Southworth-Dickinson Family Papers, 1792-2005

Periodic additions to the collection are expected and may not be reflected in this finding aid.

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Biographical Note

The Southworth-Dickinson Family Papers include several generations of Southworth and Dickinson families of Springfield, Massachusetts, as well as the related Shepard, Boltwood, Thurston, Caffee, Deane, and Browne families, living in Massachusetts, Ohio, North Carolina, Maine, New York, and California.

Generation I: Constant Southworth

The collection begins with the memoir of Constant Southworth (b. 1730), who was born in Mansfield, Conn., the son of Nathaniel Southworth. He is of a different line of Southworths from those featured in this collection. His memoir was given to George C. S. Southworth by Col. George Leroy Brown.

Generation II: Abiah Southworth and Keziah Boltwood

The Southworth Family as represented in this collection begins with Dr. Abiah Southworth (d. 1835), who married Keziah Boltwood (d. 1835) with whom he had five children: Rufus (1796-1828); Mary (1797-1872); Wells (1799-1882), Edward (1804-69), and Martha (b. 1807).

Generation III: Children of Abiah Southworth

The children of Abiah and Keziah Southworth are best represented in this collection by Edward Southworth, who was educated at Harvard University in the 1820s and served as president of the Hampshire Paper Company of South Hadley, Mass. In 1839, with his brother Wells and cousin John H. Southworth, he founded the Southworth Manufacturing Company in Agawam, Mass. The company is still in operation.

In 1841 Edward married Ann Elisabeth Shepard (1810-1855), a first cousin of Ralph Waldo Emerson, with whom he had children: George C. S. Shepard (1842-1918); Edward Wells (1845-1847); Mase (b. 1847), Charles Upham (1850-1853), and Wells (1854-1856).

In 1856, after the death of his wife, Edward married Mary Woodbury Shepard (1827-1861), the daughter of Rev. Thomas Shepard and Sarah Williams Barrnett with whom he had children: Edward (1857-1882), Mary Woodbury "Minnie" (1859-1947), and Thomas (1861-1940). In 1866, after the death of Mary, Edward married Harriet Anne Thurston Deane, with whom he had one child, Alice Harriet. Harriet was the daughter of Rev. David (1779-1865) and his second wife, Prudence Brown Thurston (d. 1871).

The Southworths were related to the Shepard Family through the marriage of Edward Southworth and Anne Elisabeth Shepard-the daughter of Mase Shepard (1759-1821) and Deborah Haskins (1765-1841), who married in 1781. In addition to Anne Elisabeth, Mase and Deborah had five children: Hannah (1795-1867), who married Hon. Seth Terry; Mary (1797-1867); Rev. George Champlin (1802-1868), who was born in Rhode Island, graduated from Amherst College, later moved to Connecticut, and married Sally Inman Kast (d. 1868); Dr. Charles Upham (1804-1886), who attended Amherst College and worked as a professor of science in Charleston, S.C., from 1834-61, before moving back to Amherst; Fanny (1807?-1888), who married Lucius Boltwood (1792-1872).

The Southworths were also related to the Deane Family through the marriage of Harriet Ann Thurston and her first husband, Melvin Gilmore Deane (1821-54), the son of John Gilmore Deane and Rebecca Dennis Padelford. Harriet and Melvin married in 1848 and had two children: Sarah Shepard (1850-51) and Ada (1853-1934), who married George Southworth in 1874. Harriet was Melvin's second wife. His first wife was Sarah Edwards Shepard (1823-1847)-the daughter of Rev. Thomas and Sarah Williams Shepard-with whom he had a child, John Gilmore (1845-73), who served as a lieutenant in a Maine artillery unit during the Civil War. John Gilmore Deane married Mary Louise Greenwood, with whom he had children: Mary Louise and Hattie.

The Southworths were related to the Browne Family through the marriage of Dwight Dickinson and Syria Browne, whose daughter, Mayotta, married Melvin D. Southworth. Mayotta was the granddaughter of J. Ross Browne (1821-1875), an Irish-born writer who later settled in California, and Lucy Anna Mitchell. J. Ross and Lucy had children: Spencer (1845-96), who married Lucy Serena Croghan (b. 1850); Lucy Mayotta (b. 1847), who married Charles F. Hoffman; Nina Florence Browne (b. 1851), who married Alfred Craven; and Syria Elana "Sea" (d. 1899), who married Dr. Dwight Dickinson.

Generation IV: Children of Edward Southworth

Edward's oldest son, George, was born in Springfield, Mass., graduated from Yale in 1863, Harvard Law in 1865, and served as a Massachusetts representative. In Italy in 1874, George married Ada Deane, George's stepsister, with whom he had eight children: Mary (1875-1949); Constant (1876-1927); Rufus (1878-1944); Elizabeth Shepard (1881-1969); Melvin Deane (1883-1967); Edward (1885-1943); George Shepard (1888-1972); and John Deane (1890-1972). George Southworth's family eventually settled in Ohio, and it was George who built the family cottage in Deer Isle, Maine, in 1887.

Mase, Edward's second son to live to adulthood, obtained a doctoral degree in chemistry. In 1879, he married Mary Virginia Mallory (b. 1856). Dr. Edward Southworth, Edward's eldest child with Mary Woodbury Shepard, graduated from Yale in 1879 and worked as a physician before dying young in 1882. Mary Woodbury, Edward's second child with Mary Woodbury Shepard, married Ansley Chesley Stevens of San Francisco and with whom she settled in California. Dr. Thomas Shepard, Edward's third and last child with Mary, graduated from Yale University in 1883, and worked as a physician in New York City. In 1896, he married Jean Ponton Hamilton (1869-1924). Alice Harriet Southworth, Edward's only child with his third wife Harriet, lived most of her adult life with her partner, Anna B. Jenks (1865-1942), the daughter of William Flint and Eliza Jenks.

Generation V: Children of George C. S. Southworth and Thomas Southworth

George's oldest child, Mary, married Herbert Williams, with whom she had a child, Albert Frith (1942-). George's second child, Constant, served in World War I in Italy and Montenegro and later worked as an attorney before taking his own life in 1927. He never married. George's third child, Rufus, married Alice Williams, with whom he had children: Edward (1907-2002) and Elizabeth Ann "Liebe" (1907-1999), who married Howard Corning (1905-1984). With Howard, she had children: Alison Clarke, Elizabeth Laslett, and Dr. Howard Burt (d. 2005). George's second oldest daughter, Elisabeth, married John Smith Harrison, with whom she had children: William Ogden (1909-1909); Ada Deane (b. 1910); Thurston (1912-); Edward Woodberry (1914-); Virginia (1919-1919); and Thomas (1920-).

George's third son, Melvin Deane, married Mayotta Dickinson, the granddaughter of Edward Alexander Dickinson (1813-1880) and Sarah Maria Fletcher (1821-1862). Mayotta was the first child of Dr. Dwight Dickinson (1847-1930) and Sylvia Elana "Sea" Browne (1859-1900). In May 1906, Mayotta married Lt. Arthur G. Caffee. Arthur was the son of Col. William King (1856-1923) and Anna Belle Wilkins Caffee (1860-1911), who had married in 1878. In 1910, Arthur Caffee was killed in a naval accident, the precise cause of which was never determined. With Arthur, Mayotta had children: Patty (1908-2001), who married John Samuel Thomas (d. 1982), and Elizabeth "Betty" June (1911-2006), who married Phelps Brown. Melvin and Mayotta had one child: Mayotta (1922-2010).

George's fourth son, Edward, married Virginia Sprague, with whom he had Ann (1916-), Virginia (1918-), Helen Sprague, and Edward, Jr. (1924-). George's fifth son, George Shepard married Sue Flickinger Williams in 1909 and had children with her: Constant Williams (1910-); Robert K. (1912-); Sarah Jane (1914-), and George S., Jr. (1921-). George's youngest son, John Deane, married Louise Hendee, with whom he had children: John D., Jr. (1928-), Robert Thomas (1932), and Kenneth Shepard (1933-).

Dr. David Hamilton Southworth (though he never went by the name David), the only son of Dr. Thomas Southworth, married Katharine R. Jones, with whom he had children: Hamilton, Jr.; Thomas, Katharine S., and Jean S.

Generation VI: Children of Melvin and Mayotta Southworth

Melvin and Mayotta's daughter, Mayotta, attended Smith College, graduating in 1944. That same year, she married Edmund Hopkinson Kendrick. She was responsible for collecting many of the Southworth Family's papers and genealogical information.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

This collection consists of 78.5 linear feet (157 boxes) of material, including letters, diaries, autobiographical writings, and financial papers of the Southworth and Dickinson families of Springfield, Massachusetts, as well as the related Shepard, Boltwood, Thurston, Caffee, Deane, and Browne families. The papers document several generations of middle- and upper-class families residing in Massachusetts, Ohio, North Carolina, Maine, New York, and California.

The nineteenth century papers discuss such pivotal events in American history as the abolitionist movement and the Civil War. There are also significant items concerning the events surrounding the Spanish-American War and World War I. The papers are also notable for description of trips to the Caribbean, Latin America, Asia, and the South Pacific. Family members also discuss European travels to England, Italy, France, Germany, and the Middle-East.

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Organization of the Collection

This collection is organized into seven series:

• I. SOUTHWORTH FAMILY
• II. "THE CHRONICLE" (1899-1947)
• III. DICKINSON FAMILY
• IV. BROWNE FAMILY
• V. DEANE FAMILY
• VI. SOUTHWORTH MANUFACTURING COMPANY RECORDS
• VII. MISCELLANEOUS MATERIALS

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SERIES I. SOUTHWORTH FAMILY

This series contains six subseries: Generation 1, Generation 2, Generation 3, Generation 4, Generation 5, and Generation 6. The series begins with the memoir of Constant Southworth, continues with the eldest members of the Southworth line represented in this collection, Dr. Abiah Southworth, and continues into the 21st century. Generation 2 and 3 include members of the related Shepard, Boltwood, Thurston, and Terry families.

Among those represented in Generation 3 is Rev. George Champlin Shepard, who, in a letter of January 1833, discusses the anti-slavery movement. Among the papers of Anne E. Shepard, Edward Southworth's first wife, is a letter of 18 [?] January 1837 from her cousin Hannah, discussing the Grimke sisters and abolition.

Much of Edward Southworth's correspondence concerns personal financial matters as well as operations at the company. Of interest is a letter of 27 December 1844 to Edward (addressed as "My Kind Master") from a woman named Fanny, apparently an African American cook, who worked for a family in Charleston, S.C. In the letter, Fanny discusses her son's bad behavior and her religious beliefs. Other correspondence of interest includes a letter of 8 August 1861, from the offices of A.S. Barnes & Burr, mentioning Edward Southworth's optimism concerning the northern war effort despite the recent Union defeat at the battle of Bull Run. C. W. Chester discusses a husband's abusive, homicidal behavior, 11 May 1860. A letter of 5 May 1865 from Martha Southworth Curtis concerns the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. A letter of 26 February 1866, also from Curtis, mentions an African American woman learning to read and write. A letter of 26 October 1864 from J. M. Geery, writes of the "aid of indigent students" at Amherst College. And a letter from E. Hitchcock, 22 February 1866, concerns his desire to buy artifacts that once belonged to Connecticut Valley Native Americans.

Also included in Edward's correspondence are letters from B. A. Perry, concerning the Port Hudson and Charleston campaigns of 1863, the poor conditions for Union soldiers on the boat ride north, and the hiring of a substitute for his son; letter of 4 June 1864 from Henry A. Phelan discussing the death of Ensign Charles Ringot in a naval engagement in Virginia; letter from Edward Southworth to son George, then at Phillips Academy, concerning his trip out west and mining; letter of 21 October 1858 discussing life at Phillips Academy; letter of 14 July 1864 from George concerning Edward's warning that George not attend horse races in Worcester, Mass; letters from Edward's son Mase, 1868-69, discussing his studies in Gottingen, Germany, a possible war between Germany and France, Blue Laws in the United States, the election of Ulysses S. Grant, and the differences between education in America and Germany.

Generation 3 also contains the correspondence of Harriet Anne Thurston Deane, Edward's second wife. Letters of interest include those from Elisabeth Shepard Southworth Harrison concerning her trip to Italy in 1905; a letter [1861?] from Elizabeth Philbrook, discussing women and teaching; and letters from daughter Alice Southworth concerning her visit to Germany.

Correspondence between Harriet and her stepson George includes discussion of George's trips to Germany in 1869 and 1901, Harriet's journey to Italy in 1874, life in Salem, Ohio (7 February 1895), and the New York subway system and political unrest in Ireland, 1903. Letters from stepsons Mase and Tom concern Mase's studies in Germany, 1868, and Tom's schooling at Phillips Academy and in Gottingen, Germany.

Also included among Harriet's correspondence are hundreds of letters between her and her stepson Dr. Thomas Southworth concerning his work in various hospitals in New York City and elsewhere. A letter of 16 February 1891 from Harriet to Tom discusses Native American rights. A letter of 30 June 1901 from Harriet describes her camping experience at Robe's Mountain, Kentucky. Letters from niece Mary Southworth Williams include items written while she was a Smith College student in the 1890s and later a teacher at Kenyon College in Ohio.

Harriet's correspondence also includes many letters from the Thurston family. A letter from father Rev. David Thurston to Harriet, 19 March 1863, discusses the Emancipation Proclamation and northern "wickedness." Letters from brother Samuel describe his experiences serving in a Maine artillery unit during the Civil War, including discussion of command changes in the Army of the Potomac, the destruction of the Virginia countryside during campaigning, the enlistment of Virginia Unionists into the northern army, and the profanity and "wickedness" in the ranks.

Generation 4 chiefly consists of the letters of Edward Southworth's children: George, Thomas, and Alice. Among George's correspondence are letters from Rev. Henry Blodget, 1 November 1871, discussing missionary work in China; letters from Thomas K. Boltwood concerning George's election to the Massachusetts legislature; letter of 14 July 1870 from brother Mase mentioning George's engagement to Ada; letter of 6 May 1871 from Mase concerning the popularity of baseball in Germany; letter of 8 November 1898 from Tom discussing the Spanish-American War; and letter of 3 February 1873 from William Taylor mentioning the extremely cold weather in western Massachusetts.

Among the papers of Ada Deane Southworth are letters from Anna Jenks, discussing Anna's trip to England, 1928, and a letter from son Melvin written from a tuberculosis sanitarium, 1918.

Included in the papers of Dr. Thomas Southworth are frequent letters between him and his stepsister Alice as well as letters from Tom's son, Hamilton, discussing life at Groton School in Groton, Mass.

The papers of Alice Southworth contain letters between her and her life partner, Anna Jenks, mostly discussing family news. After Anna's death in the 1940s, Alice lived with niece Ruth Doris Swett. Alice's correspondence includes a letter of 14 January 1957 from Betsy Corning, a student at Smith College; a letter of 23 January 1945 from Thurston Harrison discussing his landing with American troops in the Philippines and his impressions of Filipinos; a letter to Hattie Peabody, 23 February 1903, describing Alice's trip to Bermuda with Anna Jenks; a letter of November 1918 from Harriet Philbrook discussing World War I and the flu pandemic; a letter from Alice F. Southworth, October 1917, discussing her husband Rufus' enlistment in the army; a letter of 23 February 1910 from nephew and attorney Constant Southworth concerning heirs to Edward Southworth's estate and family claims to property in Duluth, Minn.; and a letter of February 1931 from Edward Southworth (b. 1907), describing Detroit, Mich. Letters from George Shepard Southworth include items written while he was a student at Kenyon College.

Also included are letters from nephew Hamilton Southworth concerning his trip to Austria, his boat ride back to the U.S. in 1932, and the death of his father, Thomas; letters from John D. Southworth discussing his service with the American expeditionary forces during World War I; letters from Mayotta Dickinson Southworth concerning the death of Constant Southworth in 1927 and Mayotta's trip to Venezuela; letters from Rufus Southworth written while he was a medical officer during World War I; a letter from Clara Thurston, 1 March 1884, discussing life in Charleston, S.C.; letters from Mary Southworth Williams including items written from Smith College, Southern Pines, N.C., and after a trip to Richmond, Va.

The papers of Anna Jenks contain items discussing her trip to Europe in 1899 and the Middle-East, including visits to Cairo, Jerusalem, and Syria in 1900; her visit to Hawaii in 1922; her trip to Algiers in 1924; and her impression of Arabs.

Generation 5 chiefly consists of the papers of George C. S. Southworth's children. Three of his sons served in the military during World War I. This series, especially the papers of Constant Southworth, contains numerous, letters, diary entries, and writings concerning American involvement in the war in Europe, including the campaigns in Italy and Montenegro. Generation 6 contains correspondence and other items concerning Southworth Family history and genealogy collected by Mayotta Southworth Kendrick.

SERIES II. "THE CHRONICLE" (1899-1947)

This series consists of bound letterbooks containing items collected under the heading "The Chronicle." These volumes include numerous letters and scrapbook materials-such as postcards, photographs, and newspaper clippings -- chiefly from Edward Southworth's children, written to their parents and other family members. Letters discuss trips to Europe as well as family news and major events in American history. "The Chronicle" for 1934, for example, includes Melvin's criticisms of the National Recovery Administration (NRA) and his conservative views on the Roosevelt administrations' involvement in the economy.

SERIES III. DICKINSON FAMILY

This series is divided into thee subseries, Generation 1, Generation 2, and Generation 3. This series chiefly contains the papers of Edward Dickinson, his son Dr. Dwight Dickinson, and Edward's granddaughter Mayotta. Among Edwards' letters are numerous items from his son Dwight, a naval surgeon, written during Dwight's voyages to the Caribbean, South America, and Japan in the 1860 and 70s. Also among Dwight's papers are his numerous diaries spanning the late nineteenth and early twentieth century as well as correspondence, including discussion of his father's death in 1880 and letters from brother and banker Edward F. Dickinson discussing the violence of football, 1896; the explosion of the battleship Maine and possible war with Spain, February 1898; Edward's diet and his distrust of doctors 1898; and his opinion of Teddy Roosevelt, October 1898.

Dwight's correspondence also contains many letters between him and his wife Syria Elana "Sea" Browne, discussing their engagement and wedding and Dwight's work with the navy, including descriptions of Cuba, 1870, and Costa Rica, 1880. Letters from Dwight's son Spencer concern his desire for a new "wheel" [bicycle], 1898; his experiences at Harvard Engineer Camp at Squam Lake, N.H.; and his trip to Nome, Alaska, 1906, while in the navy.

Mayotta's Dickinson's papers include substantial correspondence between her and her first husband, Arthur, who was writing to her while away at sea. An undated letter of 21 July from Mayotta discusses family picnics at Deer Isle, Me.

SERIES IV. BROWNE FAMILY

This series mostly consists of the correspondence of Lucy Mitchell Browne and her children. Included in Lucy's correspondence are letters of 1894 from son J. Mitchell Browne, writing from California, discussing the death of "Lupy," a Native American who died from consumption; railroad strikes; and the "modern young woman." A letter from Nina to Lucy mentions the Keeley treatment for a family member's alcohol abuse. Correspondence between Lucy and daughter Sylvia discusses Sylvia's marriage to Dwight Dickinson, herbal medicine, worker strikes, and Lucy's trip to Deer Isle, Maine, with Joseph Fremont Banks. A letter from Lucy Mitchell Browne to Lucy Serena (Croghan) Browne describes a typhoid outbreak in Oakland, Calif., 1893; and a letter from Spencer Browne to Spencer Dickinson discusses (with illustrations) amusement park rides, 1894.

SERIES V. DEANE FAMILY

This series chiefly contains the papers of Rebecca Dennis (Padelford) Deane, her son Melvin, and Melvin's son, John Gilmore. Letters from Rebecca to Melvin discuss family news and include frequent admonitions against Melvin eating poor food and not leading a religious life. John Gilmore Deane's correspondence chiefly concerns his service in the 6th Maine battery as a lieutenant during the Civil War, including description of camp life in the Army of the Potomac and John's participation in the major battles in the East. Letters mention John passing by Robert E. Lee's house in [October?] 1862, conscription in the North, 1863, and the siege at Petersburg, 1864. Also included are two letters not written by John, one from an unknown Confederate soldier writing from Tennessee, 1863, and a letter from a soldier apparently from the 35th U.S. Colored Troops, writing in December 1865 from South Carolina and mentioning "old master."

SERIES VI. SOUTHWORTH MANUFACTURING COMPANY RECORDS

This series chiefly contains incoming correspondence from various individuals and paper manufacturers to company founders Wells, his brother Edward, and their cousin John H. Southworth. Also included are many loose financial items, account books, and ledgers concerning daily operation of the company. Correspondence mostly concerns routine financial matters, but also includes discussion of larger political and economic events, such as a letter of 13 February 1844 mentioning the possible election of Henry Clay to the presidency. Also included, in items from 1862-65, is a report on how the Civil War was affecting the paper industry.

Post-Civil War papers include items about the company as well as correspondence between family members concerning individual financial and estate issues and the Southworth family's claim to lands in Michigan.

SERIES VII. MISCELLANEOUS MATERIALS

This series contains miscellaneous correspondence written by and to non-family members, genealogical information, and an unidentified family scrapbook.

SERIES I. SOUTHWORTH FAMILY

SERIES II. "THE CHRONICLE"

SERIES III: DICKINSON FAMILY

SERIES IV. BROWNE FAMILY

SERIES V: DEANE FAMILY

SERIES VI. SOUTHWORTH MANUFACTURING RECORDS

SERIES VII. MISCELLANEOUS MATERIALS