MARY/SUE COLLECTION OF ENVELOPES—INTRODUCTION
AND NOTES
INTRODUCTION:
From August 30th 1862 to May 31st 1865, my
great, great grandfather, Robert Bond Jr. (1819-1894), served in Company “E” of
the 12th Wisconsin Infantry Volunteers as part of the Union Army. During
his time of service, Robert was engaged in the siege and battle of Vicksburg,
MS, the battle for Atlanta, GA—including a bayonet charge at Bald Hill on July
21st, 1964—Sherman’s “March to the Sea” and the Grand Review of the
Army in Washington D.C. at the end of the war. He was “mustered out” of service
on May 31st, 1865 due to the expiration of his term of enlistment.
He enlisted when he was 43 years old, and during the time he was away at war, he
corresponded by letter with his wife—my great, great, grandmother—Sarah Ann
(maiden name “Fisk” 1823-1909) who lived at their farm home in Lyndon, Wisconsin
with their 4 children. Miraculously, 44 of the letters and many of the
envelopes of their correspondence during the Civil War still exists.
In April, 2013, I was given guardianship of a collection of historic
family items by my second cousins Mary and Sue—which I refer to as the
“Mary/Sue Collection.” This collection includes 20 envelopes (or in one case a
“fragment” of an envelope!), 25 letters (22 of which were between Robert and
Sarah) and 7 other documents and items. All of these items are from 1860’s, and
most are from the time of the Civil War. The notes below are concerned only
with the 20 envelopes in the Mary/Sue Collection.
In September, 2013, I obtained electronic scans of another collection of historic
family items from Billie P—the mother of my second cousins from another branch
of the family who also have Robert and Sarah as great, great grandparents. (i.e.
the “Billie P. Collection”.) The Billie P Collection is similar to and
complements the Mary/Sue Collection (most items are from the time of the Civil
War) and includes 11 envelopes and 35 letters--25 of which were between Robert and
Sarah. Although there is reference to
the Billie P Collection below, these notes are concerned only with the
envelopes in the Mary/Sue Collection—not the envelopes in the Billie P Collection.
Finally, in May, 2014, I obtained electronic scans of a third, small
collection of items from a third cousin once removed—Judith P—and Judith has
Robert and Sarah as great, great, great grandparents. This collection—the
“Judith P Collection”—consists of 3 letters, all between Robert and Sarah during
the time of the Civil War, 2 envelopes, and a $5 Railroad Bank script. The
Judith P collection complements the other two.
This blog—along with this letter of introduction and notes—contains a
list that documents the movements of Company E of the 12th Wisconsin
Infantry Volunteers from the time of their creation in April 1861 until their
disbandment in July 1865 as well as scans of the 20 envelopes in the Mary/Sue
collection. In the case of each envelope, I scanned the front and back in both “original”
and “enhanced” forms since in some cases it was a little easier to read the
light print in the enhanced versions.
I believe these and other historic family documents should be made
available for family members and others to study and enjoy. Therefore, it is my
intention to post on the internet scans of all of the letters, envelopes,
documents, and other items described above. In the future I will be creating
other blogs for these mentioned items and this blog will provide the URL addresses
for those sites. Posting on “blogspot.com” may not be the best place to post
this material, but I am not all that internet savvy, and blogspot is something
I know how to use, so please forgive. I will make every effort to protect the
privacy of the names of my cousins who provided the originals and copies of
this material. If anyone reading this wishes to contact these individuals,
please contact me via the blog, and I will ask them if they are willing to be
contacted.
I believe it is wonderful that this material—most of which is over 150
years old—still exists, and feel privileged to be able to put it all together
to share with others. And I am most ever
grateful to my cousins for sharing!
William B. Bond
A great, great grandson of Robert Bond Jr. and Sarah Ann Fisk
June, 2014
Introduction to the Envelopes in the Mary/Sue Collection
In analyzing the envelopes in the Mary/Sue Collection, I made heavy use
of the following book--which I refer to as the “Company E Chronology Book”:
“Story of the Service of Company E:
And the Twelfth Wisconsin Regiment, Veteran Volunteer Infantry, in the War of
the Rebellion: Beginning with September 7th, 1861, and Ending with
July 21st, 1865” by Hosea W. Rood; Swain & Tate Co., Publisher,
Milwaukee, WI; 1893.
This book lists the dates and movements of Company E during the Civil War
and these notes attempt to reconcile what is described in the book with what is
found on the envelopes. Of course it
cannot be guaranteed that the book is 100% accurate--but it is 547 pages long,
very detailed about dates and movements and is the best record we have for Robert
Bond Jr. during the Civil War. A chronology of events based on this book is
posted to this blog.
It would be wonderful if all of the envelopes had the addressee and
sender clearly written with a post mark showing the city, state, and date the
envelope was mailed. Unfortunately none of the 20 envelopes have all of that information.
So the envelopes must be studied and conclusions drawn based on the evidence
that is available. When studying the envelopes and making conclusions, there are
several considerations:
A.
ADDRESSEE/SENDER:
The addressee can be read on 19 of the 20 envelopes but the sender is
indicated on only 2 of the 20 envelopes (envelopes #s 12 and 20).
The envelopes are addressed as
follows:
a.
12 are addressed to “Mrs. Sarah A. Bond” or “Mrs. Sarah Bond”
b.
5 are addressed to “Robert Bond”, “Mr. Robert Bond” or “Robert Bond
Esq.”
c. 1 (envelope #18) is just a fragment of an
envelope with a stamp,
but with no name or address.
but with no name or address.
d. 1 (envelope #19) is
unused and is addressed to “C. P.
WHITFORD, Secretary, Rock River Insurance Company,
BELOIT, Wis.”
e. 1 (envelope #20) is
addressed to “Mr and Mrs George Taylor and
Cricket; 638 West Maple Avenue, Fullerton, California.”
But, since most of the letters in the Mary/Sue Collection are between
Robert and Sarah, it is likely that most of the envelopes originally contained
correspondence between Robert and Sarah. So if there is no return address and the
addressee was Sarah, the sender was likely Robert—and vice versa. But there are
several envelopes where this is not the case.
B. HANDWRITING
Of the 20 envelopes, 17 have handwriting on them. (Envelope #18 is a
fragment, Envelope #19 is printed with the return address of the Rock River
Insurance Company, and envelope #20 is typed.
Of the 12 envelopes addressed to Sarah, 10 appear to have Robert’s
handwriting (envelopes #s 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 14, and 15). But it should be noted that Robert had two
different ways of writing the letter “d” in “Bond”. For 9 of the 10 envelopes
(envelopes #s 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 10, 11, 14, and 15), the “d” is closed with the
vertical line coming down to the base of the letter. In envelope #8, the “d” is
flared and not closed. Did Robert write his “d’s” in two different ways? Yes—in
letter #s 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, and 22 from the Mary/Sue Collection of letters,
Robert writes the “d” in “Bond” with a closed “d”. In letter #s 14, 15, 20, and
21 from the Mary/Sue Collection of letters, he writes the “d” in “Bond” with a
flared “d”. But the first time the flared “d” appears is in letter #14 which is
dated 28 March 1865. Robert uses this
form of “d” consistently after that date with one exception--letter #22 in
which the year the letter was written is uncertain. This may indicate a “before
and after” date for when the envelopes were written.
Of the other two envelopes addressed to Sarah, one (envelope #13) has a
postmark of Lincoln, Nebraska and does not appear to have Robert’s handwriting.
The other (envelope #12) has the postmark “Fort Dodge, Iowa, December 24th,
1895”. Since Robert died in 1894, the envelope could not have been written by
him, and in fact, the envelope contains the statement “if not called for in 10
days return to B T Adamson Ft Dodge Iowa.” From that, it is likely that B T
Adamson addressed the envelope.
Of the 5 handwritten envelopes addressed to Robert, two (envelopes #s 3
and 16) have a postmark of Connecticut and do not appear to be the handwriting
of Sarah. These were written after the Civil War due to the postage Stamp
affixed. Although probably written by a relative of Robert or Sarah (they both
had relatives living in Connecticut), the handwriting does not appear to match
the handwriting of any known individual.
The third envelope addressed to Robert (envelope #6) does not appear to match
the handwriting of Sarah, and was probably written by a soldier friend or
acquaintance of Robert. Possibly--since
the handwriting is similar—the envelope was addressed by “W. Mabeam”, whose letter
is in the Mary/Sue Collection of letters.
The fourth and fifth envelopes addressed to Robert (envelope #s 9 and 17),
have handwriting that is similar to Sarah’s, and both have a Wisconsin
postmark. But envelope #17 is addressed to “Robert Bond Esq, Kildare, Juneau
County, Wis” Due to the address, this envelope was not sent to Robert during the
Civil War. So Envelope #9 is the only envelope we have that was addressed by
Sarah to Robert during the Civil War. And it appears from the writing on the
front that this envelope did not reach Robert until after he had been mustered
out of service and returned home.
So why—during the Civil War--do we have 10 envelopes written by Robert
addressed to Sarah and only 1 envelope written by Sarah addressed to Robert? I
think the most logical explanation is that Robert didn’t keep the envelopes. Of
course this would be completely understandable since to keep them, he would
have had to carry them on his marches and every bit of weight counts! The
letters were precious to him, so he kept them. But the envelopes he was willing
to sacrifice. Considering the fact that the letters had to be carried wherever
Robert marched during the war, it is a miracle Sarah’s letters to Robert still
exist!
C. POSTAGE STAMP (OR LACK OF
POSTAGE STAMP!):
Of the 20 envelopes, 13 (envelopes #s 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 16,
18, and 20) have postage stamps affixed to them. Of the remaining 7 envelopes,
3 (envelopes #s 8, 13, and 17) appear to have once had a postage stamp affixed which
was later removed. And 4 (envelopes #s 5, 6, and 19) appear to have never had a
postage stamp affixed to them. The postage stamps attached are of 5 different
types:
Type 1: Three cent bust of George
Washington in a pink/rose pink color first issued August 18th, 1861.
The post office had two varieties of this stamp—pink and rose pink—with the
pink variety much more rare and valuable than the rose pink variety. It is not
known which variety is on these envelopes. Of the 13 postage stamps, 8 are this
type.
Type 2: Three cent pictorial of a
Railroad Train in an “ultramarine” color first issued March 27th,
1869. Of the 13 postage stamps, 1 is this type.
Type 3: Three cent bust of George Washington in green first issued April 12th,
1870. Of the 13 postage stamps, 2 are this type.
Type 4: Two cent bust of George Washington in a carmine (red) color first issued
October 5th, 1894. Of the 13 postage stamps, 1 is this type.
Type 5: Eight cent “Airmail Carrier over Capitol Dome” in a carmine (red) color.
This airmail stamp was first issued December 5th, 1962. Of the 13
postage stamps, 1 is of this variety.
Postage stamp types 1, 3, and 4 above
(and maybe types 2 and 5!) came in a variety of “sub-types”. I am not a postage
stamp expert. If I knew the subtype of each postage stamp, I would be able to
be more precise as to the date when the postage stamp was first issued. The
“first issued” dates above are the earliest date of issues for that particular
type of postage stamp—i.e. the first issue of the earliest subtype. Knowing the
first issue date of a stamp provides the earliest possible date an envelope
could have been mailed. Of course an envelope could have been mailed some
time—even years—after a postage stamp was first issued. But most likely the
envelope was mailed within a year or two after the postage stamp was first
issued since the U.S. Postal Service issued new and different stamps frequently
during the middle to late 1800’s.
It is impossible to know what type of postage stamp was originally
affixed to the 3 letters in which the stamp is now missing. On one of these 3,
the postmark appears to have missed the stamp, and the stamp may have been
removed so that it could be “re-used.”
For the 4 letters that seem to never have had a postage stamp affixed to
them, there also no postmark. Three of the four are the orange/buff color which
was likely Government Issue (see E below). I think it probable that these
envelopes were hand delivered by a friend or acquaintance. The fourth was a
“return envelope” from the Rock River Insurance Company which was never used.
D. POSTMARK:
A postmark—or part of a post mark—is found on 16 of the 20 envelopes. But
only two of these (envelopes #s 4 and 12) shows the city, state and full date
when the envelope was mailed. For the other 14, the full date, city or state
(or some combination of those 3) is either missing, partially shown, or cannot
be read.
But it should not be assumed that where an envelope was postmarked was
necessarily where the letter inside was written. During the Civil War, letters
written by Union soldiers could only enter the U. S. Postal Service at a city
controlled by Union forces. For example Envelope #7 below—which seems to have
been written by Robert to Sarah—shows a partial postmark of “TEN”, the last two
letters of a city name which appear to be “GA” and a year “64”. I think there
is a strong possibility that this postmark is for Chattanooga, Tennessee in 1864.
But according to the “Company E Chronology Book” (See above) Robert was never
in Chattanooga, Tennessee in 1864 or any other year! But he was in the Atlanta,
Georgia area for about 5 months during that year. For much of that time,
Atlanta was controlled by Confederate forces, so since a letter from a Union
soldier could not be mailed from Atlanta, it had to be mailed at the nearest
large city controlled by Union forces—in this case Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Of course I don’t know for sure that this was the case or even for sure
that the postmark on letter #7 was for Chattanooga, Tennessee. But it seems
very plausible. My guess is that letters written by soldiers were given to an
officer in charge of mail who may have passed the letters off one or more times
to another officer in charge of mail who eventually posted them from the
nearest, large, Union controlled city. I believe the lesson to be learned is
that the city and state that an envelope postmark indicates is not necessarily where
the soldier was located at the time the letter inside was written.
E.
COLOR OF ENVELOPES: Of the 20 envelopes, 9 are various shades of
orange/buff. I’m not certain, but I
think it likely that the envelopes were Government Issue for soldiers to use
during the Civil War. This is supported by the fact that all but one envelope of
this color in both the Mary/Sue Collection and the Billie P Collection were
written by soldiers—not civilians. (The
exception is envelope #13) There are 2 envelopes that are yellow in color, but
the stamp on one of them (Type 3—see C above) was first issued in 1870, so it
had to have been mailed after the Civil War was over, and was probably not
Government Issue. The other 9 envelopes are white or off white, and one is
brown.
F.
SIZE OF THE ENVELOPES: The size of 19 of the envelopes is 3
inches X 5 ½ inches or smaller. One envelope is 9 ½ inches X 4 1/8 inches.
G. DID THE ENVELOPE CONTAIN A
LETTER INSIDE WHEN FOUND?
A few of the envelopes contained a letter inside when I obtained them but
most did not. For the envelopes that did contain a letter, some of the letters
were clearly not original to that envelope but were placed there later. But in
other cases, the letter(s) found in the envelope could have been original
to the envelope—it is impossible to know for sure.
H. CAN AN ENVELOPE BE MATCHED
TO A PARTICULAR LETTER?
It is difficult to say if one particular letter originally went with one
particular envelope. If the location of
the postmark is near the location where a letter was written and the
date of the postmark was a few days after a letter was written, it is possible
that a particular letter was originally in a particular envelope. But from the
context of the letters, it is clear that many letters written between Robert
and Sarah are missing. So even if the location and dates of letters and
envelopes seem to match, we cannot say with absolutely certainty that any particular
letter was original to any particular envelope. The best we can do is say it is
possible a letter is original to an envelope or it is impossible a letter is
original to an envelope. When considering the Billie P Collection it is
possible that some envelopes in the Mary/Sue collection belong with the Billie
P letters and vice versa.
The following breakdown--letter by
letter--considers the above eight points along with notes and analysis.
ENVELOPE 1:
Addressee/sender:
“Mrs. Sarah A Bond
Lyndon Station
Juneau Co
Wis”
No sender indicated—assumed to be Robert Bond Jr.
Handwriting: The handwriting on this
envelope appears to match the known handwriting of Robert in his letters.
Postage Stamp: Type 1 first issued
August 18th, 1861—see C above.
Postmark: City, State and Date cannot be read
Color of Envelope: Orange/Buff—Probably
Government Issue
Size of Envelope: 3 inches X 5 ½ inches
Did the Envelope Contain a Letter Inside When Found? No.
Can Envelope be Matched to a Particular Letter? No. Because the postmark is unreadable, there are too many possible
letters with which this envelope could be matched.
Additional Notes: None
Analysis: Most likely this envelope contained
a letter that was sent by Robert to his wife Sarah sometime during the Civil
War.
ENVELOPE 2:
Addressee/sender:
Mrs Sarah A Bond
Lyndon Station
Juneau Co
Wis
No sender indicated—assumed to be Robert Bond Jr.
Handwriting: The handwriting on this envelope
appears to match the known handwriting of Robert in his letters.
Postage Stamp: Type 1 first issued
August 18th, 1861—see C above. Bottom of stamp torn off.
Postmark: “30 OCT; VICKSBURG MISS”
Color of Envelope: Orange/Buff—Probably
Government Issue
Size of Envelope: 3 inches X 5 ½ inches
Did the Envelope Contain a Letter Inside When Found? No.
Can Envelope be Matched to a Particular Letter? Not with certainty.
Additional Notes: None.
Analysis: This envelope was likely written by
Robert to his wife Sarah and mailed from Vicksburg, Mississippi October 30th,
1863. But this envelope is also a mystery. There is no postmark year on the
envelope, but Vicksburg was held by Confederate forces until July 4th,
1863 and the 12th Wisconsin Infantry Volunteers Company E was not
near Vicksburg in October 1864, so the likely postmark year is 1863. (See
reference to “Company E Chronology Book” above) And it is tempting to match
this envelope with a letter from the Mary/Sue collection written by Robert to
Sarah dated “28th/63.” For good reasons it is assumed—even though no
month is indicated on the letter—that the month was October and that the letter
was written October 28th, 1863. But that letter was written in
Natchez, Mississippi, and this envelope was postmarked Vicksburg--over 70 miles
from Natchez. And the “Company E
Chronology Book” indicates that Company E didn’t leave Natchez and arrive in
Vicksburg until November 22nd, 1863. So, if Robert was in Natchez,
MS on October 30th, 1863 and both cities were controlled by Union
forces on that date, why did the postmark indicate Vicksburg? I think it most
likely that Robert gave the envelope to someone in Natchez who traveled to and mailed
it from Vicksburg.
ENVELOPE 3:
Addressee/sender:
Robert Bond Esq.
Lyndon
Juneau County
Wisconsin
No sender indicated—probably the family of Sarah who lived in South
Killingly, Connecticut.
Handwriting: The handwriting on this
envelope does not appear to match the known handwriting of Sarah in her
letters.
Postage Stamp: Type 2 first issued
March 27th, 1869—see C above.
Postmark: “25 OCT; SOUTH KILLINGLY CONN”
Color of Envelope: Off white
Size of Envelope: 3 inches x 5 ½ inches
Did the Envelope Contain a Letter Inside When Found? Yes. A letter written by Sarah to Robert and dated 20 December 1863 from
the Mary/Sue Collection was found inside this envelope. Considering the postage
stamp on this envelope and the postmark, this cannot be the original letter for
this envelope.
Can Envelope be Matched to a Particular Letter? Possibly. There are no letters in the Mary/Sue collection that are
consistent with the above information, but there may be a letter in the Billie
P Collection that is consistent. More study needs to be done.
Additional Notes: None.
Analysis: This envelope was undoubtedly sent to
Robert at his home in Lyndon, Juneau, Wisconsin by a member of Sarah’s family—who
lived in in South Killingly, Connecticut—sometime after March 27th,
1869—when the postage stamp was first issued—and 1880 when Robert and family
had—according to the 1880 U.S. Federal Census—assumed residence in Nebraska. Presently,
it is not known if any of the surviving letters was original to this envelope.
ENVELOPE 4:
Addressee/sender:
Mrs. Sarah A Bond
Lyndon Station
Juneau Co
Wis.
No sender indicated—assumed to be Robert Bond Jr.
Handwriting: The handwriting on this
envelope appears to match the known handwriting of Robert in his letters.
Postage Stamp: Type 1 first issued
August 18th, 1861—see C above.
Postmark: “8 MAR 1864; VICKSBURG, MISS”
Color of Envelope: Off white
Size of Envelope: 3 inches X 5 ½ inches
Did the Envelope Contain a Letter Inside When Found? Yes. A letter written by Robert to Sarah and dated March 28th,
1865 from the Mary/Sue Collection was found inside this envelope. The letter
was written from Goldsboro, North Carolina—a very long way from Vicksburg, Mississippi—so
it is very unlikely that the letter found in this envelope was original to the
envelope.
Can Envelope be Matched to a Particular Letter? Possibly. Robert wrote a letter (from the Mary/Sue Collection) to Sarah
dated 14 February, 1864 from Camp Luisa, 10 miles east of Vicksburg,
Mississippi. In the Billie P Collection, Robert wrote a letter to Sarah dated February
22nd, 1864 from the same location. Either of these letters could
have been original to this envelope.
Additional Notes: None.
Analysis: This envelope was almost certainly
written by Robert to his wife Sarah while Robert was in in camp near Vicksburg,
Mississippi on March 8th, 1864. There are two candidates as to the
original letter(s) inside—see above. It is interesting that Robert did not use
an orange/buff colored envelope—that was probably Government Issue for
soldiers—as he did for so many other of his letters written during the Civil
War.
ENVELOPE 5:
Addressee/sender:
Mrs Sarah A Bond
Lyndon
Wis.
No sender indicated—assumed to be Robert Bond Jr.
Handwriting: The handwriting on this
envelope appears to match the known handwriting of Robert in his letters.
Postage Stamp: None—it appears never
to have had a postage stamp affixed.
Postmark: None
Color of Envelope: Orange/Buff—Probably
Government Issue
Size of Envelope: 3 inches X 5 ½ inches
Did the Envelope Contain a Letter Inside When Found? No.
Can Envelope be Matched to a Particular Letter? No—without a stamp or postmark, it cannot be dated with any precision.
Additional Notes: None.
Analysis: This is almost certainly an envelope
sent by Robert to his wife Sarah when Robert was in service during the Civil
War. The color of the envelope (Orange/Buff) was probably Government Issue and
matches the color of other envelopes which are known to be from that time
period. The lack of a postage stamp and postmark indicates it may have been
“hand carried” by a friend or acquaintance of Robert’s—possibly carried when
the “veterans” of Company E went home to Wisconsin on furlough. (March 15th-May
3rd, 1863). Evidence suggests that Robert—not being a “veteran” —did
not go home with the others. (See reference to “Company E Chronology Book”
above)
ENVELOPE 6:
Addressee/sender:
Mr Robert Bond
In care of Mr ????? (Not known for sure)
As A Friend
Sender not known.
Handwriting: The handwriting on this
envelope does not appear to be that of Sarah—but it is possible that it is her
handwriting. It does not match any known handwriting with certainty. It is
somewhat similar to the handwriting of “W Mabeam”—who wrote a letter to Robert
that is in the Mary/Sue Collection.
Postage Stamp: None—it appears never
to have had a postage stamp affixed.
Postmark: None
Color of Envelope: Orange/Buff—Probably
Government Issue
Size of Envelope: 3 inches X 5 ½ inches
Did the Envelope Contain a Letter Inside When Found? No.
Can Envelope be Matched to a Particular Letter? No—without a stamp or postmark, it cannot be dated with any precision. It is possible that the undated letter
written by “W Mabeam” to Robert—probably written in the summer/fall of 1865 and
part of the Mary/Sue Collection—was original to this envelope.
Additional Notes: There is some very
faint writing on both the front and reverse of this envelope. On the front, the
addressee, “Mr Robert Bond in care of Mr ????? as A Friend” is in bold writing
and seems to be on top of faint ink writing that looks like “Mr L???? Dickins”
with another “Mr” below the first at left. The reverse has writing that appears
to be in pencil and is extremely faint. On the reverse, I was able to read “R
Robert Bond”, two math calculations, another “Robert”, “William O Fisk”, “4”
and another “4” on top of the first with what looks like “Stani” to the right
followed by what appears to be “if not”, “is Wis” and “2 feet”. The faint handwriting
on the reverse is consistent with that of Robert, but I cannot say it is his
with certainty. I don’t believe the faint writing on the front and the faint
writing on the reverse were necessarily done at the same time by the same
person.
Analysis: This appears to be an envelope
written by a soldier friend to Robert. But this envelope is a mystery. The lack
of a postage stamp and postmark and the phrase “in care of Mr ????? as A
Friend” indicates it was “hand carried” by a friend or acquaintance of Robert
or that of the sender. It possibly could have been written by Sarah and
given by her to a soldier who was home on “veterans furlough” to give to
Robert, but I don’t believe this is correct. (See reference to “Company E
Chronology Book” above) A more likely possibility is that the envelope—and
letter inside—was written by a soldier friend of Robert’s and given to another
friend for delivery. The color of the envelope (Orange/Buff) was probably
Government Issue and matches the color of other envelopes used by soldiers from
this time period. (Envelope #13 is an exception to this). This implies that it was a soldier who wrote
the letter and addressed the envelope—not a civilian. Also interesting is the
fact that this seems to be one of only two envelopes (the other is envelope #9)
addressed to Robert during the Civil War that has survived in either the Mary/Sue
Collection or the Billie P Collection. I think it likely that this envelope was
hand delivered to Robert at his home in Wisconsin shortly after he returned
from service—the letter inside written by a friend (W. Mabeam?) who was still
in service after Robert was mustered out on May 31st, 1865. The
faint writing on the front indicates that this might be a re-used envelope or
that the writer originally addressed it to someone else and then changed his
mind. The writing on the reverse I believe to be that of Robert, but I do not
know its significance—if there is any.
ENVELOPE 7:
Addressee/sender:
Mrs. Sarah A Bond
Lyndon Station
Juneau Co
Wisconsin
No sender indicated—assumed to be Robert Bond Jr.
Handwriting: The handwriting on this
envelope appears to match the known handwriting of Robert in his letters.
Postage Stamp: Type 1 first issued
August 18th, 1861—see C above.
Postmark: “64; ...GA TEN” (only half of the
printed postmark is on the letter)
Color of Envelope: Orange/Buff—Probably
Government Issue
Size of Envelope: 3 inches X 5 ½ inches
Did the Envelope Contain a Letter Inside When Found? No.
Can Envelope be Matched to a Particular Letter? Not with certainty. This envelope could have contained a letter (from the
Mary/Sue Collection) dated July 4th, 1864 written in Atlanta, GA or with
5 others in the Billie P Collection.
Additional Notes: None.
Analysis: This appears to be an envelope
written by Robert to his wife Sarah. It is consistent that the postmark on this
envelope could be from Chattanooga, Tennessee sometime in 1864. Certainly the
postmark is from somewhere in Tennessee in 1864, but the city is not known with
certainty. There is no evidence that Robert was ever in Chattanooga, TN, but he
was in the Atlanta, GA area for 5 months in 1864. (See reference to the
“Company E Chronology Book” above) Since much of that time Confederate forces
controlled Atlanta, letters could not be mailed from there. So they were most
likely mailed from the nearest large city controlled be Union forces at the
time—which was Chattanooga, TN.
ENVELOPE 8:
Addressee/sender:
Mrs. Sarah A Bond
Lyndon Station
Juneau Co
Wisconsin
No sender indicated—assumed to be Robert Bond Jr.
Handwriting: The handwriting on this
envelope appears to match the known handwriting of Robert in his letters.
Postage Stamp: Originally there was a
postage stamp affixed to the envelope which is now missing.
Postmark: The upper right of the front has a
black mark indicating a postmark. But it is smeared and no writing appears.
Color of Envelope: Orange/Buff—Probably Government
Issue
Size of Envelope: 3 inches X 5 ½ inches
Did the Envelope Contain a Letter Inside When Found? No.
Can Envelope be Matched to a Particular Letter? No. There are too many possibilities.
Additional Notes: Upper left on the front
is printed “U. S. Sanitary Commission Soldier’s Letter”. The United States Sanitary Commission was a private relief agency
created by federal legislation on June 18, 1861, to support sick and wounded
soldiers of the U.S. Army during the American Civil War. It operated across the North, raised
nearly $25 million to support the cause, and enlisted thousands of volunteers.
Analysis: This appears to be an envelope
written by Robert to his wife Sarah probably in 1865 due to the flared “d” in
“Bond”. Although “Sanitary Commission” is printed on the envelope, there is no
evidence that Robert was wounded during the war. However he may have been sick
and that could be the reason he obtained this envelope.
ENVELOPE 9:
Addressee/sender:
Mr Robert Bond
Co E 12th Wis, Vol, Inft,
1st Brig 3rd Div
17th Army Corps
Washington, D C
Except
for the name, the above is crossed out with a “redirect” on the left:
Recd at Louisville
June 14th
remailed 15th all will
..t pay this week.
Lyndon
Station
Juneau Co
Wis.
No sender indicated—assumed to be Sarah Ann Fisk—married name “Bond.”
Handwriting: The handwriting on this
envelope appears to match the known handwriting of Sarah in her letters.
Postage Stamp: Type 1 first issued
August 18th, 1861—see C above.
Postmark: “7 JUN; KILBOURN CITY WIS”
Color of Envelope: White
Size of Envelope: 2 ¾ inch X 5 ¾ inch
Did the Envelope Contain a Letter Inside When Found? No.
Can Envelope be Matched to a Particular Letter? No.
Additional Notes: The redirect note
probably reads: “Recd at Louisville, June 14th, remailed June 15th,
all will get pay this week.”
Analysis: This appears to be an envelope written
by Sarah to her husband Robert. It is a real gem since it is easy to see
exactly what is going on. Sarah mailed this envelope to Robert on June 7th,
1865, from Kilbourn City, Wisconsin. It didn’t reach Robert directly because
Robert had been mustered out of service on May 31st, 1865, due to
the expiration of his term of enlistment. The letter was forwarded to
Louisville, KY because that is where the remaining soldiers of the 12th
Wisconsin Company E were located having traveled there on June 7th. (See
reference to “Company E Chronology Book” above) But of course Robert was no
longer with Company E, so the envelope was forwarded to his home. The note:
“all will (ge)t pay this week” is a great touch and I’m sure a comfort to both Robert
and Sarah when the envelope was returned. This is the only envelope we have in
either the Mary/Sue Collection or the Billie P Collection that was likely written
by Sarah to Robert during the Civil War. (See B above)
ENVELOPE 10:
Addressee/sender:
Mrs Sarah A Bond
Lyndon Station
Juneau Co
Wisconsin
No sender indicated—assumed to be Robert Bond Jr.
Handwriting: The handwriting on this
envelope appears to match the known handwriting of Robert in his letters.
Postage Stamp: Type 1 first issued
August 18th, 1861—see C above.
Postmark: “8 MAY
1862; ???R???E KAS”
Color of Envelope: Orange/Buff—Probably
Government Issue
Size of Envelope: 3 inches X 5 ½ inches
Did the Envelope Contain a Letter Inside When Found? No.
Can Envelope be Matched to a Particular Letter? No.
Additional Notes: There is an underline
and small “hash marks” under “Sarah A Bond “and “Juneau Co”; there are two
lines of “dashes” under “Lyndon Station” and three lines of “dashes” under
“Wisconsin.”
Analysis: This appears to be an envelope
written by Robert to his wife Sarah and posted on May 8th, 1862 from
somewhere in Kansas. But it is another mystery because although Company E of
the 12th Wisconsin Infantry Volunteers was in Kansas on the date of
the postmark, Robert didn’t enlist until August 30th, 1862, nearly 4
months after the date of the postmark. Company E was in Lawrence, Kansas, on
March 27th, 1862, Fort Riley, Kansas, on April 25th,
1862, and Leavenworth, Kansas, on May 27th, 1862. (See reference to
“Company E Chronology Book” above.) The postmark could possibly read “LAWRENCE
KANSAS”. Robert and Sarah’s son-in-law Alvaro N. Griffin—as well as many of
their neighbors--were part of Company E on this date. So it is possible that
Robert was in Kansas visiting people he knew who were enlisted in Company E. Or it is possible that the envelope was
written by Alvaro N. Griffin or someone else in Company E who had handwriting
similar to that of Robert. Because the envelope is an orange/buff color—which
was probably Government Issue—it was probably connected with the military and Company
E. With the one exception of envelope #13, all envelopes of that color were
written by soldiers.
ENVELOPE 11:
Addressee/sender:
Sarah A Bond
Lyndon Station
Juneau County
Wisconsin
No sender indicated—assumed to be Robert Bond Jr.
Handwriting: The handwriting on this
envelope appears to match the known handwriting of Robert in his letters.
Postage Stamp: Type 1 first issued
August 18th, 1861—see C above.
Postmark: “??? MAY 1863, NATCHEZ”
Color of Envelope: White
Size of Envelope: 3 inches X 5 ½ inches
Did the Envelope Contain a Letter Inside When Found? Yes. Two letters (from the Mary/Sue Collection) were found inside this
envelope; one dated 14 November 1863, and one dated November 16, 1863.
Can Envelope be Matched to a Particular Letter? No.
Additional Notes: None.
Analysis: This appears to be an envelope
written by Robert to his wife Sarah and posted in May of 1863 from Natchez,
Mississippi. During May, June and July of 1863, Company E of the 12th
Wisconsin Infantry Volunteers were in the Vicksburg, Mississippi area, and
involved in the “Siege of Vicksburg” campaign, which ended with the surrender
of Vicksburg on July 4th, 1863. (See reference to “Company E
Chronology Book” above.) It makes perfect sense that the postmark would be made
70 miles away in Natchez rather than in Vicksburg, since in May of 1863,
Vicksburg was controlled by Confederate forces and envelopes written by Union
soldiers at that time could not have been posted at Vicksburg. It is
interesting that Robert did not use an orange/buff colored envelope—that was
probably Government Issue for soldiers—as he did for so many other of his
letters written during the Civil War.
ENVELOPE 12:
Addressee/sender:
Mrs Sarah Bond
Indianola
Nebr.
Red Willow Co.
Redirect
on the left:
“if not called for in 10 days
return to B T Adamson
Ft Dodge Iowa
Handwriting: Presumably B T Adamson.
The handwriting does not match any known handwriting of family members.
Postage Stamp: Type 4 first issued
October 5th, 1894—see C above.
Postmark: “2:30PM 24 DEC 1895; FORT DODGE IOWA”
Color of Envelope: White
Size of Envelope: 3 inches X 5 ½ inches
Did the Envelope Contain a Letter Inside When Found? No.
Can Envelope be Matched to a Particular Letter? No.
Additional Notes: There are two postmarks
on the reverse of the envelope; one reading “12 ?? 25 DEC OMAHAIN??? And the
other “8 AM 26 DE?; IN??? NEBR.” These are presumably two places in Nebraska
where the envelope stopped—and was postmarked—on the way to being delivered .
Analysis: This appears to be an envelope
written by B T Adamson to Sarah postmarked December 24th, 1895 in
Fort Dodge, Iowa. It is not known who B T Adamson was or why he was writing to
Sarah. It should be noted that (1) December 24th was the day before
Sarah’s birthday, and (2) Sarah’s husband Robert Bond Jr. died a year before in
1894. Whether or not either of these has significance to this envelope is not
known.
ENVELOPE 13:
Addressee/sender:
Mrs Sarah A Bond
Lyndon Station
Juneau Co
Wiscons
No sender indicated—possibly a family member.
Handwriting: The handwriting on this
envelope does not match with certainty any known handwriting. The handwriting
on the envelope is similar to Sarah’s handwriting which suggests it may have
been made by a family member or Sarah herself.
Postage Stamp: Originally there was a
postage stamp affixed to the envelope which is now missing. Where the postage
stamp was located is a scrap of newspaper—which most likely became stuck after
the postage stamp was removed and some of the sticky gum remained.
Postmark: “5 JUN; LINCOLN NEB” The postmark appears to have “missed” the postage
stamp—leading one to believe that the postage stamp may have been removed in
order to be re-used.
Color of Envelope: Orange/Buff—Probably
Government Issue
Size of Envelope: 3 inches X 5 ½ inches
Did the Envelope Contain a Letter Inside When Found? Yes. A letter (from the Mary/Sue Collection) dated April 9th,
1865 written in Goldsboro, North Carolina was found in this envelope. Due to
the postmark, this letter was not original to this envelope.
Can Envelope be Matched to a Particular Letter? No.
Additional Notes: None.
Analysis: This appears to be an envelope written
possibly by a family member—or even Sarah herself—to Sarah postmarked June 5th
in Lincoln, Nebraska, with no year indicated. It is interesting that it is the
only envelope in either the Mary/Sue Collection or the Billie P Collection that
is the orange/buff color and appears not to have been written by a soldier.
Perhaps it was a “left over” envelope from the time of the Civil War? It is
also interesting that the postmark is Lincoln, Nebraska. There is no evidence that
during the Civil War, Company E of the 12th Wisconsin Infantry
Volunteers was ever in Lincoln, Nebraska. So the envelope could have been
written anytime and by anyone—either before, during or after the Civil War.
However, it should be noted that Robert, Sarah and most of the family moved
permanently from Wisconsin to Nebraska sometime between 1874 and 1880—based on
the 1874 diary of Sarah and the 1880 U.S. Federal Census. So perhaps this
envelope was written by a family member who went ahead of the others?
ENVELOPE 14:
Addressee/sender:
Mrs Sarah A Bond
Lyndon Station
Juneau Co
Wisconsin
No sender indicated—assumed to be Robert Bond Jr.
Handwriting: The handwriting on this
envelope appears to match the known handwriting of Robert in his letters.
Postage Stamp: Type 1 first issued
August 18th, 1861—see C above.
Postmark: “24? MAY(?) 1864(?); CAIRO”
Color of Envelope: White
Size of Envelope: 3 inches X 5 ½ inches
Did the Envelope Contain a Letter Inside When Found? No.
Can Envelope be Matched to a Particular Letter? No.
Additional Notes: None.
Analysis: This appears to be an envelope
written by Robert to his wife Sarah and posted sometime in May, 1864 at Cairo,
Illinois. But this envelope drives me crazy! According to the “Company E
Chronology Book” (see reference above), Robert Bond Jr. would not have been
considered a “veteran” because he did not have a full 2 years of service time
in and had not re-enlisted as of January 5th, 1864. And official
documents also confirm that he was a “non-veteran”. This is an important
distinction because the “veterans” went home to Wisconsin on furlough and were
separated from the “non-veterans” for the time period March 13th to
May 23rd, 1864. Again, according to the “Company E Chronology Book”,
the “veterans” were in Cairo, IL March 18th-19th and
again May 3rd-10th, 1864. The “Non-veterans” were in
Cairo, IL April 8th to about April 30th, 1864. So was
Robert with the “veterans” who came home to Wisconsin on furlough, or was he
with the “non-veterans” and remained on active duty? Several sources indicate
he was a “non-veteran” and not entitled to a furlough. And I have found no
evidence that indicates he went home on furlough at any time while he was on
active duty from August 30th, 1862 to May 31st, 1865. But
the postmark month looks like May and the postmark day looks like it is double
digits—possibly “24”. One possibility is that when the “non-veteran” soldiers left
Cairo about April 30th, 1864, a steamship took them up the Ohio and
Tennessee rivers, landing at Clifton, Tennessee, about April 30th,
1864. Perhaps Robert wrote this envelope and left it with an official aboard
the steamship who took the letter back to Cairo, IL, where it was postmarked
sometime in May. This is the only explanation I can come up with that makes any
sense. It is interesting that Robert did not use an orange/buff colored
envelope—that was probably Government Issue for soldiers—as he did for so many
other of his letters written during the Civil War.
ENVELOPE 15:
Addressee/sender:
Mrs Sarah A Bond
No sender indicated—assumed to be Robert Bond Jr.
Handwriting: The handwriting on this
envelope appears to match the known handwriting of Robert in his letters.
Postage Stamp: None—it appears never
to have had a postage stamp affixed.
Postmark: None
Color of Envelope: Orange/Buff—Probably
Government Issue
Size of Envelope: 3 inches X 5 ½ inches
Did the Envelope Contain a Letter Inside When Found? No.
Can Envelope be Matched to a Particular Letter? No—without a stamp or postmark, it cannot be dated with any precision.
Additional Notes: None.
Analysis: This is almost certainly an envelope
sent by Robert to his wife Sarah when Robert was in service during the Civil
War. The color of the envelope (Orange/Buff) was probably Government Issue and
matches the color of other envelopes which are known to be from that time
period. The lack of a postage stamp and postmark indicates it may have been
“hand carried” by a friend or acquaintance of Robert’s—possibly carried when
the “veterans” of Company E went home to Wisconsin on furlough. (March 15th-May
3rd, 1863). Evidence suggests that Robert—not being a “veteran” did
not go home with the others. (See reference to “Company E Chronology Book”
above)
ENVELOPE 16:
Addressee/sender:
Mr Robert Bond
Lyndon Station
Juneau Co
Wisconsin
No sender indicated—undoubtedly one of the family members of Robert Bond
Jr. known to live in Bristol, Connecticut.
Handwriting: The handwriting on this
envelope does not match with certainty any known handwriting.
Postage Stamp: Type 3 first issued April 12th, 1870—see C
above.
Postmark: “14 SEPT; BRISTOL CONN” The postmark
also contains a large “B”—most likely standing for “Bristol”.
Color of Envelope: White.
Size of Envelope: 3 inches X 5 ½ inches
Did the Envelope Contain a Letter Inside When Found? No.
Can Envelope be Matched to a Particular Letter? No.
Additional Notes: None.
Analysis: This is almost certainly an envelope
sent by a relative of Robert living in Bristol, Connecticut to Robert at his
home in Wisconsin. The envelope must have been posted after April 12th,
1870 (the issue date of the postage stamp) and before 1880 when—according to
the U.S. Federal Census—Robert and family were living in Nebraska.
ENVELOPE 17:
Addressee/sender:
Robert Bond Esq.
Kildare
Juneau County
Wis.
No sender indicated—possibly Robert’s wife Sarah.
Handwriting: The handwriting on the
front and reverse seems similar to that of Robert’s wife Sarah.
Postage Stamp: Originally there was a
postage stamp affixed to the envelope which is now missing.
Postmark: “WIS”—only about 25% of the postmark
is on this envelope. Another 25% would have been on the missing postage stamp.
The other 50% missed the envelope and postage stamp.
Color of Envelope: Yellow.
Size of Envelope: 3 inches X 5 ½ inches
Did the Envelope Contain a Letter Inside When Found? No.
Can Envelope be Matched to a Particular Letter? No.
Additional Notes: The reverse of this
envelope has the name “L Locke Jones” written in what appears to be ink. In addition, the following is written in what
appears to be pencil: (1) “hash marks” at the upper left, (2) the edges of the
folds highlighted, (3) Math: 2.25 – .40 = 1. 85, (4) Math: 1.85 + .15 + .23 =
2.23, (5) Math: 2.60 + 1.85 = 5 (incomplete)
Analysis: This is an envelope sent to Robert,
most likely by his wife Sarah. This yellow colored envelope is very similar to
the yellow colored fragment (“Envelope” #18) which has a Type 3 Postage stamp
affixed first issued April 12th, 1870 (See C Above). So the envelope
is likely to have been posted after April 12th, 1870 and before 1880
when—according to the U.S. Federal Census—Robert and family were living in
Nebraska. The postmark indicates that the envelope was posted in Wisconsin—most
likely by Sarah from her home at Lyndon Station. The “Esq” at the end of
Robert’s name is interesting—only one other envelope (Envelope #3) has that
designation and that envelope was almost certainly written by a relative of
Sarah. In the only other known envelope written by Sarah to Robert (Envelope
#9), Sarah doesn’t use “Esq.” It is not known who Locke Jones is or why his
name was written on the reverse of the envelope. It is possible that Locke
Jones wrote the envelope and put his name on the reverse as the “sender.” But
the hand writing and color of ink look different when comparing the front and
reverse. The pencil writing on the reverse indicates it was used for scratch
paper, and does not appear to have significance. It is not known why Robert was
living at Kildare, Wisconsin, when this envelope was mailed to him.
ENVELOPE 18:
Addressee/sender:
Unknown.
Handwriting: None.
Postage Stamp: Type 3 first issued April 12th, 1870—see C
above.
Postmark: Cannot be read.
Color of Envelope: Yellow
Size of Envelope: Unknown—most likely 3
inches X 5 ½ inches
Did the Envelope Contain a Letter Inside When Found? No.
Can Envelope be Matched to a Particular Letter? No.
Additional Notes: This is just a
fragment—the upper left corner—of an envelope.
Analysis: Not much can be said about this
fragment in terms of who the addressee and sender were. From the postage stamp
affixed, the envelope had to have been mailed after April 12th,
1870. It is interesting that the postage stamp was placed in the upper left
corner of the envelope rather than the more common upper right. It is possible that this fragment was torn
from the envelope in order to place the postage stamp in a collection. Or—since
the postage stamp was only lightly cancelled—it might have been torn from the
envelope so that it could be re-used.
ENVELOPE 19:
Addressee/sender:
C. P. WHITFORD, Secretary.
Rock River Insurance Co.
BELOIT, Wis.
This envelope was never used, so there was no sender.
Handwriting: None.
Postage Stamp: None.
Postmark: None.
Color of Envelope: Brown.
Size of Envelope: 3 inches X 5 ½ inches.
Did the Envelope Contain a Letter Inside When Found? Yes. There were two insurance documents inside this envelope when
found—both of which are in the Mary/Sue Collection. The first is dated Oct 20th,
1865 and begins: “This Company, as you were undoubtedly informed…” and the
second is undated and begins: “Herewith please find…”
Can Envelope be Matched to a Particular Letter? Yes. This envelope along with 3
insurance documents from the Rock River Insurance company were almost certainly
mailed together.
Additional Notes: There is a third “Rock
River Insurance Company” document in the Mary/Sue Collection dated Oct 20th,
1865, that was found loose. That document begins “Dear Sir:--In consequence of
the unusually heavy losses…” This document makes reference to an “accompanying
envelope”
Analysis: This envelope is a return
envelope provided by the Rock River Insurance Company which was never used. So
the two insurance documents found in the envelope were not there originally,
but must have been placed inside the envelope later. It is almost certain that
all three insurance documents and this envelope were sent to Robert and Sarah
in another, larger envelope which is now missing.
ENVELOPE 20:
Addressee/sender:
Mr and Mrs George Taylor and Cricket
638 West Maple Avenue
Fullerton, California
Sender:
Richard Shriver
825 St. Jean
Florissant, Missouri
Handwriting: None.
Postage Stamp: Type 5 first issued December 5th, 1962—see C
above.
Postmark: “FLORISSANT” The date of the postmark
is unreadable.
Color of Envelope: White
Size of Envelope: 9 ½ inches X 4 1/8
inches
Did the Envelope Contain a Letter Inside When Found? Yes! All letters, envelopes and other documents and items in the
Mary/Sue Collection were found in this envelope.
Can Envelope be Matched to a Particular Letter? No.
Additional Notes: The envelope has some
math calculations on the reverse: (1) 7.88 + 21.88 = 29.76; (2) 37 + 30 = 67;
(3) 35 + 50 = 85; (4) 48 – 12 = 36; 36 + 180 = 216; 108. The envelope is very
wrinkled and torn—most likely due to the entire Mary/Sue collection being
placed in this envelope.
Analysis: Clearly this envelope was sent by
Richard Hobbs Shriver Jr. to his sister (Pauline Bond Shriver—Mrs. George Taylor)
and brother-in-law George Taylor sometime after December 5th, 1962
when the postage stamp was first issued. “Cricket” is most likely their pet,
since George and Pauline were childless. It appears that the reverse of the
envelope was used for “scratch paper” and the math calculations are most likely
insignificant. There is no record of the original letter in this envelope, but
the fact that the entire Mary/Sue Collection was in this envelope when I
obtained it is very interesting.
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