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George Rogers Clark collection

 Collection — Folder: S259
Identifier: S0259

Scope and Contents

This collection includes photostats and original letters and documents beginning with a letter by Joseph Bowman. Dated July 30, 1778, the letter about their military campaign was written a year before Bowman's accidental death. An original note by George Rogers Clark is dated November 1805, Clark County, Indiana Territory, and certifies that John Dougherty and William Biggs were soldiers during the American Revolution.

A photostat of a letter by Thomas Jefferson to General Clark is dated December 19, 1807.

Letters written between 1927 and 1933 discuss George Rogers Clark namesakes, give recommended history books, list Library of Congress documents pertaining to Clark, and a photostat listing papers with dates from 1776 to 1779.

Dates

  • 1778-1933

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Legal title, copyright, and literary rights reside with Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library, Indianapolis, IN. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Rare Books and Manuscripts.

Biographical Note

George Rogers Clark was born on November 19, 1752, in Albemarle County, Virginia. At the age of 19, he left home on his first surveying trip to western Virginia. In Lord Dunmore's War with Indians, Clark served as a captain in the Virginia militia. During the American Revolution, he recaptured Fort Sackville at Vincennes, on February 23, 1779, without losing a single soldier. He achieved the rank of Brigadier General. Clark died on February 13, 1818 at the age of 65 in Louisville, Kentucky.

Biographical Note

Joseph Bowman (1772-1779) was second in command during George Rogers Clark's campaign to capture the Illinois country. He kept a daily diary during the journey from Kaskaskia to Vincennes which gives a good account of events. Joseph was injured by an accidental gunpower explosion and died of his wounds on August 14, 1779.

Extent

0.01 Cubic Feet (1 folder)

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

This collection is arranged chronologically.

Custodial History

The November 1805 paper was a donation from Mrs. E. C. Atlkins on 1935/06/29. The photostats of Joseph Bowman's and Thomas Jefferson's letters were from the English collection, University of Chicago, 1928/02/18. Various letters are dated from 1927-1933, from the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Indiana State Library, and Library of Congress.

Accruals

No further additions are expected.

Processing Information

Collection processing and finding aid completed 2014/05/29 by Nikki Stoddard Schofield.
Title
George Rogers Clark collection
Status
Completed
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script

Repository Details

Part of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Repository

Contact:
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671