Dec. 30, 2008

The Archives of Michigan today announced it has received an extensive collection, one of the largest in the country, of Civil War letters. Donated by Wallace K. Ewing of Grand Haven, the 291 letters will be available to researchers visiting the Archives, and electronic versions added to the Archives of Michigan Digital Collection at www.seekingmichigan.org, in the spring of 2009.

The collection consists of correspondence between Ewing's great-grandparents - Henry McKendree (Mack) and Nancy (Nan) Ewing of Hillsdale - from 1856 to 1865, while Mack was fighting in the Civil War. All of the letters are in their original addressed, stamped and cancelled envelopes. The donation also includes a notebook kept by Mack and a scrapbook made by Nan during the war.

"We're thrilled to be able to make this amazing collection, which offers a fascinating look at Michigan's and the nation's history, available to researchers," said State Archivist Mark Harvey. "Many thanks to Mr. Ewing for his generous donation, and to his family for keeping the collection together and in such great condition for 150 years."

Ewing said that he donated the letters to the Archives of Michigan because he wanted to keep the collection intact, in a temperature- and humidity-controlled environment, and to make them available electronically to the public.

A former English professor who now works at the Tri-Cities Historical Museum of Grand Haven, Ewing published a selection of 85 of the letters, titled "From Home to Trench: The Civil War Letters of Mack and Nan Ewing," in 2000. He also has authored several books about Grand Haven-area history.

The Archives of Michigan serves as the collective memory of our state government, housing much of Michigan's documented heritage. Dating back to 1792, the records preserved by the Archives of Michigan are one-of-a-kind and extremely important. More than 80 million state and local government records and private papers, 300,000 photographs and 500,000 maps, plus films and audiotapes, are available for public research. To learn more, visit www.michigan.gov/archivesofmi.

The Archives of Michigan is a division of the Michigan Historical Center, an agency of the Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries (HAL). Dedicated to enriching quality of life and strengthening the economy by providing access to information, preserving and promoting Michigan's heritage and fostering cultural creativity, HAL also includes the Library of Michigan, the Mackinac Island State Park Commission and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. For more information, visit www.michigan.gov/hal.

Read more press releases from the Department of History, Arts and Libraries (HAL).