William Frederick Allen correspondence

This collection consists of correspondence received during the Civil War by William Frederick Allen (1846-1915) of Bordentown, New Jersey. Son of Joseph Warner Allen and Sarah Allen (nee Norcross), he attended Bordentown Model School and the Protestant Episcopal Academy of Philadelphia. Aged just 1...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Allen, William Frederick 1846-1915 (Creator)
Collection:William Frederick Allen Correspondence
Collection Number:1919
Format: Manuscript
Language:English
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LEADER 02562ntc a2200217 u 4500
001 ead-1919
008 120518i xx eng d
040 |e dacs 
041 0 |a eng 
099 |a 1919 
100 1 |a Allen, William Frederick  |d 1846-1915  |e creator 
245 1 |a William Frederick Allen correspondence  |f 1860-1865 
300 |a 0.2 Linear feet  |f 0.2 linear feet, 1 box, 62 items 
520 |a This collection consists of correspondence received during the Civil War by William Frederick Allen (1846-1915) of Bordentown, New Jersey. Son of Joseph Warner Allen and Sarah Allen (nee Norcross), he attended Bordentown Model School and the Protestant Episcopal Academy of Philadelphia. Aged just 14 when the war began, Allen nonetheless enlisted in the military around 1861 and was given command of “Anderson’s Cadets.” Later in life Allen became a civil engineer, and as secretary of the American Railway Association, he was instrumental in persuading the railroad companies to adopt the four-zone standardization of train schedules. The correspondence in this collection comes from Allen’s friends from Bordentown. Much of the early correspondence in this collection is from Jonah S. Scovel, a friend who lived in Bloomington, Illinois. Scovel wrote at some length about his positive thoughts regarding the newly elected Abraham Lincoln; he and Allen seemed to have differing opinions on this matter. Many of Allen’s friends enlisted in the military during the Civil War. Much of the correspondence from 1863-1865 discusses the Virginia campaign; several of these letters come from friends stationed in camps in Virginia. Another significant group of correspondence comes from a young Richard Watson Gilder, called “Watsy” in the letters. Gilder would go on to achieve a degree of notoriety as a poet and as editor of "The Century Magazine." Also represented in the correspondence are Joseph W. Allen, Amos E. Evans, John Hooper, Esq., Edward V. Lausdale, and William C. Sargeant. 
541 1 |a Purchased. Folder with provenance information has been placed in the collection file.; 1965 acquired 
650 7 |a Evans, Amos H.  |2 Local sources 
650 7 |a Gilder, Richard Watson, 1844-1909  |2 Local sources 
650 7 |a Mitchell, John W.  |2 Local sources 
650 7 |a United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Personal narratives.  |2 Local sources 
650 7 |a United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Regimental Histories--Pennsylvania  |2 Local sources 
852 |a The Historical Society of Pennsylvania  |b William Frederick Allen Correspondence  |l 1919