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Bown family record book
Creator
Title
Bown family record book, ca. 1831-1955.
Physical Description
1 v. (ca. 250 p.) ; 38 cm.
Language
English
Provenance
Gift of Rynn Berry, 1992.
Biographical / Historical Note
William T. Bown, a merchant in Cheltenham, England, emigrated with his family to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1832. Charles T. Bown, a son of William T. Bown, was born in Pittsburgh, where he worked as a molder. He served in the United States Army during the Civil War, in the 9th Regiment, Company G, Pennsylvania Reserve Corps, 1861-1862, and in the 102nd Regiment, Company H, New York Infantry, 1864-1865.
Summary
Volume containing manuscript business accounts kept by William T. Bown in England, ca. Jan-Jul, 1832; holograph copies of letters written by William T. Bown while living in Pittsburgh, most to family members, ca. 1831-1839; a holograph account written by Charles T. Bown, describing his service in the Civil War, written or copied in 1869; newspaper clippings, pasted over several pages of William T. Bown's accounts and laid in, most concerning American and European history, collected by Charles T. Bown, 1867-ca. 1881; and a few newspaper clippings collected by C. Elmer Bown, with a few holograph notes written by him, 1955. Letters written by William T. Bown describe his passage to the United States on the ship Cosmo, illness on board ship and the deaths of two of his children; his impressions of Pittsburgh, its economy, and business prospects for emigrants; his bakery business; and family news. Laid in the volume are a sheet of accounts and a sheet showing an inscription for a tombstone for his wife, Ann Alizabeth Bown.
Charles T. Bown's account of his Civil War service is dated at Pittsburgh, 1869. He describes in detail his enlistment in the Pennsylvania Reserve Corps; experiences during the Peninsular Campaign, his wounding at Gaines Mill during the Seven Days Battles, and his convalescence; experiences with the 102nd New York Infantry in Tennessee; Sherman's Atlanta and Carolina campaign, the Battle of Resaca, and a second wound; and rejoining his Regiment in North Carolina and mustering out in July, 1865. Most of the account is in the form of diary entries; Bown also briefly summarizes his early life and his activities after the War, 1865-1868.
Accompanied by a small amount of letters and manuscript notes relating to research by Robert E. Gallagher on Walter T. Bown, his letters contained in the volume, and circumstances of his emigration. Letters were received by Gallagher in response to his requests for information from archives and other sources, most relating to the Bown family and the ship Cosmo.
Format
Archives or Manuscripts
Added to Catalog
June 01, 2002
References
Bown Family Record Book. Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.
Cite as
Bown Family Record Book. Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.
Subjects
Genre/Form
Account books - England - Cheltenham - 19th century.
Occupation
Soldiers United States 19th century.
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