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Jan 1st, I wish you all a Happy New Year: I am glad that Charlesteaches school this winter, but he will need to walk very straight, and exerthimself to the utmost; there is such a spirit of improvement aboutsnow with respect to common schools, that an old fashioned good teacherwill hardly give satisfaction, however if he only becomes as heartilyengaged in the improvement of his school, as in his barnyd no doubtget but what he will keep a good school, you did not write whetherthe children had much desired or make much exertion to improvetheir minds, of course they all go to school. I feel deeply for poor Naomiand hardly realize that she, so sensible & so agreeable is indeedImmoral but the purposes of Providence I cannot fathom.I have as usual, many plans for the future, whether any of themsucceed is extremely uncertain, - as to your project - thoughmy respects very pleasant - I hardly think it would be expedient Ifully respond to the spirit of the old maxim, that "home is home be itever - so homely," and, I have had occasion to feel the truth of it too, butafter reading so much as I have, to gain a competent expectation,ought then to do better, than to keep a few weeks in a year, a ?but fatiguing school & teach a,b,c, which the common set "countrygirl round here can do , and probably, too at less wages have the sense"girls receive! and if I should not keep at all, I should earn nothing and of coursehave nothing, while I should be constantly spending something, and I shouldhave to regret that I had spent considerable time and money, to gain accomplishmentand acquirements, which would be above my station as suchwould not probably increase my usefulness, & which would be of littlereal use to me. I believe that one who watches the indications of Providencewith the sincere desire to be guided by them, will be directed in his counsel,but, not without the exercise of the reasoning powers, in comparing, and judgingbetween advantages, disadvantages etc. Select schools taught by females, and verypopular in every little village, and it seems to me I had better try in this way, andin this vicinity, or in Maine, I should very much prefer the latter, if there was equalprospect of success. I wish I could be situated in Bangor, either in a private school orassistant in the High School established there: what do you think of this plan that I have forforged - to ascertain, by writing to Mr. Pomroy whether there is any tolerable prospect of anopening there, for me next spring; and if so, do up my visiting, after closing my schoolwhich will be in three weeks, and go to Boston, spend a few weeks there in reviewing my studiesperfecting myself in drawing & preparing to go to Bangor as soon as spring opens, Ihave been engaged in teaching in Boston since I left there, & possibly might succeedbetter on that account, but I wish Ann Foley had really got married. I think Mother thatif you consider the matter all round, you will think I had better persevere, & notnow give up trying to earn something; there is the apparatus and glove whichwill be of little use if A nor I do not keep school, besides I have spentmoney for nothing which I shall need to keep school but which would otherwise be unnecessary.Elisabeth Ann Rich.[right hand side]corner folded over I was to a Lyceum here this winter, well attended and interesting, there has been each evening a lecture and debate; and the question was whether West Point, Military School was or not a benefit to the nation. Uncle debated on the ? side of the question. A new Physician has moved to town. no doubt, chiefly because Dr. Taylor has left. Mr. ?? and joined the new Society. There is great bitterness of feeling in regard to ? and I think Mrs. _ and especially Mrs. Smith feel differently towards me because I go to the Orthodox.
Title
DeWitt, Elizabeth Anna Rich (half-sister), to Anna Mayo Stevens Rich Metcalf (mother), 1832, 1835-1839, Isaac Stevens Metcalf family papers
Creator
Metcalf, Isaac Stevens, 1822-1898
Place
United States
Subjects
Bowdoin College
,
Brothers and sisters
,
DuQuoin Coal Company
,
Illinois Central Railroad Company
Description
Use the link to the finding aid for a fuller description of collection contents that explains the use of the name and subject terms appearing in this catalog record.
Summary
Correspondence, writings, diaries, and journals documenting family and rural life, as well as early business correspondence and records, and a few photographs, all pertaining to Isaac Stevens Metcalf and the Metcalf, Furber, and Putnam families. Family correspondence was used to keep all of the branches of the family in touch with each other when family members moved away. There are many instances where multiple family members wrote on one letter to one or more other family members, and some people even wrote "family letters" that were intended to be shared amongst parents, siblings, and the like. Topics of family correspondence tend to be related to religion, daily activities on the farm, weather, and the news of friends and relatives (births, deaths, sicknesses, etc.) Business records of Metcalf's pertain to land ownership, railroad engineering and construction, and running a coal mining business. The mid-19th century business records also document tax payments and some reports including labor and payroll expenses. There are a few drawings and sketches from Metcalf's tenure as division engineer of the Illinois Central Railroad. The first accession of these family papers was a donation of the letters between Charles W. and Albina Rich, given by Grace Leadingham, Charles Rich's granddaughter. This gift was facilitated by Keyes D. Metcalf, 17th child of Isaac Stevens Metcalf.
Biographical/Historical Note
Railroad engineer, farmer, and businessman of Maine, Ohio, and Illinois during the second half of the 19th century. Isaac Stevens Metcalf was born in Royalston, Massachusetts, on Jan. 29, 1822. His father, Isaac Metcalf, had married Lucy Heywood in 1810; she died childless in 1820. In March 1821 he married Anna Mayo Stevens Rich, the widow of Charles Rich, by whom she had had three children (named Charles, Elizabeth Anna, and Almeida). Isaac was born to Metcalf and Rich, followed by Joseph, Lucy, and Eliab. Isaac Metcalf (father) died in Boston in 1830, and the family relocated to Milo, Maine, where half-brother Charles had purchased a farm. Isaac Stevens Metcalf lived there with his mother and siblings, preparing for college and working on the farm until he entered Bowdoin College as a sophomore in 1844. He graduated there in 1847, having taught school while studying engineering. He surveyed and built railroads in New England until the spring of 1850, when he became a division engineer on the southern section (near Centralia, IL) of the Illinois Central Railroad. Metcalf worked closely with the Chief Engineer, Roswell B. Mason. Metcalf remained on the job until the line was completed to Cairo, IL, in 1855. While in central Illinois, Metcalf purchased land and with his partner Chester A. Keyes laid out the railroad town of Du Quoin, which was officially dedicated on Sept. 20, 1853. On Jul. 5, 1852, he married Antoinette ("Nettie") Brigham Putnam, the daughter of prominent New Hampshire minister John Milton Putnam. The couple had twelve children, three of whom died young. They settled in Elyria, Ohio, in Nov. 1856, to be near Metcalf's half sister, Elizabeth Ann (also known as Ann Elizabeth), and more family joined them within the next ten years. Metcalf and family lived in Elyria for over 41 years, farming and running a flour mill while Isaac Stevens Metcalf maintained business interests in Du Quoin, Illinois (real estate and coal mining). Antoinette died Aug. 14, 1875, and three years later Metcalf married Harriet Howes. That couple had six boys. Harriet Howes died of pneumonia Dec. 7, 1894, and Isaac Stevens Metcalf died Feb. 19, 1898, age 76. A more complete Metcalf genealogy family, focusing on the children of Isaac Stevens Metcalf, is available in the Special Collections Department information files. The genealogy was compiled by Keyes DeWitt Metcalf, 17th child of Isaac Stevens Metcalf.
Extent
10.8 linear feet (20 boxes and 1 oversize folder)
Format
Business records
,
Correspondence
,
Diaries
,
Genealogy
,
Invoices
,
Manuscripts, American
,
Personal narratives
,
Records and correspondence
,
Sources
Archival Collection Title
Isaac Stevens Metcalf papers
,
Midwest Manuscript Collection
Rights Status
No Copyright - United States
Newberry Open Access Policy
The Newberry makes its collections available for any lawful purpose, commercial or non-commercial, without licensing or permission fees to the library, subject to
these terms and conditions.
Contributing Institution
Newberry Library
Link to Catalog
View finding aid
|
View record
Call Number
midwest ms metcalf Box 1 Folder 3
BibID
821787
Size
3280px × 3865px 72.57 MB
IIIF Resource Type
Canvas
Filename
998217878805867_mms_metcalf_box_01_fl_03_002_003.tif
Unique Identifier
NL11FDD5
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