Fisher family letters 1763-1781, 1839-1846, 1848

Fisher family letters

This collection consists primarily of letters from Eliza Middleton Fisher (1815-1890) to her mother Mary Hering Middleton. They were written from Charleston, South Carolina; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Newport, Rhode Island between 1839 and 1848 (there are no letters from 1847). There is one fol...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Fisher, Eliza Middleton 1815-1890 (Creator), Fisher, Thomas 1741-1810 (Creator), Fisher (Creator)
Other Authors: Cope, Robert DeNormandie (Donor (dnr)), Harrison, Eliza Cope (Donor (dnr))
Collection:Fisher Family Letters
Collection Number:4454
Format: Manuscript
Language:English
Subjects:
Middleton, Mary Hering.
Mothers and daughters > Pennsylvania > Philadelphia > Correspondence.
Mothers and daughters > South Carolina > Charleston Region > Correspondence.
Women's history > Pennsylvania > Philadelphia.
Women's history > Social life and customs > 19th Century.
Women's History > Upper Class.
Women > Pennsylvania > Philadelphia > Correspondence.
Women > Pennsylvania > Philadelphia > Social conditions.
Women > Social Life and customs > 19th century.
Women > South Carolina > Charleston Region > Correspondence.
Online Access:Link to finding aid
Physical Description: 0.4 Linear feet ; 1 box
Access: The collection is open for research.
Summary: This collection consists primarily of letters from Eliza Middleton Fisher (1815-1890) to her mother Mary Hering Middleton. They were written from Charleston, South Carolina; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Newport, Rhode Island between 1839 and 1848 (there are no letters from 1847). There is one folder of letters from Thomas Fisher (1741-1810), grandfather of Joshua Francis Fisher (1807-1873), Eliza's husband, to his father and brother dating from 1763 to 1781. Together there are 171 letters in the collection. Eliza’s father, Henry Middleton, was elected to Congress in 1815 and 1817. In Washington he boarded with Henry Clay of Kentucky and John C. Calhoun from South Carolina. The Middletons were plantation southerners. Eliza’s mother was the daughter-in-law of Arthur Middleton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence for South Carolina. The Fisher family was Quaker. They came to Philadelphia in 1680s and became prosperous merchants. Joshua Francis Fisher and Eliza Middleton were married in 1839. The Middletons and Fishers were well-known and well-connected families, and the documents in this collection are reflective of but a small part of the impact both families had in America. The letters show an extremely close relationship between mother Mary and daughter Eliza. Eliza appears to miss her mother and her home in South Carolina to a great extent. Eliza is constantly beseeching her mother to write more often and complaining about the short length of her letters. The correspondence gives insight into mid-nineteenth century life for the wealthy both in South Carolina and Philadelphia. Summers were spent in Newport, Rhode Island, where both extended families would gather. Consequently, there are fewer letters written in the summer months.

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