Papers, 1841-1900.

ArchivalResource

Moore-Wells family. Papers, 1841-1900.

Papers, 1841-1900.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/261234623

Papers, mostly letters, of four generations of the Wells and Moore families of Bennington, Vermont. Most of the letters are addressed to or were written by Edward H. Moore and his sister Nellie, and come from the extended family circle and friends. However, also found are letters to and from other members of the Wells and Moore families, including relatives back in Ireland and England (where some had moved in search of jobs). The European relatives begged for financial assistance, although the Wells family in Vermont was not well off, either. The pottery business in Bennington was boom and bust, and the Wells and Moore family fortunes went up and down with it; sometimes they found work in town, but at other times they had to seek employment elsewhere. From reading the letters, one gains a sense of the precariousness of a working person's life. An accident, a fire, or the lack of water could shut down a mill and put someone out of work. John Moore wanted something more than a mill job and hit the road in search of other employment. Meanwhile, back in Ireland, the potato famine added to the bleakness of living in a place where there were few good jobs. Family members emigrated to England or the United States, but were not able to keep in close touch, so relatives lost contact with each other. Although much of the content of the letters is personal news, nevertheless the correspondents comment on holiday celebrations, the fun of sleigh rides, politics, business panics, and the general state of the economy and its affect on jobs. Hopes of a better job took the men of these families to such places as South Carolina and Nebraska. Even Nellie Moore left Bennington in search of better employment opportunities, working in Troy, New York, and Greenfield, Mass., for a time. Many of her correspondents chide Nellie for working too hard at her dressmaking business, and thereby ruining her health. Some of the letters to Nellie mention her work for her church, especially for the women's mission board. However, their lives were not all work. Nellie, Edward, and John were able to take some vacations, mostly visits to friends or relatives, although Nellie also traveled to Chicago in 1893 to see the World's Columbian Exposition. Edward and Ella took a honeymoon trip to New York City and Washington, D.C. Also included in the collection is a personal account book kept by Edward Wells, 1849-1852, recording payment of rent and a few other expenses. A few poems are found, including one warning women against agitation for their rights. A mathematics exam, a certificate about the election of lodge representatives (one of whom was Edward Moore), a few research notes, and some letters which were not addressed to nor written by members of the Wells or Moore family are also in the collection.

5 boxes (ca.1.8 cu.ft.)

Winterthur Library