University Libraries

Head Quarters, 1st Brigade, 1st Division, 11th Army Corps
Nashville February 13th 1864
My Dear Wife

Your letter of the 6th & 7th of February came to hand this evening and made me both happy and Sad.¹ Very happy to learn that you are safe at home and in good health and Sad that you are at home instead of here. Pontiac seems to have but few charms for you, and I have felt such a longing desire to be with you to settle down in our quiet home once more and enjoy the bliss of a “Home Circle” again. Bright visions of comfort and happiness are constantly flitting before my fancy, whether waking or sleeping, while at my desk or in my leisure hours, they still come. The pleasures of the Winter have brought everything back afresh, & I feel as if I was without a home. And your utter loneliness is continually in my mind.

I have been trying to make myself believe for some days past that you would be happy amidst friends and acquaintances, but Bro. Harry Cheston’s letter came this evening and dispelled all my delusions. I feel in my heart that nothing but the peril of our Country could keep me from you, and even that at times seems a gross strain of Patriotism. There is doubtless truth in the quotation you have made. In my experience I have felt “Sweetness” even “in deep woe” from the sympathy of the true loving heart God has given me in my wife.

Since I commenced the sentence, I have sat over an hour in conversation and in listening to others. What would you think of returning to Nashville? The prospects is very favorable to our remaining here all Spring & perhaps through the summer. Col. [Harrison] & I have been talking of sending for our wives. We will know more & perhaps definitely in a few days. But it is nearly 12 o clock, & I must close for to-night.

I commenced about ten, but just as I finished the first page, several of the Staff came in & we have been talking over our prospects. So I will bid you good night and will write to-morrow if all goes well. May our Heavenly Father bless you, keep in health, and make you happy. Please accept the good night kiss I would be only too happy to impress upon your lips did the opportunity offer. May your dreams be sweet.

Sunday morning: Dear Mary

I lay abed rather late this morning. It looks very gloomy outside & has been raining some during the night. The probabilities of our moving have been fading away, day by day, until I think only one thing will ever get us away from this city: that is a strong attack on the Front by the Rebels. Genl. Thomas’ Chief of Staff & Inspector General have been here for a week, but are gone without helping us any.²

If I thought you could get a pass in Louisville, I would advise you to come on, &, should you not find us here, you could wait until you heard from me. Genl. Ward is satisfied that even should we succeed in getting out of the city, we could get no further forward than Murfreesboro, & we all prefer staying here to going there. But if I can succeed in raising money enough for instruments for the Band, I will be home for a few days & will then bring you with me. For fear you may not have succeeded in collecting any money [owed by persons in debt to J.F.C.] I will enclose an order on Wm. B. Lyon [a Pontiac merchant] for $30, which you can draw & use if you need it. I have not sent any money, because I have still some hope of getting home before the 1st of March.

Enclosed you will find a pencil sketch by Huetson & a Photograph of (Sergt. James H.) Gaff & one of Corp. Chritten. Please put all the sketches of Huetson’s together. Have you the one of “our home” at Richland [Tenn.]? Alf has promised to make me some more, so that by & by we may have a small collection.

I have also enclosed Bro. Harry’s letter. Do not forget to write to our friends in Carlisle. Sister Hannah’s address is Dickinson Seminary, Williamsport, Penna. The institution is remotely connected with the College in Carlisle and bears the same name. I will write to Harry and Jennie to-day. Sister Kate [Zug] has not answered my letter yet.

The Adjt. wishes to go out to-day, so I shall not get to church.³ I may possibly to-night.

I look for some of those letters of yours to-day that were written immediately after you got home. I will write to Bro. Johnie to-day if I have time. I saw Captain Hoskins yesterday evening; he is getting much better. I shall be sorry not to find the same old familiar faces in Sabbath School, but I must expect changes.

Allen Fellows will not be sent home on a recruiting expedition.⁴ The appointment comes from Genl. Thomas. A petition will be sent forward in a few days. I do not know who will be recommended. Genl. Fuller [the Adjutant General of Illinois] has no control over troops in the field. You were correct.

Remember me kindly to all our friends. Give my love to all the family. May God bless and keep you. Let us hope for the future and trust in God. All will be well. Farewell.

Your Affectionate Husband
J. F. Culver

1. Mary Culver’s letter of February 6th & 7th is missing from the Culver Collection.
2. General Thomas’ chief of staff was Brig. Gen. William D. Whipple and his inspector general was Lt. Col. Arthur C. Ducat. As Whipple was at Chattanooga throughout this period, it is presumed that J.F.C. was referring to Hooker’s chief of staff, General Butterfield, who spent most of the second week of February in Nashville, gathering information to be used to secure the release of Ward’s division for duty at the front. O. R., Ser. I, Vol. XXXII, pt. II, pp. 376-381.
3. Colonel Harrison’s adjutant was Lt. James L. Mitchell of the 70th Indiana. Compiled Service Records of Union Soldiers, NA.
4. A special field order was issued on Feb. 19, 1864, detailing Lt. W.H.H. McDowell, and Sergts. James Morrow, George W. August, Homer A. Kenyon and John C. Burger “to proceed at once to report to Brig. Gen. [John M.] Corse at Springfield for the purpose of taking charge & bringing forward to this army all recruits belonging to their regiment.” Regimental Papers, 129th Illinois, NA.

 

Head Qrs. 1st Brig., 1st Div., 11th A.C.
Nashville, Tenn., Febry. 12th 1864
My Dear Wife

Your letter of the 6th inst. came to hand this evening.¹ I am very happy to hear that you have arrived Safe at home. I judge from the tenor of your letter that this is not the first letter you have written since you arrived at home, but it is the first I received except your letter from Decatur.²

I am sorry to hear that you find it dull and uninteresting in Pontiac, yet it has been full as much so here. It is with difficulty that I can reconcile myself to your absence & were it not that we have considerable business on hand, I do not know how I should pass the time. I do not know how many times I have wished you back.

You say nothing about receiving any letters from me, and yet I have missed but one mail since you left, & once I sent two which would make a letter every day since you left. I have not seen Bro. Sammy yet. I feel sorry that you did not get to see him, but you would probably have been fully as unfortunate. I should be glad to meet my old friends in Pontiac, but think you will not find a very great number so over-anxious as Mrs. Murphy [J.F.C.’s mother-in-law].

We are still laying on our oars in Nashville. We had Battalion drill to-day & we have Brigade School to-night. I look every moment for a summons to attend it. I did not see Hoskins to-day, but learn he is still improving. We are unable to learn how long we will remain here. It look[s] as if it might be several weeks unless the Rebs. make some demonstration on our Front.

How much I wish you were back here. We have been urging Col. Harrison to send for his wife, but he refuses to do so. If he does, I will get you a pass also. If I do not succeed in raising money enough for to purchase instruments for the Band, I will try & send enough money to pay the interest on all the notes due besides what you will require.

I can in a measure realize how dull it must be for you there. If I was there, it might be better, but I fear we will both find it dull after the excitement of Army life. You say “none of the outsiders suspect” you. Have you any good reasons to doubt it yourself, or have you still as tangible evidence as you had before you left.³ I am called to school; good-bye, until I return.

9 o’clock. I sit me down to finish my letter. I have had a bad cold for several days and my head aches wofully to-night. I took some blue mass last night, but it seems not enough. I feel very billious. I will get some more to-morrow if I am not better.

I wrote a letter to Remick a few days ago & enclosed it to you. I cannot account for the delay of your letters, unless they have been sent forward to Corps Hd. Qrs., which is very probable.⁴ I presume they are full of news. While I have been anxiously waiting for them, they are making a fruitless journey to Chattanooga. They will get back here, however, soon. I fear the Post master’s clerks here are in the habit of sending all the mail to the front that they are not familiar with, and, as this Brigade always went by the name of Ward’s Brigade, frequent errors occur.⁵

You have not mentioned either Mother or Maggie in your letter, yet I presume they are well. I wrote to Sister Hannah [Culver] to-day. I recd. a letter from [Marcellus] Collins this morning on business. The claim due McDonald has not yet been paid & nothing has been collected of Hallam. Bro. Thomas’ claim is $100 less than I thought. Please send me his letter after you have read it. I wish to refer to it occasionally.

Remember me kindly to all the friends and especially the Sabbath School. Give my love to the family. Tell Maggie & Mother to write. Will you please copy for me, if you have an opportunity, the Song, “Mother Dear, Oh! pray for me.”⁶ I have forgotten what book it was in, but I think the “Thanksgiving.”

Write to me often. I would be pleased to attend the meetings in progress & hope they may result in great good.⁷ Write to me often. When you find the time hanging heavily on your hands, write to me, or when you are happy, write. At all times write & tell me how you are getting along. And may our Father in Heaven who has ever been so bountiful in blessings to us keep you by his grace and abundantly bless you. Hoping that I may hear from you soon & very often, I remain, as ever,

Your Affectionate Husband
J. F. Culver

1. Mary Culver’s letter of February 6 is missing from the Culver Collection.
2. While en route north by rail from Cairo to Pontiac, Mary Culver had a layover at Decatur. The Decatur letter is missing from the Culver Collection.
3. This is a reference to Mary’s pregnancy.
4. Headquarters, XI Army Corps, were in Lookout Valley, near Chattanooga.
5. Brig. Gen. William T. Ward had led the brigade from the summer of 1863 until January 9, 1864, when he assumed command of the First Division, XI Army Corps. Grunert, History of the 129th Illinois, p. 42.
6. “Mother Dear, Oh! Pray for Me” was a popular hymn of the mid-nineteenth century.
7. A series of revivals or camp meetings were being held by the Pontiac churches.

Charles Darwin is known for his work on the theory of evolution but did you also know he spent time researching earthworms? Each year on Feb 12th, we celebrate Darwin Day as a celebration on the anniversary of the birth of the historical scientist Charles Darwin, who was born on February 12, 1809. Darwin is most well-known for his publication On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection in 1859. This publication was the first to rigorously describe biological evolution through natural selection (1).

In addition to being the founder of the theory of evolution, Darwin also began and ended his career with publications on earthworms.   His work with earthworms was also very controversial and was seen unfavorably in scientific circles.  Darwin experimented to show the intelligence and value of earthworms for crop production in a time when they were seen as pests that were dumb, blind, unpleasant, and slimy creatures. (2)

 

Darwin’s work with evolution along with Gregor Mendel’s work with genetics laid the ground work for modern biotechnology, genes, and heredity.  Bioengineers, today, hope to use the foundations of these works to cure certain hereditary diseases. (3)

Historic and current books on Darwin and the theory of evolution:

• Darwin, Charles. 1860. On the origin of species by means of natural selection, or The preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life. New York: D. Appleton and company. Main Library QH365 .O2 1860a. or NetLibrary
• Seward, A.C. (Albert Charles). Darwin and Modern Science: Essays in Commemoration of the Centenary of the Birth of Charles Darwin and of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Publication of the Origin of Species. Champaign, Ill.: Project Gutenberg, (n.d.). NetLibrary Electronic Book 
• Ruse, Michael. Charles Darwin. Malden, MA : Blackwell Pub., 2008. Ebrary Electronic Book
• Darwin, Charles. Charles Darwin’s notebooks from the voyage of the Beagle. New York : Cambridge University Press, 2009. Main Library QH11 .D22 2009
• “Charles Darwin (1809-1882).”  BBC History. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/darwin_charles.shtml

Books on Darwin and Earthworms:

• Darwin, Charles. 1838. On the formation of mould. Proceedings of the Geological Society of London. 2, 574-576.
• Darwin, Charles. 1881. The formation of vegetable mould through the action of worms, with observations on their habits. London: John Murray. Special Collections Stein Collection QL394 .D3 1896 
• Brown, George G., et al. 2003. With Darwin, earthworms turn intelligent and become human friends. Pedobiologica. 47, 924-933. Electronic Access through ScienceDirect
• Feller, Christian, et al. 2003. Charles Darwin, earthworms and the natural sciences: various lessons from past to future. Agriculture Ecosystems and Environment. 99, 29-49. Electronic Access through ScienceDirect

 

References:

1. “About Darwin Day.” International Darwin Day Foundation. http://darwinday.org/about/
2. Schils, Rene.  2012. How James Watt invented the copier: forgotten inventions of our great scientists. New York: Springer. 71-76. Engineering Library T15 .S35513 2012
3. Marx, J.L. (ed.) 1989. A revolution in biotechnology. New York: Cambridge University Press. pp. 2-4.
4. Charles Darwin by Lock & Whitfield. 1877. National Portrait Gallery, London.  http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/use-this-image.php?mkey=mw62368

Child star Shirley Temple died yesterday (Feb 10, 2014). After retiring from theater, she became active in the Republican Party at which time she attended various fund raising events.

She also served as U.S. Ambassador to Ghana from 1974–1976, was Chief of Protocol of the United States from 1976–1977, and was U.S. Ambassador to Czechoslovakia from 1989–1992.

Two collections in the Iowa Digital Library, University of Iowa Alumni Publications and University of Iowa Yearbooks include over 40,000 pages of campus history.  Locating a specific name or event would be a challenge, but Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology allows the collections to be full text searchable.

The name George Stout has been in the news a lot lately as the basis for the lead character in the movie Monuments Men.  A 1921 graduate of what was then the State University of Iowa (SUI), he also makes several other appearances in the both the yearbooks and alumni publications.

Stout is listed among the artists of the humor publication Frivol, which while unfortunately not digitized, is available in the University Archives’ Student-produced Publications and Newsletters Collection.

Stout is also mentioned in the March 1921 issue of the Iowa Alumnus for delivering a short address for Foundation Day, the UI’s 74th birthday.  While there’s no accompanying picture for this event, the IDL collection Iowa City Town and Campus Scenes includes several photographs from earlier Foundation Days.

Finding information in Iowa Digital Library text collections is made simple through OCR and word highlighting.

Enjoy more than a million digital objects created from the holdings of the University of Iowa Libraries and its campus partners. Included are illuminated manuscripts, historic maps, fine art, historic newspapers, scholarly works, and more. Digital collections are coordinated by Digital Research & Publishing.

Head Quarters 1st Brig., 1st Div., 11th A.C.

Nashville, Tenn., February 11th 1864

My Dear Wife

I hoped very eagerly to receive a letter from you this morning, but the mail brought me nothing. I feel satisfied, however, that nothing serious has happened, or else the telegraph would have informed me. I have also looked in vain for Bro. Sammy. He must have taken the other route or else passed through here without stopping. I have received no letters since I last wrote. I wrote to Mother [Culver] to-day & will write to Sister Hannah soon.

I am trying hard to raise money for the Band, still hoping to be sent to purchase them instruments. I would in that event be able to spend a few days at least at home with you. Don’t you wish for it, too? Yet it is not sure enough to base much hope upon. Col. Cropsey has sent in his resignation. I feel very sorry, as we shall miss him very much. Yet his health will fully justify him. It will be well, perhaps, to say nothing about it, as I think he wishes to keep it quiet, especially as it may not be accepted.¹

We are all getting along quietly here. Almost every day we hear rumors about moving. The pay-master is busy paying the Brigade. I have not seen Capt. Hoskins to-day, but he was better yesterday. I hope he will succeed in getting a leave of Absence. I have enclosed Cordie Dunmire’s letter, thinking you would like to read it. I wrote to Joe Culver to-day. I believe you saw his letter to me.²  Alf. Huetson was down to see me to-day and drew my horse upon the wall. It was so well done that the Col. [Harrison] says he will prove invaluable in the Engineer Corps, and he will probably be included in its organization.³  Christ [Yetter] & Nate [Hill] were out this morning, they are both in good health. My health is good, except a constant tickling in my throat. I am taking some medicine to-night.

I earnestly hope to-morrow’s mail may bring me a letter from you. Give my love to all. Write often. May the blessings of Heaven rest upon you. Remember me kindly to all our friends. You need not be surprised if I make my appearance there some night. Will you let me in?

Your Affectionate Husband

J. F. Culver

1. Andrew J. Cropsey’s resignation as lieutenant colonel of the 129th Illinois Infantry was accepted February 27, 1864. Compiled Service Records of Union Soldiers, NA.
2. The letter from Joseph Z. Culver is missing from the Culver Collection.
3. On March 21, Corporal Huetson was detached to headquarters,  1st Brigade, First Division, XI Corps, as topographical engineer.

The world today would be a very different place without the inventions of Thomas A. Edison.  He was known as the Wizard of Menlo Park.

Edison had obtained 1,093 US Patents over 63 years from 1868 to 1931 (1,084 utility patents and 9 design patents).  Only 2 people hold more patents in the United States.  (1)

His research provided notable contributions to telegraphy, telephony, sound recording, electronic lighting, electric power generation and distribution, and the motion picture. (2) Edison’s first invention, in 1869, was an electric vote-recorder.  It was to allow Washington congressmen to vote “yes” or “no” but they were not interested so the invention proved unsuccessful.  (http://www.google.com/patents/US90646)

 

Other notable inventions include: (3)

STENCIL PEN: The stencil pen was the predecessor to tattoo pens.

PRACTICAL ELECTRIC LAMP: Edison’s carbon filament light bulb was the first commercially viable electric light. Previous versions were not as durable and used expensive materials such as platinum.

 

 

FRUIT PRESERVER: Edison designed a fruit preserver that sucked the oxygen out of the glass jars, producing vacuum-sealed jars of fruit.

KINETOGRAPHIC CAMERA: The camera showed successive photos in a rapid speed so as to make them appear to be moving.

 

 

A complete listing of all of Thomas A. Edison’s 1,093 patents:  http://edison.rutgers.edu/patents.htm

 

In addition to the patents issues in the United States, Edison also was issued 1239 patents by foreign governments. (4) 

Country	No.		Country	No.
Argentine	1	—	Mexico	14
Australia	6		Natal	5
Austria	101		New South Wales	38
Belgium	88		New Zealand	31
Brazil	1		Norway	16
Canada	129		Orange Free State	2
Cape of Good Hope	5		Portugal	10
Ceylon	4		Queensland	29
Cuba	12		Russia	17
Denmark	9		South African Republic	4
France	111		South Australia	1
Germany	130		Spain	54
Great Britain	131		Sweden	61
Hungary	30		Switzerland	13
India	44		Tasmania	8
Italy	83		Victoria	42
Japan	5		West Australia	4
Total of Edison’s Foreign Patents——1239

 

 

 

To Learn More:

• Thomas A. Edison: Father of Invention, check out this video available through Alexander Street Press.
• Barksdale, Martha.  “10 Inventions by Thomas Edison (That You Never Heard Of)”  13 January 2010.  HowStuffWorks.com.
  
• The University of Iowa Libraries has 58 books/videos related to Thomas A. Edison.
  • Baldwin, Neil,. 1995. Edison, inventing the century. 1st ed. New York : Hyperion.  TK140.E3 B25 1995 Main Library.
  • Israel, Paul. 1998. Edison : A life of invention. New York : John Wiley.   TK140.E3 I87 1998 Engineering Library.
  • Friedel, Robert D., Paul Israel, and Bernard S. Finn. 2010.  Edison’s electric light : The art of invention.  Baltimore : Johns Hopkins University Press.  TK4351 .F75 2010 Engineering Library.
  • McFee, Inez Nellie Canfield,. 1922. The story of thomas A. edison. New York : Barse & Hopkins. Special Collections Iowa Authors Collection.
  • Stross, Randall E. 2007. The wizard of menlo park : How thomas alva edison invented the modern world. 1st ed.  New York : Crown Publishers.   TK140.E3 S76 2007 Main Library.
  • Edison, Thomas A., and Dagobert D. Runes. 1968. The diary and sundry observations of thomas alva edison. New York,: Greenwood Press  TK140.E3 A3 1948a Main Library.

 

References:

1. Love, Dylan. 2011. The 10 Greatest Inventors in the Modern Era.  Business Insider. May 6, 2011.  http://www.businessinsider.com/most-prolific-inventors-2011-5?op=1
2. Jenkins, Reese V. and Keith A. Nier.  1984. A Record for Invention: Thomas Edison and His Papers.  IEEE Transactions on Education. 27 (4): 191 – 197. http://proxy.lib.uiowa.edu/login?url=http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/articleDetails.jsp?arnumber=4321702
3. Aquino, Judith. 2011. Thomas Edison’s 31 Greatest Inventions. Business Insider. April 7, 2011. http://www.businessinsider.com/thomas-edison-inventions-light-bulb-and-30-more?op=1
4. Dyer, Frank Lewis, and Thomas Commerford Martin. 1910. Edison, his life and inventions. Volume 2. New York, London,: Harper & Brothers. Electronic Resource (NetLibrary).

EndNote is a reference management tool that helps you to easily gather together your references in one place, organize them, and then insert them into papers and format them in a style of your choosing. This session will walk you through the basics of using EndNote to collect and format your citations. The class will be hands-on and there will be time for questions at the end.

Our next session is:

Thursday, February 13 from 3-4 pm

Location: Hardin East Information Comons

Register here or call us at 335-9151

Questions? Check out our useful EndNote tutorial.

Feby. 10th 1864

Dear Mary

I left my letter open thinking I would write more if I got time, but I overlooked it to-day & it missed the mail. I recd. a letter from Sister Hannah [Culver] this morning, which I will enclose.¹ I also commenced a letter to Mother this morning, but did not get it finished in time for the mail.

Hannah has ere this gone to Williamsport [Pa.] to school. My health is somewhat better to-day, yet my cold is troublesome. I coughed almost all last night, & I am almost afraid to go to bed for fear of the same to-night. I believe it is caused by having too warm coal fire in our bedroom.

The rumor is afloat again that we will march. Genl. Hooker’s Chief of Staff is here, & says we will immediately be sent forward.² I hope I shall get a letter to-morrow. Give my love to all.

May God bless you.

Your Affect. Husband
J. F. Culver

1. The subject letter from Hannah Culver is missing from the Culver Collection.
2. General Hooker commanded the XI and XII Corps, Army of the Cumberland. Maj. Gen. Daniel Butterfield, Hooker’s chief of staff, was in Nashville to learn why Ward’s division was detained. From General Ward he learned that, exclusive of his command, there were about 16,000 troops in and around Nashville. In Butterfield’s opinion, the interest of the service would be promoted by moving Harrison’s brigade, if not the entire division, to the front. When he made this recommendation to General Hooker on the 12th, Butterfield observed, “Their present condition near Nashville, with its temptations to soldiers, will not be improved. The command [Harrison’s] is represented in a very high state of discipline and perfection in drill. Their permanent camps are broken up, and they are not comfortably situated.” O. R., Ser. I, Vol. XXXII, pt. II, p. 376.