Research Materials on Louisville before 1877: Manuscript & Photograph Collections

Bloom, Nathan
.25 linear foot
A typescript of personal recollections of Louisville before, during and after the Civil War, by successful businessman Nathan Bloom.

Bozarth Family Papers, 1786-1910
.10 of .60 linear foot
View online finding aid
The Bozarth family papers focus on Jonathan (1752-1830), Eli (1800- ca. 1870s), Joseph Preston (1847-1929), and J. W. (1815- ca. 1880s). The Bozarths originally settled in Grayson County, Kentucky, and moved to Lagrange, Oldham County, Kentucky. A 1910 letter contains the family genealogy in a limited form. Eli Bozarth (Jonathan’s son) served in the War of 1812 and in 1851 became a state senator from Breckinridge County. He received a commission as a colonel during the Civil War. There are a few pieces of correspondence and some certificates from the relevant time period.

Craik-Lord-Stitzel family papers, 1818-1950s
. 25 of 10 linear feet
View online finding aid
The collection contains letters, business and legal documents, genealogies and clippings, which document the lives of descendants of eighteenth century physician James Craik, and nineteenth century president of Dartmouth College Nathan Lord. Most of the collection concerns Craik's grandson James Craik, who served as rector of Christ Church in Louisville from 1844 to 1881. Another series relates to Nathan S. Lord (1831-1885), the son of the Dartmouth president. Included are letters from his Civil War service with the Sixth Vermont Volunteers. Other members of the family represented in the collection include Maria D. Craik Ewell, mother of Christ Church rector James Craik; Charles Ewell Craik, son and successor of the Episcopalian rector; and Elizabeth Shrewsbury Lord. A photograph of General Ulysses S. Grant at Lookout Mountain is also present with the Civil War materials relating to Nathan S. Lord.

Fifth Street Baptist Church Records, 1842-1972
6.25 linear feet
View Finding Aid
The institution that ultimately became the Fifth Street Baptist Church was founded by the First Baptist Church of Louisville in 1815 as the "First Baptist African Mission." In 1829 the mission was allowed to be a separate organization with limited autonomy. In April 1842 the mission was organized as a completely distinct and separate church and took the name "The Colored Baptist Church of Louisville." During its history the church has had a relatively small number of ministers, each serving for a long period of time. These are the Fifth Street Baptist Church records, primarily minute books, of one of Louisville's oldest African American congregations. A "Historical Sketch of The Fifth Street Baptist Church of Louisville, Kentucky," written by George A. Hampton in 1969 is included in collection. Due to the condition of most of the collection, microfilmed copies are available for use.

Green Street Baptist Church records, 1844-1999
.375 of 3.1 linear feet
View online finding aid
Green Street Baptist Church, one of Kentucky's oldest black churches, was founded in 1844 by George Wells as an offshoot of the First Baptist Church. The church originally bore the name Second African Church and then Second Colored Church. The present name was adopted around 1860. The collection contains minutes documenting membership, policy changes, and disciplinary methods, letters, newspaper clippings and photographs.

Jennings Family papers, 1855-1884
.25 of .875 linear foot
View online finding aid
The records of the Jennings family of Oldham County, Kentucky, consist largely of business records from various family enterprises in the town of Westport. Spanning the years 1855-1884, most of the ledgers, account books and receipts belonged to T. W. Jennings, proprietor of the Westport Wharf Boat and a large grocery and dry goods store.

Louisville City and Business Directories, 1832-1877
View online finding aid
City and Business Directories include such information as location of home or business; occupation; race; federal, state and local government listings; schools and hospitals; and much more. The Archives holds the following city directories for this time period: 1832, 1836, 1838, 1841, 1843-1845, 1848, 1849, 1851, 1855, 1856, 1858 - 1860, 1864-1866, 1868-1877

Louisville & Nashville Railroad Records, 1829-1981
2 of 255 linear feet
View online finding aid
Chartered in 1850 and also known as the L & N Railroad, it was a small regional railroad until after the Civil War when it underwent expansion into a major Midwestern and Southern area railroad. The collection contains board minutes (1859-1976) of the railroad and its subsidiaries; annual and other company reports (1856-1980), legal records, financial records, timetables, brochures, scrapbooks, architectural and mechanical drawings, maps, audio discs, films, land photos, and secondary sources.

Marshall Morris Textbook, 1863
1 item
Marshall Morris' inscribed textbook An Elementary Course of Civil Engineering for the use of Cadets of the U.S. Military Academy, D. H. Mahan. Copyright 1846, 1854 edition. The fly leaf and next page contain the inscription "Marshall Morris, Louisville University, September 1862.”

Monon Railroad Records, 1864-1953
.50 of 8.85 linear feet
View online finding aid
The Monon's earliest predecessor, the New Albany and Salem Railroad Company, was organized in 1847; in 1859 the line was reorganized as the Louisville, New Albany and Chicago Railroad. It developed into a distinctive x-shaped pattern across Indiana. In 1897 it reorganized again as the Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville Railway Company, and then the line changed its name to Monon in 1956. In 1902 the Louisville and Nashville acquired a controlling portion of the line's stock and finally absorbed the line in 1971. Collection includes a few business ledgers and journals (1864-1901).

Poe, General Orlando Photograph Collection, 1836-1890
88 images, several volumes
This collection consists of 80 cabinet card portraits of military officers, most dating from the Civil War era; one Civil War-era stereocard; one cabinet card of Thomas Nast; three mounted albumen prints; one engraved portrait of W.T. Sherman; two 5 x 8 inch glass plate negatives of General Poe; a list of “delinquencies and demerits” accrued by Poe while attending the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1854-1855; an account book of Poe’s expenses while a West Point cadet (1852-1856); Poe’s picture of the hook used by Sherman’s Army; the Register of the officers of the Army of the United States, dated August 1836; Poe’s wife Eleanor’s visiting list “Washington, March 1869-” and diary with household accounts and references of personal correspondence (1863-1870); and letters from Poe’s son, Charles (“C.C. Poe”), written to his parents and siblings from 1884-1887. Two of the three mounted prints and the stereocard are of Poe with fellow soldiers and officers; one mounted print is of Poe with his West Point classmates. The 80 cabinet cards of generals are likely from the same set. Seven of the generals are identified as CSA (Confederate States of America) and the rest are USA (Union generals). Many include “Corps of Engineers” or “Corps of Topographical Engineers.” The images have been digitized and are available in the Orlando M. Poe Collection. The digital collection focuses on the materials relating to military service, so Mrs. Poe’s books and son’s correspondence have not been digitized at this time.

Ruddell, Cleda Papers, 1864-1975
.25 of 5 linear feet
View online finding aid
The Ruddell family papers document the lives of a Louisville family with correspondence, financial and legal documents, journals, and scrapbooks. Some of the correspondence includes letters to Ruddell's mother from her uncle, a Union soldier in the Civil War. Also present are letters to Ruddell's friends and family serving abroad during World War II. The financial and legal documents include estate and inheritance papers, deeds, bank statements, and insurance policies.

Webster, Harvey Curtis Papers, 1862-1974
View online finding aid
.25 of 1.75 linear feet
Harvey Curtis Webster served in the Department of English of the University of Louisville from 1936 to 1972. His academic focus was in the area of British and American 19th and 20th century literature. He was also involved in community affairs and civil rights; during the mid-1940s, for example, he published a regular column for a local black newspaper, the Louisville Defender, and he taught an innovative series of college-by-radio classes. This collection includes family history, biographical information and journals. Also included is correspondence, both personal and professional, and teaching materials. Several manuscripts and information concerning Webster's community involvement make up a small portion of the collection. Most of it, however, consists of information he gathered in studying his ancestry. Materials include a transcribed version of a notebook kept by Elizabeth Curtis in the 19th century and Civil War era correspondence. The material on Webster's family history includes some original documents.