Crofton and Shubrick family correspondence
Creation: 1852-1898Abstract
The Crofton and Shubrick families were descendants of a prominent French American diplomat and businessman, Victor Marie du Pont (1767-1827), and represent middle-class American women in the mid-to-late nineteenth century. Two generations of women married military men who were stationed across the world. This collection spans three generations of women (Julia du Pont Shubrick, Gabrielle Josephine Shubrick Crofton, and Julia du Pont Crofton Walcutt) from these families and contains correspondence regarding everyday life.
Dates
- Creation: 1852-1898
Creator
- Crofton, Gabrielle Josephine Shubrick, 1835-1894 (Person)
- Shubrick, Julia du Pont, 1806-1882 (Person)
- Walcutt, Julia du Pont Crofton, 1866-1948 (Person)
Extent
0.5 Linear Feet
Biographical Note
The Crofton and Shubrick families were decendants of a prominent French American diplomat and businessman, Victor Marie du Pont (1767-1827), and represent middle-class American women in the mid-to-late nineteenth century.
Julia du Pont (1806-1882) was the youngest daughter of Victor Marie du Pont (1767-1827) and Gabrielle Josephine de la Fite de Pelleport (1770-1837). She spent most of her life near Wilmington, Delaware, or in Philadelphia and Scranton, Pennsylvania. In 1824, du Pont married Irvine Shubrick (1797-1849) and the couple had five children: Thomas Branford (1825-1847), Francis du Pont (1827-1849), Alicia Cecelia (1830-1894), Gabrielle Josephine (1835-1894), and Richard (1838-1900).
Gabrielle Shubrick (1835-1894) was the daughter of Irvine Shubrick and Julia du Pont. She was born July 20, 1835. In 1864, Shubrick married Robert Erkine Anderson Crofton (1834-1898), an army officer. The couple had six children, five of whom survived: Julia du Pont (1866-1948; married Charles Carroll Walcutt), Maude (1869-1903), William Moore (1870-1907; married Emilie le Barbier), Gabrielle Josephine (1873-1952), and Mary Ethel (1875-1962; married Henry Jackson Hunt). During Robert's military service, the family lived in army posts across the country, including an eight-year span in the Dakota Territory. Crofton died December 3, 1894.
Julia du Pont Crofton (1866-1948) was born September 12, 1866 in Philadelphia to Robert E.A. Crofton and Gabrielle Josephine Shubrick. Because her father was in the military, her early life was spent moving around to different forts, including time in the Dakota Territory and Washington, DC. In 1891, Crofton married Lieutenant Charles Carroll Walcutt Jr. (1861-1946), then stationed at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Like in her childhood, with Walcutt's military service, the couple lived in a variety of locations including Columbus, Ohio; Manila, Philippines; Honolulu, Hawaii; and Washington, DC. The couple is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Scope and Contents
This collection spans three generations of women and consists primarily of correspondence between members of the Shubrick, Crofton and Walcutt families.
Letters to Julia du Pont Shubrick (1806-1882) from her sister-in-law Sophie M. du Pont (1810-1888) detail family news such as marriages, deaths and illnesses.
Letters from Julia du Pont Shubrick to her daughter Gabrielle Shubrick Crofton (1835-1894) pertain to travel (mode of transportation, boarding house and hotel accommodations), family news, her daughter Alicia's entrance into a Catholic convent, and visits to family members. They include detailed descriptions of clothing and fashion, social events and appearances of the participants. The letters from Shubrick reflect a comfortable lifestyle and her concern for maintaining appropriate appearances.
Letters to Gabrielle Shubrick Crofton from her husband Robert E. A. Crofton (1834-1898) were written daily from Fort Wingate, New Mexico, while she was visiting family in Philadelphia and Wilmington in 1883. He wrote about his daily activities and inquired about their childrens' health.
Letter to Julia du Pont Shubrick from Gabrielle Shubrick Crofton document the daily life of an army officer's family and contain descriptions of their residences.
Julia Crofton Walcutt's (1866-1948) husband, Charles Walcutt (1861-1946), wrote to her from the Philippines, where he was stationed in the army during 1898. She later joined him in Manila. There is also a letter from a Velma Van Oel, a mother of a soldier stationed in the Philippines regarding Julia Walcutt's work in the Manila Aid Society.
Miscellaneous correspondence includes letters written to Julia Walcutt from her sister regarding the World's Columbian Exposition and a trip to the Grand Canyon; letter to Robert E. A. Crofton from Julia du Pont Shubrick regarding a box of presents; list of books read; letter from Evelina du Pont (1840-1938) to Grace Tarleton of Mobile, Alabama, which describes activities of school friends and family in the North; and letter from Gabrielle Shubrick to Robert E. A. Crofton regarding their impeding marriage.
Access Restrictions
No restrictions on access; this collection is open for research.
Language of Materials
English
Finding Aid & Administrative Information
- Title:
- Crofton and Shubrick family correspondence
- Description rules:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description:
- English
- Script of description:
- Latin
Revision Statements
- 2021: Ashley Williams
Repository Details
Repository Details
Part of the Manuscripts and Archives Repository
