Collection Summary
Wm. Oland Bourne Papers
1841-1885
(bulk 1856-1867)
1841-1885
(bulk 1856-1867)
MSS13375
Bourne, Wm. Oland
(William Oland), 1819-1901
1,500
items
6 containers plus 2 oversize
2.4 linear feet
English
Collection material in
English
Manuscript Division, Library of
Congress
Washington, D.C.
Clergyman and journalist. Letters, verse,
and narratives submitted in a contest sponsored by Bourne, chaplain at Central Park
Hospital, New York City, during the Civil War, and editor of the periodical The Soldier's Friend. Other
correspondence pertains to slavery, economic conditions of the working man, and The Soldier's Friend, edited by
Bourne.
Selected Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
People
Bourne, Wm. Oland (William Oland), 1819-1901.
Organizations
Central Park Hospital.
United States. Army--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
United States. Navy--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
Workingmen's Democratic Republican Association.
Subjects
Amputees.
Disabled veterans--United States.
Penmanship--Competitions.
People with disabilities.
Slavery--United States.
Places
United States--Economic conditions.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Medical care.
United States--History--Civil war, 1861-1865--Periodicals.
United States--History--Civil war, 1861-1865--Veterans.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
United States--Politics and government--19th century.
Titles
Soldier's friend.
William Oland Bourne papers
Wm. Oland Bourne Papers at the Library of Congress
Occupations
Clergy.
Journalists.
Provenance
The papers of Wm. Oland Bourne, clergyman and journalist, were given
to the Library of Congress by Gabriel Wells in 1931.
Additional Guides
Inventories compiled by Charles Cooney including an alphabetical
listing of each soldier and sailor who participated in the two penmanship
contests, and a select list, organized by battle, referencing battles described
by their accounts, are available for use in the Manuscript Reading Room. Also
available is a list of photographs in the collection. Both are available in a
[PDF]
document.
Copyright Status
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of Wm. Oland
Bourne is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17,
U.S.C.).
Access and Restrictions
The papers of Wm. Oland Bourne are open to research. Researchers are
advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many
collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these
items for research use.
Online Content
The Wm. Oland Bourne Papers are available on the Library
of Congress Web site at [ http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/collmss.ms000043].
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the
following information: Container number, Wm. Oland Bourne Papers, Manuscript
Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Scope and Content Note
The papers of William Oland Bourne (1819-1901) span the years 1841-1885, with the bulk
concentrated in the period, 1856-1867. Bourne, editor of the periodical
The Soldier's Friend
, sponsored a contest
in 1866 in which Union soldiers and sailors who lost their right arms by disability or
amputation during the Civil War were invited to submit samples of their penmanship using
their left hands. The contest, which awarded $1,000 prizes for the winning entries, was
succeeded by a second contest which awarded $500 prizes. Bourne's papers contain
correspondence and broadsides concerning the contests, the entries submitted, and
photographs of the participants.
Bourne, who served as chaplain of Central Park Hospital, a military hospital in New York
City, also collected Civil War reminiscences recorded by his patients in autograph
books. The reminiscences generally include information concerning places and dates of
enlistment, descriptions of major battles, wounds suffered, and the dates and
circumstances of the patients' admittance to the hospital.
Bourne also was interested in politics and active in the New York affiliate of the
Workingmen's Democratic Republican Association, and his correspondence documents the
history of the association from 1841 through 1885.
Arrangement of the Papers
This collection is arranged alphabetically by type of material and
therein chronologically.
Container List
Container
Contents
1
Civil War reminiscences by soldiers
and sailors in Central Park Hospital, New York, N.Y.,
1864-1865
1864-1865
(3 vols.)
Digital content available
1
Correspondence, 1856-1884, undated
1856-1884, undated
Digital content available
1
Left-hand Penmanship contest
1
Broadsides, 1866-1867
1866-1867
Digital content available
1
List of contributors, their
residences, and date of wounds,
undated
undated
Digital content available
1
Soldier and sailor contributions
1
Series I ($1,000 in prizes, awarded in
1866 )
1866
1
Entries 1-7
Digital content available
1
Entries 8-12
Digital content available
2
Entries 13-20
Digital content available
2
Entries 21-30
Digital content available
2
Entries 31-40
Digital content available
2
Entries 41-50
Digital content available
2
Entries 51-60
Digital content available
2
Entries 62-70 (Entry 61 not included in
collection)
Digital content available
2
Entries 71-80
Digital content available
2
Entries 81-90 (Entry 88 not included in
collection)
Digital content available
3
Entries 91-100
Digital content available
3
Entries 101-110
Digital content available
3
Entries 111-120
Digital content available
3
Entries 121-130 (Entry 122 not included in
collection)
Digital content available
3
Entries 131-140
Digital content available
3
Entries 141-145
Digital content available
3
Entries 146-153
Digital content available
3
Entries 154-170 (Entries 157-159, 166 not
included in collection)
Digital content available
3
Entries 171-180 (Entry 173 not included in
collection)
Digital content available
4
Entries 181-192
Digital content available
4
Entries 193-200
Digital content available
4
Entries 201-210
Digital content available
4
Entries 211-220
Digital content available
4
Entries 221-230
Digital content available
4
Entries 231-240
Digital content available
4
Entries 241-250
Digital content available
4
Entries 251-260
Digital content available
4
Entries 261-270 (Entry 264 not included in
collection)
Digital content available
4
Series II ($500 in prizes, awarded in
1867 )
1867
4
Entries 1-10
Digital content available
5
Entries 11-20 (Entry 11 not included in
collection)
Digital content available
5
Entries 21-30
Digital content available
5
Entries 31-40
Digital content available
5
Entries 41-50
Digital content available
5
Entries 51-60 (Entry 57 not included in
collection)
Digital content available
5
Entries 61-70 (Entry 67 not included in
collection)
Digital content available
5
Entries 71-80
Digital content available
6
Entries 81-90
Digital content available
6
Entries 91-100
Digital content available
6
Entries 101-110
Digital content available
6
Entries 111-114 (Entry 113 not included in
collection)
Digital content available
6
Entries not identified by number, or by
name
Digital content available
6
Photographs, primarily of Left-hand Penmanship
contest participants, circa 1861-1865
[
See also Oversize
](photoov1)
circa 1861-1865
Digital content available
6
Periodicals, 1841-1885
[
See Oversize
](perov2)
1841-1885
6
Workingmen's Democratic Republican Association and
other political material, 1842-1885, undated
[
See also Oversize
](broadov2)
1842-1885, undated
Digital content available
OV 1
Oversize (Container 6)
Left-hand Penmanship Contest
Photographs of
participants,
circa 1861-1865
circa 1861-1865
Digital content available
OV 2
Periodicals (includes "Carriers'
Addresses" to readers of these periodicals), 1841-1885,
undated
1841-1885,
undated
Digital content available
Includes:
-
American Brotherhood, New York, N.Y., 1845
-
American Patriot, New York, N.Y., 1841
-
Boston Commonwealth, Boston, Mass., 1885
-
Christian Intelligencer, New York, N.Y., 1843, 1860
-
East Section Visitor and Advertiser, New York, N.Y., 1846
-
Evening Mirror, New York, N.Y., 1850
-
Independent, [s.n.], 1859
-
Iron Platform, New York, N.Y., 1856, 1872, undated
-
New England Loyal Publication Society, Boston, Mass., 1864
-
New York Recorder, New York, N.Y., 1854
-
Protestant Vindicator, New York, N.Y., 1842, 1845
-
The Soldier's Friend, New York, N.Y., 1869
OV 2
Workingmen's Democratic Republican
Association and other political material, 1842-1885,
undated
1842-1885,
undated
Digital content available
Includes:
- A Challenge!, 1863
- A Great Fraud, 1863
- A Traitor's Peace! undated
- Address on the School Question, by the Ninth Ward Committee, 1842
- Attention: Discussion of the Tariff and Slavery Questions, Clay Club County Committee, 1844
- Dan'l O'Connell on Democracy! 1863
- Don't Unchain the Tiger! 1863, 1872, undated
- To the Laboring Men of New York, 1863, 1864