History Commons^™

My Family, Their History: Using Exploratory Inquiry & Pragmatic Methods To Learn History, Lowellen Sucgang

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

History education is at a crossroads. The availability of information at our fingertips has the potential to change how the non-historian sees history and the other social sciences. This capstone researched ways the non-historian can utilize the changing face of history education by implementing the pragmatic methods of John Dewey’s education philosophy called instrumentalism. Principal issues discussed include the pros and cons of out-of-classroom history education, utilization of exploratory inquiry for research and the usefulness of primary sources for a historiography. To apply instrumentalism ideals and methods, I created a historiography about my ancestors and how their lives intertwined with …

Humanizing The Enslaved Of Fort Monroe’S Arc Of Freedom, William R. Kelly Jr.

Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies

Fort Monroe, located in Hampton, Virginia, was a United States Army post until its deactivation in 2011. President Barack Obama proclaimed Fort Monroe a national monument due to its complex history, including its ties to slavery and emancipation. This paper outlines an ongoing research project designed to identify and humanize both the enslaved who helped build the fort and those who were declared as contraband there during the American Civil War. Housed in the National Archives and Records Administration in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the United States Army Engineer Records from 1819 to 1866 is the main area of focus for this …

Forggett, Essie (Fa 1104), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 1104. Student paper titled “Slavery in Green County” in which Essie Forggett details the history of the settlement of Green County and its eventual dependence upon slave labor. Forggett also includes stories of slave auctions, punishments, attempted escapes, and religious practices of slaves throughout the region. Paper is based on information collected by Forggett from county clerk records and in-person interviews with slave descendants.

Wartime Reminiscences: The Story Of William R. Tanner’S Civil War Service, Brianna E. Kirk

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

Veteran war stories are some of the most fascinating windows into the past that students of history can experience. With World War II veteran numbers quickly diminishing and the risk of these accounts of history being lost, the importance of collecting and passing on veteran stories to future generations is vital. Such was the case with those who fought in the Civil War. As the twentieth century approached, droves of veterans began disappearing from the pages of history. The need for those veteran stories from America’s bloodiest war to be recorded and published became not only important to the veterans …

An Interview With D. Scott Hartwig, Thomas E. Nank '16

The Gettysburg College Journal of the Civil War Era

D. Scott Hartwig, Supervisory Historian for Gettysburg National Military Park, retired in the fall of 2013. In recognition of his long service to the park and community of Gettysburg, Associate Editor Thomas Nank interviewed Mr. Hartwig concerning his personal experiences gained over three decades working at Gettysburg as well as the future of the National Park Service and the field of public history in general.

Ms-116: 1864 Diary Of Corporal Robert Ridge, Thomas P. Lester

All Finding Aids

The diary contains information on the activities of Robert Ridge during 1864, and the first two months of 1865. It contains daily entries, list of proverbs, important events and dates, mail sent, mail received, members of Company B 95th Illinois Volunteers, money sent home, clothing acquired, addresses, rations, and Army Corps commanders.

Special Collections and College Archives Finding Aids are discovery tools used to describe and provide access to our holdings. Finding aids include historical and biographical information about each collection in addition to inventories of their content. More information about our collections can be found on our website https://www.gettysburg.edu/special-collections/collections/ …

Ms-105: John L. Barry Civil War Letters, Kate Boeree

All Finding Aids

This collection contains 47 letters, 37 of which are written by John L. Barry during his time in the Civil War between 20 June 1861 and 7 June 1862. The letters are written to his family in Dunkirk, New York, addressing his mother, father, sister Ellen, and brother Robert.

Special Collections and College Archives Finding Aids are discovery tools used to describe and provide access to our holdings. Finding aids include historical and biographical information about each collection in addition to inventories of their content. More information about our collections can be found on our website https://www.gettysburg.edu/special-collections/collections/.

0662: Smith Family Correspondence, 1857-1866, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

This collection consists of approximately fifty letters from members of the Smith family, located in Guyandotte, Virginia (or West Virginia, depending on the time), to Julia Sprague in Washington County, Ohio during the Civil War. The bulk of the letters are from Sallie P. Smith to Sprague, and many include their original envelope. Topics are focused on personal life and current affairs.

0613: Paul D. Stewart Papers, 1862-1864, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

This collection contains documents and correspondence by John Seeley of New Jersey, and Jonathan Taylor of the 24th Ohio Infantry, Co. D. Jonathan Taylor materials include discharge papers from June 1864 and a letter to his sisters and brother in Chattanooga, Tennessee from March 1864 discussing camp life. John Seeley materials include an envelope to Mrs. Charles Seeley (his mother) in Bridgeton, New Jersey, as well as two letters, both to his mother. The letters, from March 1862 and December 23rd of an unknown year, cover camp life, including Christmas, religion, and daily events among other topics.

Interview With Agnes Lawton, Agnes Lawton

Winthrop University Oral History Program

In her November 13, 1980 interview with Lewis P. Armistead, Agnes Lawton relays her family history and career as a teacher. This interview was conducted for inclusion into the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections Oral History Program.

Interview No. 349, Anne Magee

Combined Interviews

Recollections of her father as a Confederate soldier and Ku Klux Klan member; remembers her grandmother made Klan gowns; witnessed part of the Mexican Revolution in Brownsville, Texas; lived on a plantation where Mexicans were hired; lived on the border during Prohibition, the 1918 Flu Epidemic, and the Depression; social customs.

Interview No. 347, Alice White North

Combined Interviews

Biography; childhood in Iowa; her father's experience as a Northern soldier during the Civil War; move to Edinburgh, Texas, in 1930; teaching experiences with Mexican children; the Depression; 1918 Spanish Flu; experiences as a volunteer during World War I; her poetry. (Also included is a collection of Ms. North's poetry.)