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Nichols family archive
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Title: Nichols family archive
Inclusive Dates: 1859-1899
Collection Number: mssNichols
Collector:
Nichols family
Extent:
3 boxes
Repository:
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens
Manuscripts Department
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2191
Fax: (626) 449-5720
Email: reference@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org
Abstract: The Nichols family was a prominent New England family. This archive focuses specifically on two brothers: George Granville
Nichols and Smith Woodward Nichols, Jr.
Language of Material: The records are in English.
Collection is open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information,
please go to following
web site .
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.
Nichols family archive, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Purchased from James Arsenault & Co., 2018.
Smith Woodward Nichols (1809-1881), was a prosperous Boston builder and prominent Freemason. In the late 1850s, he moved to
Melrose (now part of Greater Boston). His wife, Emeline Pope Nichols (1812-1893), was a daughter of a Maine master mariner
and granddaughter of Major Isaac Pope, a Revolutionary War veteran. The couple had ten children, including George Granville
and Smith Woodward, Jr.
George Granville Nichols (1836-1899), a stone mason, left Boston to go West, settling in Davenport, Iowa. In July 1862, he
enlisted in the 42nd Massachusetts Infantry Regiment and fought in Louisiana until his 9-month regiment was mustered out in
August 1863. In April – August 1864, Nichols served as 2nd Lieutenant of an unattached company of the Regiment of Massachusetts
Infantry, and on August 1, was commissioned 1st Lieutenant of Co. K. of the 4th Regiment of Massachusetts Heavy Artillery.
He was mustered out in June 1865.
Smith Woodward Nichols, Jr. (1843-1915), graduated from the Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland in 1860 and served in the
United States Navy. During the American Civil War, he served on the United States steam frigate "Wabash," sailing frigate
"Macedonian," and steam sloop "Shenandoah." In January 1865, he commanded the assault at Fort Fisher. After the war, he served
with Asiatic and South Pacific Squadrons and was commissioned Commander in 1876. Nichols retired in 1882.
The Nichols family archive consists of correspondence, manuscript volumes, military records, and photographs. George Granville
Nichols's letters constitute the largest group of correspondence. His letters from Iowa covered economic, social, and political
life in the antebellum Midwest. He wrote about the politics of slavery and abolition, and activities of the local fraternities
and lodges. His letters also contained detailed discussion of his plans to go West to mine for gold, complete with considerations
of logistics, competitors, and financial risks. His wartime letters covered the entire period of his service in the 42nd Massachusetts
Infantry Regiment. Nichols's letters to his family contained highly informative and vivid descriptions of the American Civil
War in Louisiana, including his encounters with slaves, "contrabands," women of color, "rebels," Confederate prisoners, spies,
and even some rather creative cotton smugglers. Smith Woodward Nichols, Jr.'s letters described his studies at the Naval Academy
and his American Civil War service, including an account of the assault of Fort Fisher. In addition to letters from the Nichols
brothers, letters from other family members are present in the collection and present a great resource for examining family
and social dynamics of the American Civil War era.
A highlight of the collection is a 27-page diary letter written by George Granville Nichols to his family on May 1, 1859 (Box
1, Folder 7). This diary letter documented one of the most celebrated post-California gold rushes, the excitement that erupted
after the discovery of gold in the vicinity of present-day Denver, Colorado. Nichols commented about the difficult conditions
of travel, the captivating sights of unfamiliar wild life (especially buffalo), encounters with and presence of Indigenous
peoples, and the great number of gold seekers on the road. Part of the journey occurred along the Santa Fe Trail.
Box 2 includes three volumes of lectures recorded by Commander Smith Woodward Nichols, Jr. In 1880, Nichols was ordered to
take courses on torpedoes, explosives, and electricity at the United States Torpedo Station in Newport, Rhode Island.
Box 3 primarily includes correspondence related to George Granville Nichols's military service from the United States Army
Quartermaster General's Office; United States Department of Treasury; and United States War Department Subsistence Department.
He accumulated this paperwork during his service as the assistant quartermaster of the 4th Mass. Artillery, including special
orders, requests for ambulances, and proceedings of a board survey. There are three cartes-de-visite, one daguerreotype, and
a United States Navy medal of service, likely owned by Smith Woodward Nichols, Jr.
Arrangement
Box 1: Correspondence; Box 2: Manuscript volumes; and Box 3: Miscellaneous correspondence, documents, and photographs
Nichols family
Nichols, George Granville, 1836-1899
Nichols, Smith Woodward, 1809-1881
Nichols, Smith Woodward, Jr., 1843-1915
Shenandoah (Screw sloop)
United States. Army. Massachusetts Heavy Artillery Regiment, 4th (1864-1865)
United States. Army. Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, 42nd (1862-1864)
United States. Navy
United States Naval Torpedo Station (Newport, R.I.)
American bison hunting
Electricity
Explosives, Military
Sailors
Slavery -- United States -- Public opinion -- History -- 19th century -- Sources
Soldiers
Torpedoes
Colorado -- Gold discoveries
Davenport (Iowa)
Fort Fisher (N.C. : Fort) Siege, 1864-1865 -- Personal narratives
Louisiana -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Personal narratives
Middle West -- History -- 19th century -- Sources
New Orleans (La.)
Santa Fe National Historic Trail -- Description and travel
United States -- History -- 1815-1861 -- Sources
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Correspondence
Cartes-de-visite (card photographs)
Correspondence (letters)
Daguerreotypes (photographs)
Lectures
Military records