Description of the Papers
This description of the papers consists of biographical sketches for the family members whose papers are a part of this collection. They are in alphabetical order. Following each sketch is a description of the individual's papers and an indication of the boxes in which they are contained. Vital statistic information in the biographical sketches is incomplete.
Thomas Barbour (1886-?)
Tom was the son of William Barbour and was born on
Martha's Vineyard on August 21, 1884. From Harvard he
received his A.B. in 1906, his A.M. in 1908, and his PhD. in
1911. In 1906, Thomas married Rosamond Pierce (born 1886).
He was a professor of zoology and the director of the Museum
of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College.
The Barbour's were very close to their in-laws, the
Huntingtons. Tom corresponded frequently with James Lincoln
Huntington and most of his papers were originally found among
James', but they were separated out because of the family
connection and can now be found in the Barbour Family box
(BOX 108).
Thomas Barbour's papers include two folders of
letters to James Huntington in the 1920s and 30s. There are
also several pamphlets published by him. See also James L.
Huntington's papers, BOX 81, for James' journals of trips
made with Tom in 1936 and 1941.
See the newspapers box for
an article by Barbour in Life magazine.
Harry Hudson Barrett (1851-1930s?)
Harry Barrett was born in Malden on March 10, 1851, the son
of Henry and Lucy Barrett. Harry attended Phillips Andover
Academy, graduated from Harvard in 1874, and from Harvard Law
School in 1879. He became a prominent Boston lawyer. For 40
years, he was the attorney for the Malden Cooperative Bank.
He also served in the Massachusetts Legislature, representing
his life long home of Malden. After his father's death in
1892, Harry took over management of the family finances. In
1900, he married Alice Morse Wardle, she died and he later
married again to Anna ___. He had one daughter, Beatrice.
Harry Barrett died sometime between 1937 and 1941.
Harry's papers, in BOX 113, include outgoing
correspondence, mostly to his sister Lilly Barrett Huntington
and her children. Two folders of letter to Lilly from 1864
to 1925, are interesting. Also included is one letter from
Beatrice Barrett to Lilly and a watercolor done by her in
1917. See the Photographs BOX 138.
Henry Barrett (1807-1892)
Henry was the son of William and Mary Keiser Hall
Barrett. He was born in Malden, Massachusetts in 1807 and
lived there all his life. He and his brothers carried on the
profitable family business of Barrett's Dye House, which his
father had founded. Henry's first wife was a distant cousin,
but she died of consumption only a few months after the
marriage. On January 19, 1848, Henry married Lucy Stearns of
Salem.
The Barretts lived on Main Street in Malden. They were
Unitarians, but attended the Universalist church, as there
was no Unitarian one in the area.
The family's work in the dye house caused the
developement of tuberculosis of the lungs. William Barrett
died of it in 1834, and by that time, son Henry had
contracted the disease as well. To improve his health, Henry
Barrett spent summers in the White Mountains and winters near
Mobile, Alabama, apparently running the Dye House from afar.
This cure was successful, the disease was arrested, and Henry
lived to be 85 years old, dying in 1892.
Children:
Lilly St. Agnan (See biographical sketch under Lilly
Barrett Huntington)
Richard Stearns (See biographical sketch below)
Harry Hudson (See biographical sketch above)
Caroline (See biographical sketch under Caroline Barrett
Littlefield)
Two cartons of Henry Barrett's papers are contained in
the collection. Among his personal papers, in BOX 110, there
are about 25 letters outgoing to family members during the
1860s and 80s. The bulk of Henry's papers are financial.
Twenty two folders of personal bills and receipts of the
1880s and 90s, provide much information about the wealthy
Barrett family household. Henry and Lucy Barrett's legal
papers show the large amount of real estate owned and managed
by this family.
Business and financial papers of the Barrett and
Brothers Dye House are found in BOX 111. These are mostly
financial statements and yearly reports of the 1830s through
the 1870s. See also BOX 109 for misc. Barrett family legal
and financial papers of 1835-50.
Lucy Theodora Gellineau Stearns Barrett (1824-1916)
Lucy was born on May 27, 1824. She was the daughter of
Richard and Marianne St. Agnan Stearns of Salem,
Massachusetts (see Stearns family biographical sketches).
In 1841, at the age of 17, Lucy was attending Bradford
Academy in Bradford, Massachusetts. She married Henry
Barrett on January 19, 1848 and went to live with him in
Malden. Lucy outlived her husband by many years, dying in
Malden in 1916, at the age of 92.
Children: See children of Henry Barrett above
Lucy Stearns Barrett's papers, in BOX 112, include
mostly outgoing correspondence. There are seven folders of
letters to daughter Lilly Barrett Huntington, between 1864
and 1916. These are valuable in documenting this mother-
daughter relationship, as well as life in Boston during the
late 19th and early 20th century. There are two folders of
letters from childhood friends in the 1830s. See also BOX
110, for Henry and Lucy Barrett legal and financial papers.
These are important, because the Barrett's had many
investments and Lucy managed them herself for the many years
after her husband's death in 1892. See also BOX 109 for
misc. Barrett family legal and financial papers of 1835-50.
See the photographs BOX 138. See BOX 82, family geneology
information, for letters from Lucy about the family history.
Richard Stearns Barrett (1854-?)
Born May 2, 1854 (?)
Children:
Theresa St. Agnan Barrett (Cochrane) or "Teasie"
Theodore
Devens
Richard Barrett's few papers are in BOX 113. They
include four letters to sister Lilly Barrett Huntington from
1873 to 1896. There is one letter to Lilly from "Teasie."
For more of her letters, see James Lincoln Huntington
Correspondence-incoming in BOX 66. See photographs BOX 138.
William Barrett (1770s-1834)
William Barrett was born during the Battle of Bunker
Hill. His father, Nathaniel, was a soldier in the
Revolutionary War. William moved to Malden, as a young man,
and established a dye-works that bore the family name for
nearly a century. In 1804, he married Mary Keiser Hall
(1783-1840) of Charlestown, Massachusetts.
In the 1830s, William contracted tuberculosis from his
work in the dye house. He died in Malden in 1834.
Children: Order of birth unknown
Henry- See his biographical sketch above
Caroline
Hall
Richard
Aaron ?
William Barrett's papers are in BOX 109, along with
miscellaneous Barrett family material. There are deeds and
financial papers from 1805 to 1834. An appraisal of his
buildings in 1828 is valuable, as are his will and estate
inventory of 1835. Related to these is the folder of Mary
Barrett's 1835 financial papers. William and Mary Barrett's
portraits hang in the Porter-Phelps-Huntington House.
See the Photographs BOX 138.
William Ingersoll Bowditch (1819-1909)
William, son of Nathaniel Bowditch, was born in Salem,
Massachusetts on August 5, 1819. He attended Harvard,
receiving his A.B. in 1838 and his LL.B. in 1841. In 1844,
he married Sara Rhea Higginson (1819-1919). The Bowditch's
lived in Brookline, where William was a conveyancer and
trustee.
Children:
James Higginson- Born 1846, lived in Brookline, was a
landscape gardener. The collection contains his
scrapbook of 1861, in the Bowditch family box.
William Ernestus
Frederick Channing
Susan Higginson
Louisa Higginson- See Louisa Bowditch Pierce
The Bowditch family box (BOX 114) includes eight letters
from William to his youngest daughter, Louisa, in 1866 and
67. These letters include wonderful little fairy stories.
The box also includes a Bowditch geneology book.
Caroline Phelps Bullfinch (1814-?)
Caroline was born August 22, 1814 in Boston, the
daughter of Charles Porter and Sarah Phelps. When Caroline
was only three, her mother died and the family moved to
Hadley. There she was raised by her mother's cousin,
Charlotte, who later became her step-mother.
Caroline was the only one of Charles Porter Phelps'
children to marry. She became the wife of Reverend Stephen
Bullfinch, the son of famous architect Charles Bullfinch.
The ceremony was performed by Caroline's uncle, Dan
Huntington, on December 27, 1842. The Bullfinch's
apparantly lived in Boston.
Children:
Annie
Ellen- See biographical sketch below
There are no papers of Caroline Phelps Bullfinch but she
is important to the collection as the family link to the
famous Bullfinch's. There are two letters to Caroline from
her Bullfinch brothers-in-law, in BOX 115.
Ellen S. Bullfinch (1840s?-1921)
Ellen, daughter of Caroline and Stephen Bullfinch, was
born some time in the 1840s or 50s. She grew up in Boston
and lived in Cambridge, later in life. Ellen never married.
Ellen is said to have owned the Phelps farm in Hadley
and probably spent the summer months there, until she sold it
in the 1890s to Frederic Dan Huntington. She was very
interested in the family history and was the owner of a
number of family documents and objects, which were later
returned to the Porter-Phelps-Huntington House. Ellen was an
artist who drew many sketches of the family and the houses in
Hadley. A few of these are owned by the Porter-Phelps-
Huntington House museum. The others seem to have been in the
possession of the Sessions family.
Ellen Bullfinch's papers are contained in the Bullfinch
Family box (BOX 115). There are three unidentified letters
to her probably from her Phelps aunts. See also the Charles
Porter Phelps Family box (BOX 11) for letters to Ellen from
aunt Susan Phelps, mentioning the Dickinson family of
Amherst. The collection contains one or two letters to each
of her Huntington second cousins. There is a full folder of
letters to Lilly Huntington 1904-1917. In 1898, Ellen
visited the Lake George Battle Grounds where her ancestor,
Moses Porter, died and she wrote and account of her visit.
Edward Thorton Fisher (1836-?)
"Ned" Fisher was born 1836 in Oswego, New York. He was
the youngest child of George and Elizabeth Huntington Fisher.
During the Civil War he was a member of the 9th Regiment of
New York and fought in Maryland and Virginia. After the War,
on June 30, 1869, Edward married Ellen Thayer Bowditch (1847-
1911) in Brooklyn, New York.
Children:
Faith- Born 1870, married William Fenn, died 1944
Henry Thayer- Born 1873, died 1874
Edward Thorton- Born 1875, died 1876
Richard- Born 1876, married Georgina Paine
Margaret- Born 1878, died 1880
Reginald- Born April 1882, died July 1882
Eleanor- Born 1888, married Laurence Grose
Edward T. Fisher's papers are found in BOX 117. These
are a valuable resource, as they are letters written in 1860-
63, while he was a soldier in the Civil War. See photographs
BOX 133.
Elizabeth Porter Huntington Fisher (1803-1897)
Elizabeth Huntington was born May 8, 1803 in Litchfield
Connecticut. She was the second child of Dan and Elizabeth
Huntington. Elizabeth met her husband George Fisher on a
stage coach journey to western New York. George had
graduated from Brown University in 1813. He returned to
Hadley to marry Elizabeth in 1824. They then moved to
Oswego, New York, where he was president of the North West
Insurance Company. They remained in Oswego throughout their
lives. Elizabeth died there in 1864.
Children:
Elizabeth Phelps- See biographical sketch under
Elizabeth Fisher Sessions
Frederick Pitkin
Francis Porter (Frank)
George Huntington- Born 1832, died 1910
Catherine Whiting
Edward Thorton- See biographical sketch above
BOX 116 of Elizabeth Huntington Fisher and family
contains correspondence arranged alphabetically by the writer
of the letter. There are letters from Elizabeth H. Fisher,
George Fisher, and their children. These papers are
important as the family lived in the young and prosperous
port city of Oswego, New York at a time when the country was
beginning to rapidly expand in that westward direction. See
also the papers of Elizabeth's son Edward in BOX 117. See
the photographs BOX 133.
Agnes Genevieve Keefe Huntington (1904-1986)
Genevieve Keefe was born in Boston on May 28, 1904. She
became Dr. James Lincoln Huntington's second wife on December
29, 1944. Previous to the marriage, she was living in
Amherst and working for the New England Telephone Company.
Genevieve lived with Dr. Huntington in the Chaise house
at "Forty Acres" and continued to reside in the apartment
there after his death. She worked with him to preserve the
Porter-Phelps-Huntington House as a museum, but the financial
commiment to the project took a toll on her enthusiasm.
Genevieve sold Beauty Counselor cosmetics from her home.
In the 1950s, she lived and worked in the Dickinson House of
Mount Holyoke College. Her husband died in 1968. Genevieve
acted as interim curator of the Porter-Phelps-Huntington
House for the 1977 summer season.
In September of 1977, she married John Valentine Ludwig Steinmetz ("Val")
and moved to Florida, where she was activities director of
their retirement condominium. She died there in 1985.
Genevieve Huntington's few papers are contained in
BOX 87. There are about 40 letters to her husband in the
1940s and 50s. Another folder contains eight letters to
sister-in-law, Catharine Huntington in the 50s and 60s,
telling of Jimmy's failing health and financial situation.
Three other folders of correspondence in and out are not well
organized, but are left as they were saved in folders by
Genevieve and/or Dr. Huntington. Some of this correspondence
concerns early museum business. Researchers should also see
the Porter-Phelps-Huntington Foundation office files, for
more letters from Genevieve. See photographs BOX 140.
See also James L. Huntington Family checkbooks and bank
statements in BOXES 78-79.
Annie Oakes Huntington (1875-1940)
Annie Oakes was born in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts on
June 12, 1875. She was the second child of E.H. Mills and
Elizabeth Quincy Huntington. She spent her first years near
Boston. When she was ten, her family lived in Hong Kong for
four years. Annie never married. She published two books on
botany, Studies of Trees in Winter and Poison Ivy and Sumac.
Later in life, she lived on a farm in Harrison, Maine, dying
there on November 27, 1940.
BOX 39 of the collection contains five letters outgoing
and eight incoming. Her obituary is also included. See the
photographs BOX 132. For more information see the book of
her letters, Testament of Happiness, published in 1947 by her
sister Elizabeth Quincy Huntington. This includes letters
written to friends from her childhood in Hong Kong to her
death in Maine. The book can be found in the Boltwood Room
of the Jones Library in Amherst.
Arria Sargent Huntington (1848-1921)
Arria was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts, January 22,
1848. She was the eldest daughter of Frederic Dan and Hannah
Huntington. Arria grew up in the Boston area where she was
educated in private schools. In 1869, she moved to Syracuse,
New York with her parents. She continued to live there
throughout her life, never marrying although she had many
suitors.
Arria devoted her life to work for social reforms. Her
main concern was for the "fallen woman" and she worked
building a shelter for homeless women and passing legislation
to assist them. Arria also worked with the prison system of
New York to provide separate quarters for women. She was a
member of the board of trustees of the Women's Reformatory.
Arria Huntington was also active in child welfare work
and was largely responsible for the passage of the first
child labor laws in New York state. She served on the board
of trustees of the Shelter for Unprotected Girls and also
worked with the YWCA and the Girl's Patriotic League, during
World War I. In addition, Miss Huntington started the
Visiting Nurses Association and was a founder of Syracuse
Memorial Hospital.
Arria was also know as a writer of books and plays. Her
most important works were The Memoirs and Letters of Frederic
Dan Huntington and Under a Colonial Rooftree about life on
the family farm at "Forty Acres" in Hadley. Arria's plays
included "A Harvest Night's Dream", "A Homespun Herione",
"Sharps and Flats", and "Wheel or Woe."
Arria Huntington died March 24, 1921. She was a very
successful woman and is well remembered for her contributions
to the city of Syracuse.
Arria's papers are contained in BOX 55. They consist
mainly of outgoing correspondence to her relatives. There
are five folders of letters to her brother George, between
the 1860s and 1904. A typed copy of her journal 1862-63,
tells of the days in Boston and Hadley. There are copies of
two of her published plays, as well as programs. Finally are
clippings and memorials at her death. See also the two books
written by her, in BOX 165. See the photographs BOX 136.
Benjamin Lincoln Huntington (1912-?)
Ben, the first child of James and Sarah Huntington was
born in Boston on April 6, 1912. He grew up in Brookline,
spending time in Hadley during the summers. He attended St.
Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire from 1926 to 1930.
Ben then graduated from Harvard in 1934. He rowed on the
crew teams of both schools. He later attended medical
school, but it is not clear where.
Ben married Susan Harris Brewer on June 1, 1940. The
couple lived in Manchester, Massachusetts. By the 1950s, Ben
was the Associated Medical Director of John Hancock Life
Insurance.
Children:
Robert
Stephen
Ben Huntington's papers fill four cartons (BOXES 99-
102). Three of these contain school work and notes, as well
as printed school material from the 1920s and 30s. These
papers are mostly undated and are not in chronological order.
BOX 99 contains correspondence. There are two folders of
letters from Susan Brewer in 1936-37, before their marriage.
Five folders contain letters to father James Huntington in
the 1950s and 60s. See photographs BOX 143.
Bethia Throop Huntington (1805-1879)
Bethia was born October 7, 1805 in Litchfield,
Connecticut. At the age of 11, she moved to Hadley with her
parents, Dan and Elizabeth Huntington. Bethia was educated,
along with her sisters, at Miss Willard's School in Troy, New
York. She never married and lived in the family home in
Hadley all her life. When her father died in 1864, "Forty
Acres" was left to Bethia's brother, Frederic, but with the
stipulation that she could live there through her life.
Bethia was apparently the last family member to live in the
house year round. She died there in September 1879.
Bethia's papers are in BOX 20 of Dan and Elizabeth
Huntington's daughters. They include her "commonplace book"
of 1836-40. Ten outgoing letters in the 1860s and 70s,
document the last days of the families permanent residence at
the house at "Forty Acres." For correspondence written to
Bethia, see the boxes of her other siblings and her parents.
Her brother, Frederic Dan, wrote most often. See Photographs
BOX 132.
Catharine Sargent Huntington (1887-1987)
Catharine, the only daughter of George and Lilly
Huntington, was born in Ashfield, Massachusetts on December
29, 1887. She grew up in Hanover, New Hampshire.
Below is a list of the important dates of her life:
1904-1906
Lived at Cedar Square, Roxbury with her aunt Kate
Sumner, attended private school in the Boston area
1906-1907
Lived in London with brother Constant
1911
Graduated from Radcliffe
1911-?
Taught English at a boarding school in Connecticut.
1914
Spent summer in Europe
1915-1916
Living in Middlebury, Connecticut
1919
In France, working with the YMCA
1922
Helped to found the Boston Stage Society
1920s-1970s
Lived at 66 Pinckney Street, Boston
1927
Arrested at demonstration against Sacco and Vanzetti's execution
1940
Founded Provincetown Playhouse with Edwin Pettit and Virginia Thoms
1938
Founded New England Repertory Theater on Joy Street in Boston
1965
Won the Rodgers and Hammerstein award for "having done the most in the Boston area for the American theater."
1977
Provincetown Playhouse burned by arson
1980s
Lived at Sherrill House in Boston
1983
Recognized, on her 97th birthday, by Gov. Michael Dukakis and the Massachusetts Legislature for her contributions to American theater
1987
Died on February 27, at the age of 99
Catharine Huntington was affiliated with other theaters,
including the Peabody Playhouse, the Brattle Theater, the
Tributary Theater, and the Poet's Theater. She also had a
strong interest in gardening. Her Pinckney Street garden was
included in a book on Beacon Hill gardens. She loved her
garden in Hadley and kept it up for many years. Catharine
came often to visit her brother, James L. Huntington, at
"Forty Acres."
Letters to Catharine from her family can be found in the
boxes of her mother and all her brothers, expecially James
(BOX 65) with whom she corresponded frequently until his
death in 1968.
Catharine donated the bulk of her papers to the
Harvard Theater Collection and the Schlesinger Library at
Radcliffe.
Researchers should see pages 178 to 186 of Katharine
Butler Hathaway's, The Little Locksmith. This book is
available in this collection. Letters to Catharine from
Katharine Hathaway can be found in the Journals and Letters
of the Little Locksmith, published in 1946.
See photographs BOX 139 for many pictures of Catharine,
including some of her dressed in her great great great
grandmother, Elizabeth Porter's wedding dress.
See also BOX 90 of Michael Paul Huntington's papers for
letters from Catharine to him in the 1930s and 40s.
Catherine Carey Huntington (1817-1830)
Catherine, the tenth child of Dan and Elizabeth
Huntington, was born in the house at "Forty Acres" in Hadley
on May 8, 1817. She grew up there, but died at the age of 13
on August 15, 1830, after a two month bout with typhous
fever. Catherine was the first of the eleven Huntington
children to die and this was a tragic event for the family.
For a detailed account of her death, see the "commonplace
book" of her sister Bethia (in BOX 20).
The box of Dan and Elizabeth Huntington's daughters
(BOX 20) contains eight letters from Catherine to her brother
John, sister Mary, and her mother all written from Hadley in
the late 1820s.
Charles Phelps Huntington (1802-1868)
Charles was the first child of Dan and Elizabeth
Huntington, born May 24, 1802. He lived in Connecticut until
the age of 14, when the family moved to Hadley. He graduated
from Harvard College in 1822 and became a lawyer.
On October 28, 1827 he married Helen Sophia Mills
in Northampton. The Charles Phelps Huntington family lived
in Northampton and Helen Sophia died there March 30, 1844.
Charles was president of the Northampton Institute of Savings
for eight years. Charles later moved to Milton,
Massachusetts and married a second time on January 2, 1847.
His wife Ellen Greenough (1814-1893) was the sister of the
well-known sculptor, Horatio and of the architect, Horace.
Charles was judge of the Supreme Court from 1855 to 1861 and
collector of Internal Revenue in 1862. In 1858, he moved his
family to Boston where he died on January 29, 1868.
Charles Phelps Huntington had the honor, during his
lifetime, of having a town named after him. In 1853, the
villages of Chester and Blanford, Massachusetts were annexed
to the town of Norwich. Charles did much of the legal work
for this process and aided in securing the annexation.
However, the inhabitants of these new parts did not favor the
name of Norwich. So in 1855, the name of the town was
changed to Huntington in honor of their lawyer friend.
Children:
Helen Frances- See Helen Frances Huntington Quincy
Charles Whiting- Born in 1834, married in 1864 Annie
Oakes Thayer
Elijah Hunt Mills- See his biographical sketch
Helen Sophia- Born 1838, died 1839 in Northampton
Mary Elizabeth- See her biographical sketch
Edward Stanton- See his biographical sketch
Harriette- Born 1843, died 1844
Henry Greenough- Born 1848
Laura Curtis- Born 1849, died 1874 in Florence, Italy
Charles Phelps Huntington's papers, in BOX 17, include
outgoing correspondence to his brothers, his first wife, and
his daughter Helen Frances. He rarely dated his letters, so
these are not in order. Of particular value is a copy of a
letter to Charles from Daniel Webster in 1836. There are a
number of other manuscripts written by him, including a
journal of 1831, essays and lectures, and his account of his
wife's death in 1844. There are also two recent newspaper
clippings about him. The papers of his family in BOX 18,
include letters to Charles Huntington from his children.
See the oversized materials box for his geneological chart,
his Harvard B.A., and drawings and watercolors by him. See
BOX 175, legal size materials. See photographs BOX 132. At
the Jones Library in the Boltwood Room are two clippings
about Charles Phelps Huntington of 1850 and 1854.
Constant Davis Huntington (1876-1962)
On September 20, 1876, the second son of George and
Lilly Huntington was born in Malden, Massachusetts. Constant
lead a successful life, as head of G.P. Putnam's Sons
Publishers in London. He helped the family put his younger
brothers and sister through college, after his father's death
in 1904. Although he lived far away, Constant maintained a
life interest and love for the ancestral homestead at "Forty
Acres" in Hadley and through letters, was very much involved
in decisions made about its future.
Below is a list of the important events of his life:
1892-1893
Holderness School, Holderness, New Hampshire
1893-1895
St. Paul's School, Concord, New Hampshire
1902
G.P. Putnam's Sons Publishers, New York City
1905
G.P. Putnam's Sons Ltd., London
1916
October 17, married Gladys Theodora Parrish, daughter of Alfred and Kate (Jennings) Parrish of Philadelphia. Gladys was born December 13, 1887.
Children:
Georgiana Mary Alfreda- Born January 11, 1922. She
married Brian Urquart and had three children, Kate,
Thomas, and Robert. They lived in London and New
York, Brian working for the United Nations.
The collection contains three linear feet of Constant
Huntington's papers, BOXES 61-64. These consist mainly of
correspondence outgoing to his various relatives. There are
seven full folders of letters to his brother James and these
contain information about the family's efforts to preserve
the house in Hadley. The bulk of Constant's papers are
letters to his mother, which fill almost two cartons. He
wrote to her almost every day from the 1880s until the 1920s.
These letters document the course of his life and along with
Lilly's letters in return, show a strong mother-son
relationship in the early 20th century. The collection also
contains some correspondence outgoing from his wife Gladys to
her in-laws in the 1920s-50s and a few outgoing from his
daughter Alfreda.
See the photographs BOX 139. See also the separate
unit of Michael Paul Huntington papers, BOXES 90-93, for
letters from Constant and Gladys in the 1930s and 40s. See
also the Sargent family BOX 125 for correspondence between
Constant and Paul about the John O. Sargent will dispute in
1946-47.
Dan Huntington (1774-1864)
Dan was born October 11, 1774 in Lebanon, Connecticut.
He was the youngest of William and Bethia Throop Huntington's
eight children. Dan was prepared for college by Master
Nathan Tisdale. In 1794, he graduated from Yale, after
teaching school for a term in Suffield, Connecticut. He then
spent two years as a tutor at Williams College and during the
summer of 1796, was licensed to preach by the Berkshire
Association of Congregational Ministers. In the fall of that
year, he returned to Yale as a tutor and under President
Timothy Dwight IV, began working on his Master's Degree, which he
received in 1797. Dan Huntington was ordained and in 1798,
was installed in the Congregational Church of Litchfield.
On New Year's Day 1801, Dan was married to Elizabeth
Phelps. In Litchfield, they began their large family, which
would eventually number eleven children. In 1809, Dan was a
candidate for the pastorate in Hadley, but failed through
"jealously of the Phelps family influence." Instead, he
moved his family to Middletown, where he began preaching at
the First Congregational Church. In order to earn extra
money, Rev. Huntington opened his house as a boarding school.
A minister's salary was not enough to support a family of nine children, however. In 1816, two years after his father-in-law, Charles Phelps' death, Dan moved his family to Hadley. He there took over management of his wife's family farm at "Forty Acres," where two more children were born. From 1817 to 1820 he also found time to serve as interim minister of the newly-established Second Congregational Church in Greenfield, preaching at the dedication of the church building. Dan Huntington served as Principal of Hopkins Academy from 1817 to 1820 and was a
Trustee until his death in 1864. He was the first postmaster
of North Hadley. During the 1820s and 30s, Dan and his wife
underwent a conversion to Unitarianism and he was censured by
the Hadley Congregational Church in 1835. On October 31,
1864, Dan Huntington died in Hadley.
Children: See individual biographical sketches for each
Charles Phelps
Elizabeth Porter- See Elizabeth Huntington Fisher
William Pitkin
Bethia Throop
Edward Phelps
John Whiting
Theophilus Parsons
Theodore Gregson
Mary Dwight
Catherine Carey
Frederic Dan
Dan Huntington's papers are contained in BOXES 15-16.
Biographical sketches at the front of the box give detailed
accounts of his life and work. Outgoing correspondence
includes letters to his children, many to Frederic Dan.
There are also some to his brother-in-law, Charles Porter
Phelps, and a few to his wife, Elizabeth. There is incoming
correspondence about Dan's conversion to Unitarianism and
some from the Hampshire, Franklin, and Hampden Agricultural
Society.
The little financial and legal material of Dan
Huntington includes an account book of 1821-1849 and
information on his estate. See also the account book of
William Porter for Dan Huntington's 1839 account with
Porter's store.
The bulk of Dan's papers are professional and church
related. There is information about his ministries,
professional correspondence, including his calls to churches
and censure by the Congregational Church on Hadley in 1835.
Researchers should also see Elizabeth Phelps Huntington's
BOX 113 for a folder of material concerning her posthumous
exoneration by the Hadley church. This contains copies of
correspondence about the Huntington's conversion and censure
by the church in the 1820s and 30s.
These papers are important, because they help document
the life of a Congregational minister who converted to
Unitarianism, in a time when this was commmon. They also
help document life at "Forty Acres" in the early 19th
century.
See the photographsBOX 132 for photos of Dan
Huntington's portraits. An original hangs in the Porter-
Phelps-Huntington House.
See also Memories Counsels, and Reflections, by An
Octagenary, published in 1857 by Dan Huntington. This
includes an autobiography, geneology, and a biography of
Elizabeth Phelps Huntington. A copy is available at the
Porter-Phelps-Huntington museum and one can also be found at
the Jones Library in Amherst, in the Boltwood Room. Also in
the Boltwood Room, is Dan Huntington's obituary of November
4, 1864, from the Hampshire Franklin Express.
Edward Phelps Huntington (1807-1843)
Edward, the fifth child of Dan and Elizabeth Huntington,
was born in Litchfield, Connecticut on April 25, 1807. He
married Helen Maria Williams (1819-1902).
In the early 1830s, Edward lived in Northampton. In
1837, he was in Boston and in 1838 in New Brunswick. In
1839, the family settled in Cabotville, Massachusetts, near
Springfield. He was a businessman and in 1841, was editor of
the Cabotville Chronicle. Edward died young on October 26,
1843. He apparently had no children.
Edward's papers are in BOX 19 of Dan and Elizabeth's
sons. There are five outgoing letters in the 1830s, as well
as 15 pieces of incoming correspondence from someone named
Lucian Minor (?) in the 30s and 40s. More importantly are
two folders of financial papers of the 1830s. Letters to
Edward can be found in the boxes of his parents and brothers
and sisters. A portrait of his wife Helen Maria, hangs at
the Porter-Phelps-Huntington House.
Edward Stanton Huntington (1841-1895)
Edward was the sixth child of Charles Phelps and Helen
Sophia Mills Huntington. He was born in Northampton on April
3, 1841. He lived in Boston until 1861. In 1868, moved to
Logansport, Indiana, where he married Julia Ann Pratt.
Edward was an army officer and an author. He wrote for
periodicals on social and ethical problems. He was a Captain
in the Civil War and afterwards in the U.S. Infantry. He was
engaged in 17 battles and spent 11 months in the Libby and
Andersonville prisons.
In 1878, Edward returned to Massachusetts, to live in
Wollaston, where he died on January 16, 1895.
Children:
Charles Pratt- Born 1871
The Charles Phelps Huntington family box (BOX 18)
contains four letters written by Edward to his father, while
fighting in the Civil War in 1862. These tell in great
detail about battles and camp life. There are also three
letters to his cousin Frederic Dan Huntington in the 1890s.
Elijah Hunt Mills Huntington (1836-1891)
E.H. Mills, the third child of Charles Phelps and Helen
Sophia Mills Huntington, was born in Northampton on July 22,
1836. On October 31, 1871, he married Elizabeth Quincy. She
was the daughter of Samuel and Abby Adams Beale Quincy and
had been born in Boston in 1841. Mills was a merchant and
importer and was associated with the Boston firm of Russell
and Co. He went to China from 1851 to 1869. In 1885, he
returned there with his family, living in Hong Kong for four
years. On the family's return to the U.S., they settled in
Jamaica Plain where he died on April 16, 1891. His wife
Elizabeth died in 1937.
Children:
Cabot Mills- Born 1872, died 1873
Annie Oakes- See her biographical sketch
Elizabeth Quincy-Born 1880 in Jamaica Plain
E.H. Mills Huntington's papers, in BOXES 38-39, consist
mainly of three letter books, filled with letters to and from
him in the 1860s-90s. These are very interesting as they
document his sea trade business. They also tell of travel
and his family's life in China, during the 1880s. Mills
wrote from such places as Shanhai, Canton, the Cape of Good
Hope, and Hong Kong. The collection also contains a few
letters each to his father, sister Fanny, his wife, and his
children in the 1850s-70s.
Elizabeth Whiting Phelps Huntington (1779-1847)
Elizabeth, daughter of Charles and Elizabeth Phelps, was
born in Hadley on February 4, 1779. She grew up on her
parents very large farm at "Forty Acres" and was well
educated, though probably informally. In the 1790s, she
travelled several times to Boston and Newburyport to visit
with her brother Charles, sometimes staying for months at a
time.
Elizabeth met Dan Huntington in 1799, when he was guest
preacher in Hadley and drank tea at the Phelps'. Two years
later, on New Years' Day 1801, they were married at "Forty
Acres." The young couple went to Dan's home in Litchfield,
Connecticut, where he was minister of the Congregational
church. Later in the year, Elizabeth suffered from scarlet
fever. In 1802, their first son was born, beginning their
family, which was to grow to 11 children within 17 years. In
1809, the family moved to Middletown and Dan took over the
ministry there.
A minister's salary was just not enough to support this
large family, so after Elizabeth's father's death, the
Huntingtons decided to move to her family farm in Hadley.
In 1816, Dan returned to "Forty Acres."
Over the next few years, Elizabeth Huntington went
through a change in her views of the Trinity and in the
1820s, she was excommunicated from the Hadley Congregational
church. After this, she and some of her children attended
the Unitarian church in Northampton, but this could not
replace the social life she lost by being barred from Hadley
Church activities.
On April 6, 1847, Elizabeth died in Hadley, having spent
all but 15 years of her life at "Forty Acres."
Children: See individual biographical sketches for each
Charles Phelps
Elizabeth Porter- See Elizabeth Huntington Fisher
William Pitkin
Bethia Throop
Edward Phelps
John Whiting
Theophilus Parsons
Theodore Gregson
Mary Dwight
Catherine Carey
Frederic Dan
Elizabeth Huntington's papers, which fill BOXES 12-14,
are an extremely valuable resource for women's history. She
was truely a remarkable woman, raising eleven children to
adulthood. BOX 13, outgoing correspondence to her mother
between 1797 and 1814, tell a great deal about the family's
life in Connecticut. They discuss the children, household
help, family health, travel, and hopes of visits to Hadley.
These combined with letters written in return by Elizabeth
Porter Phelps (BOX 5), document a strong mother-daughter
bond. A box of typed copies of these letters, makes researh
easier. In the second box of correspondence, are letters to
the Huntington children, with many to Frederic Dan and
Elizabeth (Fisher) written in the 1830s and 40s. These tell
of family matters and events as her children were reaching
adulthood, leaving home, and marrying. Elizabeth Huntington
also wrote frequently to her future sister-in-law, Sarah
Parsons, in the 1790s.
Valuable information about Elizabeth's excommunication
is found in a folder of material about her exoneration by the
Hadley church made posthumously in 1976. This contains
copies of correspondence about the Huntington's conversion to
Unitarianism and their censure by the Hadley church.
Elizabeth Huntington kept a diary from 1798 to 1846.
This is located in BOX 14 and contains little information
about the family and everyday life. However, it is extremely
valuable due to its religious content, which documents
Elizabeth's gradual conversion to Unitarianism. This
transition of faith was very common at the time, but it was
perhaps unusual for a woman to exhert her own views so
strongly.
See photographsBOX 132 for photos of her portrait,
which is on display at the Porter-Phelps-Huntington House
Museum.
Frederic Dan Huntington (1819-1904)
Frederic Dan, the youngest of Dan and Elizabeth
Huntington's eleven children, was born in Hadley on May 28,
1819. He grew up on the farm at "Forty Acres" and went to
college nearby in Amherst.
Below is a list of the important events of his life:
1839
Graduate as valdictorian from Amherst College.
1840 (?)
Prepared for the Unitarian ministry at Harvard Divinity School
1840s
Pastor of South Congregational Church in Boston
1855
Harvard Plummer Professor of Christian Morals
1855
Obtained his brother's and sister's shares of the estate at "Forty Acres" so that he would inherit it himself, when his father died.
1864
Inherited "Forty Acres", used it as a summer home
1861
Entered priesthood of Episcopal church and became rector of Emmanuel Church in Boston's Back Bay
1861-1869
Mission work, established Mission Chapel at Ternor Street and the Church of the Good Shepard
1869
Appointed first Bishop of Central New York, moved to Syracuse
1904
Died in Hadley on July 11
During his life, Bishop Huntington published numerous
books and pamphlets, as well as weekly newspaper columns and
many articles. He did editorial work for the Christian
Register, the Monthly Religious Magazine, the Church Monthly,
and The Gospel Messanger. Frederic Dan spoke and wrote on
social readjustments and the relations of labor and capital.
He was president of the Christian Social Union and the Church
Association for the Advancement of the Interests of Labor.
The Bishop was also involved in raising funds for the
erection of a number of institutions in the Syracuse area.
These included the Protestant Hospital, the House of the Good
Shepard, St. John's Military School for boys, St. Andrews
Divinity School, and the Keeble School for girls.
Frederic Dan Huntington and his family loved the old
home at "Forty Acres" in Hadley. They spent every summer
there, usually arriving in June and leaving in September or
sometimes October. Frederic Dan kept the farm running, with
a caretaker to oversee things in the winter. During his time
in the area, Bishop Huntington was closely involved in the
beginnings of Grace Episcopal Church in Amherst. He and his
wife are known to have been good friends of the Dickinson
family.
Children: See biographical sketches for each
George Putnam
Arria Sargent
Charles Edward- Born October 2, 1852, died October 17,
1852 in Roxbury
James Otis Sargent
William- Born July 1856, died the same day, in Hadley
Ruth Gregson- See Ruth Huntington Sessions
Mary Lincoln
Frederic Dan Huntington's papers are of interest,
because he was a very prominent member of the Episcopal
church who did a great deal for its growth and expansion.
His papers help document his conversion from Unitarianism to
the Episcopal church. Bishop Huntington was also a well
known resident of the Hadley area. His friendship with the
Dickinson family is of particular interest to researchers,
but unfortunately there does not seem to be much
documentation of this friendship in this collection. His
correspondence with the siblings of his very large family, is
a useful source for information on family history and
relationships in the early 19th century.
Frederic Dan Huntington's papers fill BOXES 22-31,
occupying almost four linear feet of space. The collection
contains two boxes of outgoing correspondence from Frederic
Dan to various family members. There are five full folders
of letters to his sister Bethia between the 1840s-60s, three
folders to his father, three to his mother 1830s-40s, and
five folders to son George between 1860 and 1901. There are
also letters to his other siblings and to his children. See
also BOX 175, legal size materials, for 1830s letters to his
brother John. A small amount of incoming correspondence is
included, mostly about curch related business.
A box of miscellaneous manuscripts includes his first
sermon preached at the dedication of the North Hadley school
house. Another box of printed material by Frederic Dan,
contains a list of his published works, written by him in the
1850s. There is also a bibliography of his work, done in
the 1960s. This box contains clippings and articles written
by him.
The box of printed material about him contains clippings
about him. Another box includes obituaries and memorials
about Frederic Dan and his son George in 1904.
The photograph unit, BOX 134, includes many pictures of
Frederic Dan and his family. His portraits are on display at
the Porter-Phelps-Huntington House.
BOXES 29-31 contain pamphlets and booklets printed by
the Episcopal church. Most of these are written by Frederic
Dan, but some were simply saved by him. A carton of
pamphlets of the annual conventions of the Diocese of Central
New York is stored in the museum office. On display at the
museum are diplomas, portraits, and other memorabilia.
The Amherst College Archives hold several folders on
Frederic Dan in the Class of 1839 biographical file, as well
as many books and pamphlets published by him.
Letters from Frederic Dan Huntington to Susan Dickinson
are in the Houghton Library at Harvard. A folder of notes on
his relationship with the Dickinson's is included in the box
of printed material about him (BOX 27).
For more letters and information about his life, Arria
Sargent Huntington'sMemoirs and Letters of Frederic Dan
Huntington should be consulted.
In the Jones Library Boltwood Room in Amherst are a
number of clippings about Frederic Dan Huntington preaching
in Amherst in the 1850s and 60s. Also there is a pamphlet
about Frederic Dan Huntington called "An Appreciation",
written by Rev. George Chalmers Richmond in 1908.
Frederic Dane Huntington (1889-1940)
Freddie Huntington was born December 5, 1889, in
Ashfield, Massachusetts, the youngest child of George and
Lilly Huntington. His father died when he was only four
years old and he was supported through school by his mother
and older brothers.
Below is a list of the important events of his life:
1905-1906
St. Paul's School, Concord, N.H.
1915
Harvard LL.B. and admitted to Bar
1915-1916
Practiced law in Boston for Choate, Hall, and Stewart, living in Lexington, Massachusetts
1915-1917
Boston Athletic Association hockey team
1916
Sargent of Artillery, Massachusetts National Guard in Mexico
1917-1919
Overseas as Captain of Battery A 101st Field Artillery, 26th Division
1919
April, Detailed as Judge Advocate after the Armistice
1919
August, returned to United States
1923-1940
Assistant treasurer, Real Silk Hoisery Company, New York City, living in Bedford Hills, N.Y.
1924
February 9, married Elsie Entress. They had no children.
1940
January 7, died at Hadley
1948
Elsie E. Huntington died
Freddie Huntington's papers fill one carton, BOX 98.
There are a few outgoing letters to each of his siblings.
One full folder of letters to James Huntington, mostly in the
1920s, tell of plans for fixing up the house in Hadley.
There are four folders of letters to his mother, Lilly. The
bulk of these fall between 1915-1925, a number of them having
been written while he was in Europe fighting in WWI. There
are two folders of correspondence and other material
concerning the hockey team Frederic played on in 1916 and 17.
Six folders contain papers from his years in the military and
include two folders of maps and orders of the 101st Field
Artillery. At the back of the box are also about ten
outgoing letters from his wife Elsie. See also the separate
series of M. Paul Huntington papers, BOX 90. See the
photographs BOX 139. See James L. HuntingtonBOX 82 about
"Forty Acres", for correspondence with Frederic about the
division of "Forty Acres" in 1929. For an account of his
death, see letters between his brothers James and Constant in
BOX 65, James L. Huntington Correspondence-outgoing.
George Putnam Huntington (1844-1904)
George Huntington, the first child of Frederic Dan and
Hannah Huntington, was born on July 3, 1844. He grew up in
the Boston area, attending Cambridge High School. During
summer vacations, he often spent time at "Forty Acres" in
Hadley. George followed in his father's footsteps to become
an Episcopal minister. Unfortunately, his career and life
were fairly short. For he died on the 11th of July 1904,
only a few days after he turned 60. This day was a sad one
for the Huntington family. Frederic Dan Huntington was in
Hadley at the time and had been steadily failing in health
due to his age. Son George, at home in Hanover, had been ill
for several weeks, perhaps with typhoid fever. On the
morning of the 11th, Frederic Dan passed away. Four hours
later, before the telegram with this news had even reached
Hanover, George died, following in his footsteps once again.
Below is a list of the important dates in his life:
1864
Graduated from Harvard
1864-1865
Taught school in Faribault, Minnesota
1865(?)
Entered Berkeley Divinity School, Middletown, Connecticut
1869-1884
First Rector of St. Paul's Church, Malden, Massachusetts. He organized the parish and had the first church built
1881
Published The Treasury of the Psalter
1884
Resigned from St. Paul's due to failing health. Moved to Ashfield, Massachusetts and became rector of St. John's Church
1886
While rectory being rebuilt, the family lived at "Forty Acres." They also travelled there frequently during other summers.
1891
Moved to New Hampshire and became rector of St. Thomas Church, Hanover
1896
Became instructor of Hebrew at Dartmouth College
1890s
From around this time, until his death, George was also in charge of organized missions in Norwich, Vermont, Lebanon, New Hampshire, and at St. Peter's by the Sea in Ogunquit, Maine. The family owned a house on the beach in Ogunquit and spent most of the summer there.
1903
Published John Ruskin's Comments on the Divina Commedia
1904
Died in Hanover on July 11, buried in Hadley
Children: See biographical sketches for each
Henry Barrett
Constant Davis
Elizabeth- Born and died 1879
James Lincoln
Michael Paul
Charles- Born and died 1885
Catharine Sargent
Frederic Dane
George Huntington's papers fill six linear feet of
space in BOXES 40-47. There is one letter size box of
outgoing correspondence to his family. This contains seven
folders to Lilly Barrett Huntington, three of which date
before their marriage 1870-73. These are interesting in
documenting their early relationship and courtship. George's
will and burial wishes, written in 1903, are also contained
in this letters outgoing box.
Incoming correspondence to George in the 1860s is in a
letter size box in folders by the year, alphabetically
arranged within. Many of these letters are from friends who
he worked with in Faribault, Minnesota. A carton of letters
recieved 1870-1904, is arranged in folders by decade and
alphabetically within that by the name of the writer. Some
people who wrote many letters, have individual folders.
These letters are both personal and professional, with some
overlap, as many of his friends were also in the church.
There is one carton of religious manuscripts, which
contains many sermons. These have few dates and are in
folders as they were found tied in bundles. Another box
contains religious and miscellaneous manuscripts. There are
a number of notebooks with material for sermons and several
notebooks of pressed flowers and botanical notes. There are
also four folders of printed material, including clippings
and articles by George. See also BOX 28 for obituaries and
memorials of Frederic Dan and George Huntington, 1904. See
also the miscellaneous legal and oversized boxes.
One carton of miscellaneous materials includes financial
papers of miscellaneous dates, church finances, Harvard
material, as well as George's work on Dante and The Treasury
of the Psalter.
The final carton contains financial papers, which are
mostly personal, household bills and receipts from 1807 to
1904. These are divided roughly into folders by date, but
are not in exact chronological order. They are valuable in
providing information about the Huntington family household
in the late 19th century, during the childhoods of James,
Catharine, and their brothers.
BOX 23, Frederic Dan Huntington correspondence-outgoing,
includes five folders of letters to his son George. Hannah
Sargent Huntington's papers also contain four boxes of
correspondence outgoing to son, George, between 1864 and
1904, BOXES 33-36.
See the photographsBOX 137. See also the miscellaneous
oversized materials box for some of his writings, and an 1884
passport for his trip to Cuba. See BOX 175, legal size
materials. See boxes of pamphlets at the museum, for Diocese
of New Hampshire Annual Conventions and other church
publications related to George Huntington.
Hannah Dane Sargent Huntington (1822-1910)
Hannah, daughter of Epes and Mary Lincoln Sargent, was
born in Boston on November 21, 1822. She grew up in Boston
and Roxbury. On September 4, 1843, she was married to
Frederic Dan Huntington, who was at that time, a Unitarian
minister. In the 1860s, he converted to the Episcopal church
and Hannah apparently joined him. They moved to Syracuse,
New York in 1869, when Frederic became Bishop of Central New
York.
Hannah Huntington was a well liked and respected citizen
of Syracuse and was very active as the Bishop's wife. She
was also involved in a number of social groups in the area.
The family spent each summer on the family farm at
"Forty Acres", usually arriving in June and staying through
September or October. At the end of most summers, Hannah
would make trips to Boston and New York to visit her brothers
and sisters, before returning to Syracuse.
Hannah died in Syracuse on February 22, 1910.
For more information on Hannah Sargent Huntington see
the biographical sketch written by her daughter Arria, which
can be found in the office of the Porter-Phelps-Huntington
House.
Hannah's papers, in BOXES 32-37, consist mostly of
outgoing correspondence to her son George between 1860 and
1904. These occupy 2 linear feet of space. In one
additional box (BOX 32), is correspondence to other family
members. Incoming correspondence includes congratulations on
her 50th anniversary in 1893 and letters of sympathy received
in 1904, upon the deaths of her husband and son. See the
lovely hand painted book made for the 50th anniversary by an
unidentified family member (BOX 37).
See photographsBOX 134. See also the oversized
materials box for Hannah's Daughters of the American
Revolution certificate of 1894. Her portrait, done in 1843,
hangs in the Porter-Phelps-Huntington House.
Helen Sophia Mills Huntington (1806-1844)
Helen Sophia was born August 24, 1806 in Northampton.
She was the daughter of Elijah Hunt and Harriette Blake
Mills. On October 28, 1827, she married Charles Phelps
Huntington. They resided in Northampton, where she died on
March 30, 1844, having lived there all her life and birthed
seven children.
Children: See list under Charles Phelps Huntington
The Charles Phelps Huntington family box (BOX 18)
contains one letter from Helen to her mother and one letter
received. There are also five folders of other members of
the Mills family in this box.
Henry Barrett Huntington (1875-1965)
Barrett, the first child of George and Lilly Huntington,
was born in Malden, Massachusetts on January 17, 1875. In
1893, he was the first of the sons to attend Harvard. After
graduation, he taught at Harvard, Dartmouth, and finally
Brown Universtiy. Barrett was a professor of English
composition and literature, and specialized in argumentation
and debate. He was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa and Delta
Upsilon fraternities.
Barrett was very fond of the Hadley farm at "Forty
Acres" and after his grandmother's death in 1910, he tried
for a few years to run it as a dairy. This venture proved
unsuccessful, however, as Barrett chose to continue living in
Providence and commute to Hadley only as needed. Later in
life, he apparently owned a summer home in Heath,
Massachusetts.
Below is a list of important events in his life:
1891-1893
St. Paul's School, Concord, New Hampshire
1897
After graduation, took a summer trip to Europe.
1898-1902
Taught English and philosophy at Harvard and Dartmouth
1902
Assistant Professor of English at Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
1905
Published "Principles of Argumentation and Debate"
1905
June 13, married Alice Howland Mason. She was born December 1, 1880 and was the daughter of Eugene and Elizabeth (Arnold) Mason.
1946
Alice Huntington died on July 7
Children:
Elizabeth- Born 1906, married Randolph Dyer in 1927
Arria Sargent- Born 1909
George Putnam- Born 1909, became an Episcopal minister
Mary Hopkins- Born 1915, married Lowell Pettit.
Barrett Huntington's papers, in BOX 60, consist mainly
of outgoing correspondence to family members. There are
eleven folders of letters to his mother Lilly Huntington,
between the 1880s and the 1920s. There are seven folders to
brother, James, 1880s-1960s, and three folders to father,
George, 1880s-1904. Also contained in this box are a few
letters outgoing from Barrett Huntington's children and
grandchildren.
See photographsBOX 139. There are many photos of the
children. See also Michael Paul Huntington papers, BOX 90,
for letters from Barrett's family in the 1930s and 40s. See
also the box of James Huntington and "Forty Acres", BOX 82.
This contains correspondence from Barrett about the division
of "Forty Acres" in 1929. See boxes of his horticulture and
German magazines at the Porter-Phelps-Huntington House.
James Lincoln Huntington (1880-1968)
James, third son of George and Lilly Huntington, was
born in Malden on May 30, 1880. He grew up in Ashfield,
Massachusetts and Hanover, New Hampshire. Jimmy was an early
obstetrician and gynecologist and was instrumental in
developing the procedure for caesarian sections. Later in
life, he became very interested in the family history and
home at "Forty Acres." Jimmy spent much of his time and all
of his money researching and preserving the house.
Below is a list of the important events of his life:
1895-1896
Attended St. John's Military School, Manlius, New York
1901
Summer at Arrowpoint Camp, New Preston, Connecticut
1902
Graduated from Dartmouth College
1904
Summer at Cloyne House, Newport, R.I.
1907
Graduated from Harvard Medical School
1909
Studied medicine in Germany
1910
Began practice of obstetrics and gynecology in Boston
1911-1915
Staff of Boston City Hospital
1911-1922
Assistant in Obstetrics at Harvard Medical School
1911-1922
Staff of Boston Lying-in Hospital
1922-1923
Consulting obstetrician at Cambridge Hospital
1921
Head of obstetrical department at Mt. Auburn Hospital
1929
Aquired full ownership of "Forty Acres"
1940
Began practices in Hadley and Northampton and was consulting obstetrician at the Cooley Dickinson Hospital
1943
Moved to "Forty Acres" in Hadley
1944
Divorced Sarah Pierce on June 28
1955
Porter-Phelps-Huntington Foundation formed House and contents donated by James L. Huntington
Children:
Benjamin Lincoln- See his biographical sketch
John Higginson- See his biographical sketch
The papers of James L. Huntington fill BOXES 66-84.
He seems to have saved most all his papers and they document
quite fully, his life, profession, and work at "Forty Acres."
He is of interest as an early advocate for historic
preservation. His efforts to save his ancestral home were
truely remarkable, as he spent all of his spare time and
money on it. Dr. Huntington's professional papers and
correspondence are also of interest to researchers of medical
history.
James Huntington saved most of his own papers in manilla
envelopes and labelled their contents. When these papers
were processed, they were kept in the same order that he had
saved them and were simply moved from the manilla envelopes
to archival folders. (When Dr. Huntington's exact words were
used in labelling, they were placed in quotation marks.) The
original order was changed only for incoming correspondence
from other family members. These were sorted and put in the
box of the person who wrote the letter. Incoming
correspondence from non-family was kept as James Huntington
had saved it. The folders were divided and placed in boxes
by type of letter (professional, childhood friends, club
related, related to "Forty Acres", etc.) The container
listing will help locate these types within the boxes.
BOX 65 contains outgoing correspondence from James L.
Huntington. There are 12 folders of letters to sister
Catharine Huntington, mostly in the 1950s-60s. These tell of
James' work on "Forty Acres" and plans for its future. Six
folders to brother, Constant from 1895 to 1902, relate school
life and plans for future careers, as well as some
information about time spent at "Forty Acres." Another
folder to Constant in the 1940s, discusses plans for
preserving "Forty Acres." There are also four folders of
letters to his mother, Lilly Barrett Huntington, between
the 1890s-1905.
The bulk of James L. Huntington's papers is incoming
correspondence, the bulk of which date from the 1920s-60s.
In BOX 66, are letters from miscellaneous relatives and
letters about relatives. BOX 67 contains incoming
correspondence from childhood friends, including friends from
Hanover and various summer camps. Professional
correspondence, from patients and other doctors, is in BOX
76. In BOX 75, is other professional material, including
medical papers and lectures by Dr. Huntington.
James Huntington belonged to many clubs and socities.
Incoming correspondence from club members, as well as club
business can be found in BOXES 72-74. This mostly dates
between 1920 and 1950.
Financial papers of James, Sarah, and Genevieve
Huntington fill BOXES 77-79. The latter two boxes contain
bank statements and checkbooks of various family members
and these are not in order.
BOXES 80a, 80b, and 81, contain journals and scrapbooks
kept by James Lincoln Huntington, 1922-1964. These document
his visits to the house at "Forty Acres", as well as
architectural changes, and efforts to raise money for its
preservation. Dr. Huntington wrote faithfully and in great
detail, on every trip to Hadely. These books and the
photographs they include, are invaluable in documenting the
20th century history of the Porter-Phelps-Huntignton House.
BOX 82 is also very important to the history of the
house. It contains incoming and outgoing correspondence
about preservation of the House, the search for funding, and
the incorporation of "Forty Acres" between 1947-1953.
Letters on 1955, about disolving the Corporation, discuss
auction of the furniture, closing the house, and returning
money to donors. In these, James expresses his sorrow at the
prospect of closing the museum and the apparent failure of
his dream. Early Foundation business correspondence of the
1950s-60s, is also in BOX 82. For additional Foundation
correspondence to and from James L. Hutnington, see the
Porter-Phelps-Huntington Foundation office files boxes.
BOX 83 is an important part of the collection, as it
contains family geneological and biographical information,
collected by James Huntington. This box also includes his
own biographical sketches and obituaries. The Huntington
Family Association box (BOX 84) contains more family
material. This is mostly correspondence with James L.
Huntington about the association, in the 1920s-50s.
There are many photographs and shapshots of James
Huntington, his family, and friends in BOXES 140-142.
See also, Michael Paul Huntington papers, BOX 90.
See the legal and oversize materials boxes (BOX 173 and BOX
175).
James Otis Sargent Huntington (1854-1935)
James Otis Sargent Huntington was born July 23, 1854 in
Roxbury, Massachusetts. He was the younger son of Frederic
Dan and Hannah Huntington. During his childhood, he
experienced his father's conversion from the Unitarian to
the Episcopal church and then his appointment as Bishop of
Central New York State. James later followed in his father's
foot-steps to become a clergyman. However, his ideas and
goals differed greatly from the Bishop's and this caused some
conflict between father and son, particularly over James'
involvement in the Oxford Movement.
After much dilemma, James chose a monastic life. He is
said to have come to understand his calling while at a
retreat conducted by Canon Little at St. Clement's in
Philadelphia in November of 1880. James went to live at the
Holy Cross Clergy House in New York, until 1884. He then took
the vows and founded the Order of the Holy Cross, along with
two friends, Robert Dod and James Cameron.
During the Order's early years, Father Huntington worked
in the poorest sections of New York's East Side. He was also
greatly concerned with labor issues, being one of the
founders of the Church Association for the Advancements of
the Interests of Labor and an early member of the Knights of
Labor.
Under Father Huntington's leadership as Superior, the
Order of the Holy Cross grew and in 1904, the Mother House
was built in West Park, New York. Other accomplishments of
James Otis Sargent Huntington include founding St. Faith's
home for wayward girls, St. Andrew's School at Sewanee, Kent
School, and the Mission in Liberia, Africa.
Below is a list of some of the major events of his life:
1869-1871
St. John's School, Manlius, New York
1876-1879
St. Andrew's Divinity School, Syracuse
1876
Summer walking tour through Scotland
1878
Ordained Deacon and took over services at Calvary Church, Syracuse
1881-1889
Living at Holy Cross Clergy House and working at Holy Cross Church in New York City's East Side
1884
Founded Order of the Holy Cross
1889
Missionary work in western New York state
1890s
The Order moved to Westminster
1904
Order of the Holy Cross Mother House built, West Park, New York
1935
Died in New York on July 29, buried at West Park in St. Augustine's Chapel
James Huntington's papers, in BOXES 56-58, consist of
one box of correspondence outgoing to various family members.
There are three folders of letters to his father Frederic
Dan, three to brother George, and three to nephew James.
These letters are important, because they document the
development of his religious views and the early years of the
Order of the Holy Cross. Another box contains material on
the schools James Otis Sargent attended, as well as articles
written by him in the 1880s and 90s. A third box has
clippings about him and the order of the Holy Cross, most of
these are obituaries and memorials of 1935. See the
photographsBOXES 131 and 136 for many pictures of him
throughout his lifetime. In the office of the Porter-
Phelps-Huntington House is a set of Holy Cross magazines and
some other pamphlets pertaining to James O.S. Huntington and
his work.
See also BOX 66, James Lincoln Huntington Correspondence
incoming about family members. This contains material
relating to his article called the "Life and Letters of James
Otis Sargent Huntington." See also the box of printed
material about Frederic Dan Huntington, BOX 27, for an
article called "The Bishop's Children", which contains much
information about James' life and work.
John Higginson Huntington (1916-1987)
John, the second son of James and Sarah Huntington, was
born in Boston on May 12, 1916. He grew up in Brookline,
spending much of the summer in Hadley at "Forty Acres." In
the 1940s, John went to London and settled there.
Below is a list of the important events of his life:
1926-1928?
Attended the Dexter School in Brookline.
1931-1933
William Penn Charter School, Germantown, Pa.
1934-1936
Phillips Exeter Academy, involved in theater, journalism, and Lantern Club.
1935+1936
Summers in the Bahamas
1940
Living in Chicago, working for a newspaper
1942-1943
American Field Service, apparently in an ambulance unit in Africa.
1940s?
In London working for G.P. Putnam's Sons (with his uncle
Constant)
1947
July 7, married Kathleen Margaret Chadburn in London
1987
Died in the English Lakes District, in November
Children:
Anne Chadburn
Peter
Paul
Benjamin
John Huntington's papers fill BOXES 103-107. These
1930s-40s papers were not fully sorted. BOX 103 contains
outgoing letters, stories, and articles written by John. For
more stories, see the legal and oversized materials boxes.
The outgoing correspondence is mostly to his parents and
there are nine full folders of this from the 1930s-60s. One
carton, BOX 104, has incoming correspondence from school
friends in the 1930s and 40s, these are not in alphabetical
order. Two cartons contain school papers, including printed
material about his schools and his school work and notebooks.
There is half a carton of miscellaneous material.
There are also a few letters from John's children to
their grandfather, James Lincoln Huntington.
See the photographsBOX 143 for photos of John and his
children, as well as many of his school friends, and
snapshots taken by him. See also the journals of his father
James L. Huntington for more photos (BOXES 80a, 80b, 81)
See also BOX 75 for "Out of the Deep" written by James
Huntington about John's health.
John Whiting Huntington (1809-1832)
John (often called Whiting), the sixth child of Dan and
Elizabeth Huntington was born on May 28, 1809. He grew up in
Middletown, Connecticut and then Hadley. From 1829 to 1832,
John attended Harvard. He was examined for his Bachelor's
Degree, but died before commencement.
The collection contains no papers of John Whiting.
However, there are a number of letters written to him by his
brothers and sisters, which can be found in their own boxes.
(BOXES 17, 19, 20, 23)
Lilly St. Agnan Barrett Huntington (1848-1926)
Lilly Barrett was born in Malden, Massachusetts on
December 21, 1848. She was the daughter of Henry Barrett and
Lucy Theodora Gellineau Stearns. Her father was the wealthy
owner of a dye house. Due to tuberculosis in his lungs, he
spent winters near Mobile, Alabama and summers in the White
Mountains and Lilly often went with him. When at home, she
attended finishing school in Roxbury.
Lilly's parents were Unitarians, but Lilly became
interested in the Episcopal faith through her mother's cousin
by marriage, Hamilton Willis. Lilly was an early member of
the St. Paul's parish in Malden, founded by George Huntington
in the late 1860s. She became good friends with her rector.
On April 16, 1874, Lilly was baptised and confirmed and then
married to George Huntington in Emmanuel Church, Boston.
Lilly's father bought them a house in Malden, near St. Paul's
Church on the corner of Washington and Florence Streets.
There the family lived and grew until 1884, when due to
failing health, George gave up his parish and the family
moved out of the city. They moved to Ashfield, Massachusetts
with their four children and George became rector of St.
John's Church. This home was closer to the family farm at
"Forty Acres" in Hadley, and Lilly and her children often
spent time their during the summer.
In 1891, George was appointed rector of St. Thomas
Church in Hanover, New Hampshire. There, the family, with
six children, remained until George's death in 1904. Lilly
was a devoted rector's wife. She had many friends in Hanover
and was involved in the town's social circles with such
activities as the Women's Literary Society. Lilly spent most
summers in Ogunquit, Maine where the family had a summer
house near George's parish of St. Peter's by the Sea. Lilly
had friends in Ogunquit and continued to own the beach house
there for a number of years after her husband's death.
In 1904, Lilly was 56 years old, but she was the mother
of several young children. The widow of a minister did not
receive a large pension, so Lilly and the younger children
were supported largely by the older sons. Family
correspondence contains discussion of their financial
situation and although she had help from her son's, Lilly
seems to have handled her affairs quite aptly. She certainly
had a share of the Barrett family money, which her lawyer
brother, Harry, helped her to manage.
George died in July and the Hanover church needed to
fill their rectory immediately, so Lilly and her children had
to move from their house. They spent the remainder of that
summer nearby, in East Rindge, New Hampshire. In the fall,
with some assistance and advice from her sons, Lilly
purchased a house in Leicester, Massachusetts. There she
lived for several years with her younger children Paul,
Catharine, and Freddie, until each one went off to college.
In 1908 or 1909, Lilly Huntington moved to 237
Massachusetts Avenue in Lexington. She lived there until
about 1920, when she purchased a house in Boston at 66
Pinckney Street on Beacon Hill. There she spent the winter
months, joined often by her daughter Catharine.
In 1921, her children improved and modernized the family
home at "Forty Acres" to make it a suitable summer home for
their mother. Lilly happily spent her last summers there.
In 1926, She passed away, while staying with her son Paul at
his home in Millsboro, Delaware.
Children: (see separate biographical sketches for each)
Henry Barrett
Constant Davis
Elizabeth- Born and died 1879
James Lincoln
Michael Paul
Charles- Born and died 1885
Catharine
Frederic Dane
Lilly Huntington's papers are contained in BOXES 48-54.
Two of these have outgoing correspondence to her family.
There are eight full folders to her son Constant, between
1892-1907. The two kept up a very consistent
correspondence, see Constant Huntington's papers for many
letters to Lilly. There are also five full folders to her
husband, George and four folders to son James. One and a
half boxes of incoming correspondence to Lilly Huntington,
consist mostly of personal letters, many of which are church
related. One box of miscellaneous material has some
manuscripts written by Lilly. The box of 1920s financial
papers also includes her will of 1924. See also the boxes of
legal and oversized materials. See photographsBOX 137.
Lilly Huntington seems to have saved almost all the
letters she received from her children and they wrote often.
So the letters she received (found in the boxes of outgoing
correspondnece of the various children) document quite fully,
her relationship to her children in the early 20th century.
This relationship is particularly interesting, as Lilly was
widowed while her children were still young.
Mary Dwight Huntington (1815-1839)
Mary, the ninth child of Dan and Elizabeth Phelps Huntington, was born on April 18, 1815, in Middletown, Connecticut, but during her first year, the family moved to her mother's family home at "Forty Acres" in Hadley. From 1831 to 1833, she attended Miss Emma Willard's School in Troy, New York, along with several of her sisters. In 1834-35, Mary Huntington was living in Oswego, New York. She died on October 14, 1839, at only 24 years of age.
Mary Huntington's few papers are found in the box of Dan and Elizabeth Huntington's Daughters, BOX 20. There are letters from her to various family members during the 1820s and 30s, most of them were written while she was away at school in Troy.
Mary Elizabeth Huntington (1840-1923)
Mary, daughter of Charles Phelps Huntington, was born in Northampton on March 19, 1940. She never married and died in 1923.
There are a few papers of Mary E. Huntington in BOX 18 of Charles Phelps Huntington's family. These include her reminiscences and obituary, as well as a poem written on her 82 birthday by nephew Mark Anthony DeWolfe Howe. Her portrait hangs in the Porter-Phelps-Huntington House.
Mary Lincoln Huntington (1861-1936)
Mary, the youngest child of Frederic Dan and Hannah Huntington, was born in Boston, November 15, 1861. In 1869, when she was eight years old, the family moved to Syracuse, New York where her father was an Episcopal Bichop. Mary never married and continued to live with her parents throughout their lives. She was active in the parish of Calvary Church in Syracuse, conducting the Girl's Friendly Society, training the choir, and visiting the poor and the sick.
Later in life, Mary lived with her sister Ruth at the Phelps Farm in Hadley where she apparently had a small "bungelow" of her own. During the winter months, Mary lived with Ruth on Belmont Avenue in Northampton. She died there on January 12, 1936, after a long illness.
BOX 59 is one small box of letters from Mary Huntington to family members, written throughout her lifetime. See photographsBOX 136. See BOX 90 of Michael Paul Huntington.
Michael Paul St. Agnan Huntington (1882-1967)
Michael Paul St. Agnan Huntington (known as Paul) was
born in Malden, Massachusetts on August 26, 1882. He was the
fourth son of George and Lilly Huntington. Chronically ill
as a child, Paul did not go away to boarding school, as his
brothers had. When not in the hospital, he stayed at home
with his mother, younger brother, and sister in Hanover, New
Hampshire.
Below is a list of the important events of his life:
1902
Graduated from Hanover High School
1902-1904
Special Student Harvard University
1906-1907
Worchester Polytecnical Institute
1914-1918
Cambridge Theological Seminary
1918
Emmamuel Church, Boston
1917-1922
St. Paul's Cathedral
1922
Married Lona Marie Goode, daughter of Victor and Lottie Moon Goode of Richmond, Virginia, on September 30.
1921-1925
Missionary in charge, All Saint's Church, Norton, Virginia
1925-1931
Missionary in charge Millsboro, Delaware
1931-1940s
Rector of Christ Church, Red Hook, New York
1950s-1960s
Richmond, Virginia
1950s-67
Summer house in Pelham, Massachusetts, connected with Grace Church, Amherst
Children:
William Paul- See biographical sketch
David Mack Goode- Born 1926, living in Wisconsin 1988.
Charles Phelps- Born 1928, killed in automobile accident
1937
Paul Huntington's papers total 4 1/2 linear feet. They
are divided into two parts. One is a part of the overall
collection of family papers, BOXES 88-89. This consists of
outgoing correspondnece from Paul to his family. There are
five folders of letters to brother James from the 1890s
through the 1960s. Paul also wrote a few letters to each of
his other siblings, mostly in the 1890s and early 1900s.
There are six full folders of letters to his mother between
1900 and 1925, the bulk of these fall in the 1920s. These
tell of his schooling and his work as an Episcopal minister
of which his mother was very proud. These papers also
include Paul's obituary, as well as a few outgoing letters
from his wife and children.
See the boxes of his brothers and sister for letters
written to Paul. Correspondence with James L. Huntington
contains information about the house in the early 20th
century.
See also the Sargent Family BOX 125, for correspondence
between Paul and Constant about the John O. Sargent will
dispute in 1946-47.
The other part of Paul's papers is kept as a separate
unit, due to its different provenance and history. This
separate set of papers was brought to Hadley by son David,
when Paul's house in Pelham was sold. These were then stored
in the attic of the woodshed until the summer of 1987. As
the original order of these papers was more clearly intact,
it was decided to keep them separate. These papers consisted
mainly of incoming correspondence to Paul. They were saved
as they had been received. Therefore, researchers studying
any member of Paul Huntington's family, should examine this
separate series to find letters that person wrote to Paul.
This separate unit, BOXES 90-93, includes one carton of
Paul's sermons of the 1920s-40s. There are two cartons of
incoming correspondence. One contains those from family
members, mostly in the 1920s-40s. There are eight folders of
letters from William Paul Huntington to his parents in the
1940s, when he was a soldier in WWII. The second box of
incoming correspondence is from miscellaneous friends and
these are not in order. This box also contains two folders
of financial papers, including check books from the 1950s.
See the photographsBOX 139. See a pamphlet about
Amherst's Grace Church, written by Paul Huntington, in the
stacks of the Amherst College library.
Sarah Higginson Pierce Huntington (1885-?)
Born January 8, 1885, in Brookline, Sarah was the second
daughter of Dean and Louisa Pierce (see Pierce family
section). "Sally" lived her whole life in Brookline and
married Dr. James L. Huntington there on June 1, 1911. They
lived at 311 Marlborough Street.
Sally ran the Canitoe Gift and Antique Shop out of their
house. In the 1930s, she was involved in financial endeavors
and owned a large number of stocks and investments.
She frequently came with her husband to "Forty Acres."
However, Sally did not share his love for Hadley and often
stayed home instead.
The two were divorced in 1944. In 1945 Sally married Stanley Leslie Balmer. She died in 1970 in California.
Sarah Pierce Huntington's papers, in BOXES 85-86,
include correspondence outgoing to various relatives. There
are four full folders to her son John, while he was at school
in the 1930s. (The dates for these were taken from the
envelopes, most of which were discarded.) Sarah wrote about
10 letters to her mother-law Lilly Huntington. There is only
one letter to her husband, James.
The bulk of Sarah's papers are financial. These are
contained in one carton (BOX 86) and date between 1928 and
1943. There are stocks, receipts, financial statements, and
tax information. See also the bank statements and checkbooks
BOXES 78-79.
See the photographsBOX 140.
Theodore Gregson Huntington (1813-1880s?)
Theodore, the eighth child of Dan and Elizabeth
Huntington, was born March 18, 1813 in Middletown,
Connecticut. At the age of three, he moved with the family
to Hadley. On February 17, 1841, Theodore married Elizabeth
Sumner (1816-1885). An 1873 map of the area lists T.G.
Huntington as a "market gardener and small fruit grower." He
apparantly built a house on his father's land in Hadley,
along what is now Huntington Road.
Later in life he lived in Enfield, Connecticut and both
he and his wife died there. They had no children.
Theodore G. Huntington's papers, in BOX 21, include his
"Sketches of family life in Hadley." These were written in
1881, as letters to Helen F. Huntington Quincy. In 1905,
Theodore's niece, Arria Huntington, used these prose sketches
in her book, Under a Colonial Rooftree. Copies of Theodore's
poetry of 1884 are also included in his papers.
These letters are extremely valuable, because they
provide an early account of the "Forty Acres" house, farm,
and family history.
Theophilus Parsons Huntington (1811-1862)
Theophilus, the seventh child of Dan and Elizabeth
Huntington, was born in Middletown on July 11, 1811. When he
was 5 years old, the family moved to Hadley.
Around 1840, he married Eliza Fitch Lyon (1817-1892).
In 1833, he had received some land from his father and
Theophilus apparently lived in Hadley until his death on July
20, 1862.
Children:
Walter Elliot- Born 1842
Maria Whiting- Born 1845
Edward Dwight- Born 1857
The most interesting of Theophilus' papers are the
accounts of his farm in 1855-56. His one piece of incoming
correspondence is in BOX 19, the box of Dan and Elizabeth
Huntington's sons. This box also contains a few letters to
him from his brothers. See Dan Huntington's BOX 16 for the
1833 deed of land.
William Edwards Huntington (1844-1930)
William, son of William Pitkin Huntington, was born in
Hillsboro, Illinois, on July 30, 1844. He received several
degrees, including an A.B. from the University of Wisconsin
in 1870, an S.T.D. and PhD. from Boston University in 1873
and 1881. During the Civil War, he served in the Wisconsin
Infantry.
In 1876, William married for the first time to Emma
Caroline Speare. She died the following year and in 1881,
William married her sister Ella Maria. He lived in Newton,
Massachusetts. Between 1904 and 1911, he was president of
Boston University, he then served as Dean of the Graduate
School until 1917, and President Emeritus until his death.
William died in Newton in 1930.
Children:
Raymond Edwards
Emma Caroline
Genevieve
Miriam
William E. Huntington's papers are found with those of
his father in BOX 19, Dan and Elizabeth Huntington's sons.
They include three outgoing letters and his obituary.
William Paul Huntington (1923-?)
William, the first child of Paul and Marie Huntington,
was born in Norton, Virginia on December 25, 1923. He
attended Kent School. During World War II, he fought in the
Army from 1943-45. In 1948, William graduated from Amherst
College. He married Frances Ellen Chittendon at Madison,
Connecticut on July 8, 1950. The lived in Baltimore,
Maryland.
William's papers are found in BOX 90, Michael Paul
Huntington papers. They consist of eight full folders of
letters to his parents in the 1940s, when he was fighting in
the war. Although they do not give many details, they do
tell a bit about army life. William's Amherst College
commencement program and wedding invitation are also
included. See the photographsBOX 139 for pictures of
"Billy" as a child.
William Pitkin Huntington (1804-1885)
William, the third child of Dan and Elizabeth
Huntington, was born on July 16, 1804 in Litchfield,
Connecticut. He graduated from Harvard in 1824 and received
his M.D. in 1835. William later attended Hickman Seminary.
In the 1830s, he moved west. He married Lucy Edwards (1820-
1898) in 1839.
By 1848, the family lived in Illinois, Buffalo, and
Milwaukee, Wisconsin. William was a teacher and a Unitarian
minister. He later became an Episcopalian. In the 1860s, he
was doing missionary work in the west. In 1873, William was
ordained Episcopal Deacon by his brother, Frederic Dan
Huntington.
Late in life, the family moved back to Amherst,
Massachusetts. William died there on March 7, 1885.
Children:
Lucy Bethia- Born 1840
Mary Catherine- Born 1842, died 1846
William Edwards- See biographical sketch
Elizabeth Whiting- Born 1846, died 1847
Helen Maria- Born 1848
Catherine Frances- Born 1850
Frederick Sargent- Born 1852, died 1888
Crace Martin- Born 1859
Theodore Gregson- Born 1859
Ellery Channing- Born 1865
William P. Huntington's papers are in the box of Dan and
Elizabeth Huntington's sons, BOX 19. They include many
letters to his sister Bethia in the 1820s-50s, along with
some to his other siblings and his parents. There is also a
folder of his sermons and religious notes of the 1870s-80s.
These are interesting for research, as they are written
during his time as a missionary preacher in the west. They
also help to document his relationship as a part of this
large family.
Along with his papers, are a few letters of his son
William Edwards.
Benjamin Lincoln (1733-1810)
Benjamin was born on January 24, 1733, the son of
Colonel Benjamin Lincoln and his wife Elizabeth. He spent
most of his life in Hingham, Massachusetts and there he
married Mary Cushing in 1756.
Lincoln's strong Whig tendencies made him an early
advocate of independence and brought him appointments to
several important posts, including representative of the
General Court. On February 19, 1777, he was commissioned a
Major General. In October of that year, Lincoln suffered an
injury at Saratoga, when a riffle ball shattered his ankle.
This caused him much discomfort and lamness later in life,
but did not stop his military career.
Benjamin Lincoln was sent to Charlestown in 1778 to
command the Southern army. However, he was unsuccessful and
by May of 1780, he was forced to surrender the city. In June
1781, General Lincoln rejoined Washington. He was present at
Yorktown and when Cornwallis surrendered on November 19,
1781, it was into Lincoln's hands that Cornwallis presented
his sword. This gesture symbolically ended the Revolutionary
War.
Under President Washington, Lincoln served as Secretary
of War. In 1783, he retired briefly to Hingham. When Shay's
Rebellion broke out in 1786, Governor James Bowdoin appointed
Lincoln as commander of the Massachusetts militia. He was
not unsympathetic to Daniel Shays and his followers. He made
a number of overtures to Shays, but Shays' demands went
beyond what Lincoln had authority to grant. On January 30,
1787, General Lincoln made one last attempt to make peace
with Shays, but was refused. So on February 3 and 4,
Lincoln's forces struck Shays' headquarters in Petersham and
defeated the rebels.
In 1787, Benjamin Lincoln was made Lt. Governor of
Massachusetts and later was the first Collector for the Port
of Boston, retiring in 1809. One year later, Lincoln died in
Hingham on May 9, 1810.
Children:
Abner- Graduated Harvard 1780, he was a school master
and led the choir of Old Ship Church in Hingham,
he married Hannah ___, their daughter Mary
married Epes Sargent, see Mary Otis Lincoln
Sargent biographical sketch
Anne?
Benjamin Lincoln's papers (BOX 118) are a valuable part
of this collection. These include 8 outgoing letters, orders
to march signed by him during the Revolutionary War, bills of
landing for the Port of Boston, two documents of the
Provincial Congress 1774-75, a few financial papers, and two
deeds. Among these papers are copies of correspondence with
George Washington and Samuel Huntington.
Caroline Stearns Barrett Littlefield (1850s?-1941)
Caroline was born in Malden, Massachusetts, the youngest
child of Henry and Lucy Barrett. She grew up in Malden,
attending grammar school at the Malden Centre School and
graduating in 1875. Caroline received very high marks, but
was not ranked in her class due to absences on account of her
health. It is unclear what her trouble was, but later,
during her teenage years, she suffered from scarlet fever.
In 1899, Caroline married Howard Littlefield. He was a
bookkeeper who worked for the American Agricultural Chemical
Company in Boston. The Littlefields lived in Malden and had
no children. Caroline died in 1941.
Papers of Caroline Littlefield are in BOX 119. There
are 15 letters to sister Lilly Barrett Huntington between
1878 and 1900. A diary of 1875 is very interesting, as it
is very detailed and frequently mentions her sister Lilly
Huntington and her new babies. There are a few letters from
Howard Littlefield to his Huntington nephews around 1905 and
two letters to Lilly Huntington in the 1920s.
See photographsBOX 138. See also BOX 90 of Michael
Paul Huntington's papers for letters from Howard Littlefield
in the 1930s and 40s.
Emilie Macklot Sargent Paine (1855-1942)
Emilie Sargent was born in Davenport, Iowa, November 8,
1855. She grew up there until 1869, when her family moved
west to Duluth Minnesota. There Emilie married Frederick
William Paine in 1884. He was a banker who had been born in
Michigan in 1856. The Paines remained in Duluth until their
deaths. Emilie died in 1942. During summers, they seem to
have spent time in New England, where they were close friends
of George Huntington's family.
Children:
Mary Welles- See biographical sketch below
Rodney Charles- Born March 1887, died in April
Frederick Rodney- See biographical sketch below
William Sargent- Born 1893, died 1894
The papers of Emilie Paine are found in the Paine family
box (BOX 120). They consist of about 20 outgoing letters to
the George Huntington family, during the late 19th and early
20th century. There are also six outgoig letters from
Frederick W. Paine. See photographsBOX 138. See also
BOX 90 of Michael Paul Huntington's papers for letters from
Frederick and Emilie in the 1930s and 40s.
Frederick Rodney Paine (1889-?)
Rodney Paine was born to Emilie and Frederick in 1889.
He graduated from Princeton in 1912. During World War I, he
was commissioned 1st Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. After the
War, in 1921, Rodney married Anna Hooker who had graduated
from Smith College the previous year. They lived in Duluth,
where Rodney was superintendant of Jay Cooke State Park.
The collection contains no papers of Rodney Paine, but
he is frequently mentioned in letters by other family
members (BOX 120).
Mary Welles Paine (Worthen) (1886-?)
Mary Paine (or Molly), daughter of Emilie and Frederick
Paine, was born in Duluth in 1886. She grew up in Duluth and
was educated in Garden City, New Jersey at Saint Mary's
School, between 1902 and 1905. During the summer she often
spent time in New England, where she enjoyed visits with her
"cousin" Catharine Huntington.
The collection contains letters written to Catharine
while Molly was at school and these often mention a boy named
Thatcher. So it is interesting to see that more than ten
years later, on May 16, 1915, Mary Paine married this young
man, Thatcher Washburn Worthen. He was born in 1886,
graduated from Dartmouth and then received a degree from
Amherst. In 1923, the couple was living in Hartford,
Connecticut.
Children:
Elizabeth
and more ?
Mary Paine Worthen's papers are in BOX 120, the Paine
family box. Most important are the letters to "cousin"
Catharine Huntington between 1902-05. These tell of a
teenage girl's friendships, school, and social life. There
are also about 10 letters to other members of the Huntington
family. In with letters to Lilly Huntington, is a copy of
Mary's wedding invitation. See the photographsBOX 138. See
also BOX 90 of Michael Paul Huntington's papers for letters
from Mary in the 1930s and 40s.
Charles Phelps Sr. (1717-1789)
Charles Phelps was born on August 16, 1717, probably in
Northampton. He was the son of bricklayer, Nathaniel (1678-
1747), who also carried the title of Lieutenant. Charles
followed his father to become a successful bricklayer. He
was also a lawyer in Hadley. In 1760 he was "read out" of
the Hadley Congregational Church, because he would not attend
communion. Shortly afterwards in 1764, he became an early
resident of New Marlborough, Vermont. There Charles Phelps
was a prominent member of the New York party against the
"Green Mountain Boys."
On April 24, 1740, he married 25 year old Dorothy Root.
She died September 11, 1777 and Charles soon remarried in
November of 1778. His second wife was Esther (?) Kneeland of
Boston, the widow of Timothy Kneeland. Charles Phelps died
in April 1789.
Children:
Solomon- Born 1741, graduated Harvard 1762, died 1790
Charles- See Charles Phelps Jr. biographical sketch
Timothy- Born January 25, 1747, died 1817
Joseph- Born November 23, 1749, died December 17, 1749.
Dorothy- Born November 23, 1749, married Jonathan Warner
Abigail- Born 1751, married John Williams, died 1835
Lucy- Born 1753, died 1757
John- Born 1756, died 1761
Experience- Born 1760, died 1847
Lucy- Born 1780, died 1786 of scarlet fever
Charles Phelps Sr.'s papers are contained in BOX 2.
They include his own notes on the births and deaths of his
family members. There are letters to his son Charles in the
1770s. Of some importance is correspondence concerning his
separation from the Hadley church, as well as correspondence
with Harvard College about his son Solomon. Financial and
legal papers include deeds of the 1740s-1760s and indentures
for servants. These are important documents of Hadley's
early history. Phelps is also interesting for his
involvement in the New York - Vermont boundary dispute.
For more information, see Phelps Family Memoirs, written
by John Phelps in 1886.
Charles Phelps Jr. (1743-1814)
Charles Phelps was born in Hadley, Massachusetts in
August of 1743. He was actually Charles Phelps Jr., as he
shared his father's name.
Although Charles was not formally educated, he was a
very successful and prominent man. He became a lawyer and
also a wealty farmer when he married Elizabeth Porter on June
14, 1770. He went to live with his wife and mother-in-law
and took over management of the family estate at "Forty
Acres."
Charles immedately began expanding and improving the
house and farm. In 1782, he built a large barn and in 1795,
a chaise house. According to family tradition, Phelps was a
self taught architect and may have made the plans for many
improvements himself. By the time of his death he had
altered the house dramatically and reportedly enlarged the
farm to nearly a thousand acres. (See The History of the
House section and the Historic Structures Report for a more
detailed account of these changes.) To help with the farm
work, Charles Phelps owned two slaves, a man named Caesar and
a young girl named Phyllis. He was in charge of two bond
servants, several apprentices, as well as numerous seasonal
farm hands.
Charles Phelps did not spend much time on the farm
himself. He was very busy with his work as lawyer and
politicial. As representative for Hadley in the
Massachusetts Legislature, he was often away from home on
trips to Boston. He served the following terms 1791-94,
1795-96, 1798-99, 1807-08. Phelps was also Squire of the
town of Hadley, deacon of the church, and chairman of the
building committee for the new church in 1808. From 1781
until his death, Charles was a Trustee of Hopkins Academy.
He was an early member of the Massachusetts Society for
Promotting Agriculture and of the Humane Society.
Because of his professional success and the many
architectural changes he made to the house, Charles Phelps is
perhaps the most important person in the history of the
Porter-Phelps-Huntington house. In 1814, after suffering
declining health for many months, Charles Phelps died at his
home in Hadley.
Children:
Moses Porter- Changed name to Charles Porter, see
Charles Porter Phelps biographical sketch
Charles- Born and died 1776
Elizabeth Whiting- See Elizabeth Whiting Phelps
Huntington biographical sketch
The papers of Charles Phelps Jr. are a very important
part of the collection, as he was a prominent figure in
Hadley and all Massachusetts, at the time of the Revolution
and the early nation.
Charles Phelps' papers are contained in BOX 4. They
include incoming and outgoing correspondence. Of interest
are two letters from his brother Solomon in 1775 about the
War. There is also an interesting one from his slave Sezor
(Caesar) who was fighting at Ticonderoga in 1776. There are
a number of letters to his wife and to his son Charles while
he was in Boston studying in the 1780s and 90s. These
discuss the farm and animals, journeys back and forth to
Boston, town government and politics, and the family's
general health. The plans for travel between Hadley and
Boston are of particular interest. Miscellaneous financial
and legal documents are in chronological order. These
include a 1777 tax assesment of his estate, deeds of land
purchased, indentures of servants, and receipts of slaves. A
division of Phelps' estate was drawn up by his son Charles
Porter in 1817. See also the oversized materials box.
(Moses) Charles Porter Phelps (1772-1857)
Moses Porter Phelps was born to Charles and Elizabeth on
August 8, 1772. He was fitted for college by Reverend Joseph
Lyman of Hatifeld. In 1787, he began his studies at Harvard,
graduating in 1791. At that time, he changed his name to
Charles Porter Phelps. He then went to Newburyport, to live
and study law with Theophilus Parsons. There Charles met his
teacher's niece, Sarah Davenport Parsons (see Sarah Parsons
Phelps biographical sketch) and the two became very close.
He was admitted to the Bar in 1795 and opened a law practice
in Boston. However, he felt he was unsuccessful as a lawyer,
barely earning enough to pay his expenses. In April of 1799,
he closed his office and went home to Hadley. There he spent
the summer superintending the alterations of his father's
home to make it suitable to accomodate two families. Charles
planned to marry Sarah Parsons and move to Hadley with her,
the following spring.
Finally, after eight years of aquaintance (see his
autobiography for a description of the relationship), the two
were married in Newburyport on January 1, 1800. However,
Charles' career plans had changed and the Phelps' chose to
stay in Boston, while he formed a business partnership with
Edward Rand. They carried out a merchant business from No. 3
Cadman's Wharf, Boston. Unfortunately, this partnership was
cut short by the death of Mr. Rand in a duel, during the
summer of 1801. Charles continued the exporting business,
with varying success, until 1816, when he was employed very
briefly as cashier of the Massachusetts Bank. In 1815, he
began his political career as a Boston Representative to the
State Legislature.
With the fluctuations in his success as a merchant,
Charles and his family had made a number of extended visits
to his parent's home in Hadley. In 1815, he had received a
large profit and decided to use the money to build a new
house on his share of the ancestral acres in Hadley. This
later became known as The Phelps Farm. The barn was ready
for his Merino sheep later that year and by 1817 the house
was ready for family occupancy. Sadly, Sarah Phelps never
came to reside in the new home. She died of typhous fever in
the midst of the family's move to Hadley. Her cousin
Charlotte came there to help with the five children and in
time she became Charles' second wife. They were married in
1820 and had four more children. The Phelps children had a
tendency to be sickly and many died young. Charlotte Parsons
Phelps died in 1830 and Charles married a third time to
Elizabeth Judkins in 1833.
Charles Porter Phelps termed his sheep raising a
failure, but continued to run his farm. He attained
increasing success in Hadley as a lawyer and selectman.
Between 1820 and 1841, he served ten terms as Hadley
representative in the Legislature and in 1826-27, was Senator
of the Hampshire district.
Like his sister, Elizabeth Phelps Huntington, Charles
converted from Congregational to Unitarian in the early 19th
century.
For a very detailed account of his life and business in
Boston, see the autobiographical sketch in BOX 10.
Children:
Charles- Born September 18, 1801
Edward- Born August 17, 1803, died February 17, 1807
Sarah- Born March 16, 1805
Francis
Elizabeth- Born December 4, 1808, died December 5, 1809
Marianne- Born September 13, 1810
Louisa- Born June 27, 1812, died December 31, 1813
Caroline- See her biographical sketch under Caroline
Phelps Bullfinch
Arthur- Born March 16, 1817
Theophilus Parsons- Born after 1820, involved in Oliver
Smith will dispute as a witness of the will
William
Charlotte
Susan Davis- See her biographical sketch
Charles Porter Phelps' papers are contained in BOX 10.
His 1857 autobiography is an extremely detailed document.
This tells of his life, including his career, courtship of
his first wife, the family's health and growth. Charles also
writes about politics and government, with several pages on
the War of 1812. There are a few folders of outgoing
correspondence to his parents, his sister, and Sarah Parsons
before their marriage. The bulk of his papers are financial.
These include bills for his studies at Harvard, account books
of 1786 and 1817, and shipping bills and insurance between
1800-1812. A few legal papers are deeds for land in Hadley,
1817-1823. See also the oversized materials box for his 1814
commission as major, by Governor Caleb Strong.
The box of Charles Porter Phelps Family papers, BOX 11
contains correspondence to Charles from his children.
In the box of his sister, Elizabeth Phelps Huntington,
BOX 13, is a folder of material about her posthumous
exoneration by the Hadley Congregational church. This also
includes information on Charles Porter Phelps' conversion to
Unitarianism in the 1820s.
Elizabeth Porter Phelps (1747-1817)
Elizabeth was born in 1747, the only child of Moses and
Elizabeth Porter. At the age of five, her family moved from
the stockaded center of Hadley to the new house built by her
father in 1752. Only three years later, her father was
killed fighting in the French and Indian War. Elizabeth
(also called Betty, Bette, or Betsy) continued to live on the
"Forty Acres" farm outside of town, with her widowed mother,
but under the watchful eye of her father's family in Hadley.
In 1768, a man named Charles Phelps came to the farm to
help out for a few days. Elizabeth mentions this casually
in her diary, but there is no further mention of him until
the preparations for their marriage began. The two were
married on June 14, 1770. Charles moved into the house with
Elizabeth and her mother and took charge of the farm.
Elizabeth was very active socially and seems to have
entertained guests at her house almost continuously. She
acted as a midwife and ministered to the sick in the
community. Along with several servant girls and one slave
girl named Phyllis, Elizabeth Phelps carried out the
household production of large quantities of soap, butter, and
especially cheese. On this large farm, the women were
sometimes feeding more that 20 farm hands in addition to the
regular household members.
Elizabeth raised two children, as well as a girl named
Thankful Hitchcock who she treated like daughter. After her
children had grow and moved away, the Phelps' grandchildren
came frequently to spend extended periods of time on the farm
at "Forty Acres." Elizabeth Porter Phelps had spent her
entire life there when she died in 1817.
Elizabeth Porter Phelps' papers, in BOXES 5-7, are an
extremely valuable resource for studies of women's history,
household affairs, and mother-daughter relationships. Her
diary kept between 1766 and 1812, is a remarkable document,
as she wrote in it faithfully every week. The first few
years are mainly about religious concerns, but later she
tells of life in the house, visits of friends, births and
deaths of townspeople, and family events. Typed copies of
the diary in BOXES 8-9 are available for researchers. This
diary is supplemented by correspondence to her daughter
Elizabeth Huntington (bulk 1794-1815) to give a full picture
of this woman's life and family. The letters tell about
household work, servants, visits with Charles Porter Phelps
and his family, trips to Boston, and hopes for Huntington
family visits to Hadley. In Elizabeth Huntington's papers
(BOXES 12-13) are numerous letters in reply to her mother.
There was a strong mother-daughter bond between the two women
and their correspondence is a valuable source for information
on these relationships in the early 19th century. Typed
copies of the letters are in BOX 6. There is also outgoing
correspondnece to Elizabeth Phelps' son, her husband, and
friend Penelope Williams of Roxbury, Massachusetts.
Sarah Davenport Parsons Phelps (?-1817)
Sarah was the daughter of Moses Parsons of Haverhill.
She was apparantly orphaned, because she spent her teenage
years with her grandmother in Boston. Sarah met Charles
Porter Phelps in 1792 when he came to board and study with
her uncle Theophilus Parsons in Newburyport. Two years
later, her grandmother died and Sarah came to live with the
Newburyport family.
Sarah and Charles Porter Phelps were married on January
1, 1800. Sarah stayed on with her uncle in Newburyport for
three months after her marriage, while her husband was on the
family farm at "Forry Acres" in Hadley. She joined him there
for the summer and in the fall the couple moved to the south
end of Boston. In December 1800, they moved again, to a
house on Summer Street owned by Eben Parsons.
Sarah Phelps lived with her husband in Boston, giving
birth to seven children before she died of typhoid fever in
1817.
Children: See list under Charles Porter Phelps
Sarah Phelps' papers are found in the Charles Porter
Phelps' Family papers, BOX 11. There are notes written by
her after her marriage in 1800. The bulk of her papers are
letters written to her mother-in-law, Elizabeth Porter Phelps
between 1801 and 1811.
Susan Davis Phelps (1827-1865)
Susan was the youngest child of Charles Porter Phelps
and his second wife Charlotte. She grew up in Hadley,
apparently attending school in Amherst, where she is said to
have been a classmate and close friend of Emily Dickinson.
In 1854, Susan was engaged to Henry V. Emmons. However, in
1860, she broke the engagement unexplainedly. Five years
later, Susan died, supposedly of a broken heart. References
to Susan's relationship with the Dickinsons can be found in
The Year's and Hours of Emily Dickinson by Jay Leyda.
There are only a few letters of Susan Phelps in BOX 11.
However, she is important to researchers, because of her
close friendship with Emily and Susan Dickinson. Two letters
from Susan Phelps to her niece, Ellen Bullfinch, mention the
Dickinson family. Notes on Susan from Jay Leyda's book are
also included in this box.
Dean Pierce (1857-1925)
Dean Pierce was the father of Sarah Higginson Pierce who
married James Lincoln Huntington in 1911 (see her
biographical sketch under Sarah Pierce Huntington). The
Pierce's forebearers were a wealthy Newburyport family.
He was the son of Jacob Willard and Mary Boardman Pierce.
Dean was born in Newburyport on July 16, 1857. He married
Louisa Bowditch (see her biographical sketch below) on
October 31, 1882. They lived in Brookline.
Children:
Dorothy Wendell
Sarah Higginson- See Sarah Pierce Huntington
Rosamond- Married Thomas Barbour (see his biographical
sketch)
Mary Dean
In the Pierce Family box, BOX 121, are two letters
received by Dean Pierce, bills, and receipts of the 1870s,
and theater programs, menus, advertisements, and business
cards saved by him in the 1870s.
Jacob Willard Pierce
The papers of Jacob W. Pierce, found in the Pierce
Family BOX 121, include a folder of incoming correspondence
1813-1821. There is also a passport granted to him in 1874.
See also the boxes of legal and oversize material for an
account of his estate and documents relating to the family
shipping business. See the photographsBOX 140.
Louisa Higginson Bowditch Pierce (1860-1929)
Louisa Bowditch was born in Brookline, Massachusetts, on
April 25, 1860. She was the grandaughter of famous navigator
Nathaniel Bowditch and youngest daughter of William. Louisa
attended private schools and became an accompolished pianist
and self taught botanist. On October 31, 1882, she married
Dean Pierce. On April 4, 1929, Louisa died in Brookline,
having lived there all her life.
Children: See list under Dean Pierce above
Papers of Louisa Bowditch Pierce are found in the Pierce
Family box, BOX 121. These include a journal of her trip to
Europe in 1874 and about 20 pieces of outgoing
correspondence . There are letters received from childhood
friends in the 1870s, as well as others received in the late
19th and early 20th centuries.
See the letters written to her in the 1860s by her
father, William Bowditch. These are in the form of wonderful
little fairy stories. They are located in the Bowditch
Family box, BOX 114.
Elizabeth Pitkin Porter (1719-1798)
Elizabeth Pitkin was born in 1719. She was the daughter
of Nathaniel Pitkin of Hartford. In 1743, Elizabeth married
Moses Porter and moved up the Connecticut River to join him
in Hadley.
The couple apparantly lived within the town stockade,
where Moses is said to have built a small house for them near
his parent's home. In 1747, at the age of 28, Elizabeth
Porter gave birth to a baby girl, also named Elizabeth.
According to family stories, Elizabeth grew unhappy with
the crowded conditions of life in the Hadley stockade and
convinced her husband to build a new house for the family on
his northern lands. Here, however, the family stories seem
to conflict. When the house was finished in 1752, Elizabeth,
being a city girl at heart, was reportedly unhappy to move
two miles north of town into the first house built outside
the stockade.
She became more disturbed in 1755, when her husband went
to fight in the French and Indian War as Captain of a town
regiment. Letters to Moses at this time, tell of her fears
that he would not return. Then on September 8, 1755, those
fears came true. Again, family history relates this tragedy.
Captain Porter's sword was brought back to Hadley by his
Indian body servant. Elizabeth, hearing a knock at one of
the north windows, pushed back the heavy shutter and the
sword was handed in to her. She immediately understood the
significance of this gesture.
Elizabeth was thus left alone with her eight year old
daughter on this large farm so far from town. The two seem
to have lived with family in Hadley for the winter and there
was some talk as to whether or not they would move back to
the big farm in the spring. Elizabeth chose to do so and she
hired a kinsman named Worthington to manage the farm. He
lived with the two Porter women until 1770, when the younger
Elizabeth married. Her husband, Charles Phelps moved in
and took charge of the farm.
It is perhaps surprising that Widow Porter never
remarried, as she was only 36 years old when Moses died and
was certainly a wealthy woman. It is said that she never
recovered from the loss of her husband. She was apparantly
depressed and sickly for the rest of her life and stories say
she took up the "habit" of the day, opium and alcohol.
However, these tales may be unfounded, as Elizabeth was 89
years old when she died in 1798.
There are only a few papers pertaining to Elizabeth
Porter. These are contained in BOX 3 with those of her
husband Moses. They consist of correspondence between the
two in 1755, when Moses was away fighting in the French and
Indian War, right before his death. Her wedding dress is a
part of clothing collection of the Porter-Phelps-Huntington
House Museum.
Moses Porter (1722-1755)
Moses Porter was born in Hadley, January 13, 1722. He
was the second son of Samuel Porter and Anna Colton and great
grandson of Samuel Porter, an original settler of the town of
Hadley. In 1743, Moses married Elizabeth Pitkin, the
daughter of Nathaniel Pitkin, a wealthy Hartford man. The
couple lived in or near Moses' parents home within the
Hadley stockade.
Although, not formally educated, Moses was a wealthy
man. In 1748, he was executor of his father's large estate
and inherited a great deal of land from it. In fact, by
1752, Moses and his family had acquired ownership of
practically all the tract of land known as "Forty Acres and
its skirts." This was fertile farm land, located about a
mile north of town, which had originally been divided as
common land when the town was laid out in 1659.
By 1752, conditions within the town stockade had become
crowded. Moses Porter decided it was time to move north to
"Forty Acres" and build a new home for his family. On May
27, 1752, the roof was raised. By December, the house was
apparantly ready for occupancy and Moses moved his wife and
daughter in.
The new farm was a large and successful one. According
to his estate inventory, Moses Porter owned 61 acres of farm
and 50 acres of skirt, along with 535 acres of land elsewhere
in town. He also had a one seventh share of the saw mill in
North Hadley. Moses owned three horses and a colt, two
steer, a bull, a yoke of oxen, four heifers, four cows and
calves, as well as numerous smaller animals. He was one of
few men in town to own a riding chair and a sleigh, in
addition to the usual farm equipment. To carry out all the
work on such a large farm, owned two of the 18 slaves living
in the town of Hadley at this time, and probably had
additional farm hands and indentured servants.
Moses Porter was also a military man. In 1755, he went
off to fight in the French and Indian War, as Captain of a
regiment commanded by Colonel Ephriam Williams. On September
8th of that year, he was killed in the "Battle of Bloody
Morning Scout" near Lake George, New York. Moses Porter was
only 33 years old and left behind a young widow and an eight
year old daughter, Elizabeth.
Moses Porter's papers are contained in BOX 3, along with
those of his wife Elizabeth. These help to document the
early years of the house and farm. They consist of several
letters to Elizabeth in 1755, while he was fighting in the
War. Also included are a number of deeds for land Moses
purchased in the 1740s and 50s. Excerpts from the diary of
Sarah Porter give dates of the construction of the house.
The original is on microfilm at the Jones Library. Also of
great importance is the 1756 inventory of Moses Porter's
estate, which can be found in the oversized materials box.
Edmund Quincy (1903- )
Edmund was born May 15, 1903 in Biarritz. He was the
only son of Josiah Huntington Quincy and Ellen Krebs. His
mother died the year after his birth. His father married
again in 1905, to Mary Honey, who later adopted Edmund as her
son. Edmund graduated from Harvard in 1925. He is a
portrait and landscape painter, having also published some
poetry. He has lived in Italy much of his life. On March
19, 1940, Edmund married Josephine Biamonti in Bordighera,
Italy. She was the daughter of Alessandro and Palmira
Fontana Biamonti. The Quincy's have one adopted son, Daniel.
Edmund Quincy was a good friend of Catharine Huntington
and his papers, in BOX 123, contain five folders of letters
to her in the 1930s. There are also two folders of
clippings, programs and photographs of his paintings. He
wrote a short piece called "On a Visit to Hadley", which was
published in 1959 in his Legends and Conditions. In 1988,
Mr. Quincy donated a large number of papers to the Porter-
Phelps-Huntington Foundation. These include letters received
by him, in the 1960s and 70s. They are from a wide range of
friends and a few from his son, Daniel. These letters are in
BOX 124, but they have not been processed.
Helen Frances Huntington Quincy (1831-1903)
"Fanny" Huntington was born in Northampton on July 7,
1831. She was the first child of Charles Phelps and Helen
Sophia Mills Huntington. Fanny grew up in Northampton,
moving to Boston with the family in the late 1840s. There
she married Josiah P. Quincy on December 23, 1858. She died
December 11, 1903.
Children:
Josiah Huntington- See biographical sketch below
Helen- Born 1861, married 1894 to James Muirhead
Mabel- Born 1863, married 1889 to Walter Davis
Violet- Born 1868, died 1871
Fanny Huntington- Born 1879, married 1899 Mark Anthony
DeWolfe Howe, died 1933
BOX 122, the Quincy Family box contains three outgoing
letters from Fanny and seven letters received. In the 1880s,
Fanny's uncle, Theodore G. Huntington, wrote sketches of his
life in Hadley in the form of letters to her. Copies of
these are contained in BOX 21. These were later published
and also form a large portion of Arria Huntington's book,
Under a Colonial Roof Tree.
Josiah Huntington Quincy (1859-1919)
Josiah, the first child of Helen Frances Huntington and
Josiah Quincy, was born on October 15, 1859. He graduated
from Harvard in 1880, attended Harvard Law School and was
admitted to the Bar in 1884. From 1896-98, Josiah was Mayor
of Boston. In 1900, he married Elen Krebs in London,
England. She died four years later in Biarritz. Josiah
married a second time in New York to Mary Honey. He died on
September 19, 1919.
Children:
Edmund- See biographical sketch above.
This collection contains the wedding invitation of
Josiah Quincy and Mary Honey in BOX 122.
Josiah P. Quincy (1829-1910)
Josiah was the son of the Honorable Josiah Quincy of
Boston. He was born November 28, 1829. On December 23,
1858, he married Helen Frances Huntington. They lived in
Boston. He died October 31, 1910.
Children: See list under Helen Frances Huntington Quincy
above
Amelia Barnard Sargent (1809-1890)
Amelia, the first child of Epes and Hannah Sargent, was
born in Gloucester in 1809. She married in 1855, to a man
named Hoffman. She died in 1890 with no children.
There are a few papers of Amelia in the Sargent Family
BOX 125. These include three outgoing letters and an 1824
copy book.
Epes Sargent V (1784-1853)
Epes Sargent, born March 7, 1784, was the fifth Epes of
the Sargent family who had been in Gloucester since the
1670s. His grandfather and great grandfather had been ship
owners, but the former remained loyal to the King during the
Revolution and lost the family fortune. Epes V was the son
of John Osborne and Lydia Foster Sargent. At the age of
five, Epes was orphaned. He and his sister grew up in the
home of his grandfather Foster.
In 1799, when Epes was only 14, he sailed to Canton as a
cabin boy on the ship "Eliza." He made several more sea
voyages out of Gloucester and then in 1818, Epes went into
partnership with his brother in law, John Barker who was a
flour merchant. At this time, the family pulled up their
long Gloucester roots and moved to Boston. The partnership
continued until the 1820s, when business losses compelled
Sargent to take to the sea again. He aquired interest in the
Brig "Romulus" and made three trips to St. Petersburg,
Russia. A fourth trip to Russia was made on the "Volga."
In 1836, the Sargent family, choosing to try life in the
country, sold the Boston house and bought a farm in Milton,
Massachusetts. This experiment did not last long, however,
and in 1839, they moved back to Boston to a house on Western
Avenue. Apparantly a rather restless family, they later
moved to a house at Hartford Place and finally to Roxbury.
There Epes Sargent died on April 19, 1853.
During his life, Epes was married three times and had 12
children. One of his daughters, Hannah Dane, was married to
Frederic Dan Huntington in 1843, connecting the Sargent and
Huntington families.
Wives:
Mary Pearson- Born 1786, married Epes Sargent 1806, died
1807.
Hannah Dane Coffin- Born 1787, married Epes Sargent 1808
in Gloucester, died 1819 in Boston.
Mary Otis Lincoln- See her biographical sketch below
Children:
1st Marriage
Amelia- Born 1806, died 1807
2nd Marriage
Amelia Barnard- See biographical sketch above
John Osborne- see biographical sketch below
Epes- see biographical sketch below.
Mary Frances- Born 1815, died 1896 in Roxbury, unmarried
William Coffin- Born 1817, died 1818
George Barnard- See biographical sketch below.
3rd Marriage
Hannah Dane- See biographical sketch under Hannah Dane
Sargent Huntington.
James Otis- See biographical sketch below
Catherine Osborne- See biographical sketch under
Catherine Sargent Sumner
Arria- Born 1827, died 1846
Elizabeth Lincoln- Born 1830, died 1847.
There are only two folders of Epes Sargent V papers in
the Sargent Family BOX 125. These include letters written to
his grandson in the 1840s and 50s, telling the story of his
life. They describe his sea travels in great detail,
providing a good deal of information. His portrait is in the
Porter-Phelps-Huntington House.
Epes Sargent VI (1813-1880)
The sixth Epes Sargent was born in Gloucester, September
27, 1813. He was the second son of Epes and Hannah Sargent.
In 1818, his family moved to Boston where he grew up,
attending Roxbury High School. At the age of 15, Epes went
on a voyage to Russia with his father. He did not take to
the sea life, however, and went on to become a successful
writer and editor.
Epes Sargent attended Harvard for a few years, but did
not graduate. This did not seem to hurt his career and he
soon became an editorial writer for The Boston Daily
Advertiser and The Atlas. He later moved to New York City,
where he was in charge of the New York Mirror. In 1848, Epes
returned to Boston and married Elizabeth Weld (1819-1901).
By 1853, he had become Editor of the Boston Evening
Transcript.
In addition to editing, Epes Sargent wrote a number of
plays and edited poems. He is perhaps most famous for
compiling The Standard Speaker and The Standard Reader, which
were in common use in Boston schools for many years.
Epes Sargent VI died in Roxbury on December 30, 1880.
He had no children by his marriage, but had three
illegitimate daughters by a Miss Herron. These were said to
be the result of a "spiritualistic association" and were
recognized by Epes and his family as his children, but they
were never legally adopted.
There are only a few papers of Epes Sargent in the
Sargent Family box, BOX 125. These include five letters to
his nephew George Huntington in the 1860s and 70s. There is
also a pamplet written by him in 1876, entitled "Does it
Matter at All." See the photographs series for photos of his
portraits. An original portrait hangs in the Porter-Phelps-
Huntington House.
George Barnard Sargent (1818-1896)
George Sargent, was born to Epes and Hannah Sargent,
in 1818. He grew up in Boston, but later chose an
adventurous western life. In 1838, he moved to Iowa and
married Mary Perin, the following year. He and his family
were living in Davenport, Iowa in 1847, when he opened the
bankhouse of "Cook and Sargent." George was successful there
and in 1851, was elected Mayor of Davenport. However, he
felt the pull to the west and in 1869, the family moved on
the Duluth, Minnesota. George died there in 1875, but many
of his ten children and their families continued to live in
Duluth well into the 20th century.
Children:
Epes
Amelia Frances
John James
George Lenox
George Barnard
Mary Otis
Elizabeth Lincoln,
Emilie Macklot- see biographical sketch under Emilie
Sargent Paine
Mary Epes
William Coffin
Papers of George Sargent include only two letters to
George Huntington in 1868-69. These are in BOX 125.
Georgiana Welles Sargent (1858-1946)
Georgiana Sargent was born May 10, 1858, the only child
of John and Georgiana Welles Sargent. In 1923, she was
living in Lenox, unmarried, devoted to gardening. "Cousin
Georgie" was close to the family of her cousin George
Huntington and apparantly helped to put one or more of his
sons through college.
Papers of Georgiana Sargent are found in the BOX 125 of
the Sargent Family. These include about 20 outgoing letters
to members of the Huntington family in the late 19th and
early 20th century. See also the separate unit of Michael
Paul Huntington papers, BOX 90, for a few letters from
Georgie in the 1930s and 40s.
James Otis Sargent (1823-1897)
James, ninth child of Epes Sargent V, was born in 1823
in Boston. He died in 1897, unmarried with no descendants.
In the Sargent Family box, BOX 125, are two folders of
outgoing correspondence. There are about 25 letters to his
nephew George Huntington in the 1860s-90s. See the
photographsBOX 135.
John Osborne Sargent VI (1811-1891)
The eldest son of Epes and Hannah Sargent, John Osborne
was born in Gloucester in 1811. He was a lawyer and well
known journalist, and also did translations of Latin and
German literature. At Harvard, John was friends with James
Freeman Clarke and Oliver Wendell Holmes while they edited
the Collegian and College Monthly together.
Below is a list of the importants events of his life:
1821-1826
Roxbury Latin School
1830
Graduated from Harvard
1836-1837
Massachusetts Legislature
1838
Moved to New York City and became associate editor of the Courier and Enquirer
1841
Resumed law practice, interested in Whig politics
1854
Married Georgiana, daughter of Benjamin Welles
1861
His wife being ill, the family moved to Europe, where they lived for 12 years.
ca. 1873
Returned to United States, bought summer house in Lenox, Massachusetts, spent winters in New York
Children:
Georgiana Welles Sargent- See biographical sketch above
John O. Sargent's papers in BOX 125 of the Sargent
Family, include a journal kept in 1863, while he was in
Europe. He was involved in publishing the Treasury of the
Psalter with George Huntington and there are several letters
to George in the collection. His 1892 obituary provides some
biographical information. The dispute over his will in 1946-
47 is also included and gives geneological data. See the
photographsBOX 135.
Mary Otis Lincoln Sargent (1795-1870)
Mary Otis, daughter of Abner and Hannah Lincoln, was
born in 1795, in Hingham, Massachusetts. She grew up there
and was a school mistress. The children of Epes Sargent, by
his previous marriage, attended her school and there the two
met. Mary became Epes' third wife in 1821. She lived with
him and his children in Boston and Roxbury, increasing the
family with five more children. Mary Sargent died on
December 3, 1870 in Roxbury. Mary was the grandaughter of
Major General Benjamin Lincoln, who had been one of George
Washington's Generals. For more information, see his
biographical sketch.
Children: See list under Epes Sargent V
Mary O.L. Sargent's papers, in the Sargent Family box,
BOX 125, include several letters from her to George and Lilly
Huntington in the 1860s and 70s. There is also a small piece
of needlework done by her, and most importantly, her will of
1879. See the photographsBOX 135.
Archibald Lowery Sessions (1860-1927)
Archie Sessions, the son of Elizabeth Fisher and John
Sessions, was a great grandson of Dan Huntington. He was
born January 12, 1860. Archie graduated from Harvard
University and went on to become an Editor with Ainslee's and
Street and Smith in New York City.
On November 6, 1887, he married Ruth Huntington who
was his second cousin, the granddaughter of Dan Huntington.
They lived in New York, spending summers on the Phelps Farm
in Hadley, which Ruth had been given by her father Frederic
Dan in 1893. Late in life, Ruth and Archie were apparently
on the farm every summer, spending the winter months nearby
in Northampton. Archie died on January 5, 1927.
Children:
Hannah Sargent- see biographical sketch below
Mary- Born 1890, died 1892
Roger- Born 1896, married 1920 Barbara Foster, married
2nd Elizabeth Franck. Was a major 20th century
composer. There are a few letters from Roger in
the Sessions Family box (BOX 127)
John Archibald- see biographical sketch below
There are only a few outgoing letters from Archie
Session in the Sessions family box, BOX 127. These include
some to his wife, Ruth. See the photographsBOX 136.
Elizabeth Phelps Fisher Sessions (1825-1897)
Elizabeth Fisher was born in Oswego, New York March 29,
1825. She was the first child of George and Elizabeth
Huntington Fisher. She grew up in Oswego and in 1851,
married John Sessions (1820-1899). They lived in New York
City where he was a lawyer. Elizabeth died July 24, 1897.
Children:
Elizabeth- Born 1853, died 1860
Clara Fisher- Born 1854, married Edwin Wheeler, children
Elizabeth and Richard
Adeline
Grace Martin
Archibald Lowery- See biographical sketch above
John- Born 1866, died 1867
Hannah Sargent Sessions (Andrews) (1889-?)
Hannah was the eldest child of Ruth and Archie Sessions
and the favorite grandchild of Frederic Dan Huntington. She
was born on February 16, 1889 and grew up in New York City,
spending summers in Hadley. There she was very close to her
cousin Catharine and the other children of George Huntington.
Hannah attended Radcliffe College. Then on December 15,
1917, she married Paul Shipman Andrews. He was a lawyer,
born August 2, 1887. Hannah and Paul lived in Syracuse.
Children:
Nigel Lyon
William Shankland
Hannah Sessions Andrews' few papers are contained in the
Sessions Family box, BOX 127. They include letters to her
Huntington cousins. See the photographsBOX 136. See also
the separate unit of Michael Paul Huntington papers BOX 90,
for letters from Hannah in the 1930s and 40s.
John Archibald Sessions (1899-1948?)
John Sessions, son of Ruth and Archibald, was born May
21, 1899. He grew up in New York City, spending summers on
the Phelps Farm in Hadley. John graduated from Harvard in
1921. On July 2, 1927, he married 22 year old Florence Mary
Doheny Hackett who had just graduated from Smith College.
The couple lived on the Phelps Farm, which John had
modernized and improved for winter living. There, he carried
on the family dairy business until his death in 1948.
Doheny Sessions outlived her husband by many years and
continued to run the farm. In 1952, she received a Master's
Degree in education. Doheny was Associate Curator of the
Porter-Phelps-Huntington House in the 1960s and after Dr.
Huntington's death in 1968, was Curator until 1977. Doheny
resided on the Phelps Farm until 1988.
Children:
Jane Anne Byrne (Scott)
Sarah Fisher (Chapin)
In BOX 127 of the Sessions family are a few letters from
John and Doheny Sessions to their Huntington cousins in the
1930s and 40s. See the photographsBOX 136.
Ruth Gregson Huntington Sessions (1859-1946)
Ruth Huntington was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts on
November 3, 1859. She moved with her parents, Hannah and
Frederic Dan, to Syracuse, New York, when her father became
Bishop there.
Ruth was well educated and well travelled. In 1880, the
family sent her to Europe, where she spent three years and
studied piano under Clara Schumann in Germany. Her older
sister Arria and friend Miss Hamilton accompanied her on the
first leg of her journey. At the end of her stay, Ruth's
brother George came to Europe to bring her home.
In 1887, Ruth married Archibald Lowery Sessions and
moved with him to New York City. There Ruth was one of the
founders of the Consumer's League. She also worked on
factory condition reforms and was instrumental in getting
child labor laws passed. Later in life, Ruth founded the
Children's Home Association in Northampton, Massachusetts.
In addition to this social work, Ruth Sessions,
published a number of poems and short stories, including some
articles written under a male pen-name. During the 1890s,
she was literary editor of the Girl's Friendly Magazine.
Ruth also gave occasional literary speeches and was involved
with the Hampshire Bookshop in Northampton in the 1930s. Her
most important work was Sixty Odd, published in 1936, about
her childhood in Boston, Syracuse, and especially in Hadley.
Hadley was a very dear place to Ruth Sessions. In 1893,
her father, Frederic Dan Huntington, purchased the Phelps
Farm from his cousins and gave it to her. Ruth and Archie
used it as their summer home. Ruth spent the winter months
in Northampton, where she was house mother to Smith College
students in what is now known as Sessions House. Ruth died
in Northampton on December 2, 1946.
Children:
Hannah Sargent- See biographical sketch above
Mary- Born 1890, died 1892
Roger
John Archibald- See biographical sketch above
Ruth H. Sessions' papers are found in BOX 126. They
consist of some outgoing correspondence, including three
folders to her brother George. There are a few pieces of
incoming correspondence. Some 1890s magazines, contain her
published work. See also the legal size materials, BOX 175.
See also, Sixty Odd, written by Ruth about her childhood.
See photographsBOX 136.
Marianne Theresa Gellineau St. Agnan Stearns (1805-1889)
Marianne (or Mary Anne) Theresa St. Agnan was born March
25, 1805 in Port of Spain, Trinidad. Tragically, she was
immediately an orphan. A few months before her birth,
Marianne's father, Michael St. Agnan, was drowned while
bringing a shipload of slaves from Grenada. Only days after
her birth, mother Theodora Gellineau St. Agnan died from the
effects of childbirth and the loss of her husband. Marianne
was left in the care of her grandmother Lucette Poinsette
Gellineau and her aunt, also named Lucette.
Marianne was promised in marriage to her cousin Thomas
Tyler. In 1810, he was sent to America to Phillips Exeter
Academy in New Hampshire and Marianne went to Newburyport,
Massachusetts to attend Miss Mary Anne Coleman's school. The
family plans fell through however, when Miss Coleman moved
her school to Salem and Marianne St. Agnan met Richard
Stearns (1803-1840). The two eloped to Providence, Rhode
Island and were married in November of 1821.
This marriage upset both families and may have been a
stormy one. The couple lived on Essex Street in Salem, where
they had three children. However, family stories tell that
they were unhappy and the marriage unsuccessful. Richard
disliked his wife so strongly that he is said to have kept
Marianne locked in the attic of his mother's house for many
years. The truth of this tale can be questioned. However,
it is known that the three children were cared for by
Richard's mother, Sarah White Sprague Stearns. Richard
Stearns was killed suddenly in 1840, when he was thrown from
his carriage by a runaway horse.
Another family tale tells that Marianne was the intimate
friend of Nathaniel Hawthorne and Margaret Fuller. Marianne
is said to have kept a school in Miss Shaw's house on Beacon
Hill in Boston, where the Colonel Robert Louis Shaw was a
pupil. In 1850, Marianne Stearns moved to Malden where she
lived with her daughter and son-in-law, Lucy and Henry
Barrett, until her death on November 17, 1889.
Children:
William St. Agnan- See photographsBOX 138.
Lucy Theodora Gellineau- See Lucy Stearns Barrett
biographical sketch
Sarah White Sprague- Married Hamiliton Phillips
Marianne St. Agnan Stearns' papers are in BOX 129.
They contain much outgoing correspondence from the 1840s
through the 1870s. There are 25 letters to her grand-
daughter, Lilly Barrett.
Incoming correspondence from relatives in Trinidad 1805-1819
is interesting for its documentation of her childhood,
schooling, and life in Trinidad. A notebook kept by her in
1845, contains lovely prose and poetry. See the photographsBOX 138.
BOX 128, of the Stearns, St. Agnan, and Gellineau
families contains four folders of letters to Marianne from
Gellineau relatives 1815-19. Her grandfather, Charles
Anthony Gellineau's will of 1821 shows the family's financial
condition and relationships. Also included is correspondence
of Marianne's daughter, Sarah White Sprague Stearns Phillips.
Catherine Osbourne Sargent Sumner (1825-1909)
Catherine Sargent, daughter of Epes V and Mary, was born
in Boston in 1825. She grew up in Boston and Roxbury. In
1862, she married Austin Sumner. He died in 1879 and she
remained a widow throughout her life. She lived in the
Sargent house in Cedar Square, Roxbury, with her brother
James. The children of her nephew, George Huntington, lived
with "Aunt Kate" at various times while at school in Boston.
She died in 1909 in Roxbury.
Children:
John Osbourne- Born 1863, died 1938
In BOX 130 of the Sumner family, is a small diary of
Catherine Sargent in 1852 and a note book of the 1840s.
There are about thirty letters from her to nephew, George
Huntington and his children from the 1880s, until 1909.
There are also letters from John Osbourne Sumner to the
Huntingtons and a valuation of his estate. Mary and
Marguerita or Rita Sumner are represented with several
outgoing letters, but their relationships to the family are
unknown. See the photographsBOX 135.
Photographs
The photographs and cased images unit (BOXES 131-151) is listed and shelved after the extended family units. There are photographs of all major family members from the mid-19th century on. These were not included in the units of individual people, because they are often group shots. Therefore, within this section, photographs are organized by family or generation. Consult the container listing to identify the location of pictures of a given person. Group photographs are placed in folders labeled with the father's name. There are a number of group pictures of Frederic Dan Huntington's family from the late 19th century, including many shots taken in front of the Porter-Phelps-Huntington House.
Oversized photographs are identified in individual folders and placed in separate boxes, arranged alphabetically. There are also four boxes of unidentified cased images and photographs. (If any identifications are made, please notify the Archivist.)
Miscellaneous and Unidentified
Miscellaneous and unidentified material fills BOXES 152-160. This includes papers with no name and unidentifiable handwriting. The container listing includes the type of material and date, if known. There is also a box of material related to a specific person whose association with the Porter, Phelps, and Huntington families is unknown. These papers are arranged in alphabetical order.
Printed Material
A unit of printed material, in BOXES 161-166, contains books published by family members about the house and family. These include copies of Forty Acres by James L. Huntington, Under a Colonial Rooftree by Arria Huntington, and Sixty Odd by Ruth Huntington Sessions. There is also a copy of the Huntington Family Genealogy.
This printed material also includes some magazines and pamphlets saved by unidentified family members. There is a complete set of Gody's Lady's Book magazines of 1848-1852, as well as Peterson's Magazine of 1846. This unit also includes some catalogs and price lists for agricultural and industrial tools from the 1880s through about 1910.
Oversize Material
A separate unit for oversize and legal size materials was created (BOXES 167-178). A note is made in the description of an individual's papers, directing the researcher to look in these oversize boxes. Within these boxes, material is arranged alphabetically by the name of the individual to which it relates.
