This page is devoted to surviving letters and other documents of historic interest produced by, or about, family members--materials which help to tell the family history. Some are personal correspondence and some are official forms commemorating life events and family milestones. There are also legal and property-related forms, certificates, diplomas and other official papers that help to tell our story. In addition, some written statements about family history have been made from time to time by family members, explaining our genealogy. They are listed, described and linked here.

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I've scanned and sorted the materials much as I did with family photographs, though these were much less complicated, since all of them contain identifying information about those involved.  At right is a list that groups items chronologically as Personal Correspondence, Personal Documents (diplomas or other official forms related personally to family members), Legal Documents and Census Information (which came to light and are available here thanks to the website Ancestry.com).  Two letters and a few lists of information on family members, at top, were written to tell family history, so they're given pride of place.

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Unless there's great interest in a piece--or another compelling reason not to--I end the collection presented here at 1939, the year of John C. Cahalan Sr.'s death. Continuing beyond that year would involve including information about a rapidly-expanding family, which I don't think I would be able to do well, even if it was advisable.

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Not all of these documents are public, and not all were intended for publication. If a source relates personal information, perhaps the sort of thing that the writer might not have wanted made public, I have used my discretion in keeping it private--and such things do not appear here, though I've kept them on file as family property. I hope I've erred on the side of caution. If anyone would like to ask about material I've published or withheld, or about my decisions, I would be happy to discuss them. A link to my email is below.

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If you'd like a high-resolution scan of any particular image, please email me, and--while I have you here--I'd also like to make a plea:

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If you have scans of additional material, or want me to scan your pictures or documents and letters for you, please contact me at my email address:  gloselle@mac.com. It's my hope to give everyone in the family access to everything that survives. Thanks!

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As usual, any errors in content or attribution are mine, and I'm always happy to hear corrections, comments, guesses or suggestions.

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Greg