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Frederic L. Grisard, Jr. family letters

 Collection — Folder: S2321
Identifier: S2321

Scope and Contents

This collection contains typewritten transcriptions of letters sent to Frederic L. Grisard, Jr., his wife, Zelie, and his father, Frederic L. Gisard, Sr., all of whom lived in Vevay, Switzerland County, Indiana. The letters were translated from French to English by Nellie P. Waldenmaier, great-grandaughter of Frederic, Jr. The letters are organized into two sets, with the first set consisting of 16 letters sent from 1832 to 1848 to Frederic, Sr. and Frederic, Jr. and Zelie from the following siblings and cousins: Lide Grisard, Charles Henry Grisard, and Jean Pierre Meyrat from Switzerland; Frederic Eugene Cattin of Cortelary, Switzerland and Mount Eaton, Ohio; and Frederic Louis Langel of Vermillionville, Louisiana.

The second set of correspondence consists of 11 letters sent to Frederic and Zelie from 1836 to 1840 from Eugene and Lydie Dutoit. The Dutoits were friends of the Grisards and had moved from Vevay to Dayton, Ohio. The Dutoits would write separate messages, with Eugene writing first to Frederic, followed by Lydie writing to Zelie. Only one letter was started by Lydie.

Dates

  • 1832-1848

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Legal title, copyright, and literary rights reside with Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library, Indianapolis, IN. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Rare Books and Manuscripts.

Biographical Note

Frederic Louis Grisard was born August 14, 1808 in Bern, Switzerland to Frederic Louis (1777-1838) and Marie Anne (Langel) Grisard (1779-1837). In 1818, he and his parents moved to the United States, arriving in Vevay, Indiana in December of that year. In 1825, Grisard was apprenticed to learn the blacksmith trade in Cincinnati, Ohio and served there for three years. He returned to Vevay and worked as a blacksmith, first with his father, then alone until he went into the general hardware business in 1845. Along with his store, Grisard also made agricultural implements and was active in the flat-boat trade on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. He married Zelie Constance Simon (1807-1892) in April 1928 and they had seven children. Grisard died at the age of 72 on January 30, 1881.

Sources:

FindaGrave.com. "Cpt. Frederick Louis Grisard." Find a Grave Memorial. Accessed May 11, 2022. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/91589719/frederick-louis-grisard.

History of Dearborn, Ohio and Switzerland Counties, Indiana: From Their Earliest Settlement... Chcago: Weakley, Harraman and Co., 1885.

Extent

0.01 Cubic Feet (1 folder)

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

This collection is arranged chronologically.

Custodial History

This collection was received by Rare Books and Manuscripts as a donation from Mrs. B.C. Waldenaier on 1941/05/12.

Accruals

No further additions are expected.

Processing Information

Collection processing completed 2022/05/11 by Laura Eliason. EAD finding aid created 2022/05/11 by Laura Eliason.
Title
Frederic L. Grisard, Jr. family letters
Status
Completed
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Repository

Contact:
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671