Douglass Family.

Joseph Douglass and Martha Matilda Nellis Douglass, and their children, are the focus of this collection of family letters, covering the period 1861-1894. The extended Douglass and Nellis families also included, through marriage, the Hunter, Anderson, Buchanan, and Burshaw families who are also represented in this collection. The researcher is directed to the attached notes on the family tree as an aid in distinguishing the various family members.

Joseph and Matilda raised their children in Croton and Bridgeton, Michigan (Newaygo County), with a stay in Harlan County, Iowa ca. 1877-1884. Joseph worked for a timber business, and some of his letters to his wife concern particulars about his work. Members of the extended family emigrated to Iowa, Dakota Territory, Colorado, and California, and they sent letters to Joseph and Matilda describing their travels, their successes, and their hardships.

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