The world of Belle Dickey: A study of child life and childhood education in mid-nineteenth century Illinois

The following study of Belle Dickey and her life and times is not only the study of the life of a child at a particular point in American history, but an example of the development of middle-class itself--and the changing roles of children and the family. The focus has been on letters written by Belle, her brother Charles, and other members of their family from 1855 to 1932. The bulk of the letters, some fifty-five, appeared in 1856, when Belle was ten and Charles thirteen. They are part of the Wallace-Dickey Papers (1816-1934) in the Illinois State Historical Society, Springfield, which consist of diaries, letters, genealogical information, programs, and military maps relating to the lives of Theophilus Lyle Dickey, lawyer and judge, his law partner William Hervey Lamme Wallace, and their families. This discussion of childhood and a child's life is based upon these letters. Subjects included are education, recreation, household duties, moral and religious training, clothing, and illness. The study is divided into five sections: Background of the Period, Early Childhood in Ottawa, School Days in Bureau County (1856), Late Childhood: Hot Springs, Chicago, and Nazareth, Kentucky (1857-59), and the Conclusion, which provides additional biographical information on the family members from the Civil War (1860) through the deaths of Belle and Charles in 1932, together with a final analysis. Supportive material comes from letters and writings of other children and adults of the period in Illinois and elsewhere.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Education

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2011

Author dc:creator

• Marton, Patricia

Contributors dc:contributor

• Belting, Natalia M.

• Biography
• American Studies
• History, United States
• Women's Studies
• Education, History of

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 1991 Marton, Patricia

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

AAI9124459
(UMI)AAI9124459

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/22028