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G. Joseph Sills, Jr. Papers: Finding Aid
mssSills papers
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Title: G. Joseph Sills, Jr. Papers
Dates (inclusive): 1878-2000
Bulk dates: 1984-2000
Collection Number: mssSills papers
Creator:
Sills, G. Joseph, Jr.
Extent: 284 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 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).
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]. G. Joseph Sills, Jr. Papers, The Huntington Library,
San Marino, California.
Gift of Virginia Sills, April 7, 2004.
Processing/Project Information
Additional Items included with Finding aid:
- Summary of correspondence between G. Joseph Sills, Jr., Brian Pohanka and Ronald Nichols.
- Pohanka, Brian C., 1955- (2000) A Tribute to Joe Sills.
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.
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.
This collection is arranged in two boxes:
- Box 1: Correspondence
- Box 2: Research, Manuscripts, and Ephemera
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
Huntington Library's Online Catalog.
Benteen, Frederick
William, 1834-1898.
Custer, George A.
(George Armstrong), 1839-1876.
Keogh, Myles Walter,
1840-1876.
Reno, Marcus A. (Marcus
Albert), 1835-1889.
Sills, G. Joseph, Jr.
Custer Battlefield
Historical and Museum Association.
Custer Battlefield
Preservation Committee.
United States. Army.
Cavalry, 7th.
Historians -- United States --
Archives.
Little Bighorn, Battle of the, Mont.,
1876.
Little Bighorn
Battlefield National Monument (Mont.)
Articles -- United States -- 20th
century.
Essays -- United States -- 20th
century.
Lectures -- United States -- 20th
century.
Letters (correspondence) -- United
States -- 20th century.
Research (document genres) -- United
States -- 20th century.
Nichols, Ronald H. (Ronald Hamilton),
1935-.
Pohanka, Brian C., 1955-.
Taunton, Francis B.