Unlike Mark Twain (1835-1910), who ordered that his autobiography ought not to be published until one hundred years after his death, Chadwick, as it happens, a dedicated reader of Twain's books, did not leave any statements concerning the purpose of his writings, other than that the Memoirs were apparently intended for his children and grandchildren. Beyond that remark—that his writings were not meant to be a “family bible”—he made clear that his texts were a personal account of his life, part of a period representing “real American life,” which he was afraid would be gone soon. They were from a New England mind, adding written “spotlights” to his memory of a home that, at times, had been euphemized as “the Promised Land.”

Life writings reflect more than just the writer's personal situation. They require their readers to pay attention to the writer's socio-cultural surroundings, and to gender, class, and ethnicity-related issues. They also ask for contextualization, meaning studies on similar subjects, in order to enable the differentiated and comparative analysis of the single studies. In the case of Chadwick, and in spite of the seemingly rich documentation, a serious study still demands a basic analysis that will then, consequently, open the field for more refined further research.

There are no hints of what led Chadwick to write. He was a good observer, and talented in putting his thoughts into words, but not a flawless writer, and, given his frustration about the defects in his own education, aware of that issue.