Collection context
Summary
- Creators:
- Siperly, John R.
- Abstract:
- The John R. Siperly papers primarily consist of correspondence to and from John R. Siperly, 22nd Regiment, Wisconsin Volunteers, before and during the Civil War.
- Extent:
- 3 boxes
- Language:
- The records are in English .
Background
- Scope and content:
-
This collection covers a broad range of subjects in the antebellum, Civil War, and World War I periods of American history. The correspondence of John R. Siperly, a Wisconsin carpenter turned Civil War soldier, includes his letters and letters he received from friends and family in Walworth County, Wisconsin. Siperly's letters discuss military service, including the Atlanta campaign and March to the Sea; assisting fugitive slaves; work at the field hospital, (including a detailed description of treating Andersonville survivors); his take on the war; and political news. Letters from home include correspondence from his young nieces (including Harriet F. Bailey (1833-1921), later a California artist specializing in industrial design) and other young women who had organized a campaign of writing to soldiers. The topics discussed in these letters include local, state, and national news; schools and teachers; and Copperheads. Also present are letters of Arnold J. Miracle, private of the 13th Regiment of U.S. Engineers stationed in Belgium and France during World War I.
Box 1: Correspondence; Box 2: Correspondence; and Box 3: Documents, manuscripts, and ephemera.
- Biographical / historical:
-
John R. Siperly was born in 1837. He was the son of Peter and Elizabeth Siperly.
Prior to the war, his family and he eked out a living off the land, in Walworth County, Wisconsin. The family was engaged in farming and hauling. Short of his 25th birthday, John R. Siperly joined the 22nd Wisconsin Infantry Regiment, which was formed in September 1862, at Racine, Wisconsin. - Goldsmid & Allen Appraisals, 2017
- Acquisition information:
- Gift of Craig P. Knapp and Rachel R. McCallister, March 2018.
- Rules or conventions:
- Finding Aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Access and use
- Location of this collection:
-
1151 Oxford RoadSan Marino, CA 91108, US
- Contact:
- (626) 405-2191