This collection is made up of 14 letters that Connecticut teacher and lawyer Sheldon Moore received from friends and family members from 1824-1863. Early letters from acquaintances in New Haven, Connecticut, include their comments on book prices and recommendations for materials for Moore's personal or professional use. After 1835, Moore's sister Eliza wrote about her life in Marion and Mobile, Alabama. She often reported on health issues, such as outbreaks of scarlet fever and cholera, and discussed political and social news. During the 1850s, she commented on local attitudes about disunion and abolition. The final item is a letter to Sheldon Moore from James Richardson of the United States Sanitary Commission (April 18, 1863).
Sheldon Moore was born on October 17, 1798, the son of Roswell and Lovina Moore, and graduated from Yale College in 1818. He taught in Southington, Connecticut, and later earned a law degree; he practiced law in Kensington, Connecticut, though frail health forced him to focus on literary studies. On November 1, 1831, Moore married Susan L. Dickinson. Their three surviving children were John, Charles, and Susan. Sheldon Moore died on March 20, 1866.
Eliza Moore, was born on September 11, 1807, the daughter of Roswell and Levina Moore and a sister of Sheldon Moore. On August 6, 1829, she married Charles Carter Langdon, a merchant and future mayor of Mobile, Alabama.
