Fletcher Family
The Fletcher Family collection includes family correspondence from the period 1826-1903 and photographs from circa 1860-1890. The material comes from the Fletcher Family subseries of the Consuelo Northrop Bailey Papers, which contains family papers collected by Consuelo's mother, Katherine Fletcher Northrop.
The correspondence included in this collection was collected by Ruth Allen Colton Fletcher, Henrietta Smith Fletcher, and Katherine Fletcher. Ruth was born in 1810 or 1811 to Lydia and Lemuel Colton of Sharon, VT. She married Andrew Fletcher in 1839, and lived in Waterville, Belvidere, and then Johnson, VT until her death, circa 1903. Her oldest surviving child was Andrew Craig Fletcher, who married Henrietta Smith in 1869. Henrietta was born in 1845 to Catherine and George Smith of Burke, NY. Katherine Fletcher was born in 1870 to Henrietta and Andrew Craig Fletcher of Jeffersonville, VT. She attended Johnson State Normal School from 1885-1887, graduating in January 1888.
The correspondence describes the experiences of several family members who moved west to New York, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, and California. The correspondents recount in great detail the work of creating and managing their farms in these new states or territories, and many letters give meticulous lists of the prices of land, grains, stock, and groceries. The families in this correspondence endure a great deal of sickness and deaths and these as well as some accounts of their medical treatments are described in the letters. There are a few letters from Enos Fletcher and Charles Hogan that are from the Civil War, and several letters refer to the War and its effects on their communities. There is an account of the "St. Albans Raid" by Ruth's son Andrew Craig Fletcher, who was working in St. Albans at the time. Katherine Fletcher's correspondence with her family and classmates document her life and studies at Vermont's teacher training institution twenty years into its history as such.
Showing 331 - 340 of 452 Records
Enos Fletcher to Andrew and Ruth Fletcher\, [1863?] March 23
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- Creator: Fletcher, Enos.
- Description: Topics include Enos' friendship with a Corporal in his Company in the Army, and the death of his brother Elias.
- Parent Collections: Fletcher Family
Andrew Craig Fletcher to Ella Fletcher\, 1864 July 3
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- Creator: Fletcher, Andrew Craig.
- Description: Topics include her photograph, and amusement activities available to him. A seven page essay entitled, "Education the true source to Happiness," is possibly related to this letter and is attached in the source materials, though not transcribed here.
- Parent Collections: Fletcher Family
Andrew Craig Fletcher to Andrew and Ruth Fletcher\, 1864 October 20
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- Creator: Fletcher, Andrew Craig.
- Description: Topics include a raid and bank robbery, which became known as the "St. Albans Raid."
- Parent Collections: Fletcher Family
George B. Smith to [Andrew Craig Fletcher?]\, no year March 17
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- Creator: Smith, George B.
- Description: Topics include selling a team of steers.
- Parent Collections: Fletcher Family
Edward C. Smith to Henrietta and Andrew Craig Fletcher\, 1873 May 20
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- Creator: Smith, Edward C.
- Description: Topics include communication and keeping accounts after an undescribed incident.
- Parent Collections: Fletcher Family
George B. Smith to Andrew Craig Fletcher\, [1873?] May 24
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- Creator: Smith, George B.
- Description: Topics include George not needing further maple syrup or other supplies from Andrew Craig Fletcher.
- Parent Collections: Fletcher Family
Edward C. Smith to Henrietta and Andrew Craig Fletcher\, 1874 June 15
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- Creator: Smith, Edward C.
- Description: Topics include the skeleton of a whale Edward found on the beach, immense wheat fields, giant redwoods, wild animals, and the climate in California, his request for sugar from Craig to sell in California, his injured hand, and the health of his family.
- Parent Collections: Fletcher Family
Edward C. Smith to Henrietta Fletcher\, 1875 September 5
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- Creator: Smith, Edward C.
- Description: Topics include Edward's work managing the grocery department of the farmers' union, his intention to hunt in the mountains, the poor condition of the sugar that Craig sent, the birth of another child, and his acquisition of a house.
- Parent Collections: Fletcher Family
George B. Smith to Henrietta and Andrew Craig Fletcher\, 1880 November 14
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- Creator: Smith, George B.
- Description: Topics include the health of his family and the dry summer but good crops of Burke, NY.
- Parent Collections: Fletcher Family
Betsey Verona Colton to Ruth Fletcher\, 1843 September and Lemuel Colton to Andrew and Ruth Fletcher and Lydia Colton\, 1843 November 4
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- Creator: Colton, Betsey Verona., Colton, Lemuel.
- Description: Topics include Carseldana's marriage with William Potter, Moses Shepard Colton's (Betsey Verona's father) move west, Moses Shepard's joining the Baptist Church, the value of wheat and corn, and farming and weather conditions in Ohio.
- Parent Collections: Fletcher Family