Special Collections & University Archives
Brinley Family
Brinley Family Papers, 1643-1950.
(4.75 linear feet).
A prosperous family of merchants and landowners, the Brinleys were well ensconced among the social and political elite of colonial New England. Connected by marriage to other elite families in Rhode Island and Massachusetts — the Auchmutys, Craddocks, and Tyngs among them — the Brinleys were refined, highly educated, public spirited, and most often business-minded. Although many members of the family remained loyal to the British cause during the Revolution, the family retained their high social standing in the years following.
The Brinley collection includes business letters, legal and business records, wills, a fragment of a diary, documents relating to slaves, newspaper clippings, and a small number of paintings and artifacts. A descendent, Nancy Brinley, contributed a quantity of genealogical research notes and photocopies of Brinley family documents from other repositories. Of particular note in the collection is a fine nineteenth century copy of a John Smibert portrait of Deborah Brinley (1719), an elegant silver tray passed through the generations, and is a 1713 list of the library of Francis Brinley, which offers a foreshadowing of the remarkable book collection put together in the later nineteenth century by his descendant George Brinley.
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Subjects- American loyalists--Massachusetts
- Book collectors--United States--History--19th century
- Brinley family
- Brinley, George, 1817-1875--Library
- Businessmen--Massachusetts--History
- Businessmen--Rhode Island--History
- Craddock family
- Landowners--Massachusetts--History
- Landowners--Rhode Island--History
- Libraries--Rhode Island--18th century
- Massachusetts--Economic conditions--18th century
- Massachusetts--Politics and government--19th century
- Rhode Island--Economic conditions--18th century
- Rhode Island--Genealogy
- Rhode Island--Politics and government--19th century
- Slavery--United States--History
- Tyng family
- United Empire Loyalists
Types of material
Call no.: MS 161
View related collections: Connecticut, Family, Massachusetts (East), Rhode Island : : No Comments
Sadie Campbell Papers, 1812-2002.
19 boxes (10.25 linear feet).
Sadie Campbell and sons Harold and Robert Leslie
A housewife, mother and active community member, Sadie Campbell was born in 1881 and lived at 1 Depot Street in Cheshire, Massachusetts for most of her life until she died in 1971. Sadie was closely tied to the Cheshire community where she had a large circle of friends and acquaintances, and was active in a a number of organizations, such as: the Cheshire Ladies Reading Club, the Merry Wives of Cheshire Shakespeare Club, and the Cheshire Cash Tearoom.
The collection documents three generations of a western Massachusetts family. The variety and nature of the materials in this collection offer a good view into the local and social history of western Massachusetts through the lives of Sadie Campbell and her family.
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Subjects- Cheshire (Mass.)--History
- Cheshire Cash Tearoom
- Family--Massachusetts--History--19th century
- Family--Massachusetts--History--20th century
- Housekeeping--Massachusetts--Cheshire
- Housewives--Massachusetts--Cheshire
- Massachusetts--Social life and customs--19th century
- Merry Wives of Cheshire Shakespeare Club
- Small business--Massachusetts
- Tyrell, Augustus
- Williams Manufacturing Company
- Women--Societies and clubs--History--19th century
ContributorsTypes of material- Account books
- Invitations
- Letters (Correspondence)
- Pamphlets
- Photographs
- Recipes
Call no.: MS 439
View related collections: Family, Massachusetts (West), Photographs, Women : : No Comments
Flint and Lawrence Family Papers, 1642-1798.
2 boxes (1 linear feet).
Personal, financial and legal papers of Flint and Lawrence families of Lincoln, Massachusetts including wills, estate inventories, indenture documents, receipts of payment for slaves and education, correspondence; and records of town and church meetings, town petitions and receipts relating to the construction of the meeting house. Papers of Reverend William Lawrence include letter of acceptance of Lincoln, Massachusetts ministry, record of salary, a sermon and daybook. Personal papers of loyalist Dr. Joseph Adams, who fled to England in 1777, contain letters documenting conditions in England in the late 1700s and the legal and personal problems experienced by emigres and their families in the years following the Revolutionary War.
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Subjects- American loyalists--Great Britain
- American loyalists--Massachusetts
- Church buildings--Massachusetts--Lincoln--Costs
- England--Emigration and immigration--18th century
- Flint family
- Immigrants--England--17th century
- Land tenure--Massachusetts--Lincoln
- Landowners--Massachusetts--Lincoln
- Lawrence family
- Lincoln (Mass.)--Economic conditions--18th century
- Lincoln (Mass.)--History
- Lincoln (Mass.)--Social conditions--18th century
- Massachusetts--Emigration and immigation--18th century
- Slaves--Prices--Massachusetts--Lincoln
Contributors- Adams, Joseph, 1749-1803
- Flint, Edward, 1685-1754
- Flint, Ephraim, b. 1714
- Flint, Love Adams, d. 1772
- Flint, Thomas, d. 1653
- Lawrence, William, 1723-1780
Types of material- Accounts
- Genealogies
- Indentures
- Inventories of decedents estates
- Wills
Call no.: MS 273
View related collections: Family, Massachusetts (East), Religion : : No Comments
Charles Taylor Collection, 1731-1904.
(5 linear feet).
Collection of historical documents compiled by Charles Taylor, author of the 1882 town history of Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Includes Court of Common Pleas cases, deeds, estate papers, indentures, land surveys, sheriff’s writs, town history reference documents, Samuel Rossiter’s financial papers, and genealogical research papers for over 40 families.
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Subjects- Debt--Massachusetts--Great Barrington
- Farm tenancy--Massachusetts--Great Barrington
- Great Barrington (Mass.)--Economic conditions--18th century
- Great Barrington (Mass.)--Genealogy
- Great Barrington (Mass.)--History
- Great Barrington (Mass.)--Politics and government
- Great Barrington (Mass.)--Social conditions
- Land use--Massachusetts--Great Barrington
Contributors- Ives, Thomas
- Kellogg, Ezra
- Pynchon, George
- Pynchon, Walter
- Root, Hewitt
- Rossiter, Samuel
- Taylor, Charles J. (Charles James), 1824-1904
Types of material- Deeds
- Genealogies
- Land surveys
- Writs
Call no.: MS 104
View related collections: Massachusetts (West), Politics & governance : : No Comments
Howe Family Papers, 1730-1955.
7 boxes (4.5 linear feet).
Personal, business, and legal papers of the Howe family of Enfield and Dana, Massachusetts, including correspondence between family members, genealogies, account books and printed materials. Account books record transactions of various family members whose occupations included general storekeeper, minister, printer, postmaster, telephone exchange and gas-station owner, and document the transactions of community businesses and individuals, some of whom were women involved in the beginnings of the local palm leaf hat and mat industry.
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Subjects- Bookkeeping--History--Sources
- Enfield (Mass.)--Biography
- Enfield (Mass.)--Economic conditions--19th century
- Enfield (Mass.)--History
- Enfield (Mass.)--Social life and customs
- Howe family--Genealogy
- Moneylenders--Massachusetts--Enfield--History
- Quabbin Reservoir Region (Mass.)--History
- Swift River Valley (Mass.)--History
- Swift River Valley (Mass.)--Social life and customs
Contributors- Howe, Donald W. (Donald Wiliam), 1982-1977
- Howe, Edwin H., 1859-1943
- Howe, Henry Clay Milton, b. 1823
- Howe, John M.
- Howe, John, 1783-1845
- Howe, Theodocia Johnson, 1824-1898
Types of material- Account books
- Business records
- Deeds
- Genealogies
- Scrapbooks
- Wills
Call no.: MS 019
View related collections: Family, Mercantile, Quabbin : : No Comments
James Robinson Newhall Account Book, 1851-1883.
1 vol. (0.25 linear feet).
Prominent lawyer, judge, and author from Lynn, Massachusetts. Includes services as lawyer and judge (such as selling stocks, writing wills, mortgage notices, and lien certificates, and acting as administrator of estates), mention of various court cases, family members, and prominent townspeople. Also contains personal records pertaining to a rental property, and the sale of his book, History of Lynn.
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Subjects- Curtin, Martha
- Green, Benjamin F
- Guardian and ward--Massachusetts--History--19th century
- Hazeltine, Phebe
- Hilton, John
- Judges--Massachusetts--Lynn--Economic conditions--19th century
- Lawyers--Massachusetts--Lynn--Economic conditions--19th century
- Lindsay, James N
- Merritt, Charles
- Mount Holyoke Female Seminary--History
- Munroe, James
- Newhall, James R. (James Robinson), 1809-1893. History of Lynn
- Practice of law--Massachusetts--Lynn--History--19th century
- Rent charges--Massachusetts--Lynn--History--19th century
- Rental housing--Massachusetts--Lynn--History--19th century
- Usher, Roland
- Vennard, John C
Contributors- Newhall, James R. (James Robinson), 1809-1893
Types of material
Call no.: MS 177 bd
View related collections: Massachusetts (East), New England : : No Comments
Smith Family Papers, 1802-1825.
1 box (0.25 linear feet).
Legal and financial documents of the Smith family of West Springfield, Massachusetts, including personal accounts, notes on road planning and construction, wills, deeds, and indentures.
Subjects- Smith family
- West Springfield (Mass.)--History
Types of material- Accounts
- Deeds
- Indentures
- Wills
Call no.: MS 500
View related collections: Business & industry, Family, Massachusetts (West) : : No Comments
