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Steele Family Correspondence: Finding Aid
mssHM 73830-73862
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Title: Steele Family Correspondence
Dates (inclusive): 1853-1903
Dates (inclusive): 1866-1876
Collection Number: mssHM 73830-73862
Creator:
Steele family
Extent: 33 items in 1 box
Repository:
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.
Manuscripts Department
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2129
Email: reference@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org
Abstract: The collection includes thirty letters chiefly from the Steele family of Ann Arbor, Michigan, between 1856 and the 1870s,
to Ellen
Steele Sturges (1837-1930). The letters primarily discuss family news and health, as
well as occasional references to cultural and religious life in Ann Arbor.
Notably, one letter discusses President Ulysses S. Grant’s unsuccessful bid for a third term.
Language: English.
Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services
Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to
quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such
activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is
one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
[Identification of item]. Steele Family Correspondence, The Huntington Library,
San Marino, California.
Gift of Mrs. Joanna P. Leonard, January 16, 1948.
The family of minister Ebenezer Steele (October 18, 1808-1900) and Phebe Steele (1819-1910)
lived in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Their daughter Julia lived in their household in Ann
Arbor until her death on November 11, 1866, of an unknown tuberculosis-like
illness. Their son, Valentine, lived in Ann Arbor until the time of his death of an
unknown tuberculosis-like illness on June 12, 1874. Another daughter, Ellen (1837-1930), who worked as a school teacher in
Michigan, married
David B. Sturges, and immigrated with him to Montana Territory sometime
between 1856-1866, where they lived in Helena, Virginia City, and Gallatin. Ellen
Sturges eventually settled in San Bernardino, California, between 1876 and 1902. The
Steeles of Ann Arbor were active in the First United Methodist Church of Ann Arbor,
and ran a boarding house for students at the University of Michigan, where they
often attended events.
The collection contains thirty letters chiefly from the Steele family of Ann Arbor, Michigan, between 1856 and the 1870s,
to Ellen
Steele Sturges (1837-1930). All but one of which are addressed to Ellen
(or Ellen and David) Sturges from her immediate family (and one friend, identified
only as "Rebecca"). The aberrant letter was written in 1856 to David B.
Sturges from Ellen (it is unclear if they were already married at this point). The
correspondence contains detailed descriptions of the failing health and treatment of
Julia and Valentine Steele in the months leading up to their deaths. There are
occasional references to cultural and religious life in Ann Arbor in the letters of
the 1866-1876 period, especially regarding the growth of the Methodist Church and
the public speeches of Erastus Otis Haven (1863-1869), the second president of the
University of Michigan and pastor of the First United Methodist Church. Though
politics and national affairs are rarely discussed, HM 73855 includes Phebe Steele's
thoughts on President Ulysses S. Grant's unsuccessful bid for a third term. Ebenezer
and Phebe Steele express deep anxiety throughout the 1866 correspondence as to their
daughter's safety from Indians in Montana, though no specific events are referenced.
In addition to the correspondence, there is a family record, believed to be in the
hand of Phebe Steele, detailing the birth and death dates of the siblings and
parents of Ebenezer Steele, as well as a folder containing seven empty envelopes.
- Ellen Steele Sturges papers (Call number: mssSturges papers)
Items arranged chronologically.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
Huntington Library's Online Catalog.
Grant, Ulysses S.
(Ulysses Simpson), 1822-1885.
Steele family.
Medicine -- Michigan -- 19th
century.
Methodists -- Michigan -- 19th
century.
Respiratory organs --
Diseases.
Tuberculosis.
Ann Arbor (Mich.)
Letters (correspondence) Michigan --
19th century.