A housewife, mother and active community member, Sadie Campbell was born in 1881 and lived at 1 Depot Street in Cheshire, Massachusetts for most of her life until she died in 1971. Sadie was closely tied to the Cheshire community where she had a large circle of friends and acquaintances, and was active in a a number of organizations, such as: the Cheshire Ladies Reading Club, the Merry Wives of Cheshire Shakespeare Club, and the Cheshire Cat Tearoom. The collection documents three generations of a western Massachusetts family. The variety and nature of the materials in this collection offer a good view into the local and social history of western Massachusetts through the lives of Sadie Campbell and her family.
Sadie Campbell and her two sons, Harold and Robert Leslie.
A housewife, mother and active community member, Sadie Campbell was born in 1881 and lived at 1 Depot Street in Cheshire, Massachusetts for most of her life until she died around 1970. Her parents, Augustus R. and Georgiana (Waldron) Tyrell were natives of western Massachusetts. They also resided in Cheshire but had their business in Savoy, a hill town up the road from Cheshire. Augustus Tyrell owned a woodlot and a talc mine in addition to providing legal services for family and friends. Although it is unclear if Augustus Tyrell was a lawyer, he served as executer to several estates, was involved in numerous land transactions, composed wills, and dealt with insurance claims. Sadie's mother, Georgiana, was most likely a housewife, who was very active in their small community and maintained a large social network. Georgiana's marriage to Augustus in 1880 was her second marriage although it is unclear why her first marriage, to Henry C. Platner, was dissolved.
Sadie Campbell was one of only eight women that graduated from Cheshire High School and gave the salutatory address the ceremony in 1898. She moved to North Adams, Massachusetts with her husband, George Campbell to whom she was married for nearly 25 years until she divorced him and moved back to her family home on Depot Street in Cheshire. They had two sons, Harold and Robert Leslie, who attended the local schools. Sadie Campbell was closely tied to the Cheshire community and, like her mother, had a large circle of friends and acquaintances. Those who knew her describe her as a very happy and friendly person. Judging from the number of calling calls from Campbell's friends, the women in the town of Cheshire were very friendly and worked together to organize various clubs, event and family functions. Cheshire was actually home to one of the first reading clubs in America, the Cheshire Ladies Reading Club of which Campbell was member of for several years during the 1950s. She also served as secretary of the Merry Wives of Cheshire Shakespeare Club from 1937-1941, and participated in the Cheshire Cat Tearoom which provided another outlet for the women in Cheshire. Additionally, she spent considerable time working with her church and local schools. Campbell was a prodigious cook and many of her recipes are preserved in this collection.
Both of Sadie's sons settled in New York State, with Robert Leslie Campbell working for the Portland Cement Company. Harold Campbell and his wife Thelma had two sons: Donn, a veterinarian trained at Cornell University, and Harold Jr., a land surveyor in Chappaqua for more than fifty years. In 1952, Harold Jr., married Marie Therese Christin, with whom he had three children. Sadie Campbell remained at her home in Cheshire until she died in 1971 at the age of ninety.
Scope of collection
Postcard from the Sadie Campbell Papers.
This collection documents three generations of a western Massachusetts family. The variety and nature of the materials in this collection offer a good view into the local and social history of western Massachusetts through the lives of Sadie Campbell and her family. By studying the family letters, household bills, invitations, account books, publications, report cards, programs, photographs, calling cards, and other printed materials, a clear picture emerges of what family life looked like in western Massachusetts throughout the century. A considerable number of documents from Augustus Tyrell's businesses are included in this collection and provide a good indication of how small business owners conducted their affairs at the turn of the century. These documents include accounts books, business correspondence, bills, bank checks, contracts, warranty deeds, insurance policies and claims, mortgages, court documents, estate and will information, quit-claim deeds and receipts. Other materials contained in the collection are various booklets, travel information, brochures, advertisements, instruction manuals, maps, town reports, recipes and cookbooks.
This series contains mostly family correspondence concerning family affairs such as illnesses, jobs, travel, marriages, births and some current events. In a letter to his mother during the Great Depression, Sadie Campbell's son writes, "Plenty broke but it's the habit around here for everyone." A postcard from her cousin reveals that "the blueberry crop was a failure" and a letter to Lois Carpenter, whose relation to Sadie is unknown, denies Carpenter a Civil War pension due to her subsequent remarriage. Also included in this series are a considerable number of wedding and graduation invitations, postcards, and greeting cards.
The items in this series represent the many interests and vocations of Sadie Campbell and her family. Numerous documents relating to church are contained within the series: sermons, bible lessons, hymn cards, and church programs. The various clubs and organizations to which Campbell belonged are also represented, such as the Merry Wives of Cheshire Shakespeare Club, the Cheshire Cat Tearoom, and the Ladies Reading Club. Other miscellaneous items included in this series are Campbell's considerable recipe collection, unidentified registry books, a Tyrell family history, photographs, calling cards, report cards, souvenir books, event programs, and writing by various authors including Campbell's two sons, Harold and Leslie.
The bulk of this series contains documentation of Augustus Tyrell's, Sadie Campbell's father, business transactions. His business consisted of timber and talc sales and he did a considerable amount of business with Williams Manufacturing Company in Northampton, Massachusetts. This series includes records of Tyrell's land sales, business correspondence, bank checks, account books (dating back as far as 1812), receipts, checkbooks, patents and business licenses. Additionally, there are numerous warranty deeds, quit-claim deeds, contracts, mortgages, and insurance policies and claims, the majority of which belong to Tyrell. This series also includes information regarding the estate of Merila Daniels (Tyrell's aunt), tax receipts, a rental agreement between Sadie and her son, Robert, and other miscellaneous bills of Sadie Campbell and others.
This series contains printed material collected by Sadie Campbell including pamphlets and brochures covering a variety of topics: pet care, agriculture, healthcare, instruction manuals, insurance information, travel, and food preparation. Additionally, there are numerous religious publications such as Picture Lesson Paper, the New Testament, publications from the American Baptists' Society, bible lessons from the Scholars Quarterly, and other religious publications. This series also includes a town report of Cheshire, Massachusetts, newspaper clippings, catalogs, music lyrics, literary publications, a teaching manual, war ration books, and a W.C.T.U. cookbook.
Inventory
Series 1: Correspondence
1858-2002
Addresses
undated
Box 1: 1
Addressee Unknown: Cards
1858-1916
Box 1: 2
Addressee Unknown: Invitations
1868-1922, undated
Box 1: 3
Addressee Unknown: Invitations
1868-1922, undated
Box 1: 4
Addressee Unknown: Postcards
1906-1961, undated
Box 1: 5
Ballou, Sullivan
1861
Box 1: 6
Hand-copied instance of Ballou's famous July 14, 1861 letter to his wife. Most likely copied by a female member of the Campbell family sometime after its first publication in Brown University in the Civil War in 1868.
Campbell, Donn
1983, 2002
Box 1: 7
Campbell Family: Greeting Cards
undated
Box 1: 8
Campbell Family: Invitations
1898-1944
Box 1: 9
Campbell Family: Invitations
1898-1944
Box 1: 10
Campbell Family: Postcards
1912-1923, undated
Box 1: 11
Campbell, George
undated
Box 1: 12
Campbell, Harold
1906-1965
Box 1: 13
Campbell, Harold
1913 Feb
Box 1: 14
Letters from classmates.
Campbell, Robert Leslie
1912-1931
Box 2: 1
Campbell, Sadie
1860-1889
Box 2: 2
Campbell, Sadie
1892-1898
Box 2: 3
Campbell, Sadie
1904-1919
Box 2: 4
Campbell, Sadie
1920-1928
Box 2: 5
Campbell, Sadie
1930-1943
Box 2: 6
Campbell, Sadie
1947-1980
Box 2: 7
Campbell, Sadie
undated
Box 2: 8
Campbell, Sadie: Anthony, Jennie E.
1892-1895
Box 2: 9
Campbell, Sadie: Belle
1931, 1935
Box 2: 10
Sadie Campbell's cousin.
Campbell, Sadie: Bixby, Minnie
1940, 1941
Box 2: 11
Campbell, Sadie: Brown, Edith
1891-1894
Box 2: 12
Campbell, Sadie: Brumley, Louise
1894-1895
Box 2: 13
Campbell, Sadie: Campbell, George
1897-1898
Box 2: 14
Campbell, Sadie: Campbell, Donn
1945-1946, undated
Box 2: 15
Campbell, Sadie: Campbell (Douglas) Family
1967
Box 2: 16
Campbell, Sadie: Campbell (Robert) Family
1917, 1967
Box 2: 17
Campbell, Sadie: Carl
1935, 1948, 1956, undated
Box 2: 18
Sadie Campbell's cousin.
Campbell, Sadie: Denny, May
1894-1899
Box 3: 1
Campbell, Sadie: Dunn, Helen
1932-1933
Box 3: 2
Campbell, Sadie: Eliza
1926-1930
Box 3: 3
Campbell, Sadie: Emerson, Grace
1920, 1949, 1957
Box 3: 4
Campbell, Sadie: Envelopes, Empty
undated
Box 3: 5
Campbell, Sadie: Estella
1893-1896
Box 3: 6
Campbell, Sadie: Johnson, Anna M.
1929
Box 3: 7
Campbell, Sadie: Harding, Grace
1894-1896
Box 3: 8
Campbell, Sadie: Martin, Bessie
1941-1960
Box 3: 9
Campbell, Sadie: Massachusetts General Hospital
1924
Box 3: 10
Campbell, Sadie: Miller, Otto
1924, 1927
Box 3: 11
Campbell, Sadie: Mills, Ella
1926-1935
Box 3: 12
Campbell, Sadie: Platt, Clara E.
1893-1897
Box 3: 13
Campbell, Sadie: Platt, F.M.
1893-1895, 1924-1928
Box 3: 14
Campbell, Sadie: Postcards
1905-1965
Box 3: 15
Campbell, Sadie: Postcards
1905-1965
Box 3: 16
Campbell, Sadie: Potter, Lizzie
1901-1925
Box 3: 17
Campbell, Sadie: Sansviere, Tony
1917-1919
Box 3: 18
Campbell, Sadie: Swetland, Ella
1890-1898
Box 3: 19
Campbell, Sadie: Thank You Cards
1944, undated
Box 3: 20
Campbell, Sadie: Tyrell, Georgiana
1898
Box 3: 21
Campbell, Sadie: Tyrell, Leila B.
1892-1893
Box 3: 22
Campbell, Sadie: Wells, Nellie
1895-1965
Box 4: 1
Campbell, Sadie: Wilcox, Carrie
1929, 1930, undated
Box 4: 2
Campbell, Thelma
1925, 1927, undated
Box 4: 3
Daniels Family: Postcards
1911, 1950-1966
Box 4: 4
Daniels, Freida
1959-1967
Box 4: 5
Daniels, Horace and Merila
1897, 1903, undated
Box 4: 6
Envelopes, Empty
1894-1914, undated
Box 4: 7
Addressed to various people.
Greeting Cards and Notices
undated
Box 4: 8
Harvie, H.A.: Postcards
1954, 1964, undated
Box 4: 9
Holden, Belle
1958, undated
Box 4: 10
Jenkins, Frank
1914
Box 4: 11
Keller Family
1960-1962, undated
Box 4: 12
Lloyd, Fannie
1881
Box 4: 13
Postcards, Blank
undated
Box 4: 14
Postcards, Blank
undated
Box 4: 15
Raedel, Paul
1908-1924, undated
Box 4: 16
Tyrell, A.R.
1895-1918, undated
Box 4: 17
Tyrell, A.R.
1891-1905
Box 4: 18
Tyrell, Georgiana
1886-1901
Box 5: 1
Tyrell, Georgiana
1901-1905
Box 5: 2
Tyrell, Georgiana
1906-1912
Box 5: 3
Tyrell, Georgiana
1914-1921, undated
Box 5: 4
Tyrell, Georgiana: Envelopes, Empty
1904-1921
Box 5: 5
Tyrell, Georgiana: Postcards
1907-1920
Box 5: 6
Tyrell Family: Invitations
1880-1889
Box 5: 7
Tyrell Family: Invitations
1890-1899
Box 5: 8
Tyrell Family: Invitations
1900-1915, undated
Box 5: 9
Tyrell Family: Postcards
1911-1920, undated
Box 5: 10
Tyrell Family: Campbell, Sadie
1898-1914
Box 6: 1
Tyrell, Susan
1895-1897
Box 6: 2
Waldron Family
1879-1905
Box 6: 3
Webb, Louise
1971-1972, undated
Box 6: 4
Wilson, Arthur
1902-1913
Box 6: 5
Wilson, Edith
1889-1912
Box 6: 6
Wilson, Edith: from Louise Wilson
1912-1913
Box 6: 7
Wilson Family
1874-1909
Box 6: 8
Series 2: Family and Social Life
1864-1968
Bible Lesson Cards, Church Related Materials
1879-1895, undated
Box 6: 9
Bible Lessons: The Berean Beginning's Lesson Quarterly
1892-1893
Box 6: 10
Book of Hymns
undated
Box 6: 11
Business Cards
undated
Box 6: 12
Calling Cards
undated
Box 6: 13
Campbell, Harold: Wallet
1921
Box 6: 14
Campbell, Harold: "Weekbook"
undated
Box 7: 1
Campbell, Leslie: "September"
undated
Box 7: 2
Campbell (Tyrell), Sadie: Report Card
1898
Box 7: 3
Cheshire Cat Tearoom Registry
1924-1931
Box 7: 4
Cheshire High School: Programs
1895-1935
Box 7: 5
Church Offering Envelopes
1901-1904
Box 7: 6
Church Pamphlets
1913, 1935
Box 7: 7
Church Service Programs
1902
Box 7: 8
Cigar Box
undated
Box OS3
Collectable Cards
undated
Box 7: 9
Creative Writing: Authors Unknown
undated
Box 7: 10
Diary: Author Unknown
1941
Box 7: 11
Dog Licenses: Campbell and Tyrell Families
1927-1931
Box 7: 12
Drury High School: Programs
1953, 1955, 1956
Box 7: 13
Greylock Academy: History
ca. 1899
Box 7: 14
House Design Plans
undated
Box OS2
Identification Tags
undated
Box 7: 15
Junior League of Methodist Episcopal Church Certificate
1891
Box OS2
Ladies Reading Club
1955-1968
Box 7: 16
Marriage Certificates
1864, 1880
Box OS2
Medicinal Recipes
undated
Box 7: 17
Membership Cards
1924, undated
Box 7: 18
Merry Wives of Cheshire Shakespeare Club: Meeting Minutes
1937-1940
Box 7: 19
Merry Wives of Cheshire Shakespeare Club: Meeting Minutes
1941-1945
Box 7: 20
Newspaper Clippings
1886-1915
Box OS2
Notes
undated
Box 7: 21
Paper and Art Pieces
undated
Box 8: 1
Photograph: Campbell Family
undated
Box 8: 2
Photograph: Grace Harriman
1899, undated
Box 8: 3
Photograph: Mrs. Homer Harvie
1901, 1967
Box 8: 4
Includes obituary.
Photograph: Unidentified
undated
Box 8: 5
Includes clippings in an envelope attached to the back of photograph.
Photograph: Unidentified
undated
Box 8: 6
Photograph: Unidentified
undated
Box 8: 7
Programs
1882-1936
Box 8: 8
Recipes
undated
Box 8: 9
Recipes
undated
Box 8: 10
Recipes
undated
Box 8: 11
Recipes
undated
Box 8: 12
Recipes
undated
Box 8: 13
Recipes
undated
Box 9: 1
Recipes
undated
Box 9: 2
Registry Book
1921-1923
Box 9: 3
Registry Book
1932-1946
Box 9: 4
Registry Book
1932-1947
Box 9: 5
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Application
undated
Box 9: 9
Souvenir Booklets
undated
Box 9: 7
Student Grade Books
1899, undated
Box 9: 8
Tyrell, A.R.: Psychological Chart
1890 Dec
Box 9: 9
Tyrell, A.R.: Wallet
ca. 1904
Box 9: 10
Tyrell, A.R.: Wallet Contents
ca. 1904
Box 9: 11
Tyrell Family History
1937, undated
Box 9: 12
Young People's Bible Lesson Leaflets
undated
Box 9: 13
Series 3: Financial
1812-1993
Account Book
1858-1859
Box 10: 1
Account Book
1856-1860
Box 10: 2
Account Book
1812, 1894, 1895
Box 10: 3
Account Notes
undated
Box 10: 4
Account Notes
1866, 1871
Box OS1
Assignment of Patent: A.R. Tyrell
1873
Box 10: 5
Auction of Sadie Campbell's Household Items
1990
Box OS1
Bank Book
1882, 1893, 1898, undated
Box 10: 6
Bank Checks: A.R. Tyrell
1891-1900
Box 10: 7
Bank Checks: A.R. Tyrell
1891-1900
Box 10: 8
Bank Checks: A.R. Tyrell
1891-1900
Box 10: 9
Bills: Webb, Author
1972
Box 10: 10
Business Correspondence: Campbell, Sadie
1919-1922
Box 10: 11
Business Correspondence: Tyrell, A.R.
1890-1899
Box 11: 1
Business Correspondence: Tyrell, A.R.
1900-1915
Box 11: 2
Business Correspondence: Tyrell, A.R.
1879-1889
Box 11: 3
Regarding land sales.
Business Correspondence: Tyrell, Georgiana
1901-1915
Box 11: 4
Business Correspondence: Williams Manufacturing Company to A.R. Tyrell
1890
Box 11: 5
Business Correspondence: Williams Manufacturing Company to A.R. Tyrell
1891
Box 11: 6
Business Correspondence: Williams Manufacturing Company to A.R. Tyrell
1891
Box 11: 7
Business Correspondence: Williams Manufacturing Company to A.R. Tyrell
1892
Box 11: 8
Business Correspondence: Williams Manufacturing Company to A.R. Tyrell
1892
Box 11: 9
Business Correspondence: Williams Manufacturing Company to A.R. Tyrell
1893-1904
Box 11: 10
Business Licenses
1865
Box 12: 1
Checkbooks: Tyrell, A.R.
1892-1894
Box 12: 2
Checkbooks: Tyrell, A.R.
1895-1896
Box 12: 3
Checkbooks: Tyrell, A.R.
1898-1899
Box 12: 4
Checkbooks: Tyrell, A.R.
1900
Box 12: 5
Checkbook Holder
undated
Box 12: 6
Contracts
1838-1909
Box 12: 7
Court Documents
1871, 1874
Box 12: 8
Daniels, Horace
1894-1895
Box 12: 9
Daniels, Merila: Estate
1895-1900
Box 12: 10
Daniels, Merila: Estate
1895-1900
Box 12: 11
Dawley (Carpenter), Lois
1909-1910
Box 12: 12
Day Book, no. 4
1861
Box OS3
Deed of Sale: 127 Depot Street, Cheshire, Mass.
1971, 1993
Box 12: 13
Deeds
1821-1896
Box OS1
Estates and Wills
1842, 1913, undated
Box 12: 14
Fitchburg Railroad Company
1892, 1896
Box 12: 15
Fuller, William: Day and Cash Books
1854
Box OS1
Funeral Bill: Tyrell, A.R.
1919
Box 12: 16
Holden, H. Belle
1933
Box 12: 17
Insurance Claims and Policies
1906-1916, 1933
Box 12: 18
Legal Documents, Blank
undated
Box 12: 19
Mortgages
1869-1915
Box 13: 1
New York Railroad Company
1914, 1915, undated
Box 13: 2
Oil Receipts: Campbell, Sadie
1942-1945
Box 13: 3
Quit-Claim Deeds
1881-1890
Box 13: 4
Real Estate Holdings: Owner Unknown
undated
Box 13: 5
Receipts: Campbell Family
1920-1946
Box 13: 6
Receipts: Maugs, Maud
1937
Box 13: 7
Receipts: Tyrell, A.R.
1833-1889
Box 13: 8
Receipts: Tyrell, A.R.
1890-1899
Box 13: 9
Receipts: Tyrell, A.R.
1906-1919, undated
Box 13: 10
Receipts: Wilson Family
1903-1913
Box 13: 11
Rental Agreement: Campbell, Sarah and Robert
1942
Box 13: 12
Town Taxes
1878-1964
Box 13: 13
Utility Books
1927, 1956
Box OS1
Warranty Deeds
1813-1879
Box 13: 14
Warranty Deeds
1880-1900
Box 13: 15
Westmassarpi Investment Club
1931
Box 13: 16
Wilson, Jonathan: Account Book
undated
Box 13: 17
Series 4: Printed Materials
1851-1972
Adoniram Judson
undated
Box 14: 1
Advertisements
undated
Box 14: 2
Agricultural Pamphlets
1890, undated
Box 14: 3
American Baptists Publication Society: The Intermediate Quarterly
1890-1892
Box 14: 4
American Red Cross: Instructions in Requirements of a Life Saving Test
undated
Box 14: 5
Bank of Manhattan Company
1934
Box 14: 6
Bible Lessons: The Scholars Quarterly
1882-1884
Box 14: 7
Bible Study Publications
1888, 1910
Box 14: 8
Books Boys Like Best
undated
Box 14: 9
Published by Boy Scouts of America.
Boston Herald, Late City Edition
1944-1945
Box 14: 10
Brochures
1936-1972, undated
Box 14: 11
Canine Care Pamphlets
undated
Box 14: 12
Catalogs
1918, undated
Box 14: 13
Cheshire, Massachusetts: Annual Report
1898
Box 14: 14
Christopher Columbus Discovers America
1926
Box 14: 15
Published by John Hancock Insurance Company.
Cubs Review and Bulletin
1905
Box 14: 16
Dominion Houses of Parliament: Ottawa, Canada
undated
Box 14: 17
Farm and Home
1882
Box 14: 18
First Step in Making Your Will
undated
Box 14: 19
Published by Agricultural National Bank
Ford Model: An Instruction Manual
1928
Box 14: 20
Healthcare Publications
1885-1953, undated
Box 14: 21
Hotel Brochures
undated
Box 14: 22
Hudson River Day Line Souvenir Magazine
1911
Box 15: 1
Instruction Manuals
1942, 1950, undated
Box 15: 2
Insurance Brochures
1892, undated
Box 15: 3
Life of Ulysses S. Grant
1928
Box 15: 4
Literary Publications
1851-1942, undated
Box 15: 5
Maps
1922, 1929, undated
Box 15: 6
Music Lyrics
1883, undated
Box 15: 7
New England Primer
undated
Box 15: 8
Newspaper Clippings
1941-1945, undated
Box 15: 9
New Testament
1851
Box 15: 10
Published by the American Tract Society.
Notebooks, Blank
undated
Box 15: 11
Our President
undated
Box 15: 12
Photographs: Royal Deeside
undated
Box 15: 13
Picture Lesson Paper
1888
Box 15: 14
Picture Lesson Paper
1889
Box 16: 1
Picture Lesson Paper
1890
Box 16: 2
Picture Lesson Paper
1891
Box 16: 3
Picture Lesson Paper
1891-1892
Box 16: 4
Prospectus of the San Blas Mining Company
1903
Box 16: 5
Ransom Magazine (v. 7, v. 9)
undated
Box 16: 6
Religious Publications
1877, 1892, undated
Box 16: 7
Riverside Manual for Teachers
1890
Box 16: 8
Rockefeller Center Guided Tour Magazine
1939
Box 16: 9
Saved by Stratagem
1905
Box 16: 10
Republished by the Youth Companion.
Savoy, Massachusetts: Report of School Committee
1875-1876
Box 16: 11
Seeing Armour
undated
Box 16: 12
Published by Armour and Company.
Shrine of the Water Gods: Story of Silver Springs, Florida
undated
Box 16: 13
Song Lyrics: "Pledge to American Flag"
undated
Box 16: 14
Stamp Collection Booklet
1931
Box 16: 15
Stationary
undated
Box 16: 16
Thomas, Robert B.: The Old Farmers Almanac
1900
Box 16: 17
Travel Brochures
undated
Box 16: 18
Turner's Egg and Poultry Record
undated
Box 16: 19
War Rations Books: Issued to Sadie Campbell
1943
Box 16: 20
W.C.T.U. Cookbook
1901-1917
Box 16: 21
Includes loose contents of Sadie Campbell's W.C.T.U. cookbook.
Administrative information
Access
The collection is open for research.
Provenance
Acquired from Louise Webb and Althea Church.
Processing Information
Processed by Dominique Tremblay and Meghan Fahey, December 2005.
