Information Sheet
R Doran, John Harvey.
582 Journal, 1864-1865.
One volume.
This is the
journal of John Harvey Doran, a carpenter and builder at Springfield,
Greene County, Missouri.
The brief entries in his journal concern his business activities, news
of family and friends, and events at Springfield
from 13 August 1864 to 24 September 1865.
John Harvey
Doran’s business appears to have been good during the period covered by his
journal. He framed houses, installed
window glass, completed various carpentry projects, and worked on a new mill
building for customers including C. B. Holland, Joseph Gott, A. G. Leedy, and
Charles Moss. He also made coffins for
several individuals, one of whom was a refugee.
He worked alone and with A. G. Leedy in the firm styled Leedy &
Doran.
Doran’s journal
includes several entries concerning the military activities around Springfield in September
and October 1864. Doran was called out
with the local militia during Sterling Price’s Missouri Expedition, and, until
the emergency passed, spent much of his time working on Fort No. 5 on the
eastern side of town. He also performed
guard duties. There is an unexplained
gap in the journal from 24 October 1864 through 12 January 1865. There is considerably less military news in
the entries for 1865, reflecting the winding down of the war in Missouri, but
Doran did note his enrollment in the newly-constituted Missouri Militia, the
firing of cannons to celebrate the captures in Virginia of Petersburg and
Richmond, the receipt of the news of Lincoln’s assassination and the closure of
business houses in Springfield on the following day, and the military execution of one Brownlee. In August 1865, Doran attended the trial of
James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok (whom he called “Haycock”) for the killing of
Dave Tutt, but did not elaborate on the trial or its outcome.
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