Processed by
Wilma L. Gibbs
19 March 2002
Revised 18 July 2002
Updated 9 March 2004
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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6 folders; 1 folder photographs; negatives |
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COLLECTION |
1972–1988 |
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Cecil Beeson, Hartford City, Indiana, 1988 |
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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 |
Blackford County-Subject Files, P 0290 |
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ACCESSION |
1988.0869x |
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NOTES: |
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Jesse Pettiford (ca. 1818-64) was living in Jennings County, Indiana, when he mustered into the United States Army in February 1864. He enlisted with the 28th United States Colored Troops, Company F, in Indianapolis.
Pettiford did not return to his wife, Anna Blanks (ca. 1818-1920), and their several children after his military service. There are disputed reports on his whereabouts after the war. According to an 1883 memorandum concerning a pension claim from the Adjutant General's office of the War Department, Pettiford died of pleurisy at Camp Fremont in Indianapolis on 26 April 1864. The records from the Indiana Adjutant General's office and the published Civil War report of W. H. H. Terrell state that Pettiford deserted the Army in March 1864. Pettiford family oral tradition (see the 18 June 1973 letter in folder 1 by Claire Brewer, granddaughter of Jesse Pettiford) suggests that Pettiford died of food poisoning while he was on active duty.
Cecil Beeson (1905–94), the son of William H. and Jennie Jenks Beeson, moved to Hartford City, Indiana in 1911. During the 1970s, Beeson was active in the revival and the establishment of the Blackford County Historical Society and a historical museum in Hartford City, respectively.
Sources: Materials in the collection; Pamela Tranfield, Blackford County Subject Files Collection Guide.
The collection is contained in six folders. The core of the collection is the correspondence, mostly initiated by Cecil Beeson, found in folder 1. Beeson, who was a Blackford County, Indiana, resident found several negatives in a Hartford City bookstore. The negatives included images of Civil War soldier Jesse Pettiford and his widow, Anna Blanks Pettiford Hood.
From 1972 to 1988, in an effort to research Pettiford, Beeson corresponded with staff at several institutions including the Indiana State Library, Henry County Memorial Hospital, the National Archives, and the Indiana Historical Society. The collection also includes copies of a certificate of enlistment and service, pension claims and affidavits, and an 1868 marriage license for Anna Pettifoot (sic) and William Hood. It also contains several news clippings, and images of a family surnamed Hill.
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CONTENTS |
CONTAINER |
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Cecil Beeson Correspondence, 1972–88 |
Folder 1 |
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Pettiford Family Genealogy, 1973, n.d. |
Folder 2 |
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Civil War Records |
Folder 3 |
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Pension Papers [1883] |
Folder 4 |
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Marriage License [1868] |
Folder 5 |
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News clippings, 1974, n.d. |
Folder 6 |
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Negatives (Jesse and Anna Pettiford; Clarence Hill family) |
Visual Collections: 4x5 Acetate Negatives (0–1) from Manuscript Collections |
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Black-and-white photographs made from the negatives |
Visual Collections: Photographs, Folder 1 |
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://157.91.92.2/
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, SC 2683).
5. When you find the collection, go to the "Full Record" screen for a list of headings that can be searched for related materials.