Beverly Walter Henry Family Letters

Collection

Identifier: A3087

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection is comprised of letters written by Beverly Walter Henry and his family including his brother, Brice M. Henry; his wife, Sarah (Sallie); his daughter, Carrie Belle; and his cousin, Mattie Sue Molloy. The letters are arranged chronologically and date from 1848 to 1910 with the bulk of the letters dating from 1861 to 1862. There are several gaps with no letters dating 1849-1860, 1863-1874, 1876-1890, or 1893-1909.

Brice M. Henry served in Capt. Stapp’s Company, Illinois Mounted Volunteers, U.S. Army in the Mexican-American War. He reached the rank of sergeant. In his only letter to his father from Mexico in 1848, Brice expressed his displeasure at not receiving any letters from home for almost three years. He explained that he was part of the detail that escorted General Santa Anna on part of his journey to leave Mexico.

The letters from 1861 to 1862 were all written by Beverly Walter Henry while in the U. S. Army during the Civil War to Sallie (Sarah) Johnson, whom he married after his discharge. Henry signed his letters “Walter.” He often described the physical landscape where his company was stationed and the people that he met. On 25 May 1862, Henry anticipated the Battle of Corinth and, although, he didn’t believe he would die, he wanted to do so with honor. In his last few letters, Henry related the circumstances of his arrest by Gen. Jefferson C. Davis and his illness, which led to his discharge.

Five letters in 1875 were written between Sarah and Bev (Beverly Walter Henry) while she was away from home being treated by a doctor. It is unclear for what condition Sarah was being treated, but Bev mentioned a problem with her leg and expressed optimism for her recovery in his last letter. Belle went away with her mother while Waverly, who was approximately one year old, stayed with another family. Bev wrote to Sarah about visiting their youngest daughter.

The letters from 1891 and 1892 were written to Waverly (Wave) Henry while she studied at Hamilton College in Lexington, Kentucky. The first letter, from her older sister Belle, described a package that she sent and the menu at a tea that she attended. The second letter was written by her father on Waverly’s birthday. Beverly’s cousin, Mattie Sue Molloy from Tennessee, wrote the final letter in the collection about her Henry family genealogical research.

Dates

1848-1910
Majority of material found within 1861-1862

Creator

Henry, Beverly Walter, 1834-1916 (Author, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

For permission to publish, quote from, or reproduce material in this collection, please contact the Archives Reference Desk at archives@mohistory.org. Copyright restrictions may apply. The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming to the laws of copyright.

Biographical Sketch

Beverly Walter Henry was born on 28 May 1834 in Shelby County, Illinois to Bushrod Washington Henry (1805-1879) and Elizabeth Hudson Henry (1808-1835). Bushrod and Elizabeth were married in 1826 in Culpeper County, Virginia, and moved to Murfreesboro, Tennessee for a short time and then to a farm in Illinois in 1829. Bushrod was the founder of the Christian Church in Shelbyville, Illinois. The couple had three children: James Oliver (1827-1914), Brice M. (c.1829-?), and Beverly Walter (1834-1916).

Beverly Walter Henry entered the Moultrie County Academy in Sullivan, Illinois in the fall of 1852 and graduated in 1855. He taught at the academy for a time and studied law with Hon. John R. Eden. In 1857, Henry entered the law department at Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee and graduated in 1858. He briefly returned to Sullivan to open a law office but moved to Vandalia in 1859 and entered into his first law practice with Joshua W. Ross. Henry had several law practice partnerships in Vandalia, Illinois, between the end of his military service in 1862 and his election to the bench in 1891.

In July 1861, Henry joined Company G of the 35th Illinois Infantry. He was commissioned as captain in December and also served as adjutant. Henry’s company went to St. Louis and spent some time at Camp Benton. In November 1861, they joined Major General John C. Fremont’s forces near Springfield, Missouri. In 1862, the company moved south to Pea Ridge in Arkansas and then to Tennessee, eventually joining Gen. Jefferson C. Davis’s forces at Corinth, Mississippi. Henry was discharged in July 1862 due to ill health.

Henry married Sarah Johnson (1842-1904) on 28 August 1862 in Vandalia, Illinois. They had two daughters who lived to adulthood: Carrie Belle (1868-1952) and Waverly (1874-1968). Carrie married Dr. Clifford U. Collins (1867-1943); Waverly married attorney George Finley Houston (1872-1941). Beverly Walter Henry died in 1916.

Brice Henry (c.1829-?) served as sergeant with a company from Quincy, Illinois, during the Mexican-American War. He left little behind to document his life either before or after his military service; he likely remained in the west after being discharged.

Extent

0.20 Cubic Feet ( (3 folders))

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Arrangement

The letters are arranged chronologically.

Physical and Technical Requirements

There are no physical or technical restrictions.

Donor Information

The collection was donated by Beverly and Martin Braeske in 2019 (accession number 2019-082).

Existence and Location of Copies

The Beverly Walter Henry Family Letters were digitized by Jaime Bourassa in October 2019. The images may be viewed online by clicking the links beside each item in the inventory.