Introduction | Biographical Sketch | Scope and Content | Series Description | Inventory

Introduction

The Van Tassel Family Papers document the history of this pioneer Wood County family during the 19th century. Correspondence, a journal, articles and books comprise the bulk of this collection.

Most of this collection was donated by the Wood County Historical Society on July 29, 1994. The journal of Sarah Martindale and an article written by Martha Martindale Van Tassel were donated by Pauline Barton Lewis on December 12, 1994. There are no restrictions on the use of this collection and duplication is permitted for purposes of research and preservation. This register was prepared by Paul Buckingham, archival assistant, in June 1996.

Biographical Sketch

The Van Tassel Family Papers begin with letters of Lucia B. Van Tassel (1800-1880) who married Issac Van Tassel (1791-1849), Presbyterian minister in charge of the Indian Mission on the Maumee River, among the Ottawa. (See obituary in the family history file for both Lucia and Issac.) They had no children who lived beyond infancy but adopted three children, a boy who died as a young man in Kansas, a girl who married and died young, and a second girl--a Mrs. Webb, still alive at the time of Lucia's death. Lucia practiced medicine in Memphis, Tennessee after the death of her husband.

A second part of the collection concerns a second Issac Van Tassel (1810-1877), a nephew of the above Issac. He taught briefly at his uncle's mission school, went to Western Reserve College, taught for several years, and finally purchased land in Milton township, Wood County. He married Martha Martindale (1821-post 1907). They had five children. Her father was Elisha Martindale whose sister, Sarah, has a journal located in the collection. More information on Issac and Martha Van Tassel along with Elisha Martindale can be found in the Historical and Biographical Record: Wood County, Ohio: Its Past and Present, Chicago: J.H. Beers & Company, 1897.

Scope and Content

The Van Tassel Family Papers contain letters, books, and printed material from 1804-1983 with the majority of the documents concentrated in the period between 1850-1890.

There are three important series that make up the bulk of the collection. The first of these series is the correspondence. This part of the collection contains letters to and from Lucia Van Tassel and at least two of her daughters, Clara and Sophia. Other correspondence is included to or from people of unknown relationship to the family, at the very least, family friends. An early journal of Sarah Martindale is also included in this series.

A second important series is the family history series which contains the beginnings of a family genealogy. The last of the main series is a collection of books from the early 19th century, probably a part of Lucia Van Tassel's library.

Series Description

CORRESPONDENCE

SOPHIA E. TEBOO
Nine letters
1854-1856
Arranged chronologically
Letters to her sister Clara and her mother, Lucia Van Tassel concerning her health and the activities of herself and her acquaintances.

LUCIA B. VAN TASSEL
Eleven letters
1856-1870
Arranged chronologically
Letters to her daughters, Sophia Teboo and Clara detailing her health, the health of friends/family and her various activities.

L.C. RUDESILL
Three letters
1877-1893
Arranged chronologically
Letters to a friend in the Toledo area sharing her activities and those of acquaintances.

SOPHIE DICKEY
Three letters
1864-(?)
Arranged chronologically
Letters to Mrs. Van Tassel and to Clara discussing activities and health of friends and family. A brief discussion of politics and events in St. Louis (she was a Democrat) is included in one letter.

LITERARY DOCUMENTS

JOURNAL OF SARAH MARTINDALE TO HER BROTHER ELISHA MARTINDALE
Two folders
1828
The original and transcript copies of this journal describe a trip by Sarah Martindale from New York to Savannah, Georgia on the Florian and her subsequent stay in Greensboro.

MISCELLANEOUS LETTERS

FIVE LETTERS
1855-1870, n.d.
Arranged chronologically
Letters from various people, some to Clara, others addressed to Dear Friend or Dear Sister. They are general inquires about the comings and goings of friends and family. One letter is from a Robert Underwood in 1864, a member of the 6th O.V.I.

FAMILY HISTORY

FAMILY HISTORY MATERIALS
One folder
(?)-1983
Obituaries of Lucia and Issac Van Tassel and various newsclippings along with attempts to trace the family history.

PRINTED MATERIALS

ARTICLES
Two folders
1907, 1978
Arranged chronologically
Includes articles written by Martha Martindale in 1907 and an article appearing in the Northwest Ohio Quarterly in 1978 on pioneer legends.

HYMNS
One folder
June 24, 1818
To be sung at the Festival of St. John the Baptist in Warren. Includes a Masonic hymn and a Masonic ode.

BOOKS
One box
1804-1867
Various titles, some owned by Lucia Van Tassel.

ARTIFACTS

ENVELOPES
n.d., 1902
Various envelopes not matched to letters.

CALLING CARDS
n.d.
Various calling cards, some with names, some without.

PHOTOGRAPHIC MATERIALS

Tintypes
n.d. Three unidentified photos.

Inventory

Box 1

Folder

1. Sophia E. Teboo to Dear Sister [Clara] , Bowling Green, July 14, 1854
2. Sophia E. Teboo to Dearest Sister [Clara] , [Bowling Green?], Aug. 21[1854?]
3. Sophia E. Teboo to Dearest Sister [Clara] , Bowling Green, Oct. 7, 1854
4. Sophia E. Teboo to Dear Sister [Clara] , Maumee City, Dec. 31, 1854
5. Sophia E. Teboo to Dear Mother, Maumee City, Feb. 17, 1855
6. Sophia E. Teboo Dear Sister [Clara], Maumee City, Feb. 17, 1855
7. Sophia E. Teboo Clement to Dear Mother and Dear Sister, Maumee City, Mar. 3, 1855
8. Sophia E. Teboo Clement to Dear Sister, Muscatine, Mar. 1, 1856
9. Sophia E. Teboo Clement to Dear Mother, Muscatine, Apr. 14, 1856
10. Lucia B. Van Tassel to Sophia, Memphis, May 9, 1856
11. Lucia B. Van Tassel to My Dear Clara, Memphis, June 21, 1856
12. Lucia B. Van Tassel to My Dear Clara, Helena, Ark., Dec. 21, 1858
13. Lucia B. Van Tassel to My Dear Clara, Helena, Ark., Jan. 9, 1859
14. Lucia B. Van Tassel to My Dear Clara, Bowling Green, Nov. 18, 1860
15. Lucia B. Van Tassel to Dear Clara, [Bowling Green?], May 15, 1862
16. Lucia B. Van Tassel to Dear Clara, Milton Center, Nov. 11, 1862
17. Lucia B. Van Tassel to Dear Clara, Litchfield, May 1, 1865
18. Lucia B. Van Tassel to Dear Children, Maumee City, Apr. 16, 1866
19. Lucia B. Van Tassel to Dear Clara, Tontogany, Nov. 26, 1870
20. Lucia B. Van Tassel to Dear Clara, Bowling Green?, Dec. 13, 1870
21. L.C. Rudesill to Dear Friend, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Jan. 28, 1877
22. L.C. Rudesill to Dear Friend, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Feb. 11, 1884
23. L.C. Rudesill to Dear Friend, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Sept. 23, 1893
24. Sophie Dickey to Mrs. Van Tassel, Fremont, May 26, (?)
25. [Sophie Dickey] to Mrs. Van Tassel, St. Louis, Mar. 27, [1864?]
26. Sophie [Dickey] to Dear Clarie, St. Louis, Dec. 6, [1864?]
27. Eunice B. to Dear Friend Clara, Clarkston, Washington, n.d.
28. A. L. Cogdwell to Much Esteemed Friend, New York, Feb. 28, 1855
29. Robert Underwood to My Dear Friend Clara, Camp Warrenton, Virginia [Co. L, 6th O.V.I.], Apr. 3, 1864
30. Marie Button to Dear Friends All, Bowling Green, Ohio, February 5, 188?
31. Unknown to Dear Sister, Wayne, Ohio, July 19, 1870
32. Journal of Sarah Martindale to her brother Elisha Martindale (transcript), 1828
33. Journal of Sarah Martindale to her brother Elisha Martindale (original), 1828
34. Family History Material, (?) - 1983
35. Hymns, 1818
36. Reminiscences of a Wood County Pioneer by Martha Martindale Van Tassel, 1907
37. "Pioneer Legends of Maumee Valley" by Charlotte E. Hutchinson, Northwest Ohio Quarterly, Fall 1978
38. Envelopes, n.d., 1902
39. Calling Cards, n.d.
40. Tintypes (3)
41. Cased images (ambrotypes and daguerreotypes)

Box 2

Folder

1. The Church Psalmist or Psalms and Hymns. Philadelphia: Presbyterian Public, Philadelphia, 1847
2. Beecher, Henry Ward. Prayers from Plymouth Pulpit. New York: Charles Scribner, 1867
3. Brockett, L.P. Life and Times of Abraham Lincoln, 16th President. Philadelphia: Bradley & Company, 1865
4. Crakelt, William. Tyronis Thesaurus: Or Entick's New Latin-English D. London: J. Mawman, 1804
5. Ferguson, James. Easy Introduction to Astronomy for Young Gentlemen. Philadelphia: Johnson & Warner (transferred to Rare Books), 1812
6. Goodrich, Charles A. (ed.) New Family Encyclopedia; or Compendium of Universal... T. Belknap, 1835
7. Johnson, Samuel. Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets. Philadelphia: Benjamin Warner (3 vols.), 1819
8. Macaulay, Thomas B. History of England from the Accession of James II. New York: Harper Brothers (4 vols.), 1858
9. Milton, John. Paradise Lost: A Poem In Twelve Books. Philadelphia: Johnson & Warner, 1808
10. Murray, Lindley. English Reader: Or Pieces in Prose & Poetry... Utica, New York: Seward & Williams, 1813
11. Nichols, Thomas L. Woman In All Ages and Nations. New York: Fowlers & Wells, 1852
12. Trueman, D. Cottage Poems. Mount Pleasant: Enoch Harris, 1848
13. Watts, Isaac. Psalms of David Imitated in the Language of the..., Elizabethtown: James Sanderson (transferred to Rare Books), 1823
14. Young, Edward. Night Thoughts on Life, Death and Immortality. Hartford: Horatio G. Hale & Company, 1810

MS 689 - Van Tassel Family Papers: Sarah Martindale Diary
Manuscripts by Subject | Family Collections