MARY E. RICHARDS:
An Inventory of the Mary E. Richards and Family Papers at the Minnesota Historical Society
Manuscripts Collection
OVERVIEW
| Creator: | Richards, Mary E., creator. | |
| Title: | Mary E. Richards and family papers. | |
| Dates: | 1851-1965 (bulk 1851-1915). | |
| Language: | Materials in English. | |
| Abstract: | Originals and photocopies of correspondence (1851-1914), picture postcards (undated and 1906-1965), drawings, photographs, and tax and insurance documents of Mary E. and Amasa K. Richards and their son, George W. Richards. The bulk of the correspondence (1851-1890) was sent to Mary while she resided in Shakopee and Wayzata, Minnesota, from family members in Massachusetts and Iowa, and from Amasa during the time he served in the Civil War (1864-1865). Also included are business correspondence and receipts (1862-1899) and picture postcards sent to George while working for the railroad and residing in Maple Plain (Minn.). | |
| Quantity: | 0.75 cubic feet (1 box). | |
| Location: | P1773: See Detailed Description for shelf locations. |
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
Mary E. Richards moved to Shakopee, Minnesota from Sturbridge, Massachusetts in 1854. She worked as a schoolmistress and in 1858 married Amasa K. Richards, the son of Emory and Abigail Richards. Amasa had moved to Minnesota from Brookfield, Massachusetts before Mary and farmed near Shakopee. Sometime prior to 1864 the couple moved to Wayzata and continued to farm. Amasa enlisted in the Minnesota 11th Regiment during the Civil War (1864 1865) and served at South Tunnel Station near Nashville, Tennessee. In 1876 Amasa contracted to carry the U.S. mail on a route from Chaska to Delano. Mary and Amasa Richards had three children: a son who died soon after birth, an adopted daughter, Ida, and a second son, George.
Biographical data was taken from the collection.
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Availability:
The collection is open for research use.
Preferred Citation:
[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Mary E. Richards and Family Papers. Minnesota Historical Society.
See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.
Accession Information:
Accession number: 5626; 13,773; 16,631
Processing Information:
Processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with a Basic Project grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).
Catalog ID number: 990017150590104294
Appraisal Information:
Papers Cataloged January 15, 1991
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
| Box | |||||||||||
| P1773 | 1 | Personal correspondence, undated and 1851-1914. 4 folders. | |||||||||
| Personal correspondence (1851-1914) consists primarily of correspondence sent to Amasa and Mary Richards while residing near Shakopee and Wayzata, Minnesota. Most of the letters to Mary are from members of her family, the Plimpton family of Sturbridge, Massachusetts and a brother and sister in law living in Iowa. The letters detail general family matters, illnesses, births and deaths, reports of farming successes and failures, impressions of the Indian situation in Minnesota during the l860s, and events related to the Civil War. Family members whose letters appear regularly are Mary's sisters, Lizzie, Kate, and Lucinda; her brothers Chester and James; and her sisters in law, Laura Ann Plimpton and Laura W. Stone. Also included are letters (1907-1914) of Amasa and Mary's son, George, of Maple Plain, Minnesota. | |||||||||||
| Civil War letters, 1861-1865. | |||||||||||
| The Civil War letters were sent to Mary by her brother, Isaac Plimpton, and Amasa. | |||||||||||
| Isaac served with the Massachusetts 22nd Regiment and was killed (July 1, 1862) at the Battle of Malvern Hill near Richmond. His letters were written while stationed at Halls Hill, Virginia (December 11, 1861 and January 26, 1862). | |||||||||||
| Amasa's letters (September 1864-July 1865) relate his service with the Minnesota 11th Regiment at South Tunnel Station outside of Nashville. The early letters describe his trip to Nashville by way of Chicago and Louisville. Confederate guerrilla activity around the railroad and tunnel that his detachment guarded is discussed in several letters. Preparations prior to the Battle of Nashville (December 1864) are described (December 8, 1864) and a later letter (December 21, 1864) relates the defeat of General Hood's Confederate army at Nashville. Richards mentions three brothers named Gorden who were tried for desertion (February 7, 1865), and in other letters refers to two large fires in Minneapolis and Saint Anthony (February 26, 1865) and local citizens' attitudes towards the Union and their good treatment of the Union soldiers (April 27, 1865). A letter sent from Pilot's Knob, Tennessee (May 20, 1865) includes two drawings identified as the stockade and living quarters at South Tunnel. Richards relates his observation of the low morale of returning Confederate soldiers and recounts the large sums of Confederate money these soldiers paid for basic items. The discovery of oil in Hennepin County, specifically near Bassett's Creek, is mentioned (June 18, 1865) and, in his last letter (July 7, 1865), Amasa describes his trip home, his astonishment over the positive reception given by people north of the Ohio River, and the homecoming celebration given in St. Paul. | |||||||||||
| Insurance and tax documents, business correspondence, and miscellaneous papers, 1862-1899. | |||||||||||
| Includes receipts for payment of toll tax (May 17, 1862), an allotment payment ([1864]), notification of tax refund (March 29, 1876), and for a contract to carry mail from Chaska to Delano (September 10, 1876). Correspondence regards Richards' cancellation of a land deal (July 13, 1864), his offer to sell land to the St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Company (May 21, 1868), and discussion of post office matters (May 29 and August 28, 1878). Two letters (February 20 and February 28, 1899) deal with Richards' appointment as guardian in the will of a relative in Valencia, Spain. Miscellany include an advertising bill from the Northwestern Clothing Hall in Minneapolis (October 1, 1872) and a cure for the bite of a mad dog. | |||||||||||
| Picture postcards, undated and 1906-1965 (bulk 1908 1915). | |||||||||||
| The bulk of the picture postcards were sent to George W. Richards while he worked for the railroad. Also included are a number of postcards sent to Mrs. Minnie Anderson prior to her marriage to George Richards. The postcards contain several black and white photographs of Minnesota landmarks and scenery. | |||||||||||
CATALOG HEADINGS
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:
- Agriculture -- Iowa -- Chariton.
- Agriculture -- Minnesota -- Wayzata.
- Agriculture -- Minnesota -- Shakopee.
- Agriculture -- Minnesota -- Plymouth.
- Camp meetings -- Massachusetts -- Sturbridge.
- Electric railroads -- Minnesota -- Wayzata.
- Farm life -- Iowa -- Chariton.
- Farm life -- Minnesota -- Wayzata.
- Farm life -- Minnesota -- Plymouth.
- Farm life -- Minnesota -- Shakopee.
- Malvern Hill, Battle of, Va., 1862.
- Nashville, Battle of, Nashville, Tenn., 1864.
- Petroleum -- Minnesota -- Hennepin County.
- Postal service -- Minnesota -- Wayzata -- Carriers.
- Railroads -- Minnesota -- Wayzata.
- Persons:
- Plimpton family.
- Plimpton, Chester F.
- Plimpton, Kate.
- Richards family.
- Richards, Amasa K., 1833-
- Richards, George W.
- Organizations:
- Rochester Insurance Company.
- United States. Army. Minnesota Infantry Regiment, 11th (1864-1865).
- United States. Army. Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, 22nd.
- Places:
- Chariton (Iowa)
- Plymouth (Minn.)
- Shakopee (Minn.)
- Sturbridge (Mass.)
- United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
- United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Underground movements
- Wayzata (Minn.)
- Wrangell (Alaska) -- Description and travel.
- Document Types:
- Picture postcards.
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