Personal and business papers of three generations of the Barlands, a family with strong ties to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, together with papers of several related families, the Newlands, the Reads, the Schlegelmilchs, and the Wilsons. Included are personal letters, diaries, photographs, financial records, and genealogical materials. The papers document the life of Thomas Barland, a minister and inventor who emigrated from Scotland to Illinois and then to Eau Claire (1853). Barland's correspondence discusses pioneer life in Illinois and Wisconsin, the Civil War, slavery, and his religious views. Also documented are Barland's sisters, Betsy Barland Moffat and Jessie Barland Newlands Moore, the mother of Senator Francis G. Newlands of Nevada; Thomas' son John C. Barland, a Civil War soldier and dairy farmer; John's son, T. Gordon Barland, a prominent Eau Claire banker; and John's daughter Agnes Barland McDaniel, a missionary nurse. Noteworthy among the photographs are two snapshots of Agnes Barland McDaniel taken in Siam in the 1920s.

This collection was received in multiple parts from the donor(s) and is organized into 6 major parts. These materials have not been physically interfiled and researchers might need to consult more than one part to locate similar materials. Photographs (PH 4963), Micro 956 and Parts 2-6 are located at the Wisconsin Historical Society in Madison, Wisconsin. Part 1 Eau Claire Mss AG, Eau Claire Micro 35 and Eau Claire Micro 19 are located at the UW-Eau Claire Area Research Center.

Part 1 (Eau Claire Mss AG, Eau Claire Micro 35, Eau Claire Micro 19, Micro 34, Micro 956, PH 4963): Original Collection, 1825-1975
Part 2 (M2004-230): Additions, 1941-1979
Part 3 (M2005-055): Additions, 1970, 1993-2003
Part 4 (M2010-112): Additions, 1942-2008
Part 5 (M2013-153): Additions, 1952-1995
Part 6 (M2018-083): Additions, circa 1840-circa 1957

Part 1: Original Collection, 1825-1975:
The Barland Family Papers are arranged as general papers and papers pertaining to specific family members. The papers of individual family members are arranged alphabetically by name, with those of the most extensively documented individuals further subdivided by record type. In general, the papers consist of correspondence between Barland Family members in the United States, with a few items pertaining to family in Scotland. In addition, several members of their extended family are well represented, primarily the Newlands, the Schlegemilchs, the Reads, and the Wilsons. The microfilm includes genealogical charts prepared while the papers were being processed. They identify most of the family members that figure in the collection. In addition, a useful guide to the history of the family is Lois Barland's Barland and Allied Families (1972) which is available in the Wisconsin Historical Society Library.

The central figure in the papers is Thomas Barland (1809-1896), a Scottish immigrant who established the family in the United States in 1832. Also prominent are his sisters Betsy Barland Moffat and Jessie Barland Newlands Moore, the mother of Senator Francis G. Newlands of Nevada; Thomas' son John C. Barland, a Civil War veteran and Eau Claire dairy farmer; John's son, T. (Thomas) Gordon Barland, a prominent Eau Claire banker; and John's daughter, Agnes Barland McDaniel, a missionary nurse. In 1886, John C. Barland married Dora Schlegelmilch, the daughter of Herrmann Schlegelmilch. (The elder Schlegelmilch and his son Herman are also well represented in this collection.) Less extensively documented are several other children of John Barland. In addition, T. Gordon Barland and Herman Schlegelmilch are documented in the records of the Union Mortgage and Loan Company, also housed at the Eau Claire Area Research Center, and Judge Thomas H. Barland (1930- ), the great-grandson of Thomas Barland, the immigrant from Scotland, is documented in a separately catalogued collection consisting only of his legislative papers and no personal or family papers or photographs.

Thomas Barland's papers were loaned for copying in 1962-1963 and 1967 in three overlapping chronological segments. The first segment consists of correspondence and a few transcripts. The second segment contains correspondence and many transcripts, and the third consists of material of mixed provenance with no transcripts: letters received by Thomas Barland as well as letters received by Betsy Moffat. After filming, all of the originals were returned to the donor together with Jessie Moore's papers, which are described below. Because the microfilmed papers were filmed before the use of counter numbers, the contents are described below in detail in order to facilitate access. In addition to the microfilmed papers, the collection includes one photostated letter, November 1852, from Barland to his wife that describes a trip from Galena to Eau Claire and St. Anthony's Falls. With it are several newspaper stories that transcribed the letter.

Many of the letters in the first microfilm segment are exchanges between Barland and his brother-in-law, Thomas Wilson (d. 1883), and they concern money borrowed by Thomas' father, Walter. These letters give an idea of the difficulties faced by new settlers and of money lending in a day when most people borrowed only within the family circle. Another correspondent during these years, and for many years afterward, is Betsy Barland Moffat, Thomas' older sister, who came to New York with her husband in 1835. About 1837 the Moffats divorced, but even before this Betsy had begun the life she was to lead until her death--that of aiding relatives in need of help in exchange for her room and board. Most of Betsy's time was spent with her sister, Jessie Newlands, later Jessie Newlands Moore, and Betsy moved with Jessie's family from New York to Kentucky, then to Mississippi, back to Kentucky and then back to Mississippi. Thomas Barland was an abolitionist, and he tried to get information from Betsy after she moved to the South concerning the condition of Negroes there. By 1850 she was teaching Negroes in Henderson, Kentucky, but only about religious matters. On December 28, 1850 she wrote Thomas that she would not encourage the Negroes to change their condition, and that he should stop writing her on the subject.

In 1853 Thomas Barland moved his family to a settlement on the Chippewa River near Eau Claire, Wisconsin, where they experienced difficult times. Crop failure and money problems were common. It appears that about this time Barland became much interested in the development of waterpower on the Chippewa River, probably because he owned a mill. By 1860 he was talking of returning to Scotland to encourage immigration to the area despite discouragement from a cousin in Perth who insisted that the Scots were more interested in the South Seas. Eventually, Barland did make this trip after having written a subseries of letters concerning Wisconsin which were published, but which apparently did not prompt any immigration to Eau Claire.

The correspondence here that dates from the Civil War is of considerable interest. There are letters concerning the inauguration of Lincoln, the beginning of the war, and the call for volunteers. In March and April 1862, there are letters from Scotland concerning the war and the shortage of cotton. Thomas Barland's son-in-law, Jonathan Merriam, a colonel in the Engfield Rifles, wrote from Memphis, Tennessee, primarily about the handling of wounded soldiers. Barland's eldest son John was also a soldier in the 16th Wisconsin, and Barland himself may have volunteered as a chaplain.

After the war, the letters in the first microfilm segment are concerned with such things as the Illinois constitutional convention, Jonathan Merriam's interest in Illinois politics and his work as a tax collector, the Chicago Fire of 1871, Margaret Barland's career at Wheaton College, and Thomas Barland's inventions. The very last letters in this segment are about Isabella Barland Towne's interest in genealogy.

The second microfilm segment begins in 1826 when Thomas Barland was a seventeen-year-old student in Glasgow, Scotland. It becomes clear in these letters to his sisters (Betsy, Margaret, Annie, and Jessie) written in the late 1820s, that the Barland family had been in difficulties, both financial and otherwise, for many years. The family had been separated for some time, with the children and Mrs. Barland sometimes living with friends and relatives. These troubles had started when the elder Barland sustained a loss of 4,000 pounds in the failure of his businesses, a staggering sum at the time. The elder Barland died in 1827, evidently with his estate in chaos. It is unclear whether the settlement he made on his wife and children was ever effected. After 1833, there is no further mention of the mother in the correspondence. Besides giving hints into the early life of Thomas Barland, these letters give a very clear picture of his character. First and foremost, he was extremely religious, a trait which he retained throughout his life. In addition, he believed very strongly in the correctness of his own opinions. At times, this made it difficult for his sisters, wife, and children to live up to his precepts.

In 1832, Thomas proposed marriage to Elizabeth Newlands, but was rejected. Undeterred, by 1833 he had acquired a wife, Margaret Wilson, and had settled in Jacksonville, Illinois. By 1844, Thomas and his fast-growing family had spent some time in Chicago while he taught there. But financial difficulties arose, and he was forced to become a peddler travelling by foot through Illinois. During this time Margaret and the children were forced to move in with her parents. Thomas' letters from this period indicate that he was interested in preaching as well as sales.

In late 1852, Thomas went to the Eau Claire area of Wisconsin with the idea of establishing a homestead either in that area or near St. Paul, Minnesota. On his way north he left his daughter, Betsy, in Quincy, Illinois, to attend school. After he reached the Eau Claire area, he decided to settle there instead of going on to Minnesota. His letters are full of information concerning the prices of land and goods, and the people he met. Thomas was shocked at the number of Deists and other “heathen” in Wisconsin, and his letters are full of opinions about them. He also devotes many letters to instructing his family.

By 1853, John C. Barland had joined his father to help establish the farm, and within a year, the Barlands were settled, although with some misgivings. During the rest of the 1850s, most of the letters are from the Barlands' Illinois friends. Other correspondence concerns Thomas' attempts to borrow money from his sister Betsy and brother-in-law John Wilson. Eventually Betsy took a mortgage on Thomas' mill property in 1858 after he failed to develop it as planned. By 1860, Thomas had become caught up with his inventions and with itinerant preaching. In the lattein a year, the Barlands were settled, although with some misgivings. During the rest of the 1850s, most of the letters are from the Barlands' Illinois friends. Other correspondence concerns Thomas' attempts to borrow money from his sister Betsy and brother-in-law John Wilson. Eventually Betsy took a mortgage on Thomas' mill property in 1858 after he failed to develop it as planned. By 1860, Thomas had become caught up with his inventions and with itinerant preaching. In the latter part of that year, the family was shaken by the death of Thomas, Jr. and by the death of daughter Betsy in the following year. In 1862 Thomas revived a plan to travel to Scotland to encourage immigration to the Eau Claire area, despite the discouragement of his cousin in Perth who insisted that the Scots were more interested in the South Sea colonies. In the following year Thomas described one of his most unusual ideas: draining the Great Lakes via canals in order to expose the offshore mineral wealth. Thomas was firmly convinced that gold would be found as a result. He had also perfected some sort of milking machine and had ideas for a clothes washer and a new kind of ship. He begged for money from his relatives and friends to bring these ideas to fruition, but got little help. After his family refused to give him financial assistance with his inventions, Thomas set sail for England in 1864 where he expected to receive support from his eccentric sister Margaret. When nothing came of this Barland proposed selling the Eau Claire farm to obtain money to build a model of his ship invention, after which he planned to go south to teach among the freed African American population. In November 1865 he decided to return home, as empty-handed as when he left.

Back in Wisconsin, Thomas resumed his inventing, and he interested himself in the teaching careers of his daughters, Agnes, Isabella, and Janet. (Janet died in 1867.) In 1871 Thomas left to teach in Edson, Wisconsin. He attempted to get his daughters Isabella and Maggie to join him, but they did not. Margaret Barland died in 1876, leaving Thomas to his preaching, inventions, and 20 more years of life.

John C. Barland:
John C. Barland (1840-1928) settled in the Eau Claire area with his family in 1853 and helped run the family farm. He served three years as a soldier in the 16th Wisconsin Infantry during the Civil War, and was active in the dairy business. The property John C. Barland purchased in 1884 and upon which he raised his family was later incorporated into the city of Eau Claire. John Barland's papers include a diary mainly dealing with religious thoughts and experiences; Civil War letters and general correspondence from his siblings and children; legal documents, drafts of sermons or talks; and financial records primarily concerning milk sales.

In 1886 John Barland married Dora Schlegelmilch (d. 1922). Five of the children born to John C. and Dora (Margaret Dorothea, Thomas Gordon, Agnes Louise, Charles Herman, and George Clarence) were college-educated. In particular, the careers of three children, T. Gordon (d. 1942), Agnes (d. 1982), and George reflect the family's upward mobility during the course of a single generation. T. Gordon became a banker who spent most of his professional career in business with Herman Schlegelmilch in the Union Mortgage and Loan Company. Eventually Barland succeeded his uncle as president. Agnes received degrees from Oberlin College, Columbia University, and the Johns Hopkins University. She later served two tours of duty in Siam as a missionary nurse as a representative of the First Presbyterian Church of Eau Claire. With her husband Edwin B. McDaniel, she helped operate a mission hospital and leprosarium in Thailand, and she helped to establish the first school of nursing in that country. Mrs. McDaniel is reputed to have acquainted Margaret Landon, author of Anna and the King of Siam, with the writings of Anna Leonowens about Siam. George was a graduate engineer who made his career in both private industry and government. (George is the father of Judge Thomas H. Barland whose papers are separately catalogued). Dorothea, a teacher, received a baccalaureate degree from Oberlin College and a masters degree from the University of Wisconsin. A sixth child, Howard, died before reaching adulthood.

Of the John Barland children the most extensively documented are Agnes McDaniel and T. Gordon. Among Agnes' papers are high school and college correspondence; letters and a diary from her years as a nurse-missionary in Thailand; and her letters while a housemother at Wheaton College. There is also a folder of miscellany containing report cards, a scrapbook, and newspaper clippings about her activities and reminiscences written in 1975. Some of her correspondence and the reminiscences present keenly sensitive descriptions of family customs, the everyday life and struggle on a small family farm of the period, and the thoughts and philosophies of both the older and younger generations.

While a young man, T. Gordon Barland corresponded prolifically with members of his family from 1910 to 1918. Other correspondence pertains to his high school and college education, to the year in which he worked and traveled across the United States and Canada, to his early banking days in Deering, North Dakota, and to his army service during the First World War. George C. Barland's correspondence consists almost exclusively of letters he wrote to Gordon. They concern business transactions and family property holdings but they also comment on George's life and work in San Francisco and in Hawaii, where he and his family were living at the time of the Pearl Harbor attack. Gordon's career is also documented in the separately catalogued Union Mortgage and Loan Company records.

Jessie Barland Newlands Moore:
The correspondence in the Jessie Barland Newlands Moore section of the microfilm is almost entirely between Mrs. Moore and her sister Elizabeth (Betsy) Barland Moffat, or between Mrs. Moffat and other members of the family concerning Mrs. Moore. Jessie Barland Newlands came to America from Scotland with her husband, James Birney Newlands, a physician. They lived first in Troy, New York, and then removed to Natchez, Mississippi. From Natchez they moved to Quincy, Illinois. The first six letters in the Jessie Moore section are from Frank and William Newlands, brothers of James Newlands, to Betsy Moffat concerning the difficulties Jessie was experiencing in trying to hold together her home and take care of James, who was an alcoholic. In 1851, James Newlands died, leaving his wife with five children to raise: James, John, Anna, Francis, and William. In 1853 at the age of 42, Jessie married Eben Moore, a banker and mayor of Quincy, Illinois. Later, the family moved to Chicago and then to Washington, D.C. The next letters in the collection are from the Chicago period. One letter dated August 30, 1861 is from John Newlands, a soldier in Missouri, concerning the dubious loyalties of the border states. The next letters are from Jessie to Betsy Moffat expressing anxiety for John's safety.

In the late summer of 1862, there was an Indian scare in the Eau Claire area where Betsy Moffat was then living with her brother, Thomas Barland. (This was probably the Sioux uprising in Minnesota.) Jessie's letters urge Betsy to come to Chicago to spend the winter. By 1864, Jessie's daughter, Anna, married William Petty. The letters imply that the marriage occurred under strained circumstances, and the Petty and Newlands families were not on speaking terms. Anna was living in Chicago at this time, but Jessie had moved to Washington, D.C., where her son, Frank, was studying with a private tutor in preparation for enrolling at Yale. Also living in Washington at this time were her sons William and James, James' wife Margaret, and their children.

There is a gap in the correspondence from 1866 to 1872 when Jessie wrote from Washington that she had decided to go to California to live with Frank. It is the next group of letters, from 1872 to 1878, which are perhaps of most historical importance, because they give a picture, through his mother's eyes, of the young man who was later to become a United States Senator. Newland was then a struggling young lawyer with heavy family responsibilities. Not only was he supporting his mother but he was also assisting his sister, Anna, who had left her husband, and he was also contributing to the support of the family of his brother James. In addition he sent money to an eccentric aunt in Scotland and was probably also helping to support his younger brother, William. Jessie's letters during this period describe the labor to which Frank subjected himself in order to help his family. On November 19, 1874, Frank Newland married Clara Sharon, daughter of Senator William Sharon of San Francisco, a millionaire and part owner of the Palace Hotel. (For more information concerning the Sharon Family, see the notes at the end of the filmed correspondence.) In January 1875, William Newlands received his commission as an army surgeon. There are no letters dating from 1876 but Jessie's letters from the summer of 1877 are full of fear because William had been sent to Idaho with the army to fight in the Nez Perce uprising. Later correspondence that year describes a near fatal illness of James, then residing in California. In 1878, Frank and Clara Newlands, accompanied by William, went to Europe and visited Newlands family relatives in Scotland. After this, the correspondence is very fragmentary, although there is an invitation to William's wedding, a letter concerning ancestral pictures, and two letters from George Barland to Frank Newlands written to renew old family ties. (Note: that George Barland is the author of the letters is the processor's opinion because the letters are only signed: “G. Barland.”) The correspondence is followed by a few clippings and notes concerning Frank Newlands and his Sharon and McAllister family connections. (Frank's second wife was Edith McAllister.)

Herrmann and Herman Schlegelmilch:
Dora Schlegelmilch Barland, the wife of John C. Barland, was the daughter of Hermann Schlegelmilch (circa 1830-1903) and his wife, Auguste, nee Kroger (1832-1920). Schlegelmilch was a German immigrant who settled in Beaver Dam in 1855, where he made his living as a gunsmith. The Schlegelmilch-Kroger marriage occurred in 1858. Four children from this marriage survived into adulthood: Dora, Emilie, Louise, and Herman. A fifth child, Eda, died in 1893 at the age of twenty.

Of the Schlegelmilchs, the most extensively documented is Herrmann and his son Herman. Until the death of the father in 1902, much of the family correspondence was written in German script. For the most part, the papers reflect the close personal ties that existed between the members of the Barland and Schlegelmilch families, and they offer information on Americanization, social mobility, and intergenerational relationships. The general family papers include official documents and genealogical information on the ancestry of Hermann Schlegelmilch and his wife Auguste Kroger Schlegelmilch.

The Herrmann Schlegelmilch files contain school materials brought from Germany and much correspondence, some of it with relatives in Germany. Herrmann's papers also include extensive financial and business records on the family's activities as hardware merchants and money lenders, and on their personal finances. These records were kept in volumes, but they were not maintained in a systematic manner, and many volumes contain more than one type of record. Although some records were clearly created after Herrmann's death, all of the records have been listed under his name because the function or business association of many volumes is unclear. This finding aid lists each type of record within a particular volume. Most numerous are various types of ledgers (arranged by account and chronological thereunder), journals (chronological records of receipts and/or disbursements), and daybooks (chronological records of individual sales), all apparently concerning the Schlegelmilch Hardware Company in Eau Claire.

Most of the Herman Schlegelmilch (the younger) correspondence is with his parents or siblings, beginning in 1886 and continuing intermittently until 1918. Of the other children in this family the best represented is Louise. Her files include intermittent correspondence dating from 1871 to 1923, and they provide an exceptionally good look at domestic life in a German American family. In addition, letters to and about Louise Schlegelmilch are also found throughout the collection.