The collection gives an interesting glimpse of several facets of an Irish immigrant family's life. Only fragments of the lives of various family members are represented. The collection is a source of information on some areas of Irish social history, and a very good source on camp life during the Civil War.
The GENEALOGY contains fragmentary attempts at drawing a family tree. Later members of the family, who have no correspondence in the collection, are mentioned but are difficult to place. Copies of photographs of later women of the family and a family member's reminiscence on Alex McGowan are included. The following (abbreviated) family tree should clarify the various familial relationships of the main correspondents:
| Eliza McKittrick |
m. James Orr |
ch. James (Jas.) Orr |
| |
|
ch. Robert Orr |
| Marianne (Mary Anne) McKittrick |
| |
| Robert McKittrick |
| |
| Margaret McKittrick |
m. Alexander (Alex) McGowan |
ch. Robert J.O. McGowan |
| |
|
ch. Margaret (Maggie) McGowan |
The CORRESPONDENCE between members of two generations of an Irish immigrant family is the heart of the collection. Letters in folders 2, 3, and 4 were written before the family came to America. Alex McGowan's file contains several letters of recommendation on his career as a teacher. Some sense of the reasons for the family's decision to emigrate can be gained from this correspondence. The status accorded the church in Ireland, government authority, and the temperance movement are all mentioned here.
The strength of family ties with their native land is indicated by Robert McGowan's continuing correspondence with an aunt, an uncle, and cousins. The largest file (32 letters) contains Robert McGowan's letters to his sister Maggie McGowan while serving in the Civil War. The correspondence contains little regarding battles, but a good description of camp life does emerge. The merchant in Robert has him ask his father to ship a case of butter to camp for resale at a profit. One letter deals with the soldiers' reactions to Lincoln's assassination.
OTHER FAMILY PAPERS includes Robert McKittrick's will which bequeathed money to American heirs. The strength of family ties is clearly indicated. His casebook from the Royal Infirmary of Glasgow is commentary on the primitive state of medical science in 1814. Robert McGowan's diary from the Civil War period is uninformative. He was apparently an educated man with eclectic interests; his three notebooks on natural phenomena indicates this. A family member (probably Robert) collected music, poetry, and stories which were typical of the day. Some are Irish and others are from the Civil War.
The MISCELLANY file includes Robert McGowan's Irish temperance society membership card, and a girl's guessing game on her future husband.
The SCRAPBOOK contains newspaper clippings on random subjects; no dates or sources are given.
The PHOTOGRAPHS include copy prints of images of Alexander Orr McGowan and Margaret McKittrick McGowan, and a copy print made from a carte-de-viste of Charlie McGowan.
