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Preston Kiser letters

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: S3018

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of photocopies of U.S. Civil War letters from Preston Kiser to his wife and children, ranging from 1861 to 1862, with miscellaneous additional materials. Kiser’s letters describe military life in camp, illnesses, and home activities.

Each copied letter is accompanied by a typed transcription created by Frances Alma Newkirk Reber, Kiser's great-granddaughter between 1982 and 1984. The materials have been left as Reber organized them, so there is not strict chronological arrangement. The collection also includes a copied typed overview and biographical information about Kiser and his family.

Dates

  • 1861-1872, 1982-1984

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

Preston Kiser was born around 1833. He married Catherine Lonberger in October 1856. They lived in Jackson Township, Tippecanoe County, Indiana where Kiser farmed. Preston was mustered into military service on December 10, 1861. They had at least one child, George H. Kiser. During the U.S. Civil War, Kiser served as a private in Company G of the 40th Indiana Regiment. He died in Nashville, Tennessee on April 1, 1862.

Sources:

Ancestry.com. "Preston Kiser." 1860 United States Federal Census Record. Accessed Augsut, 2007. https://search.ancestrylibrary.com.

Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Indiana, vol. 5. Indianapolis, IN: Samuel M. Douglas, 1866.

Extent

0.02 Cubic Feet (2 folders)

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

This collection is arranged chronologically.

Custodial History

This collection was received by Rare Books and Manuscripts as a donation from Keith Grandfield on 1984/01/10.

Accruals

No further additions are expected.

Item List

1984 Cover and typescript, "Civil War Letters," by Frances Alma Newkirk Reber, 2 pp.

undated PD, poem, "Red, White, and Blue."

undated Envelope

1861 Sept. 19 ALS, Kiser to wife, Lafayette barrics, 4 pp.

1861 Nov. 26 ALS, Kiser to wife, 2 pp.

1861 Dec. 13 ALS, Kiser to wife, Lafayette barracks, 2 pp.

1861 Dec. 20 ALS, Kiser to wife, West Point, Indiana, 2 pp.

1861 Dec. 25 ALS, Kiser to wife, Camp Sullivan, Indianapolis, 2 pp.

1862 Jan. 2 ALS, Kiser to wife, Camp Lafayette, 2 pp.

1862 Jan. 6 ALS, Kiser to wife, Louisville, KY, 3 pp.

1862 Jan. 10 ALS, Kiser to wife, 4 pp

1862 Jan. 12 ALS, Kiser to wife, 4 pp.

1862 Jan. 20 ALS, Kiser to wife, Lebanon, KY, 4 pp.

1862 Jan. 26 ALS, Kiser to wife. 4 pp.

1862 Jan. 27 ALS, Kiser to wife. 4 pp.

1862 Jan. 27 ALS, Kiser to wife, camp Young, Ky. 4 pp.

1862 Feb. 5 ALS, Kiser to wife. 4 pp.

1862 Feb. 7 ALS, Kiser to wife, Lebanon, KY, 4 pp.

1862 Feb. [7] ALS, Kiser to wife, Camp Spring Garden, Ky. 4 pp.

1862 Feb. 8 ALS, Kiser to wife, Lebanon, KY, 4 pp.

1862 Feb. 11 ALS, Kiser to wife, Leabanon, KY, 4 pp.

1862 Feb. 11 ALS, Kiser to wife, Leabanon, KY, 2 pp.

1862 Feb. [l] ALS, Kiser to wife, Leabanon, KY 4 pp.

1862 Feb. 16 ALS, Kiser to wife, Munfordville, KY, 6 pp.

1862 Feb. 21 ALS, Kiser to wife. 4 pp.

1862 Feb. 22 ALS, Kiser to wife, Munfordville, KY, 5 pp.

1862 Feb. 23 ALS, Kiser to wife, Munfordville, KY, 3 pp. With poem, 3 pp.

1862 Feb. [l] ALS, incomplete, Kiser to wife, 2 pp.

1862 Mar. 5 ALS, Kiser to wife, Nashville, Tenn. 4 pp.

1862 Mar. 10 ALS, Kiser to wife, Nashville, Term. 3 pp.

1862 Mar. 14 ALS, Kiser to wife, Nashville, Tenn. 2 pp.

1862 Mar. 14 ALS, Kiser to wife, Nashville, Tenn. 4 pp.

1862 Mar. 17 ALS, Kiser to wife, Nashville, Tenn. 4 pp.

1862 Mar. 17 ALS, Kiser to wife, Nashville, Tenn. 4 pp.

1862 Mar. 22 ALS, Kiser to wife, Nashville, Tenn. 4 pp.

1862 Mar. 23 ALS, Kiser to wife, Nashville, Tenn. 4 pp.

1862 Mar. 24 ALS, Kiser to wife, Nashville, Tenn. 3 pp.

1862 Mar. 27 ALS, Kiser to wife, Nashville, Tenn. 3 pp.

1862 [Mar.] ALS, Kiser to son George. 1 p.

1862 [Mar.] ALS, Kiser to Margaret Lonberger. 1 p.

1862 Feb. 10 ALS, Kiser to Margaret Lonberger, Munfordville, KY. 4 pp.

1862 Mar. 15 ALS, Kiser to Ann Lonberger. 4 pp.

1862 Mar. 19 ALS, Harry Lonberger to Margaret Lonberger. Nashville, Tenn. 2 pp.

1864 May ALS, N. J. Miller! o Katherine Kiser. 4 pp.

1864 Dec. 18 ALS, Maggie Bennett to Katherine Kiser. 2 pp.

1866 Feb. 13 ALS, Maggie Bennett to Katherine Kiser. 4 pp.

undated ALS (incomplete), Maggie Bennett to Katherine Kiser. 4 pp.

1865 Mar. 27 ALS, Joseph Bowers to Katherine Kiser. 4 pp.

Processing Information

Collection processing completed in 1999 by Andrea Bean Hough. EAD finding aid created in 2007/08 by Elizabeth M. Wilkinson. EAD finding aid revised 2015/11/06 by Brittany Kropf.
Title
Preston Kiser letters
Status
Completed
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Repository

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