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Schroeder family papers
The Schroeder family papers consists of hundreds of letters and dozens of genealogical charts and genealogical narratives. The primary collector of this wealth of information appears to have been Louisa Lawrence Schroeder (July 23 1886 - November 14, 1963). The majority of the letters are written b...
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| Contributors: | |
|---|---|
| Collection: | Schroeder Family Papers |
| Collection Number: | 4054 |
| Format: | Manuscript |
| Language: | English |
| Subjects and Genres: | |
| Online Access: | Link to finding aid |
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| Physical Description: |
6.0 Linear feet ; 4 cartons, 5 flat files |
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| Access: |
The collection is open for research. |
| Summary: |
The Schroeder family papers consists of hundreds of letters and dozens of genealogical charts and genealogical narratives. The primary collector of this wealth of information appears to have been Louisa Lawrence Schroeder (July 23 1886 - November 14, 1963). The majority of the letters are written by, or are from, Louisa’s mother Louisa Richards Lawrence (born 1861, died 1925) and father, Gilliat Ghequire Schroeder (born 1856, died 1914).
Researchers studying United States commerce in the two decades after the Civil War will find letters from Gilliat Schroeder, when he was traveling for business, of interest. His work was primarily as a cotton broker.
The personal letters in the collection tend to be mundane. However, the closeness that Gilliat and Louisa shared comes through in their writing about domestic and family issues. Taken as a whole, researchers will glean information about domestic arrangements in the mid nineteenth century, as well as some information on commerce. Readers may examine the letters, genealogical charts and other documents for a view of city life in New York and to a lesser degree Philadelphia, and for details about how friends and families kept in touch.
For those interested in genealogy, the collection’s extensive genealogical charts and narratives shows the extent to which Louisa Richards Lawrence Schroeder was a collector of the history of the many branches of her family, including distant relations.
Information on Jamaica, including accounts of slave uprisings, is also included. Extended family lived and owned land in Jamaica (Ricketts Family) from the late 18th century. There are letters to and from Jamaica written among family members.
The diaries of Selina Richard Schroeder written when she was a teenager gives the reader a wonderful insight into the late 19th century adolescent world. While much of the correspondence in the collection is formal and even stilted at times, the diary of the young girl is open and intimate. Selina was the daughter of Louisa and Gilliat Schroeder. In the diaries, she shows concerns not unlike of teens of today (albeit in hand written form as opposed to digital). In 1889 she writes, “I am going to be still more careful about who sees this book than I was with the last, and unless it is absolutely necessary, no one shall ever open it but myself and my chum Edith L. Speyers.” She also occasionally wrote in code. |