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E. S. Chesbrough Letter

 Collection
Identifier: MS-0923

  • Staff Only

E. S. Chesbrough wrote this letter to H. M. Nelson, a civil engineer in Faytteville, North Carolina, from Knoxville, Tennessee on June 12, 1837. In it, Chesbrough describes spending the night with a local family in a small cabin, mentions his duties as a surveyor, and discusses some church matters. This collection also houses a typewritten transcript of the original letter.

Dates

  • 1837 June 12

Conditions Governing Access

Collections are stored offsite and must be requested in advance. See www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.

Conditions Governing Use

The UT Libraries claims only physical ownership of most material in the collections. Persons wishing to broadcast or publish this material must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants on www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.

Extent

0.1 Linear Feet (1 folder)

Abstract

E. S. Chesbrough wrote this letter to H. M. Nelson, a civil engineer in Faytteville, North Carolina, from Knoxville, Tennessee on June 12, 1837. In it, Chesbrough describes spending the night with a local family in a small cabin, mentions his duties as a surveyor, and discusses some church matters. This collection also houses a typewritten transcript of the original letter.

Biographical/Historical Note

Ellis Sylvester Chesbrough was born on July 6, 1813 to Isaac and Pharina (Jones) Chesbrough in Baltimore County, Maryland. He attended school until the age of 9, when an unsuccessful business venture left the family bankrupt. Chesbrough went to work to help support his family but managed to continue his education on his own. In 1828, his father helped him to secure a position with a surveying firm in Baltimore. Chesbrough married Elisebeth Ann Freyer (1817-1900) on December 22, 1837 and the couple had three sons who survived to adulthood, Henry Freyer (1840-1870), Ellis Sylvester Jr. (1849-1928) and Isaac Sumpter.

Chesbrough lost his job during the depression of the early 1840s and took his family to live with his father in Rhode Island. During the winter of 1842, Chesbrough learned practical engineering at a railroad yard and, after farming for a year, became the Chief Engineer of the Boston Water Works' West Division. He accepted the position of Chief Engineer of the Board of Sewerage Commissioners of Chicago in 1855 and went on to design a sewer system that involved raising the city's streets up to ten feet and included a two-mile tunnel leading to an intake crib under Lake Michigan. Chesbrough died in Chicago on August 18, 1886.

Arrangement

This collection consists of a single folder.

Repository Details

Part of the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Repository

Contact:
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Knoxville TN 37996 USA
865-974-4480