Warden family papers

Collection

Identifier: c-00118

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Warden family papers include correspondence (1832-1831), personal diaries (1876-1886), poetry, a teaching certificate (1874), and a brief family tree.

The earliest correspondence in the collection includes a number of letters (1832-1835) to Warden from friends in Scotland. The remainder of the letters are mostly from family members living in various places in Michigan. Civil War period correspondence includes letters to Warden from Major Dean, a family friend serving with the 22nd Michigan Infantry. Dean comments on army politics and Kentucky's Southern sympathies (November 30, 1862); expresses his views on "Copperhead" feeling in the North and the advisability of a "Negro Army" (January 30, 1863); and comments on the condition of the western army at what he hoped would be the final offensive (May 2, 1864).

Post-bellum correspondence includes a letter describing a journey from Acapulco to California by way of Cape Horn (June 11, 1868).

Dates

Creation: 1832 - 1886

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Permission to publish material from this collection must be obtained from University Archives & Historical Collections, Michigan State University.

Biographical Note

Robert Warden immigrated to America from Scotland in 1832, settling in Michigan. He purchased land in Green Oak, Livingston County, in partnership with a kinsman, Kinsley Bingham, who later became Governor of Michigan and a U.S. Senator.