Frank Allen Letter

Access and use

Location of collection:
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Special Collections, University Libraries (0434)
Newman Library
Virginia Tech
P.O. Box 90001
560 Drillfield Drive
Blacksburg, VA 24062-9001
Contact for questions and access:
Phone: (540) 231-6308
Fax: (540) 231-3694
Restrictions:

The collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials.

Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction.

Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.

Preferred citation:

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [folder], Frank Allen Letter, 1864, Ms2023-107, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Summary

Extent:
0.1 Cubic Feet 1 folder
Creator:
Allen, Frank (Franklin L.), 1843-1938
Abstract:
This collection contains a letter from Frank Allen (1843-1938) to his sister, Sallie E. Allen, dated July 8th, 1864, and posted from Kanawha, West Virginia. He describes his company's retreat from Lynchburg and return to Camp Toland, while serving as a private in the Union Army in Company C, 34th Ohio Infantry during the American Civil War.
Language:
The materials in this collection are in English.
Preferred citation:

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [folder], Frank Allen Letter, 1864, Ms2023-107, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains a July 8th, 1864 letter from Frank Allen at "Camp Toland" to his sister, Sallie E. Allen, in Bellbrook, Ohio. A Union soldier during the American Civil War, Frank describes his company's retreat from Lynchburg and return to Camp Toland. This collection also includes the envelope that was used to mail the letter, which is stamped July 10, Kanawha, West Virginia.

Biographical / historical:

Franklin L. "Frank" Allen was born in November 1843 to Benjamin F. and Jane Allen. Frank was working as a clerk and living with his family in Bellbrook, Greene County, Ohio, in 1860. During the American Civil War, he enlisted in the Union Army in Company C, 34th Ohio Infantry as a private on November 30th, 1863. On July 30th, 1864, Allen was trasferred to Company D, 36th Ohio Infantry. He mustered out of the army on July 27th, 1865, in Wheeling, West Virginia.

Allen married Anna J. Snowden (1847-1939) around 1867, and they settled in Dayton, Ohio, by 1869, where he worked as a bookkeeper and salesman. The couple had three children: Walter, Edith, and Harvey. Allen died in 1938 and is buried in the Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum in Dayton.

Sources:

U.S. Federal Censuses, 1850-1930

"Franklin L Allen" in the U.S., Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-1865, Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/search/collections/1555/records/893420, accessed Sept. 25, 2023.

"Franklin L Allen" in the 1890 Veterans Schedules of the U.S. Federal Census, Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/discoveryui-content/view/572017:8667, accessed Sept. 25, 2023.

"Frank L Allen" in the U.S., National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 1866-1938, Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/search/collections/1200/records/485549, accessed Feb. 14, 2025.

"Francis L 'Frank' Allen", Findagrave.com, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/89814034/francis-l-allen, accessed Feb. 14, 2025.

"Walter S. Allen" in the Ohio, U.S., Births and Christenings Index, 1774-1973, Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/search/collections/2541/records/2043413, accessed Feb. 14, 2025.

Acquisition information:
The Frank Allen Letter was purchased by Special Collections and University Archives in September 2017.
Processing information:

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Frank Allen Letter was completed in September 2023.