Stuart R. Christie
Civil War Letters to Dedham from the Lathrop Brothers
During the American Civil War, scores of Dedham men proudly answered the call to serve in the Union cause. They sent numerous letters back to Dedham describing their lives in camp and in battle. Fortunately, hundreds of these letters were kept and subsequently donated to the Dedham Museum and Archive for preservation. One set of these letters, from the three Lathrop brothers, have been compiled into a book entitled My Dear Mother: Civil War Letters to Dedham from the Lathrop Brothers. Stuart Christie, who transcribed these letters, will talk about this amazing family, whose members were the descendants of the first Puritan minister in Situate and some of whom continued to live in Dedham into the mid-20th century. He will also discuss the letters themselves and will read some of the highlights of these letters and share the findings he made while going through these letters.
Stuart R. Christie (stuartchristie76@gmail.com) worked as a docent at the Fairbanks House in Dedham for 10 years and has served on the Boards of the Dedham Museum and Archive (formerly the Dedham Historical Society) and the Partnership of Historic Bostons. He is a member of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts and the Olde Colony Civil War Roundtable. Based on letters transcribed by Stuart over a three year period, the DHSM recently published a book entitled My Dear Mother: Civil War Letters to Dedham from the Lathrop Brothers. These letters were written by the three brothers from Dedham, who served in the Union Army. Stuart is currently working on a book based on his experiences in the Vietnam War.
