{"id":7686,"date":"2025-03-03T22:27:06","date_gmt":"2025-03-04T03:27:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dixonhistory.com\/news\/?p=7686"},"modified":"2025-03-04T21:21:03","modified_gmt":"2025-03-05T02:21:03","slug":"great-chicago-fire-letter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dixonhistory.com\/news\/great-chicago-fire-letter\/","title":{"rendered":"An Old Letter Helps Understand the Chicago Fire"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Old, forgotten letters tucked away long ago in attics and closets often illuminate the past in ways that history books and newspapers cannot. They capture the voices of individuals, bringing history to life in personal and unique ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"letter<\/a>
An 1871 letter discusses the Great Chicago Fire and the business of the customs house in Galena, IL (Letter courtesy of Mary McGreevy)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

 A recent assignment in one of my classes reminded me of this when Kylie Redding, one of my students, undertook a primary document analysis.  Asked to find and analyze an original piece of historical evidence, she discovered a remarkable 154-year-old letter carefully preserved by her grandmother, Mary McGreevy.  Mrs. McGreevy had discovered it decades earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This letter, dated October 10, 1871\u2014just two days after the Great Chicago Fire<\/a> was penned by John W. Wann, a young clerk at the Galena, Illinois Customs House.1<\/a><\/sup>,<\/sup>2<\/a><\/sup>,<\/sup>3<\/a><\/sup> Addressed to his sister in Harford County, Maryland, the correspondence offers both a glimpse into the 24-year-old \u00a0government clerk\u2019s life that autumn and an account of one of America\u2019s most devastating urban disasters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John began by apologizing for his delayed response, explaining that he had been preoccupied with overseeing the customs house since his uncle (Daniel Wann),4<\/a><\/sup>,<\/sup>5<\/a><\/sup> Col. Stephenson (the supervising inspector) and Captain Gordon (the local inspector), were absent. With a blend of youthful confidence and humor, he remarked that their absence left him in charge of the entire business of the U.S. Government at the customs port, making him feel like a \u201crather important person.\u201d Yet he admitted there wasn\u2019t much to do\u2014leaving him ample time to write letters. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Great Chicago Fire<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Turning to the catastrophe that gripped the nation, John described the Great Chicago Fire \u00a0as \u201cthe largest ever known in the U.S.\u201d \u00a0His matter-of-fact tone belied the gravity of the tragedy unfolding 160 miles away.\u00a0 He recounted how flames had swept through the entire business district of Chicago, leaving 100,000 residents homeless and unemployed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To convey the staggering scale of destruction, he wrote that a single commercial house, C. B. Farwell\u00a0 & Co., had suffered $1.5 million in damages\u2014one of many businesses devastated by the inferno. In response to this immense suffering, neighboring towns and cities, including Galena, quickly mobilized relief, cooking meals and sending provisions to those in need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most compelling are the eyewitness accounts John relayed from his young friends who rushed from Galena to Chicago to assist the stricken city. They described the scene during the fire as unforgettable:\u00a0 \u201ceverything in the wildest confusion.\u201d\u00a0 A Heavy gale had fanned the flames, spreading destruction so quickly that most residents had no time to save even their clothing.\u00a0 Families were separated in the chaos\u2014”some screaming, some praying, and some swearing.\u201d Adding to the terror, thieves, looters, and gamblers preyed upon those homes that the flames had not yet consumed. \u00a0John described it as \u201cthe most awful spectacle ever witnessed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Letters Help Understand the Past<\/h2>\n\n\n\n


In our current age of text messages, emails and other forms of digital communication, it is easy to overlook the historical value of handwritten correspondence.\u00a0 Yet letters like John W. Wann\u2019s offer a unique perspective on the past that no secondary source can provide.\u00a0 They allow us to see events\u2014like the Great Chicago Fire\u2014through the eyes of those who lived through them, capturing the facts, emotions, fears, and resilience of people involved.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But beyond documenting monumental events, letters also illuminate everyday lives, revealing mundane details, personal relationships, and individual narratives that history books often neglect. These personal glimpses into history are invaluable for researchers, students, and anyone seeking a deeper understanding of earlier times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John W. Wann\u2019s letter is just one example of how personal correspondence can deepen our understanding of the past. By seeking out, studying, and preserving these documents we ensure that the words of ordinary people\u2014voices that might otherwise be lost to history\u2014continue to be heard. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Notes<\/h2>\n\n\n
  1. “The Late John W. Wann,”Galena Daily Gazette,<\/em> October 10, 1889, Galena Daily Gazette (1873-1953) 10 October 1889 \u2014 Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections<\/a>. Wann, 44, passed away in Sioux City, Iowa on October 6, 1889. He was born in Bel Air, MD., and enlisted in the Union Army at the age of 17. At the close of his service, Wann moved to Galena, ILL \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  2. Register of Officers and Agents, Civil, Military and Naval in the Service of the United States on the thirtieth September 1869, <\/strong>(Washington: Government Printing Office, 1870), 101, https:\/\/www.google.com\/books\/edition\/Official_Register\/CQM3AQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22john+w.+wann%22&pg=PA101&printsec=frontcover. \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  3. United States Census Bureau, Ninth Census of the United States, 1870 (Galena, IL), \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  4. “Death of a Venerable Citizen,” Galena Daily Gazette, <\/em>May 11,1870. Galena Daily Gazette (1873-1953) 11 May 1870 \u2014 Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections<\/a>. Daniel Wann, originally from Harford County, was the surveyor of customs at Galena \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  5. History of Jo Daviess County, Illinois (Chicago: H.F. Kett & Co., 1878), https:\/\/www.google.com\/books\/edition\/The_History_of_Jo_Daviess_County_Illinoi\/gWYOAAAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=wann. 654. \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Old, forgotten letters tucked away long ago in attics and closets often illuminate the past in ways that history books and newspapers cannot. They capture the voices of individuals, bringing history to life in personal and unique ways.  A recent assignment in one of my classes reminded me of this when Kylie Redding, one of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"[{\"content\":\"\\\"The Late John W. Wann,\\\"Galena Daily Gazette,<\/em> October 10, 1889, Galena Daily Gazette (1873-1953) 10 October 1889 \u2014 Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections<\/a>. Wann, 44, passed away in Sioux City, Iowa on October 6, 1889. He was born in Bel Air, MD., and enlisted in the Union Army at the age of 17. At the close of his service, Wann moved to Galena, ILL \",\"id\":\"0edc7f8c-e8b3-4c5f-9b59-8227f0ed0d7f\"},{\"content\":\"Register of Officers and Agents, Civil, Military and Naval in the Service of the United States on the thirtieth September 1869, <\/strong>(Washington: Government Printing Office, 1870), 101, https:\/\/www.google.com\/books\/edition\/Official_Register\/CQM3AQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22john+w.+wann%22&pg=PA101&printsec=frontcover.\",\"id\":\"ace9e487-4dda-44b3-958e-2f0cf9404ef9\"},{\"content\":\"United States Census Bureau, Ninth Census of the United States, 1870 (Galena, IL), \",\"id\":\"5e02ecfe-42fd-46b9-93b6-ee0fa0ab4848\"},{\"content\":\"\\\"Death of a Venerable Citizen,\\\" Galena Daily Gazette, <\/em>May 11,1870. Galena Daily Gazette (1873-1953) 11 May 1870 \u2014 Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections<\/a>. 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Yet in 1913, this merchandising giant received an unusual letter from the Colonial Stores Company in Canton, China, seeking to purchase an apparatus for executing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Criminal Justice"","block_context":{"text":"Criminal Justice","link":"https:\/\/www.dixonhistory.com\/news\/category\/criminal-justice\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"electric chair","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dixonhistory.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/20250116_111729aa.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":869,"url":"https:\/\/www.dixonhistory.com\/news\/talking-about-the-mason-dixon-line\/","url_meta":{"origin":7686,"position":2},"title":"Talking About the Mason Dixon Line: The Stories Behind a Geographic Boundary at Docent’s Workshop","author":"Mike","date":"February 19, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"I was pleased to talk about how to interpret the history of the Mason-Dixon Line at the Frederick Historic Sites Consortium's Master Docent Series Workshop on February 16. This was the 22nd year for the program, which is geared toward providing educational opportunities that help volunteers working in museums share\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Programs"","block_context":{"text":"Programs","link":"https:\/\/www.dixonhistory.com\/news\/category\/programs\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dixonhistory.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/frederick-051.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dixonhistory.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/frederick-051.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dixonhistory.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/frederick-051.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dixonhistory.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/frederick-051.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dixonhistory.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/frederick-051.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dixonhistory.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/frederick-051.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2517,"url":"https:\/\/www.dixonhistory.com\/news\/effort-to-save-levi-coppin-school\/","url_meta":{"origin":7686,"position":3},"title":"Effort to Save Levi Coppin School Continues as State Reopens Review Process","author":"Mike","date":"September 2, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"CECILTON \u2013 September 2, 2020 \u2013 The demolition plan for the Levi Coppin School in Cecilton is being reassessed as a \"post-review discovery\" under section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, according to the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD).\u00a0 Some months earlier, a determination had been\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "African American History"","block_context":{"text":"African American History","link":"https:\/\/www.dixonhistory.com\/news\/category\/african-american-history\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dixonhistory.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/57049729_2261879270743654_5294538165829238784_n.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dixonhistory.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/57049729_2261879270743654_5294538165829238784_n.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dixonhistory.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/57049729_2261879270743654_5294538165829238784_n.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1488,"url":"https:\/\/www.dixonhistory.com\/news\/delaware-maryland-freedmens-bureau-field-office-records-now-available-online\/","url_meta":{"origin":7686,"position":4},"title":"Delaware & Maryland Freedmen\u2019s Bureau Field Office Records Now Available Online","author":"Mike","date":"June 19, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Juneteenth, dating back to June 19th, 1865, commemorates the end of slavery in the United States and many communities across the nation hold special celebrations.\u00a0 In observance of this day, FamilySearch has announced the release of additional online Freedmen\u2019s Bureau Records.\u00a0 The new\u00a0additions are currently viewable as digital images but\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"A letter from Georgetown, DE, dated April 11, 1867, to Col. Rutherford of the Freedmen's Bureau","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dixonhistory.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/2014-06-19_10-15-54-300x220.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":626,"url":"https:\/\/www.dixonhistory.com\/news\/searching-for-the-first-draft-of-history-overseeing-the-process-of-finding-lessons-about-the-war-of-1812-in-stacks-of-old-newspapers\/","url_meta":{"origin":7686,"position":5},"title":"Searching for the First Draft of History: Overseeing the Process of Finding Lessons About the War of 1812 in Stacks of Old Newspapers","author":"Mike","date":"April 15, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Local papers have brought up-to-date information to residents of Havre de Grace since the early 1800s.\u00a0But on that day in May 1813 when the British\u00a0stormed into the fishing village, almost completely destroying it, there wasn\u2019t a local weekly to tell people about one of the biggest stories in the annals\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Research Resources"","block_context":{"text":"Research Resources","link":"https:\/\/www.dixonhistory.com\/news\/category\/research-resources\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/delmarvahistory.files.wordpress.com\/2012\/04\/havre-de-grace-newspaper-490.jpg?w=350&h=200&crop=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dixonhistory.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7686","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dixonhistory.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dixonhistory.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dixonhistory.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dixonhistory.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7686"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.dixonhistory.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7686\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dixonhistory.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dixonhistory.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7686"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dixonhistory.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}