1856

In the premier letter of the Chapin-McNeil collection, Angie McNeil wrote to her sister Lucinda Dorcas Chapin about a few visitors that stayed with them for a week or so, noting that they are “[hardly] without company.” Angie shares some of her experiences teaching–she has nearly thirty students under her tutelage for a four month long session over the summer, remarking that “[she is] a dignified old maid of 23 teaching schule.” It is worth wondering about the quality of education that Angie’s class was receiving, if her spelling mistakes are any indication.

The Chapins and McNeils were families of educators, contributing significantly to the Champaign County school system during the time they lived there. In addition to the role of teacher, it is important to keep in mind the many other roles that the Chapin and McNeil women undoubtedly took on during this time--mother, nurse, farmer, cook, and master of the boarding house, just to name a few.

Angie provides updates on the health of various friends and family members in her 1856 letters, which is a near constant practice in the letters of this collection. Without reliable and rapid communication methods available to them, it is logical that health updates would take precedence over more superfluous matters.