Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, 1861-1865, Records

Abstract

The Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, 1861-1865, is an organization whose membership can trace its lineage to soldiers who served on the Union side in America’s Civil War, 1861-1865. The DUVCW was founded in 1885 in Massillon, Ohio. This collection is comprised almost entirely of minute books from the Department of Illinois and various local tents throughout the state.

Historical/Biographical

The Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, 1861-1865, is an organization whose membership can trace its lineage to soldiers who served on the Union side in America’s Civil War, 1861-1865. The DUVCW was founded in 1885 in Massillon, Ohio, and was originally called the National Alliance Daughters of Veterans. The Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of Union veterans, endorsed the daughters’ group in 1900 at its annual meeting in Chicago. In 1925, the organization changed its name to the Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War. In 1944, the name changed again to include the dates of the war: Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, 1861-1865. As of 2016, its national headquarters was in Springfield, Illinois.

Groups are organized locally into “tents,” which were named for army nurses who served during the Civil War or for other women whose deeds between 1861 and 1865 were deemed patriotic and loyal to the Union cause. If a state has more than three tents, they are organized under a state-level department. The organization flourished in the first half of the twentieth century, but many tents began disbanding when those generations closest to the Civil War and its veterans aged and died.

The DUVCW supports scholarships and projects that help preserve and maintain the history and legacy of the Union soldiers of the Civil War. These include maintenance of historic monuments, battlefields, sites and cemeteries; participating in Memorial Day events and other ceremonies; maintaining a museum; and volunteering with veterans and veteran hospitals.

Scope and Contents

This collection is comprised almost entirely of minute books from the Department of Illinois and various local tents throughout the state. Some president and treasurer reports and membership rosters are also included. The minute books describe the groups’ activities, including their founding and, sometimes, disbandment; election and installation of officers; finances; committee work; membership applications, increases, illnesses and deaths; communications and invitations from other organizations; convention delegate appointment, procedures and disputes; programming at meetings such as guest speakers; programming and events for Memorial Day, Flag Day, Lincoln’s birthday and other patriotic holidays; fundraising events; and charitable efforts. The Julia Dent Grant Tent #12 from Chicago is especially well documented.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in two series.

• Series 1: State Department of Illinois, 1895-1962
• Series 2: Illinois Tents, 1907-1965

Related Materials

• American Civil War Documents, Manuscripts, Letters and Diaries and Grand Army of the Republic Collections

Subject Headings

• Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, 1861-1865
• United States—History—Civil War, 1861-1865—Veterans
• Women—Societies and clubs

Collection Inventory

Series 1: State Department of Illinois, 1895-1962

Scope and Contents

This series contains minute books, rosters, treasurers’ reports and ephemera from the Illinois state-level unit of the Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, 1861-1865 organization.

Arrangement

Items are arranged chronologically.

Series 2: Illinois Tents, 1907-1965

Scope and Contents

This series contains minute books, rosters, treasurers’ reports and ephemera from various Illinois local units of the Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, 1861-1865 organization. The local units, called “tents,” represented in this collection hail from all over the state.

Arrangement

Items are arranged sequentially by tent number and chronologically within each tent.