Series 7: Oversize, 1831-1874
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.
Dates
- Creation: 1831-1874
Creator
- From the Collection: Woods, Frank H. (Frank Henry), 1905-1980 (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
The Woods Family Papers are open for research in the Special Collections Reading Room; 1 box at a time (Priority III).
Repository Details
Part of the The Newberry Library - Modern Manuscripts and Archives Repository
60 West Walton Street
Chicago Illinois 60610 United States
312-255-3512
reference@newberry.org