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Zerelda Hood papers

 Collection — Folder: S0679
Identifier: S0679

Scope and Contents

This collection contains letters predominantly written by James P. Dougherty to his sister, Zerelda Hood, during the Civil War from 1862 to 1865. The collection also contains letters written to Zerelda during the war by her brother William H. Dougherty, her sister, Elizabeth Beckett, Elizabeth's husband, R. T. Beckett, Mary Martha Alford of Greenfield, Indiana, and Dianna Hood. Two additional items within the collection are a writing assignment by Zerelda's daughter, Eliza Hood, from 1869 and an 8-page copy of the story, "Important Part Played by Windfall Man in the Civil War" from October, 1905 that describes Lieutenant John R. Porter's experiences as a member of "Andrew's Raiders", his captures, imprisonments, and escapes from Confederate forces during the Civil War.

Dates

  • 1862-1869, 1905

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

Zerelda Dougherty Hood was born at Jacksonburg, Wayne County, Indiana on August 3, 1824 to Zadock and Mary Dougherty. She married Levi A. Hood (1824-1860) on November 13, 1846 and they had five children: Mary, Laura,Thomas, Eliza, and Margaret. She died on March 19, 1913.

John Shafer (1831-1906), James P.(1837-1906), and William H. (1840-1909) Dougherty were brothers of Zerelda Hood. The three brothers enlisted and served in Company B, 5th Indiana Cavalry, 90th Regiment Indiana Volunteers during the Civil War. In 1864, James and and John were captured and spent six weeks at Andersonville Prison in Georgia before being separated and sent to different prisons. William was also taken prisoner during the war and was sent to Belle Isle Prison at Richmond, Virginia.

John R. Porter was born on November 14,1838 in Delaware County, Ohio. He enlisted in Company G, 21st Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War. He was one of 22 men who volunteered in April, 1862 to be part of "Andrews' Raiders", a group who's mission was to penetrate the Confederate lines and take possession of a train at Big Shanty, Georgia and attempt to take it north while destroying bridges and track between Atlanta and Chattanooga. After he was captured, held prisoner, and successfully escaped from Confederate forces he received the Medal of Honor in September, 1863. He married Harriett Ray in 1872 and they had two sons, Charles and George. Porter died on October 15, 1923.

Sources:

Information found within collection.

History of Wayne County, Indiana: Together with Sketches of Its Cities, Villages and Towns, vol. 2. Chicago: Inter-State Publishing, 1884. Accessed October 19, 2015. https://archive.org/details/historyofwayneco02inte.

FindaGrave.com. "John Reed Porter." Find a Grave Index. Accessed October 21, 2015. http://www.findagrave.com.

"James P. Dougherty." The Cambridge City Tribune. May 31, 1923, 2.

"John Reed Porter Passes Away in Dayton - Will be Buried in McComb." Findlay Morning Republican. October 16, 1923. Accessed October 21, 2015. http://access.newspaperarchive.com/

"Zerelda Dougherty." Cambridge City Tribune. April 10, 1913, 3.

Extent

0.01 Cubic Feet (1 folder)

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

This collection is arranged chronologically.

Custodial History

This collection was received by Rare Books and Manuscripts as a donation.

Accruals

No further additions are expected.

Processing Information

Collection processing completed 2015/10/22 by Laura Eliason. EAD finding aid created 2015/10/22 by Laura Eliason.
Title
Zerelda Hood papers
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