Thomas Coleman Chandler writing from Fairfield Plantation Virginia in 1847

 

Thomas Coleman Chandler is well-known to the internet; it was to his tobacco plantation at Fairfield in Virginia that the Confederate General “Stonewall” Jackson was taken after being wounded by friendly fire in 1863.  The Chandlers knew Jackson and he had previously stayed at Fairfield. The Fairfield secondary building (the Office) in which he died has been preserved by the US National Parks Service but the main Fairfield house from which this letter was written no longer exists. There are many images of both buildings avialable on the internet.

The letter was written by Chandler addressed to his daughter Mildred; it was written in 1847 a couple of years after Chandler had purchased the Fairfield plantation which was worked by around sixty slaves until slavery was abolished after the defeat of the Confederate armies. The plantation had a very favourable location close to the Guinea station of the railway constructed in the 1830s and which ran in a more or less straight line north from the Virginia state capital in Richmond and through Guinea to the port of Baltimore from which tobacco was exported to Europe. From the letter, it will be seen that Thomas Chandler used the railway to send a trunk down to Richmond where Mildred is a pupil or pupil teacher in Mrs Mead’s school.  Mrs Meade/Mead was the widow of the Reverend Zachariah Mead by whom she had children; she opened her school in the state capital in 1841 and ran it successfully for over a decade. The internet knows a lot about her life and her school. But I can find nothing about Mildred Chandler though it knows several Mildred Chandlers from this period; it may be that she died young though it may be that she can  be found deep in one of the many Chandler online genealogies.

Transcription

Addressed to: Miss Mildred Chandler   Richmond Va

No postal markings; probably carried by hand. Endorsed: Answered

Datelined: Fairfield March 31^st 1847

Mildred

I received your Communication yesterday & today which informed me of the scarlet fever being in Mrs Meades school and the death of the little girl, which Mrs Meade had informed me before your letter came to hand which made me feel very uneasy for you. I am not prepared at this time what course to avise you to pursue, But I will say tis much to you, in the even ther should be some two or three cases of fever in the school I think you had better leave until the fever abate if you have any fear upon your mind I will leave it with you. You must write every two or three days so that I may hear from you, we are all well at this time except some of the small negro children with the Hooping Cough. I received a letter from Joseph [his son, a physician] yesterday which informed me he was not very well and that his eyes had been very soar, I have nothing of any importance to write you, I have been informed that your Aunt Jane was to have gone to Hanover and that Enodia would meet her there.

Your affectionate Father T C. Chandler

Tom [his son who later took over the plantation] sent a letter from Fredericksburg maild [?] at the Boulingreen [Bowling Green] to you. P.S I have sent your trunk of Cloths by the Railroad Capt. (Mr Ruth) which he will have it sent to you J.C.C

References (there are others easily found)

https://www.nps.gov/places/chandler-house-site.htm

https://randomthoughtsonhistory.blogspot.com/2016/04/a-couple-of-weeks-ago-i-stopped-in-at.html

https://www.nps.gov/places/guinea-station.htm

https://www.masshist.org/beehiveblog/2015/03/the-unstoppable-anna-maria-mead-chalmers/