Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Indiana, Pennsylvania in the Civil War

This is a periodical entitled, "The Acme Haversack of Song and Patriotic Eloquence." The magazine was a bi-monthly publication, and this issue is volume three, number three, May, 1889. The publisher is Comrade J.C.O. Redington, of Syracuse, New York. The magazine is in booklet format and is paperbound. It includes 71 songs and 60 other writings, along with 14 black and white illustrations, with a total of 64 pages of text. These images are of three introductory pages from the booklet.

This is a letter from Andrew and Martha Pollock to their nephew, Robert Forsyth. They are writing from Home, PA, on November 14, 1850. The Pollocks write that they are happy to learn of Robert's arrival in the United States. They inform Robert that they live in "an excellent neighborhood for morality and other good qualities; Presbyterians, Seceders, and Associate Reformed churches are most numerous and the prospects of the Covenanters here are encouraging..." , Their religious community is a dispersed, yet well organized congregation but lacks settled pastors. They say that they have had visiting pastors who are named Hanna, Cannon, Milligan, Dodds, and Hunter. In the second part of the letter, the Pollocks mention that there is plenty of land available for sale--thirty of forty pounds sterling will buy 100 or more acres of woodland. The Pollocks describe how one can farm shares; that for horses, feed, seed, and labor, a farmer receives a third of the grain. They write that school teachers receive $20 a month. They observe that section boats cost $5 per passenger, and they warn Robert to keep inside any boats to avoid accidents. They tell Robert to come along the canal to Blairsville and wait there until he can visit them or send word that he has arrived. They also give him directions to their home informing him that it is thirty miles from Blairsville and fifteen miles from Indiana on one of the Punxsutawney roads. The letter concludes with a postscript warning that ague and fever are common in Philadelphia but that those diseases don't occur in their area.

Bill of sale for food purchased by Mrs. Savage at Joseph B. Bussier and Co., a store in Philadelphia. The bill includes foods such as fruits, chicken, cranberries (?), milk, sardines, salmon, and tomatoes. On the back of the bill is a list of foods, some that were included on the bill, others, such as turkey, were not.

This is a photograph of a buck saw, which was in use from the 1840s until the early 20th century. It is used for cutting wood. During the Civil War era farmers would cut wood to sell for extra income, usually during the winter. In the Graham letter (GC1) from Agnes to her brother, the process of cutting logs and rail timbers for use around the farm is described. Sources: Antique Historian Ron Barlow; The Historical and Genealogical Society: Graham Collection Letter 1; Gates, Paul W. The Impact of the Civil War: Agriculture and the Civil War. Ed. Nevins, Allan. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc, 1965. Print.

This is a certificate or diploma naming Winfield Scott Shields Postmaster of Marion Center. He was appointed Postmaster on December 26, 1890. He executed a bond and took the oath of office on January 2, 1890. The document was authorized by John Wanamaker, and bears a seal for the Post Office Department of the United States of America.

This is a certificate of membership of the Presbyterian Church of Marion Center, PA, dated May 26, 1932. The certificate was issued to Harry A. Shields by a Reverend Waltman and a clerk named J. N. Loughry.

This tool was used to make cheese at home. Cheese was made at home until improvements in transportation made it possible to transport milk in liquid form. Factory production then began to replace the home production of cheese. During the Civil War, however, milk was still being processed into cheese and butter at home. Butter was easier to make than cheese and was more readily made at home. Source: Gates, Paul W. The Impact of the Civil War: Agriculture and the Civil War. Ed. Nevins, Allan. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc, 1965. Print.Fletcher, Whitcomb W. Pennsylvania Agriculture and Country Life 1840-1940. Harrisburg: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, 1955. Print.

This is a photograph of a cobbler's bench that was in use probably in the 1700-1800's. Most shoes were repaired at home. It was usually the father's job to repair shoes. Source: Description in Photo- no other evidence.

A collection of letters sent by William Penn Oberlin to his wife, Anna Marie Stauffer Oberlin and his sister between August 27, 1862 and May 19, 1865. Oberlin served with the 148th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. The letters were transcribed by his great, great grandson, Dr. Allen H. Ryen. No originals are available. Oberlin writes in vivid detail about camp life in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia; the hardships of long marches and the dangers of battles in Maryland and Virginia; foraging and plundering for food and horses; encountering whole families of escaped slaves along the road; capturing dispirited, poorly equipped Rebels; the Battle of Gettysburg and the battles in Maryland and Virginia in which Oberlin fought; Abraham Lincoln's visit to the troops; the hospital tent city in City Point, Virginia where he spent the last months of the war; his dreams about returning home and seeing "the old homestead" and his family again; the process of mustering out; and his reasons for fighting.

This is a photo of a crosscut saw common in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was an important tool for felling trees. During winter months, when farmers had fewer chores, they would cut timber on the land and sell it. go Most farmers at this time, including PA farmers, had their own woodlots. In a letter Agnes Graham sent to her brother, she writes that he needed to cut logs and rail timbers on her land. It is likely either this saw or the buck saw was used for cutting that wood. Sources: The Historical and Genealogical Society of Indiana County, PA: Graham Collection Letter 1 (GC1); Antique Tool Historian Ron Barlow; Gates, Paul W. The Impact of the Civil War: Agriculture and the Civil War. Ed. Nevins, Allan. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc, 1965. Print. ; Fletcher, Whitcomb W. Pennsylvania Agriculture and Country Life 1840-1940. Harrisburg: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, 1955. Print.