Jane Grey Swisshelm Letters

Scope and Content

The letters here are mostly copies and transcripts of the originals. These letters were to and from Henry Z. Mitchell, Henry Swisshelm, and Jane Grey Swisshelm. The letters from Jane Swisshelm were written to the Mitchell family in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Jane Swisshelm’s younger sister, Elizabeth, was married to Henry Z. Mitchell.

There are two original Swisshelm letters, written in 1867 and 1883, both to the Mitchell family.

Biography

Jane Grey Cannon Swisshelm was born December 6, 1815, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, daughter of Thomas and Mary Cannon. At age 21 in 1836, Jane married James Swisshelm.

Swisshelm became involved with the abolitionist and feminist movements, founding a newspaper called Saturday Visitor in Pittsburgh in 1847. In 1857, after divorcing her husband, Swisshelm moved to St. Cloud, Minnesota and established another newspaper, St. Cloud Visiter. Located on the banks of the Mississippi River near the future site of St. Cloud State University, the newspaper became a focal point in local politics, especially local St. Cloud politician Sylvanus B. Lowery. Later, the Visiter printing press was destroyed by a mob. Soon after, Swisshelm founded another paper in St. Cloud, St. Cloud Democrat.

Despite writing articles advocating more freedom for some, Swisshelm also pushed for the complete extermination of Minnesota’s Dakota Indian population. During the Civil War, the federal government fought the Dakota in Minnesota, commonly known as the U.S.-Dakota Conflict of 1862. Defeated, the Dakota were expelled from Minnesota the next year.

In December 1862, Swisshelm moved to Washington, D.C., leaving her nephew, William B. Mitchell, to run the Democrat.

In September 1863, Swisshelm sold the Democrat to Mitchell, and then served as a nurse for the Union army for the remainder of the Civil War. Swisshelm died in Swissvale, near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1884.

Swisshelm's sister Elizabeth married Henry Z. Mitchell, who were the parents of William B. Mitchell.

The finding aid for these letters can be found here.

Visit the University Archives for more information.

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Letter, Jane Grey Swisshelm to Elizabeth Mitchell [April 8, 1884]

Jane Grey Swisshelm

Transcript of letter from Jane Grey Swisshelm to Elizabeth Mitchell, April 8, 1884
Letter, Jane Grey Swisshelm? to unknown [undated]

Jane Grey Swisshelm

Transcript of letter from Jane Grey Swisshelm? to unknown, undated
Letter, Henrietta Swisshelm to Elizabeth Mitchell [July 23, 1883]

Henrietta Swisshelm

Transcript of letter from Henrietta Swisshelm to Elizabeth Mitchell, July 23, 1883
Letter, Jane Grey Swisshelm to Elizabeth Mitchell [February 18, 1883]

Jane Grey Swisshelm

Transcript of letter from Jane Grey Swisshelm to Elizabeth Mitchell, February 18, 1883
Letter, Jane Grey Swisshelm to Elizabeth Mitchell [June 20, 1883]

Jane Grey Swisshelm

Transcript of letter from Jane Grey Swisshelm to Elizabeth Mitchell, June 20, 1883
Letter, Jane Grey Swisshelm to Mary Mitchell [May 23, 1883]

Jane Grey Swisshelm

Transcript of letter from Jane Grey Swisshelm to Mary Mitchell, May 23, 1883
Letter, Jane Grey Swisshelm to Willima B. Mitchell and unknown [January 25, 1883]

Jane Grey Swisshelm

Letter from Jane Grey Swisshelm to William B. Mitchell? and unknown, January 25, 1883
Letter, Susan B. Anthony to Jane Grey Swisshelm [January 2, 1883]

Jane Grey Swisshelm

Transcript of letter from Susan B. Anthony to Jane Grey Swisshelm, January 2, 1883
Letter, Ernest to unknown [August 11, 1883]

Ernest Unknown

Transcript of letter from Ernest to unknown, August 11, 1883
Letter, Jane Grey Swisshelm to Elizabeth Mitchell [June 27, 1882]

Jane Grey Swisshelm

Transcript of letter from Jane Grey Swisshelm to Elizabeth Mitchell, June 27, 1882
Letter, Jane Grey Swisshelm to H. C. Burbank [March 31, 1882]

Jane Grey Swisshelm

Transcript of letter from Jane Grey Swisshelm to H. C. Burbank, March 31, 1882
Letter, Jane Grey Swisshelm to Nettie Swisshelm [August 7, 1882]

Jane Grey Swisshelm

Transcript of letter from Jane Grey Swisshelm to Nettie Swisshelm, August 7, 1882
Letter, Jane Grey Swisshelm to unknown [1882]

Jane Grey Swisshelm

Transcript of letter from Jane Grey Swisshelm to unknown, 1882
Letter, Jane Grey Swisshelm to unknown [May 17, 1881]

Jane Grey Swisshelm

Transcript of letter from Jane Grey Swisshelm to unknown, May 17, 1881
Letter, Amelia Bloomer to Jane Grey Swisshelm [August 28, 1880]

Amelia Bloomer

Transcript of letter from Amelia Bloomer to Jane Grey Swisshelm, August 28, 1880
Letter, Schuyler Colfax to Jane Grey Swisshelm [July 14, 1880]

Schuyler Colfax

Transcript of letter from Schuyler Colfax to Jane Grey Swisshelm, July 14, 1880
Letter, Wendell P. Garrison to Jane Grey Swisshelm [August 15, 1880]

Wendell P. Garrison

Transcript of letter from Wendell P. Garrison to Jane Grey Swisshelm, August 15, 1880
Letter, Jane Grey Swisshelm to Mary H. Swisshelm [August 18, 1880]

Jane Grey Swisshelm

Transcript of letter from Jane Grey Swisshelm to Mary H. Swisshelm, August 18, 1880
Letter, Frances E. Willard to Jane Grey Swisshelm [November 28, 1880]

Frances E. Willard

Transcript of letter from Frances E. Willard to Jane Grey Swisshelm, November 26, 1880
Letter, Jane Grey Swisshelm to Elizabeth Mitchell [May 10, 1876]

Jane Grey Swisshelm

Transcript of letter from Jane Grey Swisshelm to Elizabeth Mitchell, May 10, 1876
Letter, Jane Grey Swisshelm to Henry Z. Mitchell [July 29, 1872]

Jane Grey Swisshelm

Transcript of letter from Jane Grey Swisshelm to Henry Z. Mitchell, July 29, 1872
Letter, Jane Grey Swisshelm to Henry Z. Mitchell [October 14, 1872]

Jane Grey Swisshelm

Transcript of letter from Jane Grey Swisshelm to Henry Z. Mitchell, October 14, 1872
Letter, Jane Grey Swisshelm to Henry Z. Mitchell [October 16, 1872]

Jane Grey Swisshelm

Transcript of letter from Jane Grey Swisshelm to Henry Z. Mitchell, October 16, 1873
Letter, Jane Grey Swisshelm to Mary Mitchell [January 30, 1869]

Jane Grey Swisshelm

Transcript of letter from Jane Grey Swisshelm to Mary Mitchell, January 30, 1869
Letter, Jane Grey Swisshelm to Elizabeth Mitchell [March 27 and 31, 1867]

Jane Grey Swisshelm

Transcript of letter from Jane Grey Swisshelm to Elizabeth Mitchell, March 27 and 31, 1867