Scope and Contents James D. Hope (1811-1890s) was a farmer from Maryland. Through the Civil War, he and his family seem to have primarily been Confederate sympathizers. However, one son, Thomas Benton Hope (c. 1838-1864) moved to Scott County, Illinois prior to 1861 and enlisted with the Union Army, serving as a private in Company K of the 14th Illinois Infantry. Thomas Hope died of illness at Jefferson Barracks in 1864. The Hope Family letters collection contains three letters, written by different...