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The Chapin-McNeil Family Letters, 1856-1895

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The collection of letters belonging to the Chapin Family expresses the humanity of these individuals in a suite of eighty-two documents. This collection stretches from 1856 to 1895 through some of the most turbulent decades in U.S. history. Taken together they are the story of a family stretched over the course of nearly forty years.

It is a story of the home front, of a collection of documents that were primarily written by and for women. Their letters brought personal beliefs and opinions to life as family members expressed their feelings on numerous aspects of U.S. national politics and their daily lives. Of particular note is Mary Burt's letter "Dear Ones at Home" which discusses her feelings regarding the news of the end of the American Civil War and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

Through these difficult years the Chapins regularly penned letters to one another to keep in touch over hundreds of miles sharing news of life changes and loss. The Chapins were involved in Champaign County's first forays into public education and bring new insights regarding the lives of school teachers in mid 1800s Central Illinois.

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