I was honored to present a recent Manuscript Mondays webinar with the Manuscript Society:
First to Answer Lincoln’s Call, Rejected by Yale: Heber S. Thompson and the Power of Manuscripts.
This talk highlights the remarkable story of the first Yale student to volunteer for the Union Army after Fort Sumter.
I also shared treasures from Yale’s 1st student Jacob Heminway (1704), 1st Chinese student Yung Wing (1854), 1st frican American PhD candidate Edward Bouchet (1874 BA, 1876 PhD), 1st Native American student Henry Roe Cloud (1910), Signer Philip Livingston (1737), Presidents FDR & JFK, and collectors of James Joyce.
You can read more information on the Manuscripts Society link here. Links to my detailed blog post and collection finding aids are below.
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
Ravi D. Goel Collection of Heber S. Thompson. Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. The Ravi D. Goel Collection of Heber S. Thompson highlights the Civil War experiences of the first Yale College student to answer President Lincoln’s call for volunteers after the Battle of Fort Sumter. Heber S. Thompson, a member and author of The First Defenders, enlisted in the Civil War on April 17, 1861. The collection includes a handwritten note from Yale Professor (later 11th President) Noah Porter advising Thompson to, “ask a furlough” in order to return to Yale for final exams. Also includes a letter signed by senior classmates, including Confederates, who state Thompson was, “among the very first to hasten to Washington for the defence of the National Capitol” and petition “the Faculty to admit him to the honors of graduation with his class.” Thompson’s Class of 1861 album is filled with personal entries and connections to fellow students, many of whom served on both sides of the Civil War. These materials provide unique insights into Thompson’s life, his contributions to the Union Army, and the broader context of early Civil War history. (Donated December 2024; Lincoln Presidential Library finding aid | Lincoln Presidential Library blog post | ProtectingSight blog post | Manuscript Society presentation YouTube) (#17, 2024)
Ravi D. Goel, MD collects historical documents as a hobby. He has donated manuscripts and collections to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, Amherst College, Dickinson College, Forest History Society, Harvard University, Minnesota Historical Society, Princeton University, Yale University, and YIVO Institute. Collection highlights are described here.
