Lucinda Dorcas (McNeil) Chapin (1818 -1885)

Lucinda Dorcas Chapin, née McNeil, was born in the year 1818. She married Dennis Chapin around the age of 18, and together they had nine children. In the letters, she is usually referred to by her middle name, Dorcas.

Though biographical information about her is somewhat scarce, we are able to glean several things about Dorcas' interests, personality, and interpersonal relationships from the letters in this collection. She was somewhat of a horticulturalist--whether that was out of raw necessity for survival or a genuine passion for gardening remains to be seen. Oftentimes, family members would reach out to her and ask for various seeds.

Dorcas was also a sort of matriarch, but would be better described as the emotional lynchpin of her family. She was beloved and well-respected by her lineage, often sending gifts to her loved ones. Many family members wrote to Dorcas to ask when she would come visit them in Kansas, often sending her money to assist with the journey, assuring her that everyone would be overjoyed to come out to see her.

Dorcas passed away on January 18, 1885 in Danville, Illinois at the age of 67.