This collection contains the papers of John R. Evertson, of Poughkeepsie, New York, and his family, chiefly dating from 1847-1866. Includes correspondence between Evertson family members with three distinct sections: Mexican-American War, Civil War, and California.

John R. Evertson, of Poughkeepsie, New York, and Laura Morin, of Savannah, Georgia, were married in the 1830s. The couple had four children: John Jr., Clinton, Evert and Laura. Evertson spent some time in Camargo, Mexico, during the Mexican-American War (his exact business is unclear). In the 1850s, the family moved to Los Angeles, California, where Evertson took a job as a census enumerator. In 1862, Laura, by that time a widow, tried to secure properties in New York and Georgia. She sent her son Evert back East to look out for the family properties. While in New York he stayed with a family friend, William H. Richards. On Evert's way to Savannah, however, he was arrested by federal troops and spent the next two years as a citizen prisoner in federal prisons, first in Carroll (Old Capitol Prison, Washington, D.C.) and then Point Lookout, Maryland.

56 items in 2 boxes

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