Charles E. Hewins Papers

Access and use

Location of collection:
Old Dominion University
3023 Patricia W. and J. Douglas Perry Library
Old Dominion University
4427 Hampton Blvd
Norfolk, VA 23529
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Jessica Ritchie
Phone: (757) 683-4483
Fax: (757) 683-5954
Restrictions:

Open to researchers without restrictions.

Terms of access:

Before publishing quotations or excerpts from any materials, permission must be obtained from Special Collections and University Archives, and the holder of the copyright, if not Old Dominion University Libraries.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Box [insert number], Folder [insert number and title], Charles E. Hewins Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.

Summary

Extent:
0.20 Linear Feet and One half Hollinger document case boxes
Creator:
Hewins, Charles E. (1841-1927)
Abstract:
Relates primarily to Captain Charles E. Hewins (1841-1927), a Union soldier who settled in Hampton, Virginia after the war. Contains correspondence, and Civil War military papers documenting his activities in the Civil War and Reconstruction.
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Box [insert number], Folder [insert number and title], Charles E. Hewins Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection contains letters, military records, and other material related to Charles E. Hewins, a Massachusetts soldier who fought in the American Civil War. The bulk of the collection consists of letters written to and from Hewins, mostly dealing with the Civil War. Some of the topics include the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, General Sherman's southern campaign, and daily life during the war. The collection also contains military records for Hewins as well as a genealogical chart of his family. The collection has been digitized and can be found in the Old Dominion University Libraries Digital Collections.

Biographical / historical:

Captain Charles Hewins was born in Dorchester, Mass., September 2, 1841 and was the second of six children born to John and Charlotte Hewins. Volunteering at the beginning of the Civil War in the Union Army, Hewins was enrolled in Company I, 42nd Massachusetts Infantry. Hewins served in Company I until January 1863 when he was taken prisoner at Galveston, Texas. During this same year, Charles' oldest brother William was killed at the Battle of Chancellorsville. Charles however, was fortunately paroled after a short confinement in a prisoner of war camp. After a prisoner exchange was arranged at New Orleans, Hewins returned for a brief period to his home in Dorchester and then came to Fort Monroe near the close of the Civil War. While stationed at Fort Monroe, Hewins and his friend Albert Howe served under Captain Charles Wilder in the Freedman's Bureau. Following the war, both Hewins and Howe began collaborating in the general mercantile business in Hampton, Virginia.

A few years later, Charles Hewins began developing his business interests in oyster planting and harvesting. He remained in the oyster field for the rest of his life, and during the first year of business, owned and sailed two vessels, The Independence and The Farmer's Return. As one of the pioneer oyster planters of Virginia, Hewins held oyster grounds at Ballast Marsh and Hampton Bar.

On March 31, 1891 Charles Hewins married Mary E. Coats of New York state, at the time a teacher at the Hampton Institute. They resided until his death in the home that he had built on a tract of land purchased from the former Bates Estate.

Charles Hewins was active in community affairs and was a member of St. Tammany Lodge No. 5, A.F. & A.M., and of the Hampton Commandry, Knights Templar. In 1927 Hewins suffered a stroke of paralysis and died several months later, at the age of 86.

Among those who survived Charles Hewins was his only son, Edward F. Hewins. Edward Hewins was born in 1893 in Hampton, Virginia and is the donor of the Hewins Papers to the Old Dominion University Department of Archives and Manuscripts. Educated at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Edward Hewins achieved prominence in the Tidewater area as a marine architect at the Newport News Shipbuilding Drydock Company. As was his father, he was active in local civic organizations until well advanced in years.

Note written by Susan E. Yates

Acquisition information:

Mr. Edward F. Hewins

Gift. Accession #A78-19

Arrangement:

The collection is organized into three series: Series I: Correspondence; Series II: Military Records; Series III: Miscellaneous. The correspondence is arranged by receipient.

Physical / technical requirements:

For preservation reasons, researchers should use the digitized documents in ODU Libraries Digital Collections.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard