1874

In 1874, Lucinda Chapin welcomed two newborn grandchildren into her family. The first, Sumner Thomas Daggett, was born to Hannah and Thomas Daggett in September. Over a month later, William Chapin was born in Minneapolis, Kansas to Katie and Oscar Chapin. 

Hannah wrote to her mother in April, several months before giving birth to Thomas. In her letter, she instructs her mother to look after herself to keep from catching cold. Lucinda Chapin frequently combatted bouts of illness but continued to survive to old age. Hannah specifically cites that her mother has had to battle spells of phthisis–a nineteenth century medical term that today most often aligns with a diagnosis of tuberculosis. However it would seem unlikely that Dorcas actually contracted tuberculosis, as the typical lifespan after infection would be approximately ten years (Bohlbro et al. 2023). The wording of this letter indicates that Dorcas’ phthisis is already a longstanding health problem, and thus her death in 1885 would put her well beyond the typical lifespan of someone infected with tuberculosis. It is possible that Dorcas suffered from some other malady which presented similar symptoms, the foremost among these being severe weight loss.

Hannah also inquires about the happenings of her geographically distant relations, lamenting on how far apart the Chapin-McNeil family finds itself. Somewhat comically, she mentions that her baby girl, while able to walk at 11 months “is not very smart to talk.”

After the birth of Hannah’s second child in the Autumn, Thomas Daggett wrote to his mother-in law to announce the new birth and to again ask for suggestions in naming the child.

The last letter is also concerning childbirth, as Marcia appears to have gone into town from Yankee Ridge to assist a friend in the birth of their child and provide companionship to her during the recovery.