MS 661 - McMillan Family Papers
MLA Citation
Tags
| Title | MS 661 - McMillan Family Papers |
|---|---|
| Subject | Civil War |
| Introduction | The McMillan Family Papers consist of materials relating directly to the Rufus McMillan family of Erie County, Ohio, including correspondence, notes, speeches, and copies of popular songs and ballads of the period from 1828 to 1916. The McMillan Family Papers were donated to the Center for Archival Collections in the summer of 1979. No restrictions exist on the use of this collection. Duplication is permitted for the purposes of preservation and research. The collection was processed and register prepared by Marilyn Levinson, Curator of Manuscripts in May 1993. |
| Biographical Sketch | The McMillan Family was an early farm family of Erie County, Ohio, with Rufus McMillan (1800-1852) arriving in the area in the late 1830s, probably from Oneida County, New York. Married to Catharine Fulmer (1810-1892), the family consisted of five children, Mary Ann, Nancy, Betsie, William, and Demas. The correspondence in the collection mainly centers around Betsie McMillen, who later married George Akins. |
| Scope and Content | The McMillan Family Papers span the years 1828 to 1916. The largest portion of the collection is a group of copied songs and ballads popular at the time and some Civil War era correspondence. This small family collection contains a wide array of materials, including correspondence, legal documents, notes, speeches, and hand- copied versions of popular songs and ballads. Within each record group the material is arranged by series, and chronologically when possible. The correspondence is a minor portion of the collection, containing nine scattered letters from the years 1828 to 1916. The Civil War era letters to Betsie McMillan are of some interest, including the letter of William Morgan referring to the 116th O.V.I. at Romney, Va., and a letter of Betsie Jane Miller, of Weston, Ohio, describing the departure of her brother, Edward, to the War. The more significant segment of the Papers is an extensive song/ballad collection, containing several handwritten lyrics to such popular songs of the time as Robert Burns' "Highland Mary", a song referring to the French and Indian War "King George and Louis Could Not Agree", and a few ballads relating to the Civil War, and most notably "The Johnson Island Song", and "Southern Girl". |
| Series Description | CORRESPONDENCE CORRESPONDENCE LITERARY PRODUCTIONS NOTES SPEECHES MANUSCRIPTS (LITERARY) LEGAL DOCUMENTS DEEDS |
| Inventory | Box 1
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