The collection contains correspondence, receipts, poems, and other material concerning Helen M. Hoskins and her family of Sheffield, Massachusetts. Most of the correspondence is between Helen and her mother, Sabra Hoskins, but also includes letters written by Helen's husband, H.T. Wheeler, her son, Horace Wheeler, siblings, numerous cousins, and friends. Included in the collection are poems, compositions, and other ephemera related to Helen's time as a teacher at female academies in Maryland, (Patapsco Institute), Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Mississippi, and Ohio.
Collection is open to all researchers.
Acc. 2013.226 was received by Special Collections via U.S.P.S. on 8/14/2013. The collection was purchased for Swem Library with support from the Clarice Garrison Quasi Endowment.
This collection is arranged into two series, correspondence and ephemera. The correspondences are arranged chronologically by author and recipient, and the ephemera is arranged chronologically.
The fragile nature of this material may limit handling.
Helen M. Hoskins Papers, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary.
Accessioned and minimally processed by Steven Bookman, University Archives Specialist, in October 2013.
Mary Lou Yancey Autograph Album (MsV Auto13).
Before reproducing or quoting from any materials, in whole or in part, permission must be obtained from the Special Collections Research Center, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library.
Some of the topics covered in the papers include the 1848 U.S. Presidential Election, The Mexican-American War, slave uprisings in Hampton, Virginia, the education of women, benevolence societies, Sunday school, social comparisons between the north and south, the Know Nothing movement, and outbreaks of various diseases including cholera, yellow fever, dysentary, and small pox in Virginia in the 1840s and 1850s, as well as diseases common to young children and the prevalence of influenza and bilious fever. Folder includes 50 letters and 2 undated letter fragments.
Located in Ohio. Topics include the distinction of states as loyal and in rebellion, the appearance of rebel leader John Morgan in southern Ohio in the summer of 1863 and the northern response, the disruption of daily activities including mail services due to the civil war, reference to the riots in New York in regards to the draft, the 100th anniversary of the Methodist church in England and America. Helen and her husband are often ill, and Helen speaks frequently of homeopathic and plant-based medicinal practices. Includes 21 letters and 1 undated letter fragment.
Letters to Sabra C. Hoskins from her nephew L. Curtis. Topics include the death of two students of typhus fever at Hamilton College, the dismissal of the student body, and religious philosophy. 2 letters.
Letters to Sabra C. Hoskins from her niece and nephew. They write their separate letters on the same paper. They discuss life on their rural farm and births, deaths, and weddings in their family. 2 items.
Letters to Sabra C. Hoskins from Helen's husband. Topics include what he perceives as Sabra's mistreatment of Helen, the possibility of her moving in with them, and the provision and management of her finances. 3 items.
Letters to Sabra C. Hoskins from Helen's son, Horace. Topics include his daily activities, drawings, his parents' health, and his reluctance to write letters. 3 items.
Letters to Sabra C. Hoskins from her granddaughter, Mary. Mary writes about her parents and siblings, the birth of her sister, her studies in school, and the activities of their church. 2 items.
Letters to Sabra C. Hoskins from family members and friends writing about their daily lives and Helen's future teacher, L. Kellogg, on her tuition fees. 7 items.
Includes a letter to a probate judge asking if she, Sabra, could own retain land willed to her from her father and a letter requesting the delivery of groceries. 2 items.
Letters to Helen Hoskins from her mother. Letters include discussion of daily life in Sheffield, Massachusetts, especially the happenings of the church, references to religious revivalism, the 1860 census, the 1860 election, and the declaration of Civil War. 24 items. Letter dated January 13, 1859 included a small scrap of linen. The fabric is referenced in the letter. It has been removed and placed in the Manuscripts Artifacts Collection (Mss 2013.226.01).
Letters to Helen M. Hoskins from either a childhood friend or cousin. Contents include frequent references to religion, references to an argument and subsequent falling out of the two friends, and discussion of the duties of a housewife. 5 items.
Letters to Helen M. Hoskins from a friend. The contents are centered on religion. 2 items.
Letters to Helen M. Hoskins from her cousin. The letters discuss their daily lives, families, and religious devotion.
Letters to Helen M. Hoskins from a friend in Hampton, Virginia. Letters discuss their lives and the lives of acquaintances in Hampton. Helen's future husband, H.T. Wheeler is first mentioned in these letters. 2 items.
Letters to Helen M. Hoskins from a friend. Contents include discussions on their family and acquaintances. 4 items.
Letters to Helen from various friends, family, and acquaitances. Contents include a letter from her husband, H.T. Wheeler, written on the back of a pamphlet for the Morris Female Institute listing "H.T. Wheeler, A.M. and Lady" as principals and an apology letter from one of Helen's students. 12 items.
Letters to Franklin Hoskins, Helen's brother, from a friend. They discuss their family, daily lives, and, particularly, the illnesses that they frequently encounter. 2 items.
Letters to various Hoskins family members primarily from other Hoskins family members. 4 items.
Letter from H.T. Wheeler, husband of Helen M. Hoskins, to their son, Horace. The letter discusses the weather in Tuskegee, Alabama, and includes the first commandment written in Hebrew. 1 item.
Content refer heavily to previous correspondences. Given the date, author, recipient, and contents, it is unlikely that this letter belongs with the rest of the Helen M. Hoskins papers. 1 item
Ephemera related to the Hoskins family. Includes Asa Hoskins's, husband of Sabra C. Hoskins and father of Helen M. Hoskins, appointment to lieutenant in the Massachusetts militia in 1818, an account book to a local grocery store, drawings, poems, prayers, and song lyrics, and a sewing sample that has been relocated to the Manuscripts Artifacts Collection (Mss 2013.226.02).