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A. M. Brown Union Executive Committee of Allegheny County Letter Book

 Collection
Identifier: MSS 948

Scope and Contents

The A. M. Brown Union Executive Committee of Allegheny County Letter Book contains correspondence, announcements, news circulars, and voting forms. There is correspondence between committee members, soldiers requesting instructions for voting, appeals to citizens to vote Union, Simon Cameron correspondence, and requests from Joseph M. Wilson to A.M. Brown to pay the taxes of soldiers from Allegheny County so they would be permitted to vote.

Additionally, there are news circulars that encouraged the citizenry to vote Republican, notifications of soldiers coming to speak at campaign rallies, and blank forms for soldiers voting by proxy.

Dates

  • Creation: 1864 - 2023-12-03
  • Creation: 1860 - 2023-12-03

Conditions Governing Access

No restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

Property rights reside with the Senator John Heinz History Center. Copyright may be retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. Researchers are therefore advised to follow the regulations set forth in the U.S. Copyright Code when publishing, quoting, or reproducing material from this collection without the consent of the creator/author or that go beyond what is allowed by fair use.

Biographical / Historical

Adam Mercer Brown was a lawyer born in 1830 in Brownsdale in Butler County, Pennsylvania. He studied law under his uncle, Thomas M. Marshall, and was admitted to the bar in 1853. In 1864, Brown became the chairman of the Union Executive Committee of Allegheny County (UECAC), a local branch of a nationwide organization that worked to re-elect Abraham Lincoln and pro-Union legislators to Congress.

The UECAC, under Brown's leadership, campaigned for local politicians on the Union ticket, sponsored events to promote candidates, and held large rallies like the Grand Mass Convention in Pittsburgh on September 29th, 1864. The UECAC also coordinated their efforts with other pro-Union organizations at the state and national levels, including the Pennsylvania Union State Central Committee, which was led by Simon Cameron.

The UECAC was also involved in a national effort by pro-Union political groups to allow soldiers the right to vote by proxy in their home districts. Prior to legislation passed in 1864, soldiers were not permitted to vote outside their electoral districts.

Important events

1880
Pittsburgh
Began work
1881
Washington
Continued Work

Extent

.25 linear feet (1 box)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Established in 1864, Union Executive Committee of Allegheny County was a local branch of nationwide organization that worked to re-elect Abraham Lincoln and pro-Union legislators to Congress. Belonging to A.M. Brown, a Pittsburgh lawyer who served as chairman of the committee, the Union Executive Committee of Allegheny County Letter Book consists of correspondence, news circulars, and proxy voting forms.

Physical Location

This is to verify that a published physical location note now appears in PDFs.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift from James Meanor, the great-great grandson of A.M.Brown, in 1990. Archives accession # 1990.0100

Processing Information

Processed by Alex J. Toner on April 18, 2013.

  • 5 posters
Title
Guide to the A. M. Brown Union Executive Committee of Allegheny County Letter Book, 1864-1865 MSS 948
Status
In Progress
Author
Alex J. Toner
Date
December 2022
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Description is written in: English, Latin script.
Sponsor
This collection has been made accessible as part of an NHPRC-funded Basic Processing grant.

Revision Statements

  • 2023: Testing a revision statement.

Repository Details

Part of the Allen Doe Research Center Repository

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