Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech
Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries (0434)560 Drillfield Drive
Newman Library, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia 24061
Business Number: 540-231-6308
specref@vt.edu
URL: http://spec.lib.vt.edu
Special Collections and University Archives Staff
Administrative Information
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], Felix Voltz Letters, Ms1993-021, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.
Source of Acquisition
The Felix Voltz Letters were purchased by Special Collections in 1993.
Processing Information
The processing, arrangement, and description of the Felix Voltz Letters commenced and was completed in 1993. Additional description was completed in November 2009.
Biographical Note
Felix Adam Voltz was born January 3, 1849, to Anthony Voltz in Germany. After immigrating to the United States as a child, he ran away from home to enlist during the American Civil War. On January 30, 1865, he enlisted in Company B of the 187th Regiment, New York Volunteer Infantry at Buffalo. He became a drummer in the unit before being discharged at the end of the war on July 1, 1865, at Arlington Heights, Virginia.
After the war, Voltz worked as a farmer, labororer, and employee of the Tapper Water Co. He married a woman named Mary, and they had several children. They later lived in Saginaw, Michigan, and Kansas City, Missouri.
Voltz died on April 20, 1915, and is buried with his wife in the Calvary Cemetery in Kansas City.
Sources:
U. S. and New York Censuses, 1860-1900
"Felix A Voltz", The National Archives in Washington, DC; Washington, DC, USA; Historical Register of National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 1866-1938; Series: M1749, Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/discoveryui-content/view/331814:1200 , accessed January 25, 2023.
"Felix A Voltz", Findagrave.com, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/109498365/felix-adam-voltz , accessed January 25, 2023.
Felix Adam Voltz death certificate, in Missouri Death Certificates, 1910 - 1971, Missouri Digital Heritage (Missouri Secretary of State), https://www.sos.mo.gov/images/archives/deathcerts/1915/1915_00012968.PDF , accessed January 25, 2023.
Scope and Content
The collection contains six letters by Felix Voltz, written to home to his family in Elmira, New York, during the American Civil War. The first letter in the collection, written from one of Felix's brother's to another, recounts Felix's flight from home and includes Felix's goodbye note. The second letter from February contains correspondence from Felix and his brother John to their parents and siblings. The remaining four letters are from Felix to his siblings at home. More than once, Felix comments on the regret he feels for leaving home.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged chronologically.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
- Civil War
- United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
Rights Statement for Archival Description
The guide to the Felix Voltz Letters by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).