JOHN S. SHERBURNE:

Moses D. Sherburne was a St. Paul attorney, a district court judge of the Minnesota second judicial district, and an associate justice of the Supreme Court of Minnesota Territory from 1853 to 1857. He is also credited with helping to guide the territory into statehood. He was born on January 25, 1808 at Mount Vernon, Kennebec County, Maine, to Samuel Sherburne and Lucy Carson. In 1853 Sherburne was appointed an associate justice of the Minnesota Territorial Supreme Court, at which time he moved to Minnesota with his wife Sophia Dyer Whitney and their children.

Sarah S. Sherburne was born April 26, 1839, the fifth child of Moses D. Sherburne and Sophia D. Whitney. She married Dr. Albert Gallatin Brisbine on March 11, 1856. They had four children: Albert Sherburne Brisbine (Nov. 28, 1857), James John Brisbine (April 30, 1862), Sarah Brisbine (April 22, 1864) who died in infancy, and Hetty Cornwall Brisbine (May 11, 1867). Hetty married Simeon Mills Hayes, who wrote a biography of Moses Sherburne for the Minnesota Historical Society Collections, Vol. X, 1905.

Joel Whitney Sherburne was born in Maine on June 13, 1841, the sixth child of Moses D. Sherburne and Sophia D. Whitney. At the age of 21, he was mustered into the army on July 25, 1862. He served as a Private in Captain George McCoy's Company "H," Eighth Minnesota Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War. He was discharged by reason of surgeon's certificate of disability on May 9, 1863 at Fort Snelling. He was sometimes referred to as "Joe" in family letters.

John Samuel Sherburne was born in Maine on March 28, 1843, the seventh child of Moses D. Sherburne and Sophia D. Whitney. At the age of 18, he was mustered into the army at Fort Ridgely, Minnesota on July 5, 1861. He served in Company "D," Second Minnesota Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War. He was appointed to the rank of Corporal on March 1, 1862. John Sherburne died of wounds September 30, 1863, a few days after the Battle of Chickamauga. He occasionally signed letters home to his family as "Sam" or "Samuel".

Moses Thaxter Sherburne was born January 9, 1845, the eighth child of Moses D. Sherburne and Sophia D. Whitney. Due to physical disability, he was exempted from military duty during the Civil War. He was a businessman in Des Moines, Iowa, and wrote extensively to his daughter Ruth.

Joseph Henry Sherburne was born September 7, 1847, the ninth child of Moses D. Sherburne and Sophia D. Whitney. He was referred to occasionally as "Hen" or "Henry" in family letters.

James Chapman Sherburne was born October 13, 1849, the tenth child of Moses D. Sherburne and Sophia D. Whitney. He was referred to occasionally as "Minnie" in family letters.

Ruth Sherburne was the daughter of Moses Thaxter Sherburne. She was born in Chicago, May 30, 1886. She lived in Faribault and St. Paul, Minnesota during her childhood. She attended college at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, and became a teacher. She later became involved in the National Recreation Association and helped to draft recreation legislation in several states. In 1939 she became involved with the National Youth Administration.

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The earliest papers in this collection relate to territorial judge Moses Sherburne. These consist mostly of promissory notes and court papers. The set of letters written by Civil War soldier John S. Sherburne are addressed to his family members living in St. Paul, Minnesota. In his letters he describes the activities of his company as they moved through the South. After his death there are three letters sent by members of the Second Minnesota to his brother Moses.

Another set of letters were written by Moses Thaxter Sherburne to his daughter Ruth and to other family members. One folder contains miscellaneous papers relating to Ruth Sherburne, such as resumes and certificates. The collection also contains genealogical information from family Bibles and a family photo album with portraits of the Sherburne and Brisbine family members.

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Availability:

The collection is open for research use.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. John S. Sherburne and Family Papers. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples

Accession Information:

Accession number: 16,007

Processing Information:

Processed by: Erin McDonald Bouchard, January 2006

Catalog ID number: 990061505790104294

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Moses Sherburne papers, 1850-1865, are also in the Minnesota Historical Society manuscript collections.

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This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Topics:

Chickamauga, Battle of, Ga., 1863.

Persons:

Brisbine, Sarah Sherburne, 1839-1927.

Brisbine family.

Hayes, Simeon Mills, 1862- .

Sherburne, James Chapman, 1849- .

Sherburne, Joel Whitney, 1841- .

Sherburne, Joseph Henry, 1847- .

Sherburne, Moses, 1808-1868.

Sherburne, Moses Thaxter, 1845-1929.

Sherburne, Ruth, 1886- .

Sherburne, Sophia Dyer Whitney, 1816-1891.

Sherburne family.

Organizations:

United States. Army. Minnesota Infantry Regiment, 2nd (1861-1865).

Places:

Minnesota -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865.

Document Types:

Albumen prints.

Daguerreotypes.

Photographs.

Occupations:

Judges.

Soldiers.

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