Thomas Townsend collection of Civil War and Reconstruction clippings, 1860-1890

Creator:: Townsend, Thomas S (Thomas Seaman), 1829-1908
Extent:: 127 volumes (127 volumes)
Language:: English
Scope and content:: Scrapbooks of mounted newspaper clippings relating to the Civil War and the Reconstruction period, taken chiefly from contemporary New York papers, are arranged generally in a chronological sequence and entitled THE GREAT REBELLION (91 v.); ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE GREAT REBELLION consists of précis of the newspaper articles and refer to larger group by volume and page number (29 v.); INDEX refers to the ENCYCLOPEDIA by volume and page number and is arranged in large subject groupings as by state (4 v.); and GUIDE TO THE INDEX has subjects and individual names arranged alphabetically and refers to the INDEX by volume and page number (1 v.).
Biographical / historical:: In 1860 Thomas S. Townsend began the compilation of this collection by filing all items pertaining to the Civil War from all the important New York daily papers as well as from one Boston paper, one Philadelphia paper, and one Washington paper to form a contemporary record of the Great Rebellion. In 1865 George Templeton Strong recorded in his diary that on April 13, 1865 he saw this great collection at the Union League Club in New York. It then consisted of 64 huge folios.

Catalog record:

Local call number:

B973.7 T662 F

Processing information:

Cataloged Christina Hilton Fenn 09/--/89.

Processed by Melissa Cabarcas 12/11/2025

In 2025, the collection was renamed the "Thomas Townsend Collection of Civil War and Reconstruction Clippings" to conform with DACS standards. Previously, the collection was known as the "Townsend Library of National, State, and Biographical Records," and was also known as the "Encyclopedia of the Great Rebellion."

Acquisition information:

Source of acquisition--Schermerhorn, Frederic Augustus. Method of acquisition--Gift; Date of acquisition--05/--/1895. Accession number--M-95-05.

Arrangement:

Cataloged.

Rules or conventions:

Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Preferred citation:

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Townsend library of national, state, and biographical records; Box and Folder; Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.

Access and use

Restrictions:

This collection is located on-site and has no restrictions on access.

To use this collection effectively, researchers must follow a multi-step path through several related volumes. Begin with the Guide to the Index, which directs you to one of the four Indexes. The index entry will then point you to the relevant volume within the 29 encyclopedias. From there, the encyclopedic summaries lead to specific articles in the 91 scrapbooks containing newspaper clippings. (The sequence: Guide to the Index → Index → Encyclopedia → Scrapbook).

Terms of access:

Reproductions may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.

Location of this collection:: Rare Book & Manuscript Library

RBML Home Page
6th Floor East Butler Library
535 West 114th Street
New York, NY 10027, USA
Before you visit:: Researchers interested in viewing materials in the RBML reading room must book an appointment at least 7 days in advance. To make the most of your visit, be sure to request your desired materials before booking your appointment, as researchers are limited to 5 items per day.

Contact:: rbml@library.columbia.edu

Collection