Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech
Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries (0434)Emily Bibby, Student Assistant
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The collection is open for research.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Mary L. Hunt Letter, Ms2008-055, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.
The Mary L. Hunt Letter was purchased by Special Collections in 1994.
The processing and description of the Mary L. Hunt Letter commenced and was completed in August 2008.
Mary L. Hunt, the daughter of Jonathan and Emeline Spring Hunt, was born in May 1850, and lived with her family in Thorndike (Waldo County), Maine. She presumably died in 1865; she is not listed with her family in the 1870 census. Mary's brother, Samuel Everett Hunt, was born on July 19, 1838. During the American Civil War, he served as a second lieutenant with the 26th Maine Infantry, then as a first lieutenant in the 29th Maine. In March 1865, Hunt was breveted captain, and he mustered out of the service in June 1866. He is listed as deceased in an 1871 history of the 29th Maine.
The letter of Mary L. Hunt was written by a young girl on her deathbed from Thorndike, Maine on 5 July 1865 to her Union soldier brother, Lieutenant S. Everett Hunt of the 29th Maine, Beal's Brigade, Dwight's Division, during the American Civil War. She admits that it is difficult for her to write because of failing health. However, much of her letter focuses upon recent social events, including a dance in Amity that she presumably did not attend and a new teacher at the local school. Her mother, E. H. Hunt, adds a follow-up section to the letter, dated 13 July, in which she informs her son that this letter will likely be the last he receives from his sister.
The guide to the Mary L. Hunt Letter by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).