Caroline Chester Knickerbocker photos
Caroline Chester Knickerbocker
Other Name:
Caroline Chester
Gender:
Female
Born:
January 26, 1801
Died:
April 20, 1869
Home Town:
Hartford, CT
Marriage(s):
John Harman Knickerbocker (June 2, 1825)
Biographical Notes:
Caroline Chester Knickerbocker was born on January 26, 1801 to Thomas Chester and Esther Bull Chester of Hartford, Connecticut. She attended the Litchfield Female Academy from 1815-1816. While attending the Female Academy, Charoline boarded at the Dr. Daniel Sheldon and the Miss Edwards house. On June 2, 1825 Caroline married John Harman Knickerbocker a politician from Troy, New York. They had four children. She died in 1869.
Quotes:
"...to Bradley's tavern with Hannah Huntington, John, Mr. O. Wolcott, W.T. and Mary," 1815.
Caroline Chester's "diary" as quoted in Chronicles of a Pioneer School and More Chronicles of a Pioneer School (location of the original is unknown).
In June 1816, Chester and fellow Litchfield Female Academy students Susan Rockwell and Miss Sanford hired a carriage for an afternoon drive. While passing Tapping Reeve's house on South Street, Chester realized they had another passenger, Litchfield Law Student John Robbins Pitt, who was playing a joke on the group.
"In turning around saw sitting on the back of the carriage Mr. Pitt, I was astonished that a person whom I imagined possessed so much dignity would condescend to be seen in such a degraded situation, ...
[more]
Caroline Chester's "diary" as quoted in Chronicles of a Pioneer School and More Chronicles of a Pioneer School (location of the original is unknown).
In June 1816, Chester and fellow Litchfield Female Academy students Susan Rockwell and Miss Sanford hired a carriage for an afternoon drive. While passing Tapping Reeve's house on South Street, Chester realized they had another passenger, Litchfield Law Student John Robbins Pitt, who was playing a joke on the group.
"In turning around saw sitting on the back of the carriage Mr. Pitt, I was astonished that a person whom I imagined possessed so much dignity would condescend to be seen in such a degraded situation, ...
[more]
Additional Notes:
Primary sources for Caroline Chester Knickerbocker are located in the Litchfield Female Academy collection, Series 2: Student Papers, Records, and Documents, Folders 64 and 65.
Education
Years at LFA:
1815-1816
Immediate Family (Why only immediate family?)
- John Harman Knickerbocker
Husband - Thomas Chester
Father - Esther Bull Chester
Mother
Related Objects and Documents
In the Ledger:
- Map of the United States by Caroline Chester Knickerbocker
- Caroline Chester Knickerbocker photos
- Litchfield Female Academy Collection
Other:
The Citation of Attendance provides primary source documentation of the student’s attendance at the Litchfield Female Academy and/or the Litchfield Law School. If a citation is absent, the student is thought to have attended but currently lacks primary source confirmation. Records for the schools were sporadic, especially in the formative years of both institutions. If instructors kept comprehensive records for the Litchfield Female Academy or the Litchfield Law School, they do not survive. Researchers and staff have identified students through letters, diaries, family histories and genealogies, and town histories as well as catalogues of students printed in various years. Art and needlework have provided further identification of Female Academy Students, and Litchfield County Bar records document a number of Law School students. The history of both schools and the identification of the students who attended them owe credit to the early 20th century research and documentation efforts of Emily Noyes Vanderpoel and Samuel Fisher, and the late 20th century research and documentation efforts of Lynne Templeton Brickley and the Litchfield Historical Society staff.
CITATION OF ATTENDANCE:
Caroline Chester kept a diary while attending the Female Academy in 1815 (Vanderpoel, Emily Noyes.Chronicles of A Pioneer School From 1792 to 1833. Cambridge, MA: The University Press, 1903).
Caroline is mentioned in Caroline Boardman's 1815 journal that she kept while attending the Female Academy (Litchfield Historical Society - Litchfield Female Academy collection).
1816 Litchfield Female Academy Catalog (Vanderpoel, Emily Noyes. Chronicles of A Pioneer School From 1792 to 1833. Cambridge, MA: The University Press, 1903).
A "Miss Chester" is mentioned in Charlotte Smith's 1816 diary. This entry may refer to Charoline Chester Knickerbocker (Connecticut Historical Society).
Caroline is mentioned in Caroline Boardman's 1815 journal that she kept while attending the Female Academy (Litchfield Historical Society - Litchfield Female Academy collection).
1816 Litchfield Female Academy Catalog (Vanderpoel, Emily Noyes. Chronicles of A Pioneer School From 1792 to 1833. Cambridge, MA: The University Press, 1903).
A "Miss Chester" is mentioned in Charlotte Smith's 1816 diary. This entry may refer to Charoline Chester Knickerbocker (Connecticut Historical Society).
Contact Us
Do you have more information for the Ledger?
If you have family papers, objects, or any other details you would like to share, or if you would like to obtain a copy of an image for publication, please contact us at curator@litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org.