Oliver Lyman Spaulding papers, 1861-1921

Summary

Creator:

Spaulding, Mr. (Oliver Lyman), 1833-1922

Abstract:

Soldier from St. Johns, Michigan who served in Co. A, Twenty-third Michigan Infantry during the Civil War, later Regent of University of Michigan, teacher, lawyer, Republican member of Congress from Michigan, and U.S. Assistant Secretary of the Treasury. Correspondence, letterpress books; scrapbooks; genealogy, speeches, memoirs, and miscellaneous items; also scattered papers of his wife's family (Mary Cecilia Swegles Spaulding).

Extent:

3 linear feet
1 oversize folder
1 oversize volume

Language:

English

Call Number:

86458 Aa 2; AC; Ac

Authors:

Finding aid created by Michigan Historical Collections staff

Background

Scope and Content:

The Oliver Lyman Spaulding papers consists of correspondence, letterpress books, scrapbooks, genealogy, speeches, memoirs, and miscellaneous items; also scattered papers of his wife's family (Mary Cecilia Swegles Spaulding). The collection has been arranged into the following series: Correspondence; Topical Files; Letterpress books, scrapbooks, diaries, etc.; Swegles Family papers; Photographs; and Masonic artifacts. Portions of the collection covering the years, 1861-1865, have been microfilmed and are available for inter-library loan.

Three diaries (1862-1865) tell of the everyday routine of army life, military operations in Kentucky, and comment on the weather, on the freeing of the slaves, and on other officers. Spaulding's "Military Memoirs" give a complete account of his army activities from the organization of his regiment through the Kentucky and Tennessee campaigns to his discharge. A testimonial (June 22, 1865) from officers of the 2nd Brigade, written at Salisbury, N.C., orders, official correspondence, and miscellanea regarding Morgan's Raid are also included. Also included in the collection are three letters from civilians in Charleston, S.C., describing the attack on Fort Sumter and other events of the beginning of the war. Two letters (Mar. 22 and Apr. 9, 1861) are from W. T. Adams, and the other (Oct. 24, 1861) is from Richard D. Tuttle.

Biographical / Historical:

Oliver Lyman Spaulding was born in New Hampshire, August 2, 1833. He graduated from Oberlin College in 1855. He taught school for a time while also studying law. He was admitted to the Bar in 1858 and began his practice in St. Johns, Michigan. He was chosen in 1858 to the Board of Regents of the University of Michigan, filling out the term of the Rev. John Van Vleck, leaving that position on January 1, 1864. While a regent, Spaulding served as captain, later major, lieutenant colonel, colonel, and eventually brevetted brigadier general, in the 23rd Michigan Infantry.

After the war, Spaulding returned to the practice of law and public service. In 1866 and again in 1868, he was elected Michigan Secretary of State. In 1875, he was appointed a special agent of the United States Treasury Department, serving until 1880 following his election to the US Congress. In 1883, Spaulding served as chairman of a commission sent by the government to the Sandwich Island to investigate alleged violations of the Hawaiian Reciprocity Treaty. In 1885, he was again appointed special agent of the United States Treasury Department. From 1890 to 1893 and from 1897 to 1903, he served as Assistant Secretary of the US Treasury Department. In 1903, Spaulding was President of the first Pan-American Congress.

Twice a widower after brief marriages, Spaulding in 1862 married Mary Cecelia Swegles. The couple were married sixty years at the time of his death, July 30, 1922.

Acquisition Information:

The collection was the gift of Edna C. Spaulding (donor no. 1236 ) and came to the library in 1936. Additional materials came from other members of the Spaulding family.

Rules or Conventions:

Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Related

Additional Descriptive Data:

Selective Index to Correspondents

This index lists some of the more significant corespondents in the chronologically arranged portion of the Correspondence series. It cites the correspondent and the date(s) of correspondence.

Alford, A. W. (Confederate soldier serving in Company A, Ashberry's Regiment, Perran's Brigade)	May 25, 1862 (from Steubenville, Ky.)
Alger, R. A. (Russell Alexander), 1836-1907.	April 16, 1888, Mar. 19, 1898, Nov. 30, 1897, Apr. 13, 1898, Apr. 14, 1898, Apr. 25, 1898
Allison, William B. (William Boyd), 1829-1908.	Jan. 26, 1891, March 29, 1892, Apr. 29, 1900
Bagley, John Judson, 1832-1881.	May 2, 1874
Baldwin, Henry P. (Henry Porter), 1814-1892.	Letters scattered
Brown, Henry Billings, 1836-1913.	Dec. 24, 1890
Burrows, Julius C. (Julius Caesar), 1837-1915.	Sept. 5, 1888, Feb. 2, 1889, Feb. 5, 1890, July 15, 1896, Feb. 22, 1897, May 5, 1900
Chandler, Zachariah, 1813-1879.	Nov. 26, 1868, March 16, 1869, Nov. 29, 1875
Cleveland, Grover, 1837-1908.	May 7, 1893
Cooley, Thomas McIntyre, 1824-1898.	Feb. 4, 1869, Aug. 6, 1880
Cutcheon, Byron M., 1836-1908.	Aug. 16, 1880; Feb. 2, 1889, Sept. 12, 1888
Dawes, Charles Gates, 1865-1951.	Undated 1900
Day, William R. (William Rufus), 1849-1923.	May 18, 1898
Dickinson, Donald McDonald, 1846-1917.	May 13, 1899, May 29, 1899
Driggs, John F., 1813-1877.	Scattered correspondence prior to 1877
Elkins, Stephen B. (Stephen Benton), 1841-1911.	Sept. 3, 1902
Fairbanks, Charles W. (Charles Warren), 1852-1918.	Feb. 21, 1899, Apr. 9, 1900
Ferry, Thomas White, 1827-1896.	Nov. 12, 1875, Nov. 30, 1875, Aug. 16, 1876, Aug. 31, 1876, Aug. 1, 1876
Foster, John Watson, 1836-1917.	Nov. 14, 1891; Apr. 27, 1892; Aug. 16, 1892; Oct. 12, 1892
Frye, William P. (William Pierce), 1831-1911.	Dec. 14, 1891 and Oct. 17, 1902
Guild, Curtis, 1860-1915.	Aug. 15, 1892
Hale, Eugene, 1836-1918.	Mar. 15, 1892, June 25, 1901, May 21, 1902
Hanna, Marcus Alonzo, 1837-1904.	Feb. 18, 1898, Feb. 23, 1899, Aug. 23, 1900, Sept. 14, 1900, Dec. 24, 1900
Harris, Samuel Smith, 1841-1888	May 18, 1888
Harrison, Benjamin, 1833-1901.	July 30, 1890, April 26, 1897, and May 8, 1897
Hawley, Joseph R. (Joseph Roswell), 1826-1905.	Undated ca. 1900
Hay, John, 1838-1905.	April 23, 1900 and Apr. 23, 1901
Henderson, David Bremner, 1840-1906.	Mar. 3, 1892, Apr. 23, 1898, May 27, 1898, Mar. 9, 1899, Feb. 3, 1901
Higgins, Anthony, 1840-1912.	Oct. 9, 1890
Hitchcock, Ethan Allen, 1835-1909.	July 11, 1902
Huston, Benjamin W. (of Vassar, Mich., captain of Company D, 23rd Michigan Infantry)	Aug. 29, 1863 (from Lebanon, Ky.)
Hutchins, Harry B. (Harry Burns), 1847-1930.	Jan. 3, 1918
Jerome, David Howell, 1829-1896.	Nov. 19, 1881
Kahn, Julius, 1861-1924.	Nov. 10, 1900, Jan. 7 and May 28, 1906
Lewis, William Ely (of St. Johns, Mich.; entered the service in Company B, 8th Michigan Infantry, as first lieutenant and rose to major in 1863. He was wounded in action on James Island, S.C., and killed in action at Cold Harbor, Va.)	Jan. 14, 1862 (from Beaufort, S.C.; tells of storming a rebel battery and burning rebel property; criticizes the slowness of the war and General Sherman)
Lodge, Henry Cabot, 1850-1924.	Mar. 29, 1892, Feb. 24, 1899, Apr. 24, 1901, Nov. 5, 1901, Oct. 18, 1902
Long, John Davis, 1838-1915.	Mar. 16, 1898
Luce, Cyrus Gray, 1824-1905.	July 19, 1899
McIntyre, Donald, 1807-1891.	Sept. 2, 1893
McKinley, William, 1843-1901.	Jan. 6, 1891, Nov. 6, 1891, Sept. 26, 1891, July 24, 1891, May 2, 1896
McMillan, James, 1838-1902.	Nov. 4, 1892, Dec. 16, 1896, Jan. 17, 1900
Moody, William Henry, 1853-1917.	May 27, 1902
O'Donnell, James, 1840-1915.	Aug. 25, 1888 and Feb. 1, 1889
Patton, John, 1850-1907.	May 7, 1894 and April 3, 1897
Perkins, George Clement, 1839-1923.	Mar. 4, May 10, 1900, and Feb. 19, 1901
Platt, Orville Hitchcock, 1827-1905.	Dec. 10, 1902
Platt, Thomas Collier, 1833-1910.	Sept. 29, 1897, Oct. 16, Nov. 22, and Dec. 3, 1900, June 15, June 25, and July 11, 1901
Quay, Mathew Stanley, 1833-1904.	April 25, 1899
Rich, John Treadway, 1841-1926.	May 9, 1902
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919.	Apr. 5, 1899; Oct. 1, 1901
Sayers, Joseph Draper, 1841-1929.	Dec. 5, 1900, and March 1, 1901
Shaw, Leslie Mortier, 1848-1932.	Aug. 1, 1902
Sheldon, Carlos Douglas, 1840-1904.	February 26, 1897
Smith, William Alden, 1859-1932.	May 23, 1898, Jan. 16, 1907
Stockbridge, Mr.(Francis Brown),1826-1894.	Feb. 22, 1889
Taft, William H. (William Howard), 1857-1930.	Undated but ca. 1890-1892
Tappan, Henry Philip, 1805-1881.	Sept. 2, 1863
Towne, Amos C., 1818.	June 22, 1882, and Feb. 23, 1883
Vest, George Graham, 1830-1904.	Sept. 4, 1902
Wanamaker, John, 1838-1922.	Nov. 14, 1891
Winans, Edwin B., 1826-1894.	Oct. 18, 1881

Alternative Form Available:

Portions of the collection covering the years, 1861-1865, have been microfilmed and are available for inter-library loan.

Subjects

Click on terms below to find any related finding aids on this site.

Subjects:

Freemasonry -- Michigan.
Women -- Michigan -- Saint Johns.
Bicycles and tricycles -- 1881-1890.
Dwellings -- Michigan -- Saint Johns.
Interiors.
Military parades and ceremonies.
Soldiers -- American.

Formats:

Ambrotypes.
Daguerreotypes.
Diaries.
Photographs.
Scrapbooks.

Names:

Michigan. Constitution (1908)
Michigan Military Academy.
Oberlin College.
Republican Party (Mich.)
United States. Army. Michigan Infantry Regiment, 8th (1861-1865). Company B.
United States. Army. Michigan Infantry Regiment, 23rd (1862-1865). Company A.
United States. Dept. of the Treasury.
United States Military Academy.
University of Michigan. Board of Regents.
University of Michigan. Library.
University of Michigan. University Museum.
United States. Army. Michigan Infantry Regiment, 23rd (1862-1865)
Swegles family.
Spaulding, Mr. (Oliver Lyman), 1833-1922.
Spaulding, Mary Swegles, 1844-1926.
Alger, R. A. (Russell Alexander), 1836-1907.
Allison, William B. (William Boyd), 1829-1908.
Bagley, John Judson, 1832-1881.
Baldwin, Henry P. (Henry Porter), 1814-1892.
Brown, Henry Billings, 1836-1913.
Burrows, Julius C. (Julius Caesar), 1837-1915.
Chandler, Zachariah, 1813-1879.
Cleveland, Grover, 1837-1908.
Cooley, Thomas McIntyre, 1824-1898.
Cutcheon, Byron M., 1836-1908.
Dawes, Charles Gates, 1865-1951.
Day, William R. (William Rufus), 1849-1923.
Dickinson, Donald McDonald, 1846-1917.
Driggs, John F., 1813-1877.
Elkins, Stephen B. (Stephen Benton), 1841-1911.
Fairbanks, Charles W. (Charles Warren), 1852-1918.
Ferry, Thomas White, 1827-1896.
Foster, John Watson, 1836-1917.
Frye, William P. (William Pierce), 1831-1911.
Guild, Curtis, 1860-1915.
Hale, Eugene, 1836-1918.
Hanna, Marcus Alonzo, 1837-1904.
Harris, Samuel Smith, 1841-1888.
Harrison, Benjamin, 1833-1901.
Hawley, Joseph R. (Joseph Roswell), 1826-1905.
Hay, John, 1838-1905.
Henderson, David Bremner, 1840-1906.
Higgins, Anthony, 1840-1912.
Hitchcock, Ethan Allen, 1835-1909.
Hutchins, Harry B. (Harry Burns), 1847-1930.
Jerome, David Howell, 1829-1896.
Kahn, Julius, 1861-1924.
Lodge, Henry Cabot, 1850-1924.
Long, John Davis, 1838-1915.
Luce, Cyrus Gray, 1824-1905.
McIntyre, Donald, 1807-1891.
McKinley, William, 1843-1901.
McMillan, James, 1838-1902.
Moody, William Henry, 1853-1917.
O'Donnell, James, 1840-1915.
Patton, John, 1850-1907.
Perkins, George Clement, 1839-1923.
Platt, Orville Hitchcock, 1827-1905.
Platt, Thomas Collier, 1833-1910.
Quay, Mathew Stanley, 1833-1904.
Rich, John Treadway, 1841-1926.
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919.
Sayers, Joseph Draper, 1841-1929.
Shaw, Leslie Mortier, 1848-1932.
Sheldon, Carlos Douglas, 1840-1904.
Smith, William Alden, 1859-1932.
Stockbridge, Mr. (Francis Brown), 1826-1894.
Sutherland, R. S.
Swegles, Edward Cyrus.
Swegles, John, 1819-1861.
Taft, William H. (William Howard), 1857-1930.
Tappan, Henry Philip, 1805-1881.
Towne, Amos C., 1818-
Vest, George Graham, 1830-1904.
Wanamaker, John, 1838-1922.
Winans, Edwin B., 1826-1894.

Places:

Alaska.
Hawaii.
Michigan -- Politics and government -- 1861-1865.
Michigan -- Politics and government -- 1866-1876.
Michigan -- Politics and government -- 1877-1898.
Michigan -- Politics and government -- 1837-1950.
Saint Johns (Mich.)
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865.
United States -- Politics and government -- 1865-1933.
Hawaii.
Saint Johns (Mich.) -- Dwellings.
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865.