Land deed, 1817

The Rockwood letters paint a picture of the life of Cephas Rockwood, an up-and-coming lawyer from Chester, Vermont. The letters are mostly between Cephas and Louisa Foote of Canton, New York, regarding their courtship and future life together. These letters are quite intimate and also demonstrate the inherent difficulty in holding a long distance relationship during the 19th century. Furthermore, the letters document Cephas's rise to legal prominence, both in Vermont and later in Wisconsin when he was nominated to be Register of the Land Office at Milwaukee, in the Territory of Wisconsin. Though he did not receive the position, it nonetheless showed he was a man held in high esteem at the time. The correspondence of Cephas L. Rockwood is a gift from Edward Thomas Stephenson and Michele Hedding Stephenson of Hollister, San Benito County, California. Collection contains 25 holograph letters represetning correspondence with Lovisa Foote, Joel Doolittle, Emma Willard (Louisa's friend and colleague), and Cephas' friend and colleague, William Slade. Two letters of recommendation from Cephas' colleagues in Vermont and the deed to his land in Chester, Vermont are also included.