Account ledger, 1860-1869

The Edward D. Sweeney account ledger, 1860-1869, primarily contains the business records of Edward Sweeney, a Rock Island lawyer, particularly related to bounty claims following the American Civil War. Most of these claims were initiated by widows, parents, or legal gardians of orphaned children seeking pensions for family members who died in combat, but many claims are related to back pay of discharged soldiers. Along with these records, Sweeney pasted in notes and newsclippings related to his clients and legal developments that affected pensions and bounty claims.

Sweeney kept his records in a ledger formerly owned by Emanuel J. Pershing, a newspaper publisher in Rock Island who used the book as a mercantile ledger until his death in 1860. The account book is peppered throughout with Pershing's accounts. Sweeney's relation to Pershing is unclear, although the men may have shared a professional relationship, as they both practiced law in Rock Island in the late 1850s.

A detailed table of the account ledger's contents follows.

Front matter: alphabetical name index, compiled by Sweeney. Pages 2-13: Mercantile account of Miles W. Conway, 1860, compiled by Pershing. Pages 14-27: Fees received, April 1863-June 1864, compiled by Sweeney. Pages 28-45: Civil War bounty claims, 1865-1868, compiled by Sweeney. Pages 46-47: Copies of notes sent by mail for collection, 1869, compiled by Sweeney. Pages 50-61: Mercantile accounts for George Dudley, J. Tureman, A.J. Shaw, and Nelson Hershel, 1860, compiled by Pershing. Pages 77-117: Lists of sixteen Rock Island Volunteer regiments (including commanding officers and the companies into which they were mustered) and other Rock Island Civil War officers, compiled by Sweeney. Pages 118-207: Civil War bounty claims, 1862-1866, compiled by Sweeney.