Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- Taylor family correspondence
- Dates:
- 1837-1869
- Abstract:
- Papers belonging to Union American Civil War soldiers Douglass S. Taylor, Addison C. Taylor, and their family.
- Extent:
- 4.8 Linear Feet (4 boxes)
- Language:
- Materials are in English.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item]. Taylor family correspondence, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The collection contains 204 letters and some ephemera. Letters that Douglass S. Taylor wrote to his mother and siblings between December 1860 and June 1865 make up the bulk of the collection. The letters describe his life in Evans, New York, his enlistment in the army and military service. The letters cover his entire American Civil War service, including his duty in Baltimore, Maryland; the movement against Jeb Stuart's Chambersburg raid, October 12-15, 1862; duty at Carrollton and Baton Rouge, Louisiana; duty at Camp New Iberia and Franklin, Louisiana; the Red River Campaign; duty at Morganza, Louisiana; Snicker's Gap expedition; Sheridan's Shenandoah Valley Campaign; duty at Middletown, Newtown, Stephenson's Depot, Virginia and Washington, D.C. Some letters contain passing references to Taylor's maternal uncle Abraham Sherwood Coan (1829-1874), an opera singer known under his stage name SC Campbell. Also included are letters by Addison C. Taylor that cover his Civil War service, including his duty in Washington, D.C. and the Peninsular Campaign; letters of Elizabeth Hannah Coan Taylor from New Haven, with particular emphasis on religious life; letters of condolences and tributes to Addison C. Taylor, and transcripts of letters from Sarah Hayward Torrey Eddy (1817-1885), one of the first graduates of Mount Holyoke, Class of 1839, and a mathematics teacher there from 1837 to 1853.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Douglass S. Taylor (1846-1896), was the son of Horace Addison Taylor (1818-1852) and Elizabeth Hannah Coan (1820-1879). Taylor's grandparents, Horace Taylor (1786- 1843) and Nancy Douglass (1784-1858) moved from their native Connecticut to Ohio. Following the death of Horace Addison Taylor in 1852, the family returned to New Haven, Connecticut. Taylor's elder brother Addison Coan Taylor (1841-1863) attended the New Haven Collegiate and Commercial Institute and served as a military instructor there. Douglass was sent to live with his uncle Sherman Douglass Taylor (1814-1893) in Evans, New York, where he attended local school and worked on a farm. His mother remained in New Haven with her daughter, Sebella. Douglass S. Taylor enlisted in the 116th Regiment of New York Volunteers in September 1862. He started his service as a drummer and rose to the rank of corporal in May 1864. With his regiment, Taylor fought in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Virginia, taking part in the operations against Port Hudson, March 1863, the Red River Campaign, from March to May 1864, and Sheridan's Shenandoah Valley Campaign. At the Battle at Kock's Plantation, July 12-13, 1863, he was captured but was soon paroled and ended up at Camp Prole, Annapolis, Maryland, where he remained until exchanged in late October 1863. Taylor was discharged in June 1865. In the 1870s, he moved to Chicago and became a real estate developer. In summer 1862, Addison C. Taylor recruited a company of the 27th Regiment of Connecticut Infantry. Severely wounded in the battle of Fredericksburg, he died at home in New Haven in March 1863. Taylor's sister Sebella married Henry Turner Eddy and lived in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
- Acquisition information:
- Gift of Beatrice F. Hunt, June 2005.
- Processing information:
-
Processed by Olga Tsapina in April 2009. In April 2025, Brooke M. Black created a finding aid.
- Arrangement:
-
Arranged chronologically.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
- Subjects:
- Peninsular Campaign, 1862 -- Personal narratives
Red River Expedition, 1864 -- Personal narratives
Shenandoah Valley Campaign, 1864 (May-August) -- Personal narratives
Soldiers -- United States -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Correspondence
Women college students -- Massachusetts -- Correspondence
Family papers
Letters (correspondence) - Names:
- Collegiate and Commercial Institute (New
Haven, Conn.)
Mount Holyoke Female Seminary
United States. Army. Connecticut Infantry Regiment, 27th (1862-1863)
United States. Army. New York Infantry Regiment, 116th (1862-1865)
Taylor family
Campbell, S. C. (Sherwood Coan), 1829-1874
Eddy, Henry T. (Henry Turner), 1844-1921 -- Family
Eddy, Sebella E. Taylor
Taylor, Addison Coan, 1841-1863
Taylor, Douglass Sherman, 1846-1896 - Places:
- Baltimore (Md.) -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 --
Sources
Camp Parole (Md.)
Connecticut -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Regimental histories -- Sources
Evans (N.Y. : Town) -- History -- 19th century -- Sources
Louisiana -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Sources
Mississippi -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Sources
New Haven (Conn.) -- History -- 19th century -- Sources
New York (State) -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Regimental histories -- Sources
Pennsylvania -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Sources
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Sources
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Regimental histories -- Connecticut -- Sources
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Regimental histories -- New York (State) -- Sources
Virginia -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Sources
About this collection guide
- Date Encoded:
- This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2025-06-02 15:33:51 -0700 .
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.
- Terms of access:
-
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]. Taylor family correspondence, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
- Location of this collection:
-
1151 Oxford RoadSan Marino, CA 91108, US
- Contact:
- (626) 405-2191