Scope and Contents:
This collection contains meeting minutes and records of the Grand Army of the Republic, the Col. Nodine Post No. 140, in Champaign, Illinois, from 1882-1935.
Originally founded in 1880 as the Champaign Veteran Soldiers Historical Society, the Col. Nodine Post No. 140 was organized in 1882 and disbanded in 1935. The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was formed in 1866 in Springfield, Illinois, for Union veterans of the Civil War. The organization provided assistance to veterans and the families of deceased soldiers and remained politically active for their interests. The GAR had over 400,000 members in posts across the United States in 1890. By 1949, the GAR had only sixteen living members. The organization was succeeded by the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War.
This collection contains the minutes of the society, and the post from the first meeting in 1880 to the dissolution in 1935. Pasted in these volumes are letters and newspaper clippings mainly relating to encampments, deaths, and Memorial Day services. In addition, there are four volumes which record names of members as well as other information, including locations of graves. Two more volumes contain the lengthy Civil War reminiscences of Edwin Green, Company C, 129th Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and shorter statements by fifty other members of the post. The three folders contain varied materials including a typed list of names of members, a set of photographs, and miscellaneous papers found in the bound volumes.
Walter E. Price donated this collection to the Library in 1935.
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