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 391 - 400 of 452 Records
[Mary Harvey?] to Ruth and Andrew Fletcher\, 1860 January 19
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- Creator: Harvey, Mary.
- Description: Topics include the prices of grains and stocks in Illinois, the village conditions and organizations, and the state of their farm. This letter is a fragment: the final page or pages are missing, including the closing signature. The attribution of authorship is based on the handwriting and topics of the letter.
- Parent Collections: Fletcher Family
Ruth Fletcher to Andrew Craig Fletcher\, 1864 August 19
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- Creator: Fletcher, Ruth.
- Description: Topics include Ruth's distress at hearing of her son's plans to enlist in the war, the death of a cousin Laura, the health of his sister Ella, and the visit of Edson and his family.
- Parent Collections: Fletcher Family
Andrew Craig Fletcher to Family\, 1864 December 4
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- Creator: Fletcher, Andrew Craig.
- Description: Topics include arrests in St. Albans and his plans to go to school.
- Parent Collections: Fletcher Family
Lemuel Colton to Andrew and Ruth Fletcher\, undated
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- Creator: Colton, Lemuel.
- Description: Topics include the marriage of their son Lemuel, the death of their niece Verona, and their material circumstances.
- Parent Collections: Fletcher Family
Mary A. Johnson to Ruth Colton\, no year July 7
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- Creator: Johnson, Mary A.
- Description: Topics include Mary's teaching and future work plans, and the birth of two children.
- Parent Collections: Fletcher Family
[Lemuel Colton?] to Andrew and Ruth Fletcher and Lydia Colton\, 1840 February 18
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- Creator: Colton, Lemuel.
- Description: Topics include the deaths of Clark and Susan Pratt and the activities of Moses Shepard Colton and his family.
- Parent Collections: Fletcher Family
Bestsey Verona Colton to Ruth Fletcher\, 1852 December 24
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- Creator: Colton, Betsey Verona.
- Description: Topics include the death of Verona's Grandmother (Ruth's mother), Carseldana (Verona's sister), the birth of Carlos Colton to Lemuel and Matilda, and the recovery of Curtis Colton.
- Parent Collections: Fletcher Family
Curtis Colton to Ruth Fletcher\, 1855 December 5
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- Creator: Colton, Curtis.
- Description: Topics include the illness and death of his father, Zebina Colton.
- Parent Collections: Fletcher Family
Ellen Colton to Andrew and Ruth Fletcher and cousins\, 1856 November 2
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- Creator: Colton, Ellen.
- Description: Topics include the state of their house and her activities on their farm since the death of their father, Zebina, and the ill health of her brother Curtis.
- Parent Collections: Fletcher Family
Lemuel Colton to Andrew and Ruth Fletcher\, 1856 December 2
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- Creator: Colton, Lemuel.
- Description: Topics include their plans to move to Illinois, the age of their one remaining son, the state of their farm and of Moses Shepard Colton's farm, the prices of crops and stock, and family members' health.
- Parent Collections: Fletcher Family