Diaries & Letters » Locality Specific

Brainerd, Molly Pease. Letters.

Four letters written by Mary (Molly) Brainerd from rural Danville, Dodge County, Wis. to relatives in Michigan. The two earlier letters are addressed to her niece, Lavinia, a student in Kalamazoo, Mich. and are filled with family news and detailed information about crop conditions. The 1881 letter tells of a very hard winter with deep snow and its attendant difficulties, and of a lot of sickness and death. The 1882 letter describes the provisioning of family members who left for the minefields of Montana. Uncorrected OCRd transcription available.

Brandt, Gerard - Letters 1850-1860

Selections from Gerard Brandt, Letters 1850-1860 (MILWAUKEE) - Selection from the letters from Gerard and Catherine Brandt of Holland township in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, to relatives and friends, chiefly in Milwaukee and the Netherlands, about personal and religious matters and life in Wisconsin. 35 pages of typed translations from the original Dutch.

Chase, Enoch. (1840s Wisconsin)

Reminiscences of a pioneer settler in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who left his home in Vermont in 1831, traveled by schooner and stage to Coldwater, Michigan, where he practiced medicine and taught school. In April, 1835, he drove a team to Milwaukee. In his narrative he describes and characterizes many of the pioneer men and women of Milwaukee, and speaks of Indian troubles, the organization of government, the development of industries, and local rivalries. A portion of the sketch is published in James S. Buck's Pioneer History of Milwaukee, 1:49-52 (Milwaukee, 1890).

Currey, J. Seymour. Vilas County (Notes, 1906)

J. Seymour Currey, Vilas County Notes, 1906 (WHS) - Notes by Currey on the lakes of Vilas County, Wisconsin, including information on Charles A. Bent and his family, owners of a resort on Lake Mamie. 11 handwritten pages.

Dinsdale, Rev. Matthew (Letters, 1844)

Selection of letters by Rev. Dinsdale written from Linden and other Wisconsin settlements to his relatives in Askrigg, Yorkshire, England, describing his trip to the United States in 1844 and giving minute advice to prospective immigrants; his pastoral services as a Methodist minister at Potosi, Wisconsin, and in the Lake Winnebago circuit; economic conditions as seen through his work as a clerk in stores at Linden and elsewhere. Some letters from the original collection have been omitted due to illegibility.

Douglas, James and Margaret. (Letters, 1840-1843)

James and Margaret Douglas Letters, 1840-1843 (MILWAUKEE) - Selections of typed transcripts of letters describing conditions in America to family members in Scotland from immigrants James and Margaret Douglas, who lived first in Mt. Morris, New York, then settled near Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1844.

Drew, James. (Reminiscences, 1845-1846)

James Drew, Reminiscences, 1845-1846 (WHS) - Reminiscences of a Glasgow couple's visit, July 1845-April 1846, to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, including information on farming, land prices, impressions of the people, local government, schools, and religion. Originals are in the New York Historical Society, New York, N.Y. 16 typed pages.

Goodnow, Lyman. (Recollection, 1880?)

Lyman Goodnow, Recollection, 1880? (MILWAUKEE) - Typed manuscript of Goodnow's account of how he helped the first slave escape to Canada from Wisconsin the Territory in 1843. 11 pages of typed transcriptions.

Gunleik Asmundson Bondal, Letter, 1854.

Gunleik Asmundson Bondal, Letter, 1854. (WHS) - Translation of a letter written by Gunleik Asmundson Bondal, a Norwegian immigrant, on January 17, 1854, describing his journey from Krago, Norway, to Dane County, Wisconsin and his family's new life in America. He recounts the price of cattle, farm implements, food, clothing, and other necessities, and writes of farming, including descriptions of the machines used, wages, the time taken by various tasks, geography, and climate. He draws many comparisons between the New World and the Old. Also mentioned is the California gold rush and cholera epidemic. 7 typed translations from the original Norwegian. Uncorrected OCRd transcriptions of some letters available.

Hagen Family Papers, 1879-1899 (Eau Claire, WI)

Hagen Family Papers, 1879-1899 (EAU CLAIRE) - Family histories and typed translations of letters from several Norwegian immigrants to the Eau Claire, Wisconsin area: Anders (Andrew) P. Solem, maternal grandfather of the collection's donor, Harold Hagen; Elling (Erling) Andersen Sende, Hagen's paternal great-grandfather; and Anders Lian (also known as Andrew Lee), Hagen's maternal grandmother's cousin. Letters by Anders P. Solem are directed to his grandfather in Norway. In them he describes his experiences working in sawmills and lumber camps, comments on labor conditions, including a strike for the ten-hour day, and offers various observances regarding life in America. Letters by Elling Anderson Sende and his wife Guruanna relate family matters and further detail life in Eau Claire. Letters written to Anders Lian and his family concern arrangements for bringing him to America. The largest group of letters in the collection are written by Anders Lian to his family in Norway. They also document work in the lumber industry and discuss current events, and the economic and political climate in 1890s America. Also of interest are Lian's experiences enlisting in a military training camps as a volunteer soldier at the time of the Spanish-American war. The family histories in the collection were written by Genevieve Hagen and include biographical details as well as genealogical information for each of the correspondents. 89 pages of typed translations from the original Norwegian and original family histories.

Hartwig, Theodore E.F. (Letters, 1846 and 1851)

Theodore E.F. Hartwig, Letters, 1846 and 1851 (WHS) - Two typewritten translations of letters, written by Dr. Theodore E. F. Hartwig, Cedarburg, Wisconsin, September 25, 1846 and November 21, 1851, to his family in Germany describing his trip to the United States by sailing vessel, railroad, and lake steamer to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and describing Cedarburg and Milwaukee. 30 pages of typed translations from the original German.

Hastings, Lucy A. (Letters 1850s-1860s)

Family correspondence to and from Lucy A. Hastings and her husband David; including letters from relatives in Dexter, Michigan, and an 1855 description of moving from Massachusetts to Oxford, Wisconsin, and information on Indians around Oxford, moving to Eau Claire in 1857, and an Indian panic there in 1862.

Hodges, William. (Letter, 1856)

One letter dated June 11, 1856, written by Hodges describing pioneer conditions in Pierce County, Wisconsin. Uncorrected OCRd transcription available.

Hollister, Uriah. (Letter, 1912)

Typewritten transcription of reminiscences, ca. 1912, by Hollister, Delavan, Wisconsin, concerning the settlement and growth of the area and youthful experiences; and one letter, 1839, written by his mother describing the family's trip from New York to Wisconsin and their new surroundings. Uncorrected OCRd text available.

Huey, Mrs. Thomas (Letter, 1924)

Mrs. Thomas Huey, Address, 1924 (STOUT) - Address given in 1924 by Mrs. Thomas Huey in which she reminisces about her life in Dunn County, Wisconsin, between 1863 and 1883; and a postcard from Henry E. Knapp in which he comments on the address. 7 pages of typed transcriptions.

Ingeborg Holdahl Alvstad, Reminiscences

Ingeborg Holdahl Alvstad, Reminiscences, undated (RIVER FALLS) - Recollections by Alvstad of her family's emigration from Norway, the sinking of their ship, their settlement in Gilman Township, Pierce County, Wisconsin, in 1889, and her early years there as her family established a farm home. 9 typed, transcribed pages.

John Archiquette, Diary 1868-1874

John Archiquette, Diary 1868-1874 (GREEN BAY) - Typed translation of a diary kept by Archiquette, an Oneida Indian, containing information on tribal council decisions and discipline and on farming, road building, religious services, and other aspects of life on the Oneida Reservation near Green Bay, Wisconsin. Translated from the Oneida language by Oscar H. Archiquette. 34 pages of typed transcriptions from the original Oneida.

Miller, Ellen Spaulding (Papers, 1863-1887)

Selections from Ellen Spaulding Miller, Papers, 1863, 1870-1887 (EAU CLAIRE) - Selections from the papers of a woman who lived in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, in the 1870s. The collection consists largely of letters written principally by Ellen Spaulding Miller to family members who probably lived in New York. The letters reflect domestic life, family relationships, economic conditions, lumbering, religious revivals, and health conditions in the lumbering capital of northwestern Wisconsin. 115 pages.

Moulton, Emeline M. (Letters)

Letters from Emeline M. Moulton and other settlers of Rochester, Racine County, Wisconsin, to relatives in Cabot, Vermont, discussing prices of commodities and family matters and briefly referring to unhappy experiences of men who had joined the California gold rush.

Myrick, Nathan (Letter, 1892)

Typewritten copy of a letter from Nathan Myrick, an early settler of La Crosse, Wisconsin, to F. A. Copeland, Mayor of La Crosse, dated St. Paul, Minnesota, January 28th, 1892, in which he provides a brief account of his life and reminiscences of his arrival at Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, in 1841 and subsequent life as a trader in the settlement of La Crosse, until his departure for Minnesota, ca. 1850. Uncorrected OCRd text available.

Plumbe, John (Diary of, Sinipee, Wisconsin)

Diary kept by Plumbe, the owner and promoter of the boom town of Sinipee, Wis., on the Mississippi River. Detailed entries describe the platting and settlement of Sinipee, the writing and publication of his promotional book Sketches of Iowa and Wisconsin, and his efforts to secure wagon roads and railroad connections to Milwaukee, Racine, and Chicago. Some entries touch an lumber rafting, lead shipments, and steamboat traffic, and there are references to Byron Kilbourn, James D. Doty, William R. Smith, and others interested in the development of southwestern Wisconsin and Dubuque, Iowa.

Ranney, Oprah (Letters)

Photocopies of letters from Ranney, Dunn County, Wis., to her sister Adah Holcomb in New Hartford, Conn., including details of her trip from New York to Wisconsin and describing illnesses, children, deaths, domestic chores, farming, weather, Christmas, and other details of daily life. Uncorrected OCRd transcriptions of some letters available.

Salter, George. (Letters, transcripts)

Photocopied material relating to the life of Daddy Salter of Juneau County, Wis. who is said to have killed many Native Americans in retaliation for his wife's murder at their Town of Clearfield tavern. Included is a 34-page typewritten description by Salter of his departure from England; travels (1843-1864) in Wisconsin to Portage, Reedsburg, and Kilbourn City, and down the Mississippi River to New Orleans; life in Wisconsin; and an account of his brutal slaying of two Native Americans suspected of murdering his wife. Also included is a 4-page typewritten obituary (ca. 1906) of Salter in which he is said to have admitted to murdering eighteen Native Americans. Uncorrected OCRd text available.

Shepard, Charles. (Papers, 1848-)

Papers of Charles Shepard and other residents of the black settlement of Pleasant Ridge (now Beetown), Wisconsin, including letters, tax receipts, and community history. Shepard (Sheppard) was the head of the first African-American family to settle in what became a pioneer black community about five miles west of Lancaster, Wisconsin. In 1848, the family of William Horner, a Haymarket, Virginia planter, moved to Wisconsin, bringing with them their freed slaves: Charles and Caroline Shepard (nee Brent), their three children, Harriet, John and Mary, and Charles' brother Isaac. A woman named Sarah Brown, who was left behind in slavery, later joined this family after Isaac returned to Virginia and paid for the woman's freedom. The two then married. Charles and Isaac left a mother and several brothers and sisters in Virginia who planned on heading west at a later date. Eventually, these individuals migrated to Washington D.C. The letters are chiefly communications between the Shepards in Wisconsin and their relatives in the East. Other letters are those of Thomas and John Greene, other settlers of Pleasant Ridge.

Tillman, Friedrich (Diary, 1856-1899)

Selections from Tillman Brothers (La Crosse, Wisconsin), Records, 1856-1899 (LA CROSSE) -Translations of a diary kept by Friedrich Tillman, partner in a furniture and undertaking establishment founded in 1859 in La Crosse, when he sailed to America from Germany in 1856. 23 pages of hand written translations from the original German.

Wells, Rev. Milton. (Letter 1844)

Milton Wells, Letter 1844 (WHS) - Typewritten copy of a letter written by Reverend Wells of Burlington, Racine County, Wisconsin Territory, to Charles Hall, Secretary of the American Board of Home Missions, concerning the plight of Norwegian immigrants in the Town of Rochester and his need for aid to help them. 3 pages of typed transcriptions.