The Bushrod W. Poor collection contains seven letters written to Poor during the early 19th century. The first item in the collection is a letter written to Poor by a friend, Gibson, who asked about the affairs of mutual acquaintances, and shared his philosophical musings in a two-page essay entitled "The Mind." The remainder of the collection consists of six letters composed by Poor's wife Joanna, when her husband was looking for work around Boston and, later, in Dubuque, Iowa. She occasionally discussed the affairs of local lawyers, particularly in an early letter from their native Vermont, where she stayed with family members, but focused more on financial difficulties, and on the hardship of being separated from her husband. During Bushrod's absence, Joanna spent her time visiting with the couple's parents and watching the children, and, though she expressed continued hope for his employment, she often believed their future prospects to be somewhat bleak. She frequently chastised him for not writing, and several times questioned his sympathy for her position, particularly while he traveled, and criticized his recent conduct.
Bushrod W. Poor was born in Vermont c. 1820, and married his wife, Joanna, in 1844. A lawyer by training, he served as justice of the peace in Lowell, Massachusetts, before moving to Dubuque, Iowa, in the early 1860s, where he worked as a registrar of bankruptcy until at least 1889. He and Joanna had at least 4 children: Willard, Alvin, Clara, and John.
