The collection contains ten handwritten documents related to James W. Temple from before and during the Civil War: three letters between Temple and his wife Bessie while he was stationed in Tennessee; six pages of poetry written in Temple's hand, some showing revisions of the same work; and an unsigned letter addressed to "Solomon & Co." that describes James and Bess Temple getting stuck in a flood in Truro Township in early 1857.

James W. Temple was born in Ohio in 1828, and was married to Bessie P. Cook of Vermont in October of 1854. They settled in Knox County, Illinois, where James Temple made a good living as a farmer. He was well-educated, and was also something of an amateur poet. He served in the Union Army during the Civil War, and by 1864 was a captain in Company D of the newly-organized 101st Regiment of the United States Colored Infantry. The USCI was made up of former slaves under the command of white officers like Temple. He was stationed in Tennessee until the war ended, when he returned to his family in Illinois. Soon after the war, he became a clerk of the Circuit Court of Knox County. Sometime between 1870 and 1896, Bessie died, and in December 1897 Temple married again, to a widow named Lucy B. Cook Steele (no relation to his first wife). By this time, Temple was retired and quite wealthy. They lived in Knox County until his death around 1910. He was buried in West Truro Cemetery in Truro Township, Illinois.

.02 linear feet (1 folder)

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None.