The Richard Clough Anderson Papers, acquired by the Illinois Historical Survey at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign between 1911 and 1914, contain both bound volumes (28) and loose papers (approximately 10,000 items).

The collection consists in large part of material relating to the bounty lands in the Virginia Military District in Kentucky and Ohio (which is not equivalent to the U.S. Military District) awarded to Virginia soldiers in the Continental Line (not the state or local militia, which had their own land office).

The earliest papers are those of Col. Richard Clough Anderson (1750-1826), who was appointed principal surveyor in 1783 and conducted operations near Louisville, Kentucky. When the bounty lands in Kentucky were exhausted, an office was set up in Chillicothe, Ohio. Allen Latham (1792-1871), who was Col. Anderson’s son-in-law and was also in the land business with Benjamin G. Leonard, was named as Anderson’s successor as principal surveyor. Latham and Leonard’s papers are succeeded (in smaller amounts) by those of William Marshall Anderson and Eleazer P. Kendrick. Larger amounts of material are then found for the last principal surveyor named in the collection, Daniel Gregg, who was Latham’s associate and executor. A nephew of Daniel Gregg, Dr. Richard G. Lewis of Madisonville and Cincinnati, Ohio, was the one who sold the collection to the Illinois Historical Survey.

Land records include early surveys (many in rough draft form), with plats of land on which were based the 1814 map of Ohio, lists of entries with relevant data, and lists of warrants, together with innumerable documents on transfers of titles. Other land-related materials include plats and maps (mostly manuscript), court documents (particularly deeds and lawsuits), withdrawals and reentries, patents, petitions, and memoranda. Correspondents include Duncan McArthur, Nathaniel Massie, Walter Dun, Cadwallader Wallace, Thomas Worthington, Benjamin Hough, James Galloway, Jr., and many others who acquired large tracts of bounty lands. Of special note is the correspondence with mapmaker John Melish of Philadelphia on engraving and printing an Ohio map.

The collection is arranged roughly in chronological order, with much undated and unclassified material found at both the beginning and end. There is an unexpectedly large amount of personal papers, both in manuscript and printed form, belonging to the various surveyors (and that of Dr. Lewis as well). Some of the historical topics covered are politics, banks and banking, railroads, slavery, religion, and fraternities (Delta Upsilon in particular). Other items of note are two photos of Andrew Taylor Still (founder of osteopathy) and an 1870 hymn of Fannie Crosby set to music by W. H. Doane, "No Where to Lay my Poor Head."

Most of the ephemeral material in the collection comes from Ohio, particularly Chillicothe, and includes play and theatrical bills, invitations to parties, ferry and railroad passes, almanacs, advertising notices (several for horse breeding), newspaper clippings, and a wanted poster for a murderer and counterfeiter. Other printed items include bills of the Ohio senate and house, copies of Register of Debates, and speeches, addresses, and treatises such as "Necessity of Reformation of Morals" by a citizen, printed by John Andrews in 1815.

The papers were briefly described or listed in a 536-page typescript inventory prepared by workers engaged in the Historical Records Survey of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). This web site contains an edited transcription of this inventory, taken from Copy A (ribbon copy), and includes the handwritten additions made by Survey staff. Some of the oversized material was separated from the original folders to better protect them. The typescript reflects this change with handwritten notations (OS=oversize folder and DOS=double-oversize folder). The bound volume typescript, also included here, dates from November 1962.

No attempt was made to check the inventory against the loose papers, either to revise or confirm the description of each piece or even to verify its location in the specified folder. However, a few abstracts taken from actual documents have been added to the online inventory. Be aware that there are undoubtedly errors in both the original typescript as well as in this transcription. Editorial additions, questions, or possible alternatives are found in brackets. The place of origin of the individual items are, when known, listed first (and usually given in full or in current two-letter postal codes for states). All dates have been given in full and are found at the end of each item, unless doing so would cause confusion. Any warrant mentioned in this transcription that is not otherwise qualified, such as a treasury warrant, is presumed to be a Virginia Military District warrant.

Researchers should note that it is presently impossible for staff to search the unindexed bound volumes in the Anderson Papers or to connect any particular document in the Illinois Historical Survey with related materials which are scattered among several other manuscript repositories and official archives. However, some indexes and other sources on the lands of the Virginia Military District are available. The complex land process of this district has spawned an equally complex and confusing dispersal of records, which can be seen in a test case of trying to relate one early survey housed here to other documents both within and outside of the collection.

To search the online transcription of the inventory, use your browser’s "Find," "Find in Page," or "Search" function, usually found under the Edit menu of the browser. For subject searching, think of alternatives (blacks or negro for slaves) or shortening the word (slav for both slavery and slaves or politic for both politics and political). As for surname searching, the WPA writers did not make any attempt to standardize spellings but used whatever was on the document, so be creative. The name Massey, for instance, is also spelled Massie and Masie; McLean as McClean and McLene; and McAllister as McCollister.

Bound Volumes and Folders

The Illinois Historical Survey will provide photocopies upon written application:

346 Library
1408 West Gregory Drive
Urbana, IL 61801

Please state the nature of your research and the item(s) requested, including folder number, item number (if given), description, and whether it is marked as oversize (OS) or double-oversize (DOS). For more complex research requests, please contact the Survey staff at (217) 333-1777.