Finding aid for Steele Family Correspondence, 1853-1903 (bulk 1866-1876)

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Title	Finding aid for Steele Family Correspondence, 1853-1903 (bulk 1866-1876)
Creator	Steele family.
Extent	33 items.
Biographical Note	The family of Ebenezer Steele (b. Oct. 18, 1808) and Phebe Steele (dates unknown) lived in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Their daughter Julia lived in their household in Ann Arbor until the time of her death on Nov. 11, 1866, of an unknown tuberculosis-like illness. Their son, Valentine, lived in Ann Arbor until the time of his death of an unknown tuberculosis-like illness on June 12, 1874. Another daughter, Ellen (b. Oct. 21, 1835), who worked as a school teacher in Manchester, Michigan, married a man named David B. Sturges, and immigrated with him to Montana Territory sometime between 1856-1866, where they lived in Helena, Virginia City, and Gallatin. Ellen Sturges eventually settled in San Bernardino, California, between 1876 and 1902. The Steeles of Ann Arbor were active in the First United Methodist Church of Ann Arbor, and ran a boarding house for students at the University of Michigan, where they often attended events.
Scope and Content	The collection contains thirty letters, all but one of which are addressed to Ellen (or Ellen and David) Sturges from her immediate family (and one friend, identified only as "Rebecca") in Ann Arbor. The aberrant letter was written in 1856 to David B. Sturges from Ellen (it is unclear if they were already married at this point). The correspondence contains detailed descriptions of the failing health and treatment of Julia and Valentine Steele in the months leading up to their deaths. There are occasional references to cultural and religious life in Ann Arbor in the letters of the 1866-1876 period, especially regarding the growth of the Methodist Church and the public speeches of Erastus Otis Haven (1863-1869), the second president of the University of Michigan and pastor of the First United Methodist Church. Though politics and national affairs are rarely discussed, HM 73855 includes Phebe Steele's thoughts on President Ulysses S. Grant's unsuccessful bid for a third term. Ebenezer and Phebe Steele express deep anxiety throughout the 1866 correspondence as to their daughter's safety from Indians in Montana, though no specific events are referenced. In addition to the correspondence, there is a family record, believed to be in the hand of Phebe Steele, detailing the birth and death dates of the siblings and parents of Ebenezer Steele, as well as a folder containing seven empty envelopes.
Notes	All inquiries about this collection should be directed to the H. Russell Smith Foundation Curator, Western American Manuscripts.
Date	1853-1903.
Provenance	Gift of Mrs. Joanna P. Leonard, January 16, 1948.
Subject	Grant, Ulysses S. (Ulysses Simpson), 1822-1885. Steele family. Medicine -- Michigan -- 19th century. Methodists -- Michigan -- 19th century. Respiratory organs -- Diseases. Tuberculosis. Ann Arbor (Mich.)
Form/Genre	Letters (correspondence) Michigan 19th century. (aat)
Department	Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery. Manuscripts Department.
Call Number	mssHM 73830-73862
Physical Collection	Steele Family Correspondence.
Digital Collection	Finding Aids, Huntington Digital Library
Physical Description	4 p.
Digitization Specifications	Original finding aid converted into PDF document by B. Black, 2011-12-12.
Date Digital	2012-12-12.
DCMI Type	text
Digital Format	pdf
Original Finding Aid	Finding aid prepared by Alex Young, August 31, 2010.
Citation Information	Finding aid for Steele Family Correspondence, Huntington Digital Library, San Marino, California.
Restrictions	Images in this collection are for scholarly research; please review the Huntington Library's copyright information: http://cdm16003.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/about. For purchasing images for publication please review our permission to publish policy: http://www.huntington.org/huntingtonlibrary.aspx?id=590.

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Finding aid for Steele Family Correspondence, 1853-1903 (bulk 1866-1876)

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