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Pilsbury-Heath family letters, 1828-1854

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Summary

Creator:
Heath, Carlton, 1797-1877
Abstract:
This collection contains nineteen letters sent to Carlton Heath and one letter sent to Ruth Heath between 1828 and 1854. The bulk of the letters were written by Amos and Emily Pilsbury of Weathersfield, Connecticut, mostly from the Connecticut State Prison where Amos Pilsbury worked as deputy warden and warden. Amos Pilsbury discussed prison management and provided glimpses into prisoners' experiences. He wrote frankly about his political and ideological disputes with his brother-in-law, opposing his positions on the Whig party and abolitionism. Amos Pilsbury commented on his religious practices and beliefs, family news, Thanksgiving celebrations and meals, and disgruntlement over the Heath family's failures to write and visit. Five additional members of the extended Heath family wrote portions or entire letters present in the collection, mostly weighing in on family news.
Extent:
20 items
Language:
English
Authors:
Collection processed and finding aid created by Jayne Ptolemy, September 2023

Background

Scope and Content:

This collection contains nineteen letters sent to Carlton Heath and one letter sent to Ruth Heath between 1828 and 1854. The bulk of the letters were written by Amos and Emily Pilsbury of Weathersfield, Connecticut, mostly from the Connecticut State Prison, where Amos Pilsbury worked as deputy warden and warden. Amos Pilsbury discussed prison management and provided glimpses into prisoners' experiences. He wrote frankly about his political and ideological disputes with his brother-in-law, opposing his positions on the Whig party and abolitionism. Amos Pilsbury commented on his religious practices and beliefs, family news, Thanksgiving celebrations and meals, and disgruntlement over the Heath family's failures to write and visit. Five additional members of the extended Heath family wrote portions or entire letters present in the collection, mostly weighing in on family news.

Amos Pilsbury's letters include references to his work in prison management, with detailed descriptions of religious services in the Connecticut State Prison (April 28, 1829) and various projects contracting out the labor of imprisoned people, including for the production of shoes (November 9, 1828), rifle pistols (November 24, 1837), and cane chairs (February 18, 1842). One letter was written during Pilsbury's tenure at the Albany penitentiary, where he lamented a business being lost to fire as it impacted his ability to dispose of a large order of chair seats (August 30, 1854). In several letters, Pilsbury commented on prison discipline, African American prisoners (April 28, 1829; June 20, 1836; February 18, 1842), and the high demands wardenship placed on him.

Several of Pilsbury's letters indicate the challenges political and interpersonal conflict posed for him as a prison warden at Weathersfield. He wrote on February 20, 1832, of the "Powerful efforts [that] have been made to injure me, and destroy publick confidence in the administration of the affairs of the Prison," preceding his removal from office based on accusations of misconduct by Connecticut politician Martin Welles. He wrote again on July 27, 1833, acknowledging his reinstatement, anxiety about returning, and the decline in discipline at the Connecticut State Prison during his absence. Reflecting further on the incident on December 9, 1833, he mused, "How things have changed in one short year? At that time I was spending my time in idleness having been 'reformed' out of office. At that time no report had been made concerning things charged upon me by a personal enemy and persecutor." Following a Whig victory, Pilsbury acknowledged the possibility of political shifts impacting his employment, writing, "as I was before the election, so I am now, & trust I ever shall be, a Democrat. You ask 'wheter we expect to be removed & when?' In answer I can only say, that the Whigs have the power to remove me, whether they will or not remains to be seen" (April 21, 1838).

Amos Pilsbury and Carlton Heath appeared to have had a fraught relationship, and Amos's letters reveal frustration with Heath's failure to write and visit as well as strong opposition to Heath's support of Whig politics and abolition. Amos Pilsbury acknowledged his conviction of African American inferiority, the impossibility of immediate abolition, and the impropriety of New Englanders weighing in on slavery (June 20, 1836; April 21, 1838; September 4, 1838). One relative even joked that Pilsbury's opinions had changed. "They now wish to have all former difficulties which have arisen between you in consequence of not agreeing in Party feelings put an end to … Do excuse my sad mistake ... It must be I did not look at the right words in the Dictionary… it is the reverse" (March 1, 1841). Tensions between these family members based on strongly felt political and ideological positions appear throughout the letters.

Five additional members of the extended Heath family wrote portions or entire letters present in the collection, mostly weighing in on family news, visiting Weathersfield, and disagreeing about the duration of Ruth Heath's stays with the Pilsbury family.

Biographical / Historical:

Amos Pilsbury was born in Londonderry, New Hampshire, on February 8, 1805, to Moses Cross Pilsbury (1778-1848) and Lois Cleaveland Pilsbury (1781-1834). His father was the warden of the New Hampshire State Prison in Concord, and in April 1824 Amos Pilsbury began working as a guard in the same institution. In 1825 he was appointed deputy warden, and in 1827 Moses and Amos Pilsbury took charge of the Connecticut State Prison at Wethersfield, Connecticut, as principal and deputy wardens before Amos took over principal wardenship from his father in 1830.

In September 1832, Pilsbury was terminated for misconduct based on accusations of Connecticut politician and one of the directors of the prison, Martin Welles (1787-1863). Welles contended that under Pilsbury's management nine egregious conditions were in effect at the prison, including improper financial accounting, poor provisions and physical conditions, mistreatment of the sick, illegal punishments, among others. After an investigation Pilsbury was reinstated in June 1833 and would continue to serve in the position until 1845, when he supervised the construction of the Albany County Penitentiary. He subsequently took superintendence of it until 1855, when he spent time administrating the various facilities on New York's Ward's Island. He briefly served as the general superintendent of the New York City Police from June 1859 to February 1860 before returning to Albany and the superintendency of its penitentiary. In 1861 he served as a special commissioner to examine the Clinton, Auburn, and Sing Sing Prisons, and throughout his career he earned a reputation as a prison manager and reformist.

In November 1826 he married Emily Heath (1806-1890) of Bow, New Hampshire, daughter of Laban and Ruth Heath. They had at least five children, including Louis D. (1832-1906), Sherman D. (1840-1906), and three others who died in infancy. Amos Pilsbury died in Albany in 1873, and Emily Pilsbury died in 1890.

Carlton Heath, Emily Heath Pilsbury's brother, was born in Bow, New Hampshire, in 1797. In 1832 he married Sarah Kimball Long, and by 1850 they were living and farming in Bow. He died in 1877 and is buried in Concord, New Hampshire.

Acquisition Information:
2023. M-7917 .
Arrangement:

The collection is arranged chronologically.

Rules or Conventions:
Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Contents

Using These Materials

Info for Visitors

How to Request

Ordering Reproductions

Download PDF Finding Aid
RESTRICTIONS:

The collection is open for research.

USE & PERMISSIONS:

Copyright status is unknown

PREFERRED CITATION:

Pilsbury-Heath Family Letters, William L. Clements Library, The University of Michigan

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Collection

Pilsbury-Heath family letters, 1828-1854
Total components 1
Last indexed 2024-06-25