Ezra Prince, a prolific local historian, was born in Maine in 1831. He attended Harvard University and moved to Bloomington in 1856 and set up a legal practice. In 1892 with Capt. J.M. Burnham, he founded the McLean County Historical Society and acted as its Secretary until his death. He directed the compilation of the first three volumes of the Transactions of McLean County Historical Society and with Capt. Burnham wrote the McLean County entry for the Historic Encyclopedia of Illinois and the History of McLean Co. 1908. Prince died in 1908.
This collection contains correspondence and manuscripts, notes, and clippings. The bulk of the collection starts in 1900 because Mr. Princes’ office was destroyed by fire. It is divided into three parts, single letter correspondence arranged chronologically, multi-letter correspondence arranged alphabetically, and manuscripts. Most of the correspondence deals with his publications. The manuscripts are were prepared for future editions of the Transactions of the McLean Co. Historical Society.
