Correspondence to Doctor Giles and Mahala (Jenks) Ransom, 1850-1892

Records in the Dr. Giles Paddock Ransom Family collection date from 1789 to 2009 with the majority of the records from the 1850 through 1930 time period. They document the personal and business aspects of individuals living in Rockford and Roscoe, Illinois. There are four main families represented in the collection–Jenks, Sherman, Leland, and Ransom; the Ransom family is most predominant. The other families are associated by marriage or settled near the Ransoms or both. Documents include personal correspondence, diaries, clippings, business records, deed records, school records, and lineage documentation. Some original documents are restricted do to their historical value or personal nature; however, most have copies available for public viewing. The key figures in the collection are Dr. Giles Ransom and his son, Dr. Wilmont Ransom who were best known for their medical practice and Sanitarium, which was founded by Dr. Penn Ransom (son of Giles). Giles and Wilmont were meticulous in their record keeping, both personal and business related, and the collection reflects this through their extensive letters, diaries, medical notes, and personal ephemera. A missing aspect of the collection is documentation of Penn’s life. Items relating to him are scarce throughout the collection. Addendum 1 consists of correspondences between Daniel Leland Ransom, Norman Haskins, and C.C. Forrester regarding their business with the King Fissure Mining Company and other financial endeavors. Other miscellaneous letters are from Mary Haskins, and other distant relatives of the Ransom family. Further correspondences with Daniel Leland Ransom can be found in Box 13 (Series I, Subseries D). There is also a speech regarding the President Lincoln given by Daniel Sherman, who as a newspaper editor in Ohio. Addendum 2 contains mainly photographs of individual family units from 1898 to 1981 as well as photographs of residences and churches. Also included is correspondence of the Nielson Family and letters between Robert and David Etnyre, father and son. The collection also contains electronic files of digitized photographs, correspondence, ephemera, and family genealogy that are mostly copies of what can be found in paper form in the collection.