1859-1979
Guide to the Collection
Restrictions on Access
The Hilda Chase Foster papers are stored offsite and must be requested at least two business days in advance via Portal1791. Researchers needing more than six items from offsite storage should provide additional advance notice. If you have questions about requesting materials from offsite storage, please contact the reference desk at 617-646-0532 or reference@masshist.org.
Abstract
This collection consists of the papers of Hilda Chase Foster, 1859-1979, collected by Anne Farlow Morris while compiling Foster's memoir, including family and business correspondence, writings, travel notebooks, passports, recipes, membership cards and certificates, newspaper clippings, sound recordings, and ephemera including calling cards, invitations, tickets, and ration materials.
Biographical Sketches
Hilda Chase Foster
Hilda Chase Foster (1891-1974) was born in Brookline, Massachusetts, the daughter of Charles Henry Wheelwright Foster (1859-1955) and Mabel Chase Hill Foster (1864-1925). She was the fourth of nine children. Her siblings were Charles O. (1887-1933), Catherine H. (1888-1975), Reginald C. (1889-1945), Edith H. (1893-1977), Ruth M. (1894-1896), Caroline W. (b. 1896), Barbara (1899-1952), and John W. (1907-1913).
The family moved from Brookline to Charles River Village in Needham, Mass. in 1901. Their home became known as Castle Farm. Hilda attended school in Chestnut Hill until the age of twelve when she transferred to Miss Winsor's School on Beacon Street in Boston. After attending Miss Low and Miss Heywood's School in Stamford, Conn., Hilda made her debut on 7 Oct. 1910.
Hilda's parents maintained a summer home in Marblehead, Mass. for many years, and her father was the owner of numerous yachts and sailing vessels. Hilda and her siblings grew up around the water and were all avid sailors.
In 1915, Hilda's brother Reginald went to Germany and Poland. He was employed by the Rockefeller Foundation and organized the care of orphans during World War I. He eventually joined the Red Cross in Europe and convinced Hilda to do the same. She joined at the end of World War I and arrived in Paris on Armistice Day, 11 Nov. 1918. She remained abroad for some time, performing various Red Cross service jobs in France, Germany, and Poland. Reginald remained in Europe as well, and the two saw each other and traveled on occasion.
After Hilda returned to the United States, she was briefly engaged to a man named "Bill" Wanton Dunnell. He was a family friend Hilda met in Squam Lake, N.H. The engagement was called off, and Hilda never married, but Wanton's mother, Mrs. W. W. Dunnell, remained her traveling companion, close friend, and correspondent.
Hilda spent a great part of the 1920s and 1930s traveling. She spent time in Westmeath, Ireland, where she took part in fox hunting, and from 1934-1935, she embarked on a trek through Kashmir, traveled throughout Asia, and visited Australia and New Zealand.
When war was declared in Europe in 1939, Hilda returned to work as an ambulance driver in Cambridge, England. Her brother Reginald also returned to Europe.
Upon her return to the United States in 1942, she continued her work for the war effort. She worked on the assembly line at the Hood Rubber Company in Watertown, Mass. and at the Commercial Filters Corporation in Boston.
In 1957, she made her home in Norwich, Vt., where she died of natural causes in 1974.
Charles Henry Wheelwright Foster and Mabel Hill Foster
Charles Henry Wheelwright Foster was born in 1859 in Brookline, Mass. He was the second son of Charles Orin Foster and Caroline Blanchard Candler Foster. The family briefly lived in Cuba, but returned to Brookline, where Caroline gave birth to three daughters.
His father was president of Oriental Powder Mills and president of the Boston Sugar Refinery Company.
Charles went to the William N. Eayrs School in Brookline and then to Harvard, where he graduated in 1881. He immediately entered his father's business, rising to become superintendent of the sugar refinery. He was a sportsman at college and a lifelong sailing and polo enthusiast. He died in 1955.
Mabel Hill was born in 1864, one of four daughters of William Henry Hill and Catherine Cogswell Chase Hill. Her father was a director of the First National Bank of Boston and a railroad investor. Mabel died in 1925.
Charles Henry Wheelwright Foster and Mabel Hill were married on 7 Oct. 1885 at Saint Paul's Church in Brookline, Mass.
Please note the family tree on pages 224-225 of The Memoirs of Hilda Chase Foster.
Sources
Morris, Anne Farlow. The Memoirs of Hilda Chase Foster. 1982.
The Overseas War Record of the Winsor School, 1914-1919.
Hill-Chase (Blaney) genealogy, Massachusetts Historical Society. DF-011.
Collection Description
The Hilda Chase Foster papers, 1859-1979, consist of 4 record cartons and 1 document box. The collection includes personal correspondence, business correspondence, travel notebooks, newspaper clippings, recipes, address books, writings, financial materials, recordings, and ephemeral memorabilia of Hilda Chase Foster and her family.
These papers were gathered to supply information for The Memoirs of Hilda Chase Foster, written by Anne Farlow Morris, a grandniece of Hilda Chase Foster. The memoir was privately printed in 1982 for the Foster family and their friends. A copy of the memoir is in the print collection of the MHS.
The bulk of the papers in this collection consist of Hilda's personal correspondence, including letters to and from family members, friends, and acquaintances throughout the course of her life. This correspondence and other papers span Hilda's childhood, Red Cross service jobs in Europe during World War I, work as an ambulance driver in England during World War II, and travels through Ireland, Asia, and Australia.
The collection also includes papers of Hilda's parents, Charles Henry Wheelwright Foster and Mabel Chase Hill Foster. They include correspondence from early in their marriage and from their young children, papers relating to their wedding, writings, recipes, newspaper clippings, and financial materials.
Additional papers include genealogical material and letters related to The Memoirs of Hilda Chase Foster.
Arrangement
In the process of compiling The Memoirs of Hilda Chase Foster, Anne Farlow Morris, the donor of the collection and grandniece of Hilda Chase Foster, organized the papers into six periods of her life, each corresponding to specific chapters of The Memoirs. That arrangement has been preserved and is reflected by the series arrangement of the collection.
Acquisition Information
The papers of Hilda Chase Foster were given to the Massachusetts Historical Society by Anne Farlow Morris, May 2001, with later additions. Additional papers given in May 2014.
Digital facsimiles of the Hill-Chase (Blaney) genealogy (DF-011) were given to the MHS in March 2014. The MHS does not hold a paper copy of this genealogy. Digital facsimiles may be accessed at the MHS library only.
Restrictions on Access
The Hilda Chase Foster papers are stored offsite and must be requested at least two business days in advance via Portal1791. Researchers needing more than six items from offsite storage should provide additional advance notice. If you have questions about requesting materials from offsite storage, please contact the reference desk at 617-646-0532 or reference@masshist.org.
Detailed Description of the Collection
I. Charles Henry Wheelwright Foster and Mabel Hill Foster papers, 1859-1956
Arranged chronologically by type.
This series contains correspondence, school papers, wedding papers, recipes, household lists, passports and licenses, address books, a calendar and memo book, clippings, ephemera, and printed materials of Hilda Chase Foster's parents, Charles Henry Wheelwright Foster and Mabel Hill Foster, as well as some materials of her paternal and maternal grandparents, Charles Orin Foster, Caroline Blanchard Candler Foster, William Henry Hill, and Catherine Cogswell Chase Hill. This series primarily corresponds to chapters 1 and 2 of The Memoirs of Hilda Chase Foster.
Personal correspondence consists of early letters between Charles Henry Wheelwright Foster and Mabel Hill Foster, as well as from various family members and friends, before and during the early years of their marriage; from Hilda Chase Foster and Reginald Foster to their parents as children; and between Charles Henry Wheelwright Foster and Mabel Hill Foster in the 1920s. Business correspondence contains letters to and from Charles Henry Wheelwright Foster, mostly relating to his estate.
School papers include assignments and report cards from Charles Henry Wheelwright Foster's time at the William N. Eayrs school in Brookline, Mass. and the Chauncy Hall School. Wedding papers include bills, invoices, invitations, congratulatory notes, a book of names and addresses of people presumably invited to the wedding, and a gift registry book. Ephemera consist of invitations, calling cards, tickets, and quilting patterns.
Personal correspondence, 1873-1925
Business correspondence, 1881-1956
School papers and report cards, 1870-1877
Wedding papers, 1883-1885
Wedding list book, 1885
Wedding gift book, 1884-1885
Writings and drawings, 1885-1955
Recipes
Household lists
Passports and licenses, 1882, 1922, 1928
Address books
Calendar/memoranda book, 1859
Newspaper clippings
Ephemera (invitations), 1880-1955
Ephemera (calling cards)
Ephemera (tickets), 1876-1902
Ephemera (quilting patterns)
Printed materials, 1885-1941
II. Hilda Chase Foster papers, 1889-1974
This series is organized in nine subseries. The first six subseries correspond to periods in Hilda Chase Foster's life and are as follows: childhood, World War I, the 1920s and 1930s, World War II, 1946-1956, and Norwich, Vermont. Anne Farlow Morris, Hilda Chase Foster's grandniece, arranged the series in this manner as she used the collection to write The Memoirs of Hilda Chase Foster, which was published in 1982. Three additional series include miscellaneous correspondence and papers, recordings, and a birthday scrapbook.
A. Childhood papers, 1889-1921
Arranged chronologically by type.
This subseries contains correspondence to and from Hilda Chase Foster while at Miss Low and Miss Heywood's School in Stamford, Conn., as well as from family vacations. Invitations and announcements pertain to the 1910-1911 debutante teas, ball, and coming out of Hilda Chase Foster and her peers. A personal expense account book intermittently lists Hilda's expenses, primarily for clothing, from 1895-1912. See also the Hilda Chase Foster fabric book, 1897-1899, which was removed to the MHS museum collection. This subseries corresponds to chapters 3-7 of The Memoirs of Hilda Chase Foster.
Correspondence, 1889-1921
Invitations and announcements, 1910-1911
Personal expense account book, 1895-1912
School notebook, 1901-1904
B. World War I papers, 1915-1919
Arranged chronologically by type.
This subseries includes Hilda Chase Foster's correspondence over the course of World War I, primarily with her mother Mabel and her brother Reginald Foster. In 1915, Reginald went to Europe to help in the war effort. Hilda followed, arriving on Armistice Day, to work for the Red Cross. This subseries also includes writings and poems regarding World War I given to Hilda by servicemen whom she met, as well as by her brother Reginald.
The subseries also includes address books, calling cards, passports and birth certificates, Red Cross vaccinations and certifications, and ephemera. It corresponds to chapters 7-8 of The Memoirs of Hilda Chase Foster.
Correspondence, 1915-1919
Writings
Address books and calling cards
Passports and birth certificates, 1917-1919
Red Cross vaccinations and certifications, 1915-1919
Ephemera
C. 1920s and 1930s papers, 1921-1938
Arranged chronologically by type.
After World War I, Hilda returned to live with her family in Charles River (Needham), Mass. Personal correspondence from 1921-1926 includes letters exchanged with family members, and in 1922, correspondence with William "Wanton" Dunnell, to whom Hilda was briefly engaged that year. This time period also marked the beginning of a lifelong friendship and correspondence with Dunnell's mother, Mrs. W. W. Dunnell. Condolences on the passing of her mother Mabel Hill Foster comprise much of the correspondence from 1925.
The correspondence also pertains to Hilda's overseas travels. On a trip to Westmeath, Ireland, in the early 1930s, she took part in fox hunting, and in England, on 11 May 1932, she was presented at court at Buckingham Palace. In 1934-1936, she traveled to India, other parts of Asia, and Australia. The correspondence from this time is mainly to her friend Tony Bryan, whom she met in her European travels, and her family.
This subseries also includes two travel notebooks, condolence calling cards, bills and receipts, newspaper clippings, a passport and permits, printed material, and various ephemera. The travel notebooks, which span the 1930s and the 1950s, are organized roughly alphabetically and contain addresses of places Hilda Chase Foster stayed and people she met, itineraries, notes, recipes, etc. This subseries corresponds to chapters 9-11 in The Memoirs of Hilda Chase Foster.
Correspondence, 1921-1933
"Around the World" correspondence, 1934-1936
Travel notebook A-H, 1930s-1950s
Loose papers removed from travel notebook A-H
Travel notebook I-Z, 1930s-1950s
Loose papers removed from travel notebook I-Z
Condolence calling cards, Nov. 1925
Bills and receipts, 1929-1937
Newspaper clippings, 1924-1938
Passport and permits, 1928-1934
Printed material, 1929-1936
Ephemera
D. World War II papers, 1937-1946
Arranged chronologically by type.
Hilda returned to Europe during World War II and worked as an ambulance driver in Cambridge, England. When she returned to the United States in 1942, she moved to Boston and worked at the Hood Rubber Company in Watertown, Mass. and at the Commercial Filters Corporation in Boston.
This subseries includes correspondence with her family and friends, newspaper clippings, U.K. and U.S. government information regarding air raid precautions, etc., passports and certifications, ration materials, and ephemera. This subseries corresponds to chapters 12-13 of The Memoirs of Hilda Chase Foster.
Correspondence, 1937-1946
Business correspondence, 1939-1945
Financial papers, checks, 1941-1945
Newspaper clippings, 1940-1945
Government publications and forms, 1940-1945
Passports and certifications, 1940-1945
Ration materials, ca. 1941
Diary/calendar, 1941
Printed material, 1939-1944
Ephemera
E. Miscellaneous papers, 1946-1956
Arranged chronologically by type.
This subseries contains correspondence, a passport, and miscellaneous papers from the period between World War II and Hilda Chase Foster's move to Vermont and corresponds to chapter 13 of The Memoirs of Hilda Chase Foster. See also travel notebooks in the 1920s and 1930s papers.
Correspondence, 1946-1956
Passport, 1948
Miscellaneous
F. Norwich, Vermont, 1955-1974
Arranged chronologically by type.
Hilda lived in Norwich, Vt. from 1957 until her death in 1974. Papers from that period include correspondence, papers regarding her father Charles Henry Wheelwright Foster's estate, living will forms, newspaper clippings, an autobiography of G. H. Donald, and membership cards and certificates. This subseries corresponds to chapters 13-14 of The Memoirs of Hilda Chase Foster.
Correspondence, 1957-1974
Charles Henry Wheelwright Foster estate papers, 1955-1963
Living will forms, 1970-1971
Newspaper clippings, ca. 1957-1973
Autobiography pamphlet of G. H. Donald
Membership cards and certificates, 1958-1967
G. Miscellaneous correspondence and papers
Arranged by type.
This subseries contains undated correspondence not organized by period by Anne Farlow Morris, as well as miscellaneous calling cards, recipes, lists, tracings, and ephemera.
Correspondence
Calling cards
Recipes and household lists
Tracings
Ephemera
H. Recordings, 1935-1973
Arranged chronologically by type.
This subseries contains one "voice record," eight 1/4" reel-to-reel audio tapes, and three audio cassette tapes. The "voice record" is a novelty greeting recorded and sent to Hilda Chase Foster in 1935. The reel-to-reel audio tapes and cassettes, 1969-1973, include reminiscences and anecdotes about her childhood and travels.
"Voice record," 29 Nov. 1935
1/4" tape reels, 1969-1970
Cassettes, ca. 1973
I. Birthday scrapbook, 1970-1971
III. Anne Farlow Morris notes, ca. 1977-1979
This series contains various notes generated by Morris in the course of researching the memoir. The series includes timelines of activities throughout the lives of Hilda and C. H. W. Foster, transcriptions of C. H. W. Foster diary entries, note cards containing pertinent dates and events, brief biographies of some family members and acquaintances, lists of C. H. W. Foster's yachts, transcriptions of interviews with Hilda and her siblings in their later years, and photocopied newspaper articles.
IV. Additions
Genealogy: William H. Hill
Genealogy: Gridley and Blaney families
Genealogy: Blaney family
Genealogy: Foster family
Genealogy: Foster errata sheets for family anthology
Genealogy: Grave of Orrin Foster
Genealogy: Charles H. W. Foster wedding invitation
Genealogy: Maps of Charles River Village and Castle Farm
Hilda Foster estate, contents of house
Family miscellany (4 items)
Disbound album, photocopies of Foster family papers, 1871-1904
Album: Letters concerning The Memoirs of Hilda Chase Foster, compiled by Nancy Morris
Materials Removed from the Collection
Printed Material
The following printed materials have been removed from the collection for placement and cataloging with the Massachusetts Historical Society printed materials.
Crumbaker, Leslie G. The Baker Estate or Ridge Hill Farms of Needham. Needham: Needham Historical Society, 1975.
Forty-Fifth Annual Catalogue of the Teachers and Pupils of Chauncy-Hall School. Boston: David Clapp & Son, 1873.
Map of Boston Common with Surrounding Streets and Adjacent Parts of Beacon Hill. Designed by Griswold Tyng. Boston: Little, Brown and Co. (ca. 1940s?)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Regulations and Suggestions for the Trip to Philadelphia, June 8, 1876.
Morris, Anne Farlow. The Memoirs of Hilda Chase Foster. Privately printed, 1982.
The Overseas War Record of the Winsor School, 1914-1919.
Young, Sarah Abby. Will. Mar. 7, 1888, Codicil Oct. 23, 1889.
Photographs
Photographs from this collection have been removed to the Hilda Chase Foster photographs, 1879-1981. Photo. Coll. 143.
Artifacts
The following artifacts were removed from the collection for storage and cataloging with the Massachusetts Historical Society museum collection.
Charles Henry Wheelwright Foster. Wallet.
Hilda Chase Foster. Fabric book, 1897-1901.
"Ration Books" leather pouch.
World War II Blitz earplug.
Army-Navy Production Award pin.
1 United Kingdom Half-Penny, 1919.
2 US steel pennies, 1943.
4 OPA blue points.
6 lace clover pattern textiles.
2 handkerchiefs with an embroidered "H".
Preferred Citation
Hilda Chase Foster papers, Massachusetts Historical Society.
Access Terms
This collection is indexed under the following headings in ABIGAIL, the online catalog of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related persons, organizations, or subjects should search the catalog using these headings.