Summary
"Victorine Elizabeth du Pont, the first child of Eleuthere Irenee du Pont and his wife Sophie, was seven years old when her family emigrated to America, where her father established the humble beginnings of what would become a corporate giant. Through correspondence with friends and relatives from the ages of eight to sixty-eight, Victorine unwittingly chronicled the first sixty years of the du Pont saga in America. As she recovered from personal tragedy, she became first tutor of her siblings and relations. This biography makes the case that Victorine has had the broadest-and most enduring-influence within the entire du Pont family of any family member. The intellectual heir of her venerable grandfather, Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours, although Victorine grew up in an age where women's opportunities were limited, her pioneering efforts in education, medicine, and religion transformed an entire millworkers' community"-- Provided by publisher.
Contents
France, 1792-1795
America's Turn
Wilmington, Delaware
Emergence
Post-Rivardi Years
Ferdinand
Mourning on the Brandywine
Departures and Arrivals
Life and Spirit on the Brandywine
The Brandywine Manufacturer's Sunday School
A New Superintendent
Second Mother
A Growing Family, a Thriving Community
National Recognition
Legacies and Conflicts
Loss and Restoration
A Time to Build
Bells
Feeling an Interest
Nearing Home
Pathway's End.