MSS 836 William H. Kemper Papers

              8M10
N I S T O R Y MSS 836
William H . Kemper Papers
114 c u b i c f o o t
P r e l i m i n a r y i n v e n t o r y
C o l l e c t i o n S y n o p s i s
P r o v e n a n c e : The Ohio H i s t o r i c a l S o c i e t y a c q u i r e d t h e William H .
Kemper P a p e r s from Robert Klol t e s , Columbus, Ohio, i n August 1949;
and William H . Kemper, L a n c a s t e r , Ohio, i n August 1 9 5 5 . B a r b a r a
Floyd p r o c e s s e d t h e c o l l e c t i o n i n December 1983.
P r o p e r t y r i g h t s : The Ohio H i s t o r i c a l S o c i e t y owns t h e p r o p e r t y
r i g h t s t o t h i s c o l l e c t i o n . .
C o p y r i g h t s : C o p y r i g h t s have n o t been d e d i c a t e d t o t h e p u b l i c .
C o n s i d e r a t i o n of t h e r e q u i r e m e n t s of c o p y r i g h t i s t h e r e s p o n s i -
b i l i t y of t h e a u t h o r and p u b l i s h e r .
Access: T h i s c o l l e c t i o n i s open under t h e r u l e s and r e g u l a t i o n s
of t h e Ohio H i s t o r i c a l S o c i e t y .
C i t a t i o n : R e s e a r c h e r s a r e r e q u e s t e d t o c i t e c o l l e c t i o n name,
c o l l e c t i o n number, a n d t h e Ohio H i s t o r i c a l S o c i e t y i n a l l f o o t -
note and bib1 i o g r a p h i c r e f e r e n c e s .
B i o g r a p h i c a l s k e t c h : William H a r r i s o n Kemper was born i n I n d i a n a
on December 1 6 , 1839. He s t u d i e d m e d i c i n e i n G r e e n b u r g , I n d i a n a ,
u n t i l A p r i l 1861, when he e n l i s t e d i n t h e 7 t h I n d i a n a Regiment,
Company B , t o f i g h t in t h e C i v i l War. In September 1861 he e n l i s t e d
in t h e 1 7 t h I n d i a n a Regiment a s a h o s p i t a l s t e w a r d r e s p o n s i b l e f o r
d i s p e n s i n g m e d i c i n e , and on F e b r u a r y 20, 1 8 6 3 , was a p p o i n t e d
a s s i s t a n t s u r g e o n . Kemper s e r v e d i n t h e army u n t i l August 1864,
when he r e t u r n e d t o I n d i a n a .
A f t e r c o m p l e t i n g h i s medical s t u d i e s a t t h e U n i v e s s i t y of Michigan
and Long I s l a n d Medical C o l l e g e , Kemper e s t a b l i s h e d a medical
p r a c t i c e i n Muncie, I n d i a n a , which he c o n t i n u e d f o r o v e r f i f t y y e a r s
He w r o t e on many medical t o p i c s , e s p e c i a l l y m e d i c i n e d u r i n g t h e
C i v i l War. Kemper p u b l i s h e d a pamphlet e n t i t l e d " The 7 t h I n d i a n a
V o l u n t e e r s in t h e Three Months E n l i s t m e n t " d e s c r i b i n g t h e r e g i m e n t ' s
s e r v i c e i n West V i r g i n i a , and a h i s t o r y of Delaware County, I n d i a n a .
He a l s o s e r v e d as o f f i c i a l h i s t o r i a n f o r t h e I n d i a n a Medical
S o c i e r y .
S o u r c e : The William H. Kemper P a p e r s , MSS 8 3 6 , t h e Ohio H i s t o r i c a l
S o c i e t y .
Scope a n d c o n t e n t : The William H. Kemper P a p e r s d a t e from 1861 t o
1925 and occupy o n e - q u a r t e r c u b i c f o o t . The c o l l e c t i o n c o n s i s t s
of a two- voluiiie d i a r y kept by Kemper, 1861- 1868; a t y p e s c r i p t copy
of t h i s d i a r y ; and l e t t e r s and newspaper c l i p p i n g s . M i s c e l l a n e o u s
m a t e r i a l i s f i l e d l a s t .
OHIO WlSTORICAL SOCIETY
1982 Vdma Avcnue. Coiurnbus. Ohio 43211- 2497 ph: 614247.2300 rx: 614.297.2411
www. ahiohistory. org