New Collections (21 May 2008)

Mahlon D. Cushman Diary (#5379-z)

Mahlon D. Cushman, a Union soldier during the Civil War, served as a private in Company I of the 16th Connecticut Infantry Regiment, 1862-1864. As part of the Union garrison at Plymouth, N.C., the 16th Connecticut, with the 18th Army Corps, defended against a Confederate land and naval attack, 17-20 April 1864. On 20 April 1864, the Union garrison at Plymouth surrended, and Cushman was sent to the Andersonville Prison at Camp Sumter, Ga. He was paroled in November 1864 and discharged with disability in June 1865. The collection consists of the 1864 pocket diary of Civil War soldier Mahlon D. Cushman. The diary documents Cushman’s capture by Confederate soldiers at the Battle of Plymouth and subsequent imprisonment in Andersonville Prison. Daily entries are typically brief, generally indicating weather conditions and occasionally diet. Entries of note include the 20 April 1864 surrender at Plymouth, the journey southward, and 2 May 1864 arrival at Andersonville Prison. Brief entries tell of many hundreds of prisoners coming into the prison and the deaths of prisoners. On 26 November 1864, Cushman recorded his parole and, on 5 December 1864, his arrival in Annapolis, Md.

Charles Louis Schlom Papers (#5313-z)

Born to a family of Jewish craftspeople near Riga, Latvia, Charles Louis Schlom emigrated to America to avoid religious persecution, and, in 1908, settled in Greenville, Miss., where he operated a jewelry store. The collection includes documents related to the Schlom family in Latvia; legal and financial papers, including the naturalization papers, property deed and loan papers, and last will and testament of Charles Louis Schlom; letters and materials sent to Schlom and newspaper clippings related to the purchase and operation of his Greenville, Miss., jewelry store; photographs of Charles Louis Schlom, family members, and the store; a biographical sketch of Charles Louis Schlom by his oldest daughter, Zelda Schlom Sachs; and other materials.

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