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Book/Printed Material An English settler in pioneer Wisconsin; the letters of Edwin Bottomley, 1842-1850

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About this Item

Title

  • An English settler in pioneer Wisconsin; the letters of Edwin Bottomley, 1842-1850

Summary

  • This volume is a collection of important historical documents published by the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. It is entirely devoted to letters from an English immigrant, Edwin Bottomley (1809-1850), written between 1842 and 1850 to his father, Captain Thomas Bottomley. Edwin Bottomley was born in Mossley near Manchester, and moved to Huddersfield and South Crossland, where his father became manager of the Crossland mills. As a pattern designer and leader of the Methodist church choir, he became prominent in that community. In 1842, however, seeking better prospects than could be found "in a cuntry wher Labour the sorce of all Real wealth is troden under foot By Monopoly Taxation and Opprssion," he emigrated with his wife, Martha, their five children and his bass viol to what would soon be known as English Settlement in western Racine County, Wisconsin. Bottomley farmed seventy acres and within eighteen months moved his family from a temporary shanty to a substantial brick house. The years brought hard work and regular bouts of fever, but enough prosperity for Bottomley to add 300 contiguous acres to the original holding. (The mortgage on this purchase caused him considerable anxiety, and he later turned to his father and brother for financial help). From the beginning, Bottomley was active in civic affairs, helping to establish the local school house and Methodist Episcopal church. His letters contain many references to British political issues and reflect some of the religious tensions of the period. In 1850, Bottomley succumbed to typhoid fever, leaving a will and inventory included here. An index appears at the end of this volume.

Names

  • Bottomley, Edwin, 1809-1850
  • Quaife, Milo Milton, 1880-1959, ed

Created / Published

  • Madison, Published by the Society, 1918.

Headings

  • -  Bottomley, Edwin,--1809-1850--Correspondence
  • -  Frontier and pioneer life--Wisconsin--Racine County

Medium

  • 250 p. illus., port 25 cm.

Call Number/Physical Location

  • F576 .W81 vol. 25
  • F587.R2 B68

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 18027300

OCLC Number

  • 1249274

Online Format

  • online text
  • image
  • pdf

Additional Metadata Formats

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress is not aware of any U.S. copyright protection (see Title 17, U.S.C.) or any other restrictions in the materials in the Pioneering the Upper Midwest: Books from Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, ca. 1820-1910 materials. The Library of Congress is providing access to these materials for educational and research purposes. The written permission of the copyright owners and/or other rights holders (such as publicity and/or privacy rights) is required for distribution, reproduction, or other use of protected items beyond that allowed by fair use or other statutory exemptions. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item.

Credit Line: Library of Congress, General Collections and Rare Book and Special Collections Division.

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Bottomley, Edwin. An English settler in pioneer Wisconsin; the letters of Edwin Bottomley, -1850. editeds by Quaife, Milo Milton Madison, Published by the Society, 1918. Pdf. https://aj.sunback.homes/item/18027300/.

APA citation style:

Bottomley, E., Quaife, M. M., ed. (1918) An English settler in pioneer Wisconsin; the letters of Edwin Bottomley, -1850. Madison, Published by the Society. [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://aj.sunback.homes/item/18027300/.

MLA citation style:

Bottomley, Edwin. An English settler in pioneer Wisconsin; the letters of Edwin Bottomley, -1850. ed by Quaife, Milo Milton Madison, Published by the Society, 1918. Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <aj.sunback.homes/item/18027300/>.