Of the 34 items in the Frederick Batchelder collection, 4 are incoming and outgoing letters related to Batchelder, 3 are documents pertaining to his service as probate judge in Stafford, Connecticut, and 27 are essays he composed at Brown University in the late 1830s.
The Correspondence series contains 2 letters that Batchelder wrote in 1834, and 2 that he received in 1868 and 1878. He debated philosophical issues, such as the role of civilization in producing human happiness. One of the incoming letters, written by an elderly friend, concerns the author's religious activities and convictions.
The Documents series consists of 3 items related to Batchelder's service as a judge in Stafford, Connecticut. They pertain to two inheritance cases and a dispute over local land.
The Essays series is made up of 27 essays about philosophical, literary, and political questions, composed during Batchelder's studies at Brown University. He explored aspects of American literature, the merits of learning history, "Advantages & Disadvantages of speaking the same language with Britain," the science of magnetism, effects of the division of labor, ethical dilemmas, and the treatment of Native Americans.
Frederick Lyman Batchelder was born on January 17, 1815, in Andover, New Hampshire, the son of Odlin Batchelder (1775-1860) and his wife, Huldah Searle (1776-1846). In 1827, he moved to Holliston, Massachusetts, where his brother lived, and worked for a local shoemaking business. He attended Brown University between 1837 and 1839, and Andover Theological School from 1839 to 1842. Following his ordination as a Baptist minister, he briefly led a congregation in East Longmeadow, Massachusetts, before moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he worked as a traveling preacher along the Grand River. In 1852, he moved to Stafford, Connecticut, where he presided over the local Baptist church and later served as a probate judge. He married Eliza Hall Willey (b. May 14, 1833) on January 1, 1862, and had two children: Frederick Prescott (b. October 24, 1864) and William Brainard (b. July 25, 1867). He died in East Milton, Massachusetts, on January 15, 1910.
