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I intended to buy one instead of Lyceum ticket, best before I gotready to buy it; Mr. Weld bought one, & we have fine times playing: Mrs.Walker had one, & she & I used to play, and Mr. Weld knew how before, sowe can make it go pretty brisk. Joseph is begging to learn he likeshere much, I know by his actions. Eliab has called over one evening. I havecalled upon Mrs. Brown since I left: thanked her for her kindness & "mean to make J. go soon with me and spend an evening. Josephcan sit in Mrs. Sylvesters pew which is a pleasant one, on the broad aisle, four fromthe pulpit. I have ripped my cloak to piece, sponged and pressedit & it looks, valuably better to have a plain waist behind, shirt cut off: the frontplaited into a yoke; shall get me new trimming for cape, and willsend my fringe for Lucy. I have engaged a bonnet (velvet) I am sure it is not best to get along without, as my old flounce will not go, decentlydark winter bonnets of silk or velvet are worn altogether. I must have a mufftoo, I think not best to borrow yours, for you need it I must have one sometime, and canget it where I am acquainted, and pay when I receive bills: afterfixing cloak and getting muff & bonnet, I shall need no more expensefor clothes till next summer. my new, 2s de laine is a rich looking one, fits elegantly, & will do to wear summer fall &spring, & my handsome last winter plaid, will serve very otheroccasion. My velvet lining seems too handsome for a hackney& so I have concluded to send it for Lucy, instead of buying anyMary Barnes gave me an old kid doll without a head for Izzy. I willsend it up when convenient, if Lucy will fix it up for her. Mary'srecollections of Milo are as lively and interested as ever: she meansto write but puts it off. Mrs. D & J have not really settled yet; she saysshe shall charge the same for my board that you did for Mary, I wasthen eight or nine weeks. If I could see you I would tell you astrange and funny story in which Mr. Walker is one of the
Title
DeWitt, Elizabeth Anna Rich (half-sister), to Anna Mayo Stevens Rich Metcalf (mother), Isaac Stevens Metcalf family papers, 1840-1846
Creator
Metcalf, Isaac Stevens, 1822-1898
Date
1840-1846
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 4
BibID
821787
Size
3098px × 3839px 68.09 MB
IIIF Resource Type
Canvas
Filename
998217878805867_mms_metcalf_box_01_fl_04_008_002.tif
Unique Identifier
NL11FDEW
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