Civil War – Illinois Highlights

The IDHH has continued to grow, with new collections added each quarterly harvest!

This month we’re featuring a new collection that contains historic correspondence and relate materials during the US Civil War: George Durfee Correspondence and Papers (1861–1901) from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library.

Born in Michigan, George S. Durfee (1840–1907) was living in Decatur, Illinois, when he joined Company A, 8th Illinois Volunteer Infantry in 1861. Durfee’s correspondence describes his experience in camp life and campaigns and battles, including Fort Donelson, Vicksburg, and the occupation of Texas, as he rose through the ranks to captain while serving with the unit until 1866. Though most of the correspondence is between Durfee and his uncle, there are also letters from Durfee’s mother and sister. After the war, Durfee returned to Decatur and in 1867 married Sally Powers. In 1901, Illinois Governor Richard Yates (1860–1936) appointed Durfee a member of the Illinois-Vicksburg Military Park Commission, charged with marking the positions of Illinois troops at the Siege of Vicksburg. The Commission’s report, Illinois at Vicksburg, was published in 1907 after the dedication of the Illinois Memorial in 1906 at Vicksburg National Military Park, to commemorate the Illinois soldiers who fought and died there during the Vicksburg campaign.

Here are a few of our favorite items from this new collection that tell the story of different battles and campaigns during the American Civil War, as well as the age-old problem of “why haven’t you written me back yet?”:

color image of handwritten letter — Letter from Margaret Durfee [Mother] (Decatur) to George S. Durfee, June 7, 1861
[page 1]. June 7, 1861. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library. Durfee, George. Correspondence and Papers, 1861-1901. Courtesy of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library.

color image of certificate from Illinois Vicksburg Commission to George S. Durfee — Letter from Illinois Vicksburg Commission to George S. Durfee, November 14, 1901 [page 1, certificate]. November 14, 1901. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library. Durfee, George. Correspondence and Papers, 1861-1901. Courtesy of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library.

Want to see more?

Visit the IDHH to view more collections and items from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library and the entire George Durfee Correspondence and Papers (1861–1901), or to view more items related to the American Civil War and Illinois’ roles in the war. You can also read the Illinois at Vicksburg report through the Internet Archive and see George Durfee’s signature and picture on pages 11-12. Or, if you’re in Vicksburg, Mississippi, you can visit the Vicksburg National Military Park and view the Illinois Memorial (currently closed for restoration).

With spring coming into full bloom, the IDHH would like to feature one of our earliest contributors, Monmouth College, and their unique collection of Greek life dance cards. Located in Western Illinois in the city of Monmouth, the college was founded in 1853 by Scotch-Irish pioneers affiliated with the Presbyterian Church. Notably, the College accepted women and students of color from its earliest days, being one of the first U.S. higher education institutions to do so. In fact, the College found itself with a primarily female student body shortly after its establishment, as virtually the entire male student body left for military service in the Civil War. Not to be outdone by the campus societies formed by male veterans returning to the College after the war, Monmouth College is home to Pi Beta Phi, the nation’s first “women’s fraternity” (what we would now call a sorority).

Spanning nearly 30 years, the Dance Card Collection is a testament to the vibrant Greek life at Monmouth College and the rich social history of groups like Pi Beta Phi and Kappa Kappa Gamma, two early sororities known as the “Monmouth Duo”. Popular in European ballrooms during the 18^th century, dance cards were originally used by women to record the names of dance partners at formal balls. They typically consisted of a booklet with a decorative cover and a decorative cord by which it could be attached to the wrist or clothing. The booklet might include sections providing details about the event menu and music, patrons and other featured guests, and most importantly, blank lines where dance partners’ names could be “penciled in”. In the hands of young college students, the dance cards reflect their owner’s individual personality as well as the variety and playfulness of the dance cards created for specific dances in campus Greek life such as the Rose Formal or the Holly Hop.

Below are a few of our favorite items from the Dance Card Collection at Monmouth College:

color photo of a dance card formed in the style of a collapsible paper fan, tied together at the top with a yellow ribbon and the partner names written in blue ink — Kappa Alpha Sigma. May 23, 1931. Monmouth College. Dance Card Collection. Courtesy of Monmouth College.

color photo of a partially filled dance card with the female partners handwritten in black ink, with one name having dollar signs scribbled around it and another name having a heart drawn by it — Tau Kappa Epsilon 1933. December 9, 1933. Monmouth College. Dance Card Collection. Courtesy of Monmouth College.

color photo of a blank dance card cut in a diamond shape with the menu on the left side and the dances lines on the right side — Sigma Tau Omega 1934. November 28, 1934. Monmouth College. Dance Card Collection. Courtesy of Monmouth College.

color photo of a dance card with the name of one female partner handwritten in pencil and described as a "swell girl, swell dancer" — Sigma Tau Omega 1935b. April 12, 1935. Monmouth College. Dance Card Collection. Courtesy of Monmouth College.

color photo of a full dance card with the names of the woman's partners handwritten — Kappa Delta 1947a. December 12, 1947. Monmouth College. Dance Card Collection. Courtesy of Monmouth College.

color photo of a dance card in the shape of an iridescent flower with a twine ribbon tied to it — Alpha Xi Delta 1958. May 31, 1958. Monmouth College. Dance Card Collection. Courtesy of Monmouth College.

black ink program for the 1959 Monmouth College Hellenistic society dance — Kappa Kappa Gamma 1959. May 23, 1959. Monmouth College. Dance Card Collection. Courtesy of Monmouth College.

Want to see more?

Visit the IDHH to view even more items in the Dance Card Collection from Monmouth College, as well as items related to the pastime and art of dancing.

Tag: Civil War

New IDHH Collection of Civil War Correspondence

A Full Dance Card at Monmouth College