"…that John Marshall, the longest-serving Chief Justice of the United States (1801-35), was also the author of one of the first biographies of George Washington?
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MS 3127, Dashiell Family Papers, 1846-1886
Finding Aid to the Dashiell Family Papers, 1846-1886, MS 3127
H. Furlong Baldwin Library, Maryland Historical Society
Collection summary
Title | Dashiell Family Papers. |
Creator | Rourke, Robin and Art. |
Call number | MS 3127 |
Inclusive dates | 1846-1886 |
Bulk dates | 1846-1866 |
Extent | 1 box, 26 folders. |
Abstract | Contains correspondence between members of the Dashiell family, Reverend Erastus Franklin Dashiell, his wife, Caroline Elizabeth Hull Dashiell, and her parents, Daniel and Caroline Hull, as well as documents from Rev. Dashiell’s studies at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. |
Administrative summary
Repository | H. Furlong Baldwin Library Maryland Historical Society 201 W. Monument St. Baltimore, MD 21218 |
Access restrictions | Open to the public without restrictions. |
Use restrictions | Permission to quote must be received in writing from the Special Collections Librarian. |
Provenance | Gift of Robin and Art Rourke, September 10, 2012. |
Accession number | 2012-119-LIB |
Processing note | Processed by Lara Westwood, August, 2013. |
Biographical Note
The Dashiell family lived in Queen Anne’s and Talbot counties in Maryland, where Erastus Franklin Dashiell acted as a minister for several Protestant Episcopalian churches in the area. Dashiell married Elizabeth Hull, the daughter of Daniel and Elizabeth Hull, on June 2, 1852/3. They had at least four children, three of which lived to adulthood: Elizabeth, May, and Caroline. Their first child, Franklin Denwood, died at one year old in 1856/7 and was buried at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Centreville, Maryland, where Dashiell preached.
Dashiell, son of James W. and Mary Milcah Jones Dashiell, was born on May 22, 1821 in Somerset County, Maryland. He attended Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, and received seminary training at the General Theological Seminary in New York, New York. He was ordained in 1849 as a deacon at Saint Andrew’s Church in Baltimore, Maryland by Reverend William Rollinson Whittingham, Bishop of Maryland. He attended Christ Church in Calvert County from 1849 to 1856, St. Paul’s Parish in Centreville from 1856 to 1860, Wye Parish from 1859-1867, and St. Michael’s Parish and other Talbot County churches from 1867 until 1880. Dashiell died on March 30, 1886 and was buried in Spring Hill Cemetery in Easton. For more information on his service at St. Paul’s Church, see the Harrison Collection, 1790-1890, MS 432 (Box 3, Volume 6, pages 123-125).
The Hull family lived in Belvidere, New Jersey, where Daniel Hull worked as a merchant. Caroline Elizabeth Hull was born on September 8, 1827 and died on July 27, 1867 and was also buried in Spring Hill Cemetery.
Scope and Content
The collection is organized chronologically. The letters are divided between those to and from Caroline Hull Dashiell and her husband, Reverend Erastus Franklin Dashiell. It contains correspondence between members of the Dashiell family, predominantly between Caroline and her parents, Daniel and Elizabeth Hull. The letters discuss daily concerns, such as the weather, housekeeping, health, and childrearing. Caroline often writes about the various remedies she uses to treat her family’s illnesses. She also relates her struggles to find household help and her interactions with her African-American maid. In her letters, she talks her children’s wellbeing, health, and development. She often refers to Elizabeth and Caroline by their nicknames, Bessie and Carrie. She also calls her husband Franklin or Frank, rather than Erastus. Erastus also corresponds with the Hulls, writing about similar issues. Also of interest are documents pertaining to his appointment in the Protestant Episcopalian church.
