John D. Alexander papers, 1862-1959, bulk
1862-1931
A Guide to his Papers
Finding aid prepared by Katie Martin
Summary Information
Repository
Indiana University Archives
1320 East Tenth Street
Herman B Wells Library E460
Bloomington, IN 47405-7000
Phone: 812-855-1127
Email: archives@indiana.edu
http://www.libraries.iub.edu/archives
Creator
Alexander, John D (John
David)
TitleJohn D. Alexander papers, 1862-1959, bulk
1862-1931
Collection No.
C623
Extent
2.6 cubic feet
(4 boxes)
Language
Materials are in English
Abstract
John D. Alexander was born on February
6, 1839 in Bloomington, Indiana. He graduated from Indiana University in 1861 and
served in the Union Army from 1862-1865. He practiced law in Bedford and Bloomfield,
Indiana between 1867 and 1911. He also served as the Prosecuting Attorney of the
Fourteenth and Fifteenth Judicial Circuits as well as the Greene County
Representative in the Indiana General Assembly. The collection consists of letters
from the battlefield, family photographs, news clippings, a scrapbook, military artifacts, and notes pertaining to the Dunn
and Alexander family history.
Acquisition Information
Accession Information: 2015/109, 2017/059
Access Restrictions
Collection is open for research. Advance notice required.
Biographical Note
Born in Bloomington, Indiana on February 6, 1839, John D. Alexander earned A. B. and
A.M. degrees from Indiana University studying Greek, Latin and higher mathematics.
He graduated in 1861. While at IU, he was highly involved in the Beta Theta Pi
fraternity. Following graduation, he taught school for one year and then enlisted as
a private in Company E 97th Regiment of the Indiana Volunteers in August 1862. In
March 1864, he was placed in command of Company D of the same regiment until he was
wounded in his right hip at the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain in Georgia on June 27,
1864. He recovered and returned to his company in October in time to march with
Sherman's army to the sea. In December 1864, he received a commission of Captain of
Company D and in April 1865 he was appointed Acting Assistant Inspector General of
the Second Brigade by General John A. Logan in Goldsboro, North Carolina. He was
engaged in battles at Vicksburg, Resaca, Missionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain, New
Hope Church, Lost Mountain, Jonesboro, Kennesaw Mountain, Griswoldville, Savannah,
Columbia, and Bentonville. He published a
"History of the
Ninety-seventh Regiment of Indiana Volunteer Infantry "
in 1891:
Link.
Following the war, Alexander initially returned to Indiana but then enrolled in law
school at the University of Michigan in the fall and winter of 1865 and 1866.
Following graduation, he formed a law practice with Moses F. Dunn in Bedford,
Indiana but in 1867 he moved to Bloomfield, Indiana to practice. In September 1880,
he was elected a ruling elder in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church and in 1886 he
was chosen as a Trustee of Lincoln University in Illinois, which fell under control
of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. He was elected to serve as the Prosecuting
Attorney of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Judicial Circuits in 1880 and was reelected
in 1882. In October 1886, Alexander was elected to represent Greene County in the
lower house of the legislature.
Alexander married Mary M. Rogers of Bloomington, Indiana on December 8, 1886 and in
1892 he rejoined the Hon. Moses F. Dunn in Bedford to practice law. In 1883, he
became a member of Lovell H. Rousseau Post No. 326, of Bloomfield, Department of
Indiana Grand Army of the Republic. He was transferred from his Grand Army Post at
Bloomfield to E. C. Newland Post, No. 247, a membership he maintained until his
death.
John D. Alexander retired from law in 1911 and was the oldest living graduate of
Indiana University prior to his death on February 27, 1931.
Arrangement
Collection is organized into three series: Papers and Correspondence, 1863-1959;
Scrapbook, 1907-1931; and Military artifacts, circa 1862-1870s.
Scope and Content Note
The John D. Alexander papers are organized into three series: Papers and
Correspondence, 1863-1959, Scrapbook, 1907-1931, and Military artifacts, circa 1862-1970s.
The Papers and Correspondence, 1863-1865 series contains personal correspondence,
news clippings, and family history materials. The highlight of the series is letters
Alexander sent home to his parents while serving in the 97th Regiment, Indiana
Infantry during the Civil War between 1862 and 1865. The letters include firsthand
accounts of Sherman's March to the Sea from November to December 1865 as well as the
Carolina Campaign from February to April 1865. The letters contain details of
Alexander's promotions, daily life in the field, his responsibilities as Captain,
and movements of the 97th Regiment, as well as descriptions of General Joseph E.
Johnston's surrender in North Carolina, the Battle of Griswoldville, and the Battle
of Bentonville, N.C. The series also contains "Recollections of Indiana University,
1856-1861," a letter addressed to Frank H. Levell, Editor of the "Indiana Alumnus"
in 1921. In this typewritten letter, Alexander describes university buildings,
campus life during the Civil War, and campus pranks. The letter also includes
details about fraternities and literary societies, the Alumni Banquet, commencement,
and information about the class of 1861. Alexander's family photographs, taken
between 1883 and 1930, are also in the collection. Additionally, this series has
several news clippings related to the life of John D. Alexander from the 1920s.
There is also a typewritten transcription of various newspaper articles that feature
Alexander. These articles appeared in The Bloomfield News as well as The
Indianapolis Star in 1931. Alexander's detailed obituary is included in this
typewritten transcription. The collection also contains notes describing the history
of the Alexander and Dunn families.
Alexander's scrapbook (1907-1931) contains newspaper clippings related to Alexander's
life, the Grand Army of the Republic, and Civil War veterans and commemorations. The scrapbook also contained loose biographical
materials that have been transferred to separate folders for preservation purposes. These documents are mainly biographical
in nature, including short, autobiographical accounts and family history documents.
The Military artifacts series contains Chevalier Paris binoculars, Alexander's Union Army
Captain sword, and his post-Civil War infantry captain's shoulder insignia.
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Indexing Terms
-
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
IUCAT, the IU Libraries'
online catalog. Materials about related topics, persons or places can be found by
searching the catalog using these terms.
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Separated Material
Several books from Alexander's library sent to the Lilly Library.
Photographs Pulled
J. Hitchcock and wife Mary their house Captain J. D. Alexander W.J. Sexson
and wife Nancy 1928
J. D. Alexander taken at home of Mr. & Mrs. Acuff (sp?) at
Bloomington, Ind. June 1929 by Mrs. Whiford of Huntington, Ind. address 646
Byron, St.
R-L Mary Sexson Captain J.D. Alexander and his pet chicken at home Sexson
Spring 1915 or 16
Captain J. D. Alexander 1916 at home Sexson Spring
Five generations: 1. John D. Alexander 91 yrs; 2. John D. Sexson; 3. Mrs.
Josie (sp?) Sexson Winters; 4. Karl Winters; 5. Karl's baby; Picture taken
at Sexson Spring August 1930
Christia Nigh, Uncle Isenogel (sp?), Uncle John Alexander, Lois Isenogle,
1927
Captain Alexander at (?) 1918 Sexson Spring John David Faulke and wife of
Danville, Ill. and John David Alexander at Sexson Spring August 23,
1930
Will Sexson & wife; Captain Alexander 1918 or 1919 during World War
pulling white beans up or under 40 west of Sexson Spring ½ mile
Mary Sexson and father Will Sexson; Captain J. H. Alexander & Horses
Frank & Betty hauling beans from Capt. 40 during World War
John David Faulke and wife of Danville, Illinois and John David (?) taken
at Sexson Spring, August 23, 1930
Joy Ride Property of Mrs. Ermel Lewis 3933 Washington Ave., Bedford,
Indiana, undated
Grandma Alexander died in Bloomfield 1883
John D. Alexander & Mary M. Alexander his wife, undated
Alexander headstone, undated
Mary Maxwell Alexander Sexson wife of Lemuel Boone Sexson and sister of
John D. Alexander who was a captain in the Civil War - he was uncle to Mary
Sexson Hitchcock. Uncle John was a member of the first graduating class of
Indiana University. He graduated as an attorney, undated
Capt. John D. Alexander mother, undated
7 photographs of family gravestones - Dunn, Alexander, Irvin and 3
photographs of hillsides, undated
Related Material
Related photographs may be available in the University Archives Photographs Database:
http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/archivesphotos/
Administrative Information
Acquisition Information
2015/109
Usage RestrictionsThis collection contains materials both in copyright and in the public domain.
The donor(s) of this collection have transferred their copyrights for the materials to the Trustees of Indiana University
through a Deed of Gift. For more information, please contact the Indiana University Archives staff.
The Indiana University Archives respects the intellectual property rights of others and does not claim any copyrights for
non-university records, materials in the public domain, or materials for which we do not hold a Deed of Gift. Responsibility
for the determination of the copyright status of these materials rests with those persons wishing to reuse the materials.
Researchers are responsible for securing permission from copyright owners and any other rights holders for any reuse of these
materials that extends beyond fair use or other statutory limitations.
Digital reproductions of archival materials from the Indiana University Archives are made available for noncommercial educational
and research purposes only. If you are the copyright holder for any of the digitized materials and have questions about its
inclusion on our site, please contact the Indiana University Archivist.
Preferred Citation
[Item], John D. Alexander papers, Collection C623, Indiana University Archives, Bloomington.
ProvenanceMaterials in the Papers and Correspondence series were transferred by Cora Thomas in August 2015.
Scrapbook and military artifacts donated by Dennis and Patricia Wright in April 2017.
Processing InformationProcessed by Katie Martin.
Completed in 2016
Updated in 2017
Container List
Series:
Box 1
Papers and Correspondence, 1863-1959
Annual Women's Club Address by Mary Alexander, undated
![[image]](images/image_icon.gif)
View item(s)
Civil War Letter,
Big
Shanty, Georgia, June 12, 1864
(Typewritten transcription; location of original unknown.)
View item(s)
The Holly and the Fir (with
inscription), 1905
Indiana University Law Department Commencement Invitation,
1912
View item(s)
List of Officers and Privates of United States Rangers commanded
by Williamson Dunn 1813, undated
View item(s)
Obituary of John D. Alexander from the
Bloomfield News
and the
Indianapolis
Star
, circa 1931
View item(s)
"Recollections of Indiana University,
1856-1861,"
undated
View item(s)
Series:
Scrapbook, 1907-1931
Processing note
Loose documents that were stored within the scrapbook have been removed for
preservation purposes and are stored in separate folders (itemized in the folder list).
Box 2
Scrapbook 1907-1931
Box 1
Removed from scrapbook,
44th IU Commencement Program, July 3, 1873
Alexander's research into George Washington's love affairs,
undated
History of the Life of John D. Alexander written by John D.
Alexander, November 7, 1910
Letter to Dennis, Margaret, and John Alexander Brandon,
March 17,
1917
Family record (removed from bible?), 1886-1931
Scope and Content Note
Documents the marriage of John D. Alexander and Mary M.
Rogers, as well as numerous births and deaths of primarily Rogers family members.
Martha L. Alexander, widow of William Alexander, Pension
Certificate, 1882
Series:
Military artifacts, circa 1862-1870s
Box 3
Sword, circa 1862-1865
Box 4
Chevalier Paris binoculars, circa 1862-1865?
Box 3
Post-Civil War Infantry Captain's shoulder insignia, circa 1860s-1870s?
