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Gustavus F. Jocknick Papers: Finding Aid
mssHM 72615-72667
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Title: Gustavus F. Jocknick Papers
Dates (inclusive): 1853-1922
Collection Number: mssHM 72615-72667
Creator:
Jocknick, Gustavus F., 1817-
Extent: 57 items in 2 boxes
Repository:
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.
Manuscripts Department
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2129
Email: reference@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org
Abstract: This collection contains the papers of American Civil War Captain Gustavus Ferdinand Jochnick (1817-1890).
Chiefly consists of correspondence
from Gustavus F. Jocknick to his friend John Wilkin, including discussion of the Civil War and discussing army movements,
battles, and political events. Some
of the later letters also discuss Jocknick's work as a clerk at the Office of Indian Affairs in Washington, D.C., and as a
farmer in Colorado.
Language: English.
Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services
Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.
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.
[Identification of item]. Gustavus F. Jocknick Papers, The Huntington Library,
San Marino, California.
Gift of Betty Freymond, July 13, 2009.
Gustavus Ferdinand Jochnick (1817-1890) (he later modified his name to Gustavus F. Jocknick - in
some Civil War records he is referred to as the further Americanized name George F.
Jocknick) was born in 1817, probably in Göteborg, Sweden. He enlisted in the United
States Army in 1840, and in 1846 was one of the Swedish emigrants to obtain a patent
for 40 acres of public land in Lockbridge, Jefferson County, Iowa. In July 1847, he
again enlisted in the army and served in Mexico. He married Beatrice Nicholson (1826-1910) in
November 1848.
In 1853 and 1854, Jocknick was living in San Francisco, California (his occupation is unknown).
In 1860, he and his family were living in Newark, New Jersey. By April 1861 he was
out of work and contemplating joining a regiment of volunteers. On October 1, 1861
he enlisted in the 3rd Regiment of New York Cavalry and commissioned Captain of
Company I. He fought in North Carolina and Virginia, taking part in the bloodiest
campaigns of the war. After the war, he briefly enlisted in the regular army, and by
1866 was employed as a clerk at the Office of Indian Affairs of the Department of
the Interior. In 1869, he was summoned to witness the distribution of a million
dollars of government money to the Cherokee Indians. He found himself under arrest,
charged with conspiracy to defraud the Indians. In 1874, Jocknick was cleared of all
charges by Congress and awarded full compensation (Congressional Bill HR 1151 of
June 14, 1874).
The Jocknicks had four children: Sidney (b. 1849), Dehlia, Blanche (b.1858), and
Clifton (b.1868). Sidney Jocknick was the author of
Early days
on the western slope of Colorado
first published in 1933.
Around 1870, Sidney Jocknick moved to Colorado and in 1876, the Jocknick family also
moved to Colorado. They settled in Ouray County where Gustavus began farming. In
1886 he moved to San Diego for health reasons.
The collection, which is arranged chronologically, contains mostly correspondence
from Gustavus F. Jocknick to his friend John Wilkin. In the first two letters, which
are written from San Francisco, Jocknick talks about San Francisco and his life in
California. In his letters of 1860, Jocknick talks about his attempt to find work in
New Jersey, the news of the upcoming war, and secession, the possibility of
enlisting in the army, Abraham Lincoln, James G. Bennett and Nehemiah Perry. In his
letters from 1861 to 1865, Jocknick talks about the impending war, his decision to
enlist, William H. Seward, John C. Ten Eyck, Nathaniel Banks, and the election of
Abraham Lincoln; he also talks about his enlistment in the 3rd Regiment of New York
Cavalry under James Van Alen and John Mix. Jocknick also talks much about the
movements of the armies and possible battles and mentions specifically: George
McClellan, Charles P. Stone, Ambrose Burnside, Ulysses S. Grant, Benjamin F. Butler,
August V. Kautz, G. T. Beauregard, George Mead, and Winfield Scott Hancock. Jocknick
also mentions the Emancipation Proclamation and his fellow soldiers’ reaction to it
which were mostly negative.
After the war, Jocknick began working as a clerk at the Office of Indian Affairs in
Washington D.C. In his letters from this time (1865-1876) he talks about his job and
duties as well as James Harlan and President Andrew Johnson. He also talks about the
presidential election of Ulysses S. Grant, and the possibility of William Tecumseh
Sherman running for president.
In his letters after 1876, May 2, Jocknick is living in Ouray County, Colorado, as a
farmer and talks about his life in the West as well as the Ute Indians, land and
possible gold and silver mines. There is one letter by Jocknick in 1886 (written
from San Diego) to the Pension Bureau. It includes three items regarding his
pension.
The last item in the collection is an incomplete letter by Jocknick’s son Clifton to
his brother Sidney Jocknick. In this letter (written circa 1922) Clifton talks about
living in Southern California, and real estate prices and problems in Los Angeles
and Pasadena.
Arranged chronologically.
Jocknick, Sidney, 1849-1930.
- Addressee of Clifton Jocknick letter [c.1922]. HM 72667.
Banks, Nathaniel Prentiss, 1816-1894
- Subject in Gustavus F. Jocknick, b. 1817 letter (1861, Sep. 7) to John Wilkin. HM 72634.
Beauregard, G. T. (Gustave Toutant), 1818-1893
- Subject in Gustavus F. Jocknick, b. 1817 letter (1864, June 10) to John Wilkin. HM 72645.
Bennett, James Gordon, 1795-1872
- Subject in Gustavus F. Jocknick, b. 1817 letter (1860, Oct. 31) to John Wilkin. HM 72625.
Burnside, Ambrose Everett, 1824-1881
- Subject in Gustavus F. Jocknick, b. 1817 letters (1862, Feb. 27 & June 12) to John Wilkin. HM 72636-72637.
Butler, Benjamin F. (Benjamin Franklin), 1818-1893
- Subject in Gustavus F. Jocknick, b. 1817 letter (1864, May 22) to John Wilkin. HM 72644.
Emancipation Proclamation
- Subject in Gustavus F. Jocknick, b. 1817 letter (1863, Mar. 11-13) to John Wilkin. HM 72638.
Grant, Ulysses S. (Ulysses Simpson), 1822-1885
- Subject in Gustavus F. Jocknick, b. 1817 letter (1863, Mar. 11-13) to John Wilkin. HM 72638.
- Subject in Gustavus F. Jocknick, b. 1817 letter (1865, Jan. 21) to John Wilkin. HM 72649.
- Subject in Gustavus F. Jocknick, b. 1817 letters (1868) to John Wilkin. HM 72655-72657.
Hancock, Winfield Scott, 1824-1886
- Subject in Gustavus F. Jocknick, b. 1817 letters (1865, Jan. 21 & Feb. 8) to John Wilkin. HM 72649-72650.
Harlan, James, 1820-1899
- Subject in Gustavus F. Jocknick, b. 1817 letters (1866, Mar. 24 & Nov. 8) to John Wilkin. HM 72652-72653.
Johnson, Andrew, 1808-1875
- Subject in Gustavus F. Jocknick, b. 1817 letter (1866, Mar. 24) to John Wilkin. HM 72652.
Kautz, August V. (August Valentine), 1828-1895
- Subject in Gustavus F. Jocknick, b. 1817 letter (1864, May 22) to John Wilkin. HM 72644.
Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865
- Subject in Gustavus F. Jocknick, b. 1817 letters (1860, Oct. 31 & Nov. 22) to John Wilkin. HM 72625-72626.
- Subject in Gustavus F. Jocknick, b. 1817 letter (1861, Mar. 28) to John Wilkin. HM 72629.
- Subject in Gustavus F. Jocknick, b. 1817 letter (1863, Mar. 11-13) to John Wilkin. HM 72638.
Los Angeles (Calif.)
- Subject in Clifton Jocknick letter [c.1922] to John Wilkin. HM 72667.
McClellan, George Brinton, 1826-1885
- Subject in Gustavus F. Jocknick, b. 1817 letter (1862, Jan. 3) to John Wilkin. HM 72635.
Mead, George Gordon, 1815-1872
- Subject in Gustavus F. Jocknick, b. 1817 letter (1864, June 10) to John Wilkin. HM 72645.
Mines and mineral resources – Colorado
- Subject in Gustavus F. Jocknick, b. 1817 letter (1878, Apr. 15) to John Wilkin. HM 72665.
Mix, John
- Subject in Gustavus F. Jocknick, b. 1817 letter (1861, Oct. 1) to John Wilkin. HM 72632.
Ouray County (Colo.)
- Subject in Gustavus F. Jocknick, b. 1817 letters (1876, May 2 & 1878) to John Wilkin. HM 72663-72665.
Pasadena (Calif.)
- Subject in Clifton Jocknick letter [c.1922] to John Wilkin. HM 72667.
Perry, Nehemiah, b. 1816
- Subject in Gustavus F. Jocknick, b. 1817 letter (1860, Nov. 22) to John Wilkin. HM 72626.
- Subject in Gustavus F. Jocknick, b. 1817 letter (1861, Mar. 15) to John Wilkin. HM 72628.
San Francisco (Calif.)
- Subject in Gustavus F. Jocknick, b. 1817 letters (1853-1854) to John Wilkin. HM 72615-72616.
Secession – Southern States
- Subject in Gustavus F. Jocknick, b. 1817 letters (1853-1854) to John Wilkin. HM 72615-72616.
Seward, William Henry, 1801-1872.
- Subject in Gustavus F. Jocknick, b. 1817 letter (1861, Mar. 15) to John Wilkin. HM 72628.
Sherman, William T. (William Tecumseh), 1820-1891
- Subject in Gustavus F. Jocknick, b. 1817 letter (1866, Nov. 8) to John Wilkin. HM 72653.
Stone, Chas. P. (Charles Pomeroy), 1824-1887
- Subject in Gustavus F. Jocknick, b. 1817 letter (1862, Jan. 3) to John Wilkin. HM 72635.
Ten Eyck, John C. (John Conover), 1814-1879
- Subject in Gustavus F. Jocknick, b. 1817 letter (1861, Mar. 15) to John Wilkin. HM 72628.
United States. Office of Indian Affairs
- Subject in Gustavus F. Jocknick, b. 1817 letters (1865, Oct. 10, 1866, Mar. 24 & Nov. 8) to John Wilkin. HM 72651-72653.
- Subject in Gustavus F. Jocknick, b. 1817 letters (1870 & 1876, Jan. 27) to John Wilkin. HM 72659-72661.
Ute Indians
- Subject in Gustavus F. Jocknick, b. 1817 letter (1878, Apr. 15) to John Wilkin. HM 72665.
Van Alen, James H.
- Subject in Gustavus F. Jocknick, b. 1817 letter (1861, Oct. 1) to John Wilkin. HM 72632.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
Huntington Library's Online Catalog.
Banks, Nathaniel
Prentiss, 1816-1894.
Beauregard, G. T.
(Gustave Toutant), 1818-1893.
Bennett, James Gordon,
1795-1872.
Burnside, Ambrose
Everett, 1824-1881.
Butler, Benjamin F.
(Benjamin Franklin), 1818-1893.
Grant, Ulysses S.
(Ulysses Simpson), 1822-1885.
Hancock, Winfield
Scott, 1824-1886.
Harlan, James,
1820-1899.
Jocknick, Gustavus F.,
b. 1817.
Johnson, Andrew,
1808-1875.
Kautz, August V.
(August Valentine), 1828-1895.
Lincoln, Abraham,
1809-1865.
McClellan, George
Brinton, 1826-1885.
Mead, George Gordon,
1815-1872.
Perry, Nehemiah, b.
1816.
Seward, William Henry,
1801-1872.
Sherman, William T.
(William Tecumseh), 1820-1891.
Stone, Chas. P.
(Charles Pomeroy), 1824-1887.
Ten Eyck, John C.
(John Conover), 1814-1879.
United States. Office
of Indian Affairs.
United States.
President (1861-1865 : Lincoln). Emancipation Proclamation.
Mines and mineral resources --
Colorado.
Secession -- Southern States --
Sources.
Ute Indians.
Los Angeles (Calif.) --
Description and travel.
Ouray County (Colo.) --
History -- 19th century -- Sources.
Pasadena (Calif.) --
Description and travel.
San Francisco (Calif.)
-- Description and travel.
United States --
History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Correspondence.
Letters (correspondence) -- United
States -- 19th century.
Letters (correspondence) -- United
States -- 20th century.
Jocknick, Sidney, 1849-1930,
recipient.