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32 items
This collection is comprised of 31 letters that Georgiana Hemingway of Fair Haven, Connecticut, received from female friends, her parents, and her siblings between 1858 and 1867. Her acquaintances discussed their social lives, courtship, and the Civil War, and her family members provided news from Fair Haven while Georgiana traveled. The correspondence includes one letter from Hemingway's brother Charles to their mother, Theresa.
Between 1858 and 1865, Georgiana Hemingway primarily resided with her family at Fair Haven, Connecticut (in modern New Haven), though she spent time in Suffield, Connecticut; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and New York City. Georgiana's friend Lizzie Cutts sent 4 letters from New Hampshire and Massachusetts between 1858 and 1861, commenting candidly on courtship and describing two incidents of unwanted advances made by male acquaintances. Hemingway also received 3 letters from a friend at the Sayre Female Institute in Lexington, Kentucky, who reported on her social life at the school and on mutual acquaintances (1863-1864). In one particularly descriptive letter, she told Georgiana about her travel from Lexington to Madison, Wisconsin, for Christmastime (January 8, 1863). Hemingway also received letters from her brothers Charles, Willis, and Frederick, who provided updates on marriages, deaths, and other local news from Fair Haven while Georgiana was away.
Though the letters focus primarily on the activities of friends and family members, some writers mentioned news and effects of the Civil War, such as optimism following the Union victory at Vicksburg (July 11, 1863) and the upcoming hanging of the Lincoln conspirators (July 6, 1865).
0.25 linear feet
The Joseph and William Parsons papers are made up of 80 personal letters to brothers Joseph Badger and William Moody Parsons, originally of Gilmanton, New Hampshire. Family members and friends wrote about their daily lives in New Hampshire towns.
Joseph and William Parsons received letters on January 15, 1834 (1 item); from January 6, 1841-September 20, 1854 (71 items); and on February 3, 1875 (1 item). Seven additional items are undated. The brothers' siblings Emily, Lewis, Sarah, Daniel, and Charles frequently reported news from Gilmanton, New Hampshire, and acquaintances also wrote from elsewhere in New Hampshire, including Nashua, Hanover, Manchester, Bennington, Chester, and Concord. Some friends commented on life at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, including one who reported military drilling (September 26, 1847). Henry M. Hale wrote to William about his work as a schoolteacher (January 11, 1847). One of William's friends began a letter while intoxicated, recounting his recent exploits ([October 12], 1848). Joseph's letters contain a few references to medical practice, and one printed circular by a committee of the New Hampshire Medical Society encouraged him to become active in the group (April 25, 1851).
0.5 linear feet
The Pollard family papers (334 items) contain correspondence, indentures, and financial records related to the Pollard family of New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
The Correspondence and Documents series (228 items) includes personal letters between siblings Joseph G. Pollard, Cyrus W. Pollard, Emily F. Pollard, and George F. Pollard. From 1849-1865, the Pollard siblings wrote to each other about their daily lives, social activities, health, local travel, and family news from cities and towns in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and New York. Some of George F. Pollard's letters concern his education in New Hampton, New Hampshire. Joseph Pollard wrote about his work teaching in a country schoolhouse; in one letter, he mentioned his plans to attend a lecture by Ralph Waldo Emerson, though he suspected it would be "beyond ordinary comprehension" (December 8, 1857). During the Civil War, the Pollards sometimes mentioned topics such as the draft, particularly as it related to Cyrus Pollard and his relocation from Woburn, Massachusetts, to Albany, New York; they also discussed George Pollard's attempt to obtain a commission in the Union Army. The Pollard siblings received letters from other acquaintances, occasionally pertaining to business matters.
The series also includes indentures regarding Asa D. Pollard and land in New Hampshire and Massachusetts; one document pertains to his purchase of a pew in the First Congregational Church in Woburn, Massachusetts (November 1, 1860). Undated items include a manuscript "Report of the School Committee of Woburn," a printed circular letter to children attending Sabbath schools, and a report about Emily Pollard's academic progress at the Charlestown Female Seminary.
The Financial Records series (106 items) is comprised of receipts, invoices, accounts, and promissory notes. Most of the items pertain to the financial affairs of Asa D. Pollard, including receipts for Pollard's tax payments in Derry, New Hampshire. Many of the remaining items, including most of the items dated after the mid-1850s, relate to Joseph G. Pollard's financial affairs in Boston.
93 items
The Robertson family letters (93 items) are made up of personal correspondence related to the family of Daniel M. Robertson of Bow, New Hampshire. Items dated between 1827 and 1882 mainly consist of letters to and between Daniel M. Robertson and his daughters Mary, Martha, Eliza, and Harriet. Martha M. Robertson also wrote letters to her parents while living in Boston in the 1840s. The Robertson sisters corresponded with their cousins, including members of the Fletcher, Truell, and Fowle families, who reported on their lives in towns such as Nashua, New Hampshire; Boston, Massachusetts; and Haverhill, Massachusetts.
Correspondents discussed topics such as sickness and health, deaths, religion, employment, and local travel. Harriet Saltmarsh remarked on political tensions before Lincoln's inauguration (February 26, 1861). Other writers mentioned aspects of the Civil War; one hoped that "the soldier and the slave may both be free" (July 26, 1862), and an injured soldier expressed his desire to lengthen his furlough (December 24, 1863-January 1, 1864). The collection also contains letters that Mary Ann Robertson and her husband, Isaac W. Newell, wrote to Robertson's sisters about their lives in Stockholm, New York.
From February 5, 1890-November 24, 1892, Frank N. Saltmarsh wrote 14 letters to his parents, Gilman and Harriet Robertson Saltmarsh, and to his sister, Harriet Saltmarsh ("Hattie"), about his experiences as a student at Dartmouth College. He commented on his coursework and social activities, as well as local news. He also wrote one letter to his aunt, M[artha] M. Robertson. The latest items are letters Frank N. Saltmarsh received, often regarding his finances or business affairs; in one letter, J. W. Watson described a Dartmouth class reunion (July 12, 1894).
10 items
This collection is made up of 10 personal letters that Samuel Abbot Smith received from friends and family members while attending Phillips Exeter Academy, Harvard College, and Harvard Divinity School in the mid-1800s. The first letter, written by Horatio H. Whitten of "Great Falls," mentions Whitten's new schoolteacher and local factories (November 6, 1843). The letter includes a small drawing of a face in profile.
Samuel Abbot Smith's grandfather, Abiel Abbot, and his "Aunt Abby" wrote 5 letters to Smith from Peterborough, New Hampshire, between October 15, 1844, and January 9, 1853. They provided news of their lives and of family members' and friends' health and activities. Abby referred to social groups, her religious activities, Smith's education, and, on one occasion, fashionable summer coats (May 25, 1846). Abiel Abbot advised his grandson to read Roman history and take courses in elocution. He also provided suggestions for his grandson's salutatory address and discussed Samuel's mother's finances. In one letter, he shared his distaste for political mass meetings (October 15, 1844). Abiel and Abby's final letter encloses a German-language letter from Marie A. Peabody to Samuel Abbot Smith.
Smith received 2 letters from "Mother," likely his father's second wife and widow, Elizabeth Dow, on September 10, 1848, and July 9, 1849. Writing from Exeter, New Hampshire, she noted the recent anniversary of her husband's death; mentioned her attendance at a lecture by "Bushnell" that touched on Calvinism and other tops; and discussed her plans to travel to Cambridge, Massachusetts, for her son's graduation from Harvard College. She shared a story of an acquaintance who had served in the Mexican War and reported that the man desired a Canadian revolution so he could earn a commission as captain in a New York militia company.
Smith's final correspondent, Julius Crone, wrote twice from Peterborough, New Hampshire, on October 6, 1850, and February 21, 1851. He discussed his work, local news, a meeting of a social group (the "R. C."), and his envy for Smith, who was associated with "amiable scholars" such as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. He expressed his concern for Smith's health and his desire that Smith could continue his studies despite his ailments.
1 volume
Sarah Jane Hayward of Gilsum, New Hampshire, kept this diary between January 1, 1869, and December 31, 1872. In almost-daily entries, she commented on social visits, religious meetings, and her work at a textile mill.
Hayward worked at two textile mills, having quit her previous job for a position at "Collins' Mill" in June 1870, where she worked at a tricot loom. She commented on female millworkers and noted the days on which she, or other women, found substitutes. In August 1872, she mentioned the effects of a dispute over three workers who had been fired; later, most of the mill's German employees left work. Much of Hayward's diary pertains to her social life, which included frequent visits to, and from, friends and family members. She often interacted with a "Mr. Learoyd" (possibly her future husband) and, in September 1872, discussed her efforts to discourage an unwanted suitor. Though she considered his marriage offer, she believed that his children would make too much noise for her mother to bear (September 20, 1872). When community residents died, Hayward noted their ages and death dates. She and her mother hosted and attended prayer meetings, occasionally all-female, and Hayward frequently recorded the subjects of church sermons she attended, relevant Bible verses, and the names of the pastors. On one occasion, Hayward described an interaction with an itinerant woman: after she and her mother took the woman in, Hayward discovered that a gold pin of hers had gone missing (November 16, 1869). Following the diary are 4 pages of quotations and poetry on various subjects, including religion and marriage.
1.75 linear feet
This collection is made up of correspondence and other items related to Silas and Rebecca Tenney of Chester, New Hampshire, and to their descendants, including Orlando Murray Tenney of Chester and West Hampstead, New Hampshire; his wife, Emmagene Fitts; and their daughter, Alice Lillian Tenney.
The Correspondence series contains approximately 320 letters addressed to members of the Tenney and Fitts families, particularly Rebecca (or Rebekah) Tenney, Orlando M. Tenney, Emmagene F. Tenney, and Alice L. Tenney.
A small group of letters, dated from the 1820s-1830s, is comprised of letters to Silas and Rebecca Tenney from their children, including Bailey, Thomas, Sally, and Charles; other family members; and friends. Thomas Tenney discussed his philosophical, moral, and religious beliefs; others shared family and local news. Scattered letters dated in the 1840s, 1850s, and early 1860s concern other members of the Tenney and Fitts families, including religious letters that Orlando M. Tenney received from an acquaintance.
The bulk of the series is made up of incoming letters to Orlando M. and Emmagene F. Tenney and their daughter Alice, dated 1867-1925 (bulk 1867-1917). Orlando Tenney and Emmagene Fitts ("Genie") exchanged love letters during their courtship and marriage; in later years, they discussed their children and family news, particularly while Emmagene visited her family in Candia, New Hampshire. From the mid-1870s to the early 1890s, Emmagene F. Tenney also received personal letters from family members such as her sister, Alice C. Fitts; her mother, Caroline Phelps Fitts; and many cousins and acquaintances. Orlando M. Tenney received condolence letters after Emmagene's death in 1892, and his siblings and other family members wrote to him into the early 20th century.
In the mid-1880s, Alice L. Tenney began to receive letters from family members and friends; her incoming correspondence comprises the bulk of the collection after 1892. Letters from a school friend, May E. Norris, concern Norris's life in Boston, Massachusetts, and later letters pertain to family members' lives in New England and New York. Alice's other correspondents included her sister Bertha, her brothers Walter and Sewall, and several aunts and cousins. One brief series of letters by Ralph Candee of Westwood, Massachusetts, pertains to Alice's recent denial of his marriage proposal (included in his letter of July 14, 1903); most of the 20th-century letters pertain to the Tenney brothers' lives in New York and New Hampshire.
The Diary Fragments, Essays, and Poetry series (13 items) consists of items written by multiple authors. One group of diary entries (20 pages), dated January 1809-June 25, [1813], focuses on the unidentified author's religious beliefs and reflections. A second author wrote similar reflections on their 69th and 70th birthdays (May 13, 1842, and May 13, 1843). The remaining items are poems and essays by Helen M. Tenney (July 9, 1851, and February 9, 1856), O. M. Tenney (undated), and others (undated). These writings concern nature and animals, religion, the Eiffel Tower, and other subjects. One essay, entitled "Exercises of My Mind," is a copy of a work by Augustus Sanborn (d. 1823).
Financial Records (8 items, 1867-1911) consist of receipts, a money order, a dividend notice, and accounts related to Orlando M. Tenney, William Tenney, Sewall F. Tenney, and Alice L. Tenney.
The Photograph is an undated carte-de-visite portrait of an unidentified woman, taken in Norristown, Pennsylvania.
The Ephemera and Invitations series (8 items, 1870-1903) contains items addressed to various members of the Tenney and Fitts families. Most of the invitations pertain to weddings. The series also contains calling cards and a blank application for the "Tribe of Ben-Hur."
Miscellaneous material (12 items) includes a notebook that belonged to Orlando M. Tenney in 1881, a drawing of a man riding a plow attributed to "O. M. T." (July 30, 1907), a recipe for corn salve, a newspaper obituary for Frank E. Fitts, and manuscript notes and fragments.