Manuscript Database
Creator/Title
Belts-Sherman family. Papers, 1861-1906. .33 cu.ft.
Call No.
Mss. A B453 / 1, 5, 7
Content
This collection consists of the correspondence of Ellen M. "Nellie" Sherman (1840-1914), a schoolteacher who resided in Marietta, Ill. In addition to her future husband, Conrad "Will" Belts, she corresponded with other Union soldiers from the community. Written in late 1861 and early 1862, two letters from Will, a member of the 29th Ill. Inf., describe camp life at Cairo, Ill. and military operations in western Kentucky. Two additional letters from Charlie Norcutt of the 132nd Ill. Inf. describe activities at Camp Fry, Chicago, Ill. and military operations near Paducah, Ky. in June, 1864. In 1865 Jeremiah Cramblett of the 72nd Ill. Inf. wrote two letters from Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis, Mo. about his last tour of duty. Also present is an 1865 letter from a Union soldier in a Virginia hospital to Nancy L. Harrison (1844-1934) of Litchfield County, CT. The remaining letters in the collection contain a few references to war on the home front but focus primarily on Nellie's courtship and eventual marriage to Will as well as family news.