Processed by
Emily Comstock
31 May 2005
Manuscript and Visual Collections Department
William Henry Smith Memorial Library
Indiana Historical Society
450 West Ohio Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202-3269
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VOLUME OF |
2 document cases, 1 tintype, 2 oversized graphics, 143 artifacts |
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COLLECTION |
1865–1934 |
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PROVENANCE: |
Mrs. Stanley Hammond, 1987 |
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RESTRICTIONS: |
None |
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COPYRIGHT: |
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REPRODUCTION |
Permission to reproduce or publish material in this collection must be obtained from the Indiana Historical Society. |
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ALTERNATE |
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RELATED |
David Enoch Beem Papers (M 0015); The Grand Army Blue-Book, E462.1.A27 A2 1889 |
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ACCESSION |
1987.0489 |
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NOTES: |
The collection formerly numbered SC 2253 has been reprocessed and merged with this larger collection. |
William Stanley Mead was born on 16 April 1846 in Washington, Daviess County, Indiana. Mead served in the Grand Army of the Republic, having been mustered in at the young age of fifteen. Along with two family members, Levi S. and Alfred D. Mead, he enlisted on 12 September 1861 as a private in Company E of the Sixth Regiment of the Indiana Volunteer Infantry for three years. He was soon appointed Corporal and named Regimental Color Guard.
During his career as a combatant in the Civil War, he participated in numerous battles, including those occurring at Shiloh, Stone River, Liberty Gap, Chickamauga, Chattanooga, Buzzard Roost, Resaca, Pickett’s Mill, and New Hope Church. On 27 May 1864, First Sergeant Mead was wounded and captured by Confederate soldiers, who transported him to Andersonville, where he was confined until November 1864. He was then returned to the Yankees during a prisoner exchange on Thanksgiving at Fort Comfort, Virginia. Mead was discharged from military service on 5 February 1865.
He married Emma Jane Cosby, his first wife, on 11 February 1866. She died 3 October 1867. They had one child named Anna Emma. On 28 December 1871, Mead married Amma R. Beem. They had five children together: Harry S., Cyrus D., Jessie B., William L., and Mary Mead.
William Mead spent the remainder of his years in Spencer, Owen County, Indiana. He held various occupations, such as railroad auditor, bank cashier, manufacturer, and cemetery superintendent. He also was involved in various local affairs, for instance, member of the Owen County Board of Children’s Guardians, President of the Indiana Association of Cemetery Officials, alternate Indiana delegate to the 1900 Republican National Convention, and Free Mason of the Spencer Lodge, No. 95. He passed away on 28 December 1934, which would have been his 63rd wedding anniversary.
Sources: Materials in the collection.
Briant, Charles C. History of the Sixth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry of Both the Three Months’ and Three Years’ Services. Indianapolis: W. B. Burford, 1891. E506.4 C5 fiche nos. 164–169.
Doll, William H. History of the Sixth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War, April 25, 1861, to September 22, 1864. Columbus, IN: Republic Job, 1903. E506.4 C5 fiche nos. 170–171.
Grayson, Andrew J. History of the Sixth Indiana Regiment in the Three Months Campaign in Western Virginia. Madison, IN: Courier, 1875. E506.4 C5 fiche no. 172.
Kestenbaum, Lawrence. The Political Graveyard Index. 10 Mar. 2005 <http://politicalgraveyard.com/index.html>.
The collection primarily consists of two manuscript boxes containing documents pertaining to William S. Mead. The first series addresses materials related to personal aspects of Mead’s life. Box 1 contains summaries of Mead’s military and civil careers, correspondence from Mead, and letters written to him, including two letters expressing gratitude from the White House. Also included is paperwork regarding his military pension, which gives supplementary information about his service and personal life, and drafts of several speeches Mead wrote, particularly those he gave at functions commemorating Civil War soldiers. One photographic image is also included in this collection, a large tintype of Alfred D., Levi S., and William S. Mead.
The second series pertains to specific military organizations and associated events. There are four folders of rosters, programs, and other memorabilia distributed at the Grand Army of the Republic Encampments from 1888 through 1934. There are papers concerning reunions of the 6th Indiana Regiment Volunteer Infantry as well, covering several years between 1889 and 1906. Also included are a small number of materials regarding reunions and membership in the Army of the Cumberland, spanning from 1889 to 1911. A logbook of the Rousseau Brigade Association from 1890 through 1897 also acts as a scrapbook, for it has various newspaper articles and documents relevant to the group pasted into it. The final folder of the series contains printed items associated with military funeral services.
The next series contains materials directly related to the Civil War. There are incomplete documents that enumerate soldier enlistment and casualties. A majority of the materials in this series are linked with commemoration of specific battle sites, such as Gettysburg, Chickamauga, Chattanooga, and Shiloh, in all of which Mead was a participant. Of particular significance is a rather detailed map of the Battle of Chattanooga and Lookout Mountain drawn by Mead. One folder holds papers connected with the Andersonville National Cemetery, especially topics like the Indiana Monument and the memorial to Captain Henry Wirz, who commanded the prison and was condemned to death as a result of the mistreatment of its inmates. The remainder of the series is composed of wartime music for that period.
In the fourth series, there are miscellaneous printed materials beginning with newspaper clippings, the most prominent being a letter to the editor written by Mead commenting on the erection of the Wirz monument at Andersonville. Publications connected with Indiana are also incorporated into this collection, including an issue of The Indianian, a portion of one article having been composed by Mead. The remainder of the series includes regulation handbooks of the National Association of Ex-Union Prisoners of War, the Transportation Department, and funeral ceremonies for Master Masons in addition to assorted ephemera with items like travel souvenirs and Mead’s personal stationery.
Artifacts constitute the final series, much of which was Mead’s military decoration. In addition to a Stetson hat and Civil War cap, there are multitudinous buttons, badges, and ribbons, most of which pertain to the Grand Army of the Republic, the 6th Indiana Regiment, the 4th Army Corps., and the Spencer Lodge. Other materials of interest include a knife, spirit level, coupon book, and two small American flags.
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CONTENTS |
CONTAINER |
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Military and Civil Record, n.d. |
Box 1, Folder 1 |
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Correspondence from Mead, 1889–1934 |
Box 1, Folder 2 |
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Correspondence, 1865–1904 |
Box 1, Folder 3 |
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Correspondence, 1906 |
Box 1, Folder 4 |
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Correspondence, 1910–1934, n.d. |
Box 1, Folder 5 |
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Diaries, 1862–1865 |
Box 1, Folder 6 |
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Pension Paperwork, 1887–1917 |
Box 1, Folder 7 |
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Speech Drafts, n.d. |
Box 1, Folder 8 |
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Alfred, Levi, and William Mead Tintype |
Visual Collections: Tintypes, Folder 1 |
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CONTENTS |
CONTAINER |
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Grand Army of the Republic Encampment, 1888–1909 |
Box 1, Folder 9 |
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Grand Army of the Republic Encampment, 1912–1921 |
Box 1, Folder 10 |
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Grand Army of the Republic Encampment, 1928–1932 |
Box 1, Folder 11 |
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Grand Army of the Republic Encampment, 1934, n.d. |
Box 1, Folder 12 |
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6th Indiana Regiment Reunions, 1889–1906 |
Box 1, Folder 13 |
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Army of the Cumberland, 1889–1911 |
Box 2, Folder 1 |
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Rousseau Brigade Association, 1890–1897 |
Box 2, Folder 2 |
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Military Funeral Services, 1914, n.d. |
Box 2, Folder 3 |
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CONTENTS |
CONTAINER |
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Soldier Enlistment and Casualties, n.d. |
Box 2, Folder 4 |
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Battle of Gettysburg Panorama, ca. 1883–1933 |
Box 2, Folder 5 |
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Gettysburg: The Pictures and the Story, 1913 |
Visual Collections: |
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Battles of Chickamauga and Chattanooga, 1895, n.d. |
Box 2, Folder 6 |
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Battlefields, 1885, n.d. |
Box 2, Folder 7 |
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Certificate: Battle of Shiloh Survivor, 1922 |
Visual Collections: |
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Andersonville National Cemetery, 1890–1908 |
Box 2, Folder 8 |
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Civil War Music, n.d. |
Box 2, Folder 9 |
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Soldiers’ Hymn-Book, n.d. |
Box 2, Folder 10 |
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CONTENTS |
CONTAINER |
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Newsclippings, n.d. |
Box 2, Folder 11 |
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Indiana Publications, 1889–1900 |
Box 2, Folder 12 |
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Regulation Handbooks, 1873–1889, n.d. |
Box 2, Folder 13 |
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Ephemera, 1872–1934, n.d. |
Box 2, Folder 14 |
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CONTENTS |
CONTAINER |
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Uniform Buttons |
Artifacts: Box 30, R 799–R807, R809–R850, R863 |
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Military Ephemera and Tools |
Artifacts: Box 30, R808, R851–R862 |
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Badges |
Artifacts: Box 31, R864–R885 |
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Badges and Ribbons |
Artifacts: Box 34, R918–R932 |
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Ribbons |
Artifacts: Box 4, R188–224 |
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Identification tag |
Artifacts: Box 31, R886 |
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Civil War cap and cap cover |
Artifacts: Box 40, R970–R971 |
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Grand Army of the Republic Stetson hat and box |
Artifacts: Box 42, R979 |
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: http://opac.indianahistory.org/
2. Click on the "Basic Search" icon.
3. Select "Call Number" from the "Search In:" box.
4. Search for the collection by its basic call number (in this case, M 0841).
5. When you find the collection, go to the "Full Record" screen for a list of headings that can be searched for related materials.