American Historical Ephemera & Photography

Archive of more than 40 items spanning approx. 1820s - 2008, including manuscript and typed letters, genealogies, photographs, and other ephemera related to the Weldon family of Winnebago County, Illinois. Originally hailing from some of the earliest settlements on the East Coast, the Weldon family ultimately came to Ottawa, Illinois, from Providence, Rhode Island, via team and wagon in 1834. They then moved to Rockford, Illinois, in May 1836. Many documents appear to descend from and relate to the family of Spencer Swartz Weldon (1825-1916), son of Jonathan Weldon (1795-1873) and Mary Davis Weldon (1786-1871), who brought their eleven-year old son westward as early Illinois pioneers. Significantly, both Jonathan and Mary Weldon suffered from severe physical disabilities and required crutches to walk, yet they managed to establish successful homestead, farm and livestock business. Correspondents in the collection include both John and Mary Weldon as well as their extended family members with approximately 18 letters dating from 1826-1865. Later documents include some family correspondence but primarily include letters, recollections, and paper fragments with notations related to Weldon family genealogy. A modern map of the Weldon farm and 3 modern reproductions of historic photographs also accompany the lot.

Early letters in the collection typify the hardship of early pioneer life. One notable letter written by Mary Weldon to her sister Minerva Davis in Massachusetts, from "Rockford Winnebago Co. Illinois June 1st 1851," describes a tornado: "...we have had a flood of rain and such thunder and lightening as I never witnessed several persons have been struck...Saturday last about 6 oclock P.M. a dreadful thunder show followed by a more dreadful tornado a cloud reaching to the earth in the form of a tunnel approaching not very fast but carrying death and destruction in its course, it was a terrible whirlwind it traveled 10 to 12 miles destroying houses, barns tearing up bridges and trees some houses were taken from their foundations and shook to pieces..." Mary goes on to describe a house torn from the ground with the family in it as people were watching at a distance. In a letter of 11 June 1854, Mary indicates it is a "locust year," and then goes on to describe the once every seventeen years emergence of cicadas. Two letters from John seem to stem from an extended trip to the south, one from September 1852 written near Tuscaloosa, Alabama, describes the devastation brought about by the "bloody flux" in the area.

Additional letters present the deep religious convictions of the Weldon family who were engaged with the American Bible Society. Other letters offer a glimpse into significant issues of the day, as when Minerva Davis writes in October 1862 of her thankfulness that Lincoln has finally come out as an emancipator, but wishes it would not wait until January 1st [1863] to take effect.

Notably, the Weldon family farm would decades later be known as "Heaven," and utilized by George Jacob Schweinfurth as the headquarters for the religious cult known as the "Beekmanites." 

[With:] "Journal of events" with sporadic entries spanning approx. August 1863 through April 1866, 8 x 10 in., approx. 80pp, unidentified but likely belonging to Simeon Green (1836-1903), an Indiana farmer. Green details the weather, his daily work on the farm, and community happenings. The diary seems to have passed to his daughter, Mellie Baldwin Green (1866-1942) who would later reside in Carbondale, Illinois. -- Ledger utilized as diary spanning approx. 1875-1878, 8 x 12 1/2 in., approx. 78pp, by unidentified author. References to Illinois locations, farming, social activity, livestock and selling prices. -- Collection of handbound journals belonging to the Garner family of Iowa, ca mid-to-late 19th century, with entries mostly related to farming, weather, and  community life.