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Towle family correspondence, 1850-1895

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Summary

Creator:
Towle family
Abstract:
The Towle family correspondence is comprised of letters written by Electa Towle of Avon, Maine to her husband Daniel while he was mining in California, and later to her daughter Clarinda when Electa was living away from her.
Extent:
128 items
Language:
English
Authors:
Collection processed and finding aid created by Bethany Anderson, 2008

Background

Scope and Content:

Electa wrote most of the letters (105 out of 127), 34 of which she wrote between 1850 and 1853, and 71 between 1874 and 1895. Other members of the family wrote the rest of the letters -- her son Daniel Higgins, his wife Amanda, his second wife Mary, her daughter Clarinda, and several of Electa's grandchildren. Many letters also contain entries by Electa and her children or grandchildren.

The collection can be divided into two parts chronologically and thematically. Those which date from July 24, 1850, to February 13, 1853, were written by Electa from Avon, Maine, to Daniel in California. The letters that date from August 11, 1872 to July 21, 1895 were written primarily by Electa to Clarinda, while the former lived in Red Wing, Minnesota, with her son Daniel and his family, and the latter in Strong, Maine. The two sets of letters illustrate two distinct phases in Electa's life. From 1850 to 1853, she had a very active role as the sole manager of both her household and the farm. She was also the Postmistress for Avon, a position Daniel had held before leaving for California. Their financial situation was her main concern, but she also wrote her husband about the management of the farm, and about their children's health and activities. Concerned about their many debts, she frequently requested money, giving details of her purchases and the sale of livestock and agricultural products from their farm: "I can get along if they do not call upon me for debts...how I wish you could send me a $1000 to pay all we are a owing" (January 1, 1851). Fortunately Electa was able to procure an income for herself, as she did not receive money from Daniel on a regular basis.

The letters from 1874 to 1895 reveal a more passive side of Electa, as her responsibilities were few, especially as she got older and more fragile. Nevertheless, she managed to provide Clarinda with detailed updates on Daniel's farming business and the activities of the family and neighbors. She took great care to describe her new home and the town of Red Wing, as well as her disapproval for her son and daughter-in-law's lax and indulgent parenting style. To a lesser degree, she also described her own activities, which mainly entailed looking after her grandchildren, sewing, and making dresses. Indeed, sewing, knitting, and dressmaking were activities that consumed much of the time of many women in the family. Several letters to Clarinda were accompanied by fabric samples of the material that they had used to make dresses. Electa also mentioned a considerable number of young female relatives and friends who had learned the dressmaking trade and found jobs in shops.

The collection includes Daniel Towle's partially printed registered letterbook that he kept from December 31, 1855 to February 29, 1874, while serving as Postmaster in Avon, Maine. It documents registered mail leaving the Avon post office, noting the date and the address on the letter.

Biographical / Historical:

Electa M. Higgins Towle (1810-1900), a native of Turner, Maine, and Daniel Towle (1810- 1874) of Avon, Maine, married in 1833. The couple lived in Avon, where they operated a farm and raised their three children: Clarinda (1835-1901), Daniel Higgins (1841-1918), and Emma (1849-1851). A farmer and postmaster by trade, Daniel left for Sacramento, California, in early 1850 to find work during the "Gold Rush." Electa remained at home during his absence, caring for their children, managing the farm, and consequently taking on many of her husband's roles.

Daniel had several different jobs during his time in California. Initially, he mined at "Sagar's Bar" on the North Yuba River. By January 1, 1851, Daniel had relocated to a site on the Feather River, 120 miles from Marysville, California, where he was involved in dam building. In addition to these enterprises, Daniel also managed a shop. In 1852 he sold his interest in the shop in order to invest in the Spring Valley Quartz Mining Company (January 25, 1852). Daniel's brother George W. Towle (b. 1823) also traveled to California to seek his fortune, and another brother, Benjamin F. Towle (b. 1831), contemplated following his brothers to California.

During his absence, the family underwent many changes and endured several obstacles, which Electa nevertheless handled effectively. On January 21, 1851, daughter Emma died from scarlet fever, a loss which proved to be very difficult for Electa. In addition, Electa withstood the vicious gossip of her neighbors during the long periods of not hearing from Daniel, as well as her own anxieties about his safety and return. Her most prevalent concern, however, was paying their debts, something she hoped she could do with Daniel's earnings in California.

After Daniel returned to Avon c. 1853, their surviving daughter Clarinda married Edward K. Hitchcock (1817-1900) of Strong, Maine. The couple subsequently had a son named Alfred (b. 1859).

Shortly after Daniel's death on August 4, 1874, Electa moved to Red Wing, Minnesota where her son Daniel H. had settled with his wife Amanda (1844-1882) and their four children: Emma (1868-1944), Lena (1872-1952), Gertrude (b. 1878) and Merton (b. 1878). Clarinda remained in Strong with her husband and son while she and her mother exchanged letters for several decades. During her time in Minnesota, Electa wrote about her grandchildren, the death of Amanda, her son's remarriage to a woman named Mary (b. 1855), and the birth of a fifth grandchild named Neal (b. 1891). In addition, she discusses her son's farming business, for which he sold farm equipment and supplies from "Van Brunt, Barber & Co." Although she often considered returning to Maine one day, Electa remained in Minnesota until her death in 1900.

Acquisition Information:
1992, 1996, 2002, 2022. M-2888.12, M-3228.3, M-4228.4, M-7657.6 .
Rules or Conventions:
Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Contents

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How to Request

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USE & PERMISSIONS:

Copyright status is unknown.

PREFERRED CITATION:

Towle Family Correspondence, William L. Clements Library, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

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Collection

Towle family correspondence, 1850-1895
Total components 26
Last indexed 2024-10-08