Margaret Learned Chapin was born on March 31, 1904 in New London, Connecticut. She graduated from Mount Holyoke College in 1925. After graduation she began teaching at the high school in Unionville, Connecticut where she remained until 1930, when she became a mathematics teacher at Northfield Seminary in East Northfield, Massachusetts. Margaret Learned Chapin died on April 8, 1961, in Norwich, Connecticut.

The Margaret Learned Chapin Papers contain correspondence, compositions including notes and poems, and biographical information. The papers primarily consist of letters from Chapin to her mother beginning in her first days as a student at Mount Holyoke College and ending with her travel to Unionville, Connecticut following graduation in 1925. Written almost daily, Chapin's letters contain detailed accounts of her academic work, including exam schedules, social activities, "crushes" on friends, employment, and health. Of particular note are Chapin's descriptions of excursions and College traditions, such as Mountain Day, as well as her social interactions with roommates, friends, and faculty. Also of note within the biographical information are floor plans of Porter Hall drawn by Chapin and a commencement album.

Material from this collection is available in an online digital format.