Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

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.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open to research.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Clendening Family Letters, Ms1991-067, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

The Clendening Family Letters were purchased by Special Collections and University Archives in 1991.

Processing Information

The processing and description of the Clendening Famiy Letters commenced and was completed in November, 2022.

Family History

An eight-year-old "Abraham" Clendening is listed by the 1850 federal census as the youngest child living in the Berkeley County, (West) Virginia, home of Andrew and Elizabeth Clendening. He continues to be listed (as "Abraham") in his father's home through the 1860 census. Abram Clendening enlisted as a private in the 5th Independent Company, Ohio Sharpshooters on December 8, 1863. He died after being fatally wounded in combat at Hollowell's Landing, Alabama, on May 12, 1864, and was buried in the U. S. Cemetery at Bridgeport, Alabama. (Letters within this collection provide May 11 and May 13 as alternate dates for Clendening's death.)

Like his brother, Boyd Clendening (born June 6, 1838), appears as a resident in the Berkeley County, (West) Virginia, home of his parents through 1860. On December 29, 1863, Clendening enlisted in Company K, 128th Ohio Infantry; the company was mustered into federal service on January 7, 1864. With the 128th, Clendening performed guard duty at Sandusky, Ohio, and nearby Johnson's Island before being mustered out of service at Camp Chase, Ohio, July 17, 1865. By 1880, Clendening had married Elizabeth McKelvey (1850-1923). The 1880 census lists a 35-year-old Virginia native named Boyd "Clendenning" living in Metal (Franklin County), Pennsylvania with wife Elizabeth, 25, and six children. The census lists his occupation as "working iron ore bank." Boyd P. Clendening died in Fannetsburg (Franklin County), Pennsylvania, on March 26, 1892, and was buried in Metal Methodist Cemetery. (Note: his gravestone identifies Clendening as "Boyd Clendenning" and implies that he was born June 6, 1835.)

Scope and Content

This collection contains five letters relating to Abram Clendening, a soldier in the 5th Independent Company, Ohio Sharpshooters during the American Civil War, and other members of his family. Included is a single letter written by Clendening at Port Clinton, [Ohio], on December 16, 1863, in which he provides his reasons for enlisting and notes that he will be home for Christmas on a 20-day furlough. Most of the remaining letters relate to events surrounding Clendening's death, the disposition of his personal effects and money, and the location of his grave. Included are letters from George P. Shook and Merella E. Shook of Port Clinton; A. Tilotson [Augustus Tillotson] of the 5th Ohio Sharpshooters; Jacob Hopkins and Eli Doil, the sexton and assistant sexton, respectively, at the U. S. Post Hospital, Bridgeport, Alabama; and A. [Andrew] Clendening, Mill Creek (Berkeley County), West Virginia. The collection also contains a single letter from Boyd Clendening at Johnson's Island, Ohio, to J. H. C. [James H. Clendening], attempting to convince the Clendenings to leave "that rebble country" in West Virginia and move to Ohio. The collection also includes a stamped envelope addressed to James H. Clendening, Mill Creek, Berkeley Co., W. Va.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Civil War
• Local/Regional History and Appalachian South
• United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865

Rights Statement for Archival Description

The guide to the Clendening Family Letters by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).

General

This collection was purchased, accessioned, and originally cataloged as the Abram Glendening Letters. In 2006, the title was corrected to the Abram Clendening Letters. In the course of processing the collection in 2022, the collection's name was changed again, to the Clendening Family Letters, to encompass the Boyd Clendening letter that is within the collection.