Edward Davis Townsend Papers: Finding Aid mssHM 41567-41724
Brooke M. Black
The Huntington Library
January 2021
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Business Number: (626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
Note
Last updated by Brooke M. Black in February 2024.
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Edward Davis Townsend papers
Creator:
Townsend, E. D. (Edward Davis), 1817-1893
Identifier/Call Number: mssHM 41567-41724
Physical Description:
7.2 Linear Feet
(6 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1761-1928
Date (bulk): 1837-1879
Abstract: Papers belonging to American Civil War soldier Edward Davis Townsend.
Language of Material: Materials are in English.
Conditions Governing Access
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more
information.
Conditions Governing Use
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material,
nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and
obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item]. Edward Davis Townsend papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. C. David Herlihy, 1975.
Biographical / Historical
Edward Davis Townsend (1817-1893) was the son of David S. Townsend and Eliza Gerry Townsend and grandson of Elbridge Gerry.
A West Point graduate in 1837, he served in the 2nd Seminole War and in 1846 was transferred to the Adjutant General's department.
In 1851, he was assigned to the Pacific Division and served on the Pacific Coast until February 1856. During the Civil War,
Townsend was Adjutant General to Winfield Scott, and in 1862 became U. S. Adjutant-General. After the war, Townsend supervised
the compilation of the documents published as the War of the Rebellion : Official Records; he retired in 1880.
Scope and Contents
A collection of the personal and professional papers of Edward Davis Townsend. Included in the collection are official and
private correspondence, chiefly letters addressed to him, military records, journals, memoirs, and a few photographs. Two
journals cover the 2nd Seminole War from 1837 to 1838, and his service in California from 1851 to 1856. The latter was incorporated
into a memoir entitled "A Trip to California;" both accounts are accompanied by pencil sketches. An unfinished memoir covers
Townsend's life and career until the beginning of the Mexican War. The collection also contains a group of personal and political
correspondence of Elbridge Gerry, including pieces related to his diplomatic and political career from 1772 to 1814, and the
correspondence of Ann Thompson Gerry and Eliza Gerry Townsend. Also included are a copy of Samuel Auchmuty's 1761 sermon on
1 John 5:7, and contemporary copies of Jefferson Davis' letters to his wife Varina Howell Davis from 1861 to 1865.
Processing Information
Processed by Huntington Library staff in 1976. In 2021, Brooke M. Black created a finding aid.
Arrangement
Organized in three series: Series 1. Correspondence and documents, 1761-1928; 2. Ephemera, 1841-1928; 3. Volumes, 1837-approximately
1880.
Bibliography
Townsend's California journal (HM 41696) was published as The California diary of General E.D. Townsend / edited by Malcolm
Edwards (Los Angeles: W. Ritchie Press, 1970).
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Seminole War, 2nd, 1835-1842 -- Personal narratives
Sermons, American -- 18th century
Women -- United States -- Correspondence
California -- Description and travel
California -- History -- 1850-1950 -- Sources
California -- Pictorial works
Florida -- History -- 1821-1865 -- Sources
United States -- History, Military -- To 1900 -- Sources
United States -- History -- 1783-1865 -- Sources
United States -- History -- 18th century -- Sources
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Sources
Diaries -- United States -- 19th century
Drawings (visual works) -- California -- 19th century
Memoirs -- United States -- 19th century
Military records -- United States -- 19th century
Military records -- United States -- Civil War, 1861-1865
Personal papers -- United States
Photographs -- United States -- 19th century
Professional papers -- United States -- 19th century
Auchmuty, Samuel, 1722-1777
Davis, Jefferson, 1808-1889
Davis, Varina, 1826-1906
Gerry, Ann Thompson, 1763-1849
Gerry, Elbridge, 1744-1814
Townsend, Eliza Gerry, 1791-1882
United States. Adjutant-General's Office -- History -- Sources
United States. Army. Division of the Pacific
United States. Army -- History -- 19th century -- Sources
United States. Army -- Officers -- Archives
Correspondence and documents
1761-1928
Box 3
Ephemera
1841-1928
Scope and Contents
Includes mssHM 41683 Edward D. Townsend scrapbook, approximately 1892.
Box 4
Ephemera - spool of thread with hidden message
1861 February 10
Scope and Contents
Message hidden in spool of thread: W.A. Nichols to the "Commanding Officer at Fort Duncan," 1861 February 10. With typewritten
transcription.
Volumes
1837-approximately 1880
Box 5, Folder 1
The Consequence of M. Blondin's feat at Niagara: a cartoon story mssHM 41681
approximately 1859
Box 5, Folder 2
The Abduction of Jemmy Bruce mssHM 41682
1878
Box 5, Folder 3
Journals mssHM 41695
1837-1838
Box 6
Journal...Pacific Coast mssHM 41696
1851-1856
Box 5, Folder 4
Memoir of Early Life to the Mexican War mssHM 41697
approximately 1870
Box 5, Folder 5
Memoir of Trip to California mssHM 41698
approximately 1880
Box 5, Folder 6
Sketches of Panama and California mssHM 41705
1851-1856
