Category: Archives & LIbraries

Draper Collection of Civil War Letters Digitized at Delaware Archives

The Delaware Public Archives (DPA) has released the following announcement about the digitization of the Abram H. Draper Collection, a holding that contains Civil War letters, poetry, and correspondence.

DPA writes: “The Abram H. Draper Collection consists of 34 unique pieces of correspondence, including letters and poetry from Sergeant Abram H. Draper to his wife Anna M. Wiley Draper during the American Civil War. The content of this collection offers a detailed description of Draper’s time while on guard and picket duty, everyday details of the life of a Union soldier in the United States Army from 1861 – 1863. The collection also includes correspondence to and from members of Draper’s extended family, as well as letters and documents to Anna notifying her of his death on January 22, 1863, from typhoid fever at Camp Gilpins, Virginia.”

Draper was born in New York City, but made his way to Delaware where he enlisted in the 1st Delaware Regiment, a 90-day unit of volunteers. Later he enlisted in Company A, 4th Delaware Infantry Regiment as a sergeant. The majority of his time was on guard duty in Virginia, according to the DPA.

Click here to view the Draper collection of Civil War letters at the DPA

civil war letters at the Delaware Public Archives
A Civil War letter from the Abram H. Draper collection at the Delaware Public Archives. (Photo Credit: Delaware Public Archives)

Blogging History: Web 2.0 products Create Opportunities

In York, PA an active community of bloggers share stories about the past and Jim McClure, a York Daily Record columnist, has written about the transformations associated with these and other web 2.0 products.

Here are some of  Jim’s observations:

  • “For the past 75 years, those doing York-area history were a successive handful of serious-minded, well-intentioned scholars who wrote some, but mostly spoke and gathered research about our past. Others doing history navigated their ideas and research through this filter.  With the Web, what some call the democratization of information is playing out, and York County’s longtime vertical world of historical research has flattened out”
  • “The Web offers a wide open opportunity for other historical, cultural and community groups.  Many are struggling to retain membership and gain an audience at their museums . . . “ 
  • “People gather virtually in this digital space to exchange information about their diverse local history interests.

The article mentions Blake Stough’s preservingyork.com website as a prime examples of  a site that is providing engaging content while growing a “virtual community.”

Check out Jim’s full article here.

Carroll County Library Digitizes Westminster Newspaper

The Carroll County Public Library has digitized its collection of the Carroll County Times.  This online, text searchable resource spans the years 1933 to 1999.  The old, original microfilm was professionally scanned and software was used to allow for easy text-based searching of the collections.  This valuable addition of records for researchers joins a growing body of material around Maryland.

The Carroll County Library has digitized the Carroll County Times.
The Carroll County Library has digitized the Carroll County Times.

Old Digitized Somerset County Newspapers a Great Help to Genealogists and Historians

The Crisfield Times from Dec, 12, 1941 is an example of a page from the digital collection at the Somerset County Library
The Crisfield Times from Dec, 12, 1941 is an example of a page from the digital collection at the Somerset County Library

The Somerset County Library system has digitized its collection of research materials in order to make the resources more broadly and easily available to researchers.  The just released e-products include newspapers from Princess Anne and Crisfield, and records from the county court system.  The old, original microfilm was professionally scanned and software was used to allow for easy text-based searching of the collections.  This valuable addition of records for researchers joins a growing body of material from the Lower Shore.  Here is a list of some of the records groups that are now available online at the Somerset County Library.  Chick here to go the library search page.

The Crisfield Post, 1935, 1936, and 1955 – 1959

The Crisfield Times, 1907 – 1984

Maryland and Herald, 1912 – 1984

Somerset Herald 1987 – 2004

Village Herald 1827 – 1840

Administrative Accounts of Somerset County , 1685 – 1772

Judicial Records 1701 – 1792