Collection of Correspondence, Ephemera and Photographs pertaining to Mary Vandever Frederick and her husband, John of Los Angeles, California, circa 1900-1939, with a Folder of Earlier Family Letters circa 1860-1880

Collection of 258 letters, 741 pages, approximately 60 postcards and ephemeral items, 20 newspaper clippings, approximately 256 photographs, the material dates from 1860 to 1939, and the bulk of the letters date from 1890-1935.

This correspondence consists mainly of a record of Mary Vandever Frederick's efforts to trace her family history and genealogy. She writes to family members, librarians and historians across the country. From the responses we can follow the family from their arrival in 17th century New Amsterdam, south and west, to New Jersey, Ohio, Kansas and further west in the 18th and 19th centuries. We learn that one relative, an Aunt, Martha Hoffman, spent her early childhood years living with her parents in a mid-western Shaker community. Other relatives were early settlers in Kansas arriving there in the early 1850's. One of these, a Susan Vandiver, who was also a cousin of Cole and Jim Younger, was arrested as a Confederate Spy and imprisoned along with several other women in a guard house in Kansas City. The building collapsed while they were detained and five of the women, including Vandiver and Josephine, Mollie and Jane Anderson, the latter sisters of Bill Anderson one of Quantrill's lieutenants, were killed. This event caused a sensation among the Confederate Partisans along the Missouri-Kansas Border and was believed to have been what precipitated the raid by William Clarke Quantrill and his bushwhackers on Lawrence, Kansas and the subsequent Lawrence Massacre. Other aged relatives relate details of their Civil War service.

Sample Quotes:

"E. Canterbury, N.H. [July 14, 1920]

Mrs. M. C. Frederick,

Dear Friend,

… The Shaker Community at Union Village, Lebanon, Ohio has recently disbanded, the few surviving members taking up their residence in eastern societies. I have made inquiries of the Sisters who have long resided at Union Village relative to your family, but can give you no information regarding them. Their friends of those years have passed to the Land Beyond, and we have no records that give us any knowledge. … Mary A. Wilson"

"Kansas City, Kansas November 4, 1927

… Now to give my story I must tell you who I am and what kin I am to the parties you asked about my Father and usen vandivers mother was brother and sister my fathers name was Reuben Harris Susan Vandiver mother Bettie Harris married Wm Croffered Mr Crofferd who was 70 years old was killed by the Northern soldiers at his home in 1862 I believe his 3 sons Marshall and Marion and Wm Crofferd all went to war for the south in the beginning under Gen Shelby and Gen Price and Mr Vandier and Mr Selvay Mr Vandiver was killed I think he left 4 or 5 children 2 of the children was married and lived in Kansas City Mo in 1911 … I will try to explain to you Susan Vandiver was not a cousin of Quantrill neither a cousin of Cole Younger my mother and Cole Youngers mother was sisters Daughters of Judge Richard M. Fristoe of Jackson Co Mo to one of the women killed in the gard House was a cousin to Cole Younger her name was Charity Mccorkle Keer and my sister Nancy Harris Mccorkle was in the gard house but she jumped and was saved from Death when the Building fell there was 20 in the prison 4 was killed. Susan Crofferd Vandiver Minnie Crofferd Selvay, Charity Mccorkle Keer Josephine Anderson the 3 women was cousins of mine they were brought to my Father's House … and buried in one grave what was then the smith grave yard but now a cornfield my sister said they taken Josephine Anderson to Clay Co. Mo for Burial but her place is not known We tried to get Congress to appropriate enough money to erect a monument to those 4 that was killed but the Bill failed to pass … one of Susan Vandevers sisters went to Calif in the late seventys …. Mrs. Elisa S Deal …

PS Quantrill had no relitives in this part of the country his only Brother was killed in Kansas if this information is of enny benefit to you as Susan Vandever was a first cousin of mine all so Cole Younger a first cousin on my mothers side"

"November 26 – 27 Kansas City Kansas

… Because my husband was a soldier of the North and he took it & draw a pension of 30 per month is all I have in the way of money towards my keeping & am now past 74 Born in Jackson Co Mo in the year 1853 yes I had 5 grd sons in the worlds war as volunteers one was just 16 years old and one took pneumonia and lay in Hospital at Chicago grate lakes for 14 months my two sons was called in the last draft but was not called as the war ended and they was not needed …

Now I cant say why Quantrill went to Lawrence but it must have been for revenge as he had been for revenge as he had been treated badly in Kansas and Bill Anderson had lost his sister in the falling of the gard house Wm Crofferd was killed at old Blue Springs Mo in the spring of 1863 thare children may be able to tell you more of the Vandiver family than I can I have been told that one of the Crofferd men staid in Texas after the war and became very rich he had 16 hundred acres of land and a grate cattle raiser … Eliza S Deal"

"Argo Illinois, January 1928

Mrs Vandever,

General Vandever was in command of troops at Marieto at the foot of Kenesaw mount he was guarding railroad and supplies he had 2 regiments of infantry … I was in command of a company of scouts picked men from the veteran battalion of the 14 and 15 Illinois our duty was to guard the rear of Shermans army we acted as escorts for the general your father probably was in one of the regiments the battles that were fought at Kenesaw mountain wer terrible I was on the battlefield 22 days after the battel was fought skeletons of men and horses were every where the battel was fought on the 22 of June they drove the rebs into Atlanta 18 miles had no time to bury the dead confederates it was a sickening smel where I found them I made my report and general vandever sent to companys and buried them I was twenty month in the sadel as a scout I made many hair dreadth escapes had to horses shot under me was wounded never captured I am a hardy old boy yet I am only 82 yrs I scouted from Vicksburg to Cairo to Chatanoga to Atlanta with Sherman to the sea … Fordyce Lee Argo Ills"

"Detroit. Mich Apr. 25, 1929

My Dear Niece,

… The Shakers never raised silk worms or manufactured silk. They wove lovely fine white and gray blankets, they raised the sheep, carded and spun the wool, they also wove fine rag carpets for every hall and stairs, their costumes were a great deal like you see on the Shaker salt boxes and and for the cape it would be affine silk handkerchief they also wore fine white caps and their bonnets were made from split palmleaf I learned to weave them. I read there was a similar community started in Indiana in the valley of the Wabash in Pose Co they had 30,000 acres of land. Their creed enjoined a pure life, industry, a simple diet, and plain dress, celibacy was not compulsory but was encouraged. Geo. Rapp Wurtemburg who after studying the New Testament he began to preach Christians were not following the early Christian doctrine he claimed that all property should be held in common (similar to the Shakers) all work was for the common good. They prospered for awhile but finally failed. … I do not think my father was ever a soldier although he might have been in the Indian War with Chief Blackhawk he talked a great deal about the troubles with the Indians … I heard talk a great deal about the War of 1812 and trouble in North Carolina … you seem so interested in the Shakers I am going to send you a picture of my school teacher there … her name was Annie Chambers she was a widow with a little daughter after I left she also left M V she entered Lebanon Normal School to Study for a higher certificate … Their meetings were very impressive I think you would want to cry rather than laugh at them, they looked very pretty all dressed in uniform and their songs were wonderful their own compositions their meetings were open to the publick during fine weather. I have a Shaker book edited and printed by them; their creed and testimony over shadows my life for they tried to live the golden rule and I am sorry they went down. The land was sold also everything some of the buildings torn down and moved away, the main building is used as a Home for aged people … Aunt Martha"

"Detroit May 13, 1929

Dear Niece,

… Now I am going to tell you about some of the pretty dresses we had at the Shakers when we went to the public meeting house our eldress Sister would give us the word what dress to wear so to be in uniform and we certainly looked pretty in fine pure linon lawn white can you imagine nearly a hundred women all dressed alike older ones first then younger ones in the grand march you would not want to laugh but probably cry their songs were more like plaintive negro medley and they marked time with their hands. We had fine grey merino all wool dresses and poplins solid colors also striped calicoes for summer I had fine white and lavender stripes also white ground and a small figure like a clave than they wove a fine material called drugged seal brown after it was pressed it looked like silk, all dresses was made just like the picture I sent. I learned to make all the clothes and bonnets and caps and sew on different sewing machines also work on mens clothes I took great pride in learning to do every kind of work that was done there when I was fourteen and fifteen, everything was so handy there, and I think I always liked to work and get a good name. I never was lazy. … Aunt Martha"

"Detroit, July 30, 1929

… I am afraid I have lost my last Shaker friend; we lived just across the hall from each other at the village, he left the Shakers and enlisted in the heavy artillery, civil war the canon practice and engagements entirely deafened him; for some time now he has been going blind so he is not able to write me any more he is not able to write me any more he is seven years older than I and lives with his daughter who I fancy is not very good to him, they lived in Scranton Pa.

I am sending you another picture of a Shaker costume they adopted after I left the village. The Shakers lived as brothers and sisters if a married couple went to live there the husband and wife took separate rooms and I never heard of a scandal, they were at liberty to go away when ever dissatisfied they had shops and factories for different kinds of work and all kept in perfect order. No one was compelled to work but every one was expected to work if able the trustees handled all the money every one had the best of food and clothes and what more do we need than we had a chance to fight sin and crucify every sinful thought and deed a fine colony of religious people, and I can not see why they went down if God blessed their sacrifices and manner of living. They believed in progression after death in fact it will be like a graded school we would pass from one grade to a higher as we learned the heavenly lessons, what do you think of it? Even Christ did not go strait to Heaven, he went to Paradise. Well you will think this a funny letter but I often study over these problems… Aunt Martha"

"Detroit Mich May 21, 1930

Dear Mollie,

… you have solved a problem that has bothered me for some time that is about George's boys. George persuaded father to sell the farm and he and wife came after us. Soe we all went back with them. Father got some money and a pair of beautiful large dapple grey horses after we got to Minneapolis father bought a cottage and he and Robert did teaming but after John took one of the horses, it broke up their business. Father tried to get work of various kinds but could not succeed Robert went away and Mother had to keep boarders. … So Father and Mother made up their mind to go to the Shakers with us three girls and I have never been sorry… I would like to have a long talk with you about the Shakers because I think you are interested, but I believed they lived as near right as any religious organization I ever heard, it was a beautiful clean orderly home love and kindness ruled. They were model people both in household work and farm. They made many patterns for stoves bake ovens and household furniture and what they raised was of the best, we never had to wash the strawberries as they put clean straw along the rows and berries were so clean. I learned to do all kinds of work there and it was my pride to do it. I made mens clothes womens clothes weaving, washing, ironing, milking, making cheese and butter, painting, picking fruit, drying and preserving, washing and coloring wool and knitting scarfs, mittens, gloves and socks and stockings &c. The place has now been sold for a home for old people and the land sold for farms, and the few remaining Shakers moved to an eastern home New Lebanon NB… Aunt Martha"

"McGraw House June 28, 1931 [Michigan]

Dear Mollie,

… now my folks wants to go to Texas they hear of wonderful opportunities there to get a start and Mexican labor is so cheap. The place is around Houston and Brownville. The only trouble is we can not sell the house and factory to get the means to go, there is no work here or any thing doing if a man is out of work it is impossible to get a job of any kind. There was so many thousands of families came in from the country and towns last fall and winter to get work and was so disappointed and they all had to be helped by the welfare. Now hundreds are going back to their old homes. People who have money are holding on to it for they fear the coming winter. Of course the automobile industry is the head of the business here, they will put in machinery to do the work that thirty men has been doing and six men can run it, the machinery I mean so they lay off the men, well this is a doleful tale … Aunt Martha"