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Dwight Andruss’ Civil War Diaries

In 2022, the Crystal Lake Historical Society donated three Civil War diaries belonging to Dwight Andruss for 1863-1865. These diaries detail the life of a soldier from Seneca Township during three years of an important time in American history. This is primary material for research on several topics: the Civil War and the Walkup family of Crystal Lake. Dwight was born on Nov. 25, 1827. He wrote to his wife Eunice during the war and died December 29, 1870, at age 43. Eunice was living with her daughter’s family in 1900 and died in 1904. They are buried in Pioneer Cemetery in Seneca Township. They were the parents of Chester Llewellyn, whose daughter Ada married John M. Walkup of Crystal Lake.    
Quester Mary Thennes and MCHS Curator Kira Stell

In May 2023, the Polly Crandall Questers of Crystal Lake selected the 3 Andruss Civil War diaries to receive their Illinois Questers Matching Grant. Polly Crandall donated $500 of their funds, while the state grant awarded $1,000 for the project. All three Civil War diaries were professionally preserved and given custom archival storage boxes. These three Dwight Andruss diaries are now housed in the MCHS Research Center along with its small but growing collection of McHenry County Civil War diaries.  

Location: Union, IL 60180, USA

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