centre college
digital archives

Augustine Hart Papers

Augustine Hart served as an instructor in the Caldwell Institute for the 1864-65 year, and as principal for the 1865-66 year.

The correspondence mentions the following names.
Augustine Hart - born December 16, 1829, in Burlington, Connecticut, and an 1853 graduate of Yale College; taught in New Haven, Connecticut, before coming to Danville, and later in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
Martha Caroline (Bird) Hart - Augustine's wife, born October 19, 1837, in Bethlehem, Connecticut, and died in Danville, December 9, 1865; buried in Bethlehem.
Carrie Hart - daughter of Augustine and Martha hart, born December 24, 1862.
Joshua Bird - father of Martha Hart, born in Bethlehem, Connecticut, in 1800, and died in 1883; an abolitionist, Bird's house was a station on the Underground Railroad, moving escaped slaves north to freedom in Canada.
Photographs
Augustine Hart    Martha Hart
Brochure of Caldwell Institute (1865)
Page 1    Page 2    Page 3
Hart, Augustine. Letter to mother (November 18, 1863)
Hart writes of his daughter's illness, his school in New Haven, Connecticut, and other family matters.
Hart, Augustine. Letter to mother (September 27, 1864)
Hart writes of Kentucky's climate, the town of Danville, and the students and teachers at Caldwell Institute.
Hart, Augustine. Letter to mother (October 8, 1864)
In this incomplete letter, Hart writes about conditions in Danville and a recent raid by a guerilla band on Harrodsburg.
Hart, Augustine. Letter to mother (June 27, 1865)
Hart writes about the school, Danville, a trip to Crab Orchid, and Martha's trip to Connecticut.
Hart, Augustine. Letter to mother (August 20, 1865)
Hart writes about the school, Danville, and Martha's dislike of Kentucky.
Hart, Augustine. Letter (December 20, 1865)
In December 1865 Hart's wife, Martha, died suddenly. This letter, to friends, teachers, and pupils of the Caldwell Institute in Danville, describes the journey to Connecticut, the funeral, and burial of Martha.
Bird, Joshua. Letter to Augustine Hart (January 12, 1866)
Bird writes to give news of Hart's daughter, Carrie, and his thoughts on how successionists should be treated.
Bird, Joshua. Letter to Carrie Hart (September 6, 1869)
Bird writes an affectionate letter to his young granddaughter.