Palfrey family papers
Item
Country
US
Name of institution (official language of the state)
Language of name of institution
eng
Contact information: postal address
Harvard Yard, Harvard University, Cambridge MA 02138
Contact information: phone number
001 (617) 495 2440
Contact information: web address
Contact information: email
Houghton_Library@harvard.edu
Reference number
MS Am 1704-1704.9, 1704.11-1704.21
Type of reference number
Archival reference number
Title (official language of the state)
Palfrey family papers
Language of title
eng
Creator / accumulator
Palfrey family
Date(s)
1713/1915
Language(s)
eng
Extent
60 linear feet (130 boxes and 9 volumes)
Type of material
Textual Material
Physical condition
Good
Scope and content
This collection comprises documentation related to John Gorham Palfrey (1796-1881) and other members of the Palfrey family, such as his grandfather William Palfrey (1741-80) and his father John Palfrey (1768-1843). It is divided into six series according to subject or document types: I) Correspondence of the Palfrey Family; II) John Gorham Palfrey Papers; III) Miscellaneous manuscripts from the Papers of William Palfrey; IV) Manuscript books not in boxes; V) Miscellaneous Sets of Proof Sheets; and VI) Additional Papers of the John Gorham Palfrey Family.
Amongst the correspondence of William Paltrey, there is a letter from Aaron Lopez dated August 6, 1773 (box 48, no. 127; digital copy available online) concerning the whale oil trade, and three other letters from Paltrey to Lopez also in 1773 (box 51, no. 51; box 54, no. 10).
Amongst the correspondence of William Paltrey, there is a letter from Aaron Lopez dated August 6, 1773 (box 48, no. 127; digital copy available online) concerning the whale oil trade, and three other letters from Paltrey to Lopez also in 1773 (box 51, no. 51; box 54, no. 10).
Archival history
This collection comprises documents donated by James B. Ayer and his wife in 1941 and Mrs. Charles Woodrow in 1964.
The main part of the papers of the Palfrey family (bMS Am 1704 -1704.20) was given to Harvard University in 1941 by Dr. and Mrs. James B. Ayer. Additional correspondence, mainly from the period of the children and grandchildren of John Gorham Palfrey, the historian, was received in 1964 as a gift from Mrs. Charles Woodrow. This latter material was catalogued separately and placed at the end of the collection (bMS Am 1704.21).
The main part of the papers of the Palfrey family (bMS Am 1704 -1704.20) was given to Harvard University in 1941 by Dr. and Mrs. James B. Ayer. Additional correspondence, mainly from the period of the children and grandchildren of John Gorham Palfrey, the historian, was received in 1964 as a gift from Mrs. Charles Woodrow. This latter material was catalogued separately and placed at the end of the collection (bMS Am 1704.21).
Administrative / Biographical history
John Gorham Palfrey (1796-1881) was a Unitarian minister, professor, editor of the North American Review, congressman from Massachusetts (1847-1849), postmaster of Boston (1861-1867), and historian, best known for his multi-volume History of New England. His grandfather, William Palfrey (1741-1780), was a business partner of John Hancock and Pay Master General of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. His father, John Palfrey (1768-1843), was a merchant in Boston and later owned a plantation in Attakapas, La. John Gorham Palfrey's son, John Carver Palfrey (1833-1906), was a military engineer during the Civil War and was later an officer in the textile manufacturing business. His daughter Sarah Hammond Palfrey (1823-1914) was a novelist and poet.
Access points: locations
Access points: persons, families
Access points: subject terms
Access points: document types
System of arrangement
The collection is organised into six series, divided into subseries, whose records are arranged alphabetically (correspondence, by sender or recipient surname) or chronologically.
Access, restrictions
Digital copies available online:
Links to finding aids
Author of the description
Carla Vieira, 2023
Linked resources
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