Cardwell and Irwin families collection
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Creator
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Language of Materials
Abstract
The bulk of this collection consists of handwritten correspondence between John Crean Cardwell and Grace Ann Parker, dating 1891-1897. Regular correspondence also dates 1900-1905, when Grace lived in Switzerland and New York State to receive treatment for tuberculosis. The letters discuss John's medical practice, details about patients and treatments, and daily life in Brooklyn and Worcester, Massachusetts. Cardwell and Parker also discuss their relationship, plan for their 1897 wedding, and discuss various friends and family members. Also included is a photograph album, presumably compiled by Grace's nephew's grandmother-in-law, Anna Maria Conselyea after she married into the Irwin family.
Biographical Note
John Crean Cardwell (1866-1940) was born in Philadelphia, PA to George Cardwell, a store clerk, and Margaretta Richards. John attended the Bellevue Hospital Medical College, and later taught neurology and physiology at Harvard Medical School from 1891-1893, before returning to Brooklyn and becoming a practicing physician. Grace Ann Parker (1866-1941) was born in Worcester, MA to Henry Langdon Parker (1832-1910), a lawyer and Massachusetts state legislator, and Isabelle Hopewell Hayden Mason. Grace was an artist and studied at the Massachusetts Normal Art School, in Florence, Italy, and later at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. After she graduated she was supervisor of Art in the Worcester Public Schools for two years. John and Grace were married on June 10th, 1897, in Worcester MA. From 1900-1905 Grace spent time in Switzerland and upstate New York to receive treatment for tuberculosis.
Arrangement
Correspondence is arranged chronologically by year. Items within folders are not arranged.
Scope and Contents
The bulk of this collection consists of handwritten correspondence between John Crean Cardwell and Grace Ann Parker, dating 1891-1897. Regular correspondence also dates 1900-1905, when Grace lived in Switzerland and New York State to receive treatment for tuberculosis. The letters discuss John's medical practice, details about patients and treatments, and daily life in Brooklyn and Worcester, MA. Cardwell and Parker also discuss their relationship, plan for their 1897 wedding, and discuss various friends and family members.
Additional correspondence includes John's friend Nathan Breiler, Grace's cousin Lilian Parker, Grace's half sister Gertrude Parker, and her father Henry Langdon Parker. The collection also inlcudes the couple's 1897 wedding invitation and Grace's 1906 medical test results.
Also included is a photograph album, presumably compiled by Grace's nephew's grandmother-in-law, Anna Maria Conselyea after she married into the Irwin family. Portraits show members of the Irwin, Conselyea, McFarlane, Webb, and Darling families dating circa 1860-1879. Notable portraits include a distant cousin of the Irwin family, Charles Sherwood Stratton, better known by his stage name, Tom Thumb and photograph of President Abraham Lincoln with his son Tad. There is no known relationship between the Lincoln and Irwin families.
Accompanying the photograph album is a detailed report by donor Anne Hornung-Soukup, printed by the archivist, with biographical information about the sitters and a family tree outlining relationships. A photograph of William Henry Irwin also includes detailed biographical information provided by Hornung-Soukup.
Subjects
Conditions Governing Access
Open to researchers without restriction.
Conditions Governing Use
While many items at the Center for Brooklyn History are unrestricted, we do not own reproduction rights to all materials. Be aware of the several kinds of rights that might apply: copyright, licensing and trademarks. The researcher assumes all responsibility for copyright questions.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date (if known); John Crean Cardwell and Grace Ann Parker correspondence, 2021.002, Box and Folder number; Center for Brooklyn History, Brooklyn Public Library.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Anne Soukup, the granddaughter of Grace Anne Parker's nephew Dean Huntington Parker, in 2021. Additional materials gifted in 2024.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
If digital surrogates exist, they should be used in place of the originals whenever possible.
About this Guide
Processing Information
The archivist removed letters from their original envelopes. Envelopes have been retained and housed with their corresponding letters. Original clippings were discarded after preservation photocopies were made.
The photograph album and additional correspondence were interfiled in 2024.
