Collections : [University of Michigan William L. Clements Library]

This collection contains letters that Elizabeth Stanley received from her future husband, Andrew Nichols, and from other friends and family members in Massachusetts, as well as letters that Stanley wrote to Nichols during their courtship.

This collection contains 38 letters related to Elizabeth P. Stanley ("Lizzie") of Salem, Massachusetts. Throughout the 1850s, especially after 1856, Stanley received personal letters from family and friends. In one group of early letters (February 1852-[April 1853]), Stanley's aunt, Elizabeth Hunt, discussed her life in Whampoa, China (now part of Guangzhou), including the birth and death of a young son. Other friends discussed their social lives, Christianity, and education. Stanley's future husband, Andrew Nichols, wrote 16 letters about their relationship, religion, and his farm in Danvers, Massachusetts. The collection includes drafts of at least 3 of Nichols's letters; he signed many items with pseudonyms such as "Warden Cholins." Lizzie Stanley's 8 letters to Nichols pertain to her social life, religion, and news of Salem. The final item is a list of actions such as "tell a joke" and "give a conundrum."