Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

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Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

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.

Source of Acquisition

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.

Biographical Note

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.

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.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Civil War
• United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865

Rights Statement for Archival Description

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