Brigham Family papers
Collection Overview
Abstract
The Brigham Family Papers consist of Civil War era correspondence, and postwar papers, clippings and photographs, primarily relating to the family of Joseph H. Brigham and his career during the Civil War and with the Grange and U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Dates
- Creation: 1784-1998
Extent
.5 Linear Feet (2 letter size manuscript boxes )
Creator
- Brigham family (Family)
Scope and Contents
The material in the Brigham collection is a mix of Civil War correspondence, post-War family letters, some scrapbook clipppings, genealogical information, and subject files relating to the career of Joseph Henry Brigham.
The correspondence series are primarily focused around J.H. Brigham, with the most extensive files consisting of his letters to his wife, Edna, during the Civil War and during his post-war career. In the wartime collection, the topics describe Brigham's general situation and battlefield activities on the Atlanta Campaign, questions about events and people at home, and his instructions to his wife regarding her actions. Of note in this group is a letter of July 11, 1864 in which he expresses his preference that Edna not use any kind of makeup or "paint", and one dated March 1, 1865, describing how he is killing time in New York going to the theater and Barnum's museum, while waiting for Sherman's army to "turn up" during the March to the Sea.
J.H. Brigham's post-war letters to his wife cover a wider time period, including his two terms as Sheriff of Fulton County, with three letters during his wife's absence describing everything from arresting an arsonist, the visit to the jail of the wife of a prisoner, and a hard-fought election, interspersed with sentimental expressions of loneliness. Other letters written during this period were when Brigham was away from home on business, generally looking for fugitives, "to capture those miscreants," or "having a big hunt after those boys."
Later letters to Edna, on stationery ranging from Ohio State Grange, National Grange, various hotels, Department of Agriculture, the United States Commission to the Paris Exposition of 1900, and the Pan American Exposition in Buffalo, describe his official activities, impressions of various cities, and concerns for the health of his wife and family.
The miscellaneous other letter series include other Civil War correspondence from C.C. Allman describing the situation on a Union Hospital ship in 1863, post-war letters from members of the 69th O.V.I. with details of events surrounding the burning of Reed's Bridge at Chickamauga, and letters written to his family, including a series written to daughter Mary from Paris.
Subject files in the collection include materials related to the Civil War, with J.H. Brigham's Pension File, background on monuments and tablets related to the 69th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, a handwritten copy of Special Field Order 120 (1864), which outlined the foraging rules and provisions of the March to the Sea; genealogical material including Brigham Family obituaries, a Brigham Family history, 1635-1935, an outline of the Joel Brigham Family line (the uncle of J.H. Brigham), a biographical sketch of J.H. Brigham submitted for a Delta, Ohio History, a file with collected material on Joseph H. Brigham professional activities with the Grange, Dept.of Agriculture, and McKinley's Death, and legal papers including a folder of Joseph H. Brigham contracts and patents, and a deed to Brigham family property in Massachusetts.
The collection also contains a folder of miscellaneous photographs, including a family group portrait of the J.H. Brigham family, a shot of Brigham in his office at the Department of Agriculture, and a group picture at the Pan American Exhibition in Buffalo of Brigham with President McKinley, taken the day before McKinley was shot.O.V.I.
Biographical / Historical
The central figure of the Brigham Family collection is Joseph Henry Brigham, who was born in Lodi, Ohio on December 12, 1838. He was the son of Winfield Scott Brigham, originally from Otsego County, New York, whose brother Joel also figures in the collection. The W.S. Brigham Family moved to Lodi, Ohio in 1836, relocating to Fulton County in 1852.
Joseph Henry Brigham taught school for several terms before the outbreak of the Civil War. At that time he enlisted in the 69th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, rising through the ranks to be mustered out as a Colonel in 1865. The regiment was part of the Army of the Cumberland and was involved in the Atlanta Campaign including battles at Stone River, Mission Ridge, Resaca, Kenesaw Mountain, Marietta, Peach Tree Creek, Atlanta, Jonesboro, and the March to the Sea.
During the War, on December 1, 1863, he was married to Edna Mennda Allman, of Wauseon, Ohio. Their family eventually consisted of six children, Kate, Bessie, Roy, Harry, Mary, and Josephine.
After the War, J.H. Brigham returned to Delta, Ohio and took up farming, becoming very active in the Ohio State Grange. In 1868 Col. Brigham was elected sheriff of Fulton County, Ohio, serving two terms, and in 1881 he was elected to the State Senate from Fulton County for the legislative term 1882-1883. From 1878 to 1888 he was Master of the Ohio State Grange, and in 1888 he was elected National Master, in which position he served until 1897 when he was appointed as United States Assistant Secretary of Agriculture in the McKinley administration, and was President of the Ohio Woolgrowers Association. At this point the family relocated to Washington, D.C., leaving the family farm in Delta in the care of their eldest son, Roy.
Joseph Henry Brigham died suddenly while on route to St. Louis to oversee the U.S. exhibits at the St. Louis Exposition in 1904. He was buried in Greenlawn Cemetery in Delta.
More extensive biographical information on J.H. Brigham, as well as background information on W.S. Brigham, and genealogical data on the Joel Brigham line, can be found in the subject files of the collection.
Conditions Governing Access
No known access restrictions
Conditions Governing Use
Researchers using this collection assume full responsibility for conforming to the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright, and are responsible for securing permissions necessary for publication or reproduction.
Language of Materials
Materials in English
Arrangement
CORRESPONDENCE
CORRESPONDENCE - J.H. Brigham to Edna A. Brigham (Civil War);
May 29, 1864-July 22, 1865;
arranged chronologically.
Civil War letters describing Brigham's general situation and battlefield activities on the Atlanta Campaign, questions about events and people at home, and his instructions to his wife regarding her actions
CORRESPONDENCE - J.H. Brigham to Edna A. Brigham (Post-war);
September 2, 1870-1903;
arranged chronologically.
Letters from Brigham to his wife during his post-war career as Sheriff of Fulton County, with the Ohio State Grange, National Grange, and Department of Agriculture describing his official activities, impressions of various cities, and concerns for the health of his wife and family
CORRESPONDENCE - Grange Correspondence to Brigham;
1888;
arranged chronologically.
Two letters referring to Brigham's election to the leadership of the National Grange, with a mention of his first speech as Grand Master
CORRESPONDENCE - Miscellaneous Correspondence to Brigham;
May 21, 1862-Feb 18, 1904;
arranged chronologically.
Minor correspondence from friends, associates, and family, including a note (photocopy only) from Rutherford B. Hayes, a letter concerning possible appointment into the McKinley administration, a forwarded letter with reference to Brigham's position and power in the Department of Agriculture, and the cover letter from his daughter to a packet of letters (not included) given to him for one of his European trips. Also unmatched covers and letter fragments
CORRESPONDENCE - C.C. Allman (Civil War);
1863;
arranged chronologically.
Civil War letters written by Brigham's father-in-law, describing conditions on the Federal hospital ship, Emerald (in January, 1863, after the Battle of Stone River), on the Cumberland and Ohio Rivers. Includes originals and typed transcripts
CORRESPONDENCE - Relating to 69th O.V.I. history;
December 6, 1901-September 13, 1902;
arranged chronologically.
Post-war letters from members of the 69th O.V.I. with details of events surrounding the burning of Reed's Bridge at Chickamauga, and a program from the 23rd annual reunion of the Regiment in 1902, with a list of surviving members
CORRESPONDENCE - Cousin Emma to L.H. Brigham;
1863;
arranged chronologically.
Letters written to Brigham during the war from a cousin in Oberlin, with references to Vicksburg, Chickamauga, and to local politics and Copperheads in Ohio
CORRESPONDENCE - Winfield Scott Brigham to son L.H. Brigham;
Oct 19, 1863;
Letter from father, describing business and farm affairs, and also results of election
CORRESPONDENCE - J.H. Brigham to daughter Mary M. Brigham;
February 9, 1899-August 24, 1900;
arranged chronologically.
Letters written to daughter while in Europe as part of the United States Commission to the Paris Exposition of 1900
LITERARY DOCUMENTS
SPEECH;
1863?
Recruiting speech of J.H. Brigham, with typed transcript
SUBJECT FILES
J.H. BRIGHAM CIVIL WAR PENSION FILE;
1861-1901;
Standard Civil War service file, with copies of muster reports, returns, and promotion orders
69th OHIO VOLUNTEER INFANTRY;
Undated;
Transcripts of text on monuments and tablets, with photocopies
CIVIL WAR, SPECIAL FIELD ORDER 120;
1864;
Handwritten copy of Special Field Order 120, which outlined the foraging rules and provisions of the March to the Sea
BRIGHAM FAMILY OBITUARIES;
1903-1996;
Photocopies of newspaper articles and obituaries for Winfield Scott Brigham, Joseph Henry Brigham, and Edna A. Brigham, along with an obituary abstract from Fulton Footnotes, a genealogical newsletter
BRIGHAM FAMILY HISTORICAL MATERIAL;
1859-1998;
Historical and genealogical material, dating back to 1635, gathered by Nancy Brigham Gibson and Elizabeth Hughes Melton, including newsclippings, excerpts from published genealogies, photographs, and support material submitted for consideration of membership in the National Society of Colonial Dames
JOEL BRIGHAM FAMILY GENEALOGY;
1981-1998;
Pedigree charts, clippings, photocopies from county histories, legal documents, related to the family of Joel Brigham, brother of Winfield Scott Brigham, compiled by Nancy Brigham Gibson
JOEL BRIGHAM FAMILY MISCELLANEOUS CORRESPONDENCE;
1841-1906;
Arranged chronologically
Photocopies and transcripts of letters and documents from the Joel Brigham family
JOSEPH HENRY BRIGHAM BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH;
1989;
Brief biography of J.H. Brigham compiled by Elizabeth Hughes Melton for inclusion in a Delta, Ohio History
JOSEPH H. BRIGHAM PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES;
1892-1903;
File with clippings, official notices, programs, invitations, and documents related to career with the Grange and Dept.of Agriculture. Includes material related to the death of President McKinley
LEGAL DOCUMENTS
CONTRACTS;
1901-1903;
Joseph H. Brigham correspondence, contracts and patents related to two different agricultural machines
DEEDS;
1784;
Brigham Family deed to land in Massachusetts
SCRAPBOOKS AND SCRAPBOOK MATERIALS
CLIPPINGS AND EPHEMERA;
1895-1903, undated;
Loose clippings (most undated) relating to issues of the Grange, agriculture, free-silver, and the Ohio Woolgrowers Association, as well as receipts and business cards
PRINTED MATERIALS
BOOKS;
1880-1901;
Excerpts photocopied from "The war of the rebellion: a compilation of the official records of the Union and Confederate armies" with references to the actions in which J.H. Brigham was involved during the Civil War
CERTIFICATES;
1904;
Louisiana Purchase Exposition Board, Condolence Resolution (oversize flat encapsulated)
PHOTOGRAPHIC MATERIALS
PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTS;
1864-1986;
Photographic prints of Brigham family members, including Winfield Scott Brigham, Edna A. Brigham, and J.H. Brigham in Civil War uniform, in his office at the Dept. of Agriculture, and with President McKinley at the Pan American Exposition years
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The papers were donated and transferred to the Center for Archival Collections on March 31, 1998, through the cooperation of Betty Hughes Melton of Falls Church, Virginia, with contributions courtesy of Nancy Brigham Gibson (1931-1998) of Rancho Palos Verdes, California.
Processing Information
The finding aid was prepared by Marilyn Levinson in May 1998
Subject
- Brigham family (Family)
- Title
- Guide to the Brigham Family papers
- Author
- Marilyn Levinson, Libby Hertenstein
- Date
- May 1998, November 2018
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- English