Mar 14, 2015 3 min read

I read with interest Mike Jones’ Monday story on the 150th anniversary of the merger of Washington and Jefferson colleges, a contentious move with ensuing lawsuits and bad feelings.

I have a copy of a letter dated Oct. 27, 1865, from an ancestor, David Nicoll, who attended Jefferson College. Excerpts from that letter (headed Washington & Jefferson College, Canonsburg) to his cousin show that the contentiousness apparently did not extend to students of that day who were more concerned with other matters, including time off from class, baseball and the opposite sex.

Nicoll came to Canonsburg from Andes, N.Y., in fall 1861 but left school to enlist in Knapp’s Independent Battery “E” in Pittsburgh and fight in the Civil War for the next three years. He was wounded at Lookout Mountain in Tennessee and spent time in a New York City hospital before returning to Jefferson College and his junior year.

In this letter, he writes they had been given two days off from classes in honor of the college unification efforts. “You are aware of the consolidation of the two colleges here and at Washington and that Dr. Breckenridge has been elected President of the United College. He was expected to make us a visit last week but owing to some difficulties in the affairs of the church in his own state (Kentucky) he did not get here until Wednesday evening of this week. As soon as his arrival became known among the students they turned out en masse to request a holiday and forming in line they proceeded to the house of Dr. Riddle “President Pro Tempore” who informed them that next day would be a holiday. This announcement was received with great applause and having got this much without asking for it they made bold and requested that Friday be given as a holiday too.”

Also in the letter, he comments that the student’s favorite pastime at Jefferson was a game known as “base ball” which he could no longer participate in due to his war wound. He also expressed interest in transferring to Monmouth College in Illinois where his cousin was, noting the advantage there of being able to spend time in class with “the Ladies.”

“However I do not think I would be able to get along at all were I in class with a number of young ladies, I am so very bashful you know when they are about,” he wrote.

But Nicoll did transfer there the following year, eventually graduating from Monmouth Theological Seminary and becoming a Presbyterian minister. His last call was in Red Oak, Iowa, where he died in 1906.

Christie Campbell

North Franklin Township