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

This collection is comprised of 31 letters that Georgiana Hemingway of Fair Haven, Connecticut, received from female friends, her parents, and her siblings between 1858 and 1867. Her acquaintances discussed their social lives, courtship, and the Civil War, and her family members provided news from Fair Haven while Georgiana traveled. The correspondence includes one letter from Hemingway's brother Charles to their mother, Theresa.

This collection is comprised of 31 letters that Georgiana Hemingway of Fair Haven, Connecticut, received from female friends, her parents, and her siblings between 1858 and 1867. Her acquaintances discussed their social lives, courtship, and the Civil War, and her family members provided news from Fair Haven while Georgiana traveled. The correspondence includes one letter from Hemingway's brother Charles to their mother, Theresa.

Between 1858 and 1865, Georgiana Hemingway primarily resided with her family at Fair Haven, Connecticut (in modern New Haven), though she spent time in Suffield, Connecticut; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and New York City. Georgiana's friend Lizzie Cutts sent 4 letters from New Hampshire and Massachusetts between 1858 and 1861, commenting candidly on courtship and describing two incidents of unwanted advances made by male acquaintances. Hemingway also received 3 letters from a friend at the Sayre Female Institute in Lexington, Kentucky, who reported on her social life at the school and on mutual acquaintances (1863-1864). In one particularly descriptive letter, she told Georgiana about her travel from Lexington to Madison, Wisconsin, for Christmastime (January 8, 1863). Hemingway also received letters from her brothers Charles, Willis, and Frederick, who provided updates on marriages, deaths, and other local news from Fair Haven while Georgiana was away.

Though the letters focus primarily on the activities of friends and family members, some writers mentioned news and effects of the Civil War, such as optimism following the Union victory at Vicksburg (July 11, 1863) and the upcoming hanging of the Lincoln conspirators (July 6, 1865).

The Clark-Arnold letters contain correspondence addressed to Celestia Mary Clark (née Dean) and to other members of her family throughout the latter half of the 1800s. The collection includes correspondence written by her first husband, Thomas S. Arnold of Herkimer, New York, during their courtship in the late 1850s; letters from her friend and second husband, Charles A. Clark of Owego, New York, in the 1880s; and letters written by her daughter Etta while she traveled abroad in the 1880s and in 1890.

The Clark-Arnold letters (69 items) contain correspondence addressed to Celestia Mary Dean (who later used the surnames Clark and Arnold) and to other members of her family throughout the latter half of the 1800s. Thomas S. Arnold of Fairfield and Herkimer, New York, wrote to Dean, his cousin and fiancée, Celestia Mary Dean, between 1856 and 1858, the year they were married. He expressed his feelings for her and wrote about his social life and family. Additional letters from this period include some from Nancy A. Nelson to Ann Elira Arnold concerning farming and Nancy's social life in Madison, Wisconsin; in one letter, she discussed the settlement of her late husband's estate and encouraged Elira to visit Madison (January 2, 1858).

Three letters written between 1858 and 1872 include one providing news of Nathan Arnold's family (1865), and two by Simeon M. Dean, who described his work at a tannery in Port Hope, Michigan, in 1870 and 1872. The remainder of the collection (1880 and 1890) consists of material addressed to Celestia Mary Dean (now using the surname Arnold) by her friend and future husband, Charles A. Clark of Owego, New York, and by her daughter, Etta M. Arnold. Clark discussed his social life and his career as a lawyer and judge in Owego (September 21, 1880), and Etta wrote several letters during her travels through Europe, including trips to England in 1880, to Germany in 1881, and to England and Wales in 1890. She described the European scenery, particularly in London and Oxford. Celestia also received one letter from her cousin, S. J. Bowen (May 26, 1881).

This collection is made up of correspondence, financial records, photographs, and ephemera related to members of the Marsh and Capron families of Rahway, New Jersey, and Walden, New York.

This collection contains correspondence, financial records, photographs, and ephemera related to members of the Marsh and Capron families of Rahway, New Jersey, and Walden, New York.

The Correspondence series (161 items) begins with letters to Caroline Capron ("Carrie") from her future husband, Edward Marsh, and other correspondence. Marsh wrote to H. B. Sears, a mutual friend, while living in Germany in the mid-1860s. Edward Marsh provided news of family members, described his travels, and discussed his studies in chemistry. Members of the Capron family later discussed Carrie's intention to marry Marsh and the couple's proposed move to Germany. Later items include business and personal letters to Rolph Marsh, and correspondence regarding his donation of land to a Rahway church.

The Bills and Receipts series (18 items) pertains to Rolph Marsh's finances. Three carte-de-visite Photographs include 2 studio portraits of unidentified men and a view of unidentified buildings. The collection also contains Calling and Business Cards (13 items) and Printed Items (11 items) pertaining to Catherine Marsh's funeral, religious associations and churches, property assessments, and other subjects.

This collection consists of letters that Stephen Edwin Wait of Traverse City, Michigan, exchanged with his second wife, Ellen Packard of Racine, Wisconsin, before and in the early years of their marriage, as well as additional letters to Wait and Packard from family members. The correspondence pertains to the couple's relationship; their views on the afterlife, marriage, and other subjects; Packard family news from Racine, Wisconsin; and life at the Michigan State Normal School in 1895.

This collection consists of 37 letters and 4 calling cards related to Stephen Edwin Wait of Traverse City, Michigan, and his second wife, Ellen Packard of Racine, Wisconsin.

The correspondence primarily consists of letters between Stephen E. Wait (S. E. Wait) and Ellen Packard, beginning after the death of Wait's first wife, Louisa, a childhood friend of Packard's, and continuing into the first year of their marriage. They discussed Louisa's death, their beliefs about the afterlife, their opinions on marriage, social norms, and other subjects. After proposing marriage in his letter of January 1, 1870, Wait attempted to describe himself in more detail and offered to travel to Racine, preferring to meet Packard before marrying her. After their marriage, he described his boat trips from Traverse City to Chicago along Lake Michigan and she shared family news from Wisconsin.

Additional correspondence includes a letter to S. E. Wait from Samuel and Sarah E. Scott in Clinton, Ohio, who discussed Samuel's teaching work and local schools (December 22, 1851); a letter from Ellen Packard to Louisa Wait (March 13, 1864); and several letters to Wait from his mother (1 item) and an aunt, Phoebe Hill (4 items). After 1871, Wait and Packard received a letter from Lewis G. Steven, a self-described "Indian medicine man" who wished to work in Wait's store (July 28, 1879), and several members of the Packard family, who reported on life in Racine and commented on the deaths and estates of Ellen Packard's parents, Roswell and Susan Packard.

The final item is a 10-page letter that Minnie [Wait] wrote to her brother Edmund about life at the Michigan State Normal School in Ypsilanti, Michigan (October 27, 1895). She described a "new woman" who adopted masculine habits and dress and discussed a day in her scholarly life at the school. The collection also contains 4 calling cards; one item consists of two cards tied together with a ribbon.

This collection contains 54 incoming letters that Alice F. Judson, William Judson, and P. P. Judson, of Waterford, Pennsylvania, received throughout the second half of the 19th century. The bulk of the collection consists of 35 letters that Charles Himrod wrote to Alice F. Judson, his future wife, about his life in Missouri between 1867 and 1869. The remaining letters are comprised of business correspondence addressed to William and P. P. Judson between 1851 and 1860, and additional letters received by members of the Judson family.

This collection contains 54 incoming letters that Alice F. Judson, William Judson, and P. P. Judson, of Waterford, Pennsylvania, received throughout the second half of the 19th century. Charles Himrod wrote 35 letters to Alice F. Judson, his future wife, about his life in Missouri between 1867 and 1869. The remaining letters are comprised of business correspondence addressed to William and P. P. Judson between 1851 and 1860, and additional letters received by members of the Judson family.

Charles Himrod wrote to Alice F. Judson while he lived and worked in eastern Missouri between 1867 and 1869. He sent his letters from Moselle, St. James, St. Louis, and Knob View; he later wrote from Osage City and Tuscumbia. Himrod presented detailed descriptions of many aspects of life in Missouri, such as the people, the cities, and his daily experiences and activities. He provided his opinions on romantic relationships and marriage, including his feelings for Alice and about their courtship. On one occasion, inspired by a recent speech that Mark Twain delivered in St. Louis, Himrod shared his opinion on women's rights (March 31, [1867]). Six letters dated after 1873 include incoming items addressed to Alice, her siblings, and Charles Himrod.

William and P. P. Judson, merchants based in Waterford, Pennsylvania, received 9 letters from various professional acquaintances between 1851 and 1860, concerning financial affairs.

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."

The Barrett family papers contain the correspondence between Joseph Chandler Barrett and his fiancée, Sarah A. Hillard, during their courtship and the early years of their marriage, as well as personal letters written by family members and friends.

The Barrett family papers contain the correspondence between Joseph Chandler Barrett and his fiancée, Sarah A. Hillard, during their courtship and the early years of their marriage, as well as additional letters written by family members and friends. Joseph often wrote and received letters about education in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, and on one occasion mentioned attending a lecture about Germany delivered by Charles L. Brace (January 10, 1852). The enclosure in the March 3, [1859] letter is a four-page printed "Report of the Superintending School Committee" of Durham, New Hampshire. A large portion of the collection consists of the Barretts' correspondence during their courtship, and family letters about news and events, with occasional remarks about religious habits and views. Additional letters from family members and from acquaintances provide a picture of daily life in New England in the decade preceding the Civil War.

This collection is comprised of 3 letters that Robert C. Justis, a businessman and farmer from northern Delaware, received in 1849 and 1850. A cousin provided social news from Delaware while Justis lived in St. Louis, Missouri, in the late 1840s, and 2 acquaintances from St. Louis later wrote to Justis about business and personal affairs.

This collection is comprised of 3 letters that Robert C. Justis, a businessman and farmer from northern Delaware, received in 1849 and 1850. A cousin provided social news from Delaware while Justis lived in St. Louis, Missouri, in the late 1840s, and 2 acquaintances from St. Louis later wrote to Justis about business and personal affairs. See the Detailed Box and Folder Listing for more information.

Elizabeth White of New York City wrote 3 letters to Jane Curtis, a friend in Stratford, Connecticut, in 1845 and 1847. She discussed courtship and relationships between men and women, social news, upcoming marriages, and other topics.

Elizabeth White of New York City wrote 3 three-page letters to Jane Curtis, a friend in Stratford, Connecticut, on March 17, 1845; November 1, 1845; and November 14, 1847. She often discussed her social activities, including calls made and received, a trip to Long Island with a group of other young adults, and engagements such as balls and parties. In each of her letters, White commented on relationships between men and women, differences between the length and intent of men's and women's social calls, and gender roles before and during the marriage. After hearing that Curtis had found a potential suitor, White encouraged her friend to be cautious, sharing the story of a friend who had married only to discover that her new husband already had a wife who lived nearby. Her final letter, which largely pertains to the women's upcoming weddings, includes a description of her wedding dress.

This collection contains 19 letters between Henry Charles Lea of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and his fiancée, Anna Caroline Jaudon of Wilmington, Delaware, and Cincinnati, Ohio, as well as 3 letters from other members of the Lea family. Henry Lea, who wrote most of the correspondence, discussed his social life, his reading habits, and his love for Anna.

This collection (22 items) contains 19 letters between Henry Charles Lea of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and his fiancée, Anna Caroline Jaudon of Wilmington, Delaware, and Cincinnati, Ohio, as well as 3 letters from other members of the Lea family. Henry Lea, who wrote most of the correspondence, discussed his social life, his reading habits, and his love for Anna.

Henry C. Lea wrote 19 letters to his future wife between September 11, 1842, and March 17, 1850. Most of his correspondence includes poetry, such as copied poems showing "Gradations of Style" (September 11, 1842), as well as original compositions. Lea often reported family news, including the death of his uncle in June 1845, and commented on the controversy surrounding Elizabeth Lea's marriage to William Woodhouse Bakewell in 1847. He frequently discussed his personal life and hobbies, which included reading and collecting books, and he occasionally commented on political issues, such as a proposal to move the United States capital to Cincinnati (December 7, 1845) and possible European reactions to increased American militarism (May 31, 1846). The correspondence also reflects the couple's relationship and anticipated marriage; in his final letter, Lea discussed his attempts to locate a house (March 17, 1850). One letter contains Lea's drawing of a lamp (December 16, 1849).

Anna C. Jaudon received letters from her future brother-in-law, Matthew Carey Lea (October 19, 1847), and from his uncle, Isaac Lea (November 28, 1847). Matthew Carey Lea commented on Elizabeth Lea's marriage to William Woodhouse Bakewell, and Isaac Lea discussed financial issues. Anna C. Jaudon also wrote one letter to Henry C. Lea from New Orleans, Louisiana, in which she lamented her sister's living situation in New Orleans and expressed her concern about locating a good home in Philadelphia (March 3, 1850). While Jaudon lived in Cincinnati, Ohio, she addressed her letters care of Christian Febiger, a relative.