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here. I shall make known my decision to him in a day or two,- shall stay until fall, and then do as Providence shall seem to direct. I felt at first inclined to take the situation because it would probably be permanent, at least for year or two - because it would punish a change, and especially because the salary would undoubtedly be more than I received, at present, but the incessant care, no liberty, even to take a walk, would be very hard for me, besides the name and sound of the thing I do not altogether like, nor the character of the man, an Irishman quick-tempered irascible,- aristocratic, without religious principle though said to be very honorable and perfectly moral. He left me to name the compensation - said money was no object. I did not intend to take up so much of my sheet in narrating this - have made a long story of what I could tell you in a few moments. I wrote Isaac a month or six weeks since,- probably he went to Milo before it arrived. I am glad to hear he is at Milo, wish oh so much I could be there too at least awhile I have received two letters lately from Mother one from Joseph + a good long one from Almeda! which I answered the next day. I have deferred writing to Mother for the same reason as you:- within a short time have written to cousin Marie and to Aunt Esther,- have found a man here who has transacted business with Uncle Joseph, and is acquainted with several Warwick families. received a letter from E. Doe in which she mentions spending some hours with you; I wish Isaac would call on her- I think she will feel slighted if he does not: I hope Isaac will not lose so fine a chance as the one you named: Template:Side of letterHave Mr. and Mrs. Dennett ever called on you? If they have not shown you as much entirety, to say nothing of politeness or old acquaintances, as to do it I would take no pains to know them.
Title
DeWitt, Elizabeth Anna Rich (half-sister), to Lucy M. Furber (sister) (also to Samuel S. Furber), Isaac Stevens Metcalf family papers, 1850-1851, 1853
Creator
Metcalf, Isaac Stevens, 1822-1898
Date
1850-1851, 1853
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 2
BibID
821787
Size
3010px × 3891px 67.05 MB
IIIF Resource Type
Canvas
Filename
998217878805867_mms_metcalf_box_01_fl_02_003_003.tif
Unique Identifier
NL11FDBU
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