Charles Morgan Collection
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Charles Morgan Collection
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| Poem titled, "My Ideal House," written by Charles Morgan. Illustration by Charles Morgan. The poem appears on page 20 in the poetry book of Box 3. |
| Collection Information | |
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Volume of Collection:
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Three boxes
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Collection Dates:
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1896-1952
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| Provenance: | Gift from Raymond Morgan |
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Restrictions:
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Some items brittle
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Reproduction Rights:
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Permission to reproduce or publish
material in this collection must be obtained in writing from the McLean
County Museum of History.
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Alternative Formats:
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None
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| Other Finding Aids: | Record in National Union Catalog Manuscripts Collection On-Line |
| Location: | Archives |
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Notes:
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None
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| Historical Sketch |
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Charles Morgan, a carpenter by trade, started his diaries in 1896. In his earliest days he was a hobo, an itinerant farm worker, and wanderer. He describes this as "Life Among the Out-of-door People." In 1889 he moved to Bloomington and taught himself his trade. In 1917 he became a coachbuilder for the Chicago and Alton R.R. After working there for a few years he again became an independent tradesman until the depression. Through those times and after, he seldom had work. During those times his diaries become more reflective and observant of the nature of the times and present a chronicle of a dispossessed man. At the outbreak of W.W.II he records the headlines of the daily newspapers and speculates on the war. After the war he again becomes reflective and continues his diaries until failing eyesight forced him to stop on New Year's Day in 1948. Many of his diaries are illustrated in the manner of an almanac, choosing a seasonal theme for a specific date. He died in Bloomington on March 9, 1952. |
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| Poem titled, "To a Locust," written by Charles Morgan. Illustration by Charles Morgan. The poem appears on page 45 in the poetry book of Box 3. |
| Scope and Contents Note |
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This collection contains 85 items, including diaries, poetry, drawings, and fiction. The collection of diaries was deposited by Charles Morgan in 1950.
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Box 1 18 items
| Books 1 and 2, January 1, 1896-January 14, 1898 |
| Weather details, hired man on farm, freight hopping to Kansas City, "Life among the Out-of-Door Populace," hobo (transcribed by author 1944) |
| Book 3, October 8, 1899-June 8, 1901 |
| Working as coach carpenter at the Chicago & Alton Railroad shops, weather details, cycling, Bloomington Fire, Knights of Pythias, Trip to Vandalia area, social life |
| Book 4, June 9, 1901-November 3, 1902 |
| Working as house carpenter, weather detail, social life, cycling, music, plays, date illustrations, religion, looking for work, trip to Vandalia, trip to California, new girl friend |
| Book 5, November 4, 1920-October 17, 1905 |
| Working as a house carpenter, weather detail, social life, date illustrations. Playing music for dances, religion |
| Book 6, October 18, 1905-December 26, 1907 |
| Working as a carpenter, marriage, weather detail, social life, religion, landscaping home, gardening, date illustration, birth of child |
| Book 7, December 27, 1907-January 5, 1910 |
| Working as a carpenter, birth of second child, weather detail, date illustration, gardening and local events |
| Book 8, January 6, 1910-November 10, 1912 |
| Working as a carpenter, weather detail, local events, move to country and remodeling, farming (Transcription by Author) |
| Book 9, November 11, 1912-February 24, 1914 |
| Barn building, gardening, farming, working as a carpenter, moved back to Bloomington (transcription by author) |
| Book 10, February 25, 1914-December 11, 1915 |
| Working as carpenter, weather detail, date illustration, movies, religion, jury duty |
| Book 11, December 12, 1919-July 9, 1917 |
| Working as carpenter, weather detail, social life, movies, gardening, working at C.U. Williams garage, inflation, war |
| Book 12, July 10, 1917-December 31, 1918 |
| Working as carpenter, weather detail, war, gardening, working at C & A RR shops, movies coal shortage, union activity, Spanish influenza, date illustration |
| Book 13, January 1, 1919-May 10, 1920 |
| Working at "My Store", weather detail, gardening carpentry around the house, poetry, date illustration, religion, coal shortage, inflation, unions |
| Book 14, May 11, 1920-February 7, 1921 |
| Working at "My Store", weather detail, gardening, date illustrations, poetry, religion |
| Book 15, February 8, 1921-December 17, 1921 |
| Working at "My Store", weather detail, religion, date illustrations |
| Book 16, December 18, 1921-September 26, 1922 |
| Working as carpenter, weather detail, movies, religion, date illustration, poetry, unions. |
| Book 17, September 27, 1922-March 20, 1924 |
| Working as carpenter, weather detail, death of father, working on short story, gardening, movies, poetry, date illustration. |
| Book 18, March 21, 1924-August 8, 1925 |
| Working as carpenter, weather detail, working on story, religion, gardening, current events. |
| Book 19, August 9, 1925-November 18, 1926 |
| Working as carpenter, weather detail, working on story, religion, gardening, current events. |
BOX 2 16 items
| Book 20, November 19, 1926-April 14, 1928 |
| Working as carpenter, date illustrations, weather detail, building new house. |
| Book 21, April 15, 1928-November 30, 1929 |
| Working as carpenter, date illustration, local events, national events, working on new home, weather detail |
| Book 22, December 1, 1929-July 3, 1931 |
| Working as carpenter, local and national events, working on home, weather detail |
| Book 23, July 4, 1931-December 31, 1932 |
| Depression, some work, social life, gardening, local and national events, writing Christmas story, evicted from house, weather detail |
| Book 24 January1, 1933-August 11, 1934 |
| Depression, some work, drought, garden, charity, wife's illness, local and national events, weather detail |
| Book 25, August 12, 1934-April 8, 1936 |
| Depression, severe cold, local and national events, weather, social life |
| Book 26, April 9, 1936-March 1, 1938 |
| Depression, local and national events, weather detail, social life, writing |
| Book 27, March 4, 1938-August 31, 1939 |
| Depression, local and national events, weather detail, new buildings, wriging, sketching, |
| Book 28, September 1, 1939-March 14, 1941 |
| Date illustrations, sketching, writing, working some as a carpenter, broadcasting, conscription, weather detail, local and national events, buildings |
| Book 29, March 15, 1941-May 17, 1941 |
| War, social life, buildings, local and national events, broadcasting, rationing, weather detail |
| Book 30, May 18, 1942-December 3, 1942 |
| War news, social life, weather detail, some work as carpenter |
| Book 31, December 4, 1942-May 19, 1943 |
| War news, social life, weather detail, local and national events |
| Book 32, May 20, 1943-September 7, 1943 |
| War news, social life, weather detail, local and national events |
| Book 33, September 8, 1943-January 13, 1944 |
| War news, social life, weather detail, local and national events |
| Book 34, January 14, 1944-May 7, 1944 |
| War news, social life, weather detail, local and national events |
| Book 35, May 8, 1944-August 20, 1944 |
| War news, social life, weather detail, local and national events. |
BOX 3, Diaries, Poetry, Fiction
| Book 36, August 21, 1944-November 17, 1944 |
| War news, social life, weather detail, local and national events, rationing |
| Book 37, November 18, 1944-February 7, 1945 |
| War news, social life, weather detail, local and national events, rationing |
| Book 38, February 7, 1945-May 3, 1945 |
| War news, social life, weather detail, local and national events, rationing |
| Book 39, May 4, 1945-August 14, 1945 |
| War news, social life, weather detail, national and local events |
| Book 40, August 14, 1945-November 16, 1945 |
| War news, social life, weather detail, national and local events, date illustrations |
| Book 41, November 16, 1945-May 2, 1946 |
| Headlines, social life, price controls, local events, weather detail, date illustration |
| Book 42, May 3, 1946-January 1, 1948 |
| Headlines, social life, living condition, death of wife, failing eyesight, local events, weather detail, date illustrations |
| Poetry |
| 78 pages of poetry illustrated by author; 1933-1940 |
| Folder 1: Morgan, Charles Correspondence |
| 10 items; correspondence regarding work, letters from Congressman Arends, and to the L.E. Waterman Company |
| Folder 2: Morgan, Charles, Miscellaneous |
| 10 items; newspaper cartoons, short stories, song lyrics, correspondence from the Social Security Agency, and obituary |
| Folder 3: And a Child Shall Lead Them |
| 117 pgs. MS, Fiction |
| Folder 4: Mountaineer |
| 135 pgs MS, Fiction |
| Folder 5: The Trail to Cloudy Lake |
| 144 pgs MS, Fiction |
| Folder 6: The River Rat |
| 24 pgs. short story, fiction |
| Folder 7: Once I was Kidnapped |
| 19 pgs. short story, fiction |
| Folder 8: The Story of the Yukon |
| 8 pgs. short story, fiction |
| Folder 9: Poems from Nature and Home Ties |
| 9 pgs. brief biography of Charles Morgan |
| Folder 10: A Hoosier Christmas Celebration |
| 18 pgs. short story |
| Oversize |
| 39 items, drawings of tombstones, parks, and houses (located with the objects curator) |