RETURN I. HOLCOMBE:

Papers of St. Paul author, editor, librarian, and historian Return I. Holcombe that relate to the U.S. Dakota War of 1862. Included are reminiscences and letters by Joseph R. Brown, Samuel J. Brown, Charles D. Gilfillan, Dr. Jared W. Daniels (Battle of Birch Coulee), Mrs. Nancy M. Huggan, and others. Additional material covers Missouri and Minnesota history, the Civil War, correspondence about Civil War pensions, newspaper clippings of local history items and political events (especially the 1876 Hayes-Tilden campaign), and Holcombe family genealogical data.

The papers also include partial manuscripts, galley proofs, and notes related to histories that Holcombe wrote or to which he contributed: Minnesota in Three Centuries, 1655-1908 (1908, volumes 2-3); History of the Minnesota State Agricultural Society: From Its Organization in 1854 to the Annual Meeting of 1910 (1910), Compendium of History and Biography of Minneapolis and Hennepin County, Minnesota (1914); The Great Sioux Outbreak, Massacre, and War of 1862; History of the First Regiment Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, 1861-1864 (1916); and Compendium of History and Biography of Carver and Hennepin Counties (1915).

Born in Huntington Township, Gallia County, Ohio, on February 24, 1845, Holcombe moved to St. Paul in 1890, where he worked for the Minnesota Historical Society from 1893 to 1894, arranging the papers of Henry Hastings Sibley.

He also worked as a writer for St. Paul's Pioneer Press and Dispatch newspapers until 1905. Aside from authoring numerous publications, Holcombe also contributed greatly to C. C. Andrews' 1890 history of St. Paul and to the publications Compendium of History and Biography of Polk County (1916) and History of McLeod County, Minnesota (1917).

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Access Restrictions:

Access to and use of reserve materials requires the curator's permission.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Return I. Holcombe Papers. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Accession Information:

Accession number: 1,942

Processing Information:

Processed by: David B. Peterson, May 1986; Christopher G. Welter, February 2009

Digitized by: Minnesota Historical Society September-October, 2025.

Digitization was made possible by the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the vote of Minnesotans on November 4, 2008.

Catalog ID number: 990017333270104294

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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:

Birch Coulee, Battle of, Minn., 1862.

Dakota Indians -- Wars, 1862-1865.

Military pensions -- United States.

Presidents -- United States -- Election -- 1876.

Persons:

Brown, Joseph Renshaw, 1805-1870, author.

Brown, Samuel J., 1844-1925, author.

Clemens, Samuel Langhorne, 1835-1910, author.

Daniels, Jared Waldo, 1827-1904, author.

Davis, Jefferson, 1808-1889, author.

Gilfillan, Charles Duncan, 1831-1902, author.

Holcomb family.

Huggan, Nancy McClure, 1836-1927, author.

Nicolay, John G. (John George), 1832-1901, author.

Rice, Henry M. (Henry Mower), 1816-1894.

Organizations:

Minnesota State Agricultural Society.

United States. Army. Minnesota Infantry Regiment, 1st (1861-1864).

Places:

Carver County (Minn.).

Hennepin County (Minn.).

Minneapolis (Minn.).

Missouri -- History.

Document Types:

Autographs.

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