[Hays, Sarah]

[Archive of a Pioneering Indiana Family].

Petersburg, Indiana: [circa 1860-1905]. 29 letters, 9 deeds or receipts, 20 calling cards, 39 tintypes and 14 mounted photographs, ranging from around 2” x 3” to 6½” x 4¼”, a handful captioned versos. Generally very good: moderate wear to some letters; old folds; light dusting and spotting.

This is a collection of revealing letters, original land deeds, tax receipts, fantastic photographs and tintypes concerning the Kinman (and extended) family, descendants of some of the founders of Petersburg, Indiana.

Petersburg, Pike County seat, was established in 1816. Settlers cleared forested lands for agriculture in the fertile valleys of the White and Patoka rivers, and the arrival of the Wabash and Erie Canal in the 1850s spurred further trade and development. The town has been plagued by tornadoes and cholera, and is noted for its early abolitionist activity; it was home to Dr. John W. Posey, Union Army surgeon, Underground Railroad supporter and one of the founders of the AntiSlavery League of Indiana.

The bulk of this collection are letters written to Sarah Hays, mostly from her sister Elizabeth (wife of Henry B. Kinman) and her niece, Mary Ellen Kinman. Henry was the son of John Kinman, a migrant from North Carolina and one of the town's settlers who had, per Grokipedia, “built a foundation of farming, ferries, and militia service.” Letters cover births and marriages, illnesses and deaths, the price and condition of crops, and the general hardship and toil of a late-19th century Midwestern farm. There are reports of storms, “plenty of horse stealing” and Civil War action (as in the original): “we hav som good times with the rebels som of them we hav to whoop we hav bin trying to clean out our part of the state we send them to georgia . . .” Sarah is often shamed for not writing or visiting, and Henry's desires are relayed that she come and bring more family, with talk of buying property and the development of railroads.

Also of note are original land deeds and receipts, including Kinman's payment for “State, County, School, Special School, Township, Dog and Road Tax, for the year 1877.” Fantastic tintypes and mounted photos show family members and area residents, a large number of them women, and there are images and genealogical data on prominent locals such as Will Ridge (who served as county secretary), the Bell and Leighty families.

Vivid correspondence, land deeds and photos documenting life in Indiana from the Civil War to the turn of the 20th century. Very good. Item #5906

Price: $850.00