Lois Wright Richardson Davis family papers, 1851-1912 and undated

Digital Materials

View — Lois Wright Richardson Davis family papers

Using These Materials Teaser

Using These Materials Links:

Using These Materials

Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
More about accessing and using these materials...

Summary

Creator:
Davis, Lois Wright Richardson, 1805-1889
Abstract:
Working-class New England family that was involved with both the Union and the Confederacy during the American Civil War. The mother, Lois Wright was born in Northfield, Massachusetts and died in Lowell, Massachusetts. She had at least seven children with her first husband Luther Richardson. The bulk of the collection is made up of letters between Davis and her children during the Civil War. In the late 1850s two of Lois Davis' daughters moved to Mobile, Alabama and their husbands served in the Confederate Army. Two of Lois Davis' sons fought with Massachusetts regiments, Charles Henry at first with the 6th Massachusetts Infantry, and then both Charles Henry and Luther with the 26th Massachusetts Infantry. Includes letters written from Ship Island, MS (1861-1862) and New Orleans, LA (1862-1864); and material on the riots in Baltimore, MD, and battles at Manassas, Malvern Hill, Petersburg, Winchester, VA, and the Shenandoah Valley, Baton Rouge and Port Hudson, LA, Sabine Pass, TX, and along the Mississippi and Red Rivers. The letters include descriptions of living and working conditions; illnesses; deaths; and thoughts on politics, race, and religion. Also includes letters about life after the Civil War. Daughter Eunice, whose husband died while serving the Confederacy, remarried to William Smiley Connolly, an Afro-Caribbean and mixed-race ship captain. They married in Dracut, Massachusetts, and she moved with him to Grand Cayman Island. Her letters, 1870-1875, describe their life in Grand Cayman. There are additional papers relating to Charles Henry Richardson's life in Lowell, Massachusetts where he worked in a textile mill and served as an Alderman.
Extent:
0.75 Linear Feet
Language:
Materials in English
Collection ID:
RL.11567

Background

Scope and content:

The bulk of the collection consists of letters written between family members during the American Civil War. These letters discuss the family's concerns about being split by the war, illnesses, deaths, politics, race, religion, and employment. There are also letters after the Civil War up until 1912. Some of these letters relate to Davis' daughter, Eunice, who married an Afro-Caribbean sea merchant and moved with him to Grand Cayman Island. There are also papers relating to Charles Henry, the only son to survive the war. Several of these letters are letters of recommendation in support of specific veterans receiving their pensions, including a letter that describes a possibly gender-fluid, gender nonconforming, and/or transgender soldier nicknamed "Lucy."

Biographical / historical:

Working-class New England family that was involved with both the Union and the Confederacy during the American Civil War. The mother, Lois Wright was born in 1805 in Northfield, Massachusetts and died in 1889 in Lowell, Massachusetts. She had at least seven children with her first husband, Luther Richardson. Her children's names are: Ann Mary (born 1827), Harriet L. (born 1829), Eunice Louensa (1831-1877), Jane (1833-1856), Ellen A. (born 1835), Luther L. (1841-1864), and Charles Henry (1835-1913). In 1850 or 1851, Lois' first husband abandoned her and the family, and in 1855 Lois married a Massachusetts shoemaker, Bradley Davis. In the late 1850s two of Lois Davis' daughters moved to Mobile, Alabama and their husbands served in the Confederate Army. Two of Lois Davis' sons fought with Massachusetts regiments.

During the war, one of the Mobile daughters (Eunice) returned to New England. There she struggled to support herself and her children. She worked as a washer woman and also wove hats while surviving several serious illnesses. Eventually (it's unclear exactly when), she learned that her husband had died of cholera in the war. In 1869 in Dracut, Massachusetts, she married a sea captain and ship owner from Grand Cayman Island, William Smiley Connolly, who was Afro-Caribbean and mixed race. She went to live with him on Grand Cayman Island during the 1870s. Letters during this time describe life in Grand Cayman as well the deaths of Eunice, William Connolly, and their daughters while sailing through a hurricane near Nicaragua.

Of the two sons that fought for the Union, Luther died in battle in 1864 shortly after re-enlisting. After the war, Charles Henry returned to Massachusetts and worked his way up in a textile mill in Lowell and became involved in public life, eventually becoming an Alderman.

Acquisition information:
The Lois Wright Richardson Davis family papers were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a purchase in 1974 and as a gift in 2007.
Processing information:

Processed by Laurin Penland, April 2018.

Accessions described in this collection guide: an accession received in 1974 and an accession in 2007 (2007-0013).

Arrangement:

Organized into the following file structure: Correspondence, Clippings, Legal and Financial, Photographs, and Printed Materials.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Subjects

Click on terms below to find related finding aids on this site. For other related materials in the Duke University Libraries, search for these terms in the Catalog.

Subjects:
American Civil War (1861-1865)
Soldiers -- Correspondence
Interracial mariage -- Massachusetts -- History -- 19th century
Working class -- United States -- History -- 19th century
Working class women -- United States -- History -- 19th century
Working class whites -- United States -- History -- 19th century
Slavery -- United States
Gender nonconformity -- United States -- History -- 19th century
Gender identity -- United States -- History -- 19th century
Transgender military personnel
Mothers and daughters -- Correspondence
Parent and child -- Correspondence
Mothers and sons -- Correspondence
Names:
United States. Army. Massachusetts Infantry Regiment (6th : 1861-1864)
United States . Army. Massachusetts Infantry Regiment (26th : 1861-1865)
Davis, Lois Wright Richardson, 1805-1889
Connolly, Eunice Richardson, 1831-1877
Connolly, William Smiley, 1833-1877
Richardson, Charles Henry, 1843-1913
Richardson, Luther, 1841-1864
Places:
Baltimore (Md.) -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
Louisiana -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
Maryland -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
Mobile (Ala.) -- Social life and customs
Ship Island (Miss.) -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
New Orleans (La.) -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
Texas -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
West Indies, British -- Description and travel
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
Virginia -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
Grand Cayman Island (Cayman Islands)
United Staes -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Pensions
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Women
Lowell (Mass.)
Northfield (Mass.) -- History

Contents

Using These Materials

Using These Materials Links:

Using These Materials

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

Before you visit:
Please consult our up-to-date information for visitors page, as our services and guidelines periodically change.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], [Title of collection], David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.