Crowdsourcing at the Library of Congress: New Civil War campaign, Pride Month & a big milestone

By the People Bulletin

NEW! Correspondence of Civil War Judge Joseph Holt 

We've launched a new Civil War collection: over 32,000 pages of the correspondence of Joseph Holt. Holt served as a newspaper editor, lawyer, and political figure in his home state of Kentucky, and then as commissioner of patents, postmaster general, and secretary of war in the James Buchanan administration. Though a southerner and a Democrat, Holt supported the Union during the Civil War, which put him at odds with much of his slave owning family in the South.

In September 1862, President Abraham Lincoln appointed Holt as judge advocate general of the United States Army to oversee military commissions with jurisdiction over military and civilian offenders, and provide guidance on military law. Holt spent long hours with Lincoln reviewing courts-martial cases requiring the president’s attention. The most controversial of Holt’s duties involved collecting evidence and trying by military commission the conspirators charged with the assassination of Abraham Lincoln in 1865. 

A large part of the campaign are Holt's personal correspondence-including some letters in French from romantic partners and friends. Holt was married twice, first to Mary Harrison and then to Margaret Wickliffe, and the campaign contains their letters as well. Contribute to our knowledge of Holt's personal and public life by transcribing his letters.

Review Walt Whitman's papers for Pride Month

Volunteers have transcribed all of the pages in our latest Walt Whitman campaign but we still need help with review! You can finish the crucial final step by checking transcribed pages for accuracy and completeness. In celebration of Pride Month, help review the letters to and from Whitman and his long-time love: Peter Doyle. You can find them here and here. Whitman met the streetcar conductor Peter Doyle in Washington, DC towards the end of the Civil War in 1865. The pair spent hours and days together in Washington, taking long hikes outside of the city, patronizing local bars, and sitting for several photographs. Their loving relationship and correspondence would continue for decades-help make their letters more accessible by reviewing their transcriptions!  

Volunteers transcribe 500,000 pages! 

As of May 2022, By the People volunteers have completed over 500,000 pages! A big thank you to everyone who has helped us reach this incredible accomplishment in the four years of our program. You have transcribed and reviewed pages that represent some of the most significant parts of history, written to and from and about the well-known and little-known. Take a look at our campaigns page and marvel in all the work you've done to complete so much! 

Warmly,

Abby & the By the People team