G. Joseph Sills, Jr. Papers, 1878-2000, bulk 1984-2000

Printable guide [HTML]
Request items

Summary

Creators:
Sills, G. Joseph, Jr.
Abstract:
This collection contains the research materials and correspondence of G. Joseph Sills (1931-2000) concerning the events surrounding th Battle of Little Big Horn and Custer's Last Stand. The collection revolves around not only George A. Custer, but several of his subordinates as well (Myles Walter Keogh, Frederick William Benteen, and Marcus A. Reno).
Extent:
284 items in 2 boxes.
Language:
English.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains the research materials and correspondence of G. Joseph Sills (1931-2000) concerning the events surrounding th Battle of Little Big Horn and Custer's Last Stand. The collection has been divided into two boxes: one containing his correspondence with various historians and National Park Service personnel, one holding his research and writings. The correspondence extends chronologically from Sills first visit to the Little Big Horn Associates annual conference in 1984 through his death in the summer of 2000. Chief correspondents include historians Brian Pohanka, Ronald Nichols, and Francis B. Taunton. A summary of the sixteen years of exchanges between Sills, Pohanka, and Nichols has been compiled by Pohanka and is at the end of this finding aid.

The research Sills collected contains notes made while investigating the Battle of Little Big Horn at the National Archives and other pertinent archives. Much of his research was documented by hand on yellow legal pads and is contained herewith. The collection also contains photocopies of other manuscript materials with Sills’ annotation. Intensely focused on the events surrounding Custer’s Last Stand, the collection revolves around not only George A. Custer, but several of his subordinates as well (Myles Walter Keogh, Frederick William Benteen, and Marcus A. Reno). In addition, there are a number of articles--both published and unpublished--written by Sills’ colleagues and correspondents. Lastly, Sills’ various lectures and essays are included in this collection. These writings range from esoteric jottings on scraps of paper to final, typewritten drafts. The largely undated material in this box is arranged alphabetically and grouped into (1) notes and research, (2) secondary literature, and (3) Sills’ writings, manuscripts, and ephemera.

Biographical / historical:

A member of the English Westerners Society, the Custer Battlefield Historical and Museum Association (CBHMA) and the Little Big Horn Associates, G. Joseph Sills, Jr. (1931-2000) of Baltimore, Maryland, was a dedicated as well as respected student of Custer’s Last Stand. Maryland’s longtime Commissioner for Workers’ Compensation, Sills brought a keen mind and impartial spirit to the study of the famous battle.

G. Joseph Sills was born in Lima, Ohio, in 1931 and graduated from Loyola College in 1952. He received his law degree from the University of Maryland Law School in 1960. Author of an introduction to the 1995 edition of Men With Custer: Biographies of the Seventh Cavalry, he was a frequent participant in panel discussions and lectures at the CBHMA’s annual symposiums. In the early 1990s, he actively assisted in the conservation of the Custer Battlefield Historical Monument. In addition, Sills was also a lifelong Sherlock Holmes enthusiast. He died in 2000.

Acquisition information:
Gift of Virginia Sills, April 7, 2004.
Arrangement:

This collection is arranged in two boxes:

  • Box 1: Correspondence
  • Box 2: Research, Manuscripts, and Ephemera

Rules or conventions:
Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
Website