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University of Michigan William L. Clements Library

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Appleton-Aiken family papers, 1806-1934

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Summary

Creator:
Appleton family and Aiken family
Abstract:
The Appleton-Aiken papers contain letters and documents relating to the family of John Aiken and his wife Mary Appleton of Lowell and Andover, Massachusetts. The collection contains correspondence about textile mills at Lowell, collegiate education, and the development of the towns of Lowell and Andover, Massachusetts, and Brunswick, Maine. The family letters also include numberous personal references to Mary Aiken's sister, Jane Appleton, both before and after her marriage to the future 14th president of the United States, Franklin Pierce.
Extent:
1.5 linear feet
Language:
English
Authors:
Collection processed and finding aid created by Rob S. Cox, 1995

Background

Scope and Content:

The Appleton-Aiken papers contain over 575 letters and documents relating to the family of John Aiken and Mary Appleton, his wife, of Lowell and Andover, Massachusetts. The collection contains correspondence documenting family life among the upper classes in Massachusetts in the early industrial age, and contains useful information on the textile mills at Lowell, collegiate education, and the development of the towns of Lowell and Andover, Massachusetts, and Brunswick, Maine.

The correspondence centers on the interests of a large and powerful family. Mary and John Aiken's children were all well-educated and wrote erudite letters. Many of the Appletons and Aikens were professionally involved in education, and several series of letters include valuable information on college life and curricula at mid-nineteenth century. Charles and William Aiken attended Dartmouth College in the 1840s and 1850s, and their letters are filled with an undergraduate's opinions on coursework, professors, and education. There are also several examples of secondary school writing assignments from John and Mary Aiken's children and grandchildren.

In a different vein, the letters of Alpheus Spring Packard written while he was professor of natural history at Bowdoin College, offer a unique perspective on the development of that institution, and particularly of its science curriculum. There are many other letters relating to Bowdoin College, since the entire Appleton family seems to have retained a strong interest in the college for years after the death of Jesse Appleton, its former president. For example, Mary Aiken's mother, Elizabeth, writes particularly interesting letters about the progress of the college after the death of her husband, in 1819. Also worthy of note are several letters written by Jennie Snow, whose husband was on faculty at the University of Kansas during the 1870s.

The Aikens were heavily involved in capitalizing textile mills throughout northern New England. A few items provide particularly interesting information on the mills at Lowell, including an October, 1836, letter in which Mary describes a walk-out and strike at the mill, and a letter from her brother, Robert Appleton (1810-1851), describing a shipment of cotton arriving at the mill in 1835 from London. Robert also inspected Governor William Badger's (1799-1852) new cotton factory at Gilmanton, New Hampshire. In 1871, Mary and John's daughter Mary describes a book, Lillie Phelps' The Silent Partner, designed to improve the condition of the mill "operatives." Two other items are of some interest for the study of mill life, one a letter from J. Whitney regarding the acts of sabotage against the mill performed by Edward Webb, an employee (1834 May 1) and the other a letter in which a woman suggests women learn sewing, a skill badly deteriorating under industrialization.

The collection includes a letterbook with 25 letters written by John Aiken to his family from Europe. He wrote these letters during one of his business trips to examine textile operations; along with general travel descriptions, he reported information about cloth production and marketing. Additionally, the collection contains a diary kept by John Aiken during this trip. In the volume, which covers the dates September 1, 1847, to December 20, 1847, Aiken briefly recorded his current location or recent travel, the weather, and any sightseeing or social activities that occupied his day. Aiken noted visits to tourist attractions, including the Tower of London and the Tuileries Garden, and also used the volume to track several financial accounts accrued throughout the period. Detailed notes at the back of the volume also reflect his keen interest in the textile industry and the mills he visited while abroad.

On a more general level, the Appleton-Aiken papers are an useful resource for studying family dynamics among the upper class. The letters are filled with discussions of family members, relations between husband and wife or parent and child, and include some interesting commentary on local religious life, revivals, church meetings, and family piety.

Two photographs have been transferred to the Clements Library's Graphics Division for storage. Photocopies of these are included in Box 6 in the folder containing Miscellaneous items.

Biographical / Historical:

An important theologian and president of Bowdoin College, the Rev. Jesse Appleton (1772-1819) often came into close contact with the nation's educational, financial, and political elites. The most remarkable feature of his life, however, may have been the knack that his family displayed for marrying well. His youngest daughter, Jane Means Appleton (1806-1863), became the wife of Franklin Pierce (1804-1869), and another daughter, Frances Elizabeth Appleton (1804-1839), married the theologian and Bowdoin professor, Alpheus Spring Packard (1798-1884). Two of Appleton's sisters-in-law were similarly well-connected: Mary Means (1777-1858) became the wife of Senator Jeremiah Mason (1768-1848), a supporter of Daniel Webster (1782-1852), and Nancy Means (1783-1866) married first, the Hon. Caleb Ellis (1767-1816), associate justice of the Supreme Court of New Hampshire, and second, the exceedingly wealthy merchant and philanthropist, Amos Lawrence (1786-1852).

In 1832, the Rev. Appleton's eldest daughter, Mary Means Appleton (1801-1883), followed in the family tradition by marrying John Aiken (1797-1867), an attorney from Mancester, Vermont, who would soon become the agent for the Tremont Mills at Lowell, Massachusetts, and a significant figure in the textile industry. About 1849, the Aikens moved to nearby Andover, Massachusetts, where they spent the rest of their lives. The couple had five children -- William Appleton, John Francis, Mary Elizabeth, Alfred Lawrence, and Jane "Jennie" Appleton -- adding to the two children, Charles Augustus and Harriet Adams, that John had through a previous marriage to Harriet Russell Adams (1804-1830). This marriage brought about the merger of two of the most powerful families in the region, further extending an already far-flung network of family, educational, and political relationships. The family worked through this kinship network to further their interests. All of the Aiken children received good educations, with Charles and William attending Dartmouth, rather than Bowdoin.

Following the death of John Aiken, Mary made an extended visit with her daughter Jane "Jennie" Appleton (Aiken) Snow (1845-1928), who had married Professor Francis Huntington Snow (1840-1908) of the University of Kansas. She returned to Andover, Massachusetts, where she lived under the watch of her eldest daughter, Mary Elizabeth (Aiken) Ripley (1838-1927), and her son-in-law, George Ripley (1830-1907), until her death in 1883.

Acquisition Information:
1985; 2001; 2021. M-2216; M-4166; M-7341.
Processing information:

Cataloging partially funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).

Rules or Conventions:
Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Subjects

Click on terms below to find any related finding aids on this site.

Subjects:
Christianity.
Domestics.
Slavery.
Textile industry--Massachusetts--Lowell.
Textile workers--Massachusetts--Lowell.
Formats:
Diaries.
Letters (correspondence)
Photographs.
Names:
Bowdoin College.
Dartmouth College.
Pierce, Franklin, 1804-1869.
Pierce, Jane Means Appleton, 1806-1863.
Abbot, E.
Abbot, S.
Adams, Ebenezer.
Adams, Eliza Minot, 1810-1888.
Adams, J. F.
Adams, Mary Jane Means, 1811-1882.
Aiken, Alfred Lawrence, 1840-1854.
Aiken, Alfred Lawrence, 1870-1946.
Aiken, Charles Augustus, 1827-1892.
Aiken, David (brother of John Aiken)
Aiken, John, 1797-1867.
Aiken, John Francis, 1835-1880.
Aiken, Mary Means Appleton, 1801-1883.
Aiken, Rebecca (sister of Mary Means Appleton Aiken)
Aiken, Sarah E.
Aiken, William Appleton, 1833-1929.
Appleton, Elizabeth Means, 1779-1844.
Appleton, Jesse, 1772-1819.
Appleton, William, 1808-1830.
Atherton, Anna Holland (Nancy), 1782-1859.
Bacon, Lucy Johnson, 1800-1847.
Bigelow, Eliza Frances Means, 1822-1888.
Blanchard, Caroline R. Draper.
Bourne, W. W.
Brown, Maria J. B.
Bruce, Frances.
Cleaveland, Abby Elizabeth, 1832-1907.
Cleaveland, Nehemiah, 1796-1877.
Cogswell, Francis.
Davis, Abigail Atherton Spalding, 1809-1900.
Davis, Edward.
Dearborn, Sarah Bowdoin, 1761-1826.
Edwards, J. L. E.
Flint, John.
Fry, Nathan.
Goodrich, Chauncey.
Green, Lizzie L.
Hall, Anne E.
John H. Pray, Sons & Co.
Lawrence, Nancy Means Ellis, 1783-1866.
Lincoln, Thomas O.
Lord, Harriet Adams Aiken, 1829-1886.
Lord, William H.
M., Harriet.
Mann, J. J.
Mason, George Means, 1800-1865.
Mason, Mary Elizabeth, 1802-1859.
Mason, Mary Means, 1777-1858.
McKeen, Joseph.
Means, Abigail Atherton Kent, 1802-1857.
Means, Catharine Atherton, 1784-1838.
Means, James, 1813-1863.
Means, Robert.
Means, William Gordon, 1815-1894.
Moor, M. D.
Newman, Samuel Phillips, 1797-1842.
Noyes, Daniel Parker, 1820-1888.
Noyes, Emmie.
Noyes, Helen McGregor Means, 1824-1890.
Noyes, Mary Hale Parish.
Orvis, L. C.
Owen, Allison.
Packard, Alpheus Spring, 1798-1884.
Packard, Frances Elizabeth Appleton, 1804-1839.
Packard, Hezekiah, 1761-1849.
Padelford, Fay & Co.
Patterson, J. W.
Putnam, A. F.
Reynolds, Thomas B.
Ripley, Mary Elizabeth Aiken, 1838-1927.
Shattuck, Horace B.
Skinner, F.
Smith, Frances Gordon Kent, 1809-1857.
Smith, J. Hosford.
Snow, Jane (Jennie) Appleton, 1845-1928.
Spalding, Edward, 1813-1895.
Sprague, William B. (William Buell), 1795-1876.
Storer, M. S.
Storer, Woodbury.
Swift, Benjamin, 1781-1847.
Tappan, Elizabeth Bowdoin Temple Winthrop, 1787-1844.
Toulmin, J. B.
Tufts, William.
Varney, S. J.
Voorhees, Henry Van Harlingen, 1805-1877.
Watson, L. L.
Webster, Sydney.
Whitney, J.
Whitney, K.
Winthrop, E. B. I.
Winthrop, Robert Charles, 1809-1894.
Woart, Mary J.
Woodbury, Mary.
Wright, Susan Prescott, 1796-1869.
Young, Ira.
Places:
Brunswick (Me.)--Description.
Lowell (Mass.)

Contents

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Download PDF Finding Aid
RESTRICTIONS:

The collection is open to research.

USE & PERMISSIONS:

Copyright status is unknown.

PREFERRED CITATION:

Appleton-Aiken Family Papers, William L. Clements Library, The University of Michigan

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Collection

Appleton-Aiken family papers, 1806-1934
Total components 8
Last indexed 2025-02-09