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Carrington Family papers

 Collection
Call Number: MS 130

Scope and Contents

The papers consist of correspondence, pamphlets, printed material, scrapbooks, sermons, and other papers relating to members of the Carrington family. Henry Beebee Carrington (1824-1912) and his grandfather, David Lewis Beebe (1763-1803), are two central figures in the papers. Material relating to David Lewis Beebe, including essays and sermons, document his religious duties in Connecticut and family concerns in Ohio. Henry Beebee Carrington material includes correspondence, a diary, a letterbook, maps, pamphlets, scrapbooks, and other items documenting his experiences as a student at Yale University, as a lawyer practicing in Ohio, and as a commanding officer for Union forces during the Civil War. Carrington's role in military campaigns and treaty negotiations with Indians of the American West is also documented. His design of Fort Philip Kearney, the site of a famous massacre, and treaty negotiations with the Flathead Indians of Montana are detailed in pamphlets, scrapbooks and other papers.

The Carrington Family Papers are arranged in two series:

I. Correspondence, 1790-1929

II. Family Papers, 1749-1929

SERIES I, CORRESPONDENCE, 1790-1929, contains correspondence of David Lewis Beebe (1790-1791) relating to his pastoral duties as minister for the First Society of Woodbridge, Connecticut. Henry Beebee Carrington correspondence begins in the 1840s with personal letters from George Rockwell and other friends at the Irving Institute in New York. Carrington's military career is documented by correspondence, telegrams, and copies of documents from the 1850s-1860s. This includes a letter from Salmon P. Chase which records Carrington's appointment as judge advocate general in Ohio. Daniel Wolsey Voorhees, a congressman (1861-1866; 1869-1873) and senator (1877-1897) from Indiana is represented through several letters he wrote in the 1860s. Voorhees argued against the constitutional aberrations of secession and military rule.

Additional correspondence concerns Carrington's military duties, including his efforts to recruit Union soldiers in Indiana, his opposition to the efforts of the Sons of Liberty, and the military courts he convened to carry out his duties. Correspondence subsequent to 1865 focuses on the Indian campaigns Carrington participated in, his establishment and command of Fort Philip Kearney, and his treaty negotiations with the Flathead Indians of Montana. Correspondence from the 1900s details Carrington's literary career as an author of American historical and military texts, including works on the American Revolution, the Civil War, and his own experiences in the American West. Selected correspondence is also available on microfilm (HM 176).

SERIES II, FAMILY PAPERS, 1749-1929, contains a variety of writings by Henry Beebee Carrington, including a composition entitled "Exodus of the Flatheads." A diary (1845-1849) provides extensive detail on Carrington's student years at Yale College and Yale Law School. In addition, maps, pamphlets, printed material, and scrapbooks detail the history of Fort Philip Kearney, the site of a well-known massacre and a fort built and established by Carrington.

Dates

  • 1749-1929

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

The materials are open for research.

Existence and Location of Copies

Correspondence, 1866-1912, is available on microfilm (585 frames on l reel, 35mm.) from Manuscripts and Archives, Yale University Library, at cost. Order no. HM176.

Conditions Governing Use

Unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator(s) of this collection are in the public domain. There are no restrictions on use. Copyright status for other collection materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Walter Cook and the Carrington estate, 1942-1948.

Arrangement

Arranged in two series: I. Correspondence, 1790-1929. II. Family Papers, 1749-1929.

Extent

3 Linear Feet (8 boxes, 1 folio)

Language of Materials

English

Catalog Record

A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog

Persistent URL

https://hdl.handle.net/10079/fa/mssa.ms.0130

Additional Description

Abstract

The papers consist of correspondence, pamphlets, printed material, scrapbooks, sermons, and other papers relating to members of the Carrington family. Henry Beebee Carrington (1824-1912) and his grandfather, David Lewis Beebe (1763-1803), are two central figures in the papers. Material relating to David Lewis Beebe, including essays and sermons, documents his religious duties in Connecticut and family concerns in Ohio. Henry Beebee Carrington material includes correspondence, a diary, a letterbook, maps, pamphlets, scrapbooks, and other items documenting his experiences as a student at Yale University, as a lawyer practicing in Ohio, and as a commanding officer for Union forces during the Civil War. Carrington's role in military campaigns and treaty negotiations with Indians of the American West is also documented. His design of Fort Philip Kearney, the site of a famous massacre, and treaty negotiations with the Flathead Indians of Montana are detailed in pamphlets, scrapbooks and other papers.

Biographical / Historical

Henry Beebee Carrington was born in Wallingford, Connecticut on March 2, 1824. He graduated from Yale in 1845 (B.A.) and attended Yale Law School in 1847. He practiced law in Ohio. During the Civil War he was appointed colonel of the 18th U.S. Infantry (May, 1861) and brigadier general of volunteers (Nov, 1862). Carrington supervised military tribunals in Indiana and Ohio, trials later ruled "illegal" by the Supreme Court. He was mustered out of volunteer service in 1865. He joined his regiment in 1866 and established Fort Philip Kearney in the Dakota Territory. He led military campaigns against the Sioux Indians, negotiated a treaty with the Flathead Indians of Montana, and conducted relocation and census studies of other tribes. Carrington wrote several popular American history texts. He died in Hyde Park, Massachusetts on October 26, 1912.

Subjects

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title
Guide to the Carrington Family Papers
Status
Under Revision
Author
compiled by William E. Brown, Jr. and Diedre Reynolds
Date
November 1984
Description rules
Finding Aid Created In Accordance With Manuscripts And Archives Processing Manual
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English.

Repository Details

Part of the Manuscripts and Archives Repository

http://www.library.yale.edu/mssa/
Contact:
Yale University Library
P.O. Box 208240
New Haven CT 06520-8240 US
(203) 432-1735
(203) 432-7441 (Fax)

Location

Sterling Memorial Library
Room 147
120 High Street
New Haven, CT 06511

Opening Hours

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