McChesney, Joseph Henry. Papers, 1859-75 | Illinois History and Lincoln Collections

Scope and Contents: This collection contains correspondence and records documenting the activities of Joseph Henry McChesney (1828-95) while serving as U. S. Consul at Newcastle-on-Tyne, England, from 1863 to 1869. The correspondence from this time includes references to the Civil War; political events in the U. S. and England; the creation of a scientific exchange program between the United States Department of Agriculture and various agencies and groups in England and Germany; McChesney's purchase of a Roman tablet unearthed in Scotland in 1866; and Secretary of State William H. Seward's request for aid in finding information about a missing U. S. sailor. The collection also contains materials related to McChesney's work as an Illinois state geologist before the war; items documenting the wartime activities of O. M. Dorman, a unionist from St. Augustine, Fla.; a description of oil properties in Washington County, Ohio; a letter from Cyrus H. McCormick to the Trustees of Lake Forest University concerning the creation of a college named after himself; and several letters requesting out-of-print Smithsonian Institution Reports.