We recently received a donation of letters (1861-1863) written by three members of the Dorr family who lived at 187 Franklin Street in the 19th century. Rufus B. Dorr, a blacksmith, and his wife, Eliza Perkins Dorr, purchased the house in 1845. Three of their sons – Nathan, Levi, and Francis enlisted in the Union Army during the Civil War. Nathan and Levi made it home; Francis died in Louisiana.

The six letters are all to the Dorrs’ relative, Charles Henry Perkins, in Plympton. Three are from Nathan while he was a soldier in the 18th Massachusetts; 2 are from Levi while he was a soldier in the 13th Massachusetts; and 1 is from their mother, Eliza.

All the letters are open to researchers, as are the many other Civil War letters in our collections. We are so appreciative of the donor for this wonderful addition to the Archives and Duxbury history