Collection Summary
Duncan McArthur Papers
1783-1848
1783-1848
MSS31831
McArthur, Duncan, 1772-1839
4,600 items
54 containers
21.6 linear feet
English
Collection material in English
Manuscript Division, Library of Congress
Washington, D.C.
Ohio governor and legislator, military
officer, and U.S. representative. Correspondence, land survey notes, plats, tax returns,
and other documents on land holdings in and near the Scioto River Valley in Ohio; also
account books, orderly book of the U.S. 19th Infantry Regiment during the War of 1812,
and printed matter. With the correspondence are army returns, reports, and general
orders for the years 1814-1815 while McArthur was in command of the U.S. Army Department
of the Northwest; other papers relate to the period of his congressional
service.
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
McArthur family.
McArthur, Duncan, 1772-1839.
Organizations
United States. Army. Department of the Northwest.
United States. Army. Infantry Regiment, 19th (1812-1815)
Subjects
Land tenure--Ohio.
Places
Ohio--Politics and government.
Scioto River Valley (Ohio)--History.
United States--History--War of 1812.
United States--Politics and government--1817-1825.
Occupations
Army officers.
Governors--Ohio.
Legislators--Ohio.
Representatives, U.S. Congress--Ohio.
Acquisition Information
The papers of Duncan McArthur, Ohio governor and legislator, military officer, and U.S.
representative, were purchased by the Library of Congress in 1905.
Processing History
The papers of Duncan McArthur were arranged and described in 1984 by Mary M. Wolfskill. The finding aid was
revised in 2012. The finding aid was updated in 2023 by Maria Farmer as part of a
division-wide remediation project by the Inclusive Description Working Group.
Additional Guides
The Duncan McArthur Papers have been described in the
Handbook of Manuscripts in the Library of Congress
(Washington, 1918).
Transfers
Some printed matter has been transferred to the Library's Rare Book and Special
Collections Division where it is identified as part of these papers.
Copyright Status
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of Duncan McArthur is governed by
the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.).
Access and Restrictions
The papers of Duncan McArthur 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.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information:
Container number, Duncan McArthur Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress,
Washington, D.C.
Biographical Note
Date
Event
1772, Jan. 14
Born, Dutchess County, N.Y.
1780
Moved to Pittsburgh, Pa.
1790
Participated in Josiah Harmar's campaign against the Shawnee Tribe of Native
Americans and other expeditions
1792
1793
Worked as a salt-boiler near Maysville, Ky.
1793
Joined a party surveying under Nathaniel Massie from the Scioto River Valley
to the area around Chillicothe, Ohio
circa 1893
1895
Observed the movement of Native Americans as a ranger
1795
Rejoined Nathaniel Massie and learned surveying
1796
Married Nancy McDonald and settled near Chillicothe, Ohio
1804
Elected to lower house, Ohio legislature
1805
1814
Member, Ohio state senate, speaker for the 1809-1810 session
1806
Elected a colonel in the Ohio militia
1808
Promoted to major-general
1812
Marched with Ohio militia for Detroit and later was elected colonel of one of
the three militia regiments under the command of William Hull
1813
Brigadier general, Ohio Volunteers in defense of Fort Meigs
1814
Commanded troops at Sacketts Harbor on Lake Ontario and later appointed
commander of the army in the Northwest
1815
1816
Member, lower house, Ohio state legislature
1816
Member of various commissions for treaty-making with Native Americans
1817
1818
Member, lower house, Ohio state legislature
1821
1823
Member, upper house, Ohio state legislature
1823
1825
Member, United States Congress
1829
1830
Member, upper house, Ohio state legislature
1830
1832
Governor of Ohio
1839, Apr. 28
Died at "Fruit Hill" near Chillicothe, Ohio
Scope and Content Note
The papers of Duncan McArthur (1772-1839) span the years 1783-1848 and consist of
correspondence, land survey notes, plats, tax returns, and other documents on land
holdings in and near the Scioto River Valley in Ohio; account books, orderly book of the
United States 19th Infantry Regiment during the War of 1812, and printed matter. With
the correspondence are army returns, reports, and general orders for the years 1814-1815
while McArthur was in command of the United States Army Department of the Northwest.
Other papers relate to the period of his congressional service, 1823-1825. The
collection also includes papers stemming from McArthur's daughters.
Arrangement of the Papers
This collection is organized into bound volumes arranged chronologically and unbound
material by type of document or subject.
Catalog Record: [https://lccn.loc.gov/mm78031831]
Container List
Container
Contents
1
Bound vols.
1
1783, Oct. 5-1807, July 5
1783, Oct. 5-1807,
July 5
2
1807, July 5-1812, Dec. 2
1807, July 5-1812,
Dec. 2
3
1813, Dec. 3-1813, Sept. 20
1813, Dec. 3-1813,
Sept. 20
4
1813, Sept. 22-1814, Feb. 2
5
1814
1814
5
Feb. 3-Mar. 1
Feb. 3-Mar.
1
6
Mar. 2-30
Mar.
2-30
7
Mar. 31-Apr. 28
Mar. 31-Apr.
28
8
Apr. 30-May 20
Apr. 30-May 20
9
May 21-June 8
May 21-June 8
10
June 9-22
June 9-22
11
June 23-July 2
June 23-July 2
12
July 3-16
July
3-16
13
July 17-Aug. 6
July 17-Aug. 6
14
Aug. 7-30
Aug. 7-30
15
Aug. 31-Sept. 15
Aug. 31-Sept.
15
16
Sept. 16-29
Sept.
16-29
17
Sept. 30-Oct. 13
Sept. 30-Oct. 13
18
Oct. 14-Nov. 2
Oct. 14-Nov. 2
19
Nov. 3-24
Nov.
3-24
20
Nov. 25-Dec. 30
Nov. 25-Dec. 30
21
1814, Dec. 31-1815, Jan. 13
1814, Dec.
31-1815, Jan. 13
22
1815
1815
22
Jan. 14-Feb. 1
Jan. 14-Feb. 1
23
Feb. 2-Mar. 2
Feb. 2-Mar.
2
24
Mar. 3-30
Mar.
3-30
25
Mar. 31-May 15
Mar. 31-May 15
26
May 26-July 10
May 26-July 10
27
1815, July 12-1817, Jan. 30
1815, July 12-1817,
Jan. 30
28
1817, Feb. 1-1818, Nov. 24
1817, Feb. 1-1818,
Nov. 24
29
1818, Nov. 26-1821, Feb. 9
1818, Nov. 26-1821,
Feb. 9
30
1821, Feb. 13-1822, Nov. 5
1821, Feb.
13-1822, Nov. 5
31
1822, Nov. 6-1824, Feb. 23
1822, Nov. 6-1824,
Feb. 23
32
1824, Feb. 24-Dec. 21
1824, Feb. 24-Dec.
21
33
1824, Dec. 22-1825, Aug. 31
1824, Dec. 22-1825,
Aug. 31
34
1825, Sept. 1-1826, June 14
1825, Sept. 1-1826,
June 14
35
1826, June 15-1827, Jan. 19
1826, June 15-1827,
Jan. 19
36
1827, Jan. 20-1827, July 29
1827, Jan.
20-1827, July 29
37
1827, July 30-1828, June 15
1827, July 30-1828,
June 15
38
1828, June 17-1829, June 3
1828, June
17-1829, June 3
39
1829, June 4-1830, Feb. 6
1829, June 4-1830,
Feb. 6
40
1830, Feb. 7-Sept. 23
1830, Feb. 7-Sept.
23
41
1830, Sept. 25-1831, Mar. 14
1830, Sept.
25-1831, Mar. 14
42
1831, Mar. 16-1832, Feb. 1
1831, Mar. 16-1832,
Feb. 1
43
1832, Feb. 3-1832, Nov. 5
1832, Feb. 3-1832,
Nov. 5
44
1834, Nov. 6-1834, Mar. 7
1834, Nov. 6-1834,
Mar. 7
45
1834, Mar. 8-1835, May 9
1834, Mar. 8-1835,
May 9
46
1835, May 11-1848, June 4
1835, May 11-1848,
June 4
47
Undated
Undated
48
Undated
Undated
49
Account books
49
1809-1811
1809-1811
50
1814-1815
1814-1815
51
Unbound material
51
Almanac, circa 1779-1780
circa
1779-1780
(1 vol.)
51
Financial papers
51
Account books, 1824-1837,
undated
1824-1837,
undated
(4 vols.)
51
Checks, receipts, etc.
(2 folders)
51
"Indian treaties," 1817
1817
51
Land documents
(2 folders)
52
(5 folders)
53
(5 folders)
54
(4 folders)
54
Miscellaneous
54
Ohio general assembly, a bill for organizing
and disciplining the militia, circa 1825
circa
1825
54
Orderly book, United States 19th Infantry
Regiment, 1812-1813
1812-1813