This page contains a list of archival resources on local Civil War history located in Archives and Special Collections of University Libraries. This includes information about personal papers including historic letters, diaries, and photographs of soldiers and politicians from Akron/Summit County and the region who served during the war. It also includes information about historical records of regiments and organizations from the area that were involved with the war. The list of collections includes title of the collection, date range of the materials, extent or size of the collection, record group/catalog number, and a brief description of the archival resources. More detailed information about these collections can be found in the finding aids, which can be accessed by clicking the title of the collection. Some of these resources have been digitized and can be accessed in our digital archives by clicking the appropriate links below. Original resources can be consulted by visiting Archives and Special Collections during our normal business hours.
Range: 1846 - 1901 Size: 0.86 cubic feet Record Group: 99/114
Sidney Edgerton (1818-1900) was a politician, lawyer, judge, teacher, and abolitionist from Akron, Ohio. He served as a U.S. Congressional Representative for the Akron area from 1859 to 1863 and first Territorial Governor of Montana from 1864 to 1866. His papers include correspondence, speeches, certificates, and biographical material. The Civil War is the prominent subject, especially as it is seen from Congress and the people of the Akron area and Montana Territory. Many of the letters have been digitized and transcribed and can be viewed in our digital archives.
Range: 1870 - 1938 Size: 2 cubic feet Record Group: 99/81
The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of Union veterans of the American Civil War. The GAR’s Buckley Post #12 was located in Akron, Ohio and was part of the national organization. The records include meeting minutes, postcards, newspaper clippings, resolutions, correspondence, relief fund reports, and membership lists
Range:1864-1864 Size: 0.33 cubic feet (1 box) Record Group: 99/241
William McCollam (1831-1896) was a carpenter from Uhrichsville, Ohio who served with the 161st Ohio Volunteer Infantry (OVI) of the 70th Battalion during the American Civil War and later became captain in the Ohio National Guard. His papers include correspondence and records that document his military career and other Civil War soldiers from Uhrichsville. Many of the letters have been digitized and transcribed and can be viewed in our digital archives.
Range: 1839-1948 Size: 0.5 cubic feet (1 box) Record Group: 99/136
Lieutenant Colonel John J. Polsley served in the American Civil War in the 8th Regiment Virginia Volunteers, which later became the 7th Regiment West Virginia Cavalry. Polsley was captured in 1863 and sent to Libby Prison in Richmond, Virginia. The papers primarily contain correspondence to his wife, Ellen (Nelly) S. Donnally Polsley. He wrote of camp life and battles as well as his thoughts on war. Also included are letters to his father, Judge Daniel H. Polsley.
Date Range: 1862-1894 Size: 0.5 cubic feet (1 box) Record Group: 99/82
Joseph Sailor (1824-1863), a tanner from DeGraff, Ohio, served as a private in Company E of the 45th Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the American Civil War. His letters primarily consist of correspondence to his wife and parents from 1862 to his death in 1863 and detail daily life of the Union soldier in camp, prosecution of the war in Kentucky, and medical practice during the Civil War. Also included are a newspaper account of Sailor's life and several letters describing politics in Civil War-era Ohio. Many of the letters have been digitized and transcribed and can be viewed in our digital archives.
Date Range: 1860-1865 Extent: 0.5 cubic feet (1 box) Record Group: 99/140
Alvin Coe Voris (1827-1904), an attorney from Akron, Ohio, served in the Ohio Legislature and then as commander of the 67th Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the American Civil War. He rose to the rank of Brevet Major General commanding a Brigade and then a Division. His letters consist of correspondence to his wife, Lydia Allyn Voris, from 1860 through 1865 that relate his experiences as a soldier and officer in the Union Army. Many of the letters have been digitized and transcribed and can be viewed in our digital archives.
Range: 1862-1876 Size: 0.25 cubic foot Record Group: 99/87
Allen Welton (1809-1878) of New York settled in Peninsula, Ohio in 1841 and became a prominent dairy farmer by building a successful cheese factory on his property, the Oak Hill Factory, the first in Summit County and one of the largest cheese producers in the area in the nineteenth century. Welton later opened the county’s second factory in Bath and helped the Western Reserve earn the nickname “Cheesedom” as he shipped his cheese throughout the Midwest and east coast of the United States and to the United Kingdom. The collection includes correspondence, postcards, circulars, receipts, and market reports pertaining to Welton and the Oak Hill Cheese Factory. The early correspondence relates to the American Civil War and Reconstruction era.
Range: 1862-1886 Size: 2 cubic feet (2 boxes)
The 104th Ohio Volunteer Infantry (OVI) was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War that was organized at Camp Massillon in Massillon, Ohio in 1862. The 104th OVI consisted of ten companies, including Company H. The records include the company roster, a brief history of the company, newspaper clippings, and biographical sketches of every company member. The records also include pension and military service records of the veterans of Company H and their beneficiaries.