Railroads, self-invention, and fun

For some antebellum Americans, steam transit offered anonymity. One could board a train or steamboat and be surrounded by strangers. Rapidly whisked off to a different part of the county or country, passengers left behind their homes and perhaps the expectations that came with familiar territory. People could make use of this anonymity to remake themselves.

Sometimes, however, the anonymity that came with steam travel had lower stakes. People could move to a different part of the country and remake themselves—or they could simply try to have a bit of fun. This appears to have been what motivated Dexter Russel Wright on a train trip in upstate New York in 1843. A gentleman sat next to Wright in the train, and Wright decided to amuse himself by introducing himself as “Dunston” instead of by his real name. Wright/Dunston described where he was from, and his neighbor on the train exclaimed “you must know Miss Hargen.” Hargen was, in fact, Wright’s fiancée, but he was determined to keep up the ruse, saying only “I had the pleasure of a very slight acquaintance with the lady.” Wright decided to use this as an opportunity to learn about how he himself was perceived, inquiring what his seat-mate knew of “a man by the name Wright.” The passenger was free with gossip, revealing that Wright “is courting the young lady [Hargen], & is about to marry her. She appears much delighted with the idea and is particularly proud to mention it, in a secret manner, to all the dames and old crows in her neighborhood.” Wright realized that the passenger had no idea who he was, and so he “pushed the advantage [he] had gained and inquired what sort of a fellow young Wright was &c.” Once again, the busybody passenger was glad to oblige, reporting that Wright was “reputed to be a shrewd and intelligent chap.” The passenger was less impressed with his impending marriage to Miss Hargen, however: “I think Wright has missed it most damnedly, though though she is on the whole rather a good girl, considerably hot though.” Evidently the passenger considered Wright to be entering into a marriage that he would regret!

Wright reports that he was “entertained some two or three hours by my redoubtable acquaintance.” When the trip was over, surely they said their goodbyes, perhaps shook hands, and the gossiping passenger left none the wiser. Wright did not break off his engagement, but surely had a funny story to report when he got back home, which was undoubtedly his intent from the beginning.

There were plenty of opportunities for anonymity or re-invention, however temporary, on steam transit in the antebellum era. Wright’s tale shows that sometimes this anonymity could be purely for amusement.

This tale comes from Wright’s diary, which is available in the manuscript reading room at the Library of Congress.