Eleanor Field Correspondence, 1837-1839 | Illinois History and Lincoln Collections

Scope and Contents:

This collection consists of two letters. One letter, dated October 1837, is addressed to Eleanor Field from Elizabeth F. Field in Vandalia, Illinois. It is possible Elizabeth is Eleanor’s mother, or perhaps a female relative. In this letter, Elizabeth Field states she has sent Eleanor clothing. She provides instructions on how to finish sewing the garments and make repairs to other clothing. Another letter, dated June 12, 1839, was sent by Eleanor to her father, Colonel Alexander Pope Field, in Vandalia, Illinois. In this letter, Eleanor discusses family matters and her experiences at Menard Academy.

Biographical/Historical Context:

Field’s mother was Elizabeth Kalfus Pope of Jefferson County, Kentucky. Field’s father, Colonel Alexander Pope Field (1800-1876), was a lawyer and politician who served as the 21st Attorney General of Louisiana, the 6th Illinois Secretary of State, and the 4th Secretary of the Wisconsin Territory. Active in the Illinois legal system and Whig politics, Alexander Pope Field was a contemporary of Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas.

Menard Academy of Kaskaskia was a women’s boarding school founded and operated by Sisters of the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary, a Catholic religious order. Established in 1833 by the Sisters, the school educated young white women from Kaskaskia and the surrounding area. Many members of the families of Pierre Menard, a prominent businessman and civil servant, and William Morrison, another well-known businessman, attended the school. While initially housed in structures owned by the Morrison and Menard families, the Sisters moved to a new building in 1837. After a flood in 1844 damaged the Academy, the Sisters relocated to St. Louis, Missouri and re-opened the school. In St. Louis, the Sisters settled on Ninth street before moving to Cass Avenue in 1857. In 1892, the Sisters moved to Cabanne Place. The school, known today as Visitation Academy of St. Louis, is still in operation in St. Louis County.

Acquisition Source: The materials in this collection were acquired prior to 1956 by the Illinois Historical Survey, the predecessor of the Illinois History and Lincoln Collections.