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Letters by Frederick Darlington Bowditch

Frederick Darlington Bowditch (1859-1920)

Frederick Darlington Bowditch, son of Joseph Bowditch and Elizabeth Abbot, was born 22 November 1859 in Tarboro, North Carolina. He married Helen Louise Tryon, daughter of Harvey Seth Tryon and Anna Elizabeth Rudolph, on 12 August 1896 in Mahomet, Illinois, and died 19 November 1920 in Urbana, Illinois.

At age 21 he left North Carolina for the west, perhaps heading for Colorado. He was in Swedona, Kansas, in December 1882, but soon headed back east to Urbana, Illinois, where his brother Charlie was working on a farm. When Charlie returned to North Carolina, Fred took over Charlie's job. He lived in Urbana the rest of his life.

These two letters (the second is incomplete) were written to his brother Charles.

  • 22 November 1884. To his brother Charles Bowditch. He describes his trip to Urbana, and his housing situation; mentions a Methodist revival meeting going on; talks about the election of Grover Cleveland; and asks about "sitting up affairs," says someday they'll "be well repaid for all our trouble," and that their parents are doing what they think is right, probably all in reference to an agreement made in 1885 for the distribution of their parents' land. [Transcription, Images ]
  • 12 March 1908. To his brother Charles Bowditch. He encloses leases for some type of mine, apparently as a result of some legal issues involving their rights to it. [Transcription, Images ]