EDWARD D. NEILL AND FAMILY PAPERS:

An Inventory of Neill Family Papers at the Minnesota Historical Society

Manuscripts Collection

Part or all of this collection is restricted.
For details, please see restrictions.

OVERVIEW


	Creator:	Neill, Edward D. (Edward Duffield), 1823-1893, creator.
	Title:	Edward D. Neill and family papers.
	Dates:	1786-1931 (bulk 1841-1931).
	Abstract:	Neill's papers document his career as a student at Amherst and Andover (1842-1844), a Presbyterian home missionary in Illinois (1847-1848), a Presbyterian minister in St. Paul, Minnesota (1849-1860), the founder of churches in Minnesota, state superintendent of education and chancellor of the University of Minnesota (1858-1861), chaplain of the First Minnesota Volunteer Infantry and of the Philadelphia hospitals (1861-1864), American consul at Dublin, Ireland (1869-1871), and president of and professor at Macalester College (1873-1893).
	Quantity:	6.35 cubic feet (20 boxes, including 66 volumes; 13 items in Reserve).
	Location:	See Detailed Description for shelf locations.

Correspondence, notes, newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, and other papers relating to the family and career of Edward Duffield Neill. The papers detail Neill's activities as a student at Amherst and Andover colleges (1842-1844); Presbyterian missionary in Illinois (1847-1848), minister in St. Paul (1849-1860), state Superintendent of Education and chancellor of the University of Minnesota (1858-1861), as a promoter of the College of St. Paul and of Baldwin University, which were later consolidated as Macalester College, and as president of the latter institution (1873-1884).

There are also letters to Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson (1864-1866), obtained by Neill in his capacity as private secretary of those two men, concerning appointments, the election of 1864, colonization of the slaves, the English attitude toward the Civil War, and pardons. Original documents by Lincoln relate to the execution of the Indians convicted of participation in the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862.

Other materials result from Neill's activity as an historian of Minnesota and of colonial America, especially Virginia and Maryland, including letters, reminiscences of pioneers, notes and memoranda, newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, and manuscripts and annotated printed copies of his works. There are letters from his brother Thomas as a cadet at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point (1843-1847); correspondence with other family members in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere; and genealogical data on the Neill and related families.

Early record books of the College of St. Paul and of Baldwin University are also included.

Among Neill's correspondents are prominent benefactors of educational institutions, such as M. W. Baldwin, Charles Macalester (1870s), and James J. Hill; well-known historians: Lyman C. Draper, Elliott Coues (May 28, 1893), James A. Froude, Francis Parkman, John G. Nicolay (1864), John Hay (undated), Justin Winsor, Frederick Jackson Turner (undated, August 26, 1890), and Moses Coit Tyler (February 5, 1884, March 24, 1891), and prominent Minnesotans: Lawrence Taliaferro, Alexander Ramsey, Henry M. Rice, William R. Marshall, Thomas Foster, George L. Becker, Stephen Miller, John S. Pillsbury, Cushman K. Davis, Samuel J.R. McMillan, Brewer Mattocks (November 1875), Archbishop John Ireland (December 7, 1883, January 23, 1884), James Wallace (1890s) and William Lochren (1880s and 1890s).

A card file calendar to the Neill Papers, prepared by Edwin Kagin, is included within the collection.

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ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Access Restrictions:

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

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Edward D. Neill and Family Papers. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Accession Information:

Accession numbers: 1728; 1731F; 1745C2; 1780D30; 1878B; 1798B; 2242; 2887; 3047; 3146; 3172; 3236; 7975; 8439; 9688; AV2005.34.; 16,421; 17,611

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: 001733660

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DETAILED DESCRIPTION


Location	Box
P2668	1	Correspondence:
			The 1811 letter is from Henry Neill (1783-1845) to his father John Neill (1749-1816) and concerns family matters. The majority of the 1840s letters are written among members of the Neill family. There are letters to Edward Neill when he was a student at Amherst and Andover colleges from his father Henry (1841-1845), his brother Tom, his sister Emily, his mother Martha, and his cousin C. B. Duffield. Tom's letters (November 1843-April 1847) give details on cadet life, examinations, courts martial, and celebrations while he was a student at West Point Military Academy. They mention the visit of a French General Bertrand (November 2, 1843) and of a McLellan [possibly George Brinton McClellan] (July 23, 1844). Letters from 1845 to 1847 relate to Neill and his fiancee Nancy Hall of Snow Hill, Maryland, and to Neill's father's death in 1845. Additional letters discuss family matters, Neill's schooling, his views on religion, and his indecision over his chosen ministerial career. Letters written to Nancy from June to September 1847 give some data on his missionary work in Illinois, and his views on religious toleration in Virginia and slavery (July 5, 1847). There is no correspondence for 1848 and only one letter for 1849, which describes to his wife his trip to Prairie du Chien and his decision to leave Galena, Illinois.
			Letters from the 1850s reveal Neill's many trips to the East. He visited Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Amherst College, Cleveland, and New York City. These letters contain many references to family and friends, Minnesotans he met in Washington, and descriptions of places he visited. He mentions many times meeting Alexander Ramsey and members of his family in Washington and Philadelphia. Neill traveled East, in part, to obtain funds and teachers for Baldwin School in St. Paul.
			Letters document Neill's chaplaincies with the First Minnesota Regiment (1861-1862) and at the South Street Military Hospital, Philadelphia (1862-1863). Letters, especially for January to April 1862 document activities of the First Regiment in Maryland and Virginia, including troop movements, visits to hospitals, the popularity of General McClellan, family news, some mention of battles and officers of the First Minnesota, particularly Dr. John Murphy, Colonel Dana and General Gorman. Beginning in January 1864 the letters document his service as one of President Abraham Lincoln's personal secretaries and his efforts to obtain a home in Washington, D.C. He purchased a farm in Beltville, Maryland.
			Letters from 1865 to 1869 are few but include some from his cousin C. B. Duffield, who was a Confederate sympathizer. Letters from 1870 to 1893 relate to the employment of Neill's sons, Samuel and Henry, data on friends in Ireland, births, deaths, and marriages in the family, and also include a few letters from C.B. Duffield.
			Letters in June 1893 describe Neill's visit to the Chicago World's Fair. Condolences upon the deaths of Edward Neill and his wife in 1893 and 1895 respectively include those from Newton H. Winchell, Charlotte O. Van Cleve, Mary E. and William G. LeDuc, William R. Marshall, and Matilda W. Rice. From 1900 to 1931 there are many letters written to Minnesota Neill, daughter of Edward, by her friends and relatives. Most relate to family matters and news of mutual friends. Letters in 1906 and 1909 from William Watts Folwell and Warren Upham concern preservation of the papers of Neill and transfer of papers to the Minnesota Historical Society.
			Correspondence, undated, 1811, 1827-1856. 8 folders.
				Includes letterheads of Phelps House, Buffalo, New York (May 30, 1850); view of Philadelphia (June 21, 1850); Amherst College (August 11, 1853); Baldwin School seal (August 20, 1853); Fremont House, Gage and Bro., Chicago, seal (February 7, 1854).
Location	Box
P2668	2		Correspondence, 1857-1864. 8 folders.
				Letters include: a January 9, 1860, letter mentioning Neill's meeting with Ambrose E. Burnside, treasurer of the Illinois Central Railroad, in Chicago; May 14,1860, letters from George B. McClellan and his fiance Ellen Mary Marcy, expressing their regrets that Neill cannot attend their wedding; letters of May 8 and June 29, 1861, describing the Zouave regiments and seeing President and Mrs. Lincoln; an October 31, 1861 letter mentioning the Massachusetts 20th Regiment and Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.; numerous letters of February 1862 relating to charges of fraud brought against Neill by W. C. Dodge; letters of February 7 and 10, 1862 noting the baptism of Mary McClellan, daughter of George B. McClellan, by Neill; a November 29, 1863 letter from Benson J. Lossing concerning a silhouette portrait of George Washington; a January 16, 1864, letter describing an incident in which a boy was struck by President Lincoln's carriage; a February 21, 1864, letter describing visitors to the White House and President Lincoln's children; an August 22, 1864 A.L.S. from John G. Nicolay authorizing Neill to be in complete charge of the White House office.
				Includes letterheads of Weddell House, Cleveland, Ohio (May 30, 1856), Angier House, Cleveland, Ohio (September 30, 1857), Newhall House, Milwaukee, Wisconsin (October 24, 1861), and containing slogans relating to the Civil War (November 24, 1861; December 5, 1861; January 14, 1862; February 10, 1862).
Location	Box
P2668	3		Correspondence, 1865-1876. 7 folders.
				Letters include: an April 16, 1865, letter by E. D. Paul containing data on President Lincoln's death (the only letter noting his death in the collection); a January 20, 1868, letter from C. B. Duffield containing his justification of support of the Confederacy and his opinions on the position of the Negro in Southern society; a February 5, 1869, L.S. from Robert Todd Lincoln; a November 8, 1873 letter from W. Fleming Stevenson, Dublin, Ireland, detailing his observations on and reactions to a tour of the United States.
Location	Box
P2668	4		Correspondence, 1877-1886. 7 folders.
				Letters include: a December 11, 1882, A.L.S. from Senator Samuel J. R. McMillan; an April 28, 1883 letter from A.B. Nettleton enclosing a tracing of a marking on a rock in Yellowstone Valley made by William Clark while on the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
				Includes letterheads of College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia (April 4, 1877); Minnesota College Hospital, Minneapolis (April 10, 1882); Merchant's Hotel, St. Paul (March 1, 1883); Nicollet House, Minneapolis, Minnesota (March 19, 1883); Macalester College, St. Paul (June 2, 1886).
Location	Box
P2668	5		Correspondence, 1887-1891. 7 folders.
				Includes letterheads of Hotel Binda, Paris, France (December 3, 1888); Windsor Hotel, St. Paul (November 20, 1890); Cataract House, Niagara Falls, New York (November 20, 1891).
Location	Box
P2668	6		Correspondence, 1892-1912. 8 folders.
				Includes letterhead of Bohn Manufacturing Company, St. Paul (February 29, 1892), Grand Central Passenger Station Hotel, Chicago (June 6, 1893), Olson and Johnson, General Contractors, Missoula, Montana (January 4, 1912) and Neill Land and Townsite Company, Lewistown, Montana (April 26, 1912).
Location	Box
P2668	7		Correspondence, 1913-1931. 3 folders.


		Miscellaneous papers and notes:
			Receipts, invoices, financial statements, genealogical data, deeds, agreements, undated, 1786-1896, 1905-1930. 5 folders.
				Items include: Genealogical charts and data on the Neill and Martin families (filed at the beginning of the first folder); a tuition receipt issued to Benjamin Duffield by the College of Philadelphia (now the University of Pennsylvania) (1786), an indenture of apprentice between Henry Neill and a slave (1817), an agreement between the chiefs of the Red Cedar Lake and Gull Lake bands of Chippewa and Joseph R. Brown (1848) allowing Brown the right to cut timber on their lands; a long manuscript poem (undated and unsigned) condemning Abraham Lincoln (filed in the undated section of the 1860 papers), and brief biographical notes on Edward D. Neill and his wife, compiled by Minnesota Neill (1930).
Location	Box
P2668	8		Baldwin School and Macalester College, undated. 1 folder.
			Minnesota history, religion, explorations in Canada, and the history of Maryland and Virginia, undated. 4 folders.


		Translations and transcriptions, undated. 4 folders.
			Copies of manuscripts from French, Canadian, and English repositories; includes translations of Lahontan's Journal, George A. Belcourt's report on Hudson's Bay, and the Penicaut Journal. The last folder in the French and Canadian section contains miscellaneous translations of letters and reports, arranged chronologically (1683-1797). The final folder contains documents relating to England and to the English colonization of America, arranged chronologically (1607-1768).


Location	Box
P2668	9	Sermons and writings, undated, 1838-1892. 4 folders.
			Sermons, articles, memoirs, and similar data prepared by Neill. The first folder contains dated material; the last three folders are undated. Each undated document has been given a sequential number (1-30, inclusive) that is bracketed in the upper right hand corner of the manuscript. The manuscript President Lincoln's Mailbag is number 18 (See Abraham Lincoln and His Mailbag, edited by Theodore C. Blegen, St. Paul, 1964).


		Newspaper clippings, undated, 1860-1912. 2 folders.
			Includes data on the Neill family, the Civil War, religion, American history, and Neill's death in 1893.


		Printed materials, undated, 1856-1931. 2 folders.
			Includes calling cards of Neill family members, brochures of Baldwin School and Macalester College, sample of Confederate money (1861), religious tracts, wedding invitations, commencement programs, and similar data. Items of particular interest include Historical Notes on the Ancestry and Descendants of Henry Neill, M.D. (1886) and poems by William Bronson LeDuc (1890?).


Location	Box
P2668	10	Volumes:
			Notebooks:
				1. Containing lists of books and people, Macalester College, undated.
				2. Of history; also includes material on the founding of Macalester College, undated.
				3. Founding of Macalester College, undated.
				4. Notes on John Washington and family history; also includes draft of letter concerning candidacy of John S.M. Neill for office of Surveyor General of Montana, undated.
				5. Notes on George Washington, volume 1, with data of Fairfax family, undated.
				6. Notes on George Washington, volume 2, with data on Fairfax family, undated.
				7. Notes on George Washington's inaugural and prayers, undated.
				8. Notes on Civil War, especially engagements of First Minnesota Regiment, undated.
				9. Notes on Virginia history and Virginia Carolorium, undated.
				10. Notes on history, Sir John Zouche and his iron works, and exam questions, undated.
				11. Historical, including Major Andre, Canadian colonial events, and colonial Virginia, undated.
				12. Ancient history, undated.
				13. Notes on colonial Virginia history, undated.
				14. Notes on English history, undated.
				15. Bible history and lecture notes, including First Minnesota Regiment, undated.
				16. Notes on University of Minnesota, Baldwin University, etc., undated.
				17. Notes on early Minnesota history, including Fort Snelling, undated.
				18. Notes on colonial history, undated.
				19. Lectures 1 and 3 in Series on the Development of American Government, undated.
				20. Lecture 2: Colonization of English North America, undated.
				21. Lecture 4: Form and Defects of American Government during the War for Independence, undated.
				22. Lecture 5: Framers & Framing of Constitution, undated.
				23. Lecture 6: Administration of Washington as the First President, with notes on Jamestown, Roger Williams and William Penn, undated.
				24. Lecture on the government of Great Britain, undated.
Location	Box
P2668	11			30. British and Egyptian history lecture notes for freshmen and sophomore classes, 1887.
				31. Egyptian and Greek history lecture notes, 1888.
				32. English history lecture notes, 1888.
				33. Roman and Greek history lecture notes, 1888.
				34. History notes and copies of letters, 1890-1891.
				35. Philadelphia notes, Potts manuscripts, etc., July 1892.
Location	Box
P2668	20		Record books:
				Account book, 1845-1853. 1 volume.
					Belonging to Edward D. Neill, volume contains financial information, such as bills and receipts, for Neill's household and personal expenses, including the Baldwin School.
					[0.15 cubic feet empty, legal size.]
Location	Box
P2668	10			25. Baldwin School receipt book, 1854-1855.
				26. Baldwin School and College of St. Paul account book, 1856-1863.
				27. Financial accounts of Baldwin School and Macalester College, 1873-1875.
				28. Pastor's pocket record, includes marriages and baptisms, 1879-March 16, 1892.
				29. Macalester College Library Account, 1885-1889.
				36. Subscription list for History of Minnesota and autographs, 1858-1866.
			Annotated publications:
				37. Colonization of America, 1870.
				38. Fairfax Family and Other Papers, 1868.
				39. Founders of Maryland, 1876.
				40. History of Minnesota, undated.
					First edition.
				41. Virginia Company of London, 1869.
				42. Virginia Vetusta, 1885.
Location	Box
P2668	12			43. Virginia Carolorum, 1886.
			Scrapbooks:
				44. Clippings of letters from trip to Illinois, 1847.
				46. Clippings regarding education, Indian wars, Minnesota Historical Society, and poems, 1855-1861.
				47. Clippings regarding colonial history, church history, Minnesota history, and genealogy, 1869-1877.
				48. Clippings regarding Alumni Association of Minnesota, Reformed Episcopal Church, and Macalester College, January 31-September 6, 1874.
				49. Clippings regarding Reformed Episcopal Church, Maryland, and John Mattocks, February 5-November 17, 1875.
				50. Clippings regarding religion, 1875-1879.
Location	Box
P2668	14			51. Clippings, 1877-1890.
				52. Clippings, especially biographical, February 15, 1879-July 9, 1881, February 1893.
Location	Box
P2668	12			53. Clippings regarding early Minneapolis history, immigration, and Christianity, March 31-September 29, 1879.
				54. Clippings regarding Minnesota, 1880.
Location	Box
P2668	13			55. Clippings regarding the modern newspaper, 1881.
				56. Clippings regarding sermons, articles, and Minnesota, January 31, 1881-November 8, 1885.
				57. Clippings regarding religion and Minnesota, October 1882-March 1890.
				58. Clippings regarding American history and religion, January 22, 1891-May 18, 1893.
				59. Clippings on George Washington, February 21-22, 1892.
Location	Box
P2668	15			65. Sketches of the Histories of the Colonies of France by Verendrye, undated.
					Includes two letters written by Pierre Margy.
				66. Miscellaneous Clippings regarding religion, Minnesota history, and mining around Galena, Illinois, undated.
Location	Box
P2668	13		Miscellaneous volumes:
				60. Sermon notes by Edward D. Neill, undated.
				61. Poetry book; and list of letters written by Minnesota Neill, undated, 1870s.
				62-63. List of letters sent and visiting list kept by Minnesota Neill, 1887-1888.
					Two volumes in one cover.
				64. Biographical data on Neill and Duffield families, circa 1785-circa 1870s.
					Includes clippings, manuscripts and printed data; not in chronological order.
Location	Box
P2668	14			45. Index Rerum and notebook, undated.
					Contains letter (December 11, 1850) from Rev. Richard Hall regarding the Dakota Friend.


Location	Box
P2668	15	Photographs: 46 carte de visites, 2 tintypes: b&w; 2.5 x 4 in. and smaller.
			Images include Neill family members, as well as family friends and relatives.
			Selected images are also available in digital format.
			Image 1: Minnesota "Minnie" Neill. 2 copies.
			Image 2: Samuel Neill, January 16, 1872.
			Image 3: Henry Neill, March 13, 1877. 2 copies.
			Image 4: Minister Henry Neill.
			Images 5-7: Edward D. Neill, Jr.
			Image 8: Pattie Neill Borie with her children Charles and Emily.
			Image 9: Humphrey Neill.
			Image 10: John Martin.
			Image 11: Carrie Martin.
			Image 12: Reverend Albert Barnes.
			Image 13: George Upsher.
			Image 14: May Johnson, September 1880.
			Image 15: Sara Johnson Bovey, September 1887.
			Image 16: Fannie Willis, 1881.
			Image 17: Mabel and Edith Gardner, November 1884.
			Image 18: Tom and John Neill.
			Image 19: Tom Neill.
			Images 20-45: Unidentified men, women, and children who are relatives or friends of the Edward D. Neill family.


Location	Box
P2668	16	Calendar to the Edward D. Neill and Family Papers by Edwin Kagin:
			Calendar to correspondence, undated, 1811-1867.
Location	Box
P2668	17		Calendar to correspondence, 1868-1887.
Location	Box
P2668	18		Calendar to correspondence, 1888-1911.
Location	Box
P2668	19		Calendar to correspondence, 1912-1930, miscellaneous papers and volumes.


Location	Box
Reserve 92	1	Reserve items:
			RESTRICTED.
			Access to and use of reserve items requires the curator's permission. Copies of all Reserve items can be found in their chronological sequence in the Correspondence series.
			1. Neill's appointment as chaplain of the United States Hospital at Philadelphia; signed by Abraham Lincoln and Edwin M. Stanton, July 26, 1862. 1 leaf. D.S.
				Digital version
			2. Note signed by A. Lincoln regarding a possible vacancy at Ebenezer Church, October 15, 1862. 1 leaf. A.L.S., fragment of larger document.
				Digital version
			3. M[orton S.] Wilkinson and Cyrus Aldrich to the President [Lincoln] protesting the plans to pardon the Dakota who were involved in the Dakota Conflict, [December 1862?] 9 leaves. A.L.S.
				Digital version
			4. A. Lincoln to the Sec[retary] of [the] Interior regarding Senate Resolution on the Sioux Outbreak [Dakota Conflict], December 5, 1862. 1 leaf. A.L.S.
				Digital version
			5. Geo. C. Whiting and Francis H. Ruggles to "Sir" [President Lincoln?] regarding Dakota Indians convicted of rape and murder, December 5, 1862. 8 leaves. A.L.S.
				Digital version
			6. Abraham Lincoln to H[enry] H. Sibley listing the Dakota who were to be hanged, December 6, 1862. 2 leaves.
				Digital version
			7. W[illiam] P. Dole, Commissioner of Indian Affairs, to C.B. Smith, Secretary of the Interior regarding Senate resolution on the Sioux Outbreak [Dakota Conflict], December 8, 1862. 1 leaf. A.L.S.
				Digital version
			8. Lincoln's statement to the Senate concerning the Sioux Outbreak [Dakota Conflict]; in Lincoln's handwriting, but not signed by him, [December 11, 1862?] 4 leaves. A.D.
				Digital version
			9. Note in A. Lincoln's handwriting concerning a military appointment, September 12, 1864. 1 leaf. A.D.S., fragment with partial text on reverse.
				Digital version
			10. Annotation by A. Lincoln to Surgeon General regarding potential appointment, October [14?], 1864. 1 leaf. A.D.S.
				Document to which annotation refers is not present.
				Digital version
			11. Letter of introduction from Andrew Johnson, Governor of Tennessee, to Abraham Lincoln, December 3, 1864. 1 leaf. A.L.S.
				Digital version
			12. A. Lincoln to the Sec[retary] of [the] Interior regarding the nomination of an Indian Agent for New Mexico, March 19, 1865. 1 leaf. A.L.S.
				Digital version
			13. Act Incorporating Macalester College, March 5, 1874. 3 leaves.
				Handwritten copy from the original in the files of the Minnesota Secretary of State. The copy has the name of the college misspelled; in the original document the name is spelled correctly.
				Digital version

RELATED MATERIALS

U.S. Secretary of State. Consular dispatches, 1793-1906 (microfilm, cataloged separately) includes files from Neill's service at Dublin.

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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:: Dakota Indians -- Wars, 1862-1865.; Dakota Indians -- Execution of, at Mankato, Minn., 1862.; Duffield family.; Neal family.; Neill family.; Presbyterians -- Minnesota.; Universities and colleges -- Minnesota.

Places:: Maryland -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775.; Minnesota -- History.; United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865.; Virginia -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775.

Persons:: Kagin, Edwin, 1879-1975.

Organizations:: Baldwin School.; College of Saint Paul.; Macalester College.; United States. Army. Minnesota Infantry Regiment, 1st (1861-1864); United States. President (1861-1865 : Lincoln); United States. President (1865-1869 : Johnson)

Types of Documents:: Photographs.; Poems.; Sermons.

Occupations:: Chaplains.; Clergy.

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EDWARD D. NEILL AND FAMILY PAPERS:

OVERVIEW

SCOPE AND CONTENTS

ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

RELATED MATERIALS

CATALOG HEADINGS