Guernsey Family Papers, 1837-1957, bulk 1840-1900

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Summary

Title:
Guernsey family papers
Dates:
1837-1957, bulk 1840-1900
Creators:
Guernsey (Family)
Abstract:
This collection spans several generations of the Guernsey and Donaldson families and centers around Emeline Donaldson Guernsey (born 1819) of Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Iowa, and her immediate family, relatives, and friends. The letters, with the majority written by women, give a detailed account of the lives of farmers, millers, shop keepers and school teachers in 19th century Midwestern America. The collection includes over 1,300 letters including 200 "Round Robin" family letters, spanning the years 1899 to 1957, that were sent to each family member. The collection also includes over 250 letters of Civil War interest written by William D. Guernsey, Henry A. Guernsey and several other soldiers.
Extent:
2.1 Linear Feet (5 boxes)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Guernsey family papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection contains 1,384 letters written by 158 different authors, and includes 33 pieces of ephemera. The collection spans several generations of the Guernsey and Donaldson families. The correspondence centers around Emeline Donaldson Guernsey, her immediate family, relatives and friends. The letters give a detailed account of the lives of farmers, millers, shop keepers and school teachers in 19th century Midwestern America. The letters cover a wide range of aspects of their lives, such as family events, their day-to-day activities, trips to visit family and friends, farming, financial hardships, business interests and real estate transactions. Because the majority of the correspondence was written by women, the letters also give a strong female perspective of life on the frontier. There are over two hundred "Round Robin" family letters, spanning the years 1899 to 1957, that were sent to each family member. When the letters arrived, the family member would write a letter, add it to the group and send it on to the next person on the route card. The collection includes over 250 letters of Civil War interest written by William D. Guernsey, Henry A. Guernsey and several other soldiers. Both William and Henry wrote letters home dealing with army life and their experience in the war. The ephemera consists of biographical information, Confederate currency, printed materials, and three photographs.

Biographical / historical:

Emeline Donaldson Guernsey, born in 1819 in Pennsylvania, was one of ten children born to Asa and Delia Allen Donaldson. She married Peter Buell Guernsey of Tioga, Pennsylvania, in the late 1830s. Peter died in a railroad accident in 1852. Six years later, in 1858, Emeline moved to Stacyville, Mitchell County, Iowa, to be near her sister and brother-in-law. There she settled on a farm bought and worked by her and her five children: William D. Guernsey, Henry A. Guernsey, Sarah Guernsey Beebe, Fannie Guernsey Orcutt, and Emma Guernsey Flint. In 1861 William, her oldest son, enlisted in the Fourth Iowa Cavalry and fought in the Civil War; Henry soon followed. With her sons gone, Emeline successfully managed the farm by herself while still managing to raise her three daughters. After the war, all of Emeline's children eventually married and moved away. In 1872, she sold her farm and moved to Illinois to live with her daughters. In the early 1880s, however, they all moved back to Iowa, including Emeline. Sarah Guernsey Beebe and her family remained in Iowa. Fannie Guernsey Orcutt and her family eventually moved to South Dakota. In the early 1900s, Emma Guernsey Flint and her family moved to Washington. Emeline's son, William D. Guernsey died of a sudden illness in 1879, at the age of 39. Henry A. Guernsey, her other son, moved out west to California, Oregon and Washington, where he lived for several years.

Acquisition information:
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Brown, March 1994.
Processing information:

Processed by Brooke M. Black in October 1999. Xiuzhi Zhou and Diann Benti encoded the finding aid. In July 2024, Mari Khasmanyan updated the finding aid's linear feet and call number.

Arrangement:

Arranged alphabetically by author.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Processed by Brooke M. Black, completed October 22, 1999; machine-readable finding aid created by Xiuzhi Zhou and Diann Benti.
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2024-07-17 14:45:40 -0700 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.

Terms of access:

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.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Guernsey family papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

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