Faragher William (1 results)

Condition: Overall excellent. A collection of letters mainly sent between Captain William Faragher (18421921) and his second wife, Harriet Chamberlin (18531920), with several from Faragher's children from his first marriage, Burton (18721961) and Maude (18751952). Most letters are from Chamberlin to Faragher, with fourteen from Faragher to Chamberlin. Faragher owned and captained several merchant ships in Lake Erie and Lake St. Clairpresumably sailboats, as he frequently complains of having been stuck without wind. He also describes more severe weather out on the lake, writing from St. Clair, Michigan: "I am anxious to get down from here but as the day advanced the wind began to frisken and it began to snow hard and as it was freezing hard it had rained then snowed and then froze hard saturday night so the poor Venture was in a sad plight but she was in a worse one when we got to where we lay run as it breezed up fresh and the wind dead ahead the water was flying over her in all directions and froze wherever it fell and besides it had turned into a blinding snow storm but we had a certain point to make [.] she seemed as anxious to get to a place of safety as I did and as the boys say she got there and none too soon as it has been blowing a gale ever since and snowing and freezing but we are in the lee and at a good dock and are comfortable but oh the wind is whistling through the rigging [.]" (November 20, 1887) In the 1880s, steamships were increasing in popularity on the Great Lakes, primarily because of sailboats' susceptibility to both calm and weather; steamboats were bulky for their capacity and slow, but more reliable, whereas sailboats could carry overall more cargo.[1] Generally, steamers took packaged goods and passengers, and sailboats, mainly schooners, took bulk cargo. The Great Lakes were the site of much shipping innovation; Faragher's fleet was not yet behind the times, but steam would overtake sail in the 1880s and 90s. Faragher's cargo was mainly produceapples and grapesthough he does mention picking up salt and other materials. His letters indicate that his business involved both shipping and mercantile aspects: he chose and bought the products, shipped them to their destination, and then also had to find and sell to customers. The grapes in particular seem to cause a lot of trouble: "We left Lorain Sunday morning early and had a nice trip to the Island got there at 4 PM bustled around monday morning and bought 400 baskets of grapes and had them all aboard by dark [.] it commenced to snow just as we got [to Marine City] bad bad omen for grapes but imagine my chag[r]in when I went up town and not a store or commission house wanted a grape folks were full of grapes and there was no sale for them and they said that I had got left and if the truth were known they were glad of it but its a cold day when I get left if trying will lit me out but one thing certain the weather and the lateness of the season were against me but you know I never cross a bridge before I get to it well we hauled up to our old Island Saturday morning and I sold out to my old friend [.] we had sold since 11 am 190 baskets of grapes [.] only half our cargo and at a good margin too[. People] would ask are you the man that was arrested here for selling grapes when told yes they seldom failed to buy but the strangest part was the number of ladies that came to buy". (October 28, 1887) Though he does not narrate the incident in which he was arrested for grape peddlingnor does it appear to have made the paperhe later mentions yet another grape-related debacle, this time at Port Huron: "Sander and I [went to] town to sell the grapes today [.] when down came a city official and wanted to know if I had a license to sell [.] well I couldent sell another grape without paying 5.00 a day license that was a stormer you see the whole sale men were going to drive me out of the market [.] but they were not as sharp as they thought they were I went and gave a bill of sale of my whole cargo to a citizen here and he appointed one [of] his agent[s] to sell the grapes" (September 20, 1888) Faragher's letters here do not discuss the financial state of his business, but given Chamberlin's statements it cannot have been all too positive. Chamberlin's letters depict a woman struggling with her financial circumstances and with how the era's expectations of her gender intersected with them. In one illustrative letter, she writes: "A man drove by here Sat. asking for you. Ms. Lawler has given him her note to collect. He says the interest brings it to nearly fifty dollars. I told him I thought you could not meet it just at present but he said he must have the money and would give you just one week and if it was not paid then he [would] let the law settle it. Marvin and Laird are his lawyers. Mr. Laird is the one who helped get my money from father's estate. I would not have them connected in this way about you for, O a great deal!! I have thought and planned till it seems as though my brain would burst. I have inquired about that law regarding taking any more married women as teachers. If Mr. Day would work for me it might perhaps be broken. There will be a vacancy in [the] Detroit building this fall. Will, if I possibly can, I want to commence teaching in Sept. The children would have to learn to do more about the house and with both of us earning it seems as though some of these harassing debts must be settled after a time. The frequent calls of men with bills against you have taken away all my pride and I believe I am humble enough to do most anything now." (July 11, 1887) In 1887, Ohio passed the Married Women's Property Act, which allowed married women to keep their own property separate from their husbands'in fact, Chamberlin occasionally mentions "her" money in her correspondence. At the same time, the state's Board of Education was debating passing an act that would not only ban school districts from hiring married women as teachers, but al.