Paul Perryman

The Letters

Cal Dymowsky

WJAR 10's Cal Dymowski reports a Rhode Island man with ties to Long Island, New York has donated nearly 100 letters from a family member's time in the Civil War.

Riverside man donates nearly 100 Civil War letters to New York historical society

(WJAR) — From a shoe box in Rhode Island to a historical society on Long Island, Civil War history is living on through nearly 100 century-and-a-half old letters.

"They'd just been in an old, pink kid's shoe box for I don't how long!" said Paul Perryman of Riverside.

Perryman's family has long been the keeper of 97 letters from the Civil War.

The messages were written by his ancestor Frederick Wright, Sr., an Islip, New York resident who served in the Civil War. Historians say he served in the Second New York Cavalry for the Union, holding many different titles, like a guard, cook and a hospital orderly.

Perryman, whose familial ties in that area of New York run deep, said the letters were a family heirloom of his mother's, until she passed away in 2008.

When she did, a buyer lined up, but Perryman and his sister declined to sell.

"We didn't ask what he was offering. We just knew we didn't want to profit off of something that has been saved by the family for so long," he said. "We decided to donate them to the Historical Society of Islip Hamlet, that way [the letters] would be preserved and people would have access [to them.]"

The letters describe Wright's time in the cavalry from 1862 to 1865. The writings are addressed to Wright's wife, Phoebe. Perryman said he's read through them.

"He told of dealing with the amputees, carrying body parts, and seeing all of that blood and guts," he said.

Robert Finnegan is the founder of the historical society, now home to the letters. He said Wright's words provide great insight into a local man.

"[The letters'] significance to us is that they are original letters from a common solider, a cavalry solider, from Islip. In those letters, he talks about other people who resided on the South Shore of Long Island," Finnegan told NBC 10.

As for the handwriting itself in the letters, Finnegan is transcribing the script.

"His handwriting and cursive were very good!" he exclaimed. "He had some spelling errors, but there was literally no punctuation."

Finnegan plans to create a book to use for educational purposes, showing what he says will be the encrypted versions and the transcriptions.

Members of the Suffolk County Historical Society have pitched in to help, as well. The team there helped with document preservation and enhancing copies. Finnegan said it took the letters three weeks to "relax" when the crews laid them out.

They're now in a temperature-controlled environment, where once given the green light, will be open to people to see, via appointment.

WNBC contributed to this report.