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PERSONAL MATERIALS

Scope and Content of Series

Series 1) PERSONAL MATERIALS. Arranged in four subseries: A) Family Correspondence, B) Land Deeds, C) Legal Documents and D) Memorabilia and Ephemera.
A) Family Correspondence: Letters between 1853 and 1860 are primarily from Mary Kemper to friends and relate many of the hardships of frontier life. Correspondence between Mary Vermilion and W. F. Vermilion dominates the 1870-1874 file. Mary remained in Centerville, Iowa, with their son Willie while William served a four-year term as a state senator in Des Moines. The 1883-1886 correspondence contains letters from Willie to his father, W. F. Vermilion, written from De Pauw University. Correspondence written during the Civil War (1862-1865) between William and Mary Vermilion and relatives is located in the CIVIL WAR MATERIALS series.
B) Land Deeds: Deeds that were bought or sold by W. F. Vermilion as personal business investments. In the early 1890s, William and Kate Vermilion conveyed numerous holdings into the name of Charles W. Vermilion for a nominal fee.
C) Legal Documents: Three documents, including a pre-nuptial agreement between William and Kate, a power of attorney assigned to Reason R. Vermilion, and a lease for Vermilion's farm, Woodside.
D) Memorabilia and Ephemera: Calling cards, event programs, newspaper clippings, railroad passes, and photographs (a tintype of C. W. Vermilion as a boy and a carte-de-visite of a namesake child). Of interest is W. F. Vermilion's Free Mason's certificate.
 

Family Correspondence

Box 1, Folder 1

Correspondence 1853 - 1863

General note

13 leaves.
Box 1, Folder 2

Correspondence 1870 - 1874

General note

51 leaves.
Box 1, Folder 3

Correspondence 1881 - 1882

General note

10 leaves.
Box 1, Folder 4

Correspondence 1883

General note

81 leaves.
Box 1, Folder 5

Correspondence 1884

General note

112 leaves.
Box 1, Folder 6

Letters from C. W. Vermilion to W. F. Vermilion circa 1883-1884

General note

11 leaves.
Box 1, Folder 7

Correspondence 1885 - 1897

General note

38 leaves.
 

Land Deeds

Box 1, Folder 8

Land conveyed by W.F. Vermilion 1886 - 1890

General note

12 leaves.
Box 1, Folder 9

Land conveyed to C.W. Vermilion 1891 - 1900

General note

8 leaves.
Box 1, Folder 10

Land conveyed to W.F. Vermilion 1860 - 1875

General note

22 leaves.
Box 1, Folder 11

Land conveyed to W.F. Vermilion 1878 - 1892

General note

35 leaves.
 

Legal Documents

Box 1, Folder 12

Lease on Vermilion farm 1864 February 13

Box 1, Folder 13

Power of attorney - W. F. Vermilion and Kate B. Vermilion appoint Reason R. Vermilion 1887 February 2

Box 1, Folder 14

Pre-nuptial agreement between W. F. Vermilion and Kate B. Day 1884 December 9

 

Memorabilia and Ephemera

Box 2, Folder 1

Calling cards of friends and relatives

General note

10 leaves.
Box 2, Folder 2

Diary by C.W. Vermilion 1883

General note

This diary by W.F. Vermilion's son, Willie, begins two days before the death of his mother.
Box 2, Folder 3

Directory of the Law Class of '90 - University of Michigan 1893

General note

1 leaf.
Box 2, Folder 4

Forty-sixth Commencement, De Pauw University 1885

General note

C.W. Vermilion's university, 1 leaf.
Box 2, Folder 5

Free Mason's Certificate for W.F. Vermilion for the Degree of Master Mason 1853 April 2

Box 2, Folder 6

Funeral notice card for Mrs. Mary A.C. Vermilion

General note

William F. Vermilion's first wife, died January 3, 1883, 4 leaves.
Box 2, Folder 7

Letter of recommendation (draft) for Lee Simmons

Box 2, Folder 8

Note card for Mrs. L. A. Montgomery's Boarding House

Box 2, Folder 9, Oversize MC04903

Newspaper clippings

General note

A published letter by Abraham Lincoln on the issue of slavery, April 4, 1864, three poems and two oversize newspaper pages, 3 leaves.
Box 2, Folder 10

Obituary newspaper clipping and funeral notice for W.F. Vermilion 1894

General note

3 leaves.
Box 2, Folder 11

Photograph of C.W. Vermilion as a boy

General note

Tintype that was once cased, 1 leaf.
Box 2, Folder 12

Photograph of Fletcher Vermilion Wright

General note

Age 3 years, 8 months, 28 days - Carte de visite print, 2 leaves.
Box 2, Folder 13

Poem - "To a Poet"

General note

2 leaves.
Box 2, Folder 14

Railroad passes

General note

11 leaves.
Box 2, Folder 15

University of Michigan. Class Day (3 leaves) 1889 June 25

 

CIVIL WAR MATERIALS

Scope and Content of Series

Series 2) CIVIL WAR MATERIALS. Arranged in three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Company Administrative Documents and C) Miscellaneous Materials.
A) Correspondence: The largest subseries in the collection, available digitally. This subseries comprises letters exchanged between William and Mary Vermilion from the time of his commission in the Union Army in 1862 to his discharge in August 1865. Also included are letters from W. R. and Mathew Kemper (Mary's brothers and Union soldiers), Jane Vermilion (William's sister), other relatives, and friends. The correspondence is arranged chronologically.
Letters from William exceed the letters from Mary in the exchange. Almost all of William's letters indicate his location and reflect his movements with the 36th Infantry Regiment of Iowa Volunteers, which was deployed near the Mississippi River in Arkansas. Locales include Helena, Clarendon, De Valls Bluff, Little Rock, and St. Charles. Vermilion's company was part of the force that threatened the Confederate position at Vicksburg. Vermilion participated in the Yazoo Pass Expedition (March 23, 1863), but missed the action at Pine Bluff (May 12, 1864) that decimated his company and led to the capture of Will Kemper.
William Vermilion's letters describe many of the day-to-day events in camp and military actions, provide news of the condition of individual soldiers in his command, and discuss attitudes toward national and local politics. Because of his medical background, Vermilion felt himself well suited to analyze the causes of his company's maladies. Indeed, he asserted to Mary (November 19, 1862) that "sickness is worse than fighting." Much of the content of the correspondence, on both sides, discusses the loneliness and melancholy of separation and the small talk of a marriage, including Vermilion's advice and instruction to Mary on how to conduct her affairs and manage their property.
B) Company Administrative Documents: As company commander, Vermilion was responsible for maintaining his part of the regimental history, which involved making duplicates of documents he submitted to headquarters. This subseries includes orders, inventories of the effects of deceased soldiers, lists of clothing, quarterly returns of clothing, camp and garrison equipage, returns of ordnance and ordnance stores, and surgeon's certificates of disability. The bound volume of company morning reports provides detailed information on Company F's location, strength, composition of ranks, and noteworthy daily occurrences. The muster roll contains the names of individual volunteers, where they enlisted, their rank, and when they were last paid.
C) Miscellaneous Materials: Certificates documenting Vermilion's commission, promotion and discharge from the Union Army. Also included are two small diaries and a tintype studio portrait of Captain Vermilion in uniform.
 

Correspondence

Box 2, Folder 16

Correspondence undated

Vermilion family correspondence

General note

23 leaves. [Reel 1, Frame 1]
Box 2, Folder 17

Correspondence 1862

Vermilion family correspondence

General note

46 leaves. [Reel 1, Frame 40]
Box 2, Folder 18

Correspondence 1863 January

Vermilion family correspondence

General note

21 leaves. [Reel 1, Frame 155]
Box 2, Folder 19

Correspondence 1863 February

Vermilion family correspondence

General note

35 leaves. [Reel 1, Frame 226]
Box 2, Folder 20

Correspondence 1863 March

Vermilion family correspondence

General note

33 leaves. [Reel 1, Frame 314]
Box 2, Folder 21

Correspondence 1863 April

Vermilion family correspondence

General note

36 leaves. [Reel 1, Frame 391]
Box 3, Folder 1

Correspondence 1863 May

Vermilion family correspondence

General note

45 leaves. [Reel 1, Frame 477]
Box 3, Folder 2

Correspondence 1863 June

Vermilion family correspondence

General note

41 leaves. [Reel 2, Frame 1]
Box 3, Folder 3

Correspondence 1863 July

Vermilion family correspondence

General note

35 leaves. [Reel 2, Frame 111]
Box 3, Folder 4

Correspondence 1863 August

Vermilion family correspondence

General note

39 leaves. [Reel 2, Frame 211]
Box 3, Folder 5

Correspondence 1863 September

Vermilion family correspondence

General note

37 leaves. [Reel 2, Frame 326]
Box 3, Folder 6

Correspondence 1863 October

Vermilion family correspondence

General note

42 leaves. [Reel 2, Frame 436]
Box 4, Folder 1

Correspondence 1863 November

Vermilion family correspondence

General note

28 leaves. [Reel 2, Frame 557]
Box 4, Folder 2

Correspondence 1863 December

Vermilion family correspondence

General note

4 leaves. [Reel 2, Frame 628]
Box 4, Folder 3

Correspondence 1864 January

Vermilion family correspondence

General note

5 leaves. [Reel 2, Frame 638]
Box 4, Folder 4

Correspondence 1864 March

Vermilion family correspondence

General note

1 leaf. [Reel 2, Frame 651]
Box 4, Folder 5

Correspondence 1864 April

Vermilion family correspondence

General note

7 leaves. [Reel 2, Frame 656]
Box 4, Folder 6

Correspondence 1864 May

Vermilion family correspondence

General note

25 leaves. [Reel 3, Frame 1]
Box 4, Folder 7

Correspondence 1864 June

Vermilion family correspondence

General note

22 leaves. [Reel 3, Frame 75]
Box 4, Folder 8

Correspondence 1864 July

Vermilion family correspondence

General note

23 leaves. [Reel 3, Frame 145]
Box 4, Folder 9

Correspondence 1864 August

Vermilion family correspondence

General note

15 leaves. [Reel 3, Frame 216]
Box 4, Folder 10

Correspondence 1864 September

Vermilion family correspondence

General note

11 leaves. [Reel 3, Frame 262]
Box 4, Folder 11

Correspondence 1864 October

Vermilion family correspondence

General note

9 leaves. [Reel 3, Frame 298]
Box 4, Folder 12

Correspondence 1864 November

Vermilion family correspondence

General note

20 leaves. [Reel 3, Frame 329]
Box 4, Folder 13

Correspondence 1864 December

Vermilion family correspondence

General note

14 leaves. [Reel 3, Frame 378]
Box 5, Folder 1

Correspondence 1865 January

Vermilion family correspondence

General note

15 leaves. [Reel 3, Frame 409]
Box 5, Folder 2

Correspondence 1865 February

Vermilion family correspondence

General note

16 leaves. [Reel 3, Frame 443]
Box 5, Folder 3

Correspondence 1865 March

Vermilion family correspondence

General note

17 leaves. [Reel 3, Frame 488]
Box 5, Folder 4

Correspondence 1865 April

Vermilion family correspondence

General note

15 leaves. [Reel 3, Frame 540]
Box 5, Folder 5

Correspondence 1865 May

Vermilion family correspondence

General note

13 leaves. [Reel 3, Frame 576]
Box 5, Folder 6

Correspondence 1865 June

Vermilion family correspondence

General note

12 leaves. [Reel 3, Frame 618]
Box 5, Folder 7

Correspondence 1865 July

Vermilion family correspondence

General note

11 leaves. [Reel 3, Frame 653]
Box 5, Folder 8

Correspondence 1865 August

Vermilion family correspondence

General note

9 leaves. [Reel 3, Frame 683]
 

Company Administrative Documents

Box 5, Folder 9

Blank forms

General note

11 leaves.
Oversize FB-183, Folder 1

Bound volume of Company Morning Reports 1864 May-1865 August

Oversize MC-049-02

Muster Roll of Capt. William F. Vermilion's Company F, 36th Regiment of Iowa Volunteer Infantry 1863 October 31-December 31

Box 5, Folder 12

Company documents circa 1862-1865

General note

3 leaves.
Box 5, Folder 13

Company documents 1862

General note

23 leaves.
Box 5, Folder 14

Company documents 1863

General note

56 leaves.
Box 5, Folder 15

Company documents 1864 January-June

General note

49 leaves.
Box 6, Folder 1

Company documents 1864 July-December

General note

53 leaves.
Box 6, Folder 2

Company documents 1865

General note

50 leaves.
 

Miscellaneous Materials

Oversize FB-183, Folder 2

Certificates - Captain's Army commission, and Promotion to Major 1862, 1865

Box 6, Folder 3

Discharge from the Army 1865 August 24

Box 6, Folder 4

Diary 1862 December 30-1864 April 21

General note

Includes observations of daily weather conditions and events.
Box 6, Folder 5

Diary of Capt. W. F. Vermilion's Co. F, 36th 1863 February 24-March 10

Diary

Oversize MC-049-03

Newspaper clipping from The Loyal Citizen with letter from W. F. Vermilion 1864 November 8

Box 6, Folder 7

Printed circular - Office Supt. Vol. Recruiting Service, and Chief Muster'g and Dis'Bg Officer for Iowa 1863 November 28

Box 6, Folder 8

Tintype photograph of W. F. Vermilion in uniform undated

General note

5 leaves.
 

POLITICAL MATERIALS

Scope and Content of Series

Series 3) POLITICAL MATERIALS: The bulk of this series comprises letters (1869-1871) to Senator Vermilion from various constituents and political opportunists.
Oversize FB-183, Folder 3

Printed broadside - List of men by city in Iowa

Box 6, Folder 10

Notebook

General note

Contains lists of men for the townships of Independence, Lincoln, Franklin and Udall.
Box 6, Folder 11

Thirteenth General Assembly

General note

List of Senators and Representatives (State Legislature). W.F. Vermilion is listed as senator from Appanoose County, 1 leaf.
Box 6, Folder 12

Political correspondence 1869 - 1871

General note

Includes requests for political support, 60 leaves.
 

BUSINESS MATERIALS

Scope and Content of Series

Series 4) BUSINESS MATERIALS. Arranged in six subseries: A) Account Books, B) Business Correspondence and Documents, C) Cancelled Checks, D) Certificates, E) Land Deeds, and F) Miscellaneous.
A) Accounts Books: Includes a pocket-size account book (1884-1889), probably in the handwriting of W. F. Vermilion, for the firm of Walker and Vermilion, which records checks and account balances with Campbell and Company, Bankers. The other account book, written in pencil and possibly in the handwriting of George Bratt, lists expenses.
B) Business Correspondence and Documents: Records of the various legal partnerships in which W. F. Vermilion engaged in over his career. The correspondence usually involves letters from clients requesting services, often the collection of a debt or enforcement of a contract. In addition to correspondence are wills, lists of cases, insurance policies, receipts of payments, and tax accounts. Arranged chronologically.
C) Cancelled Checks: Checks arranged by author, reflecting the different partnerships in which W. F. Vermilion was involved.
D) Certificates: Documents the notary public offices held by Vermilion and his brother, Reason R. Vermilion. It also includes Vermilion's certification to practice law in the U.S. District Court.
E) Land Deeds: Deeds that are not assigned to W. F. Vermilion. The PERSONAL MATERIALS series holds evidence of his business in land ownership. Arranged chronologically.
F) Miscellaneous: Business ephemera, promotional brochures, notes, tax receipts, and documents associated with Vermilion's work for the Chicago and South Western Railroad Company.
 

Account Books

Box 6, Folder 13

In account with Walker and Vermilion. Campbell and Company, Bankers 1884 - 1889

Box 6, Folder 14

Notebook of accounts 1881 November 26-1883 June 16

 

Business Correspondence

Box 6, Folder 15

Business correspondence undated

General note

15 leaves.
Box 6, Folder 16

Business correspondence 1864 - 1868

General note

7 leaves.
Box 6, Folder 17

Business correspondence 1869 - 1879

General note

72 leaves.
Box 7, Folder 1

Business correspondence 1881 - 1884

General note

84 leaves.
Box 7, Folder 2

Business correspondence 1885 - 1889

General note

50 leaves.
Box 7, Folder 3

Business correspondence 1890 - 1898

General note

63 leaves.
 

Cancelled Checks

Box 7, Folder 4

C.W. Vermilion 1900

General note

2 leaves.
Box 7, Folder 5

E.C. Haynes 1875

General note

17 leaves.
Box 7, Folder 6

E.C. Haynes 1876

General note

39 leaves.
Box 7, Folder 7

E.C. Haynes 1877

General note

33 leaves.
Box 7, Folder 8

J.M. Walker and Vermilion 1883

General note

21 leaves.
Box 7, Folder 9

J.M. Walker and Vermilion 1884

General note

13 leaves.
Box 7, Folder 10

Vermilion and Vermilion 1882

General note

Also includes J.M. Walker, 28 leaves.
Box 7, Folder 11

Vermilion and Vermilion 1883

General note

20 leaves.
Box 7, Folder 12

Vermilion and Vermilion 1884

General note

29 leaves.
Box 7, Folder 13

W.F. Vermilion undated

General note

2 leaves.
Box 7, Folder 14

W.F. Vermilion 1869

General note

5 leaves.
Box 7, Folder 15

W.F. Vermilion 1875

General note

93 leaves.
Box 7, Folder 16

W.F. Vermilion 1876

General note

15 leaves.
Box 7, Folder 17

W.F. Vermilion 1880

General note

24 leaves.
Box 8, Folder 1

W.F. Vermilion 1881

General note

103 leaves.
 

Certificates

Oversize FB-183, Folder 4

Certificate of Admission - W. F. Vermilion - U.S. Circuit Court, District of Iowa 1877 May 15

Oversize FB-183, Folder 5

Certificates of Appointment of Notary Public for County of Appanoose, Iowa - W. F. Vermilion 1861, 1868 and 1872

Oversize FB-183, Folder 6

Certificates of Appointment of Notary Public for County of Appanoose, Iowa - Reason R. Vermilion 1876, 1879 and 1882

 

Land Deeds

Box 8, Folder 5

Land deeds 1866 - 1893

General note

23 leaves.
Oversize FB-183, Folder 7

Land deeds (oversize) 1855 - 1869

General note

3 leaves.
 

Miscellaneous

Box 8, Folder 7

Bradstreet Company credit reporting forms

Box 8, Folder 8

Business card of Vermilion and Haynes, Attorneys at Law

Box 8, Folder 9

Business cards - Attorneys

General note

44 leaves.
Box 8, Folder 10

Business cards - General

General note

95 leaves.
Box 8, Folder 11

Chicago and South Western Railroad Company 1869 - 1876

General note

Promissary notes and other documents, 151 leaves.
Box 8, Folder 12

Chicago and South Western Railroad Company 1872 - 1875

General note

Stock certificates, 11 leaves.
Box 8, Folder 13

Complete Directory of Iowa Attorneys. By Council Bluffs: New Nonpareil Company 1895

Oversize FB-183, Folder 8

Daily Trade Bulletin. By Edgerton and Winans, Receiving Commission Merchants 1893 May 6-June 3

General note

18 leaves.
Box 8, Folder 15

Grain and Provision Statistics 1896

General note

Chicago: Financial Publishing Company. Contains holograph entries.
Box 8, Folder 16

Mills and Company, Publishers, Manufacturing Stationers and Lithographers 1874 - 1876

General note

Business cards and receipts, 8 leaves.
Box 8, Folder 17

Mitchell Patent Coal Tipple

General note

Promotional brochure and list of parts and suppliers, 1 leaf.
Box 8, Folder 18

Notes on a legal case

General note

Probably notes by C.W. Vermilion, 4 leaves.
Box 8, Folder 19

Property tax receipts 1858 - 1869

General note

105 leaves.
Box 8, Folder 20

Speculation and How to Trade - Pamphlet for investors

Box 8, Folder 21

Sullivan Diamond Prospecting Drill promotional brochure

 

Microfilm of Civil War Correspondence

Scope and Content of Series

Series 5) MICROFILM OF THE CIVIL WAR CORRESPONDENCE: Two users copies--Library and Interlibrary Loan--of the microfilm of the Civil War Correspondence.
Box 9, Folder 1

User Copy, Reel 1

General note

Civil War Correspondence--undated to June 1863.
Box 9, Folder 2

User Copy, Reel 2

General note

Civil War Correspondence: June 1863 to May 1864.
Box 9, Folder 3

User Copy, Reel 3

General note

Civil War Correspondence: May 1864 to September 1865.
Box 9, Folder 4

Interlibrary Loan Copy, Reel 1

General note

Civil War Correspondence: undated to June 1863.
Box 9, Folder 5

Interlibrary Loan Copy, Reel 2

General note

Civil War Correspondence: June 1863 to May 1864.
Box 9, Folder 6

Interlibrary Loan Copy, Reel 3

General note

Civil War Correspondence: May 1864 to September 1865.