I hereby sell transfer sign over to the said Thomas the within mortgages it being a mortgage recorded on page 6’97 and office of the county of Kent, State of Michigan. Witness my hand and seal this .. day of April A.D. 1858. Signed sealed in Presence of S. S. Scranton, Go…, Edwin Coye?

State of Michigan, Kent County, on this 5th day of April A.D. 1858 personally appeared before me a Notary Public for said county Jonathan Irwin known to me to be the person who executed the foregoing instrument and acknowledge the same to be his free act and deed. S.S. Scranton, Notary Public, Kent Co. Mich.

Source 144 – Land Documents of George S. Thomas

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Mortgage: George S. Thomas
Date: 15 April 1857
George S. Thomas, first part
Jesse B. Knapp, second part

Mortgage: George S. Thomas
Date: 21 July 1864
George S. Thomas, first part
Sarah Friend, second part
Liber 10 of Mortgages, Page 352

Mortgage: George S. Thomas
Date: 23 July 1866
George S. Thomas and wife, first part
Hiram Williams, second part
Liber 12 of Mortgage, Page 82-84

Warranty Deed: George S. Thomas
Date: 18 Nov 1879
Jacob Dollar, first part
George S. Thomas, second part
Liber 80 of Deeds, Page 269
Register: Wm. Hoyt

Bill of Sale: George S. Thomas
26 January 1885
George S. Thomas
Julia Thomas
Sale of: horses, cows, sheep, hogs, pigs, wheat, etc.

Satisfaction of Mortgage: George S. Thomas
Date: 6 June 1888
Elisha Mix Jr
George S. Thomas, first part
William C. Weeks, second part
Liber 69 of Mortgages, Page 21

Mortgage: George S. Thomas
Date: 13 Jan 1890
George S. and J. Thomas, first part
Elisha Mix Jr, second part
Liber 59 of Mortgages, Page 561

Satisfaction of Mortgage: George S. Thomas
Date: 12 Oct 1891
George S. Thomas, first part
Elisha Mix Jr, second part
Liber 74 of Mortgages, Page 249