mums504 Kingsbury Family Papers, 1862-2006 (bulk 1881-1902) Finding Aid Finding aid prepared by Megan M. Kennedy. Special Collections and University Archives, W.E.B. Du Bois Library, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Amherst, MA

2008

University of Massachusetts Amherst. All rights reserved.

Finding aid encoded in NoteTab Pro. Encoded by Megan Kennedy. Finding aid written in English Special Collections and University Archives, W.E.B. Du Bois Library, University of Massachusetts Amherst Kingsbury Family Papers, 1862-2006 Finding Aid MS 504 July 2008

2008 University of Massachusetts Amherst. All rights reserved.

Kingsbury Family Kingsbury Family Papers 1862-2006 1881-1902 MS 504 10 boxes (6 linear ft.) English Special Collections and University Archives, W.E.B. Du Bois Library, University of Massachusetts Amherst The family of Roxana Kingsbury Gould (nee Weed) farmed the rocky soils of western New England during the late nineteenth century. Roxana's first husband Ambrose died of dysentery shortly after the Civil War, leaving her to care for their two infant sons, and after marrying her second husband, Lyman Gould, she relocated from southwestern Vermont to Cooleyville and then (ten years later) to Shelburne, Massachusetts. The Goulds added a third son to their family in 1869. A rich collection of letters and photographs recording the history of the Kingsbury-Gould families of Shelburne, Massachusetts. The bulk of the letters are addressed to Roxana Kingsbury Gould, the strong-willed matriarch at the center of the family, and to her granddaughter, May Kingsbury Phillips, the family's first historian. In addition to documenting the complicated dynamics of a close-knit family, this collection is a rich source for the study of local history, rural New England, and the social and cultural practices at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries.

Roxana Kingsbury Gould

Roxana Orvilla Weed Kingsbury Gould (1838-1904) was the matriarch of the Kingsbury family during the late nineteenth century, a family of middle class New Englanders. A native of Winhall, Vermont, Roxana married Ambrose Kingsbury in 1859 after he divorced her older sister Lura. During their relatively brief marriage, the couple had two boys, Arnold O. Kingsbury (1861-1901) and Oscar B. Kingsbury (1863-1943), both born in Jamaica, Vermont. Ambrose survived the Civil War with the 5th Vermont Infantry, but shortly after his return home, he succumbed to dysentery.

Three years later, in 1868, Roxana married Lyman G. Gould and moved her children to his home in Cooleyville, Massachusetts (now New Salem), where she had another son, David Oris Gould (1869-1953). After ten years, the family moved to a farm in Shelburne. When the question of who would inherit the family's farm arose, the decision seems to have been determined by the process of elimination. Roxana and Lyman's only son together, David, showed no interest, and Roxana's oldest son, Arnold, proved to be unreliable. As a result, the farm was settled on Oscar, the middle son, who took up the work in late 1888. Married a year earlier to Lillian M. Davis (1868-1937), Oscar failed in his first efforts at assuming responsibility for the day-to-day operations of the farm, and over the next few years Oscar sought work elsewhere. When he finally returned to the farm in 1895, Roxana and Lyman were ready to let it go, this time formally transferring the farm and its movable assets to Oscar.

In the next generation of Kingsburys, May O. Kingsbury, the second of Oscar and Lillian's four children, took a keen interest in the family's history. A teacher in Shelburne before her marriage to R. Ernest Phillips in 1923, May kept up an active correspondence with family members, especially during her single years, and she preserved most of the family's papers and genealogical materials. During the 1960s, she wrote a series of essays detailing the life of her grandmother Roxana, which were saved by her daughter, Merilyn, and eventually passed on to her nephew, Conrad Totman.

Kingsbury family

This collection contains a wide variety of personal papers belonging to the members of the Kingsbury, Gould, and Totman families, long-time residents of the Western Massachusetts and Southern Vermont area. Dated between 1862 and 2006, the papers were collected by family members during the twentieth century.

The family of Ambrose and Roxana Kingsbury and their two sons Arnold and Oscar maintained an active correspondence throughout the second half of the nineteenth century. The bulk of this correspondence details the family relationships and local events as experienced by Roxana by her female relatives after her second marriage and subsequent removal to rural western Massachusetts. There are also various items of personal interest from extended family members, including children's books, autograph albums, stereocards, picture postcards collected in albums, a few legal documents, graphic business cards from local western Massachusetts businesses, and a large sample of calling cards.

May Kingsbury Phillips collected her grandmother's letters and later compiled a family genealogy, which is included here. After May's death, her nephew Conrad Totman became the repository for the family's history. Both May and Conrad compiled narrative histories of the family, mostly focusing on Roxana's correspondence and the photographs contained in this collection. Their notes, identifications, and interpretations can be found throughout the collection.

The collection is rounded out by a series of family photography, dating from a formal portrait in 1862 to photocopies of photographs for genealogical research made in 2005. There are gem tintypes, formal portraits, snapshots, and photograph albums, preserved in a variety of frames, matted presentations, lockets, and albums. Some are professional photographs and others are candid photographs taken by members of the family.

The collection is open for research.

Cite as: Kingsbury Family Papers (MS 504). Special Collections and University Archives, W.E.B. Du Bois Library, University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Gift of Conrad and Michiko Totman, 2006.

Processed by Megan M. Kennedy, Summer 2008.

Drew, Raymond Totman, 1923-1981. Lewis, Gertrude Minnie, 1896- . Totman, Conrad D. Totman, Ruth J. Totman family. Conway (Mass.)--Genealogy. Shelburne(Mass.)--Genealogy. Tintypes. Genealogies. Letters (Correspondence). Memoirs--Massachusetts. Photographs. Series 1: Correspondence and Subject Files 1862-1942

Since most of the correspondents in this series were related by birth or marriage, the letters contained are often about family members and mutual acquaintances. The letters also refer extensively to life in Shelburne, Cooleyville (New Salem), Greenfield and surrounding towns in Massachusetts, and the area near Jamaica, Vermont.

The bulk of this series consists of letters addressed to Roxana Kingsbury Gould, mostly from members of the Kingsbury, Gleason, and Gould families, including her sons and grandchildren. These letters discuss local events, births, marriages, and deaths, and were intended to keep Roxana up-to-date with family news.

May Kingsbury Phillips received a substantial series of letters during her younger years as a student and a teacher. They are mostly family letters, informing her about local news.

Series 2: Genealogy 1958-2005

In the second half of the twentieth century, May Kingsbury Phillips and, later, her nephew Conrad Totman compiled genealogical histories of the Kingsbury and Davis families. This collection contains copies of their correspondence with other family members and historical societies, miscellaneous newspaper clippings, notes, sketches of family trees, and compiled narrative histories. Conrad transcribed many of the letters from the collection in his "Kingsburyana" bound volume.

Series 3: Photographs 1862-2005

Photographs in the Kingsbury Family Papers consist of a variety of photographic methods, including portraits, gem tintypes, photocopies, and snapshots. Most photographs were taken locally in Hartford, Greenfield, Shelburne, Deerfield, and Conway, Massachusetts. Many of the photographs are undated but are from the second half of the nineteenth century.

Series 1: Correspondence and Subject Files 1862-1942 1 1 Arms Academy: Phillips, May Kingsbury 1909-1913 1 1 Art Books: Kingsbury, Lillian Davis 1913 1 3 Art Papers: Kingsbury, Lillian Davis ca. 1895-1915 1 4 Autograph Album: Kingsbury, Joseph L. 1880-1902 1 5 Autograph Album: Kingsbury, Lillian Davis 1883-1889 1 6 Autograph Album: Kingsbury, Oscar 1879-1903 1 7 Calendar: Kingsbury, Lillian Davis 1905 1 8 Calling Cards: Baldwin Family ca. 1870-1890 1 9 Calling Cards: Davis Family ca. 1870-1890 1 10 Calling Cards: Davis, Lillian ca. 1870-1890 1 11 Calling Cards: Gleason Family ca. 1870-1890 1 12 Calling Cards: Gould, David ca. 1870-1890 1 13 Calling Cards: Gould, Roxana Kingsbury ca. 1870-1890 1 14 Calling Cards: Kingsbury Family ca. 1870-1890 1 15 Calling Cards: Kingsbury, Oscar ca. 1870-1890 1 16 Calling Cards: Other Family Members ca. 1870-1890 2 1 Children's Books: Kingsbury, Oscar 1869 2 2 Correspondence: Gould, Roxana Kingsbury 1868-1899 2 3 Correspondence: Gould, Roxana Kingsbury from Arnold & Eliza Kingsbury 1881-1901 2 4 Correspondence: Gould, Roxana Kingsbury from David & Cora Gould 1887-1902 2 5 Correspondence: Gould, Roxana Kingsbury from Gleason Family 1880-1901 2 6 Correspondence: Gould, Roxana Kingsbury from Julia Baldwin Gleason 1868-1888 2 7 Correspondence: Gould, Roxana Kingsbury from Julia Baldwin Gleason 1888-1896 2 8 Correspondence: Gould, Roxana Kingsbury from Libbie Gleason Eaton 1879-1891 2 9 Correspondence: Gould, Roxana Kingsbury from Lillie Gleason Gadoret 1885-1895 3 1 Correspondence: Gould, Roxana Kingsbury from Nancy Weed Gleason 1863-1885 3 2 Correspondence: Gould, Roxana Kingsbury from Olive Kingsbury Williams 1881-1902 3 3 Correspondence: Gould, Roxana Kingsbury from Oscar Kingsbury 1885-1890 3 4 Correspondence: Gould, Roxana Kingsbury from Selima & Susan Weed 1882-1901 3 5 Correspondence: Kingsbury, Lillian Postcards 1925-1929 3 6 Correspondence: Kingsbury, Oscar 1887-1890 3 7 Correspondence: Kingsbury, Oscar 1893-1942 3 8 Correspondence: Kingsbury Postcards 1906-1928 3 9 Correspondence: Phillips, May Kingsbury 1908-1914 3 10 Correspondence: Phillips, May Kingsbury 1915 3 11 Correspondence: Phillips, May Kingsbury 1916 3 12 Correspondence: Phillips, May Kingsbury 1917 3 13 Correspondence: Phillips, May Kingsbury 1918 4 1 Correspondence: Phillips, May Kingsbury 1919 4 2 Correspondence: Phillips, May Kingsbury 1920-1923 4 3 Correspondence: Totman, Mildred Kingsbury 1922-1923 4 4 Correspondence: Totman, Mildred Kingsbury 1929 4 5 Correspondence: Totman, Mildred Kingsbury 1930 4 6 Graphic Business Cards undated 4 7 Legal Papers: Kingsbury Family 1865-1923 4 8 Personal Materials: Totman, Mildred Kingsbury 1862-1983 4 9 Personal Materials: Kingsbury, Oscar 1888-1895 4 10 Picture Postcards: Kingsbury, Oscar 1924-1925 4 11 Poems: Newsclippings & Reprints ca. 1881-1890 9 Postcard Album: Davis, Mary Elizabeth Maxam ca. 1908-1912

Bound album of postcards given to Mary Elizabeth Maxam Davis. Of particular local interest (includes postcards from Greenfield, Fitchburg, Shelburne Falls, Hudson, Holyoke, Framington, Northfield, Massachusetts).

Sample images:

Meeting of the North and Deerfield Rivers

Easter greetings

Greenfield Baking Company

Old mill turned into shop, Shelburne

East Templeton [Mass.], looking west

Welcome Thanksgiving Day

Old Baptist Church, Wendell

Greetings from Wendell

4 12 Postcard Album: Kingsbury, Lillian Davis 1908-1916 5 1 Stereocards: Around the World Religious Series 1910 5 2 Stereocards: DeLameter Hartford Series 1880 5 3 Stereocards: Genre Cards 1865-1890 5 4 Stereocards: Scenic Views 1885 5 5 Stereocards: White Mountains 1885 Series 2: Genealogy 1958-2005 5 6 Phillips, May Kingsbury Genealogical Research 1958-1970 5 7 Phillips, May Kingsbury Genealogical Research Notebooks 1960-1970 5 8 Phillips, May Kingsbury Genealogical Research Notes 1958 5 9 Totman, Conrad Correspondence with Barbara Cutko 2004-2006 5 10 Totman, Conrad Correspondence with Betty Finnell Guinan 2005-2006 5 11 Totman, Conrad Correspondence with Harold Gould 2005-2006 5 12 Totman, Conrad Correspondence with Historical Societies 2006 5 13 Totman, Conrad Correspondence with Merilyn Phillips Hubbard 2005-2006 5 14 Totman, Conrad Correspondence with Rae Kingsbury Capen 2003-2006 5 15 Totman, Conrad Correspondence with Richard Kingsbury 2005 5 16 Totman, Conrad Correspondence with Sylvia Kingsbury Rice 2005-2006 5 17 Totman, Conrad Correspondence with William Kingsbury 2005-2006 6 1 Totman, Conrad Family Trees 2005-2006 6 2 Totman, Conrad Genealogical Correspondence 2005-2006 6 3 Totman, Conrad Kingsburyana Introduction 2006 6 4 Totman, Conrad Kingsburyana Part One 2006 6 5 Totman, Conrad Kingsburyana Parts Two, Three-A, & Three-B 2006 6 6 Totman, Conrad Kingsburyana Parts Four and Five 2006 6 7 Totman, Conrad Kingsburyana Introduction (copy) 2006 6 8 Totman, Conrad Kingsburyana Part One (copy) 2006 7 1 Totman, Conrad Kingsburyana Part One (copy) 2006 7 2 Totman, Conrad Kingsburyana Parts Two & Three-A (copy) 2006 7 3 Totman, Conrad Kingsburyana Part Three-B (copy) 2006 7 4 Totman, Conrad Kingsburyana Part Four (copy) 2006 7 5 Totman, Conrad Kingsburyana Part Five (copy) 2006 Series 3: Photographs 1862-2005 9 Photograph Album: J.L. King 1883-1911

Bound leather carte de visite (and tintype) album with an inscription: "Presented to J. L. King by his friend O. B. Kingsbury. Shelburne Center, Mass., August 3rd, 1883." Contains three stamps posted on the last page. Some photographs are identified by notes from Conrad Totman.

The album includes 12 cartes de visite of circus performers (listed separately below), one of which is labeled on verso: Nelli M. Petty, With G[eorge] B. Bunnell's Museum Co." Bunnell operated a slightly upscale dime museum in New York City (1876-1883), Brooklyn, and Jersey City.

La Petite Julia (acrobat) 1885 Carte de visite

"La Petite Julia"

Acrobat troupe, photograph by J. Wood 1885 Carte de visite

Acrobat troupe

"John Jennings, Modern Sampson. Weight 168 lbs. Lifts 1,000 lbs with his Teeth" 1885 Carte de visite

John Jennings

Unidentified "African" wild man 1885 Carte de visite

Acrobat troupe

"The Murray Midgets. Tripplet Brothers. Age 23 years," photo by Charles Eisenmann 1885 Carte de visite

Murray Midgets

Unidentified female acrobat, photograph by Charles Eisenmann 1885 Carte de visite

Unidentified female acrobat

"Nelly M. Petty, with G. B. Bunnell's Museum Co.," photograph by Charles Eisenmann [caption written on verso] 1885 Carte de visite

Nelly M. Petty

Zoe Meleke ["Circassian woman"], photograph by Charles Eisenmann 1885 Carte de visite

Zoe Meleke

Adah Briggs (?), photograph by Charles Eisenmann 1885 Carte de visite

Adah Briggs (?)

Amelia Hill (?), photograph by Charles Eisenmann 1885 Carte de visite

Amelia Hill (?)

"The Bicycle used by Harriet Martell Made and Presented by John Wood, Jr., Beverly, Mass." [caption stamped on verso] 1885 Carte de visite

Harriet Martell and bicycle

"Wueen Midget -- The German Rose," [Rosie Wolff], photograph by Charles Eisenmann 1885 Carte de visite

Rosie Wolff

La Petite Julia (acrobat) 1885 Carte de visite

"La Petite Julia"

9 Photographs: Arms Academy 1912

Matted photograph of the junior and senior classes of the Arms Academy in Shelburne, MA, in 1912. May Kingsbury Phillips (Arms class of 1913) is pictured in the front row, fourth from the left.

9 Photographs: Arms Academy "Student Board" 1919

Matted photograph of the "student board" at the Arms Academy. Mildred Kingsbury Totman is the girl on the right in the second row.

7 6 Photographs: Davis, Dorothy 1913

Mounted school photograph.

7 7 Photographs: Davis, Edwin undated

Mounted photograph from Greenfield, Massachusetts.

7 8 Photographs: Davis, Edwin undated

Mounted tintype, labeled "Salesmen for Grand Union." Edwin Davis with "McFarlane."

7 9 Photographs: Davis, Edwin and Nettie Goldthorite undated

Tintype with Charles Cogswell and Emma Davis in front.

7 10 Photographs: Davis Family Reunion 1896 Mounted photograph 7 11 Photographs: Davis Family Reunion 1897 Mounted photograph 7 12 Photographs: Davis Family Reunion 1991

Two small books of snapshots from reunion at the Totman farm in Conway, Massachusetts

7 13 Photographs: Davis Family Reunion 1992

Two small books of snapshots from reunion at the Totman farm in Conway, Massachusetts.

8 1 Photographs: Davis Family Reunion 1993

Two small books of snapshots from reunion at the Totman farm in Conway, Massachusetts.

8 2 Photographs: Davis, Hardy 1865 Tintype 9 Photographs: Davis, Mary Elizabeth undated

Oval metal framed photograph with mating and glass of Mary Elizabeth (Maxam) Davis.

8 3 Photographs: Davis, Will 1865

Tintype depicting Will Davis (seated).

8 4 Photographs: Davis, Will 1865 Tintype 8 5 Photographs: Davis, William S. P. undated

Mounted photograph from Greenfield, Massachusetts.

8 6 Photographs: Doyl, Maggie undated

Mounted photograph from Hartford, Connecticut.

8 7 Photographs: Fiske House, Shelburne, MA undated

Mounted photo with Harriet.

8 8 Photographs: Fiske House, Shelburne MA undated Mounted photograph 8 9 Photographs: Gould, Roxana Kingsbury 1890 8 10 Photographs: Kingsbury, Ambrose and Roxana Kingsbury Gould 1863 Framed tintypes 8 11 Photographs: Kingsbury, Arnold and Eliza 1893 Mounted photograph 8 12 Photographs: Kingsbury, Bessie E. 1895 Mounted photograph 8 13 Photographs: Kingsbury, Family Copies 2000-2005

Photocopies and reproductions of family photography made by Conrad Totman; contains notes and identification.

8 14 Photographs: Kingsbury, Olive 1862 Mounted photograph 8 15 Photographs: Kingsbury, Olive and Oliver undated Gem tintypes 8 16 Photographs: Kingsbury, Oscar and Lillian, Arnold and Eliza 1894 Mounted photograph 8 17 Photographs: Kingsbury, Oscar and Mildred circa 1940 Snapshot 8 18 Photographs: Kingsbury, Raymond and May Kingsbury Phillips 1903 Mounted photograph 8 19 Photographs: Kingsbury Family, Unidentified [ca. 1880] 8 20 Photographs: Kingsbury Family, Unidentified 1865 Gem tintypes 8 21 Photographs: Kingsbury Family, Unidentified 1890

Mounted photo cards from Manchester, Vermont.

8 22 Photographs: Lamb, John 1870 Mounted gem tintype 8 23 Photographs: Lamb, Margaret undated

Tintype depicting daughter of Isaac and Mary.

8 24 Photographs: Lamb, Mrs. William (Anna) undated Tintype 8 25 Photographs: Lamb, William 1870 Gem tintype 8 26 Photographs: McPherson, Frank 1885

Mounted photograph from Greenfield, Massachusetts.

8 27 Photographs: Mandell, Harriet undated Mounted photograph 8 28 Photographs: Mandell, Will 1870-1880

Two mounted photographs, one dated 1880 from Fitchberg, Massachusetts.

8 29 Photographs: Phillips, Ernest 1905

Mounted photograph of South Deerfield beehives.

8 30 Photographs: Phillips, May Kingsbury circa 1904

Mounted class photograph.

8 31 Photographs: Phillips, May Kingsbury 1910

Mounted photograph with the children of William Davis.

8 32 Photographs: Phillips, May Kingsbury 1913

Photograph from Arms Academy.

8 33 Photographs: Miss Pratt undated

Mounted photograph from Turners Falls, labeled "teacher."

8 34 Photographs: Scott, Henry undated

Mounted photograph from Conway, Massachusetts.

8 35 Photographs: Shelburne Center undated 8 36 Photographs: Shelburne Center School undated

Mounted class portrait.

8 37 Photographs: Southworth, Elvira undated Glass covered photograph 8 38 Photographs: Southworth, Elvira undated

Mounted photograph from Hartford, Connecticut.

8 39 Photographs: Southworth, Frank undated

Mounted photograph from Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts.

8 40 Photographs: Thompson, A. L. undated

Mounted photograph from Shelburne, Massachusetts.

8 41 Photographs: Thompson, Minnie undated

Mounted photograph depicting daughter of George and Lucy.

9 Photographs: Totman, Mildred Kingsbury 1921

Matted photograph of Mildred Kingsbury Totman's high school basketball team. Top row (left to right): E. Temple, Miss Lyman, Hilda Thompson. Second row: Selda Leonard, Elizabeth Loomis, Mildred Kingsbury Totman, Elsie Matson. Front row: Barbara Donelson, Viola Tyler, Sylvia Gould.

8 42 Photographs: Vincent, James undated Mounted photograph 8 43 Photographs: Williams, Olive Kingsbury undated Cardstock photograph 9 Relia: California State Capitol Metalic Tray undated

Unidentified small metalic tray with a photograph of the California state capitol building. "10 cents" written on the back.