New York State Bureau of Military Statistics Duplicate Thanksgiving Proclamations Issued by Governors of Other States and…

Alphabetical by state.

The proclamations were compiled by the Bureau of Military Statistics and its successor, the Bureau of Military Record, between 1863 and 1866.

The Bureau of Military Statistics was originally established by Governor Morgan on December 20, 1862 and formally recognized by the Legislature by a law of 1863. This statute defined its specific duties and appropriated $6,000 for the tasks. A law of 1864 made the bureau an independent organization separate from the Adjutant General's office with essentially the same duties as those originally set forth in the 1863 statute. These duties included: collecting and preserving the name and personal history of every individual mustered into the service of the U.S. government; compiling a history of each of the regiments raised by New York State; and providing an account of the aid afforded by the towns, cities, and counties of the state.

In May 1865 the legislature changed the name of the bureau to the Bureau of Military Record (Chapter 690); its duties, however, remained the same.

This series consists of proclamations issued by governors of northern states and territories, with the exception of one received by the bureau from Arkansas. Most of the proclamations are printed but there are a few handwritten items as well as clippings from newspapers that published the governor's proclamations.

Although not specifically authorized to collect these proclamations, the chief of the bureau stated in his first annual report that the bureau would seek for "every fact relating to the rebellion." As a result, form letters were sent to appropriate state officials requesting "messages, documents, orders, circulars and other printed matter relating to military affairs." Essentially, the proclamations are messages from the governor to the people prescribing a specific day (usually in November) on which prayers and thanksgiving should be offered and the reasons why. The bulk of the proclamations are contained within mail envelopes.

Item list is available at the repository.

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