Mary Louise (Chapin) Burt (1833 -1923)

Mary Louise Burt, née Chapin, was born on January 6, 1833 to Dennis Chapin and his first wife, Susan Crosby. Mary is the most well-represented writer in the collection, having authored 13 of the 82 documents. After her mother Susan passed away in 1836 when Mary was just three years old, Dennis married Lucinda 'Dorcas' McNeil. It is evident that Mary maintained a close relationship with her stepmother Dorcas through written correspondence and that the lack of a blood relation was of no consequence to them.

Mary married Thomas Burt on January 1, 1851. As of 1862, they lived in Coshocton, Ohio, with their two children. Thomas was a traveling worker, and often left Mary with their children alone. In her letters, Mary describes feeling symptoms of depression, presumably from the overwhelming responsiblity of running the homestead and raising children on her own without the help of her husband. Nonetheless, Mary maintained her household and kept her family fed despite the great emotional and mental challenges she faced. Her situation sheds some light on the dire straits many women faced while balancing the demands of survival with their mental health.

The Burts went on to have two additional children. One of them, only briefly referred to by the name "Allie," died in early childhood in the year 1862. Thomas Burt died in 1868 from complications due to an accident after a long period of poor health. The unfortunate premature deaths of her loved ones certainly contributed to Mary's chronic melancholy.

Mary passed away on August 28, 1923 at the age of 90 years old. She is bured in Oak Hill Cemetary on the University of Illinois Campus.