Rolph Marsh was an affluent businessman from Rahway, N.J. Little is known of his private or professional life, except that he worked and traveled abroad, perhaps as a member of the American Consulate in France, and regularly donated to charitable causes. In the early 1870s Marsh donated land in Rahway, N.J., for a Protestant Episcopal Church Chapel and Rectory, later known as the Free Chapel of the Holy Comforter. Marsh stipulated that the church be a "free Church", meaning that the seats were to be "free to all who may choose to occupy them" and that the church would be supported only by "worshippers offertory contributions" (undated Church flyer). The pastor of St. Paul Episcopal Church, Rev. Abercombie, was named by Marsh to the board of trustees as was Marsh's personal friend, Albert G. Thorp, and Marsh's son, William. L. Marsh, a banker from Jersey City. Rev. Holbrook acted as pastor of the Chapel until 1872, when Marsh mysteriously withdrew his support (July 31, 1872).

Although there is no mention of his wife, Marsh had four children, and perhaps more: two sons and two daughters, one of whom, Mrs. Kate Bibb, frequently traveled with her father. Rolph's second son, John Edward (known as Edward), traveled to Munich, Germany, to pursue studies in Chemistry, claiming that in the United States "scientific men" and their professions were treated as a " disgrace" (April 9, 1866). Edward wrote to a friend of his father's, Mr. H.B. Sears, describing his life abroad, his studies and his interest in a mutual acquaintance, Carrie Caphron. Caphron lived in Walden, N.Y., with her parents, Seth and Helen Caphron, and a sister. Sears took an interest in the blossoming friendship between Edward and Carrie, and forwarded Edward's letters to Carrie as evidenced by a handwritten note on Edward's October 14, 1865 letter. Sears' daughter, Gussie, was a friend of Carrie's, and the two presumably were traveling together in New York City when Edward met Carrie around 1865. Carrie's father did not approve of John Edward Marsh and for several weeks in October, 1868, refused to meet Edward and Rolph. According to Edward, Mr. Caphron's disapproval was based on his desire for Carrie to marry a local gentleman and stay in "Walden and to wait upon him" (Oct 20, 1868).

Eventually, sometime between October 29 and November 2, 1868, Edward and Carrie did marry, and after the wedding, the two sailed to Germany. In 1869, Edward and Carrie had a son, Charles Caphron Marsh. Carrie received a steady stream of letters from friends, cousins, and her mother including childrearing advice, along with other news from home. Most traumatically, the young couple suffered sympathetically at a distance upon hearing the news of Gussie Sears' tragic marriage to Charles Wetton in 1870. Charles implied to Gussie's father, the romantic Mr. Sears, that he had been married previously but had divorced and was free to marry his daughter. After the wedding, Wetton's first wife, Mary, reappeared, declaring that she was still legitimately married. Soon after, a second woman came forth claiming that Wetton was her common-law husband and father of her son. The matter was taken to the local court, although there is no record of the final decision.

Scope and contents:

The Marsh Papers are an interesting example of American social and family relations in the period between 1855 and 1888, with the bulk lying between May, 1865, to May, 1881. The collection contains 70 items of personal and business correspondence addressed to Rolph Marsh, a member of the American Consulate in France. Carrie Caphron Marsh, Marsh's daughter-in-law, was the recipient of 64 personal letters, discussing her clandestine courtship with Edward Marsh and womanly gossip from friends and family members in the States during her residence abroad with her new husband.

In Marsh's business correspondence, 26 letters deal with charitable contributions to the Protestant Episcopal Church and various other causes. The most interesting of these letters is Rev. Holbrook's plea for an explanation for why Marsh suddenly withdrew his support in 1872, asking why he had deprived the reverend of the "only honorable mode of obtaining a living for myself, delicate wife and little girl." Marsh also supported Grace Church in Wabasha, Minn. (September 3, 1872) and donated to the Bishop Doane Memorial Scholarship fund at the St. Helen's Hall , an all-girls school, in Orange, N.Y. (June 3, 1875). His financial position made him the recipient of several supplication letters, one from a "destitute," "homeless" man requesting money for a train ticket (July 7, 1874) and another asking for the "favor" of a seasonal or round trip pass, since Marsh is "probably" acquainted with the officers of the railroad company (March 25, 1869). Marsh's correspondence also contain 19 personal letters from family members, including his brother and sister, niece, and children. The majority of these letters also discuss business transactions.

Edward Marsh wrote six letters to H. B. Sears in 1865-66, detailing his studies and travels abroad and his affection for Carrie Caphron. Sears considered himself a confidant and a "friend and well-wisher" of both Carrie and Edward (Aug 16, 1866), and wrote thirteen letters to Carrie (1866-68). In these, Sears plotted Edward's next visits, sending Carrie encoded information on Edward's arrival, such as "your goods have arrived ____ time, in good condition. Will bring them to you at ____ time." (Aug 2). In addition to his machinations on behalf of the young couple, Sears offered sympathy and support to Carrie as she waited for Edward's visit to New York. In 1868, Edward returned to the States, staying at the Coleman House in New York City. Edward actively courting Carrie through the mail, writing 22 letters between May 15 and October 29, 1868. He urged Carrie to "show a will of (her) own" (October 21, 1868) and to marry him despite her father's objections. The Sears family to an active role in the Edward and Carries' wedding, evidenced by a bill sent to John Edward Marsh on November 11, 1868 for flowers that were purchased in Sears' name.

Gussie Sears, the daughter of H.B., wrote four letters to Carrie. The first two describe her excitement and plans for her marriage to Charles Wetton. Gussie's third letter (Nov 12, 1870), unexpectedly laments the tragedy of her "fearful past" as her "dream of bliss was sad and short", sobbing, "why was I so deceived?," asking whether Mr. Wetton had simply used her to make money from her "voice." Carrie's mother fills in the gaps of Gussie's shortlived marriage with motherly gossip and a newspaper clipping (Jan 20th).

Two letters from M.J. Cramer, an employee of the American Consulate in Leipzig, include a description of an attack made upon him by a Southern sympathsizer who had been refused a passport to the United States for his refusal to take an oath of allegiance. The remaining items in the collection include a funeral announcement for Catharine Marsh, the widow of Capt. Isaac Marsh, several calling cards, room receipts from the Hotel Chauvin in Nice, newspaper clippings of local New Jersey tax assessments, a medical report and receipts, three small unidentified photographs, and several business receipts and pricing lists.

M-3439.7
Precat. 2/17/98

Subjects

Bibb, Kate
Caphron, Carrie
Caphron, Helen
Caphron, Seth
Courtship--New York (State)
Diplomatic and consular service, European
Episcopal Church
France--Description and travel
Germany--Description and travel
Marsh, John Edward
Marsh, Rolph
Marsh, William
Parent and child
Sears, Gussie
Sears, H. B.

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