Theodore Bovee letters, 1867-1868

Summary

Creator:

Bovee, Theodore, 1827-1903

Abstract:

This collection comprises four letters that Theodore Bovee wrote to his sister, Clara Bovee Wilson, from Washington, D.C., in 1867 and 1868. Bovee chronicled social events in Washington, many of which were spiritualist meetings or lectures, and referenced several prominent mediums of the period including Nettie Colburn.

Extent:

4 items

Language:

English

Authors:

Collection processed and finding aid created by Sara Quashnie, June 2018

Background

Scope and Content:

This collection is made up of four letters that Theodore Bovee wrote to his sister, Clara Bovee Wilson, from Washington, D.C., in 1867 and 1868. Bovee chronicled social events in Washington, many of which were spiritualist meetings or lectures, and referenced several prominent mediums of the period including Nettie Colburn. See the Detailed Box and Folder Listing for more information about each item.

Biographical / Historical:

Theodore Nelson Bovee (1827-1903) was born in New York and worked for a number of years as a gunsmith in Wisconsin. He became a patent examiner and head of the department of firearms in Washington, D.C., before moving with his wife, Mary Louisa Bovee (ca. 1829-1887), to Chicago. The couple were active spiritualists throughout their lives and Theodore Bovee was also a Master Mason as of 1865 in Wisconsin. Bovee married Lizzie P. Anderson (b. 1836), a medium and spirit artist, in 1889. He lived with his sister Clara Wilson and her daughter's family in Algona, Iowa, before passing away unexpectedly of liver disease on March 15, 1903. His body was cremated in Chicago according to his personal spiritualist beliefs.

Clara Bovee Wilson (1836-1924), Theodore's sister, was born in New York but resided in Whitewater, Wisconsin, for much of her early adult life before moving to Algona, Iowa, in 1870 with her husband, John J. Wilson (1828-1895), and two children, Lenette (1857-1943) and Henry (1865-1936). John J. Wilson served as mayor of Algona and as representative to the state legislature. Clara was a spiritualist known to have attended at least one annual camp meeting of the Mississippi Valley Spiritualist Association (1902) and was a well-regarded community member in Algona. She died in her sleep while visiting her daughter in San Diego, California, on March 11, 1924.

Acquisition Information:

2017. M-6081 .

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged chronologically.

Rules or Conventions:

Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Related

Additional Descriptive Data:

Related Materials

Albert Bovee Letters, Mss. 5108, Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley Collections, LSU Libraries, Baton Rouge, La.

Clara Wilson Letters, University of Iowa Libraries, Iowa City, Iowa.

Mary E. Bovee Barber Letters, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI.

Wilson Family Papers, 1868-1898, Montana Historical Society Research Center, Helena, MT.

Bibliography

"Bovee v. Hinde et. ux." In The Northeastern Reporter, Volume 25. St. Paul: West Publishing Co., 1891.

E.B. Butler, "Mrs. Clara Wilson Dies at San Diego," Kossuth County Advance (Algona, IA), March 27, 1924.

"Held Important Place," Upper Des Moines-Republican (Algona, IA), March 18, 1903.

State Historical Society of Iowa Library, "Iowa Territorial and State Legislators Collection," https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/History_Docs/19th%20GA/19_wilson_john_kossuth.pdf (Accessed June 7, 2018)

Subjects

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Subjects:

Marriage and spiritualism.
Mediums--United States.
Spiritualism--United States--History--19th century.
Spiritualists--United States--History--19th century.
Washington (D.C.)--Social life and customs--19th century.
Women mediums.

Formats:

Letters (correspondence)

Names:

Johnson, Andrew, 1808-1875.

Places:

Mount Vernon (Va. : Estate)
Vineland (N.J.)
Washington (D.C.)--1850-1910.