Michigan State University Archives and Historical Collections
Leach Family Papers
c.00440
Table of Contents
Summary Information
- Repository
- Michigan State University Archives and Historical Collections
- Creator
- Leach family, (Morgan L. Leach, 1821-)
- Title
- Leach family papers
- ID
- c.00440
- Date [inclusive]
- 1810-1863
- Extent
- 0.25 Cubic feet , 8 folders
- Language
- English
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: "Item title, Collection title, Collection Identifier, Michigan State University Archives & Historical Collections, East Lansing, Michigan."
Biography of the Leach Family
Jeshurun and Theoda Huntington Leach were married around 1818 and moved from Clarence, Niagra County, New York to Montgomery, Hamilton County, Ohio where Jeshurun had migrated earlier. In 1825 they settled in Oakland Oakland County, Michigan, but were persuaded by Theoda's family to return to New York in 1827. By 1838 they had returned to Ohio, making their home in Margaretta.
After Jeshurun Leach's death in 1841, Theoda and two of her sons, DeWitt Clinton Leach and Morgan L. Leach, moved to Michigan to live. Morgan Leach worked in the peddling trade before becoming a physician.
Scope and Contents note
The Leach family papers consist of photocopies of letters, and a ledger/scrapbook belonging to Morgan Leach. The early letters (1810-1827) discuss the hardships of pioneer life, the swift deaths brought on by disease, and the loneliness of separation from families left behind. The later correspondence discuss business and land transactions, teachers' wages, and various aspects of small town life. Clinton's letters to his parents in 1841, when he went from Margaretta, Ohio to Grand Blanc, Michigan include detailed description of the places he traveled through and the cost and means of transportation at the time.
Morgan Leach's ledger records the credit accounts of his customers between 1845 and 1851 when he worked as a peddler. The ledger was later used as a scrapbook for newspaper clippings of letters he wrote to the Clinton County Republican while serving in the Civil War while he was serving with the 1st Michigan Cavalry. He described the hardships of camp life, the cold damp weather, and the lack of adequate provisions (blankets, overcoats, etc.) which contributed to widespread disease and death. He commented on the encouragement and hospitality shown by both Northerners and Southerners. Often expressing his political views, Dr. Leach recounted the battle of Winchester in April, 1862 when he was ambushed and presumed dead while tending to patients on a Union train. The final two letters discussed the low morale of the troops in 1862 resulting from the retreat of the Union army to Washington D.C. and the poor war effort. Warning that the Union could lose the war, Leach advocated recruiting and arming blacks and all able-bodied white males.
Administrative Information
Publication Information
Michigan State University Archives and Historical Collections
Conrad Hall888 Wilson Road, Room 101
East Lansing , MI, 48824
517-355-2330
archives@msu.edu
Revision Description
June 2000
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Legal Status
Copyright: Michigan State University. Property Rights: Michigan State University.
Conditions Governing Use
Permission to publish material from this collection must be obtained from University Archives & Historical Collections, Michigan State University.
Custodial History
Gift of Ray C. Williams, 1971-05-12.
Controlled Access Headings
Corporate Name(s)
- United States. Army. Michigan Cavalry Regiment, 1st (1861-1866).
Genre(s)
- Letters (correspondence)
- Scrapbooks
Geographic Name(s)
- Clinton County (Mich.)
- Grand Blanc (Mich.)
- Margaretta (Ohio : Township)
- United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
Personal Name(s)
- Leach, D. C., (DeWitt Clinton), 1822-1909
- Leach, Jeshurun Huntington, 1799-1841
- Leach, Morgan L., 1821-
- Leach, Theoda Huntington, 1799-1872
- Williams, Ray C.
Subject(s)
- Frontier and pioneer life
- Winchester, 3rd Battle of, Winchester, Va., 1864
Collection Inventory
Correspondence |
||||
| Folder | ||||
|
1810-1817 |
1 | |||
|
1818 |
2 | |||
|
1825-1838 |
3 | |||
|
1839-1841 |
4 | |||
|
1842-1863 |
5 | |||
|
|
||||
Transcripts of letters in Scrapbook |
Folder 5 |
|||
| Folder | ||||
|
Ledger/Scrapbook 1861-1862 |
6 | |||
|
October 7, 1861 - December 25, 1861 |
7 | |||
|
January 20, 1862 - September 6, 1862 |
8 | |||
|
|
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