The
The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and
Printed Ephemera
OVERVIEW OF
THE COLLECTION
Creator:
Title: Letters
Dates: 1850-1890
Call No.:
Acc. No.: 03x68
Quantity: 49 items
Location: 9 A 5
BIOGRAPHICAL
STATEMENT
Theophilus Parsons Chandler
was assistant treasurer at the Customs House in
Theophilus Parsons Chandler,
Jr. (1845-1928) was an important architect in late 19th century
Alfred Dupont Chandler (born
1847) graduated from Harvard, studied law with his father and R. H. Dana, Jr.,
and was a lawyer in
SCOPE AND CONTENT
A group of letters, most of
which are addressed to Elizabeth Julia Schlatter
Chandler or to her husband Theophilus Parsons Chandler. The letters are
from a number of different relatives and friends and discuss many topics, but
there is no long run of correspondence with any one person. Also included
is a small group of letters written by
ORGANIZATION
The letters have been divided
into three groups: letters to Mr. and Mrs. Theophilus Parsons Chandler; letters
written by Theophilus Chandler, Jr., and his wife Sophie; and letters to Alfred
D. Chandler. They are arranged in chronological order within each group.
PROVENANCE
Purchased from aGatherin’
of
ACCESS POINTS
People:
Vinton,
Frederick Porter, 1846-1911.
Du Pont family .
Schlatter family.
Topics:
Architects –
Church
architecture – Designs and plans.
Dwellings –
Indians of
Infants – Care.
Medicine.
Mourning
customs.
New
Pets.
Real estate development.
Samplers –
Weddings.
Women – Social life and customs.
Young men – Social
life and customs.
Places:
DETAILED
DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION
Location: 9 A
5
Folder 1:
letters to Mr. and Mrs. T.P. Chandler
03x68.1 Mary Condy,
Belmont [Mass.], April 27, 1850, to Mrs. E. Chandler, care of T. Chandler,
Court St.,
Loves receiving E.C.’s letters, wants very much to see her – maybe next
summer; plans to leave Belmont soon [apparently moving to Maryland]; hopes E.C.
will not have to leave Boston; E.C.’s visit to
Philadelphia to see the Lammots and her brother
William sounds delightful; regrets scattering of families; surprised to hear of
William Worcester’s wedding; sympathy for Professor
Webster and his family – has been following the trial [Prof. John Webster of
Harvard was convicted of murdering his colleague George Parkman]; mentions
having 7 or 8 students to whom she will teach English and French
03x68.2a-b Charles Chandler, West Boxford [Mass.],
Dec. 30, 1850, to mother, Mrs. T.P. Chandler, Brookline, Mass., with envelope
Thanks for presents E.C.,
Mary and Fanny sent; has been feeding Uncle Isaac’s large dog; Ally could ride
on the dog’s back; bad storm yesterday ruined his fort; heard Mr. Nortlend [or Northend] of Salem and Mr. Byers of Scotland lecture on
education; New Year greetings
03x68.3a-b A. P. Chute, Lynnfield,
Appreciates offer to pay
more for the board of Chandler’s mother – they need the money; would like to
receive $1 to $1.50 more per week, but won’t insist on it; Mrs. Ropes and Alice
still with them [A.P. Chute also mentions Sarah, who is probably his wife and
possibly Theophilus’ sister]
03x68.4a-b Mary [possibly Mrs. Edward Gilpin],
Would love to have Mary
Chandler come visit – she could bring her “work” [sewing] and they would get it
done; sorry to hear of death of Mrs. Bemen after her
confinement; doesn’t know what will become of the Bemen
children; Mr. Gilpin has had to close his mill and
Ned lost his job; Ned is going to work for Lammot at
the du Pont factory while he looks for other work; other family news; new
church is almost done - is very plain but looks old; Mr. Worcester came to
preach; she and Meta “came to the conclusion we would be called the ‘split hoof
Swedenborgians’”; wishes they could meet again
[a Swedenborgian church was built in
03x68.5a-b Thos. Wright Clark,
Has been very ill for six
weeks; mother there to nurse him; mentions death of gallant Charlie; sends rent
for cottage
03x68.6a-b Sophie [Mrs. Samuel Francis du Pont], Louviers,
Hasn’t been able to write
because of eye troubles; has heard that Mrs. Chandler has been ill; am glad she
was able to visit Brookline in 1864; saddened by loss of her friend Henry
Winter Davis of Maryland; has been writing letters of introduction for Dorsey
Gardner; sends love to Mary, Alice, Fanny, and the boys
[Dorsey Gardner was the son
of Maria Ridgely Dorsey and Charles Cazenove Gardner; for further information see Col. 83]
03x68.7a-b Tom [
No one else loves him as his
mother and Mrs. Chandler do; remembers when he first heard the expression
“silver lining” from her, after a storm at the cottage; has caught cold while
serving as cashier of Gwynedd fair (held to raise
money to build a new Episcopal church); Mary Clark and her friends made some
pretty articles to sell at the fair; hopes to dine with Ellis and Mary Ann on
Sunday; discusses Ellis’ son’s activities (shooting, dancing, skating) and his
other children; Tom’s mother lives with Ned and he visits them too; Bert not
well; Christmas greetings
03x68.8a-b Meta [Margaretta
du Pont Gilpin?], Wilmington, Delaware, February 3,
1867, to aunt Eliza, Mrs. T.P. Chandler, Brookline, Mass., with envelope
(envelope endorsed: Gilpin, now Mrs. Dupont)
Sends thanks for the
presents Aunt Eliza made for herself [
[Margaretta du Pont Gilpin married
Alexis Irenée du Pont on
03x68.9a-b H.P.C. [Honan
Chandler], Boston, March 17, 1867, to aunt, Mrs. T.P. Chandler, Newton Center,
Massachusetts, with envelope
Must leave for the west
tomorrow and has been unable to see her; encloses a photo; expects a child in
the fall
03x68.10a-c From unknown person, probably Mrs. Clark, Gwynedd, Pennsylvania, June 30, 1867, to “my darling
child,” Mrs. E.J. Chandler, Boston, with envelope
At Dean(?) Farm in Gwynedd (home of Tom and Eliza Clark) – lovely place with
beautiful garden; sorry to say that gardener will have to return to Ireland; writer
mentions that she considers Mrs. Chandler as her eldest child; Mrs. Roguet(?), Mary Condy, and Mrs.
Bradford have all called on her; news of other family and friends; Edward’s
baby is being bottle-fed
03x68.11a-b Alice Chandler, New York,
Arrived in
03x68.12a-b Alfreda [Chute?],
Gorham, New Hampshire, November 12, 1867, to Mr. T.P. Chandler, Custom House,
Boston, with envelope
Had been relying on brother
[
03x68.13a-b Alfreda [Chute?],
Appreciates her letter and
sorry not to be able to see her; has been ill; sorrow over brother’s sudden
death; mentions Charlie’s early “removal” [i.e. death]; Isaac and his girls
visited her in October
03x68.14a-b Thomas [
Is enclosing a copy of
cousin Ellen Abert’s letter [no longer with this
letter] and also a letter from his mother [see description below]; Lydia Warder
(or Warden) is not in list of those people who came with William Penn - will
try to do some more research on her; Chris(?) Schlatter
has been in the city but not able to see Thomas’ mother; am putting a new
French roof [a mansard roof?] on their house – improves the looks of the house
and gives them more rooms; family has been increased by birth of twins; other
news of family
03x68.14c Enclosed
with above: E.L. Clark, no place, no date, to son Thomas Clark, no place
About
Folder 2:
letters to Mr. and Mrs. T. P. Chandler
03x68.15a-b Fannie [
Thanks for the delicious
cake; health of Mrs. Candler and Mrs. Hayter(?); snow
very deep and city very quiet; called on Uncle Peleg;
have been filing papers; glad father’s cold is better
03x68.16a-b Sophie du Pont (Mrs. Samuel Francis du
Pont),
Appreciates her letter
because she knows writing is difficult for Mrs. Chandler; writing is proving
more difficult for her as well; sister[-in-law] Julia’s illness and death were
very sudden; only brother Henry remains of her generation; misses seeing Margaretta [Margaretta Lammot du Pont? wife of Albert Victor du Pont]; Mrs.
Chandler’s daughter-in-law Sophie had been kind to Julia; sorry to hear Mr.
Chandler has been ill; sends love to Chandler children
[Julia du Pont Shubrick died on
03x68.17 Sister
“What a blessing … to be
able to sit down and write to my friend, after more than sixty years love”;
several founders of New Church societies [Swedenborgian
church] have died, including Mr. Parsons and Mrs. Shubrick;
Sophie [probably referring to Mrs. Samuel Francis du Pont] has lots of company,
although not able to read and write as much as she used to do; Marguerite [du
Pont Lee, Mrs. Cazenove Gardner Lee) is happy in
Washington; news of other family and friends; Samuel has gone to live in
Philadelphia; Paulina loves living in the country and
is enjoying her new chicks
03x68.18 Mary, no place but probably
Mentions death of Mrs. Shubrick from apoplexy; she was buried from Catholic church
“though there were no Catholic friends or relatives to attend”; Jenny’s
children have whooping cough; news of Ned, sister Meta, Paulina,
and others; do like your new minister?; love to all
03x68.19a-b Ellis [
Had a safe journey home;
Bessie happy to be graduating; Gertrude taking exams; La Mere [probably his
wife] still has neuralgia; friend of Ellis Junior has brought news of him from
Mexico; delighted to have been able to visit her and her family
03x68.20a-b Eliza [Clark?], Hoyt, Penn.,
Tells about her trip back to
Hoyt after visiting Brookline – all family came to meet her at the gate; Lizzie
has had malaria, as have Jenny’s children; no luck in selling house yet, but
doesn’t really want to move into city in the summertime; May and Rob did well
on exams, but Ned not so well; has planted the lilies but not the seeds; really
enjoyed her visit with the Chandlers
03x68.21a-b Fannie [Chandler], Tudor Cottage, Nahant,
Mass.,
Baby enjoyed the journey and
is sleeping well, but misses her grandparents, aunts, and uncles; the boarding
house in which they are staying is quiet and the food good; Ellen shall stay to
finish the sewing; is packing up her city house; child’s picture is good; needs
Alice to send contents of a drawer – contains collars; misses the family in
Brookline but the change of air will be good and the grounds of the boarding
house are pleasant
03x68.22a-b Alice [
Can imagine the birthday
party they are having for him; Orphy wouldn’t let her
send him the usual present of silk handkerchiefs – suggested [illegible]
instead; baby will soon be old enough for her grandfather to take her egg
gathering; am sitting in library with coal fire and a canary; children are well
and puppy is growing; describes puppy’s antics; describes Methodist Sunday
School building and church designed by Orphy (includes
sketches)
03x68.23a-c Alice [Chandler], Philadelphia, October 19,
1882, to mother, Mrs. T.P.C., Brookline, Mass., with envelope
Something about hens and a
rooster; Mary Ann is redoing her house; cousin Ellis is busy settling his
mother’s estate; news of Mamie, Bessie, Gertrude,
Lizzie, Aunt Meta, young Noland, and others; went to see trained horses;
excitement about bicentennial of William Penn’s landing (encloses program for
the event – see below); Sophie and the Lincoln Institute are helping with the Indian
children who are attending the event; has seen outside of some of Orphy’s buildings but not the insides; Scott house is
finest in city; “Oprhy is fast becoming the fashion
and is doing beautiful work”
03x68.23d Enclosure with above: Official Programme for
03x68.24a-b Mary, Louisville, Kentucky, December 10,
1882, to “my own loved one,” Mrs. T. P. Chandler,
Happy to hear of Alfred’s
engagement; as soon as arrived in
[Alfred Dupont
Chandler married Mary Merrill Poor on
03x68.25 Mary, no place (probably
Thanks for the needles;
expects family will come visit her this summer; plans to return home next week;
wishes could be at the dedication of the New Church in Philadelphia; Ned’s mill
is running again after the big flood; Alice’s sister Polly has sent boxes of
clothing and shoes for the flood victims; sends love
[the
03x68.26a-c Sumner [Chandler], Philadelphia, June 14,
1883, to father, Mr. T.P.C., Brookline, Mass., with envelope [letter paper and
envelope are from Theophilus Chandler, Jr.]
Wedding was successful;
Mildred Clark the prettiest of the six bridesmaids; all the Clarks asked after
her; presents were nicely displayed – had 80 or more; Walter’s bride is very
nice
03x68.27 Emily
Parsons(?),
Will be happy to take her
(Elisa) into her hospital, but as she is not destitute, the charge will be $3 a
week; will have a charming allopathic doctor; recommends a galvanic battery
treatment for her back; has an entirely new life now; one of her children has
died – put flowers around her in the coffin; young patients are taken out in a
carriage every day
03x68.28 Envelope addressed to Mrs. T.P.
Chandler,
Folder 3:
letters from Mr. and Mrs. Theophilus P. Chandler, Jr.
03x68.29a-b Orphy (T.P.C., Jr.),
Has returned from wedding;
Sophie and the bride were the prettiest and best dressed girls there; “The
female portion of the B’wine were greatly excited
with the event”; everyone thinking about going to country or seashore for the
summer; wants to stay in town and work but it’s too hot for Sophie; has started
plans for the Mt. Salem Methodist Church in Wilmington [now Mt. Salem United
Methodist Church, next to Rockford Park]; monument bids have been opened
[Sophie’s
brother William married his cousin Mary Lammot du
Pont on
03x68.30a-b Orphy (T.P.C.,
Jr.),
Sophie saw Mrs. Stewart and
told her about Uncle Charlie and the girls; Sophie, Miss Russell, and Lina went to the opera; visited Victorine on the
Brandywine; Lina read letters from Meta Kembel (Mrs. De Forest) who is traveling in India
03x68.31a-b Orphy (T.P.C.,
Jr.), Philadelphia, July 10, 1882, to mother, Mrs. T.P.C., Brookline, Mass.,
with envelope (typed letter)
Received letter for Ellis
Clark; had a number of du Pont relatives over to celebrate the 4th;
visited some farms with Mr. du Pont; Sophie taking German lessons; went to
laying of cornerstone for a Methodist Sunday school building in Philadelphia
03x68.32a-b Orphy (T.P.C.,
Jr.), Philadelphia, July 15, 1882, to mother, Mrs. T.P.C., Brookline, Mass.,
with envelope
Encloses check; her letter
received; bad explosion at the du Pont mills this week – chemist killed; 45th
wedding anniversary of Louisa Gerhard and Henry du Pont; have enjoyed summer in
the city
03x68.33a-b Orphy (T.P.C.,
Jr.), Philadelphia, July 23, 1882, to mother, Mrs. T.P.C., Brookline, Mass.,
with envelope (typed letter)
Saw a turtle crawling over
the lawn this morning; Sophie has been making raspberry vinegar (gives
directions for making it); finished reading a novel; went to church at St.
Marks; describes dresses of girls; saw friends in New York on Friday; cook
hates his early breakfasts
03x68.34a-b Orphy (T.P.C.,
Jr.), Philadelphia, October 15, 1882, to mother, Mrs. T.P.C., Brookline, Mass.,
with envelope
Chandler Giblens
has come for a visit – have gone to church and to the park, where climbed a 200
foot high observatory
03x68.35s-b Sophie [du Pont
Am writing on the new stationery
which Mrs. Chandler gave her; guesses that Mrs. Chandler is eagerly looking
forward to Alfred’s and Mary’s homecoming; they really enjoyed their visit to
Brookline for the wedding;
[Alfred Chandler
and Mary Poor were married on
03x68.36a-b Orphy (T.P.C.,
Jr.), Philadelphia, April 15, 1883, to mother, Mrs. T.P.C., Brookline, Mass.,
with envelope
Would like to hear more
about the theatricals; went out to dinner last night at home of John Gerhard;
went to church this morning; went with John Gerhard and his son to park this
afternoon and had wonderful time; encloses newspaper article about his country
houses [article no longer with letter] and will send photo of church; might go
to Lake George soon to see about a commission there; encloses “no. 849” [a
check?]; ask Alice to tell him about mother’s portrait; hope she’s able to
spend much time in the garden
03x68.37a-b Orphy (T.P.C.,
Jr.), Philadelphia, May 20, 1883, to mother, Mrs. T.P.C., Brookline, Mass.,
with envelope
Encloses check for Mr. Vinton,
who is painting her portrait; can decide about frame later; where will she hang
it?; hopes father is pleased with it
[Frederic Porter Vinton was a portrait painter working in
03x68.38a-b Orphy (T.P.C.,
Jr.), Philadelphia, June 13, 1883, to father, Mr. T.P.C., Brookline, Mass.,
with envelope
Sumner arrived safely; going
to a wedding tomorrow; many changes in Philadelphia since the elder Chandlers
were married there; went to the Brandywine on Sunday where there were fields of
red clover, large strawberries, and perfect roses; Victorine has a fine garden;
goes horseback riding early in the morning and visits his buildings; has twelve
men working in his office
03x68.39a-b Orphy (T.P.C.,
Jr.), Philadelphia, June 24, 1883, to father, Mr. T.P.C., Brookline, Mass.,
with envelope
City deserted for summer;
took 10 draftsmen out to visit buildings yesterday; has staked out the site for
a barn and cottage; the barn is to be a model one; “The hay and straw each have
a barn and the stables and other buildings are grouped around them”; cottage
modeled after Norwegian ones; working on plans for a splendid house and gate
lodge [does not give location of the estate that is to include these buildings
and barn]; Sophie planning to spend the 4th on the Brandywine
Folder 4:
letters to Alfred Dupont Chandler
03x68.40a-b William McLean, conveyancer,
Has several questions about
his mother’s (Mrs. Chandler’s) ancestors – trying to get the names correct and
figure out the relationships [apparently trying to clear title to a piece of
property in Chestnut Hill]
03x68.41a-b Roland Redmond, New York,
Enjoyed his sketch of Phelps
in the “Report of the Class of ‘68”; “So you came near running down Hollyhead [i.e. Holyhead?] after
I left the Baltic? That was a narrow
escape and you were well out of it.”
03x68.42a-b Alfred D. Chandler, Washington, February 21,
1881, to mother, Mrs. T.P.C., Brookline, Mass., with envelope
Saw Orphy
and Sophie – both have colds; mentions their pet dog; Alfred now in Washington;
presented Carl Schurz in the Department of the
Interior with the invitation and signatures; Edward Pierce, General Chamberlain
of Maine, and he had a chat with Mr. Schurz; plans to
have dinner with some other Bostonians this evening; tomorrow will have dinner
with Secretary Schurz and go to the president’s
reception
03x68.43a-b Henry W. Poor, Poor Oliphant
& Co.,
Has been seeing people about
the
03x68.44a-b Henry W. Poor, Poor Oliphant
& Co.,
People have less and less
money to invest in something like the
03x68.45a-c Cora (Mrs. William A.)
Sends addresses he asked
for; congratulations on upcoming wedding – wishes she could be there; love to
his mother
03x68.46a-b Col. G. N.(?) Dana,
03x68.47a-b Col. G. N.(?) Dana, Newport, New Hampshire,
March 7, 1888, to Alfred D. Chandler, Boston, with envelope
Evans says
03x68.48a-b Heywood S. French, Sunapee, New Hampshire,
January 12, 1890, to Alfred D. Chandler, Boston, with envelope
Mr. Baker is not able to
help them; have four inches of snow but is warmer and may rain
03x68.49a-b O. Howes(?),
Boston Board of Fire Underwriters, Boston, November 25, 1899, to Alfred D.
Chandler, Boston, with envelope (typed letter)
Enclosed is a check –