TABLE OF CONTENTS
Descriptive Summary of the Collection
Biographies of Woods Family Members
Scope and Content of the Collection
Series 1: Woods Family Correspondence, 1835-1905
Series 2: Fanny Woods White, 1843-1891
Series 3: Frederick Moffatt Woods, 1864-1928
Series 4: Frank H. Woods, Sr., 1890-1967
Series 5: Frank H. Woods, Jr., 1820-1975
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Inventory of the Woods Family Papers, ca. 1775-1975, bulk 1820-1975
Machine-readable finding aid encoded by Lisa Janssen, 2004. ©2004. |
Descriptive Summary of the Collection |
|
| Collector | Woods, Frank H. (Frank Henry), 1905-1980 |
| Title | Woods Family Papers |
| Dates | ca. 1775-1975 |
| Dates | bulk 1820-1975 |
| Extent | 5.3 linear feet (7 boxes, 1 oversize box, and 1 record carton) |
| Abstract | Correspondence, writings, documents, genealogical research notes and photographs relating to the Woods family, descendants of Henry Ruiter (originally Hendrick de Ruyter) of Canada. Collected and preserved by Frank H. Woods, Jr. of Illinois, to be used for a complete (unfinished) family history, most of the material concerns Frank H. Woods's great-grandmother, Fanny M. Woods, his grandfather Frederick Moffatt Woods, and his father, Frank H. Woods. Included is a large group of Fanny Woods's poetry and a rough draft of a lengthy genealogical work by Frank H. Woods, Jr. entitled "Fanny." Also, Civil War letters to and from Frederick Moffatt Woods, and a letter from William Jennings Bryan, and 1850's letters from the California mines by Fanny's brother, Charles Ryland Woods. Other family names included are Barnett, Cochrane, Eddy, Haecker, and Ruiter. |
| Language | Materials are in English. |
| Repository | Newberry Library, Roger and Julie Baskes Department of Special Collections |
| Collection Call Number | Midwest MS Woods |
| Collection Stack Location | 3a 44 12 |
Administrative Information
Cite As
Woods Family Papers, The Newberry Library, Chicago.
Provenance
Gift of Louise Brewer Woods (Mrs. Frank H. Woods Jr.), 1979.
Processed by
Virginia H. Smith, 2003.
Access
The Woods Family Papers are open for research in the Special Collections Reading Room; 1 box at a time (Priority III).
Ownership and Literary Rights
The Woods Family Papers are the physical property of the Newberry Library. Copyright may belong to the authors or their legal heirs or assigns. For permission to publish or reproduce any materials from this collection, contact the Roger and Julie Baskes Department of Special Collections.
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Biographies of Woods Family Members
This collection, assembled and preserved by Frank H. Woods Jr. for a proposed family history, includes information on the Woods family descendants of Henry Ruiter (1742-1819). The Woods Papers reflect the lives and activities of six generations of the family, and although many family members are represented, Fanny Woods, Frederick Moffatt Woods, Frank H. Woods Sr. and Frank H. Woods, Jr. predominate. Biographical notes on these individuals follow.
Henry Ruiter's life and genealogical line are fully described in a book by Rick J. Ashton entitled The Life of Henry Ruiter (1974). Born and raised in Albany County, New York, Ruiter declared himself a Loyalist during the Revolution and fled to Canada to fight with the British. For his services, he was granted acreage in Potton County, Lower Canada. Ruiter married twice and had fifteen children.
One of his daughters, Rebecca, married Jedediah Woods of Warwick, Massachusetts, and they settled in Boone County, Illinois, where their daughter Fanny was born in 1822. Fanny was a prolific poet and her works were frequently published in periodicals of the day. Fanny married Elias Spalding Woods of a distantly related Vermont family, and after his death, Marcus White. Fanny Woods White died in 1893.
Fanny had three sons, the eldest of whom was Frederick Moffatt Woods. Raised in Illinois, he served with the Elgin U.S. Light Artillery (also known as Renwick's Elgin Battery Light Artillery) during the Civil War. He was mustered in Sept. 4, 1864, and served in the Battle of Nashville. His battery traveled east through Knoxville and Wheeling to Washington, D.C. By May of 1865 Woods was in the USA General Hospital in Chester Pa., where he accepted a clerk's position. He was discharged June 13, 1865. Later in life he moved to Lincoln, Nebraska, where he became involved in agricultural matters and cattle breeding. When he died in 1928 he was survived by four sons, one of whom was Frank H. (Frank Henry) Woods, born in 1868.
Frank H. Woods spent his adult life in Lincoln, Nebraska. His first calling was as a lawyer, but he achieved fame as founder of the Lincoln Telephone and Telegraph Company. He was president and chairman of LT from 1904 to 1946, but was extensively involved in many other businesses in Lincoln, Chicago and Cleveland. Frank H. Woods, Sr. died in 1952.
His son, Frank H. (Frank Henry) Woods, Jr., was born in Lincoln in 1905, but after college he began a rigorous business life in Chicago and settled with his family in Lake Forest. In 1967 he wrote, "For the past two years I have been working on a family history made possible by a remarkable collection of letters and papers preserved by Fanny Woods during the period 1840 through 1882." Frank Woods Jr. corresponded with his relatives and various genealogical societies for most of his adult life, and the result was a manuscript entitled "Fanny" in which he chronicles not only Fanny Woods's life but the lives of other family members as well. Woods also did exclusive research for a biography of Henry Ruiter, which was completed by Rick J. Ashton in 1974. Frank H. Woods, Jr. died in 1980.
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Scope and Content of the Collection
Correspondence, writings, documents, genealogical research notes and photographs relating to the Woods family, descendants of Henry Ruiter (originally Hendrick de Ruyter) of Canada.
Mainly correspondence, much of it to or from Frank H. Woods, Jr. relating to his quest for information about his ancestors in order to write a family history. The most interesting correspondents are early Woods family members whose letters were saved by Frank Woods's great-grandmother, Fanny Woods. Other major correspondents are Frederick Moffatt Woods, including some letters written when he served in the Civil War, and Frank H. Woods, Sr., whose letters were saved when he was courting his wife Nelle Cochrane in the 1890's. There are a few letters written by Fanny's brother Charles Ryland Woods, who was prospecting in Galena in 1842 and in California in the 1850's, and who was working a cotton plantation in Louisiana in 1864. There are also Civil War letters (1862-1863) written by Daniel Newton Clark, a member of Company B of the 15th Illinois Infantry who died at Natchez, Miss., in Sept. of 1863. Also in the collection are many poems (both manuscript and printed) of Fanny Woods, who published under the pen name "Liffie Locke," numerous articles and clippings relating to the lives and deaths of Frederick Moffatt and Frank Sr., a small amount of memorabilia, a box of family photographs and a wooden dispatch box.
Narrative descriptions of the subject matter, types of material, and arrangement of each series are available through the Organization section of the finding aid.
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Organization
Papers are organized in the following series:
- Series 1: Woods Family Correspondence, 1835-1905. Box(es) 1
- Series 2: Fanny Woods White, 1843-1891. Box(es) 1-2
- Series 3: Frederick Moffatt Woods, 1864-1928. Box(es) 2-3
- Series 4: Frank H. Woods, Sr., 1890-1967. Box(es) 3-4
- Series 5: Frank H. Woods, Jr., 1820-1975. Box(es) 4-6
- Series 6: Photographs, ca. 1850-1974. Box(es) 7
- Series 7: Oversize, 1831-1874. Box(es) 8
- Series 8: Artifacts . Box(es) 9
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Selected Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Newberry Library's public catalog. Researchers desiring additional materials on a particular topic should search the catalog using these headings.
Names
- Barnett family
- Bryan, William Jennings, 1860-1925 - Correspondence
- Clark, Daniel Newton, d. 1863 - Correspondence
- Cochrane family
- Eddy family
- Haecker family
- Ruiter, Henry, 1742-1819
- United States. Army. Illinois Infantry Regiment, 15th (1861-1865)
- United States. Army. Illinois Light Artillery. Renwick's Elgin Independent Battery (1862-1865)
- White, Fanny Woods, 1822-1893
- Wood family -- Genealogy
- Woods, Charles Ryland, d. 1864 - Correspondence
- Woods, Frank H. (Frank Henry), 1868-1952
- Woods, Frank H. (Frank Henry), 1905-1980
- Woods, Frederick Moffatt, 1844-1928
Subjects
- Boone County (Ill.) -- History -- 19th century -- Sources
- Businessmen -- Middle West -- History -- 20th century -- Sources
- Correspondence -- California, Northern -- 1851-1900
- Correspondence -- Middle West -- 1851-1900
- Correspondence -- Middle West -- 1901-1950
- Correspondence -- Middle West -- 1951-2000
- Courtship -- Middle West -- History -- 19th century -- Sources
- Diaries -- Illinois -- 1851-1900
- Families -- Middle West -- History -- 19th century -- Sources
- Gold miners -- California, Northern -- Correspondence
- Grandparent and child -- Middle West -- History -- 20th century -- Sources
- Lincoln (Neb.) - History - Sources
- Manuscripts, American
- Miners -- Illinois -- Galena -- Correspondence
- Nashville, Battle of, Nashville, Tenn., 1864
- Overland journeys to the Pacific -- History -- Sources
- Pictorial lettersheets -- California -- San Francisco
- Plantations -- Louisiana -- History -- 19th century -- Sources
- Poems -- Illinois -- Boone County -- 1851-1900
- Shiloh, Battle of, Tenn., 1862
- Soldiers -- Correspondence
- United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Personal narratives
- Women poets, American -- Illinois -- Boone County
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Container List
Series 1: Woods Family Correspondence, 1835-1905 |
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| Correspondence among members and friends of the early Woods family apparently saved by Fanny Woods White. There are letters from Charles Ryland Woods written from Galena, Ill., in 1842, Northern California in the 1850's, and Louisiana in 1864. They discuss his overland journey to California, experiences in the gold mining region, and management of a cotton plantation. One undated and incomplete letter from California is written on a pictorial lettersheet ("Scenes in a Miners Life" San Francisco: Lith. & Pub. by Britton & Rey). There are also Civil War letters of Daniel Newton Clark, a member of Company B of the 15th Illinois Infantry. | |||||||||||
| Arranged alphabetically. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | Contents | |||||||||
| 1 | 1 | Armstrong, Luthera Woods, 1838 | |||||||||
| 1 | 2 | Benjamin, Sarah Stevens Woods, 1838-1842 | |||||||||
| 1 | 3 | Clark, Daniel Newton, 1861-1863 | |||||||||
| 1 | 4 | [____], Electa, 1844 | |||||||||
| 1 | 5 | Garfield, F.A., 1840-1841 | |||||||||
| 1 | 6 | Gilman, T. & H.R.L., 1849 | |||||||||
| 1 | 7 | Goodwin, Lavinia S. Tyler, ca. 1900 | |||||||||
| 1 | 8 | Gunn, Timothy and Betsy, 1835-1841 | |||||||||
| 1 | 9 | Howland, Mary Rebecca, 1893-1905 | |||||||||
| 1 | 10 | Howland, Sarah Woods, 1836-1898 | |||||||||
| 1 | 11 | Miller, Polly and James, n.d. | |||||||||
| 1 | 12 | Moffatt, Ellen, 1858 | |||||||||
| 1 | 13 | Newhall, George F., 1843 | |||||||||
| 1 | 14 | Stevens, Nathan, ca. 1843 | |||||||||
| 1 | 15 | Van Epps, A.H., 1864 | |||||||||
| 1 | 16 | Whipple, Amiel, 1836 | |||||||||
| 1 | 17 | Woods, Albert H., 1865-1867 | |||||||||
| 1 | 18 | Woods, Charles Ryland, 1842-1864 | |||||||||
| 1 | 19 | Woods, Elias, 1843-1845 | |||||||||
| 1 | 20 | Woods, George J., 1854-1855 | |||||||||
| 1 | 21 | Woods, Henry E.S., 1840-1874 | |||||||||
| 1 | 22 | Woods, Henry Ruiter, 1836-1849 | |||||||||
| 1 | 23 | Woods, Rebecca, 1836-1854 | |||||||||
| 1 | 24 | Woods, Sarah Gilman, 1895 | |||||||||
| 1 | 25 | Woods, Stephen, ca. 1844 | |||||||||
| 1 | 26 | Unknown, 1837 | |||||||||
Series 2: Fanny Woods White, 1843-1891 |
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| Includes correspondence, poetry, prose, diaries, and recipes. There are letters from Fanny Woods White to friends and family members and letters received by Fanny Woods White from her husband, family members, friends, and admirers of her poetry. Among the received letters are several written by Daniel Newton Clark while serving in Tennessee with the 15th Illinois Regiment; these letters contain a very full description of the Battle of Shiloh, and many other interesting observations on Tennessee, Confederate prisoners, setting up camp, life on a steamboat, etc. Also, a few items from the periodical True Flag, addressed to Woods White's pen name "Liffie Locke." Other materials include Fanny Woods White's works, mainly poetry, but also some prose writing, diaries, and recipes. | |||||||||||
| Organized by type of material: outgoing letters, incoming letters, and works. Outgoing and incoming letters arranged alphabetically, and works arranged by type of material and then chronologically. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | Contents | |||||||||
| 1 | 27 | Letters to Sarah Woods Howland, 1843-1851 | |||||||||
| 1 | 28 | Letters to Charlotte H. Lawrence, 1854 | |||||||||
| 1 | 29 | Letters to Nancy Taft Pier, 1885 | |||||||||
| 1 | 30 | Letters to Marcus White, n.d.-1867 | |||||||||
| 1 | 31 | Letters to Charles Ryland Woods, 1864 | |||||||||
| 1 | 32 | Letters to Frederick Moffatt Woods, n.d.-[1882] | |||||||||
| 1 | 33 | Letters to George Woods, n.d. | |||||||||
| 1 | 34 | Letters to Rebecca R. Woods, 1843-1846 | |||||||||
| 1 | 35 | Letters to Susan Gilman Woods, 1875 | |||||||||
| 1 | 36 | Letters to Unknown, ca. 1870 | |||||||||
| 1 | 37 | Letters from Daniel Newton Clark, 1862 | |||||||||
| 1 | 38 | Letters from M. & E. Garvin, 1864-1867 | |||||||||
| 1 | 39 | Letters from Lavinia Goodwin, 1854-1856 | |||||||||
| 1 | 40 | Letters from Sarah Woods Howland, 1891 | |||||||||
| 1 | 41 | Letters from True Flag, 1853-1856 | |||||||||
| 1 | 42-45 | Letters from Marcus White, 1865-1879 | |||||||||
| 1 | 46 | Letters from Charles Ryland Woods, 1853-1864 | |||||||||
| 1 | 47 | Letters from Miscellaneous, A-H, 1854-1868 | |||||||||
| 1 | 48 | Letters from Miscellaneous, L-W, 1844-1891 | |||||||||
| 1 | 49 | Letters from Unidentified, n.d.-1875 | |||||||||
| 2 | 50-51 | Works - Copy Books, n.d.-1843 | |||||||||
| 2 | 52-55 | Works - Diaries, 1854-1866 | |||||||||
| 2 | 56-63 | Works - Poems, n.d., 1842-1884 | |||||||||
| 2 | 64 | Works - Prose, n.d.,1856 | |||||||||
| 2 | 65 | Works - Recipes, n.d. | |||||||||
Series 3: Frederick Moffatt Woods, 1864-1928 |
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| Includes letters written by Frederick Moffatt Woods, letters received by him, a diary and articles, a printed memoir and tribute, clippings, memorabilia, and a scrapbook. Woods' outgoing letters include letters describing his Civil War experiences as a member of the Elgin US Light Artillery at the Battle of Nashville, en route to Washington, D.C., and in that city, and in a Chester, Pa., military hospital. There are also letters to his grandson, Frank H. Woods, and other miscellaneous recipients. Among the incoming letters is a letter from William Jennings Bryan, regarding his opposition to the Carnegie pension because of its funding by the steel trust. | |||||||||||
| Arranged by type of material: outgoing correspondence, incoming correspondence, and works and other miscellany. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | Contents | |||||||||
| 2 | 66 | Civil War Letters to Family, 1864-1865 | |||||||||
| 2 | 67 | Letters to Frank H. Woods, Jr., 1921-1927 | |||||||||
| 2 | 68-70 | Letters to Miscellaneous Correspondents, 1872-1926, n.d. | |||||||||
| 2 | 71 | Letter from William Jennings Bryan, [1909] | |||||||||
| 2 | 72 | Letters from Miscellaneous Correspondents, 1865-1926 | |||||||||
| 3 | 73 | Works - Articles, notes, 1908-1926 | |||||||||
| 3 | 74 | Works - Diary, 1914 | |||||||||
| 3 | 75 | Miscellaneous - Memoir and Tributes (published), ca. 1928 | |||||||||
| 3 | 76 | Miscellaneous - Clippings, Printed Articles, Memorabilia, Obituary, n.d.-1928 | |||||||||
| 3 | 77 | Miscellaneous - Scrapbook of miscellaneous clippings and articles, ca. 1912 | |||||||||
Series 4: Frank H. Woods, Sr., 1890-1967 |
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| Correspondence, speeches and articles, miscellaneous clippings, printed articles concerning Woods, tributes and memorials, and estate information. Correspondence includes courtship letters to Nelle Cochrane, 1890-1893 and from Nelle Cochrane, 1891; and a few miscellaneous letters, 1908-1935. There is also one folder of material relating to Mrs. Frank H. Woods (Nelle Cochrane). | |||||||||||
| Organized by type of material: correspondence, Mrs. Frank H. Woods material, and works and miscellaneous. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | Contents | |||||||||
| 3 | 78-81 | Letters to Nelle Cochrane, 1890-1893 | |||||||||
| 3 | 82 | Letters from Nelle Cochrane, 1891 | |||||||||
| 3 | 83 | Letters - Miscellaneous, 1908-1935 | |||||||||
| 3 | 84 | Mrs. Frank H. Woods, Sr. Material | |||||||||
| 4 | 85 | Works - Speech and Articles, 1900-1946 | |||||||||
| 4 | 86-87 | Miscellaneous - Clippings, miscellaneous printed articles about, 1929-1950 | |||||||||
| 4 | 88 | Miscellaneous - Luncheon Tribute, 1948 | |||||||||
| 4 | 89 | Miscellaneous - Estate material, 1952 | |||||||||
| 4 | 90 | Miscellaneous - In Memoriam, 1952 | |||||||||
| 4 | 91 | Miscellaneous - Printed Articles, 1958-1959 | |||||||||
| 4 | 92 | Miscellaneous - Independent Telephone Hall of Fame, 1965 | |||||||||
| 4 | 93 | Miscellaneous - Focus, Nebraska Weekly Magazine, 1967 | |||||||||
Series 5: Frank H. Woods, Jr., 1820-1975 |
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| Includes genealogical research material, and a few works. Research material is mainly correspondence between relatives, historical societies and libraries concerning the Woods family history. While the letters are mostly written to or by Frank H. Woods, Jr., there are also letters by other relatives concerning the Woods genealogy. There are also research notes and miscellaneous information collected by Woods for his study. Organized with genealogical material preceding works. Genealogical material is roughly arranged alphabetically by the person or family surname or the organizational name. | |||||||||||
| Organized with genealogical material preceding works. Genealogical material is roughly arranged alphabetically by the person or family surname or the organizational name | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | Contents | |||||||||
| 4 | 94 | Miscellaneous Correspondence, 1941-1974 | |||||||||
| 4 | 95 | Ashton, Rick, 1972 | |||||||||
| 4 | 96-99 | Barnett, Lorne E., 1971-1974 | |||||||||
| 4 | 100 | Boone County Historical Society, 1965-1975 | |||||||||
| 4 | 101 | Brome County Historical Society, 1970-1973 | |||||||||
| 5 | 102 | Cochrane Family, 1959-1971 | |||||||||
| 5 | 103-106 | Eddy Family, 1842-1975 | |||||||||
| 5 | 107-108 | Haecker Family, ca. 1935-1974 | |||||||||
| 5 | 109 | Howland Family, 1943-1966 | |||||||||
| 5 | 110 | Pier Family, n.d. | |||||||||
| 5 | 111 | Pray Family, 1866-1966 | |||||||||
| 5 | 112 | Ruiter, Henry - Biography and Clipping, n.d. | |||||||||
| 5 | 113 | Ruiter, Henry - Descendants | |||||||||
| 5 | 114-115 | Ruiter, Henry - Research notes | |||||||||
| 5 | 116 | Ruiter Family | |||||||||
| 5 | 117 | White Family, 1865-1869 | |||||||||
| 6 | 118 | Woods, Albert H. - Diary, 1867 | |||||||||
| 6 | 119 | Woods, Daniel, n.d. | |||||||||
| 6 | 120 | Woods, George J., 1842-1855 | |||||||||
| 6 | 121 | Woods, Henry E., 1859-1874 | |||||||||
| 6 | 122 | Woods, Jedediah and Rebecca, 1844-1847 | |||||||||
| 6 | 123 | Woods Family Correspondence, 1935-1974 | |||||||||
| 6 | 124 | Woods Family Early Miscellaneous Documents, 1820-1854 | |||||||||
| 6 | 125 | Woods Family Memorabilia - School Books, Cards, etc. | |||||||||
| 6 | 126-127 | Woods Family Miscellaneous Research Notes, 1973, n.d. | |||||||||
| 6 | 128 | Woods Family Printed Material, 1851-1960 | |||||||||
| 6 | 129 | Woods Family Wills (typescript excerpts), 1842-1880 | |||||||||
| 6 | 130 | Works - "The Early Days in Illinois," [1970] | |||||||||
| 6 | 131-134 | Works - "Fanny" (rough draft), 1975 | |||||||||
| 6 | 135 | Works - "Why I Like Ike" (printed), n.d. | |||||||||
Series 6: Photographs, ca. 1850-1974 |
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| Mainly photographs of family members. Also images of Woods family homes and monuments, and a few Canadian scenes. | |||||||||||
| Organized with photographs of individuals preceding family shots and images of places and monuments. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | Contents | |||||||||
| 7 | 136 | Gail Eddy | |||||||||
| 7 | 137 | Joseph Ruiter | |||||||||
| 7 | 138 | Marcus White | |||||||||
| 7 | 139 | Charles Ryland Woods | |||||||||
| 7 | 140 | Daniel Woods and Diana H.T. Woods | |||||||||
| 7 | 141 | Fanny Woods | |||||||||
| 7 | 142 | Frank Woods, Jr. | |||||||||
| 7 | 143 | Frank Woods, Sr. | |||||||||
| 7 | 144 | Frederick Moffatt Woods | |||||||||
| 7 | 145 | George J. Woods | |||||||||
| 7 | 146 | Henry Elias Woods | |||||||||
| 7 | 147 | Thomas C. Woods, Jr. | |||||||||
| 7 | 148 | Woods Family Groups | |||||||||
| 7 | 149 | Woods Family Miscellaneous: L.O. Gilman, Lavinia Goodwin, James Miller | |||||||||
| 7 | 150 | Unidentified | |||||||||
| 7 | 151 | Woods Family Homes | |||||||||
| 7 | 152 | Woods Family Monuments | |||||||||
| 7 | 153-154 | Woods Family: Canadian Scenes | |||||||||
Series 7: Oversize, 1831-1874 |
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| Box | |||||||||||
| 8 | Amherst College Diploma: Henry R. Woods, 1831 | ||||||||||
| 8 | Map Showing the Entire Field of Operations Under Grant, Sherman, and Farragut From Harper's Weekly (Removed to Newberry Library Map Collection), Sept. 17, 1864 | ||||||||||
| 8 | Playbill for "Belshazzar," [ca. 1868] | ||||||||||
| 8 | The Belvidere Standard, Dec. 8, 1874 | ||||||||||
Series 8: Artifacts |
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| A wooden Dispatch Box with note attached by Frederick M. Woods reading " This military chest was carried thro the Rev War by my Gt Grand Father Lt Col Hendrick Ruyter (formerly Henrick DeRuyter)..." Inside the lid of the box is attached a genealogical document "Data of the Ruiter or Ruyter Family" written by E.C. Bartnett. The box is empty except for a small leather purse belonging to Elias Woods. | |||||||||||
| Box | |||||||||||
| 9 | Wooden Dispatch Box | ||||||||||