Ames Family Papers, 1812-2008

Finding Aid

Finding aid prepared by Burd Schlessinger.

2006


Collection Overview
	Creator:	Ames family
	Title:	Ames Family Papers
	Dates:	1812-2008
	Abstract:	Genealogical and biographical materials, correspondence, diaries, artwork, writings, research, photographs, and printed materials. The bulk of the collection pertains to Blanche Ames Ames, suffragist, birth control advocate, artist, and inventor; her father, Adelbert Ames who was a Civil War general and Provisional Governor of Mississippi during the Reconstruction era; her husband, Botanist Oakes Ames; and their daughter Pauline Ames Plimpton. Also included are papers of Benjamin Butler, Sarah Hildreth Butler, and other family members.
	Extent:	148 boxes(60.5 linear ft.)
	Language:	English
	Identification:	MS 3

Administrative Information

Related Material

There are related collections in the Sophia Smith Collection and at other institutions as follows:

Papers of extended Ames and Butler families at the Easton Historical Society, North Easton, Mass.; and Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Papers of Oakes Ames and Oliver Ames at the Massachusetts State Archives, Boston, Massachusetts; and Union Pacific Railroad Co., Omaha, Nebraska

Papers of Oliver Ames III at the Stonehill Industrial History Center, Stonehill College, Easton, Massachusetts

Benjamin F. Butler Papers at the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Blanche Ames Ames Papers at the Smith College Museum of Art; and Schlesinger Library, Harvard University

Oakes Ames Papers at the Arnold Arboretum Library and Archives, Jamaica Plain, Mass.; Boston Athenaeum, Boston, Mass.; University Archives, Harvard University; Oakes Ames Orchid Herbarium, Harvard University; Lundell Rare Book Library, University of Texas at Dallas.

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Biographical Note

Members of the Plimpton and Ames families, ca. 1935

The Ames Family Papers span six generations and include two separate families with the surname "Ames," which came together in 1900 with the marriage of Blanche Ames and Oakes Ames. The Butler family is also represented to some extent, notably by Civil War general Benjamin Franklin Butler and his wife, Sarah Hildreth Butler. The following biographical sketches pertain to some, but not all, of the individuals whose papers are in the collection, beginning with Oakes Ames in Generation II and ending with George A. Plimpton in Generation VI. Additional information is located in SERIES I. FAMILY HISTORY, and in the Appendix. This section does not include information about family members whose papers are extremely small in volume, except, in a few cases, to provide context and to clarify familial and generational relationships. Detailed biographies of some individuals may be found in American National Biography, the Dictionary of American Biography, and Notable American Women.

Generation II

Oakes Ames

Oakes Ames, the elder son of Oliver Ames and Susanna Angier Ames, was born on January 10, 1804 in Easton, Massachusetts. He was married to Evelina Gilmore, with whom he had four children: Oakes, Oliver III, Frank, and Susan. At an early age he entered into his father's business, Ames Shovel Works, management of which he and his brother, also named Oliver, took over in 1844. The discovery of gold in California in 1849 led to the profitable expansion of the company, which by then had been renamed Ames and Sons. During the Civil War, Oakes Ames was urged to run for government office and in 1862 won a seat in the U.S. Congress, where he served for ten years. He was involved in the building of the Transcontinental Railroad, and in the attendant congressional Credit Mobilier stock scandals of 1872-1873. Oakes Ames died on May 8, 1873.

Oliver Ames

Oliver Ames was born on November 5, 1807 in North Easton, Massachusetts, the second son of Susanna Angier Ames and Oliver Ames. He attended local schools and, after briefly working in a law office, joined his father and brother, Oakes, in the Ames Shovel Works (later renamed Ames and Sons). In 1833 he married Sarah Lothrop, with whom he had two children, Frederick and Helen. The shovel company thrived under the brothers' management and by 1860 was valued at $4 million. Oliver Ames was instrumental in the building of the Transcontinental Railroad; however, unlike his brother, he was not implicated in the Credit Mobilier scandals. After the rail line was completed, he served as President of the Union Pacific Railroad from 1866 to 1869; he remained a director until his death. After leaving the Union Pacific presidency, he turned his full attention to the shovel company, which was facing bankruptcy at the time, and returned it to profitability. He was director of a number of railways other than Union Pacific, and also of several banks in Boston and in North Easton. He was a vice president of the Massachusetts Total Abstinence Society and a member of the Unitarian Church. Oliver Ames died on March 9, 1877.

Benjamin F. Butler and Sarah Hildreth Butler

Benjamin Franklin Butler was born in Nottingham, New Hampshire on November 5, 1818, the son of Charlotte Ellison and John Butler. Having failed to gain admission to West Point, he attended Waterville College (now Colby College), graduating in 1840. He studied law for two years and was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 1842. Butler served one term as state representative in 1853 and one term as state senator in 1858. His involvement in politics led to a generalship in the Civil War, despite a lack of military training and experience. He served as controversial military governor of New Orleans and, after the war, as Congressman from Massachusetts (1867 to 1875). Butler, a staunch Reconstructionist, supported the first Civil Rights Act as well as efforts to curtail the activities of the Ku Klux Klan. In 1882 he won the governorship of Massachusetts and in 1884 he ran unsuccessfully for President. Benjamin F. Butler died in Washington, D.C. on January 11, 1893.

Sarah Hildreth was born on August 17, 1816 in Dracut, Massachusetts, the daughter of Dolly Jones and Israel Hildreth. Having shown considerable talent in dramatics, she was sent to Boston at the age of sixteen for formal training, after which she acted to great acclaim in Boston, New York, Charleston, South Carolina, and Cincinnati, Ohio. She gave up her stage career after marrying Benjamin F. Butler in 1844. The couple had four children, three of whom survived to adulthood: Blanche, Paul, and Benjamin (aka Ben-Israel). Sarah Hildreth Butler died on April 8, 1876.

Generation III

Adelbert Ames and Blanche Butler Ames

Adelbert Ames was born in Rockland, Maine on October 31, 1835 to Martha Tolman Ames and Jesse Ames. His was a seafaring family, descended from both Pilgrims and Puritans, and bore no relation to the family of Oakes Ames. In 1868 Jesse Ames purchased a flour mill in Northfield, Minnesota, which the family developed into a flourishing business. Adelbert Ames graduated from West Point in 1861 and immediately entered the Union Army. A highly decorated officer, he fought in the Battle of Bull Run, for which he received the Congressional Medal of Honor. During his military service, Ames met General Benjamin F. Butler and, later, Butler's daughter, Blanche, whom he married in 1870. In 1868, Ames was appointed Provisional Governor of Mississippi, later serving that state as U.S. Senator (1870-1873) and Governor (1873-1876). After his stint in the South, he moved back to Lowell, Massachusetts and turned his attention the family milling business, which interests he represented in the East. He returned briefly to the battlefield during the Spanish-American War, serving as commander of U.S. volunteers. Adelbert Ames died in Ormond, Florida on April 13, 1933, the last surviving general of the Civil War.

Blanche Butler was born in 1845 to Sarah Hildreth Butler and Benjamin F. Butler. She spent a lot of time with her father in Washington, D.C., where she met her future husband, Adelbert Ames, with whom she had six children: Butler, Edith, Sarah, Blanche, Adelbert, Jr., and Jessie. Blanche Butler Ames did extensive genealogical research on her family, and the portion of the Ames Family Papers pertaining to her life includes a great deal of historical and genealogical information. She was also a gardener and a sculptor known for her fanciful creations, numerous photographs of which are in the collection. In 1935 she compiled a collection of letters that the family published in 1957 as Chronicles From the Nineteenth Century: Family Letters of Blanche Butler and Adelbert Ames. Blanche Butler Ames died in 1939.

Oliver Ames III

Oliver Ames III was born in North Easton, Massachusetts on February 4, 1831, the son of Evelina Gilmore and Oakes Ames. He married Anna Coffin Ray with whom he had six children: Anna Lee, Evelina, Lilian, Oakes, Susan, and William Hadwen. He served as governor of Massachusetts from 1887 to 1890. Ames was elected an honorary member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia music fraternity in 1917, by the fraternity's Alpha Chapter at the New England Conservatory in Boston. He is the only known honorary member known to be elected after his death. Oliver Ames III died on October 22, 1895.

Paul Butler

Paul Butler, married to Joanna H. Butler, had numerous business interests, including the Lowell (Massachusetts) Airport Corp., the U. C. Cartridge Co., and the Butler Ranch in Colorado. He died in Lowell on September 6, 1918.

Generation IV

Adelbert Ames, Jr.

Adelbert Ames, Jr., an ophthalmologist and perceptual psychologist, was born on August 19, 1880 in Lowell, Massachusetts to Blanche Butler Ames and Adelbert Ames. He attended Phillips Academy at Andover and earned his undergraduate and law degrees at Harvard in 1903 and 1906, respectively. He was married to Fanny Vose Hazen, with whom he had two children: Adelbert III and Priscilla. After working as a lawyer in Boston for four years, Ames abandoned that career and turned to painting. He collaborated with his sister, Blanche Ames Ames, in developing the System of Color Theory, which involved mixing and charting over three thousand different color variations. This in turn led to an interest in the physics of how the human eye perceives color. In 1914 Ames received a research grant in physiological optics and moved to Worcester, Massachusetts to work with Clark University professor Wallace Baird in that field. He served as an aerial observer in World War I and afterwards (due to Baird's death) relocated to Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire to work with Charles Proctor. Fascinated by his inquisitive mind, the Dartmouth administration created the faculty post of Professor of Physiological Optics for Ames, wherein he did not teach and was free to devote all his energies to research. Around 1924 Ames's work yielded the important discovery that in certain people the two eyes do not perceive the same object in the same dimensions; many suffered from debilitating headaches as a result, the source of which had mystified doctors for years. The condition was named "aniseikonia," the Dartmouth Eye Institute was subsequently founded, and people flocked to it for successful treatment in the form of compensating lenses. Ames was also famous for creating the American Indian bust that Shawmut Bank of Boston adopted as its trademark, and he was well-known for inventing the Ames Demonstrations in Perception, the most famous of which is a full-sized room that looks normal but in which people appear to shrink as they walk across it. He also discovered that as many as 20% of humankind cannot perceive level when they see it, a matter of obvious concern to naval aviation, and he worked extensively with aircraft carrier pilots during World War II. After the war he took up the problem of vision in automobile traffic, and his findings have been instrumental to the work of U.S. highway departments and safety organizations. Adelbert Ames, Jr. died in 1955.

Blanche Ames Ames and Oakes Ames

Blanche Ames was born in Lowell, Massachusetts on February 18, 1878 to Blanche Butler Ames and Adelbert Ames. She attended the Rogers Hall School in Lowell and earned her B.A. from Smith College in 1899. She married Harvard botanist Oakes Ames (unrelated) in 1900, with whom she had four children: Amyas, Evelyn, Oliver and Pauline. Blanche Ames Ames was an accomplished artist, perhaps best known for the botanical drawings undertaken to illustrate her husband's work. She was a talented portraitist as well, and her oil portraits are in collections at Columbia University, Harvard University, Dartmouth College, Phillips Exeter Academy, and the Mississippi Hall of Governors. In collaboration with her brother, Adelbert Ames, Jr., she developed the System of Color Theory, based on the relationship between how the human eye perceives color and how painters depict it. Ames was a tireless and dauntless activist for women's rights, notably suffrage and birth control. She was Treasurer of the Massachusetts Woman Suffrage League from 1915 to 1918, and in 1916 co-founded and served as first President of the Birth Control League of Massachusetts. Her interest in women's health led her to serve first as board member and later as President of New England Hospital for Women and Children in Boston. At the age of eighty, Ames researched and wrote Adelbert Ames, Broken Oaths and Reconstruction in Mississippi, 1835-1933, in which she defended her father, Adelbert Ames, whom John F. Kennedy had termed a carpetbagger in his book, Profiles in Courage. Ames was also an inventor and applied for patents for a hexagonal lumber cutter (1939), a propeller snare to bring down low-flying aircraft during World War II (1945), and an anti-polluting toilet (1968). Blanche Ames Ames died at Borderland, her home in North Easton, Massachusetts, on March 1, 1969. (Researchers may also wish to consult My Dear Mrs. Ames: A Study of the Life of Suffragist, Cartoonist and Birth Control Reformer, Blanche Ames Ames, 1878-1969 by Anne Biller Clark (1996), in the SSC Browsing Collection.)

Blanche Ames Ames's husband, Oakes Ames, was born in North Easton, Massachusetts on September 26, 1874 to Anna Coffin Ray and Oliver Ames III, former governor of Massachusetts. He attended the Noble and Greenough School in Boston and earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees in botany at Harvard in 1898 and 1899, respectively. He was instructor in botany at Harvard from 1900 to 1910, assistant professor from 1915 to 1926, and professor from 1926 to 1932. He served as Arnold Professor of Botany from 1932 until 1935, and as research professor of botany from 1935 to 1941. After his 1941 retirement he held the title of research professor emeritus until his death. In addition to teaching at Harvard, Ames also held numerous administrative posts, including Chairman of the Division of Biology from 1926 to 1935; Assistant Director of the Botanic Garden from 1899 to 1909, and director from 1909 to 1922; Curator of the Botanical Museum from 1923 to 1927; Supervisor of the Biological Laboratory and Botanic Garden in Cuba and of the Arnold Arboretum from 1927 to 1935; and Supervisor of the Botanical Museum from 1937 to 1945, Director of the museum from 1937 to 1945, and Associate Director from 1945 until 1950. Ames's independent family wealth allowed him to pursue intensively the study of orchids, and he was the foremost orchidologist of his day. He traveled worldwide, taking copious notes and collecting specimens; as a result of his work, orchids are today among the best studied of plant families. Oakes Ames died in Ormond, Florida on April 28, 1950.

Butler Ames

Butler Ames was born in Lowell, Massachusetts on August 22, 1871, the son of Blanche Butler Ames and Adelbert Ames. He graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy in 1890 and from the United States Military Academy in 1894. He earned his graduate degree in mechanical and electrical engineering at MIT in 1896. He was married to Fifille Willis. Ames served in the Spanish-American War and afterwards as a civil administrator in Puerto Rico. During World War I Governor Calvin Coolidge promoted him to major general and assigned him to reorganize the Massachusetts State Guard. Ames served in the Massachusetts Legislature from 1898-1890 and represented Massachusetts in the U.S. Congress from 1903 to 1913. He was active in numerous businesses, including the Wamesit Power Co., the Ames Textile Corp., the Union Land Grazing Corp., and the U.S. Cartridge Co. He also invented the Ames Electric Stove; the Odorless Cooker; and the "Silver Slippers," shoe inserts for symptomatic relief of arthritis. In 1919 Ames purchased the Villa Balbianello on Lake Como in Italy, which remained in the family until 1974. Butler Ames died on November 7, 1954 in Tewksbury, Massachusetts.

William Hadwen Ames

William Hadwen Ames was born on March 1, 1861, the eldest son of Anna Coffin Ray and Oliver Ames III. He attended the MIT School of Mechanical Arts from 1879 to 1880. He was employed as secretary of the Ames Shovel Works, and later as president of American Pneumatic Services Co. He was first married to Mary Elizabeth Hodges and then to Fanny Elizabeth Holt. He served in the Massachusetts State Legislature in 1905-1906. William Hadwen Ames died in Boston on March 26, 1918.

Winthrop Ames

Winthrop Ames was born in North Easton, Massachusetts on November 25, 1870. He was the son of Cathrine Hobart and Oakes Angier Ames, and a first cousin of Oakes Ames, the husband of Blanche Ames Ames. He married Lucy Fuller and with her had two children: Catherine and Joan. Ames was a theatrical producer and manager, and in 1904 traveled to Europe to study the management of sixty opera and theatre companies. After co-managing a Boston theatre, he became managing director of New York City's New Theatre (1908-11). He founded the Little Theatre (now the Helen Hayes Theatre) and the Booth Theatre, where he produced and directed such plays as The Philanderer (1913), Beggar on Horseback (1924), and a series of Gilbert and Sullivan revivals (1926-29). His Snow White (1913) was the first play produced in the U.S. especially for children. Winthrop Ames died in Boston on November 13, 1937. Sarah Ames Borden

Sarah Ames was born on October 1, 1874, the daughter of Blanche Butler Ames and Adelbert Ames. She was married to Spencer Borden with whom she had four children: Blanche, Joan, Ames, and Richard. She corresponded extensively with her family, notably her sister, Blanche Ames Ames. She died on February 18, 1931.

Jessie Ames Marshall

Jessie Ames was born on November 2, 1882, the daughter of Blanche Butler Ames and Adelbert Ames. She was married to Andrew Marshall with whom she had four children: Andrew, Jr., Blanche, Jessie, and Malcolm. She corresponded extensively with her family, notably her sister, Blanche Ames Ames, with whom she also worked in the birth control movement. Jessie Ames Marshall died on February 9, 1967.

Edith Ames Stevens

Edith Ames was born on March 4, 1873, the daughter of Blanche Butler Ames and Adelbert Ames. She was married to C. Brooks Stevens with whom she had four children: Ames, Edith, Harriet, and C. Brooks, Jr. She corresponded extensively with her family, notably her sister, Blanche Ames Ames. She died on December 6, 1958.

Generation V

Amyas Ames

Amyas Ames was born in Sharon, Massachusetts on June 15, 1906 to Blanche Ames Ames and Oakes Ames. He attended the Country Day School for Boys of Boston, received his undergraduate degree from Harvard in 1928, and went on to earn his MBA from the Harvard Business School. He was married to Evelyn Ingeborg Perkins with whom he had four children: Oakes, Edward, Olivia, and Joan. He married his second wife, Lucia Millham, in 1995. During World War II he served as an administrative officer of the War Shipping Administration in Washington. He went into banking and was a managing partner at Kidder, Peabody and Co. An amateur musician and lover of the arts, he was a member of the board of the New York Philharmonic from 1955 to 1983, and from 1970 to 1980 served as chairman of Lincoln Center. Amyas Ames died in Lexington, Massachusetts on January 24, 2000.

Oliver Ames

Oliver Ames was born on May 20, 1903 to Blanche Ames Ames and Oakes Ames. He attended the Country Day School for Boys of Boston and received his B.A. from Harvard in 1927. He was married to Ellen Moseley, with whom he had three sons: Oliver, Angier and Thomas. During World War II he served in the U.S. Navy, both as an aviator and as commanding officer of an aircraft carrier. He was president of the Ames Aircraft Corp., and a director of the First National Bank of Easton and of the Ames Shovel and Tool Co. He was a trustee of the North Easton Savings Bank and of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. Oliver Ames died in 1971.

Evelyn Ames Davis

Evelyn Ames was born on January 10, 1910 to Blanche Ames Ames and Oakes Ames. She attended the Winsor School in Boston and received her undergraduate degree from Smith College in 1932. She was married to Episcopal minister Rev. John Paschall Davis, with whom she had four children: Blanche, John P., Jr., Evelyn, and Ames. She lived with her family in Tennessee, where in 1964 she co-founded the Planned Parenthood Association of Nashville. She served as the organization's southeastern representative for nine southern states, and on the executive committee of the national board of directors of Planned Parenthood-World Population. She was also a founder and member of the board of the Nashville chapter of Concern for Dying, an advocacy group for the right to die. Correspondence with her sister, Pauline Ames Plimpton, is voluminous. Evelyn Ames Davis died in 1993.

Pauline Ames Plimpton

Pauline Ames Plimpton was born on October 22, 1901 to Blanche Ames Ames and Oakes Ames. She attended the Winsor School in Boston and graduated from Smith College in 1922. She was married to lawyer and diplomat Francis T. P. Plimpton, with whom she had four children: George, Francis, Jr., Oakes, and Sarah. Civically and philanthropically active throughout her life, she served on the boards of numerous organizations, including Planned Parenthood, the Institute for World Affairs, the Public Education Association, and the New York House of School and Industry. She was also actively involved in the libraries of Amherst College, Columbia University, and Smith College, and with the Smith College Museum of Art and the Smith College Alumnae Association. She authored several books about her family: Oakes Ames: Jottings of a Harvard Botanist (1979), The Plimpton Papers: Law and Diplomacy (1985), The Ancestry of Adelbert Ames and Blanche Butler Ames (1987), A Window on Our World: More Plimpton Papers (1989), and A Collector's Recollections: George Arthur Plimpton (1993). Pauline Ames Plimpton died in New York on April 15, 1995.

Francis Taylor Pearsons Plimpton

Francis T.P. Plimpton was born on December 7, 1900, the son of Frances Taylor Pearsons and George Arthur Plimpton. His mother died when he was born and he was raised by his father, his maternal grandmother, and governesses. He attended Phillips Exeter Academy, received his undergraduate degree from Amherst College in 1922, and graduated from Harvard Law School in 1925. He worked for the law firm of Root, Clark in New York from 1925 until 1933, when he joined Debevoise and Stevenson as a full partner (the firm was subsequently renamed Debevoise, Stevenson and Plimpton). Plimpton served as Ambassador to the United Nations under the Kennedy and Johnson Administrations from 1961 to 1965, as President of the New York Bar Association from 1970 to 1972, and as Chairman of the New York City Board of Ethics from 1966 to 1980. He died in Huntington, New York on July 30, 1983.

Generation VI

George A. Plimpton

George A. Plimpton was born in New York on March 18, 1927, the eldest child of Pauline Ames Plimpton and Francis T.P. Plimpton. He was educated at Phillips Exeter Academy and at Harvard (B.A. 1950), and went on to earn a second B.A. at King's College, Cambridge. He was married first to Freddy Espy, with whom he had two children, Medora and Taylor; the marriage ended in divorce and he later married Sarah Dudley, with whom he had twin daughters, Lauren and Olivia. Plimpton co-founded The Paris Review in 1953 with Harold L. Humes and Peter Matthiesson, whom he met while at Cambridge, and served as that magazine's editor until his death. Plimpton came into his own as a writer after publishing the widely acclaimed books Out of My League (1961) and Paper Lion (1966), based on his experiences as a temporary guest member of professional baseball and football teams, respectively. He successfully pursued this unique form of participatory journalism by entering a match against boxing champion, Archie Moore; playing percussion for Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic; swinging from a trapeze in a circus's big tent; and playing golf in a pro tournament, bridge with professionals, and tennis with Poncho Gonzales. He acted in several films and served, unofficially, as New York's first Fireworks Commissioner. Plimpton, a long-time friend of the Kennedy family, was with Bobby Kennedy when he was assassinated and, in the ensuing chaos, helped subdue Sirhan Sirhan. Genial and well-liked, he was famous for the parties he frequently gave in his home above The Paris Review offices in New York. George A. Plimpton died in New York on September 26, 2003.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Ames Family Papers consist of 60.5 linear feet of biographical materials, correspondence, diaries, artwork, writings, photographs, and printed materials dating from 1812 to 2004. The bulk of the collection pertains to suffragist and early birth control advocate, Blanche Ames Ames, and to her father, Civil War general Adelbert Ames; the papers of her daughter, Pauline Ames Plimpton, are also significant in volume. Other family members are included through their biographical materials, correspondence and, in some cases, their writings. There is also considerable genealogical information about the extended Ames and Butler families, compiled primarily by Blanche Butler Ames and added to over time by other family members, that traces the family's roots back to its European origins.

Correspondence comprises a large part of the collection and reveals the inner workings of numerous primary family relationships, as well as offering insight into the moral, social, and political climates through a long continuum of U.S. history. Of particular interest are the courtship letters of Blanche Butler Ames and Adelbert Ames, Blanche Ames Ames and Oakes Ames, and Pauline Ames Plimpton and Francis T.P. Plimpton, as well as life-long correspondence between these couples after they married. Letters among several sets of mothers, daughters and sisters are also significant, especially in that they span the entire lives of the individuals concerned.

The military careers of Benjamin Franklin Butler and Adelbert Ames are well documented in the portions of the collection pertaining to them. Legal documents relevant to numerous lawsuits in which Butler was involved may also be of interest to scholars of legal history. Further information about Adelbert Ames is located in the papers of his daughter, Blanche Ames Ames, who researched and wrote Adelbert Ames: Broken Oaths and Reconstruction in Mississippi, 1835-1933 in defense of his political career in Mississippi during Reconstruction, and in SERIES III. CLIPPINGS.

The papers of Blanche Ames Ames contain significant materials about the early birth control movement, especially the Massachusetts Birth Control League. There is also some information about Margaret Sanger and about other birth control organizations, including the American Birth Control League, in this portion of the collection. Documents generated during Ames's tenure as board member and as president of the New England Hospital for Women and Children in Boston are included, as well. Blanche Ames Ames's papers contain information about her career as an amateur artist, including drawings and sketches of family and friends, and information about the System of Color Theory. There is a small amount of material about the suffrage movement, notably political cartoons by Ames and others. Ames' papers also shed considerable light on her involvement in the career of her husband, Oakes Ames.

Pauline Ames Plimpton wrote several books about various members of the Plimpton family, which document much of that family's history, and the bulk of that information is located in her papers. Materials about the life of noted literary figure and editor of The Paris Review, George A. Plimpton, are also included in the collection.

The history of various pieces of real estate owned by the Ames family in the U.S. and in Europe is well documented, most significantly that of Borderland, the North Easton, Massachusetts home of Blanche Ames Ames and Oakes Ames, and the Villa Balbianello on Lake Como in Italy. There are also files pertaining to Bay View, a compound of summer cottages in Gloucester, Massachusetts; the Whim, the family's winter retreat in Ormond, Florida; and several Boston-area residences. Photographs of these properties are located in SERIES IV. PHOTOGRAPHS.

The bulk of the papers date from 1861 to 1995 and focus primarily on the Civil War, Reconstruction, birth control, suffrage, and the personal and professional lives of members of the Ames family. Types of material include correspondence, diaries, writings, speeches, legal documents, photographs, journal articles, newspaper clippings, memorabilia, and printed sources.

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Search Terms

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Organization of the Collection

This collection is organized as follows:

SERIES I. FAMILY HISTORY
SERIES II. REAL ESTATE
SERIES III. INDIVIDUALS
SERIES IV. PHOTOGRAPHS
SERIES V. CLIPPINGS
OVERSIZE MATERIALS

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SERIES I. FAMILY HISTORY (1859-2004) 1 linear ft.

This series consists of historical and genealogical information about the Ames and Butler families, and includes correspondence, notes, family trees, directories, books, clippings, and newsletters. Further materials pertaining to specific individuals are located primarily in SERIES III. INDIVIDUALS.

SERIES II. REAL ESTATE (1891-1994) 2.5 linear ft.

This series contains information about various properties owned by the extended Ames and Butler families. The nine subseries are listed alphabetically either by property name or by the town or city in which it is, or was, located: Bay View, Borderland, Boston, Highland Meadows, Oakes Ames Memorial Hall, The Whim, Winthrop Ames Mansion, Miscellaneous U.S. Real Estate, and Villa Balbianello. The histories of Borderland, now a Massachusetts state park, and Villa Balbianello, now owned by the Italian government, are documented particularly well. Types of materials include correspondence, contracts and leases, deeds, floor plans, drawings, maps, financial information, and reports. Information that is limited to the residences of nuclear families (as opposed to family compounds, jointly owned properties, or real estate ultimately taken over by state or national governments) is located in SERIES III. INDIVIDUALS. Photographs of many of the buildings and grounds described in this series may be found in SERIES IV. PHOTOGRAPHS.

The nine subseries are listed alphabetically either by property name or by the town or city in which it is, or was, located.

SERIES III. INDIVIDUALS (1812-2003) 48.75 linear ft.

This series comprises the bulk of the collection, and is arranged first by generation and then alphabetically by last name. Spouses follow directly after the member of the Ames and Butler families to whom they are, or were, married. Correspondence in this series is voluminous and is filed primarily by author. However, the papers of some individuals contain both outgoing and incoming correspondence, when the total volume of a correspondent's papers did not warrant a discrete subseries for that person. In addition to correspondence, this series contains biographical and financial information and, particularly in the papers of Blanche Butler Ames, Blanche Ames Ames and Pauline Ames Plimpton, extensive files about their writings. The papers of Blanche Ames Ames richly document the early years of the Massachusetts Birth Control League and related organizations; files pertaining to her suffrage activities, including the cartoons in the Art subseries, are also noteworthy. Related materials about most individuals in this series are located in SERIES I. FAMILY HISTORY, SERIES II. REAL ESTATE, and SERIES IV. PHOTOGRAPHS; further information about civil, cultural, military and political issues of interest to Adelbert Ames may be found in SERIES V. CLIPPINGS.

This series is arranged first by generation and then alphabetically by last name.

SERIES IV. PHOTOGRAPHS (1855-1993) 5.5 linear ft.

This series contains most of the photographs pertaining to the Ames and Butler families, with the following exceptions: Photographs originally found in Blanche Ames Ames's Smith College scrapbook are filed in her biographical subseries, and photographs relating to books are filed with the individual author's papers. The three subseries follow exactly the arrangement of the first three primary series: Family history, Real estate, and Individuals. The Real estate and Individuals subseries are extensive and contain formal portraits as well as casual photographs of the family at work and at play. pertain

SERIES V. CLIPPINGS (1852-1904) 2.75 linear ft.

This series consists entirely of newspaper clippings cut by Adelbert Ames from unidentified newspapers. The clippings, some of which are annotated, document a variety of subjects of particular interest to Ames and also provide a unique overview of national and international politics and culture over more than half a century.

Contents List

SERIES I. FAMILY HISTORY (1859-2004)

Box	Folder
1	1	Gift agreement for watercolors by Blanche and Oakes Ames, 7 Nov 1973

National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections: report, 1976

List of holdings in Schlesinger Library, n.d.

Clippings and pamphlet, 1958-94, n.d.

Genealogies

Ames, Butler, and Hildreth families

Correspondence re: tracing family lines, 1894-1988, n.d.

Family trees, 1926, n.d.

5-7

Ames family directories, 1966-94

Society of Mayflower Descendents: certificate and pamphlets, 1955-62

Eames, Anthony and Mark: typed excerpts from public records and published books, and related correspondence, 1897, n.d.

10-11

Notes on Ames family genealogy, compiled by Blanche Butler Ames, n.d.

Ames family reunion

Correspondence and memoranda, 1988-89

Programs and reminiscences, 1988

Butler family genealogies and newsletters, 1874, 1979-93, n.d.

Books

Box	Folder
2	1	Origin and Genealogy of the Hildreth Family, 1892

Harriet Hildreth Heard by "her daughter Hildreth," 1942

Biographical Sketch of Israel Hildreth, 1859

Other family branches: correspondence, notes, and related documents

Box	Folder
2	4	Badcock/Babcock, Barber/Barbour, Barstow, and Bullard, 1913, n.d.

Calderwood and Cutter, 1894-96, n.d.

Ellison, n.d.

Fisher, Fuller, Hill, and Howland, 1898-1913, n.d.

Ingraham, 1894-96, n.d.

Keen, 1896, n.d.

Leland, n.d.

Perry, 1891-1963

Smith, 1928, n.d.

Tolman, 1897-1900, n.d.

Williams and Wooster, n.d.

Summary of facts relating to death of Frederick L. Ames, 1932

The Whim (family newsletter)

Box	Folder
2	16	Published issues, 1993-2007

Correspondence and drafts, n.d.

Miscellaneous, 1943-64, n.d.

SERIES II. REAL ESTATE (1891-1994)

Bay View

Box	Folder
3	1-3	General correspondence, 1914-42

Beach Realty Trust

Correspondence, memoranda, and legal documents, 1925-93, n.d.

Annual report, 1955

Borderland

Box	Folder
3	6	Floor plans, 1910

Friends of Borderland

Advisory Council: minutes, 1977-87

Board of Directors: minutes, 1984-94

Newsletters, 1984-94

Miscellaneous, 1984-94, n.d.

Dispute with Thomas Hind Co.: correspondence and bills, 1928-33

General correspondence, memoranda, and notes, 1914-94, n.d.

Land use maps and instructions, 1948

Game farm: correspondence and financial materials, 1913-48

Box	Folder
4	1	Accounts and ledgers, 1912-54

Inventory of library holdings, n.d.

Pamphlets and brochures, 1973, n.d.

Clippings, 1974-88, n.d.

Boston

Box	Folder
4	5	Bay State Road: Charles River Basin Fill: blueprints, correspondence, reports, and notes, 1931-32, n.d.

231 Bay State Road: correspondence and notes, 1928-49, n.d.

355 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, Mass.: correspondence, appraisals, and floor plan, 1899, 1919, n.d.

Highland, New Jersey: correspondence and contracts, 1891-1906, n.d.

Meadow Lakes (location unknown): correspondence, 1938

Oakes Ames Memorial Hall (North Easton, Massachusetts)

10-13

Correspondence, notes, plans, reports, and receipts, 1961-66

Clippings, 1963-67

15-16

The Whim (Ormond, Florida): correspondence, 1924-68, n.d.

Box	Folder
5	1	Winthrop Ames Mansion (North Easton, Massachusetts): correspondence and essay, 1950-70

Miscellaneous U.S real estate: deeds, easements, leases, and insurance policies, 1896-1939

Villa Balbianello (Lake Como, Italy)

Box
5		History

"The Villa Balbianello," by General Butler Ames

Box	Folder
5	3-4	Typescript and photocopies, 1951

Privately printed pamphlet, 1991

Notes and correspondence, 1958-93, n.d.

Library holdings: correspondence, 1972

List of phonograph records, 1959,1967

Clippings and articles, 1989, n.d.

"The Byron Garbage Divertor" [sic]: pen and ink drawing, Jun 1965

Use by family and others

11-20

Correspondence and memoranda, 1955-75, n.d.

Rules of use, 1973-74, n.d.

General management

Box	Folder
6	1	Reports, 1955-60

2-17

Correspondence with staff, 1958-75

18-31

Monthly statements, 1961-75

Legal

Box
6		Estate of Butler Ames

Box	Folder
7	1	Appraisal of Villa Balbianello, 1955-56

2-4

Overpayment of inheritance taxes: correspondence, 1956-70

Estate of Oliver Ames

Box	Folder
7	5	Transfer of his share in the villa to his children: correspondence, 1972-73

National monument status: correspondence, 1973

Sale

Box
7		Correspondence

7-25

Jun 1974-Dec 1975

Box	Folder
8	1-2	1976-77, n.d.

Appraisal, 1976

Plat maps, n.d.

Artwork: correspondence, notes and photographs, 1974, n.d.

Other household contents: correspondence, 1976

7-8

Capital gains tax dispute: correspondence and memoranda, Jan 1976-Aug 1980

9-13

Development (proposed) and sale of Upland Meadow: correspondence, 1977-84

Unidentified house: drawing, n.d.

SERIES III. INDIVIDUALS (1812-2003)

Box	Folder
9	1	GENERATION I: Butler, John (1782-1819): commissions, (photostats) 1812

GENERATION II

Ames, Oakes (1804-1873)

Oakes Ames: A Memoir, 1883

Correspondence (found in book), 1962

Correspondence: Puffer, Loring W., 1870, 1915

Ames, Oliver: clipping and American National Biography entry, 1963, 2000

Butler, Benjamin F. (1818-1893)

Biographical materials

Articles, clippings, poems, and certificates, 1861-1964, n.d.

Commission,(photostat) 1861

8-9

General Butler in New Orleans by James Parton: book and notes, 1964, n.d.

New Orleans Under General Butler by Howard P. Johnson, 1941

Benjamin Franklin Butler: The Damnedest Yankee by Dick Nolan: correspondence, 1991

Marriage to Sarah Hildreth: contract, account of wedding, and property transfer document, 1844, 1872

13-14

Property valuations, 1861-69, n.d.

Estate: financial information and reports, 1900-37

16-17

Biographies and memorials: correspondence, 1914-62

Memorabilia: copper nameplates, wallets, and date book, 1892, n.d.

Correspondence

Outgoing

Box	Folder
10	1	Ames, Adelbert, 1870-89

Ames, Blanche Butler, 1871-91

Butler, Sarah Hildreth, 1871

Others, 1860-89

Incoming: Phillips, Wendell, 1867-75, n.d.

Books

Box
10		Butler's Book,(unfoldered) 1892

The Private and Official Correspondence of Benjamin F. Butler, 1917

List of libraries that own this book and a copy of the top of the box in which the books were originally issued, n.d.

Box
11		Published copies of book (2 sets of 5 volumes each)

Professional activities

Box
11		Correspondence

Box	Folder
12	1	Outgoing, 1864-85

2-9

Incoming, 1868-98

Lawsuits

Box	Folder
13	1	Bryant vs. Craig: speeches, 1977

Butler vs. Huerfano Valley Ditch and Reservoir Co.: court document, n.d.

Darling vs. Butler, 1885-94

Thomas Leitensdorfer vs. William M. Campbell and William Craig (pertaining to the Vigil and St. Vrain, and the Las Animas land grants)

Box	Folder
13	11	Machen vs. Butler: correspondence and legal documents, 1887-93

Miscellaneous speeches and legal arguments, 1853-80, n.d.

Miscellaneous court cases: legal documents, 1875

Butler, Sarah Hildreth (1816-1876)

Box	Folder
13	14	Biographical materials: clipping, n.d.

Correspondence

Outgoing: Blanche Butler Ames (daughter), 1870-76

Incoming, 25 Sep 1860-92

GENERATION III

Box
13		Ames, Adelbert 1835-1933)

Biographical materials

Box	Folder
14	1	Correspondence, articles, and essays, circa 1910-80, n.d.

Obituaries and eulogies, 1933-34

Exam results, marriage certificate, poem and clipping about marriage, pension certification, and calling card template, 1867-1917, n.d.

Interview: typescript, 1876

Inventories, affidavits, correspondence and memoranda, and death certificate, 1933-37, n.d.

Account books and ledgers,(unfoldered) 1933-37

Box	Folder
15	1-2	Diaries,(same key as Camera Lucida) 1866-67

Excerpts from diaries,(bound typescript, unfoldered) 1866-67

Scrapbook of images of European art, 1866-67

Unidentified diary (photocopy of excerpts), n.d.

Box
16		Note cards containing information about Adelbert Ames's military career, n.d.

Box	Folder
17	1	Appointment books, 1916-25

Account books, 1893-96

Honors and awards, 1869-1963

Military societies

Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the U.S.: programs and receipts, 1868

Society of the Army of Santiago de Cuba: by-laws, correspondence, memoranda, and certificate, 1900-17, n.d.

Report to House of Representatives and Congressional directory, 1869-72

Invitations, 1869-1916

Articles and clippings, 1835-1933

Publications: The Testimony in the Impeachment of Adelbert Ames as Governor of Mississippi,(2 copies) 1977

"Plea for Truth": typescript, 1956

Correspondence about Adelbert Ames, 1957-65

Correspondence

Box
17		Personal

Outgoing

Incoming

Professional (includes related documents)

Box	Folder
22	1	Antebellum: 1856, 1860

2-3

Civil War: 25 Apr 1861-9 Feb 1865

Reconstruction

Spanish American War

Friends and associates

Financial materials

Box	Folder
31	13	Ames Mill (Northfield, Minnesota): correspondence, 1902-06

North Star Mine (Silverton, Colorado): correspondence, 1896-1902, n.d.

Box	Folder
32	1-8	Miscellaneous bills and receipts, 1891-1905, n.d.

Ames, Blanche Butler (1847-1939)

Box
32		Biographical materials

Box	Folder
33	1	Diary, 1870

Poems about Blanche Butler Ames, 1869-70

Financial and legal materials

Box	Folder
33	3-4	General correspondence, 1919-38, n.d.

Widow's claim to veteran's pension: correspondence, 1933-34

Annual statements,

7-8

Account books and ledgers, 1919-39

Box	Folder
34	1	Powers of attorney and related correspondence, 1918-20, 1931

Estate settlement

Wills and related correspondence, 1918-38

3-5

Correspondence and memoranda, 1939-50, n.d.

Appraisals and valuations, 1939-40

Executors' accounting documents, 1940-45, n.d.

Loans, gifts, and other disbursements, 1903-41, n.d.

Checkbook, ledgers, and receipts, 1939-42, n.d.

Ledgers and cancelled checks,(unfoldered) 1939-45

Box
35		Ledgers and cancelled checks,(unfoldered) 1939-45

Filet work, n.d.

Box
35		Correspondence

Personal

Writings

Box	Folder
41	1	Character notes for the fictional "Jabez Stout," 1902

Book: Chronicles From the Nineteenth Century: Family Letters of Blanche Butler and Adelbert Ames (1957)

Box	Folder
51	1	Ames, Oliver III (1831-1895): inventory of house contents, and copper nameplate, 1919, n.d.

Ames, Anna Coffin Ray: correspondence with Oakes and Blanche Ames Ames, 1915-17, n.d.

Butler, Ben-Israel: biographical information and correspondence, 1976

Butler, Paul

Box	Folder
51	4	Will and clipping, 1918

Financial materials, and related correspondence, 1901-18

Estate

6-10

Correspondence and related documents, 1918-68, n.d.

Colorado and New Mexico real estate (includes Butler Ranch): correspondence and reports, 1919-37, n.d.

Box	Folder
52	1	Correspondence, 1876-78

Butler, Joanna (aka Anna): correspondence, 1922-1940s

GENERATION IV

Box
52		Ames, Adelbert, Jr. (1880-1955)

Biographical materials

Obituaries, honors and awards, articles, clippings, essay, and life chronology, 1923-55, n.d.

Articles by Roy Behrens and related correspondence, 1987-98

Correspondence

Ames, Adelbert and Blanche Butler Ames (parents), 1918-39, n.d.

Ames, Blanche Ames (sister), 1915-55, n.d.

Ames, Butler (brother), 1891

Marshall, Jessie Ames (sister), 1929-33

Miscellaneous, 1911, 1935

Writings: bulletins and typescripts, 1921-25, n.d.

Ames, Fanny Vose Hazen: correspondence, n.d.

Ames, Blanche Ames (1879-1969)

Biographical materials

Box	Folder
53	1	Birth and marriage certificates, obituaries and eulogies, "Who's Who in America" forms, articles, essays, and clippings, 1899-1992, n.d.

Guidelines for unidentified health regimen, 1909

Passport, circa 1920

Passenger list for ship "Santa Clara" and Florida itinerary, 1940, 1960

Membership cards and certificates, 1942-65, n.d.

Award, 1958

80th birthday celebration, Feb 1958

Correspondence, poems, and telegrams

Responses to toasts, by BAA

Address and Christmas lists, 1962-63, n.d.

Illness charts, 1965-66

Burial: correspondence, 1969

Diaries (incomplete)

12-16

1893-1903

Box	Folder
54	1-4	1905-54

Smith College

Box
54		Scrapbook, and loose items found in scrapbook, circa 1896-1900

Box	Folder
55	6	Poems, cards, invitations, and memorabilia, circa 1895-99

Letter from Adelbert Ames, 1898

Class schedule, n.d.

Award for artwork, 1899

Drawings, n.d.

Drafts of skits, n.d.

Smith College programs and songbook, n.d.

Clippings, 1898-99

Class of 1899

Dramatics

Box	Folder
56	6	Memorabilia, 1930, n.d.

Financial and legal materials

Box	Folder
56	7	Codicil, will, and related documents, 1933-74

Estate of William H. Ames: correspondence and court documents, 1921-33

Unidentified legal issue involving C. Brooks Stevens: correspondence, 1919-20

Insurance coverage: correspondence and essay, 1923-66

Charitable donations and membership dues, 1925-68, n.d.

Correspondence and memoranda pertaining to investment accounts, dividends, and taxes

Box	Folder
57	1-10	1911-41

Box	Folder
58	1-6	1942-69, n.d.

Banking and investment management reports (mostly Kidder, Peabody, and Co.), 1946-63

8-9

Account books: 1905-14, 1920-22

Annual statements

Box	Folder
58	10	1926-35

Box	Folder
59	1	1940-47

2-6

Bills and receipts, 1916-63, n.d.

7-11

Bank statements and cancelled checks, 1899-1967, n.d.

Management of family assets

Box	Folder
60	1	"Union of Workers and Minors" [sic]: correspondence, 1942-43

2-4

General correspondence and memoranda, 1924, 1943-57, n.d.

Ames Textile Corporation and Ames Worsted Company: correspondence, memoranda, charts, and reports, 1935-54, n.d.

Heinze Electric Company

Lowell Airport Corporation: contracts, correspondence, and reports, 1927-47

Box	Folder
61	1	National Lead Company and U.S. Cartridge: correspondence, 1918-26

Wamesit Power Company

Correspondence

Box
61		Outgoing

Family

Incoming

Box	Folder
64	2	Ames, Charlie and David Ames, 1951-59

Plimpton, Fanny (Ann) Hastings and Ruth Plimpton, 1940s-60s

5-6

Children's education, health, and recreation, 1912-26, n.d.

Others

Box	Folder
65	12	Sax, Hally and Karl, 1944-67, n.d.

Orchids and the work of Oakes Ames (after his death)

Box
65		Harvard University

Box	Folder
66	6-7	Disposition of Oakes Ames' botanical library,(includes Pauline Ames Plimpton correspondence) 1956-86, n.d.

Donovan S. Correll re: Orchids of Guatemala, 1950-52, 1987

Articles and correspondence about Oakes Ames and orchids, 1929-53

Writings

Box
66		Lectures and speeches

"Florida Orchids": typescript, 1947

"Speaking on Orchids"

"It Happened to Me": draft manuscript, 1954

"Flora of the Islands of the Pacific": typescript, n.d.

Article: "Painting Round the World": The Woman's Journal, 30 Dec 1930

Travesty: Two College Men of Boston: Some Shakespearean Balderdash Depleted": typescript, 1938

Poems, 1938-39, n.d.

Drafts and notes of other writings

"Title of Nobility": draft manuscript, 1934

"Wanted: Normal Americans": typescript, 1943

"Credo of Blanche Ames Ames": typescript, 1950s (?)

Unidentified, n.d.

Book: Adelbert Ames: Broken Oaths and Reconstruction in Mississippi, 1835-1933

Alleged factual errors in Profiles in Courage

Other correspondence

Box	Folder
68	3	Lists to whom book was sent, 1964

Letters of thanks for copies of book, 1964-65

Publication announcement and reviews, 1964

6-9

Typescript, n.d.

"Specimen pages," 1962

Box	Folder
69	1-3	Galley proof, circa 1962-63

Galley proof: corrections and notes, n.d.

Corrections to text

Box	Folder
69	8-9	Drafts, n.d.

Box	Folder
70	1-6	Drafts, n.d.

Illustrations and maps

Box	Folder
72	4	Negatives, n.d.

Photographs not used, n.d

6-7

Notes about appendices, n.d.

8-9

Notes about maps and illustrations, n.d

Notes about bibliography, n.d.

Notes about possible revisions, n.d.

Research materials

Notes

Box
77		Published copy of book

Activities

Box	Folder
78	1	Emergency Fund Drive (for Boston charitable organizations): clippings, 1934

2-4

Miscellaneous civic associations and organizations: correspondence, newsletters, pamphlets, and brochures, 1898-1966, n.d.

Art

General correspondence, 1913-63, n.d.

Boston studio: correspondence and leases, 1914-17

Interior decoration commissions

Notebooks

Box	Folder
79	8	Notes, 1946, n.d.

Pencil sketches of Benjamin F. Butler, n.d.

Copies of portrait of Adelbert Ames as a Civil War general, 1933

Paintings, photographs, prints, drawings, and sketches (various subjects), 1910-43, n.d.

Drawings and sketches of flowers, n.d.

Christmas cards, 1940-49, n.d.

Notes for color schemes in various paintings, 1915, n.d.

Box	Folder
80	1	Reproduction photographs, slides, and negatives of paintings, n.d.

Color tint charts, n.d.

Color theory: "System of Color Standards"

Box	Folder
80	6	Art supplies: brochures and invoices, n.d.

Exhibits and art association memberships: correspondence, brochures, and pamphlets, 1923-62, n.d.

Art events: articles, brochures, and pamphlets, 1915-57, n.d.

Posthumous publications and exhibits about the art of Blanche Ames Ames

Box
80		Sketchbooks, 1899-1906, n.d.

Box
81		Camera Lucida (microscope used for botanical drawings), [same key as Adelbert Ames diary] n.d.

Inventions

Box	Folder
82	1	Cutting lumber: correspondence and diagrams, 1938-40

Excreta disposal system

7-10

Propeller snare: correspondence, invoices, clippings, diagrams, and photographs, 1940-82, n.d.

Snow fencing: correspondence and clipping, 1957

Solar stills: correspondence, 1957

Box
83		Excreta disposal system: memorabilia (paraphernalia designed for possible use with this invention), circa 1967

Reproductive rights and women's health

Box
83		Birth control

New England Hospital

Suffrage and women's rights

Box	Folder
94	1-3	Correspondence, 1914-65, n.d.

Speeches by Blanche Ames Ames: drafts, n.d.

Easton Equal Suffrage League: agenda, minutes, reports, financial records, and notes, 1914-15

Massachusetts Woman Suffrage Association: minutes, 1932

Signatures of citizens pledged to vote for woman suffrage, 1915

8-10

Political cartoons by Blanche Ames Ames and others, 1914-15

"Blanche Ames Ames and Woman Suffrage" by James J. Kenneally: pamphlet, typescript, and related article, 1993

Clippings and brochures about suffrage, 1891-1960

Photocopies of suffrage materials in the Schlesinger Library at Harvard University, 1892-1943, n.d.

Women's Centennial Congress

Subject files

Box	Folder
95	3	Botanical: catalogs, brochures, order forms, and poems, 1947-57, n.d.

Business: articles, brochures, and pamphlets, 1933-66

Civil defense: correspondence, articles, and clippings, 1954-55, n.d.

Civil rights

Articles and notes, 1956-57, n.d.

Clippings, 1957-58, n.d.

Conservation: articles, clippings, brochures, and pamphlets, 1955-66, n.d.

Desalinization: articles and clippings, 1945-65

Harvard University: information about courses in economics, government and history, and the professors who taught them: correspondence and notes, 1951-57

Box	Folder
96	1	Politics: articles and clippings, 1838-1962, n.d.

Religion: brochures and essay, 1943-54, n.d.

Science: articles and clippings, 1947-64, n.d.

Uranium and radiation detection: articles, brochures, and pamphlets, 1957-61, n.d.

Miscellaneous: brochures, magazines, and pamphlets, 1953-57, n.d.

Ames, Oakes (1874-1950)

Box
96		Biographical materials

Correspondence, genealogies, articles, and clippings, 1938-2004

Account of an Oakes Ames illness by Blanche Ames Ames, 1949

Obituaries, 1950

Condolences, 1950-51

Memorial service, 1950

Will and related documents, 1943-50

Oakes Ames Papers at Harvard University: correspondence, 1989-90

Memorials

Bronze bust (Harvard Museum of Natural History): correspondence and photographs,(includes Pauline Ames Plimpton correspondence) 1985-92

14-15

Other: correspondence and photographs, 1950-67

Correspondence

Personal

Ames, Amyas (son), 1916-19, 1937

Ames, Anna C. (mother), 1897-1912, 1944

18-20

Ames, Blanche Ames (wife), 1898-1943

Ames, Blanche Butler (mother-in-law), 1900

Ames, Oliver (son), 1919, 1938

Davis, Evelyn Ames (daughter), 1919, 1945

Plimpton, Pauline Ames (daughter), 1919-28

Financial and legal

Family

Box	Folder
97	6	Ames Shovel and Tool Company, 1899, 1924

Old Colony Trust Co., 1924-32

General, 1898-1950, n.d.

Writings

Box	Folder
97	9	Diary excerpts: typescripts, 1901, 1930

A Handbook of Conservation: essay about frontispiece engraving, 1936

Untitled essay, (possibly by Oakes Ames) n.d.

Ames, Butler (1871-1954)

Box	Folder
98	1	Biographical sketches, obituaries, condolence letter, and account of his last hours by Blanche Ames Ames, 1954, n.d.

"General Butler Ames: A Life Sketch" by Daniel Saul Hirschfield, 1963

Clippings and miscellaneous forms, 1899-1955, n.d.

Power of attorney, 1919

Correspondence about Butler Ames, 1953-65

Financial materials

Bills and receipts, 1892-1901

7-10

Cancelled checks, 1900-01

West Point

Notes, tests, and poem, circa 1890-94

Endorsements, musters, report cards, and leave of absence permissions, circa 1890-94

Invitations and memorabilia, 1890-94

Brochures, 1891-94

Political career

Clippings, 1899-1900, n.d.

Campaign literature, 1900

Notes and speeches, n.d.

Legislative documents, 1900, n.d.

Correspondence

Outgoing

Ames, Adelbert (father), 1894-1933, n.d.

20-21

Ames, Blanche Butler (mother), 1884-1936, n.d.

Box	Folder
99	1	Ames, Blanche Ames (sister), 1888-1954, n.d.

"Sisters," 1896

Ames, Fifille Willis (wife), 1931

Incoming

Extended family, 1892-94

5-9

Acquaintances, 1891-94, n.d.

10-12

General, 1892-1950

Inventions

Box	Folder
100	1	"Silver Slippers": shoe inserts, n.d.

Ames Electric Stove

Photographs and negatives, n.d.

Recipe and instructions, n.d.

Odorless Cooker

Instructions, plans, and photographs, n.d.

Royal Arcanum (club or society): membership application, certificates, and pamphlets, 1898-1900, n.d.

Subject file: Lower California Company, incident at Magdalena Bay incorrespondence and copies of contemporary reports, 1912 1871:

Ames, William Hadwen (1861-1918): correspondence and clippings re: his estate, 1923, 1987

Ames, Winthrop and Lucy: correspondence, 1921-48, n.d.

Borden, Sarah Ames (1874-1931)

Box
100		Correspondence

Ames, Adelbert (father), 1893-94, n.d.

Ames, Blanche Butler (mother), 1893-97, n.d.

Ames, Adelbert Jr. (brother), 1891

12-13

Ames, Blanche Ames (sister), 1893-1930, n.d.

Ames, Butler (brother), 1889-94

Stevens, Edith Ames (sister), n.d.

Borden, Spencer (1872-1937): correspondence, 1902-31

Box	Folder
101	1	Davis, Hildreth: correspondence, 1950s, 1960s

Hall, Susan Evelyn Ames: letters to "Will," n.d.

Hall, Frederick F.

Box	Folder
101	3	Letters to Blanche Ames Ames, 1935-41, n.d.

Condolences re: death of Susan Evelyn Ames Hall, 1940-41, n.d.

Marshall, Jessie Ames (1882-1967)

Box
101		Correspondence

Family

Ames, Adelbert (father), 1900, n.d.

Ames, Blanche Butler (mother), 1909-39

7-8

Ames, Blanche Ames (sister), 1909-39

Stevens, Edith Ames (sister), 1896-1949, n.d.

Beekman, Dean, n.d.

Marshall, Andrew M. (1879-1965): obituary, and correspondence, 1965, n.d.

Stevens, Edith Ames (1873-1958)

Box
101		Correspondence

Outgoing

Ames, Adelbert (father), 1884-96

Ames, Blanche Butler (mother), 1892-1934

14-15

Ames, Blanche Ames, 1893-1956, n.d.

Box	Folder
102	1	Ames, Butler (brother), 1892-96

Borden, Sarah Ames (sister), 1893-1916, n.d.

Marshall, Jessie Ames (sister), 1896-1935

Incoming from various individuals, 1943-63

Stevens, C. Brooks correspondence, 1942-44 (1864-1949):

GENERATION V

Box	Folder
102	6	Ames, Adelbert III (b. 1921) and Judith Derby Ames (1923-1973): correspondence, 1920s-1960s

Ames, Amyas (1906-2000)

Biographical materials

Academic records and related correspondence, 1916-32

Clippings, marriage announcement, and obituary, 1948-2000

Correspondence

9-11

Blanche Ames Ames and Oakes Ames (parents), circa 1910-69, n.d.

Ames, Evelyn (sister), 1924

Ames, Evelyn Ingeborg Perkins (wife), 1940s

Ames, Oliver (brother), 1924

Plimpton, Pauline Ames (sister), 1924-94, n.d.

Other, 1986-94

Writings: "In Defense of Womankind," n.d.

Ames, Evelyn Ingeborg Perkins (1908-1990)

Funeral, program, eulogies, and obituary, 1990

Correspondence, 1920s-1960s

Ames, John ("Jack"): correspondence, 1952-54

Ames, Oliver (1903-1971)

Obituary, and academic records and related correspondence, 1914-71, n.d.

Correspondence

Ames, Blanche Ames (mother), 1915-64

Plimpton, Pauline Ames (sister), n.d.

Others, 1928, 1954

Ames, Ellen Moseley (b. 1919): correspondence, 1940s-1960s

Borden, Richard (b. 1920) and Elizabeth McGinley Borden (b. 1913): correspondence, 1942-63

Bruner, Blanche Marshall (b. 1915): correspondence, 1964-67, n.d.

Colt, Joan Borden (1907-1995): correspondence and obituary, 1930s-66, 1995

Davis, Evelyn Ames (1910-1993)

Biographical materials

Box	Folder
103	1	Condolences and tributes, 1993

Academic records, clippings, and correspondence 1917-88

Poems, n.d.

Correspondence

Box	Folder
103	4	Ames, Amyas (brother), 1969

5-10

Ames, Blanche Ames and Oakes Ames (parents), circa 1920-1960s

Davis, Blanche (daughter), 1950

Plimpton, Oakes (nephew), 1974

Plimpton, Pauline Ames (sister), 1920-82

Stevens, Edith Ames (aunt), 1943

Acquaintances, 1956, n.d.

Davis, John Paschall (1908-1977)

Box	Folder
103	16	Eulogy, 1977

Correspondence, 1935-66

Sermons, 1965-66

Frenning, Blanche Borden (b.1902): correspondence

Box	Folder
104	1	Ames, Blanche Ames (aunt), 1931-67, n.d.

Borden, Sarah A. and Spencer (parents), 1934

Plimpton, Pauline Ames, 1920-28, n.d.

Financial, 1938

Marshall, Andrew, Jr. (b. 1912): correspondence, 1960s

Marshall, Malcolm (b. 1919): correspondence, 1942, 1967

Plimpton, Pauline Ames (1901-1995)

Box
104		Biographical materials

Education

Primary and secondary school records, 1911-16

Smith College

Box	Folder
105	5-7	Postgraduate essays and notes, 1923-25, n.d.

Passport, 1921

Interview: transcript, 1987

Biographical sketches, obituary, resumes, and clippings, 1956-95, n.d.

Account of childbirth experiences,(for book by Patricia Bernstein) 1986

Awards, 1985-96, n.d.

Fiftieth wedding anniversary party

Box	Folder
105	13	Correspondence, Jun 1976

Manual, 1976

Guest lists, 1976

Other parties, 1974-86

Box	Folder
106	1	Society of Mayflower Descendants: correspondence and forms, 1989

Marriage and death certificates, drivers license, Social Security card, and obituaries, 1926, 1995

Wills, Power of Attorney, health care proxy, and related correspondence, 1956-93

Condolences, 1995

Funeral

Box	Folder
106	5	Program, 1995

Guest lists,(bound volumes, unfoldered) 1995

Appointment books, 1989-95

Photographs of furniture and related correspondence, 1992

Travel

Box
106		Central America

Box	Folder
107	2	China: itinerary, correspondence, reminiscence, memorabilia, and notes, 1976

Europe (?): negatives, 1922

Paris, France

Mediterranean cruise: correspondence, itinerary, and invoices, 1988, n.d.

Other: correspondence, itineraries, and passenger list, 1956-89, n.d.

Financial and legal materials

Box	Folder
107	8	Blanche Ames Ames Trust: correspondence and legal documents, 1970-75

William Hadwen Ames Trust: correspondence, legal documents, and statements of account, 1982-86

Paul Butler Trust: correspondence and statements of account, 1969-90

Evelyn Ames Hall Trust: correspondence and legal documents, 1948

Union Land and Grazing Company: correspondence and reports, 1983-94

13-14

Financial statements and related correspondence, 1939-94

Gifts, bequests, and donations

Family

Box	Folder
108	2	Charitable donations: correspondence and lists, 1986-95, n.d.

Consignment of literary manuscripts: correspondence, contracts, and statements of account, 1975-86

Artwork: inventories and notes, 1968-91, n.d.

Real estate

Box
108		Sweet Hollow Farm (Huntington, NY)

Ownership and upkeep: correspondence and memoranda, 1941-94

Landscaping: correspondence and memoranda, 1992

Proposal to subdivide property: correspondence, memoranda, legal documents, and maps, 1985-90, n.d.

Sale of property to Nature Conservancy: correspondence, memoranda, contracts, and legal documents, 1989-93

Maps of Huntington, NY and environs, n.d.

Apartment (New York, NY)

Appraisal, 1993

Correspondence and financial information, 1968, 1992

Interior design

Box	Folder
109	8	Measurements for rooms in various Plimpton residences, n.d.

Correspondence

Box
109		Outgoing

Ames, Amyas (brother), n.d.

Ames, Blanche Ames and Oakes Ames (parents)

Box	Folder
110	6	Ames, Ellen Moseley (sister-in-law), 1960

7-12

Davis, Evelyn Ames (sister), 1918-69, n.d.

Box	Folder
111	1-5	Plimpton, Francis T.P. (husband), 1925-65, n.d.

Friends and associates, 1941-94, n.d.

Incoming

Hall, Elton, 1972

Kirshner, Ralph, 1994

Plimpton, Fanny (Ann) Hastings, 1927-29, 1940s

Plimpton, George Arthur, 1926, 1929

Plimpton, Ruth (sister-in-law), 1958-59, n.d.

Schultes, Richard Evans, 1969-85, n.d.

13-15

Others, 1928-95, n.d.

Activities

Box
111		Academic institutions

Box	Folder
112	1	Amherst College: correspondence and pamphlet, 1936, 1979-94

Columbia University: correspondence and pamphlet, 1934, 1984-94, n.d.

Smith College

Libraries

Box	Folder
113	4	Other educational institutions: correspondence, 1988-95, n.d.

Cultural and philanthropic organizations

Box	Folder
113	5	American Red Cross: correspondence, 1986-87

Foreign Visitors Committee: correspondence and memoranda, 1990-92

Institute of World Affairs: correspondence, agendas, and reports, 1967-89, n.d.

Metropolitan Museum: correspondence, 1971

Museum of the City of New York: correspondence and report, 1973

National Council of Women: correspondence, by-laws, and reports, 1974-75

National Museum of Women in the Arts: correspondence and contracts, 1986-95, n.d.

New York House and School of Industry

Box	Folder
114	1	Planned Parenthood of Manhattan and the Bronx, Board of Directors: minutes, 1957

Young Women's Christian Association: agendas, minutes, correspondence, and memoranda, 1978-93

Other, 1953-93, n.d.

Clubs

Box	Folder
114	4	Fortnightly Club: discussion topic and reading lists, 1987-95, n.d.

Other: handbooks and lists, 1958-94, n.d.

Writings

Box
114		Essays

"Benjamin Franklin Butler of New England": typescript, 1979

"Orchids in Bronze": typescript, 1983

Books

The Ancestry of Blanche Butler Ames and Adelbert Ames

A Collector's Recollections: George Arthur Plimpton

Jottings of a Harvard Botanist

Orchids at Christmas

The Plimpton Papers: Law and Diplomacy

A Window On Our World

Speeches

Box	Folder
119	5	Cambridge Rally (UK): correspondence and related documents, 1979-80, n.d.

Other, 1962-84, n.d.

Box	Folder
120	1	Miscellaneous articles, clippings, lists, and notes, 1920-94, n.d.

Plimpton, Francis Taylor Pearsons (1900-1984)

Box
120		Biographical materials

Clippings, correspondence, lists, funeral program, and notes, 1909-91, n.d.

Francis Taylor Pearsons Plimpton Memorial Lecture: correspondence, fliers, and lists, 1991-95

Financial information, 1981-83

Estate settlement

5-6

Appraisals: real estate and furnishings (Huntington, NY), 1983

Federal Estate Tax Return, 1984

Final Accounting of Executrix, 1984

Posthumous donations to archives and libraries: correspondence, 1984-87

Correspondence

Ames, Blanche Ames (mother-in-law), 1925

Plimpton, Fanny (Ann) Hastings (stepmother), 1926-28, n.d.

Plimpton, Francis T. P., Jr. (son), 1981

Plimpton, George Arthur (father), 1906-33

Box	Folder
121	1-5	Plimpton, Pauline Ames (wife), 1925-65

Box	Folder
122	1	Plimpton, Sarah Gay (daughter), 1963

Others, 1933-83, n.d.

Writings: press releases and typescripts, 1957-75

Miscellaneous, 1898, 1958, n.d.

Robey, Harriet Stevens (1900-1993)

Box	Folder
122	7	Biographical materials: obituary, funeral program, and eulogies, 1993

Correspondence

Ames, Blanche Ames, 1950s-1966

Plimpton, Pauline Ames, 1920-21, n.d.

Writings: books

Correspondence, 1992-93

Bay View: A Summer Portrait,(unfoldered) 1979

No Luxury of Woe: Reflections on the Legacy of Ben and Sarah Butler, 1992

Stevens, Ames (b. 1897): correspondence with Blanche Ames Ames, 1915-56(?)

Stevens, C. Brooks, Jr. (b.1902): correspondence with Blanche Ames Ames, n.d. (circa 1940s-1960)

Stevens, Edith Stevens (b.1899): correspondence

Box	Folder
122	12	Ames, Blanche Ames, n.d. (circa 1960s)

Plimpton, Pauline Ames, 1919-21, n.d.

Williams, Jessie Marshall (b. 1916): correspondence with Blanche Ames Ames, n.d. (circa 1950s-60s)

GENERATION VI

Ames, Angier (b. 1947): correspondence with Blanche Ames Ames, 1964-67, n.d.

Ames, Edward A. (b. 1933): correspondence with Blanche Ames Ames, n.d. (circa 1940s-60s)

Ames, Oakes (b. 1931) and Louise Kimball Ames (b. 1932): correspondence with Blanche Ames Ames, 1943-1991

Ames, Oliver, Jr. (b. 1945): correspondence with Blanche Ames Ames, 1954-65

Davis, Ames (b. 1945): correspondence with Blanche Ames Ames, n.d (circa 1950s-60s)

Davis, John P., Jr. (b.1936)

Essay: "Oakes Ames and the Credit Mobilier": typescript, n.d.

Correspondence with Blanche Ames Ames,(includes correspondence from wife, Dee Walker Davis, and son, Randy) 1948-64, n.d.

Hoblitzelle, Olivia Ames (b. 1937): correspondence with Blanche Ames Ames and Pauline Ames Plimpton, 1950-88

Box	Folder
123	1	Matthews, Blanche Davis (b. 1934): correspondence with Blanche Ames Ames, n.d. (circa 1940s-60s)

Miner, Phebe Stevens (b. 1923): correspondence with Blanche Ames Ames, n.d. (circa 1940s)

Myers, Harriet Robey (b. 1932): correspondence with Blanche Ames Ames and Pauline Ames Plimpton, 1991, n.d.

Pittarelli, Evelyn Davis (b. 1941)

Box	Folder
123	4	Commencement program and drawings, 1958, n.d.

Correspondence with Blanche Ames Ames and others, 1940s-64

Plimpton, Francis T.P., Jr. (b. 9 Mar 1928)

Box	Folder
123	6	Biographical materials: clippings and articles, 1951-89

Correspondence

Ames, Blanche Ames, 1941-66

Plimpton, Francis T.P. and Pauline Ames Plimpton, 1989-93

Plimpton, Susan Wadsworth (b. 1931): correspondence with Blanche Ames Ames, 1955-64

Plimpton, George A. (1927-2003)

Box	Folder
123	10	Clippings, obituary, and memorabilia, 1961-2003, n.d.

Correspondence

Ames, Blanche Ames and others, 1930s-68, n.d.

Plimpton, Francis T.P. and Pauline Ames Plimpton, 1941-90, n.d.

Plimpton, Oakes, 1947

Plimpton, Oakes A. (b. 16 Jan 1933)

Box	Folder
123	14	Wedding vows, 1977

Correspondence

Ames, Blanche Ames, 1945-66, n.d.

16-17

Plimpton, Pauline Ames,(includes clippings and enclosures) 1974-95, n.d.

Others, 1991-94

Plimpton, Sarah Gay (b. 4 Oct 1936): correspondence with Blanche Ames Ames, and Oakes and Pauline Plimpton, 1940s-90, n.d.

Robey, Nancy Hurlburt (b.1926): correspondence with Blanche Ames Ames, 1957-61

Stevens, Ames, Jr. (1929-2003): obituary, 2003

Stevens, Edward B. (b. 1922): correspondence with Blanche Ames Ames, 1964

Strater, Blanche Frenning (b. 1929): correspondence with Blanche Ames Ames, 1953-56

Woodcock, Joan Ames: correspondence with Ames, Blanche Ames, n.d. (circa 1950s-60s)

Miscellaneous and unidentified documents, 1951, n.d.

SERIES IV. PHOTOGRAPHS (1855-1993)

Box
123		Family history

Box	Folder
124	1	Ames Monument, Hildreth Cemetery, Lowell, Massachusetts: glass plates, n.d.

Coats of arms, n.d.

Real estate

Box
124		Bay View (Gloucester, Massachusetts)

House and views, 1893, n.d.

"Mother Goose" garden

Circa 1932

Descriptive text, n.d.

Borderland (North Easton, Massachusetts)

House site, circa 1907-10

Exterior, n.d.

Interior, n.d.

Grounds, n.d.

Butler Ranch (Colorado), n.d.

The Whim (Ormond, Florida)

Descriptive text, n.d.

House, n.d.

Grounds, 1947-50 (?), n.d.

Sculptures by Blanche Butler Ames, Blanche Ames Ames, and other family members, n.d.

Box	Folder
125	1	Villa Balbianello (Lake Como, Italy), 1954-61, n.d.

Oakes Ames Memorial Hall and Free Library and miscellaneous and unidentified houses and properties, n.d.

Individuals

Box
125		Generation I

Ames, Jesse (1808-1894), 1870, n.d.

Ames, Martha Tolman (1813-1904), n.d.

Jesse and Martha Ames's residences, n.d.

Butler, John, n.d.

Butler, Charlotte Ellison, n.d.

Hildreth, Israel and his wife, n.d.

Generation II

Butler, Benjamin F.

Portraits, and funeral procession, 1950-1933, n.d.

Monuments, n.d.

Miscellaneous photographs, n.d.

Military and political, circa 1961-65

Butler, Sarah Hildreth, 1845, n.d.

Generation III

Ames, Adelbert

As a West Point Cadet and as a boy, circa 1853, n.d.

13-14

Portraits, casual photographs, and funeral procession, circa 1869-1933

Box	Folder
126	1	n.d.

2-4

Steel engravings, n.d.

Civil War, 1864-65

Spanish American War, 1898

With wife and children, circa 1891, n.d.

Military and political friends and associates, circa 1860s, n.d.

Residences

The Hill, Tewksbury, Massachusetts, n.d.

Other, n.d.

Ames, Blanche Butler

Box	Folder
127	1	Portraits and wedding scenes, circa 1855-1932, n.d.

Pencil drawing of Blanche Butler Ames and Adelbert Ames, 1868

Ames, Oakes Angier, n.d.

Ames, Oliver III et al., n.d.

Butler, Ben-Israel, n.d.

Butler, Paul, n.d.

Generation IV

Box
127		Ames, Blanche Ames

6-7

Portraits and casual photographs, circa 1891-1960s, n.d.

Eightieth birthday party, Feb 1958

Artwork: copy and study photographs, 1981, n.d.

Photographs of orchids, 1964, n.d.

Ames, Oakes, circa 1880-1950, n.d.

Blanche Ames Ames and Oakes Ames with children and extended family, circa 1905-10, n.d.

Box	Folder
128	1	Ames, Butler, 1914, n.d.

Generation V

Box	Folder
128	2	Ames, Amyas and Evelyn Ingeborg Perkins Ames, 1907-54, n.d.

Ames, Oliver and Ellen Moseley Ames, 1942, n.d.

Davis, Evelyn Ames, circa 1914, n.d.

Plimpton, Pauline Ames

Portraits and casual photographs, circa 1912-1940s, n.d.

Smith College and unidentified, circa 1922, n.d.

With family, 1935-83, n.d.

West Hills house, 1971, 1984

Generation VI

Box	Folder
128	9	Ames, Edward and Sue Holtz Ames, n.d.

Ames, John, Jr. and Isabel Ames, circa 1950 (?)

Ames, Oakes and Louise Kimball Ames, n.d.

Hoblitzelle, Olivia Ames and Harrison Hoblitzelle, 1950, 1965

Marshall family: unidentified children, n.d.

Mathews, Blanche Davis, 1955, n.d.

Mathews, Robert J. L. III, 1955

Plimpton, Francis T.P., Jr., George Plimpton, Oakes Plimpton and Sarah Gay Plimpton (siblings), and families 1993, n.d.

Woodcock, Joan Ames, 1942-50, n.d.

Generation VII

Box	Folder
128	18	Marshall family: unidentified "grandchildren," 1964

Mathews, John P. and Robert J.L. IV (siblings), 1958, 1961

Miner, Phebe Stevens and Joshua Miner: their children, circa 1960s

Plimpton, Peter and Susan (siblings), 1955, 1959

Group and extended family, 1959, n.d.

Miscellaneous and unidentified, 1964-65, n.d.

SERIES V. CLIPPINGS (1852-1904)

Box
129-135		Scrapbooks, 1825-1902

OVERSIZE MATERIALS

Box
136		From SERIES I: FAMILY HISTORY: Ames family genealogy, 1930

From SERIES III: INDIVIDUALS

Box
137		Generation II, Sarah Hildreth Butler: photograph, n.d.

Generation III, Blanche Butler Ames: filet work, n.d.

Box
138		Generation IV, Blanche Ames Ames

Smith College scrapbook and loose items found in scrapbook, circa 1896-1900

Art

Box
139		Sketchbooks, 1899-1906, n.d.

Copy and study photographs, n.d.

Box
140		Color theory charts, n.d.

Sketches, n.d.

Suffrage cartoons

Reproductions, n.d.

Published in newspapers, 1915

Etchings of orchids, 1931, n.d.

Photograph of nude woman on a cross, n.d.

Watercolor portrait of Pauline Ames (Plimpton) as a child, 1905

Poster for "Orchids and Artists" (Smith College exhibit), 1991

Box
141		Oils, watercolors, and drawings, 1917-22, n.d.

Box
142		Generation V, Pauline Ames Plimpton: A Window on Our World galley and dust covers, circa 1989

From SERIES IV: PHOTOGRAPHS

Box
142		Generation III, Adelbert Ames

Box
143		Spanish-American War, 1898

Box
144		Albums (2): Unidentified individuals, n.d.

Generation IV

Box
145		Ames, Blanche Ames: album of family photographs, 1909, n.d.

Ames, Oakes: portrait, n.d.

Box
146		Plimpton, Frances Taylor Pearsons, 1890, n.d.

Unidentified photographs of Generations I - IV, n.d.

Box
147-148		Generation V, Pauline Ames Plimpton, photograph albums of travels, 1962-81

Flat File Drawer 16

"Claim of Sall's Battery, Captain Newton Knight, Tallahoma MS," 1873

Adelbert Ames' Civil War citations, 1865-1901, n.d.

Borderland: floor plans, elevations, sketches, and aerial photographs, 1910, 1963, n.d.

Oakes Ames Memorial Hall: floor plan for toilet room (by Blanche Ames Ames), n.d.

Floor plan of residence at corner of Commonwealth & Mass. Aves., Boston, by architect Edward H. Prichard

Suffrage cartoons by various artists, 1915-16

Flat File Drawer 17

Family trees, n.d.

Real estate insurance policies, 1896-97

Villa Balbianello: clipping, correspondence, and maps, 1989, n.d.

Benjamin F. Butler: certificates and legal documents, circa 1893-1903, n.d.

Adelbert Ames

Article in "The Puritan," n.d.

Honors and awards, 1898-1927

Reconstruction: clipping and correspondence, and related documents, 1871-72

Blanche Butler Ames: financial information and research materials pertaining to writings, 1928-51, n.d.

Blanche Ames Ames

Galleys and research materials, 1963

Lists of Massachusetts Senators and Representatives, 1931

Articles about birth control, 1957-58

Correspondence about birth control, n.d.

Graph of birth rates, 1917

Suffrage clipping, 1867 (from Women's Centennial Congress, ) 1940

Butler Ames: financial information, legislative documents, and drawings for Odorless Cooker, 1900, n.d.

Pauline Ames Plimpton

Real estate: plans and maps, 1960s

Correspondence: Archibald MacLeish, 1969

Travel: Chinese flag, 1976

Flat File Drawer 28

Ames, Blanche Ames

Sketches, (3 folders) 1919, n.d.

Portrait of David Fairchild,(reproduction print) 1947

Portrait of Paul Mangelsdorf, (original charcoal drawing) n.d.

Suffrage cartoons: original pen and ink drawings, 1915

"The Dog Gives Them Away"

"Meanwhile They Drown"

"Progress"

"Two Good Votes Are Better Than One"

"Two Pedestals"

Photostats of above suffrage cartoons, n.d.

Suffrage sketches, circa 1915

Photostats, photographs, and galley proof for Adelbert Ames: 1835-1933 by Blanche Ames Ames, 1963

Smith College diplomas (2), 1899

Diagrams for excreta disposal system, circa 1967

House plans for Adelbert Ames and Blanche Butler Ames in Tewksbury, Mass., Dec 1906

Bay State Road, Charles River Basin Fill: blueprints, 1931

APPENDIX: Genealogy

Return to the Table of Contents

Contents

Ames Family Papers, 1812-2008

Finding Aid

Finding aid prepared by Burd Schlessinger.

2006

Collection Overview

Administrative Information

Related Material

Biographical Note

Scope and Contents of the Collection

Search Terms

Organization of the Collection

SERIES I. FAMILY HISTORY (1859-2004) 1 linear ft.

SERIES II. REAL ESTATE (1891-1994) 2.5 linear ft.

SERIES III. INDIVIDUALS (1812-2003) 48.75 linear ft.

SERIES IV. PHOTOGRAPHS (1855-1993) 5.5 linear ft.

SERIES V. CLIPPINGS (1852-1904) 2.75 linear ft.

Contents List

SERIES I. FAMILY HISTORY (1859-2004)

SERIES II. REAL ESTATE (1891-1994)

SERIES III. INDIVIDUALS (1812-2003)

SERIES IV. PHOTOGRAPHS (1855-1993)

SERIES V. CLIPPINGS (1852-1904)

OVERSIZE MATERIALS

APPENDIX: Genealogy