Mississippi River steamboat captain from Cincinnati, Ohio.

Captain Christopher Gardner Pearce was born in Rhode Island on February 11, 1811. He eventually moved to Pittsburg in 1834, becoming a clerk for the steamer “Alton.” In time, Pearce constructed, captained, and eventually sold several steamboats, including the “Monsoon,” the “Goddess of Liberty,” and the “Cincinnati.” His routes regularly took him to places like St. Louis, Louisville, and New Orleans. Pearce married Jane Ann Sackett in 1840. She remained in Cincinnati, and it appears that she lived with her mother and Pearce’s cousin, Jane Maria Fuller. Other relatives from both families were frequently employed by Pearce and occasionally resided in Cincinnati.

The Pearces were a deeply affectionate couple, though they suffered increasing emotional strain from their frequent separation, particularly following the birth of their daughters Ann Maria in 1841, and Margaret Jane in 1845. Later letters indicate the birth of a son in 1847, and a fourth child was presumably born in 1851. Jane Ann’s health declined over time, and her letters illustrate the daily difficulty of having to raise her daughters alone. She provides detailed descriptions of the affliction and treatment of illness in the household or among friends. Her correspondence also occasionally dispenses and requests gossip, chiefly on the scandalous behavior of her brothers.

Christianity is a frequent subject in the letters, including belief in Temperance, keeping the Sabbath, and Pearce’s noteworthy crisis of faith while observing a Baptist revival in Paducah in 1846. Pearce also details a variety of other episodes to Jane Ann, including his participation in transporting Mormon “emigrants” to Nauvoo, Illinois, the sinking of the “Monsoon,” a firsthand account of the Great Flood of 1844, and a trip to the Iowa Territory to dispose of his brother’s share in a township. Pearce eventually remarried in 1864, and had three more children. Despite Jane Ann’s growing plea for Pearce to find a local profession and live permanently in Cincinnati, his river career continued for another twenty years after her death.