Manuscript Database
Creator/Title
Crittenden, Thomas Turpin, 1825-1905. Autobiography, 7 January 1903. 72 pages.
Call No.
Mss. A C935 Vault
Content
A partial autobiography written by Thomas Turpin Crittenden, lawyer and Union general, in which he describes his life as a child and young adult in Kentucky and Texas in the 1830s and 1840s. Crittenden writes about being sent to Mr. Smith's school near Louisville, Kentucky where he boarded and was educated from ages 10-14. He provides a detailed description of the school, the headmaster, the food and leisure activities (including a hunting expedition with the son of Zachary Taylor), and his course of study. He especially comments on the character of Mr. Smith, who was a stern disciplinarian, and his qualifications as an educator. He criticizes Mr. Smith's manner of instruction and believes that corporal punishment was injurious to his development. The school was located on Mr. Smith's property, seven miles from Louisville on the turnpike to Frankfort and on the banks of Beargrass Creek, most likely modern day St. Matthew's or Middletown (p. 8-18).
