This is a collection of Comstock and Durrin (Durham) family correspondence, documents, and
papers which came into the possession of Dr. Elizabeth Comstock, Arcadia, Wisconsin. It was
transferred to the Historical Society and organized as two parts. Files given before 1961
form the original collection. They date 1779-1952 and consist of the contents of Box 1-10.
Additions were presented in 1973; these date 1875-1970 and consist of the contents of Box
11-15.
The bulk of the original portion of the collection consists of chronological correspondence
to and from sixteen members of the family; correspondents are friends, relatives, business
and political associates, and the general public. Also in this portion are miscellaneous
unbound papers as well as 79 volumes belonging to various members of the family; many of
these are diaries. The major portion of the original part of the collection relates to Dr.
Comstock's uncle, army engineer Cyrus Ballou Comstock. Also in the original part of the
collection are the papers of Noah D., Walter, and Adam Comstock and the Robertson General
Store records mentioned in the collection abstract above.
Personal papers of Dr. Comstock, additional family papers, and newspaper clippings and
scrapbooks comprise the additions in Box 11-15.
Description of Original Portion of the Collection
This portion of the collection is organized in three parts: chronological correspondence,
miscellaneous unbound materials, then bound volumes listed by family member who created
them. The notes which follow analyze all three of these parts for the most significant
family members represented.
DURRIN [DURHAM] FAMILY: The Durrin family settled in Lowville, Lewis County, New York,
where according to Dr. Comstock, Noah Durrin was a millwright who preached the gospel on
Sundays. His daughter Electa's correspondence to her young friends and relatives, as well as
her original poems and hymns, all reflect the unusual interest in religion among those
living in the “burnt-over” areas of western New York. The Miscellaneous folder
in Box 4 contains many poems and hymns of Electa's composition, notes from sermons, a bound
copy book, 1817 January-February, and a diary, 1918 January 1-[1830 January?]. In addition,
there is scattered correspondence of Noah Durrin, his account book (listed among the
volumes), and in Box 5, several items relating to land sales among the Durrin Family.
ADAM COMSTOCK (1792-1867): Electa's husband Adam kept account books of his business
dealings with others in the Lowville, New York, area and also diaries covering the years
1858-1866. The diaries covering the Civil War years are concerned primarily with personal,
family, and business matters.
CYRUS BALLOU COMSTOCK (1831-1910): The most important single individual connected with the
collection is Cyrus Ballou Comstock. A brief biographical sketch about him is included in
Box 4. At the time of his death he held the rank of Bvt. Major General, Brigadier General,
U.S.A., retired, Corps of Engineers. After graduating first in his class from West Point in
1855, he served in Florida and Maryland. During the Civil War, he was assistant to the Chief
of the Engineers of the Army and participated in the peninsular campaign of 1862 under Major
General Edwin Vase Sumner and the Maryland campaign of 1862-63. He served at Fredericksburg
as Assistant Engineer and at Chancellorsville. He joined General U.S. Grant's staff at
Vicksburg as Engineer in March 1863, and became Grant's Inspector General at Chattanooga in
November 1863. He joined Grant at Louisville, Kentucky in March 1864 and served with Grant
in the Virginia Company of 1864-1865 as Inspector General with the primary responsibility of
liaison with Generals Burnside at the Wilderness, and Meade and Butler at Petersburg.
Comstock became a personal friend of the Grants.
In 1869 he married Elizabeth Blair, who was a niece of Francis P. Blair, national
politician and friend of Abraham Lincoln, and a daughter of Montgomery Blair, U.S.
Postmaster General in Lincoln's administration. After the war, Comstock remained in the Army
and undertook many engineering projects. These included a survey of the northern and western
lakes and the improvement of the Mississippi River basin. He served as president of the
Mississippi River Commission.
The bulk of this collection's papers from 1851 to 1910 consists of Cyrus Ballou Comstock's
correspondence with his family and with political, military, and business associates.
Writers of letters to him include:
| Correspondent | Date(s) |
| Representative Horace Mann | 1857 March 4 |
| First Lady Julia Grant | 1868? July 6; 1873 November 23 |
| General George W. Cullum | 1869 January 18 |
| Secretary Jacob Dolson Cox | 1869 April 20 |
| President Ulysses S. Grant | 1869?; 1871 April 19; 1872 August 13 |
| Francis Preston Blair (Sr.?) | 1872 August 8 |
| Montgomery Blair? | 1873 January 7 |
| Sentaor (later President) Benjamin Harrison | 1880 February 25, March 1, 6; 1885 February 25 |
| Representative Joseph Wheeler | 1885 July 28 |
| Governor Benjamin F. Butler | 1891 November 19, December 11 |
There are fewer letters for the period 1861-1865 than for later years as most of these
records were donated by members of the Comstock family to the Manuscripts Division of the
Library of Congress in 1913 and 1914. A complete description of these holdings is on pages
69 and 70 of the Handbook of Manuscripts in the
Library of Congress (Washington, D.C., 1918).
Among the 58 volumes of Cyrus Ballou Comstock's records are several worth mentioning
separately. His memoranda books contain appointments for the year, lists of books either
read or to be read, lists of shares and stocks held, records of climatic conditions, and
many references of interest to the genealogist. Several of the memoranda books contain
material usually found in a diary; Volume 23 is an excellent example of this. Volume 20 of
the memoranda books contains notes of one of his European trips; and some other volumes
served as account books. Cyrus Ballou Comstock's Cash and Account Books give, in some cases,
lists of stocks and shares owned in addition to daily expenditures and accounts. Volume 40
of the Cash and Account Books also contains the names and addresses of many Comstocks whom
he met during the Civil War years.
The seven volumes of Notes and Problems were kept by Comstock during the 1880s and 1890s.
Apparently he began this system while serving on the Mississippi River Commission. The books
are indexed and contain notes on readings, lectures, meetings, and conferences dealing with
such matters as lake surveys, effects of rivers overflowing their banks, canals, dams, cost
of guns, the force created by explosives, the role of torpedoes in warfare, uses of
submarines, and mathematical and engineering problems dealing with stresses and strains of
metals, probability factors, and in a few cases, ethics and foreign languages. In his travel
accounts, Comstock describes his partners on his trips, the places visited, and activities
undertaken. The single volume Notes on the Panama Railroad Company is sketchy and consists
primarily of jottings made during board meetings. The letterpress copy book has many of the
letters Comstock wrote to members of the Mississippi River Commission, state officials,
military personnel, friends, and the general public. Comstock usually annotated a partial
reply on his incoming correspondence; in those cases where he did not do so he usually
referred to his reply in the letterpress copy book with a notation like “see p. [
].”
Comstock's commissions, appointments, honorary memberships, and the like, are found in Box
5 of the collection.
WALTER COMSTOCK (1843-1867): Among the correspondence between 1867 and 1869 are scattered
papers relating to Cyrus Ballou Comstock's brother Walter. Walter was commissioned a 1st
lieutenant shortly before his death in 1867. There are a few scattered pieces of
correspondence from his prior to his death, but afterwards there are letters from Cyrus
Ballou Comstock and Captain E. F. Townsend, commander of Company A of the 25th U.S.
Infantry, regarding Walter's debts to the regimental fund, payments owed to his personal
servant, and debts to numerous local merchants in the Paducah, Kentucky area. All bills and
receipts from Paducah refer to this matter.
NOAH DURHAM COMSTOCK (1832-1890): Noah D. Comstock came to Wisconsin from New York before
the Civil War and speculated in land. Many documents referring to his land purchases are
included in Box 5. He settled in Arcadia, Trempealeau County, and began a partnership with
[?] Gaveney. Besides operating a flour mill, they were dealers in feed, lumber, lath, and
shingles. For the period between 1864 and 1867, there are numerous bills, receipts, lists of
employees and hours worked, inventories, and the like relating to their business operations.
Noah D. Comstock later became Trempealeau County Treasurer and at least for the years 1872,
1874, 1875, and 1876 he was a member of the state Assembly. In 1883 and 1885 he served in
the state Senate. Besides two volumes relating primarily to his finances, there is
correspondence from his father, wife, and children, as well as business and political
friends. Among the letters to him are several from:
| Correspondent | Date(s) |
| James D. Butler | 1871 May 24, June 17, 21 |
| Lyman C. Draper | 1876 February 8; 1884 December 17 |
| Representative (later Governor) Jeremiah M. Rusk | 1876 February 14 |
| Frederick Norton Finney | 1876 February 3, 7 |
Among the letters to Noah D. Comstock's wife,
Ellen, is one from Belle C. La Follette, 1898, February 24.
One folder in Box 4 contains a typed copy of a diary kept by Noah D. Comstock. In 1858,
when 21 years old, he traveled to California and kept a record of his experiences. His
daughter Elizabeth sold the diary and the new owner made a copy for her. The literary rights
for this diary are in private possession.
ADAM COMSTOCK (1871-1898): Besides the Cyrus Ballou Comstock letters, the next greatest
bulk is the correspondence both to and from Adam Comstock, the son of Noah D. and Ellen
Comstock. Beginning with his grade school days in 1881 (for which a few school exercises are
included in the collection), a nearly complete record remains of his life as a student. He
attended the University of Wisconsin (1887-88, 1892-94), taught for one year, and then
continued work towards a doctorate degree at Gottingen University in Germany. His letters
are filled with insights into ideas and activities around him. For example, in a letter to
his mother, 1887 Oct. 10, Adam told about Grover Cleveland's visit to Madison. Adam believed
the experience of shaking hands with Cleveland comparable to “shaking a man that had
boxing gloves on...however [Cleveland] has a pretty wife.” Adam's letters from Germany
concern such things as housing conditions, the German citizens and the American community,
his teachers, travels along the Rhine River, and local customs, such as a Romanian funeral.
While in Germany he became engaged, and there is correspondence between himself, his
fiancee, his family, and his friends. Some of the correspondence is in German. Adam Comstock
died while studying at Gottingen.
ELIZABETH COMSTOCK (1875-1972): While Adam was in Germany (1897-98), his borther Nathan and
his sister Elizabeth were students at the University of Wisconsin. Their correspondence
tells of student life, and social and athletic activities. Although most of the
correspondence for the period after 1910 concerns the settlement of Cyrus Ballou Comstock's
estate, scattered letters among members of the family and friends of Elizabeth Comstock are
included. There are a few letters from Elizabeth Comstock's friends in the medical
profession, primarily concerned with medical topics. One letter is of special note however;
dated April 4, 1915 from Paris, from [?] to Elizabeth, it describes a German zeppelin attack
on that city.
COMSTOCK FAMILY GENEALOGY: Both Cyrus Ballou Comstock and Noah Durham Comstock were
interested in Comstock family genealogy. In 1907, Cyrus gather the material and published
A Comstock Genealogy: Descendants of William
Comstock of New London, Connecticut Who Died after 1662, Ten Generations
(Knickerbocker Press, New York, 1907). A copy of this is in the State Historical Society of
Wisconsin's library. One folder of manuscript notes used for the book is in Box 4. In
addition, Volumes 70 through 77 also deal with family genealogy.
COMSTOCK FAMILY DOCUMENTS: Box 5 contains family documents relating to lands, businesses,
commission, and appointments, 1779-1895. Four folders contain land records. Included are
quit claim deeds, indentures, warranty claims, swamp land grants, presidential land grants,
and the like for lands held by various Durrin [Durham] and Comstock family members in
Massachusetts, New York, and Wisconsin. There also are commissions for positions in state
militias, federal army service, special passports for travel abroad, and certificates of
membership. In addition to outlining family activities and land ownership, some of these
documents are of particular note because of their autograph interest.
|
Type
|
Autograph
|
Date
|
| Commission |
John Hancock, Governor, Massachusetts |
1792 June 20 |
| Commission |
Samuel Adams, Governor, Massachusetts |
1796 April 13 |
| Commission |
Increase Sumner, Governor, Massachusetts |
1798 August 20 |
| Commission |
Caleb Strong, Governor, Massachusetts |
1805 April 25 |
| Commission |
Levi Lincoln, Governor, Massachusetts |
1830 July 16 |
| Commission |
Jefferson Davis, Secretary of War |
1855 September 6 |
| Commission |
C.C. Washburn, Governor, Wisconsin |
1872 May 21 |
| Commission |
William R. Taylor, Governor, Wisconsin |
1874 May 23 |
| Passport |
William M. Evarts, Secretary of State |
1877 May 3 |
| Commission |
Rutherford B. Hayes, President |
1879 June 13 |
| Passport |
James G. Blaine, Secretary of State |
1892 April 21 |
| Passport |
Richard Olney, Secretary of State |
1895 June 11 |
Description of Additions to the Collection, Organized in
1986
These additions are arranged in three groupings: Dr. Comstock's Personal Papers, Family
Papers, and Newspaper Clippings and Scrapbooks.
PERSONAL PAPERS include correspondence, diaries and memorandum books, financial records,
professional records, writings, and memorabilia. Personal correspondence is primarily from
friends and relatives of Dr. Comstock, including her brother Nathan, Dr. Teofilo Parodi,
Catharine MacFarlane, and her cousins--Eva Maud, Ester, and Les Burlingame. Filed under
Diaries and Memorandum Books is an incomplete set of nine diaries for 1939 through 1955,
three address books, and an undated travel log. Financial Records, 1887-1956, consist of two
small ledgers, a list of securities held by Dr. Comstock, and documents relating to the
estates of Ellen Comstock and Elizabeth Carisch. Professional Records include certificates
from various professional and scholarly organizations; college notes, records, and alumnus
publications from Johns Hopkins University, 1898, and the Women's Medical College of
Pennsylvania, 1898-1963; and a collection of speeches and lectures from the 1954 World
Medical Association convention held in Geneva, Switzerland. The writings consist mostly of
unmailed letters and essays revealing some of Dr. Comstock's personal philosophical views.
Miscellaneous calling cards, greeting cards, and identification plates are filed under
Memorabilia.
The FAMILY RECORDS series is composed of Correspondence, Financial Records, and Genealogy.
Family Correspondence, 1881-1910, consists mainly of letters to Ellen Comstock (Elizabeth's
mother) and is primarily from two sources: Ellen's son Nathan, 1881-1914, and attorney James
L. Bishop, 1910, concerning Noah Comstock's estate. The family Financial Records are made up
of receipts from taxes paid on the Comstock property in Arcadia, Wisconsin. Genealogical
records contain a sketch of Noah Comstock's life, letters from Germany written by Adam
Comstock, and a listing of the descendants of Samuel Comstock, who died in 1660. One book
lists information taken from New London, Norwalk, Bridgeport, and Fairfield, Connecticut
probate deeds and records.
NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS AND SCRAPBOOKS pertain to both Dr. Comstock and the Comstock family.
Some of the newspaper clippings are in loose form (circa 1950-1970). Other clippings can be
found in the scrapbooks, interspersed with family photographs, art prints, and treasured
correspondence, which includes a 1961 letter from Helen Keller. The scrapbooks span the
years from 1905 through 1968 with some major gaps.
