Mary Hughes Letter
Scope and Content
This collection contains a letter by Mary Hughes from Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia), to her husband Alfred Hughes on October 28, 1862, during the American Civil War. The letter discusses Alfred's imprisonment as a Confederate political prisoner at Union prison Camp Chase in Columbus, Ohio. She also details the measures being taken to secure his release, to get a prison pass, and general updates on family members. The envelope for the letter has a note from Alfred Hughes expressing his love and admiration for his wife, and it is marked as examined by D. B. Tiffany, the prison postmaster.
The collection also contains a transcription of the letter.
Dates
- 1862
Creator
- Hughes, Alfred, 1824-1880 (Correspondent, Person)
- Hughes, Mary, 1832-1909 (Person)
Language of Materials
The materials in this collection are in English.
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use
The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials.
Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction.
Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form:
http://bit.ly/scuapublication. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.
Biographical Note
Mary Kirby Adrian was born to W. and Joanna Adrian in Baltimore, Maryland, on September 30, 1832. She married Alfred Hughes on November 1, 1849, in Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia), and they had 10 children. In January 1863, the family moved to Richmond, and after the war, they moved to Baltimore. Mary Hughes died on October 30, 1909.
Sources:
U. S. Federal Census, 1850-1870
"Mary Kirby Adrian Hughes", Findagrave.com, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/126370902/mary-kirby-hughes, accessed Feb. 21, 2025.
"Alfred Hughs" in the West Virginia, U.S., Marriages Index, 1785-1971, Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/search/collections/2538/records/1311061, accessed Feb. 17, 2025.
"Sale of Household Furniture.", Daily intelligencer (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]), 05 Jan. 1863, p. 3, available online from the Library of Congress's Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84026845/1863-01-05/ed-1/seq-3/, accessed Feb. 17, 2025.
Biographical Note
Alfred Hughes was born to Thomas and Mary von Odenbaugh Hughes on September 16, 1824, in Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia). According to the 1850 census, he was a lumber dealer. Hughes graduated the Homeopathic Medical College of Philadelphia (now part of Drexel University) in 1853 and began practicing homeopathic medicine in Wheeling. His sister Eliza C. Hughes joined his practice in 1860.
During the American Civil War, Hughes was a Confederate sympathizer, who wrote for the Baltimore Exchange. He was arrested on May 30, 1862, and imprisoned at Camp Chase, a Union prison camp in Columbus, Ohio, until his parole in October or November 1862. Hughes moved to Richmond in January 1863 to practice and served in the Virginia Legislature until the end of the war.
Alfred Hughes married Mary Kirby Adrian (1832-1909) on November 1, 1849, and they had 10 children, including Thomas Hughes, Esq. Following the war, the family moved to Baltimore, Maryland, and he set up another homeopathic practice, while also contributing to the American Homoeopathic Observer. He died on February 25, 1880, in Baltimore.
Sources:
U. S. Federal Census, 1850-1870
Hughes, Alfred, An Essay on Consuetudo Medicine (Homeopathic Medical College of Pennsylvania thesis), January 31, 1853, available online from Drexel University on Archive.org, https://archive.org/embed/ducom_hu_theses_1853hughes, accessed Feb. 17, 2025.
History of the Upper Ohio Valley, With Family History And Biographical Sketches, Vol. I (Madison, Wisc.: Brant & Fuller, 1890), pp. 332-335, 580, available online from HathiTrust, https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/012288589, accessed Feb. 17, 2025.
"Dr Alfred Hughes", Findagrave.com, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/126370734/alfred-hughes, accessed Feb. 17, 2025.
"Notice. Alfred Hughes, M. D. Eliza C. Hughes, M. D.", Daily intelligencer (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]), 27 April 1860, p. 2, available online from the Library of Congress's Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84026845/1860-04-27/ed-1/seq-2/, accessed Feb. 17, 2025.
"Sale of Household Furniture.", Daily intelligencer (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]), 05 Jan. 1863, p. 3, available online from the Library of Congress's Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84026845/1863-01-05/ed-1/seq-3/, accessed Feb. 17, 2025.
"Doctor Alfred Hughes" in the U.S., Civil War Prisoner of War Records, 1861-1865, Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/search/collections/1124/records/193620, accessed Feb. 17, 2025.
"Alfred Hughs" in the West Virginia, U.S., Marriages Index, 1785-1971, Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/search/collections/2538/records/1311061, accessed Feb. 17, 2025.
"Alfred Hughes" in the U.S., Civil War Prisoner of War Records, 1861-1865, Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/search/collections/1124/records/148712, accessed Feb. 17, 2025.
"Alfred Hughes" in the U.S., Civil War Prisoner of War Records, 1861-1865, Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/search/collections/1124/records/129911, accessed Feb. 17, 2025.
Extent
0.1 Cubic Feet (1 folder)
Abstract
This collection contains a letter dated October 28, 1862 by Mary Hughes (1832-1909) from Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia), to her husband Alfred Hughes (1824-1880), a doctor, Confederate sympathizer, and political prisoner, while he was held at Camp Chase, a Union prison camp in Columbus, Ohio, during the American Civil War. The letter details the measures being taken to secure Alfred's release, to get a prison pass, and general updates on family members. The envelope for the letter has a note from Alfred expressing his love and admiration for his wife, and it is marked as examined by D. B. Tiffany, the prison postmaster.
Source of Acquisition
The Mary Hughes Letter was purchased by Special Collections and University Archives in May 2021.
Rights Statement for Archival Description
The guide to the Mary Hughes Letter by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 (https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/).
Processing Information
The processing, arrangement, and description of the Mary Hughes Letter was completed in February 2025. Initial description was completed in September 2023.
- Title
- Mary Hughes Letter, 1862
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- LM Rozema, Archivist, and Tyler Williams, Student Assistant
- Date
- 2025 (CC0 1.0)
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech Repository
Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries (0434)
560 Drillfield Drive
Newman Library, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg Virginia 24061 US
540-231-6308
specref@vt.edu