About

Here you will find a unique collection of previously unpublished letters describing facts and feelings about slavery and the civil war as seen from the grassroots level in Reading, Pennsylvania. The author was an idealistic Englishman who came over to America when he was 22 years old, became a citizen and lived and worked here for the rest of his life.

Our Highlights section is designed to appeal to the widest possible range of visitors to extend our findings to interested members of the general public.

The Library of Congress is the biggest and arguably the most prestigious library in the world. It is custodian of historic materials of all kinds and from many periods and now holds all the original materials from the Thomas Jackson collection.