Emmons, Norman.
Robert Eliot and Norman Emmons papers, 1840-1882.
Milwaukee Manuscript Collection EV
.4 cubic ft. (1 archives box) |
ABSTRACT: Papers of a Milwaukee attorney and railroad executive. Most of the collection is
correspondence relating to Indian claims at Mackinac, Michigan; letters from New York investor
Russell Sage about his Wisconsin business affairs; and several Civil War letters. Also contains
correspondence of Emmons' brother-in-law Robert Eliot concerning family matters, and includes
an 1852 letter from Ralph Waldo Emerson to Theodore Parker concerning the inscription on the
Concord Bridge, and an 1854 letter of appointment to the rank of lieutenant from Matthew C.
Perry to Garret V. Denniston.
ACCESS RESTRICTIONS: There are no access restrictions on the materials, and the
collection is open to all members of the public in accordance with state law. However, the
researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and
copyright which may be involved in the use of this collection
(Wisconsin Statutes 19.21-19.39).
SCOPE AND CONTENT: Business and personal correspondence (1840-1882) of
Norman J. Emmons comprises the major part of this collection. Several letters, 1843-1847,
relate to Indian claims at Mackinac and include single letters from Robert Stuart, Samuel Abbott,
and George Johnston, men well-known in Indian and fur trade concerns. There are also eleven
letters, 1862-1864, from the New York investor Russell Sage respecting Wisconsin legal and
business matters in which he had an interest. Notable non-business correspondence includes two
letters, March 21, 1863 and March 22, 1863, from Confederate soldiers to their families. These
were sent on April 17, 1863 to Emmons by Rufus King, prominent Wisconsin editor and
politician, and a brigadier general with the famed "Iron Brigade." There is also one letter, July
31, 1864, from an unidentified Union soldier giving a favorable account of a regiment of black
troops stationed near Memphis; and several letters from Emmons' law partner, C.A. Hamilton, an
officer in the 7th Wisconsin Cavalry, on military and business matters. In 1872, there are two
letters from Jed Emmons concerning his successful defense of Harrison Reed, reconstruction
Governor of Florida from 1868-1874, who three times during his stormy tenure of office was
tried and acquitted during impeachment proceedings. Reed was a former Wisconsin editor and
politician. Other noteworthy correspondents include William Woodbridge, governor of
Michigan, Wisconsin governors A. W. Randall and Edward Salomon, Senator Timothy O.
Howe, and Representative James S. Brown, but the contents are of a mundane nature.
The Robert Eliot correspondence, 1867-1875, pertains primarily to personal matters, e.g. family
births, deaths, and social events. Two unrelated but noteworthy letters are filed in the
miscellaneous folder: One is a letter, dated June 18, 1852, from Ralph Waldo Emerson to
Theodore Parker concerning the inscription at the bridge at Concord commemorating the battle
of April 19, 1775; and the other a letter of appointment from Commander Matthew C. Perry,
dated at Hong Kong, August 29, 1854, to Garret V. Denniston, elevating him to the rank of
lieutenant.
The Eliot account book, 1855-1858, contains information relating to Eliot's business as a
commission merchant and may contain some potentially useful economic information.
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: Biographical information concerning Robert Eliot and Norman
Emmons in not readily available. It is known, however, that Emmons, an attorney, moved to
Milwaukee from Detroit in 1846. He had two brothers: Halmer, an attorney, who became a
Michigan circuit judge; and Jed, also an attorney. In 1863 Emmons was president of the
Milwaukee and Western Railroad, which later became part of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St.
Paul system. His connection with Eliot was through his wife, Julia Whetten, who was the sister
of Eliot's wife, Eliza Whetten. Julia and Eliza were half nieces of Harriet Douglas Whetten, an army
nurse during the Civil War, and later nurses' superintendent at the Carver Hospital in
Washington, D.C. Eliot was an iron and produce commission merchant in Milwaukee.
COLLECTION CITATION: This collection should be cited as:
Emmons, Norman. Robert Eliot and Norman Emmons papers, 1840-1882. Milwaukee Manuscript Collection
EV. Wisconsin Historical
Society. Milwaukee Area Research Center. UWM Libraries. University of
Wisconsin--Milwaukee.
ACQUISITION: Presented by Eliot G. Fitch in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on May 5, 1972 (accession
number M72-166).
MARC RECORD SEARCH TERMS: The following terms were used in
the online bibliographic MARC record to this collection:
- Businessmen--Wisconsin--Milwaukee.
- Concord, Battle of, 1775.
- Denniston, Garret V.
- Eliot, Robert.
- Emerson, Ralph Waldo, 1803-1882.
- Indians of North America--Michigan--Mackinac--Land Tenure.
- Milwaukee (Wis.)--History--Sources.
- Perry, Matthew Calbraith, 1794-1858.
- Reed, Harrison.
- Sage, Russell, 1816-1906.
| MILWAUKEE MANUSCRIPT COLLECTION EV |
BOX |
FOLDER |
| Account Book, Eliot, Robert, 1855-1858
| 1
| 8
|
| Correspondence, Eliot, Robert, 1867-1875
| 1
| 5
|
| Correspondence, Emmons, Norman, 1840-1882
| 1
| 1-4 |
| Correspondence, Miscellaneous, Eliot, Robert, and Norman Emmons,
1852, 1854, undated
| 1
| 6 |
| Household Bills, Receipts, Invitations, and Clippings, Eliot,
Robert, and Norman Emmons, undated
| 1
| 7 |
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Last edited on Friday, May 2, 2003.
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