The papers of Thomas Steel are composed chiefly of correspondence. By far the largest number of letters are those exchanged between the Thomas Steel family in Wisconsin, and members of the James Steel family in London, England between 1843 and 1860. The chief worth of the collection is to be found in the letters Thomas himself wrote to England in those years, and yet groups of other letters have interest. The collection might be divided as follows:
|
Number of letters
|
Correspondents
|
| 7 |
Between the James Steel family and Mrs. Steel's family (Thomson). Concerning family affairs, 1813-1835. |
| 1 |
Long letter from Dr. Andrew Steel to parents, written from Madras, India. Description of India and near shipwreck, 1828. |
| 9 |
Thomas Steel to his family in England (1834-1839), when he failed to establish practice in Canada and U.S., and made three voyages as a ship's doctor. Steel landed first at N.Y., and then sought possibilities for medical practice in and near Toronto, Niagara Falls, Louisville, and New Orleans, with no success. Returned to England as a ship's doctor--voyage on which he wrote from India, July 10, 1835. |
| 482 (approx.) |
Exchange of letters between Thomas Steel family in Wisconsin and members of the James Steel family in England, 1843-1860. |
| 24 |
Letters and documents concerning James Steel, son of Thomas Steel, Cadet Engineer in U.S. Navy, 1862-1871. |
| 7 |
From John Steel, son of Thomas Steel, written from Grenoble, France, where he helped manage a glove factory. Some description given of France, 1880-1883. |
| 4 |
Letters from a woman inquiring about Steel family history, 1908-1909. |
Thomas Steel's letters from Wisconsin to his family in England chronicle three projects in his life, any one of which might yield useful material for the student of history: (1) Steel's brief and unrewarding membership in the Society of Equality, (2) Steel's difficulties as an early doctor, (3) Steel's struggle to make a living by homesteading and farming forty acres. None of these ventures was really successful financially, and yet Steel's accounts of his plans and problems through the years are most revealing.
With a group of about twenty people, all members of the Socialist Society of Equality in England, Thomas Steel came to Wisconsin to serve as the doctor at a settlement to be called “Equality.” The little band arrived in Milwaukee in the summer of 1843, and soon located and bought part of a section of land on Spring Lake in the Town of Mukwonago, Waukesha County. Steel's letters describe the problems this group faced through their first five months, and his own misgivings as to their success. Believing that their members lacked the proper frame of mind and positive leadership to make the experiment a success, Steel withdrew from the group in December, 1843, and secured a 40-acre tract for himself some miles away. In letters of 1846 and 1847 he describes how Equality was dissolved and how he then purchased about 176 acres of its land in behalf of his father.
It is obvious from Steel's correspondence between 1843 and 1860 that there was neither enough work nor enough money to support a doctor in this rural frontier community. He frequently wrote of the distance he had to travel, afoot or by horseback, only to have patients fail to pay him. Since he had to supply his own drugs he often failed to make expenses, even when paid for the call (e.g. March 16, 1852). Accepting produce or trades in payment for medical fees was common practice. Once he spent two days “collecting” without realizing a cent. By 1854 he was considering establishing a drug store in the wing of his home.
It is in reference to Steel's development of his homesteaded land that the best and most descriptive accounts are given of how land was acquired in that period, cleared, and farmed. He sometimes inserted into his letters drawings showing the layout of land or the appearance of farm buildings. The price of farm land, the costs of buildings, the value and kinds of crops, interest and taxes, and the scarcity of money and labor were often topics of concern in his letters.
Throughout his letters run frequent references to township, state, and national affairs. His letter of Sept. 30, 1852, for example, gives in some detail the method of election and the function of school boards. He mentions activities at the state agricultural fair at Janesville (Oct. 6, 1851), the first Waukesha County fair (Apr. 1., 1853), and the laying of the first railroad through the Genesee area. Trips to Milwaukee were the occasion for Steel to describe costs of transportation, and food and rent in that city.
Many of the letters from Wisconsin in this period were also written by Mrs. Steel. Most of these are very difficult to read due to the crossing of lines; but in general they deal with household duties, the children's activities, and a limited social life.
