MSS 765 James T. Holmes Papers

              MSS 765
OH80 James T. Holrnes Papers
H I S T O R Y 4 cubic f e e t
Preliminary Inventory
Collection Synopsls
Provenance: The Ohio H i s t o r i c a l Society acquired the James T.
Holmes Papers as a g i f t of Mrs. Eleanor Estep, DeGraff, Ohio,
in 1948 and 1 9 4 9 . Barbara Floyd processed t h e c o l l e c t i o n in
February 1 9 83.
Property r i g h t s : The Ohio H i s t o r i c a l Society owns the property
r i g h t s t o t h i s c o l l e c t i o n .
Copyrights: Copyrights have - not been dedicated to the public.
Consideration of the requirements of copyright is the responsi-b
i l i t y of the author and publisher.
Access: This c o l l e c t i o n is open under the r u l e s and regulations
of the Ohio H i s t o r i c a l Society.
Citation: Researchers are requested t o c i t e c o l l e c t i o n name,
c o l l e c t i o n number, and the Ohio H i s t o r i c a l Society i n a l l foo- c-note
and bibliographic references.
Biographical sketch: James Taylor Holmes was born i n Short Creek
Township, Harrison County, Ohio, on November 25, 1337. He entered
Franklin College, New Athens, Ohio, in 1855 and studied there
u n t i l appointed president of Richmond College, Jefferson Comty
in 1859. He was e l e c t e d t o the c h a i r o f mathmatics a t Iowa
Wesleyan University i n 1862, but l e f t t h e same year t o e n l i s t in
the Union Army to f i g h t i n the Civil War. On August 11, 1862,
he was mustered i n t o the 52nd Ohio Volunteer I n f a n t r y , and a f t e r
being held prisoner b r i e f l y by General Kirby Smith's forces in
Kentucky, rejoined h i s regiment for the duration of the war.
Holmes fought in many Georgia campaigns including Chickarnauga
and Kenesaw Mountain, and on March 13, 1865, received a com, ission
a s l i e u t e n a n t colonel. Also in 1865 he began studying law and
e s t a b l i s h e d a p r a c t i c e i n Columbus, Ohio, in 1867. During h i s
l i f e he researched many h i s t o r i c a l t o p i c s including the Civil War
and early Ohio. Holmes died in 1 9 1 6 .
Source: James T. Holmes Papers, MSS 765, Ohio H i s t o r i c a l Society.
Scope and conLent: The James T. Holmes Papers consist of twenty-f
i v e bo7urrS liolumes of l e t t e r s and genealogical m a t e r i a l dating
from 1 9 0 1 to 1 9 1 4 . The c o l l e c t i o n contains eighteen volumes which
Holmes e n t i t l e d " L e t t e r s and Nemoranda," c o n s i s t i n g of handwritten
d r a f t s of h i s outgoing l e t t e r s . Other volumes e n t i t l e d " Corres; on-dence
Files" contain typewritten copies of outgoing l e t t e r s as us11
2s incoming correspondence. An introduction providing a synopsis
of the volumes accompanies a l l except volumes 4 , 5 , and 25. An
index i s included in each vol~ ume.
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OHIO HISTORICAL SOCIETY
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