Even more neat stuff
Photographer's wagon of "Sam Cooley, U.S. Photographer, Department of the South," circa 1862. Many men from the 56th N.Y. Volunteers had their photographs taken by Cooley. The imprint, or backmark, of these photos, some of which are pictured on this Web site, show Cooley as "Photographer, Tenth Army Corps, Hilton Head, S.C., Folly Island, S.C., Beaufort, S.C., Jacksonville, Fla."
Below are three lists of checks, constituting army pay, drawn from the Middletown (N.Y.) Bank and given to members of Co. I by Col. Van Wyck. This back pay was handed out to the men at Beaufort, S.C., on July 23, 1864. Is your ancestor listed among the recipients? Does Uncle Sam still owe your family some dough?
Stamped envelope, above, and first page, below, of letter written Feb. 25, 1864, to Earl at Port Royal, S.C., from Edmund F. Allen of Sloatsburg, N.Y.
Friend Billy,
It is so long since I have heard from you that I have forgotton [sic] the date. It is snowing hard here today and looks as if it was going to be a deep snow.
I suppose you have heard all the newes [sic] before this, but fearing you have not I will try and give them to you. Fannie Whritenour was married two weeks ago to a "feller" by the name of George Patterson. He comes from Long Pond so you must judge for yourself. He has gone to the war, he was married on Saturday night and went of[f] on Monday morning. Mark has enlisted also, so has Joe Weymer and Abe Brown, Ogden Tidaback, John Kincaid, Abe Hormes, Dewitt Garrison and his father, the man who used to work for A.R. Sloat. And a great many others from around here. Mark has gone in the 15[th] Heavy Artillery Comp. E. Abe has gone [in] the Harris Light Cavalry. Joe has gone in the cavalry but I don't know what Regt. so you see that I am left all alone. You have not Reinlisted [sic] yet have you, if you have not don't untill [sic] you come home first for I want to see you this once more.
I have been laid up over two weeks with a cut leg but it is getting healed up quite some so that I guess I will be out next week. I am thinking of building a Saw mill and if I do I will have plenty of Work for the next two or three months to come. There is a new bar shop starting in Ramapo and I have a good chance to saw for them w[h]ich will give plenty of work for the Vally [sic]. They think of empaloying [sic] about three hundred hands, which is more than there is in five miles of there at the present time.
Hands are very scarce and wages are high. I think when I wrote you last that I told you that Eliza Manning was sick. She died the next day after I wrote. I thought may be you had not heard it so I would tell you.
Write as soon as you get this and tell me all the new[s] and when your time will be out. No more at present from your friend and well wisher I remain
Yours Truly
Edmund F. Allen