Jackson family papers

The Jackson family papers consist of correspondence written to and from Benjamin Basil Jackson and his son, Andrew C. Jackson, while they were serving during the Civil War with the 14th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Co.G, as well as letters written to and from daughter Martha C. "Mattie" Jackson (later married to George Banks).

Although the letters from the warfront are the smaller part of the collection, with only 11 from Benjamin and 5 from Andrew, they are generally informative, with news of troop movements, camp life, and political opinions, and his personal situation. Letters written by Benjamin on September 27, 1863 and by Andrew on December 6, 1863 both refer to the Battle of Chickamauga and the actions of the 14th Ohio Volunteer Infantry.

The larger segment of the Civil War portion of the collection consists of a fairly lively exchange of correspondence from home primarily between Benjamin and Andrew and his wife Elizabeth (Lizzie) and daughter Martha, dealing with the problems of running the farm, the conduct of the war, and local politics. There are expressions of some resentment toward some young men in the area who are not serving in the army while both her husband and son are serving and references to local Copperhead sentiments. Lizzie mentions in her letter of March 22, 1863 some pride the way that her children all have adapted to pitching in and working when they can't find someone to hire and how she feels it makes them more independent. Her letters to Andrew also mention conditions at home, including an account of how Martha and a neighbor caught and broke a three-year-old pony.

Martha's wartime letters also involve a mix of local news, political opinion, and personal activities. A couple of Martha's letters are written to fill out pages of letters started by her mother, for example the letter of March 23, 1862 to Andrew where Martha expresses her support for the idea of emancipation of the slaves from a speech she read by Carl Schurz. Her letters also give a picture of the increased responsibility and activities undertaken by women on the homefront. In a letter of May 3, 1862 she describes plans for ploughing and planting that year, expressing the fact that she enjoys working outside more than in the house.

The post-war letters of Mattie are diverse for the range of activities they illustrate. During part of the time, including at least part of the war years, she is employed as a school teacher. Later in the early 1870s she begins to learn to become a telegraph operator, moving to Staunton, Illinois for that period.

In addition, there is an interesting series of letters that highlight her social life and activities, as reflected in a series of three different (but associated) sequences of correspondence with "secret" or initially unknown writers. In the course of this correspondence there are references to the Presidential campaign of 1868 between Grant and Seymour, attitudes about women and marriage, and an account from one of the correspondents about his experiences during the war.

Another sequence of correspondence coincides with the period when the newly married George and Mattie Banks were homesteading in Kansas. Although the majority of the letters are written from family members in Ohio to the couple, there are numerous references to events, both at home and in Kansas, a few letters are included that were written from Kansas back to the family.