Lydia S. Wilds family papers

This small collection of family letters, photographs, and an autograph album was created by the Wilds family of Delaware between 1860 and 1922.

The correspondence includes three letters from Josiah Pancoast to his cousin Mary Jane Wilds, written between 1860 and 1863. While the first two letters primarily inquire after the health of various family members, Pancoast described his time in the Union Army in the letter dated May 3, 1863. Pancoast noted that he had been injured in the Battle of Fredericksburg and was currently at Lincoln General Hospital in Washington, D.C., but that he had recovered and was doing his “duty in the clerks office of the above Hospital.” Pancoast also noted that his brother Samuel had received a slight injury from a Minié ball during the same battle.

Most of the letters in this collection were addressed to Jennie Wilds Hutchison of Kenton, Delaware. These letters primarily conveyed news from family in friends, including recent marriages, the birth of children, illnesses, and deaths. Letters sent to Hutchison in late 1872 and early 1873 included condolences on the loss of her child. A friend named Ella recounted a recent incident in which one of her servants set fire to the bed in her spare room and destroyed the carpet and several of her best dresses. There are three letters written by Lydia S. Wilds to her sister while she resided in Philadelphia. In addition to sharing news of family and friends, Wilds informed her sister of the latest styles in bonnets and dresses. The only letter written by Jennie Wilds Hutchison was sent to Mrs. Dr. T.H. Streets in 1922 and discussed her grandchildren.

Included with the letters is a small booklet with marbled covers that Lydia S. Wilds used as an autograph album while at school in Moorestown, New Jersey. The book consists of brief remembrances from numerous female friends, many accompanied by a mailing address. A notation from Naomi Lawton reads “Do not forget going to Mr. Thomas’ for strawberries, and seeing the Comet.”

This collection also includes a tintype of Lydia S. Wilds, likely from the late 1850s or 1860s, and a business card from her time as a seamstress in Philadelphia. There are also three photographs of unidentified individuals, a recipe card created by Mary Jane Wilds, and a small booklet entitled “The Show of the Animals,” published by the American Sunday-School Union. Finally, there is a handwritten copy of a ballad entitled “James Bird.” The ballad tells the story of a War of 1812 naval hero who fought alongside Commander Oliver Hazzard Perry but was later executed for deserting the Brig Niagara. The ballad was copied by Lydia S. Wilds.