The James Rankin Mason Papers

My visit to Special Collections was quite interesting; prior to visiting I had found online what I was looking for. I found a few documents from a man named James Rankin Mason.  Mr. Mason was some type of importance to Kentucky society in the 1800's and well known throughout the community. The Collection I searched was called the “James Rankin Mason Papers, 1847-1899” it was cataloged under the civil war collection in box 1. The first document I found was a correspondence letter from Mr. Mason to his wife Eliza. In the letter Mason explains that he is doing well, and I am certain he was a soldier because the letter was on U.S. stationary, and it had Soldier’s Home; Mason was also stationed in Camp Nelson, Kentucky. Also in the letter he tells his wife to tell everyone that he is okay and well. This document in the sense is historical because it gives you a glimpse of what families were going through during the civil war. It also made me wonder what side he fought for, being from neutral Kentucky.

 June 186?

The next document I found was a letter from James Rankin Mason’s wife Eliza. Eliza tells James that she never received a ring he sent her, and that the last letter was torn and dirty when she received it. She was also reassuring him that their youngest child had not forgotten who their father was. This document was historical in the essence of the time; men were away from their families during war. Also, both documents are historical because it’s related to Kentucky and  it gives a glimpse into Kentucky’s roll into the civil war.

October 23, 1864