Scope and Content Note

This is a collection of Comstock and Durrin (Durham) family correspondence, documents, and papers which came into the possession of Dr. Elizabeth Comstock, Arcadia, Wisconsin. It was transferred to the Historical Society and organized as two parts. Files given before 1961 form the original collection. They date 1779-1952 and consist of the contents of Box 1-10. Additions were presented in 1973; these date 1875-1970 and consist of the contents of Box 11-15.

The bulk of the original portion of the collection consists of chronological correspondence to and from sixteen members of the family; correspondents are friends, relatives, business and political associates, and the general public. Also in this portion are miscellaneous unbound papers as well as 79 volumes belonging to various members of the family; many of these are diaries. The major portion of the original part of the collection relates to Dr. Comstock's uncle, army engineer Cyrus Ballou Comstock. Also in the original part of the collection are the papers of Noah D., Walter, and Adam Comstock and the Robertson General Store records mentioned in the collection abstract above.

Personal papers of Dr. Comstock, additional family papers, and newspaper clippings and scrapbooks comprise the additions in Box 11-15.

Description of Original Portion of the Collection

This portion of the collection is organized in three parts: chronological correspondence, miscellaneous unbound materials, then bound volumes listed by family member who created them. The notes which follow analyze all three of these parts for the most significant family members represented.

DURRIN [DURHAM] FAMILY: The Durrin family settled in Lowville, Lewis County, New York, where according to Dr. Comstock, Noah Durrin was a millwright who preached the gospel on Sundays. His daughter Electa's correspondence to her young friends and relatives, as well as her original poems and hymns, all reflect the unusual interest in religion among those living in the “burnt-over” areas of western New York. The Miscellaneous folder in Box 4 contains many poems and hymns of Electa's composition, notes from sermons, a bound copy book, 1817 January-February, and a diary, 1918 January 1-[1830 January?]. In addition, there is scattered correspondence of Noah Durrin, his account book (listed among the volumes), and in Box 5, several items relating to land sales among the Durrin Family.

ADAM COMSTOCK (1792-1867): Electa's husband Adam kept account books of his business dealings with others in the Lowville, New York, area and also diaries covering the years 1858-1866. The diaries covering the Civil War years are concerned primarily with personal, family, and business matters.

CYRUS BALLOU COMSTOCK (1831-1910): The most important single individual connected with the collection is Cyrus Ballou Comstock. A brief biographical sketch about him is included in Box 4. At the time of his death he held the rank of Bvt. Major General, Brigadier General, U.S.A., retired, Corps of Engineers. After graduating first in his class from West Point in 1855, he served in Florida and Maryland. During the Civil War, he was assistant to the Chief of the Engineers of the Army and participated in the peninsular campaign of 1862 under Major General Edwin Vase Sumner and the Maryland campaign of 1862-63. He served at Fredericksburg as Assistant Engineer and at Chancellorsville. He joined General U.S. Grant's staff at Vicksburg as Engineer in March 1863, and became Grant's Inspector General at Chattanooga in November 1863. He joined Grant at Louisville, Kentucky in March 1864 and served with Grant in the Virginia Company of 1864-1865 as Inspector General with the primary responsibility of liaison with Generals Burnside at the Wilderness, and Meade and Butler at Petersburg. Comstock became a personal friend of the Grants.

In 1869 he married Elizabeth Blair, who was a niece of Francis P. Blair, national politician and friend of Abraham Lincoln, and a daughter of Montgomery Blair, U.S. Postmaster General in Lincoln's administration. After the war, Comstock remained in the Army and undertook many engineering projects. These included a survey of the northern and western lakes and the improvement of the Mississippi River basin. He served as president of the Mississippi River Commission.

The bulk of this collection's papers from 1851 to 1910 consists of Cyrus Ballou Comstock's correspondence with his family and with political, military, and business associates. Writers of letters to him include:

Horace Mann	1857 March 4
Julia Grant	[1868] July 6; 1873 November 23
George W. Cullum	1869 January 18
Jacob Dolson Cox	1869 April 20
U. S. Grant	[1869?]; 1871 April 19; 1872 August 13
Francis Preston Blair [Sr.?]	1872 August 8
Montgomery Blair[?]	1873 January 7
Banjamin Harrison	1880 February 25, March 1, March 6; 1885 February 25
Joseph Wheeler	1885 July 28
Benjamin F. Butler	1891 November 19, December 11

There are fewer letters for the period 1861-1865 than for later years as most of these records were donated by members of the Comstock family to the Manuscripts Division of the Library of Congress in 1913 and 1914. A complete description of these holdings is on pages 69 and 70 of the Handbook of Manuscripts in the Library of Congress (Washington, D.C., 1918).

Among the 58 volumes of Cyrus Ballou Comstock's records are several worth mentioning separately. His memoranda books contain appointments for the year, lists of books either read or to be read, lists of shares and stocks held, records of climatic conditions, and many references of interest to the genealogist. Several of the memoranda books contain material usually found in a diary; Volume 23 is an excellent example of this. Volume 20 of the memoranda books contains notes of one of his European trips; and some other volumes served as account books. Cyrus Ballou Comstock's Cash and Account Books give, in some cases, lists of stocks and shares owned in addition to daily expenditures and accounts. Volume 40 of the Cash and Account Books also contains the names and addresses of many Comstocks whom he met during the Civil War years.

The seven volumes of Notes and Problems were kept by Comstock during the 1880s and 1890s. Apparently he began this system while serving on the Mississippi River Commission. The books are indexed and contain notes on readings, lectures, meetings, and conferences dealing with such matters as lake surveys, effects of rivers overflowing their banks, canals, dams, cost of guns, the force created by explosives, the role of torpedoes in warfare, uses of submarines, and mathematical and engineering problems dealing with stresses and strains of metals, probability factors, and in a few cases, ethics and foreign languages. In his travel accounts, Comstock describes his partners on his trips, the places visited, and activities undertaken. The single volume Notes on the Panama Railroad Company is sketchy and consists primarily of jottings made during board meetings. The letterpress copy book has many of the letters Comstock wrote to members of the Mississippi River Commission, state officials, military personnel, friends, and the general public. Comstock usually annotated a partial reply on his incoming correspondence; in those cases where he did not do so he usually referred to his reply in the letterpress copy book with a notation like “see p. [ ].”

Comstock's commissions, appointments, honorary memberships, and the like, are found in Box 5 of the collection.

WALTER COMSTOCK (1843-1867): Among the correspondence between 1867 and 1869 are scattered papers relating to Cyrus Ballou Comstock's brother Walter. Walter was commissioned a 1st lieutenant shortly before his death in 1867. There are a few scattered pieces of correspondence from his prior to his death, but afterwards there are letters from Cyrus Ballou Comstock and Captain E. F. Townsend, commander of Company A of the 25th U.S. Infantry, regarding Walter's debts to the regimental fund, payments owed to his personal servant, and debts to numerous local merchants in the Paducah, Kentucky area. All bills and receipts from Paducah refer to this matter.

NOAH DURHAM COMSTOCK (1832-1890): Noah D. Comstock came to Wisconsin from New York before the Civil War and speculated in land. Many documents referring to his land purchases are included in Box 5. He settled in Arcadia, Trempealeau County, and began a partnership with [?] Gaveney. Besides operating a flour mill, they were dealers in feed, lumber, lath, and shingles. For the period between 1864 and 1867, there are numerous bills, receipts, lists of employees and hours worked, inventories, and the like relating to their business operations. Noah D. Comstock later became Trempealeau County Treasurer and at least for the years 1872, 1874, 1875, and 1876 he was a member of the state Assembly. In 1883 and 1885 he served in the state Senate. Besides two volumes relating primarily to his finances, there is correspondence from his father, wife, and children, as well as business and political friends. Among the letters to him are several from:

James D. Butler	1871 May 24, June 17, June 21
Lyman C. Draper	1876 February 8; 1884 December 17
Jeremiah M. Rusk	1876 February 14
Frederick Norton Finney	1876 February 3, February 7

Among the letters to Noah D. Comstock's wife, Ellen, is one from Belle C. La Follette, 1898, February 24.

One folder in Box 4 contains a typed copy of a diary kept by Noah D. Comstock. In 1858, when 21 years old, he traveled to California and kept a record of his experiences. His daughter Elizabeth sold the diary and the new owner made a copy for her. The literary rights for this diary are in private possession.

ADAM COMSTOCK (1871-1898): Besides the Cyrus Ballou Comstock letters, the next greatest bulk is the correspondence both to and from Adam Comstock, the son of Noah D. and Ellen Comstock. Beginning with his grade school days in 1881 (for which a few school exercises are included in the collection), a nearly complete record remains of his life as a student. He attended the University of Wisconsin (1887-88, 1892-94), taught for one year, and then continued work towards a doctorate degree at Gottingen University in Germany. His letters are filled with insights into ideas and activities around him. For example, in a letter to his mother, 1887 Oct. 10, Adam told about Grover Cleveland's visit to Madison. Adam believed the experience of shaking hands with Cleveland comparable to “shaking a man that had boxing gloves on...however [Cleveland] has a pretty wife.” Adam's letters from Germany concern such things as housing conditions, the German citizens and the American community, his teachers, travels along the Rhine River, and local customs, such as a Romanian funeral. While in Germany he became engaged, and there is correspondence between himself, his fiancee, his family, and his friends. Some of the correspondence is in German. Adam Comstock died while studying at Gottingen.

ELIZABETH COMSTOCK (1875-1972): While Adam was in Germany (1897-98), his borther Nathan and his sister Elizabeth were students at the University of Wisconsin. Their correspondence tells of student life, and social and athletic activities. Although most of the correspondence for the period after 1910 concerns the settlement of Cyrus Ballou Comstock's estate, scattered letters among members of the family and friends of Elizabeth Comstock are included. There are a few letters from Elizabeth Comstock's friends in the medical profession, primarily concerned with medical topics. One letter is of special note however; dated April 4, 1915 from Paris, from [?] to Elizabeth, it describes a German zeppelin attack on that city.

COMSTOCK FAMILY GENEALOGY: Both Cyrus Ballou Comstock and Noah Durham Comstock were interested in Comstock family genealogy. In 1907, Cyrus gather the material and published A Comstock Genealogy: Descendants of William Comstock of New London, Connecticut Who Died after 1662, Ten Generations (Knickerbocker Press, New York, 1907). A copy of this is in the State Historical Society of Wisconsin's library. One folder of manuscript notes used for the book is in Box 4. In addition, Volumes 70 through 77 also deal with family genealogy.

COMSTOCK FAMILY DOCUMENTS: Box 5 contains family documents relating to lands, businesses, commission, and appointments, 1779-1895. Four folders contain land records. Included are quit claim deeds, indentures, warranty claims, swamp land grants, presidential land grants, and the like for lands held by various Durrin [Durham] and Comstock family members in Massachusetts, New York, and Wisconsin. There also are commissions for positions in state militias, federal army service, special passports for travel abroad, and certificates of membership. In addition to outlining family activities and land ownership, some of these documents are of particular note because of their autograph interest.

Type	Autograph	Date
Commission	John Hancock, Governor, Massachusetts	1792 June 20
Commission	Samuel Adams, Governor, Massachusetts	1796 April 13
Commission	Increase Sumner, Governor, Massachusetts	1798 August 20
Commission	Caleb Strong, Governor, Massachusetts	1805 April 25
Commission	Levi Lincoln, Governor, Massachusetts	1830 July 16
Commission	Jefferson Davis, Secretary of War	11855 Sept. 6
Commission	C. C. Washburn, Governor, Wisconsin	1872 May 21
Commission	William R. Taylor, Governor, Wisconsin	1874 May 23
Passport	William M. Evarts, Secretary of State	1877 May 3
Commission	Rutherford B. Hayes, President	1879 June 13
Passport	James G. Blaine, Secretary of State	1892 April 21
Passport	Richard Olney, Secretary of State	1895 June 11

Description of Additions to the Collection, Organized in 1986

These additions are arranged in three groupings: Dr. Comstock's Personal Papers, Family Papers, and Newspaper Clippings and Scrapbooks.

PERSONAL PAPERS include correspondence, diaries and memorandum books, financial records, professional records, writings, and memorabilia. Personal correspondence is primarily from friends and relatives of Dr. Comstock, including her brother Nathan, Dr. Teofilo Parodi, Catharine MacFarlane, and her cousins--Eva Maud, Ester, and Les Burlingame. Filed under Diaries and Memorandum Books is an incomplete set of nine diaries for 1939 through 1955, three address books, and an undated travel log. Financial Records, 1887-1956, consist of two small ledgers, a list of securities held by Dr. Comstock, and documents relating to the estates of Ellen Comstock and Elizabeth Carisch. Professional Records include certificates from various professional and scholarly organizations; college notes, records, and alumnus publications from Johns Hopkins University, 1898, and the Women's Medical College of Pennsylvania, 1898-1963; and a collection of speeches and lectures from the 1954 World Medical Association convention held in Geneva, Switzerland. The writings consist mostly of unmailed letters and essays revealing some of Dr. Comstock's personal philosophical views. Miscellaneous calling cards, greeting cards, and identification plates are filed under Memorabilia.

The FAMILY RECORDS series is composed of Correspondence, Financial Records, and Genealogy. Family Correspondence, 1881-1910, consists mainly of letters to Ellen Comstock (Elizabeth's mother) and is primarily from two sources: Ellen's son Nathan, 1881-1914, and attorney James L. Bishop, 1910, concerning Noah Comstock's estate. The family Financial Records are made up of receipts from taxes paid on the Comstock property in Arcadia, Wisconsin. Genealogical records contain a sketch of Noah Comstock's life, letters from Germany written by Adam Comstock, and a listing of the descendants of Samuel Comstock, who died in 1660. One book lists information taken from New London, Norwalk, Bridgeport, and Fairfield, Connecticut probate deeds and records.

NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS AND SCRAPBOOKS pertain to both Dr. Comstock and the Comstock family. Some of the newspaper clippings are in loose form (circa 1950-1970). Other clippings can be found in the scrapbooks, interspersed with family photographs, art prints, and treasured correspondence, which includes a 1961 letter from Helen Keller. The scrapbooks span the years from 1905 through 1968 with some major gaps.