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Elam Willey account book

 Collection — Volume: V030
Identifier: V030

Scope and Contents

This collection includes an account book used by multiple people containing entries ranging from 1835 to 1881 and undated. It was first used by Elam Willey for his general store located in Crawford County, Indiana (1835-1837). It was then used by his son-in-law William Butt and contains an undated sermon on the resurrection and a number of newspaper clippings, including several from the Western Christian Advocate (1848-1849, undated). There is also a small amount of genealogical information about William and his wife and two children. The book was purchased by Anderson Rogers on August 30, 1852 and was used to record the sale of "ploughs" (1853-1854) at Gosport, Indiana before being used to record poems, songs, and other writings by Emma Florence (Flora) Rogers Alverson, Luther Gwin, William F. Gwin, and others (1866-1881, undated).

Dates

  • 1835-1881, undated

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

Elam Willey was born in New York on June 14, 1793 to Barzillai and Elizabeth Willey. His father was a circuit preacher and the family moved to Clark County, Indiana around 1810. Elam married Margaret Jenkins in 1818 and they had several children, including Barzillai and Charity. Charity (1822-1910) married William Butt (1819-1906) in Crawford County in 1846. William was a Methodist Episcopal minister and the Butts lived several places, including in Greene County, Indiana, Bourbon County, Kansas, and Tillimook, Oregon. Elam Willey also moved to Kansas and died there on March 25, 1868.

Emma Florence "Flora" Rogers was born on September 9, 1860 at Springfield, Illinois to David and Margaret Gwin Rogers and moved with her parents to Owen County, Indiana when she was quite young. Her father died when she was two years old and her mother when she was eight, so she moved into the home of with her grandparents William and Rebecca Gwin. William F. Gwin (1842-1917) and Luther Gwin (1849-1926) were her uncles. She married Curtis E. Alverson on November 18, 1883 and they had four daughters. She continued to live in Owen County until her death at the age of 67 on August 10, 1928.

Sources:

Information within collection.

Ancestry.com. "William Butt." 1850 United States Federal Census. Accessed November 14, 2019. https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/.

Ancestry.com. "William Butt." Kansas State Census Collection, 1855-1925. Accessed Novebmer 14, 2019. https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/.

FindaGrave.com. "Barzillai Willey, II." Memorial ID 36936973. Accessed November 14, 2019. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/36935973/barzillai-willey.

FindaGrave.com. "Elam Willey." Memorial ID 15660968. Accessed November 14, 2019. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/15660968/elam-willey.

FindaGrave.com. "William Butt." Memorial ID 74893401. Accessed November 14, 2019. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/74893401/william-butt.

"Mrs. Curt Alverson." The Owen Leader (Spencer, Ind.), August 15, 1928.

Extent

0.1 Cubic Feet (1 volume)

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 Edward R. Gilgour on 1937/11/26.

Accruals

No further additions are expected.

Processing Information

Collection processing completed 2019/11/14 by Laura Eliason. EAD finding aid created 2019/11/14 by Laura Eliason.
Title
Elam Willey account book
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