Lyman C. Draper

As a collector of paper currency, I stumbled upon this note/paycheck at a Lynn Knight currency show many years ago in Memphis, Tennessee. I purchased the note from a private vendor and had no idea who Lyman Draper was, my interest was that the note had a Wisconsin connection - Specifically, the Wisconsin Historical Society. Having been busy in my career at the time, I had very little time to understand my new treasure or research Lyman Draper. So, I did what many other collectors do…. I tucked it away and saved it for another day.

Draper was born September 4th, 1815, in Lockport, N.Y. A small person who attained the height of just 5’ 1”, weighing in at about 100 lbs. He was high in energy and initiative and a giant in the collection of manuscripts and written stories. In his teens, Draper impressed and began working for Peter Remsen, who was his cousin’s husband, and an entrepreneur in business ventures including, farming, land speculation, whiskey, and cotton. Remsen financed Draper in his pursuit of gathering historical information, genealogy, and manuscripts of prominent figures wherever Remsen’s businesses took him; Mobile, Philadelphia, Baltimore, New York.

Daniel Steele Durrie.
State Historical Society of
WI Librarian. 1856-1892

Upon Remsen’s death in 1852, Draper moved to Wisconsin. In 1854 he was appointed Corresponding Secretary of the small State Historical Society of Wisconsin. Draper worked at an incredible pace gathering mass amounts of manuscripts throughout his frequent travels. He felt it important to preserve everything he obtained. In 1873, Draper was not boasting when he said, “we may excel the British Museum in the extent and completeness of our collections”. By 1883 Draper and librarian Daniel Steele Durrie, boasted a collection of over one hundred thousand items!

Regarding Lyman Drapers’ genealogical impact, Durrie is quoted to say; “the gathering of genealogical data was almost always incidental to his historical and biographical studies”. They felt that genealogy became a patriotic duty for a country so great as the USA. “To trace the history of our ancestors and transmit a record of their deeds is a duty we owe to the past and the future.” These men would have been in awe of the genealogical resources available in today’s world. In a few minutes time I was able to trace some of Lyman Drapers’ ancestry to 13th century England through; https://www.familysearch.org/en/. There are several other great sources to do genealogical research as well, like; https://www.ancestry.com/, and more. I hope those of you who have an interest in your personal ancestry take time to dig into it one day.

Now let us discuss the beautiful note/paycheck made out to Lyman Draper. I showed the note to Advanced Currency Collector and NOW member Tom Snyder, for his analysis. I also sent a copy of the note to Jonathan Nelson, Collection Development Archivist at the Wisconsin Historical Society. Both gentlemen provided a treasure of information!

As you look at the note from left to right you will see in the lower left-hand corner: Chapter 422 Laws of 1865; this was the law that authorized the annual pay to Lyman Draper of $600.00.

This paycheck represents a quarterly payment ($150) for January through March 1865.

The note has a Federal 2 cent Tax stamp attached to it. (Nothing is certain except Death and Taxes!) Notice that Draper had initialed and dated the stamp as well. Beneath the stamp you will see a partial seal of Wisconsin with the word FORWARD on it, very similar to our seal today.

In the center of the check, you will notice Lyman Draper personally signed it just under the red script lettering.

The hand-written words at the lower center of the check states it is his salary as Corresponding Secretary of the State Historical Society.

In the lower right-hand corner, it is signed by E. A. Spencer, an assistant to the Secretary of State.

Lucius Fairchild

The actual Secretary of State at the time was Lucius Fairchild 1864-1866, who served a distinguished career in the US Civil war and retired as a Brigadier General in the Wisconsin Iron Brigade after losing his left arm in a battle at Gettysburg. Fairchild went on to serve WI as Governor for (3) consecutive terms 1866-1872.

The note contains a single punch confirming that the note had been cashed and paid to Mr. Draper.

The paper the check was printed on was standard paper used for checks during that time period. Printing method was lithography. Merriam Webster defines it as the process of printing from a plane surface (such as a smooth stone or metal plate) on which the image to be printed is ink-receptive and the blank area ink repellent.

In the upper right-hand corner is the date April 10, 1865.

The month of April 1865 must be considered among the most important months in our country’s history. Below is an interesting timeline of the historical events taking place as this check was written.

The end of the Civil War!

April 9, 1865- Robert E. Lee surrenders! (One day before this check was signed)

April 10, 1865- Lyman Draper receives & cashes check $150.00 Salary Compensation WI State Historical Society. $150 in 1865 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $2,650.00 today. (CPI Inflation calculator) Annualized at an amount of about $10,600.00 per year. My belief is the dollar went further in 1865 than it does today.

April 14, 1865- President Abraham Lincoln is assassinated by actor John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theater in Washington, DC. On the same day, Fort Sumter, South Carolina is re-occupied by Union troops. (Four days after the date on this check) (Lincoln died April 15) April 26, 1865- General Joseph Johnston signs the surrender document for the Confederate Army of the Tennessee and miscellaneous southern troops attached to his command at Bennett's Place near Durham, North Carolina.

May 4, 1865- General Richard Taylor surrenders Confederate forces in the Department of Alabama, Mississippi and East Louisiana.

May 10, 1865- Confederate President Jefferson Davis is captured near Irwinville, Georgia. (Exactly one month after the date on the check) May 12, 1865- The final battle of the Civil War takes place at Palmito Ranch, Texas. It is a Confederate victory.

May 23, 1865- The Grand Review of the Army of the Potomac, Washington, DC

May 24, 1865- The Grand Review of General Sherman's Army, Washington, DC

May 26, 1865- General Simon Bolivar Buckner enters into terms for surrender of the Army of the Trans-Mississippi.

June 2, 1865- Above terms are agreed upon. The Civil War officially ends.

___________________________

Lyman Draper was the driving force behind the country’s greatest state historical society Wisconsin. If Draper was able to retain this canceled check, I believe he would have preserved it.

Research and cataloguing on the Draper manuscripts still needs to be done. His vast collection of personal stories and life in those days is invaluable. Draper and his work will always represent an important contribution to Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Historical Society. If you want further information about Draper and the Wisconsin Historical Society, there are various memoirs and biographies of Draper available through the Society’s Library.

Much of the information gathered for this story is credited to the Wisconsin Magazine of History published by the Wisconsin Historical Society, Spring 2013, ‘The Roots of Wisconsin Genealogy’. Other information was gathered from excerpts of “The Draper Manuscripts” by Josephine Harper, Copyright 1983 by The State Historical Society of Wisconsin, and the Magazine of Western History, January 1887, ‘A Biographical Sketch of Lyman Draper’, by Ruben G. Thwaites.

Deepest Thanks and credit for this article goes to friend Tom Snyder of the Waukesha Coin Club, and Jonathan Nelson, Collection Development Archivist of the Wisconsin Historical Society.

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