University Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

The items in the Digital Collections of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library contain materials which represent or depict sensitive topics or were written from perspectives using outdated or biased language. The Library condemns discrimination and hatred on any grounds. As a research library that supports the mission and values of this land grant institution, it is incumbent upon the University Library to preserve, describe, and provide access to materials to accurately document our past, support learning about it, and effect change in the present. In accordance with the American Library Association’s Freedom to Read statement, we do not censor our materials or prevent patrons from accessing them.

If you have questions regarding this statement or any content in the Library’s digital collections, please contact digitalcollections@lists.illinois.edu

American Library Association’s Freedom to Read Statement

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Carrie E. Ober Letter (Digitized Content)

The digitized content of the Carrie E. Ober Letter consists of one letter from Carrie Ober to her cousin, Isa.

Carrie E. Ober and her husband, Albert Ober, moved from Beverly, Massachusetts, to Three Oaks, Michigan, around 1870. The recipient of her letter, Carrie’s cousin Ida, lived in Massachusetts. Three Oaks is a village in Southwest Michigan that had a stop on a high-traffic route of the Michigan Central Railroad.

The digitized content contains one letter dated October 14, 1871, from Carrie Ober to her cousin, Isa. The letter describes the outbreak of fires in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Illinois, including the Great Chicago Fire, and recounts details such as causalities and acres of land burned.

The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections unit at the University of Illinois Library manages the physical items of the Carrie E. Ober Letter (MS 1059). The collection was completely digitized in 2020. For more information, contact an archivist at ihlc@library.illinois.edu.