This collection is made up of 3 letters exchanged by Alicia A. Bakewell and her husband, William G. Bakewell, in and around 1845. William wrote to Alicia on August 11, 1845, expressing his concerns about her recent medical complaints and discussing various courses of treatment; he strongly advised her not to take calomel and suggested that she adopt a different diet or take numerous baths to relieve her suffering. Alicia wrote twice to William. Her letter of August 19, 1845, responds to his concern about her illness, which had improved significantly despite lingering back pain, and contains news of the Audubon family, with whom she was staying in New York City. She also reported that bathing had been suspended on account of the presence of sharks. Alicia's undated letter regards her journey on an Ohio River steamer from Ohio to Pennsylvania. She mentioned the ship's propensity for running aground, a fellow passenger who was a musician, and her fear that people in Louisville would approach her husband with unfounded claims of debts against her.
William Gifford Bakewell was born in England on February 17, 1799, the son of Squire William Bakewell (1762-1821) and Lucy Green (1765-1804). His sister Lucy married John James Audubon. The Bakewell family immigrated to the United States in the early 19th century, living in New Haven, Connecticut, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. William G. Bakewell and his brother Thomas later settled in Louisville, Kentucky, where William became a merchant. William and his first wife, Alicia Adelaide Matthews (d. 1847), had no children. Following Alicia's death, William moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, where he married Maria Allen Dillingham (1830-1918) in 1854. They had four children: Lucy Audubon, Alice Adelaide, Ann Gordon, and William. William G. Bakewell died on March 21, 1871.
