Collection inventory

Overview of the Collection
Creator:	Quick, George T.
Title:	George T. Quick Papers
Inclusive Dates:	1835-1911
Quantity:	0.5 linear ft.
Abstract:	Papers of the Union soldier (circa 1834-1911) and British immigrant who served as a recruitment officer for the Independent Battalion, New York Volunteers, and was subsequently stationed at Point Lookout, MD, Yorktown and Eastville, VA, and Morris Island, SC. Collection includes correspondence (1862-1911); personal and company military documents, including commissions, discharge papers, lists of contraband, muster rolls, general and special orders, accounts of courts-martial, recruitment records, receipts, requisitions, and rosters; legal and financial records, including pension statements, tax receipts, and wills.
Language:	English
Repository:	Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries 222 Waverly Avenue Syracuse, NY 13244-2010 https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center

Biographical History

George T. Quick (circa 1833-1911) was a British emigré to the United States. A carpenter by trade, he served in the Union Army (1861-1864) as a recruitment officer for the Independent Battalion, New York Volunteers, and was subsequently stationed at Point Lookout, MD; Yorktown and Eastville, VA; and Morris Island, SC.

Quick was born in London, England, in 1833 or 1834. It is not known when he emigrated to the United States, but he was living in New York City at the outbreak of the Civil War. He enlisted for three months' service in May 1861 and was mustered out as a sergeant in August 1861. He subsequently re-enlisted in February 1862 and in June and July 1862 recruited men in New York City for the Independent Battalion of the New York Volunteers. In October 1862 he was commissioned a second lieutenant and was named regimental and post adjutant while his unit was stationed at Point Lookout, Maryland, and Yorktown and Eastville, Virginia. His unit was transferred subsequently to Morris Island, South Carolina, and also spent time in Beaufort, South Carolina, serving as part of the Union forces besieging Charleston. During this time Quick was in charge of a company in the regiment. He was commissioned a first lieutenant in October 1863. In February 1864 he was discharged from the service, though it appears he may have continued to recruit for the army.

Quick was a carpenter by trade and sometimes held positions of responsibility in the Carpenters and Joiners Union. He was also a minor official in the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), a veterans' organization. The evidence of the papers suggests that Quick was married twice. His first wife was named Margaret; it is not clear when she died. His second wife, Eliza Ann, died in 1890. These papers suggest that after his second marriage Quick moved from New York City to the vicinity of Nyack and Piermont, New York. He died around 1911.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The George T. Quick Papers, 1835-1911, contain correspondence, military records, legal and financial records, and memorabilia.

Correspondence contains incoming and outgoing letters from 1862 to 1911. Although the larger part is official military correspondence, there are some personal letters from his wife Margaret and his brother William that report on conditions at home. A letter from 1866 concerns payment for a trade union representative at the New York funeral of Abraham Lincoln, and other letters relate to Quick's activities with the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR).

Military correspondence deals with a variety of official business matters. Many of the letters are copies of originals. Among the matters treated are contraband (Negro slaves that had escaped to the Union lines), the security of the camp and hospital at Point Lookout, Maryland, the refusal of a commission to a deserter, the management of the savings of the company commanded by Quick, the delivery of supplies, and disciplinary matters. Noteworthy is a letter from a Sergeant Claiborne to Quick's commanding officer complaining about the default by Quick on a personal debt. Letters from a lieutenant in Quick's battalion deal with recruiting duties, the possibility of the writer's promotion, and the court-martial of the battalion commander.

Military records, 1861-1911, are divided into personal and company categories. Included in the personal section are Quick's discharge papers of 1861, his commissions as second and first lieutenant, muster rolls documenting the fact that he was mustered into those ranks, a statement of his appointment as sergeant, a certificate giving him authority to recruit for the Army, and certificates documenting his membership in the Grand Army of the Republic.

The company section contains administrative materials. An account book lists amounts of equipment and mess supplies issued to company personnel. The contraband lists give names and dates of transmittal of escaped Negro slaves. The morning reports, muster rolls, and personnel reports contain information about the soldiers in Quick's command. The general orders, some of which are printed material, represent decisions of the army high command. The special orders are from lower-ranking commanders and deal with particular local situations. The provision returns, receipts, and requisitions detail various transactions involved in equipping the company.

Of particular note are the charges and specifications and the records of proceedings of courts-martial. All are handwritten documents. There are charges related to desertion, disobedience of orders, and other offenses. Also here are the proceedings of a court-martial related to absence without leave and another related to desertion.

Legal and financial records, 1835-1903, include documents such as wills and accounts payable books. The accounts payable record details expenditures made on behalf of Lawrence Quick, who may have been a son or brother. An 1867 deed documents the sale of property by Richard G. Perry to Quick's wife, Eliza Ann. Among the wills and related documents are the will of Eliza Ann Quick, a letter testamentary related to that will, and the will of Jacob Perry. It is not clear what relationship the latter has to the rest of the collection, although it may involve the above-mentioned property sold to Quick's second wife. The certificate of non-liability for military service seems to have been issued to a relative of Eliza Ann Quick.

Memorabilia, 1857-1886, contains mostly printed material. The constitution of the Sons of Veterans is a printed document of this auxiliary of the GAR. The book of English ballads is incomplete. The phrenological analysis of George T. Quick was apparently made by a professional phrenologist.

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Arrangement of the Collection

Correspondence is arranged chronologically. Military files are subdivided into personal and company files and within that arranged alphabetically. Legal and financial records and Memorabilia are arranged alphabetically.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

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Related Material

Special Collections Research Center also has numerous collections relating to the America Civil War and to military history; please refer to the SCRC Subject Index for a complete listing. See the Sons of Veterans, New York Division, Collection for more information about this auxiliary of the GAR.

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Subject Headings

Persons

Corporate Bodies

Subjects

Places

Genres and Forms

Occupations

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

George T. Quick Papers
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Purchase, 1967.

Finding Aid Information

Created by: EFB
Date: May 1971
Revision history: Aug 1978 - revised (EL); Aug 2009 - converted to EAD (MRC); 5 Jan 2017 - fixed index code (MRC)

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Inventory

	Correspondence
Box 1		[General] 1862-1866, 1874, 1911 (5 folders)
Box 1		Envelopes

	Military
		Personal
Box 1			Certificate of authority to recruit 1864
Box 1			Certificates of the Grand Army of the Republic 1880, 1881
Box 1			Commissions 1862, 1863
Box 1			Discharges 1861
Box 1			Muster rolls 1863, 1864
Box 1			Record of service 1911
		Company
Box 1			Account book of clothing, camp and garrison equipage 1863
Box 1			Blank forms undated
Box 1			Court martials 1862 - charges and specifications, records of proceedings
Box 1			Lists of contraband 1862
Box 1			Morning reports 1862, 1863
Box 1			Muster rolls 1862, 1863
			Orders
Box 1				General 1862-1863
Box 1				Special 1862-1863
Box 1			Personnel reports 1862, 1863
Box 1			Personnel roster 1862-1863
Box 1			Provision returns, ordinance reports and invoices, clothing, camp and garrison equipage prices 1862-1863
Box 1			Receipts: ordnance, commissary, contraband 1862-1863
Box 1			Requisitions 1863
Box 1			Volunteer enlistment statement, certificate entitling discharged soldier to pay, Discharge statement, Officer's certificate of soldier's disability 1862-1863

	Legal and financial records
Box 1		Accounts payable record 1876
Box 1		Deed 1867
Box 1		Pension statements 1898-1907
Box 1		Tax receipts 1890-1895
Box 1		Wills and codicils 1835, 1890
Box 1		Miscellaneous receipts and a certificate of non-liability for military service 1850-1903

	Memorabilia
Box 1		Constitution of Sons of Veterans and a political cartoon 1886 - printed material
Box 1		Fragment of book on English ballads undated
Box 1		Phrenological analysis of George T. Quick 1857

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Selected index to correspondence

Letters to George T. Quick are marked "to GTQ."

• -----, Tom : Mar 24 1864, Camp. 124th Regt., to GTQ; Feb 11 1911, Albany, to Georg H. Quick
• [unsigned] : Jun 1863, Beaufort, SC, to Capt. R. Holmes
• [unsigned] : Oct 19 1862, Point Lookout, MD, to H. J. Van Kirk
• Barstow, Capt. Wilson : Sep 15 1862, Fort Monroe, VA, to Capt. H.C. Van Kirk; Oct 17 1862, Fort Monroe, VA, to Capt. H. J. Van Kirk; Nov 22 1862, Fort Monroe, VA, to Capt. N. Hager
• Brown, Maj. John Carter : Nov 11 1862, Yorktown, VA, to Brig. Genl. G. K. Warren; Dec 2 1862, ; Dec 16 1862, ; Feb 24 1863, Eastville, VA, to Capt. William M. Boone
• Claiborne, Sgt. J. Alfred : Oct 21 1863, Morris Island, SC, to Capt. Edward Eddy, Jr.
• Coffin, Capt. E. W. : Jan 30 1863, Yorktown, VA, to GTQ
• Confort?, Lt. Col. : Jun 23 1862, Yorktown, VA, to G. S. Halemand?
• Douds, J. Clyde : Oct 29 1862, Near Suffolk, VA, to H. J. Van Kirk
• Dunbar, Lt. C.L. : May 29 1862, Yorktown, VA, to GTQ; Jun 30 1862, Yorktown, VA, to GTQ; Jul 9 1862, Yorktown, VA, to GTQ
• Engelbert, Albert J. et al : Sep 20 1866, New York, to Carpenters and Joiners Union
• Ferris, Capt. Thad, C. : Feb 22 1863, Eastville, VA, to Maj. J. Carter Brown
• Langbein, Julius : May 27 1874, New York, to GTQ
• Parkinson, E.C. : Jul 13 1874, Boonville, NY to GTQ; Oct 17 1874, New York, to GTQ
• Pease, Lt. Harry E. : Jun 25 1863, St. Helena Island, NC, to [ ] Hughes
• Quick, Lt. George T. : Nov 10 1862, Yorktown, VA, to T. C. Ferris; May 18 1863, Beaufort, SC, to Col. Charles Halpin (2 copies); Oct 18 1863, Morris Island, to Maj. Schmitt (copy); Oct 28 1863, Morris Island, to Maj. Schmitt (copy); Nov 1863, Morris Island, to Capt. Adrian Terry; Nov 19 1863, Morris Island, to Brig. Gen. L. Thomas; Nov 29 1863, Morris Island, to Maj. M. Schmitt; Jan 8 1864, Morris Island, to Capt. W.L. M. Burger; Mar 9 1874, Nyack, to Capt. W.L. M. Burger (copy)
• Quick, Margaret : Dec 3 1863, New York, to GTQ; Dec 18 1863, New York, to GTQ; Jan 4 1864, New York, to GTQ
• Quick, William J. : Nov 30 1863, Brooklyn, to GTQ
• Ramsay, W.R. : Nov 9 1863, Beaufort, SC, to GTQ (copy)
• Rockwell, William : Feb 20 1863, Point Lookout, MD, to Maj. John Carter Brown
• Sawyer?, Charles W. et al : Nov 18 1863, Morris Island, SC, to GTQ
• Schmitt, Maj. M. : May 16 1863, Beaufort, SC, to Col. C.G. Halpin
• Smith, Joseph R. : Nov 22 1862, Washington City, to W. H. Gardner (copy)
• Topping, Edward : D. Mar 3 1864, East Moriches, to GTQ
• Tyler, Capt. C.R. : Mar 23 1863, ?Drummondtown, to GTQ
• Wagner, Clinton : Sep 18 1862, Point Lookout, MD, to [N. Hager?]; Sep 23 1862, Point Lookout, MD, to N. Hager; Sep 28 1862, [Pt. Lookout, MD, to [H. J.] Van Kirk

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