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Milo Sept. 14th / 45.Dear Brother I have now before me the last letter I rec'd from you, dated Aug. 3rd, also one which we rec'd last Friday, dated Turner Sept 7th, and will gladly answer them. It is a rainy day. Mother & Charles have gone to meeting with Nelly, & I am alone with "our Jane." We are all very sorry that you are obliged to leave College this fall, but as it must be so we will hope 'tis all for the best. I suppose we might have contrived to send you some more money, were it not that Ann is trying to establish herself in a school again, (I suppose she wrote you about it; she commences tomorrow a private school of about sixteen scholars) and needed to use all the boys & all of us could furnish. I had hoped to send you a part of my school money, but Ann wants all I can spare, which will not be as much as I expected, if I go to Bangor, as I shall need to expend more myself for dress etc. By the way, had I better go? I have about concluded to. Seems to be a pretty good chance. I am sorry for your ill luck Examination day. Why did'nt you say you was sick, & get excused? Do take care of your health. Being out so late evenings at your class suppers, bonfires etc. is not the thing for you. You were very fortunate about getting a ride to Turner. I hope you will have a pleasant time & enjoy yourself there this fall. You must try & see how much good you can do among the Universalists. Take care & keep on the "right side" of them, that is, so far as you can & be decided about the conscientious performance of duty. As they are the most influential party, your success in school may depend in a great measure, on fitting? their good will; yet, knowing your sentiments to be different from their own, they will probably respect you none the less for being firm & decided in your own course. They might, & undoubtedly would, be pleased to have you join with them, & would like you all the better, but still, if you show yourself a firm, decided character, a Congregational Christian, yet always kind & affable to all; you will be more respected; your memory will be respected in after years. It is very pleasant indeed to be beloved by those among whom we are placed; but in some cases I think if we cannot be both respected & beloved, the former is not only the most preferable, but necessary.[top of letter upside down] Mrs. Monroe came from Foxcroft recently. Said they are expecting a Representative from our family there this term. Think they'll be disappointed in future. Had 100 scholars the first day. Expect 175 to 200. Will probably have as many as that. Miss Canerno? is there. Who is the Male Assistant?[rightside up top] I have lotted on your coming home to tell you many things which I cannot so well write.
Title
Furber, Lucy M. (sister), to Isaac Stevens Metcalf, Isaac Stevens Metcalf family papers, 1842-1845
Creator
Metcalf, Isaac Stevens, 1822-1898
Date
1842-1845
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 31
BibID
821787
Size
2774px × 4445px 70.59 MB
IIIF Resource Type
Canvas
Filename
998217878805867_mms_metcalf_box_01_fl_31_006_001.tif
Unique Identifier
NL11FE49
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