Luther Franklin Locke Papers, 1761-1864

Collection number: MC 121
Size: 1 box (0.20 cu.ft.)

About Luther Franklin Locke

Luther Franklin Locke was born on November 3, 1820, the son of Luther and Hannah Willard Locke. Locke left his home in Langdon, NH to attend Phillips Academy in Andover, MA. He graduated from Middlebury College (1845) and Harvard Medical School (1849) prior to a long career as a dentist and physician in Nashua, NH. His marriage to Sarah Follansbee Williams ended with her death in 1861. Although exempt from the draft during the Civil War, Locke volunteered for temporary duty as a U.S. Army surgeon. Locke married Caroline Diana Barrett in 1865. The marriage produced six daughters, four of whom reached adulthood. Two became physicians, one became a dentist, and the fourth was an architect. Locke died in February 1892, a few days after suffering a stroke.

(Biographical information taken from F. B. Kingsbury’s History and Genealogy of Langdon, N.H., 1787-1930 and Locke’s obituary in the Manchester Union, 16 February 1892.)

About the Luther Franklin Locke Papers

The Luther Franklin Locke Collection contains manuscript letters, patient lists, and supply requisition forms, primarily related to Locke’s temporary service as a U.S. Army surgeon during the Civil War. The collection also includes earlier correspondence, both from his first wife’s family and between Locke and his parents. Also included are three pamphlets written by Locke.

Administrative Information

Copyright Notice

Contents of this collection are governed by U.S. copyright law. For questions about publication or reproduction rights, contact Special Collections staff.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Luther Franklin Locke Papers, 1761-1864, MC 121, Milne Special Collections and Archives, University of New Hampshire Library, Durham, NH, USA.

Acquisitions Information

Purchased: New Hampshire Book Auctions, Oct. 25, 1992 (Accession number: 92.041)

Collection Arrangement

The collection is arranged into three series.

Collection Contents

Series 1: Correspondence

Box 1
Box 1, Folder 1	Correspondence from the family of Sarah Follansbee Williams, Luther Franklin Locke’s first wife, 1791 and 1793
Box 1, Folder 2	Correspondence between Locke and his parents, 1836-1845
Box 1, Folder 3	Two wartime letters to Locke and one letter from a Union soldier to an unidentified woman
Box 1, Folder 4	Correspondence and military passes related to Locke’s travel between military hospitals in Maryland and Virginia. Also contains his discharge certificate, March 16, 1864
Box 1, Folder 5	Two wartime envelopes addressed to Locke, one postmarked

Series 2: Lists and Forms

Box 1
Box 1, Folder 6	Contains lists of soldiers treated by Locke during May 1864. Soldiers are identified by name, unit, wound and treatment received. Some lists are undated. Also contains notes concerning soldiers detailed to Locke for service as nurses.
Box 1, Folder 7	Requisition forms and expense reports, some undated and two blank

Series 3: Publications

Box 1

Box 1, Folder 8

Three pamphlets written by Locke: Geographical Manual or Outlines of Modern Geography Being an Arrangement on the Classification System Adapted to the Most Approved Atlases Now in Use. Andover, MA: William Peirce, 1839. The Preservation of Teeth. Boston: William White, 1854. The Roll of Honor of the City of Nashua, N.H. Being a List of Volunteers for the War of 1861-2-3.Boston: Alfred Mudge and Son, 1863.