Scope and Content Note
The Charles Ewing Family Papers span the years 1769-1951, with the bulk of the material dating from 1850 to 1890. Before arriving at the Library of Congress, the papers had been arranged into a series of notebooks labeled with the name of the person to whom they pertained. The notebooks are organized into into the following series: Thomas Ewing (1789-1871) Papers , Charles Ewing (1835-1883) Papers , Genealogical File , Virginia Larwill Miller Ewing Papers , Miscellany , and Oversize .
The Thomas Ewing (1789-1871) Papers largely consist of records from the Washington, D.C., law office he operated with Orville Hickman Browning and later joined by his son Thomas Ewing (1829-1886). Included are legal cases involving courts martial and land claims. A group of correspondence relates to legal cases handled by Browning. The chronological file of Thomas Ewing (1829-1886) consists of documents relating to business and land transactions largely in Leavenworth, Kansas, by Thomas and his brother Hugh, legal cases involving pardons and amnesty after the Civil War, claims against the military and for restoration of property, land claims, and a set of notes written circa 1865 concerning Ewing's representation of Samuel Arnold, a coconspirator in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. The scrapbooks, containing memorabilia, articles and clippings, land plats, commissions, and legal and personal correspondence relating to Thomas Ewing (1789-1871), were compiled by a family member.
The Charles Ewing (1835-1883) Papers consist of a diary, military records, correspondence, scrapbooks, and records relating to the law offices of Ewing & Hunter in St. Louis, Missouri, and Ewing & Jackson in Washington, D.C. The papers relate to the Civil War and its aftermath, especially the military circle formed by brothers Charles, Thomas, and Hugh Ewing, and their brothers-in-law, William T. Sherman and Clement F. Steele. The diary covers Ewing's service in the United States Army during the Civil War and his law career after the war. During the Civil War, Ewing served under Sherman, and was part of the Atlanta Campaign that included the "March to the Sea." The correspondence is mostly with family including Hampton B. Denman, Hugh Ewing, Philemon Ewing, Thomas Ewing (1829-1886), Ellen Ewing Sherman, William T. Sherman, Clement F. Steele, Maria Theresa Ewing Steele, and nieces and nephews. Other correspondents include Luke Clarke, Charles S. Lusk, Reade M. Washington, and Lewis Wolfley. Clarke and Wolfley had served with Ewing during the Civil War while Lusk served as Ewing's clerk at the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions and later became its commissioner. The records of Ewing & Hunter consist of a letterpress book and letters received. The records of Ewing & Jackson include cases involving courts martial and other military claims, land grant claims, Office of Indian Affairs claims, Mexican claims, cotton claims after the Civil War, patents, and legal matters relating to various companies. The scrapbooks, relating to Ewing, his father, and William T. Sherman, seem to have been compiled by a family member.
The Virginia Larwill Miller Ewing Papers are comprised of correspondence and scrapbooks. The correspondence is largely with members of her family, chiefly her children, and recounts family life, social events, family genealogy, and church activities. Correspondents include Virginia Miller Ewing Anderson, Kathleen Ewing Daly, Charles Ewing (1872-1954), James Gillespie Blaine Ewing, John Krepps Miller Ewing, and Maria Ewing. The scrapbooks were compiled by a family member.
The Miscellany contains a genealogical notebook on the Gillespie family similar in content to those found in the Genealogical File on the Stibbs, Larwill, and Miller families. Included also is a photograph album of Civil War army officers.