Benjamin Sherwood Hedrick Letters

Collection

Identifier: MSS-0657

Scope and Contents

The collection contains letters written to Hedrick by former students and others while they were prisoners of war in Union prison camps, requesting food, clothing, books, tobacco, and money.

Dates

1864

Creator

Hedrick, Benjamin Sherwood (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Due to the nature of certain archival formats, including digital and audio-visual materials, access to certain materials may require additional advance notice.

Biographical / Historical

Benjamin Sherwood Hedrick, son of John Leonard and Elizabeth Sherwood Hedrick, was born 13 February 1827. He married Mary Ellen Thompson on 3 June 1852 in Chapel Hill, Orange County, North Carolina. The couple had eight children: (1) John Thompson; (2) Charles Joseph; (3)Alice; (4) Jennie; (5) William Adam; (6) Henry Benjamin, (7) Ellen Annabella; and (8) Mary Elizabeth.

Hedrick was a professor of agriculture at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, but was dismissed in 1856 for expressing antislavery views. He moved to Washington, D.C. where he became a patent examiner at the United States Patent Office.

He died on 2 September 1886 in Washington, at the age of 59.

Extent

0.04 Linear Feet (13 items)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Overview

Letters from seven former students while prisoners of war in northern prison camps, requesting food, clothing, books, tobacco, and money.

General

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