Guide to the Papers of James Veech, 1793-1879
- Repository
- Heinz History Center
- Title
- Papers of James Veech
- Creator
- Veech, James (1808-1879)
- Collection Number
- MSS#147
- Extent
- .5 cubic feet (1 box)
- Date
- 1793-1879
- Abstract
- James Veech was a prominent Western Pennsylvania author, politician, lawyer and historian. These papers include correspondence, speeches, news clippings and scrapbooks documenting James Veech's work and interest in history in the 1850s and 1860s.
- Language
- The material in this collection is in English.
- Sponsor
- This finding aid has been encoded as a part of the Historic Pittsburgh project a joint effort of the University of Pittsburgh and the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Funding for this portion of the project has been donated by the Hillman Foundation.
- Publisher
- Heinz History Center
- Address
- 1212 Smallman St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
library@heinzhistorycenter.org
URL: https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org
Biographical Sketch of James Veech (1808-1879)
James Veech was a prominent Western Pennsylvania author, politician, lawyer and historian. He was born in Menallen Township (Fayette County), Pennsylvania on September 18, 1808 and graduated from Jefferson College in Canonsburg (Washington County), Pennsylvania in 1827. Veech studied law under James Todd and was admitted to the Fayette County Bar in 1831. He practiced law in Uniontown, the county seat of Fayette County, until 1834 when he was appointed Assistant District Attorney for Allegheny County by Governor Ritner, and moved to Pittsburgh. In 1838, Veech returned to Uniontown where he was resumed his legal career. Veech was an unsuccessful candidate for political offices twice in the 1850s, losing an 1855 election for United States Senator and an 1857 election for Supreme Court Judge.
As early as 1859, Veech developed an interest in history and, in that year, he compiled newspapers clippings documenting early life, politics, and the Whiskey Rebellion in Uniontown and Pittsburgh. During the Civil War, Veech was active as both a paymaster of the Union Army in Uniontown at the outbreak of the war, and as an organizer of the Pittsburgh Sanitary Fair held in 1864. The Sanitary Fair raised money for the United States Sanitary Commission that supplied medical supplies to Union hospitals and to individual regiments fighting in the Civil War. The Pittsburgh Sanitary Fair raised money for this cause by selling all types of wares from flowers, meats and cheese, to boots, kitchen furniture and carts. Veech was appointed as chairman of the Fair's Old Curiosity Shop and Old Arms Trophies of War Committees and served on the Foreign Corresponding and library committees.
Veech retired from active life in 1872 and moved to Emsworth (Allegheny County), Pennsylvania, an Ohio River suburb of Pittsburgh. He died on December 11, 1879 and was buried in Union Cemetery in Uniontown, Pennsylvania.
Scope and Content Notes
These papers include correspondence, speeches, news clippings and scrapbooks documenting James Veech's work and interest in history in the 1850s and 1860s. The Correspondence primarily dates from the Civil War and documents his role as organizer of the Pittsburgh Sanitary Fair and his general concerns about the war. Incoming letters in 1861 provide a sense of the apprehension of Western Pennsylvania residents over raising troops and their close proximity to the state of Virginia. Correspondence about the Sanitary Fair is more prevalent and includes letters written to Veech about his appointment to the Fair, his duties, and copies of letters and mailings that were sent to people concerning the Fair and general medical conditions of the soldiers. Also of note with material on the Sanitary Fair are printed invitations, programs, and other ephemeral items related to the Fair. Other material includes correspondence with political and legal colleagues prior to 1858, and an exchange of letters between Veech and the Reverend Auron Williams concerning their health and general greetings. Of note are letters written around 1855 concerning changes in the Pennsylvania Constitution as it relates to the election of Senators.
Speeches and Writings include numerous legal and historical pieces that Veech prepared as speeches or as articles in Uniontown and Pittsburgh Newspapers. Veech's speech on the First Anglo-Saxon Settlement west of the Alleghenies, that was given at the opening of the Fayette County Railroad on July 4, 1859, recounts the history of Fayette County through 1859, as well as the significance of opening the railroad. Veech in 1859 prepared two scrapbooks that documented everyday life, politics, and the Whiskey Rebellion in Pittsburgh and Uniontown. These scrapbooks are indexed and include clippings from newspapers such as The Pittsburgh Gazette, The Fayette Gazette, and The Genius of Liberty. The first scrapbook documents everyday life in early Western Pennsylvania and include articles, notices and advertisements on the sale of land, military activities, crimes, health issues, and slavery. Of note are clippings documenting the advertisements for runaway slaves that include physical descriptions, their work skills, and the reward for their return that ran as high as $100. Special sections are arranged at the end of the scrapbook for clippings specifically about Allegheny, Greene and Washington Counties and the city of McKeesport (Allegheny County), Pennsylvania. The second scrapbook includes information on Western Pennsylvania politics, government, and the Whiskey Rebellion of 1794. The political information primarily includes clippings documenting trials, marriages, and the activities of government officials. Whiskey Rebellion materials include articles about the disturbances and clippings of public announcements in newspapers that support the authority of tax collections.
Arrangement
The James Veech Papers are housed in one archival box and are arranged alphabetically by folder title with scrapbooks arranged to the rear.
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
These materials came in one accession in 1923.
Acc# 1923x Gift of Rebecca L. Veech (Papers).
Preferred Citation
Papers of James Veech, 1793-1879, MSS# 147, Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Stephanie Riccardi on November 22, 1994. Papers rearranged and inventory rewritten by Renee Savits on August 27, 1997.
Revision and rearrangement for the encoded version of the finding aid provided by Doug MacGregor on July 20, 2001.
Conditions Governing Use
Property rights reside with the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permissions to reproduce or publish, please contact the curator of the Archives.
Subjects
- Veech, James (1808-1879)
- Washington, George (1732-1799)
- Emsworth (Allegheny County), Pa.-- SLC
- Fayette County (Pa.) -- Social Life and Customs
- Pittsburgh (Pa.) -- Social Life and Customs
- United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Civilian relief
- United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Health aspects
- Newspapers -- Pennsylvania
- Railroads -- Pennsylvania -- Fayette County
- Whiskey Rebellion, Pa., 1794
- Pittsburgh Sanitary Fair, 1864