Indiana Historical Society - Manuscripts and Archives Department

JOLLY FAMILY
PAPERS, 1832-1872

Collection #
M 0170

Table of Contents

Collection Information
Biographical Sketch
Scope and Content Note
Box and folder Listing
Cataloging Information

Processed by
Alexandra S. Gressitt
8 December 1993

COLLECTION INFORMATION

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Charles Jolly (1803-1875), son of James and Mary [Roler] Jolly, was born 20 November 1803 in New Jersey. During his early years he worked in Commodore Vanderbilt's New Jersey Shipyards, eventually becoming a foreman. Around 1830 he moved westward, settling in Dearborn County, Indiana, where he became a leader in the then pioneer community of Logan. Jolly was one of the founders of the Republican Party serving as a delegate to both the founding convention and that of 1860. He served as Postmaster for Logan and was a master craftsman and builder, having built (1833) a large brick house near Dover, Dearborn County, Indiana for his father-in-law, Benjamin Southard.

Charles Jolly married, 2 May 1833, Martha Southard, the youngest daughter of Benjamin Southard. She was born 1 March 1813 at Hampsted, Long Island, New York, moved to Indiana around 1816-1818, and died at Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in 1914. They had eight children, one son, William Henry, and seven daughters Mary (Mrs. R. A. Keen), Rebecca (Mrs. Miller); Susan Martin, Sally Hayes, Lydia Matthews, Etta Jolly, and Annabell Pratt. Charles Jolly died about 1875 and is buried at Logan.

William Henry Jolly (1835-1863), son of Charles and Martha [Southard] Jolly, was born in Logan, Indiana, 17 June 1835. He worked with his father as a builder, stone and brick mason, was a cabinet maker, carried mail for his father from Lawrenceburg, and wrote poetry and pose. During the Civil War, Jolly enlisted in Company G, 83rd Regiment, Indiana Volunteers and served as a nurse in U.S. Army hospitals. By 1863 he was clerk to the hospital steward on the floating hospital The Nashville where he died 30 August 1863 from typhoid fever. He is buried next to his father at Logan.

Sources: Materials in collection.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

The Jolly Family Papers are composed primarily of correspondence with Charles Jolly and his son William H. Jolly and writings of William H. Jolly.

 Folders 1-3 relate to Charles Jolly and include biographical information, correspondence, 1832-72, an account book 1834-39; and two black and white photographs of a home Charles Jolly built near Dover, Dearborn County for his father-in-law Benjamin Southard in 1833.

Folders 4-8 relate to William H. Jolly and include biographical information (Folder 4); Correspondence 1860-63, n.d. (Folder 5); Diaries 1856-59, n.d. (Folder 6); poems and miscellaneous writings (Folder 7); and a scrapbook filled with poems and other miscellaneous writings of W. H. Jolly.

BOX AND FOLDER LISTING

CATALOGING INFORMATION

For additional information on this collection, including a list of subject headings that may lead you to related materials:

1. Go to the Indiana Historical Society's online catalog
2. Click on the "Local Catalog" icon.
3. Search for the collection by its call number, using the letter or letters designation and four digits (e.g., M 0715, SC 2234).
4. When you find the collection, go to the "Holdings" screen for a list of headings that can be searched for related materials.

END