The Crandall Family Papers consist primarily of letters collected by Katherine Crandall Train, who is most frequently referred to in the correspondence as Kitty or Katie Crandall. The vast majority of the letters are addressed to her, although a small percentage of the items dating from the Civil War period were written by her or by her father, David P. Crandall. As a result, there is little direct evidence in the collection about her life or the family's history in Baraboo, although some conclusions can be drawn from the letters by inference.
Approximately half of the correspondence dates from the Civil War period. During this period Kitty Crandall received letters from her brothers Robert Crandall and Eliahu Alonzo (Lon), both of whom served in the 23rd Wisconsin Volunteers, and from cousins Frank M. Crandall, who enlisted in the 6th Wisconsin, and Oren Jameson, who served with the 17th Wisconsin. In addition Kitty, who was then a student at the Baraboo Collegiate Institute, received letters from several other relatives and friends. These letters refer to participation in such battles as Corinth, Fredericksburg, Vicksburg, and Chattanooga and to their daily lives. Taken together this incoming correspondence also permits an understanding of the impact that the Civil War had on the life of an average family. The Crandalls, for example, lost both Frank Crandall, who had apparently lived with them in Baraboo at some time, and Oren M. Jameson. In addition to their war-related losses, David M. Crandall, the youngest son in the family, died of illness during the period. Portions of the Civil War era correspondence are also available on microfilm because these papers were lent to the Society for microfilming prior to the deposit of the collection of original material. It is likely that the film contains a few items which were not included with the later donation of the manuscript material.
After the war the majority of the letters received by Kitty Crandall were from female cousins and friends. However, her brothers Lon and Robert gradually emerge as her most frequent correspondents. Their letters are full of references to various family matters, illness, travel, and business concerns.
