1724-1958; bulk: 1870-1902
Guide to the Collection
Abstract
This collection consists of papers of the Langdon family of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, primarily personal correspondence of Frances Cutter Langdon Bassett (1805-1893), Woodbury Langdon (1837-1921), Frances Eustis Langdon (1842-1890), Helen Haven Langdon (1870-1937), and Frances Eustis Langdon, Jr. (1872-1944). Also included are financial papers, volumes, printed materials, and genealogical materials.
Biographical Sketches
See appendices below for family trees of the Langdon, Haven, and Cutter families.
Langdon family
Woodbury Langdon (1801-1842), son of Henry Sherburne Langdon (1766-1857) and Ann Nancy Eustis Langdon (1771-1818), was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He married Frances Edward Cutter in Portsmouth on 14 July 1834. They had 3 children: Charles Woodbury Langdon, Miriam Cutter Langdon, and Francis Eustis Cutter Langdon. Woodbury Langdon was a ship captain and sailed several voyages from Portsmouth to the Caribbean. He was lost at sea in 1842.
Sophia Hill Langdon (1818-1902), daughter of Henry Sherburne Langdon (1766-1857) and Ann Nancy Eustis Langdon (1771-1818), was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. She did not marry. She kept up a continuous correspondence with her sister-in-law Frances Cutter Langdon throughout their lives. She died in Arlington, Massachusetts, in 1902.
(Charles) Woodbury Langdon (1837-1921), son of Woodbury Langdon (1801-1842) and Frances Edward Cutter Langdon (1805-1893), was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He was a merchant in New York City. He married Edith Eustis Pugh (1866-1895) in New York City on 28 March 1894. After her death, Woodbury married Elizabeth "Bessie" Langdon Elwyn in Portsmouth on 2 September 1896. He had no children, but following his brother Francis's death in 1890, Woodbury became the guardian of his nephew Francis Eustis Langdon, Jr. until he came of age. Woodbury Langdon died in Portsmouth in 1921.
Francis "Frank" Eustis Langdon (1842-1890), son of Woodbury Langdon (1801-1842) and Frances Edward Cutter Langdon (1805-1893), was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He married Helen Bell Haven in Portsmouth on 9 March 1869. They had two children: Helen Haven Langdon and Francis Eustis Langdon, Jr. Francis Langdon was a physician and resided in New York City, New York, and Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where he died in 1890.
Helen Haven Langdon (1870-1937), daughter of Francis Eustis Langdon and Helen Bell Haven Langdon, was born in New York City, New York. She resided in the Cutter House in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, for most of her life. She never married but maintained close relationships with extended family members and the Portsmouth community. She died in Portsmouth in 1937.
Francis Eustis Langdon, Jr. (1872-1944), often called "Eustis," was the son of Francis Eustis Langdon and Helen Bell Haven Langdon. He was born in York, Maine, and attended Philips Exeter Academy and Portsmouth High School. He went to medical school and law school at Harvard University in the 1890s and practiced as a doctor in Boston, Massachusetts, before becoming a lawyer. He married Eva Agnes Rose in Hartford, Connecticut on 20 May 1914. They had three children: Hazel Larose Langdon (Page), Haven Wallis Langdon, and Norman E. Langdon. They resided in St. Johns, Florida; New Haven, Connecticut; and Pomfret, Connecticut. He died in 1944 in Putnam, Connecticut.
Cutter family
Frances Edward Cutter Langdon Bassett (1805-1893), daughter of Jacob Cutter (1772-1857) and Miriam Cross Cutter (1776-1856), was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. She married Woodbury Langdon on 14 July 1834. They had 3 children: Charles Woodbury Langdon, Miriam Cutter Langdon, and Francis Eustis Cutter Langdon. In 1858, after Woodbury Langdon died, Frances married Francis Bassett in Roxbury, Massachusetts. She resided in Boston, Massachusetts, and Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where she died in 1893.
Haven family
George Wallis Haven (1805-1895), son of John Haven (1766-1845) and Ann Woodward Haven (1771-1849), was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He married Helen Sarah Bell (1805-1846), daughter of Joseph Bell and Catherine Olcott Bell, in Haverhill, New Hampshire, on 4 September 1839. They had 2 children: Helen Bell Haven (Langdon) (1845-1874) and Edith Haven (Doe) (1840-1922). His second marriage was to Susan Halliburton Haven (1830-1898), whom he married in Portsmouth on 18 November 1856. Together they had one son, George Haven (1861-1903), in addition to one daughter Susan had from a previous marriage, Georgina Halliburton (1849-1910).
Edith Haven Doe (1840-1922), daughter of George Wallis Haven and Helen Sarah Bell Haven, was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. She married Judge Charles Doe in Portsmouth on 11 April 1865. They had 10 children: Ralph Doe (1866-1882), Perley Doe (1868-1922), Haven Doe (1870-1946), Catherine Doe (1872-1959), Robert Doe (1875-1925), Mary Doe (b. 1877), Helen Doe (1877-1928), Mary Haliburton Doe (180-1912), Dorothy Doe (1882-1916), and Jessie Doe (1887-1943). They lived in Portsmouth, Rollinsford, and Dover, New Hampshire. Edith died in Rollinsford in 1922.
Helen Bell Haven Langdon (1845-1874), daughter of George Wallis Haven and Helen Sarah Bell Haven, was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts. She married Dr. Francis Eustis Langdon, and they had two children: Helen Haven Langdon and Francis Eustis Langdon, Jr. She died in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in 1874.
Doe family
Perley Doe (1868-1922), the second-oldest son of Charles Doe (1830-1896) and Edith Haven Doe (1840-1922), was born in Rollinsford, New Hampshire. He married Myrtle Porter (1873-1959) in Arlington, Massachusetts, in 1917. Perley was a Socialist and pacifist when the United States entered World War I, and he was actively against the war. In 1918, he was arrested for circulating seditious literature and spent time in prison before being pardoned by President Woodrow Wilson in 1919. He died in Cañon City, Colorado, in 1922.
Catherine "Cate" Doe (1872-1959), the eldest daughter of Charles Doe (1830-1896) and Edith Haven Doe (1840-1922), was born in Rollinsford, New Hampshire. She never married and resided in Rollinsford, New Hampshire; Hingham, Massachusetts; Westport, Connecticut; Santa Barbara, California; and Dover, New Hampshire. Her sister Mary H. Doe Ayers died in 1912, and Catherine took in Mary's daughter Edith for a time. Catherine died in Dover, New Hampshire, in 1959.
Dorothy Doe Groves (1882-1916), the second-youngest daughter of George Wallis Haven and Helen Sarah Bell Haven, was born in Rollinsford, New Hampshire. She married Ernest Rutherford Groves in Rollinsford in 1906, and they had two children: Catherine Doe Groves and Ernestine Dorothy Groves. She died in Rollinsford at age 33 after a miscarriage.
Jessie Doe (1887-1945), daughter of Charles Doe (1830-1896) and Edith Haven Doe (1840-1922), was born in Rollinsford, New Hampshire. She was the youngest of the Doe children. In 1920, Jessie was elected to the New Hampshire State Legislature by newly-enfranchised women voters. She was the first female legislator in New Hampshire and was an outspoken advocate for women's rights. After her political career, she traveled extensively and remained involved in the local New Hampshire community. She died in Concord, New Hampshire, in 1945.
Stone family
Ralph Townsend Stone (1886-1950), son of Alice Deblois Pugh Stone (1861-1938) and Ralph Stone (1849-1910), was born in Buffalo, New York, in 1886. He married Frances Burchell Burt in Washington, D.C. on 24 May 1917. They had one daughter, Frances Townsend Stone, and resided in Washington, D.C.; New Orleans, Louisiana; Cuyahoga, Ohio; and Narbeth, Pennsylvania. Ralph was an engineer and worked for the United States Army Ordinance Department during World War II. He died in Pennsylvania in 1950.
John "Jack" Stone (1889-1948), son of Alice Deblois Pugh Stone (1861-1938) and Ralph Stone (1849-1910), was born in Buffalo, New York, in 1889. Jack served in Europe in World War I with his brother Lawrence. He never married and died in Ridgewood, New York, in 1948.
Lawrence A. Pugh Stone (1892-1953), son of Alice Deblois Pugh Stone (1861-1938) and Ralph Stone (1849-1910), was born in Buffalo, New York, in 1892. He was the godson of Helen Haven Langdon (1870-1937). He attended Harvard University and worked in Louisiana before serving as a first lieutenant in World War I. Following the war, he returned to New Orleans and started an insurance business. He married Sallie Henry Gustine (1895-1979) in 1919. They had two children: Lawrence Augustine Pugh Stone II and Langdon Henry Stone. Lawrence died in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1953.
Elwyn family
Emily Mease Elwyn (1869-1951), daughter of Helen Maria Dyer Elwyn (1833-1910) and Alfred Langdon Elwyn, Jr. (1832-1924), was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1869. She and Helen Haven Langdon maintained frequent correspondence throughout their lives. She never married and died in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in 1951.
Elizabeth "Bessie" Langdon Elwyn Langdon (1871-1945), daughter of Helen Maria Dyer Elwyn (1833-1910) and Alfred Langdon Elwyn, Jr. (1832-1924), was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1871. At age 25, she married Woodbury Langdon on 2 September 1896. They resided in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where she died in 1945.
Collection Description
The Langdon family papers consist of sixteen boxes and one oversize box containing correspondence, journals, printed materials, and financial papers belonging to members of the Langdon, Cutter, Haven, Doe, Elwyn, and Stone families, primarily of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, as well as materials belonging to other relatives and descendants. The bulk of the material spans 1870-1902, consisting primarily of the correspondence of Francis Cutter Langdon Bassett and Helen Haven Langdon.
Correspondence and related materials make up the majority of the collection. Early materials include correspondence of John Langdon (1741-1819), governor of New Hampshire and one of the first United States senators from the state, as well as that of his brother Woodbury Langdon (1739-1805), a New Hampshire politician and judge. The bulk of correspondence involves Woodbury Langdon's descendants, through his grandson Captain Woodbury Langdon (1801-1842) and his wife Frances Edward Cutter Langdon. Beginning in 1870, the correspondence centers on Frances Cutter Langdon and her children, Francis Eustis Langdon (1842-1890) and Woodbury Langdon (1837-1921). Materials cover Portsmouth events, social and family life, and some legal material. From the 1880s through the 1930s, Helen Haven Langdon is the primary correspondent, writing to numerous extended family members, including her brother Francis Eustis Langdon, Jr., her uncle Woodbury Langdon, and various cousins. Included throughout the correspondence are related materials associated with the letters, such as the legal and professional papers of Francis Bassett and Francis Eustis Langdon, Jr., family members' wills, clippings, photographs, and other printed materials.
Financial papers are primarily those of Francis Eustis Langdon, Jr. and his family. Materials include notes from banks and deposited checks, mainly by Eva Rose Langdon after Francis Eustis Langdon, Jr.'s death.
The collection contains extensive genealogical research, pedigree forms tracking various branches of the Langdon family tree, and forms providing information on individual family members from the extended Langdon family. Also included are handwritten notes from a researcher into the Langdon genealogy.
Volumes and printed materials also make up a portion of the collection. Volumes consist of journals belonging to Helen Haven Langdon and Francis Eustis Langdon, Jr., as well as account books, a sketchbook, a recipe book, and notes from Francis Eustis Langdon, Jr.'s education at Harvard Medical School and time working as a physician in Boston. Printed materials are primarily newspaper clippings collected by family members and various items compiled for a scrapbook.
Processing Information
Materials were minimally reprocessed by Katherine Gaburo in 2024 to create this collection guide. Collection remains largely in its original order.
Acquisition Information
Donor unknown.
Detailed Description of the Collection
Expand allI. Correspondence and related materials, 1724-1954
Arranged chronologically.
This series contains correspondence of the extended Langdon family, including members of the Cutter family, the Haven family, the Doe family, the Pugh family, the Elwyn family, the Hopkins family, the Stone family, and others. The bulk of the correspondence spans 1870-1902. From 1850 to 1885, the majority of the correspondence is that of Frances Cutter Langdon Bassett. From 1886 through 1930, Helen Haven Langdon is the main correspondent. Other prominent correspondents include Woodbury Langdon (1837-1921), Francis Eustis Langdon (1842-1890), and Francis Eustis Langdon, Jr. (1872-1944).
1724-1804
Correspondence of members of the extended Langdon family, including John Langdon and William Eustis. Related materials include the last will and testament of Tobias Langdon, as well as account records of Dr. Clement Storer.
1805-1839
Correspondence of Woodbury Langdon (1738-1805) and his descendants and relatives, including Henry Sherburne Langdon, Sophia Hill Langdon, John Haven, Edward Langdon, Frances Cutter Langdon, and William Eustis. Related materials include handwritten copies of various legal documents, such as a document regarding Sarah Langdon's (1748-1827) possession of her husband Woodbury Langdon's (1738-1805) estate after his death, the last will and testament of John Langdon (1741-1819), a deed from Woodbury Langdon (1738-1805) to Daniel H. Tradwell, and papers on Woodbury Langdon's (1738-1805) accounts, administered by his oldest son, Henry Sherburne Langdon.
1840-1849
Correspondence, primarily of Captain Woodbury Langdon and his wife Frances Cutter Langdon. Also included is correspondence of Sophia Langdon, Daniel H. Tradwell, Jacob Cutter, Charles W. Cutter, Sarah Sherburne Langdon Haven, Catherine Olcott Bell, and Francis Eustis Langdon (1842-1890). Later correspondence is primarily that of Francis Bassett, both professional and personal.
1850-1859
Correspondence of Francis Bassett and Frances Cutter Langdon with various individuals and family members, including Charles W. Cutter, Jacob Cutter, Miriam Cross Cutter, Sarah Sherburne Langdon Haven, William Cutter, Ralph Cross Cutter, and Hannah Cutter. Also included are letters to "Nelly" from her father, as well as several letter fragments. Notable is a letter from Sarah Sherburne Langdon Haven to Frances Cutter Langdon Bassett discussing the death of three of Sarah's daughters in a house fire. Related materials include a deed of division signed by William Howes and Francis Bassett.
1860-1869
Correspondence between Helen "Nelly" Bell Haven (Langdon) and George Wallis Haven, correspondence from Francis Cutter Langdon Bassett to her sons Woodbury Langdon and Francis "Frank" Eustis Langdon, and correspondence between Helen Bell Haven (Langdon) and Francis "Frank" Eustis Langdon. Also included are letters from friends to Helen, letters to Frank from his cousins, correspondence of Francis Bassett, and other assorted correspondence from the Cutter, Langdon, and Haven families.
1860-1867
1868-1869
1870-1879
Correspondence primarily of Frances Cutter Langdon Bassett, her sons Frances Eustis Langdon (1842-1890) and Woodbury Langdon (1837-1921), and other family members, including Frances Amory Langdon Haven, Matilda Cutter, Ralph Cutter, Ellen Langdon Pugh, George Wallis Haven, Laura E. Cutter, Augusta Deblois Hopkins, Thomas R. Pynchon, Elisha Bassett, Sophia Hill Langdon, Charles Doe, Charlotte Haven, Robert C. Peirce, Mary S. Cooper, and others.
Notable topics include the death of Francis Bassett and the ensuing contest and execution of his will, as well as the death of Helen Bell Haven. Also included are an invitation to Francis Cutter Langdon Bassett from the "Eclectic Club" of Portsmouth and a receipt from the Massachusetts Historical Society for a donation. Related materials include a lease between Samuel Mitchell and Francis Langdon, Francis Bassett's income tax form and account notes, and receipts and payment records for the legal fees for the execution of Francis Bassett's will.
1880-1885
Correspondence of Langdon family members, primarily Francis Cutter Langdon Bassett, Woodbury Langdon (1837-1921), Francis Langdon (1842-1890), and Helen Haven Langdon (1870-1937). Other correspondents include Matilda Cutter, George Wallis Haven, Sophia Hill Langdon, Frances "Fanny" Amory Langdon Haven, Ellen Haven Hopkins (Iredell), Emily Mease Elwyn, Elizabeth Langdon Porter, Charlotte Haven, Augusta Deblois Hopkins, Francis Eustis Langdon, Jr. (1872-1944), Charlotte Langdon Ames, Ralph Cutter, Charles Doe, Thomas R. Pynchon, George Haven, Eliza Haven, and Mary D. Parker.
Notable items include a letter from Francis Langdon (1842-1890) to Charles Doe after the death of Doe's oldest son Ralph, a notice to Francis Langdon (1842-1890) on his appointment as director of the New Hampshire Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and a ribbon from the Greely Arctic Expedition Reception in Portsmouth on 4 August 1886. Also included is Helen Haven Langdon's report card from the 1881-1882 school year and an essay titled "A Cry to the People" by Hannah E. Woodham from the Insane Asylum in Concord, New Hampshire.
1880
1881-1885
1886-1889
Correspondence, primarily of Helen Haven Langdon, as well as Frances Cutter Langdon Bassett, Woodbury Langdon (1837-1921), Francis Langdon (1842-1890), and Francis Eustis Langdon, Jr. (1872-1944). Other correspondents include Charlotte Langdon Ames, Emily Mease Elwyn, Elizabeth Langdon Elwyn, Sophia Hill Langdon, Ralph Cross Cutter, Mary D. Parker, Thomas R. Pynchon, George Wallis Haven, Charles Doe, Robert Doe, Perley Doe, Catherine "Cate" Doe, and Georgina "Georgie" Halliburton. Other papers include Francis "Eustis" Langdon, Jr.'s (1872-1944) report card from Exeter, his yearly train pass for the Boston & Maine Railroad, and a note about him leaving Exeter in his junior year.
1886-1888
1889
1890-1895
Correspondence, primarily of Helen Haven Langdon, as well as Francis Eustis Langdon (1872-1944), Woodbury Langdon (1837-1921) and Frances Cutter Langdon Bassett. Correspondents include Catherine "Cate" Doe, Dorothy Doe, Perley Doe, Helen Doe, Edith Doe, Jessie Doe, Emily Mease Elwyn, Elizabeth Langdon Elwyn, Ellen E. Pugh, Edith Pugh Langdon, Ellen Hopkins Iredell, John Haven Pugh, Alice Pugh Stone, Augusta Deblois Hopkins (1851-1940), Matilda Cutter, Laura Eliot Cutter, George Wallis Haven (1805-1895), George Haven (1861-1903), Susan Halliburton Haven, Georgina Halliburton, Frances "Fanny" Amory Langdon Haven, Sophia Hill Langdon, Charlotte Haven, Catherine "Kate" Haven, Eliza A. Haven, Elizabeth "Lizzie" Tilton Eastman, Thomas R. Pynchon, Mary D. Parker, Mary S. Cooper, and Eliza Eustis Porter.
Also included are condolence letters to Helen Haven Langdon, Francis Eustis Langdon (1872-1944), Woodbury Langdon, and Frances Cutter Langdon Bassett on the death of Francis Eustis Langdon (1842-1890) from Augusta D. Hopkins (1851-1940), Charles E. Wentworth, Harry P. Treadwell, Eliza A. Haven, Cousin Grace, Perley Doe, Emily Mease Elwyn, Laura Eliot Cutter, Alice Deblois Stone, Thomas R. Pynchon, Mary S. Cooper, and John Haven.
Correspondence of note includes a telegraph and letters regarding Perley Doe disappearing and being arrested in a dispute over a girl, as well as a telegraph announcing the death of Edith Pugh Langdon, Woodbury Langdon's wife. Notable papers include Francis Eustis Langdon's (1872-1944) report card with Woodbury Langdon marked as his guardian, Francis Eustis Langdon's (1872-1944) graduation program from Portsmouth High School and his Harvard Medical School matriculation card, a poem about Perley Doe's disappearance by "Miss Pugh," and several papers from different months titled "Self Examination."
1890-1891
1892
1893-1894
1895
1896-1899
Correspondence primarily of Helen Haven Langdon, as well as Woodbury Langdon and Francis Eustis Langdon, Jr. Correspondents include Catherine Doe, Jessie Doe, Helen Doe, Dorothy Doe, Edith Doe, Ellen E. Pugh, Emily Mease Elwyn, Elizabeth Langdon Elwyn, Mary D. Parker, Georgina Halliburton, Susan Halliburton Haven, Matilda Cutter, and Sophia Hill Langdon.
Notable correspondence includes an invitation to Woodbury Langdon's wedding to Elizabeth Elwyn, as well as a long letter by Catherine Doe ending her friendship with Helen Haven Langdon. Other papers include the clerk minutes of the special New Hampshire Legislative Committee and a dance card from a dance at the Portsmouth Navy Yard in 1899.
1896
1897-1899
1900-1920
Correspondence, primarily of Helen Haven Langdon and Francis Eustis Langdon, Jr. Other correspondents include Woodbury Langdon, Sophia Hill Langdon, Matilda Cutter, Elizabeth Elwyn Langdon, Eva Rose (Langdon), Hazel Langdon, Robert Doe, Helen Doe, Catherine Doe Groves, Ernestine Groves, Helen G. Knight, Alice Stone, Lawrence Stone, Jack Stone, and Ralph Stone. Also included are two oversize letters to Helen from "Alice and Henry" somewhere in Asia, written on decorative paper.
Notable topics include the death of Georgina Halliburton, Francis Eustis Langdon, Jr.'s relationship and marriage to Eva Rose, Lawrence Stone and Jack Stone's time in Europe during World War I, and the birth of Hazel Langdon, Francis Eustis Langdon, Jr.'s daughter. Related materials include professional legal papers of Francis Eustis Langdon, Jr., papers on the transfer of the deed to the Langdon house in Portsmouth from Helen and Francis to Woodbury Langdon, the will of Margaret Gunn Hayes leaving some jewelry to Helen, and copies of Woodbury Langdon's will.
1900-1902
1904-1920
Oversize letters
1921-1956
Correspondence of Helen Haven Langdon, Francis Eustis Langdon, Jr., and his family, including his wife Eva Rose Langdon and his children Hazel Langdon (Page), Haven Langdon, and Normal Langdon. From 1903-1937, the bulk of the correspondence is that of Helen Haven Langdon. From 1945-1954, the correspondence is mainly between Eva Rose Langdon and her sons Haven and Norman while they are at boarding school.
Related materials include Helen Haven Langdon's financial records, as well as her will and papers on the ensuing legal case, a program for a play featuring Haven Langdon, and Hazel Langdon's certificate of completion for photography courses.
1921-1929
1930-1956
Undated correspondence
Arranged by correspondent.
Frances Cutter Langdon Bassett
Correspondence of Frances Cutter Langdon Bassett with Francis Eustis Langdon (1842-1890), Francis Eustis Langdon, Jr., Sophia Langdon, Augusta D. Hopkins, Charlotte Langdon Ames, Ralph C. Cutter, Anna F. Parker, Ellen "Nellie" Haven Hopkins, Anna Langdon Sweetser, Georgiana Halliburton, Margaret Houston Haven, Cornelia Cutter, Helen Maria Elwyn, Sarah Langdon Haven Hopkins, Frances Amory Langdon Haven, and Alice Douglas Ball.
Woodbury Langdon
Correspondence of Woodbury Langdon with Francis Eustis Langdon (1842-1890), Frances Cutter Langdon Bassett, "Aunt Louisa," and Charles Haven.
Francis Eustis Langdon (1842-1890)
Correspondence of Francis Eustis Langdon (1842-1890) with Helen Bell Haven (Langdon), Frances Cutter Langdon Bassett, Francis Eustis Langdon, Jr., Helen Haven Langdon, Georgina Halliburton, Sophia Langdon, Hannah Cutter, Edith Haven Doe, Eliza A. Haven, and Elizabeth Langdon Elwyn.
Helen Bell Haven Langdon
Correspondence of Helen Bell Haven Langdon with Francis Eustis Langdon (1842-1890), Susan Halliburton Haven, Georgina Halliburton, Catherine Olcott Bell, and George Wallis Haven.
Francis Eustis Langdon, Jr. (1872-1944)
Correspondence of Francis Eustis Langdon, Jr. from Helen Haven Langdon, Jessie Doe, and Frances Cutter Langdon Bassett. Also included are "slips" with Francis Eustis Langdon, Jr.'s name on them, as well as two essays, one titled "The Discovery of America" and the other "A Rivet for the Optimist's Lighthouse."
Eva Rose Langdon
Correspondence of Eva Langdon with her sons and Francis Eustis Langdon, Jr., as well as postcards sent to various acquaintances from abroad.
Francis Bassett
Various papers and correspondence of Francis Bassett, including a letter from Frances Cutter Langdon Bassett, a writing on "Grandpa Bassett" by one of the grandchildren, and an essay by Francis Bassett titled "European Reminiscences."
Helen Haven Langdon
Correspondence of Helen Haven Langdon from various correspondents, including Sophia Hill Langdon, Elizabeth Elwyn Langdon, Catherine Doe, Helen Doe, Dorothy Doe, Edith H. Doe, Ralph Doe, "Grandmama" (Susan Halliburton Haven), Georgina Halliburton, Eliza Appleton Haven, Francis "Fanny" Amory Langdon Haven, Emily Mease Elwyn, Hannah Cutter, Matilda Cutter, Francis Cutter Langdon Bassett, Woodbury Langdon, Francis Eustis Langdon, Jr., Eva Rose Langdon, Ellen E. Pugh, Edith E. Pugh, Jack Stone, and Lawrence P. Stone, as well as a list of games Francis Eustis Langdon, Jr. and Helen played.
Other correspondents
Correspondence of various members of the extended Langdon family.
Unknown correspondents
Correspondence and letter fragments by unknown individuals.
Miscellaneous papers
Francis Bassett justice of the peace certificates, 1824-1846
Francis Bassett warranty deeds, 1852-1857
Francis Eustis Langdon, Jr. notary public certificate, 1899
Business cards
Business cards of Mr. Francis Eustis Langdon, Francis Eustis Langdon, Miss Caroline E. Peabody, and Mrs. Francis Eustis Langden (spelled incorrectly).
Engraved stationary plates
Metal plates for printing stationary and business cards. Plates are for Mrs. Francis Eustis Langden (spelled incorrectly), Miss Helen B. Haven, C. Woodbury Langdon, Mrs. Francis Bassett, and Miriam Langdon.
Empty envelopes
II. Financial papers, 1883-1958
Arranged chronologically.
This series contains financial papers belonging to members of the extended Langdon family, primarily Francis Eustis Langdon, Jr. (1872-1944), his wife Eva Rose Langdon, and their children.
III. Genealogies, undated
This series contains genealogical material, including family trees and notes on individual family members.
"Ancestral Tablets" book
Book with templates for creating an eight-generation genealogy, partially filled out, ending with Francis Eustis Langdon, Jr. and Helen Haven Langdon.
Pedigree forms: Langdon and related lines
Family trees mapping various branches of the Langdon family, including the Eustis, Sherburne, Hall, and Haven branches, as well as some miscellaneous lines.
Pedigree forms: Cutter line
Pedigree forms: Haven line
Individual family member notes
Genealogy notes on individual members of the extended Langdon family, including details such as birth and death dates, parents' names, and places of residence.
Genealogy notes
Miscellaneous handwritten genealogy notes on the Langdon family and other relatives and descendants.
Oversize genealogy notes
IV. Volumes, 1843-1928
Arranged by author.
This series contains miscellaneous volumes, as well as journals, account books, notebooks, and other volumes of Helen Bell Haven Langdon (1845-1874), Helen Haven Langdon (1870-1937), and Francis Eustis Langdon, Jr. (1872-1944).
A. Miscellaneous volumes, 1843-1837
Volumes by various or unknown authors.
Aunt Sophia Langdon's Book of Selections, May 1843
Book of handwritten poems written or copied by Sophia Hill Langdon.
Check register, undated
Wallet and contents, undated
Writings, business cards, a sketch, and a note by Nelly Haven; pressed flowers.
North End Drug Store prescription pad, undated
Date book, 1871
Address book, undated
Pressed flowers with note, undated
Expense book, 1865-1867
B. Helen Bell Haven Langdon, 1863
Journal, 1863
Sketchbook, undated
C. Helen Haven Langdon, 1888-1928
Recipe book, 1888
Journal, 1890
Account book, 1894-1896
Journal, 1916-1928
D. Francis Eustis Langdon, Jr., 1875-1900
Account book of "Francis E. Langdon Guardian," 1875-1878
Book of transactions and payments for various services, titled "Francis E. Langdon Guardian."
Triangular book of letters, 1890-1900
Notes from Harvard Medical School, 1892-1894
Essay on hemiplegia, ca. 1893
Obstetrics notebook, 1894
Notes from Francis Eustis Langdon, Jr.'s time working as a doctor in the Boston Lying-In Hospital. Notes describe labor and delivery care.
Patient notes, 1896
Law school essay, "Thesis," 1899
V. Printed materials, 1846-1956
Scrapbook items, 1846-1940
Clippings, various writings, carriage check from Daly's Theater, obituary and hair of Elisha H. Jewett, bulletins and programs, and prints and a broadside from an unknown scrapbook.
Materials removed from a scrapbook prior to processing.
The Boston Daily Atlas, 26 March 1857
Copy of The Boston Daily Atlas with a speech by Francis Bassett on the front page.
The Sunday Herald (Boston), 18 February 1883
Pages 10-11 of The Sunday Herald, accompanied by a note reading "Dr. Langdon."
Scrapbook, 1887-1897
Newspaper clippings in a scrapbook, with drawings in the back of the book.
Clippings, 1910-1956
Choate School Assignment of Lessons, October 1945
Sketches and prints, undated
Pencil sketches, a paper doll, a print of a bank note, and two prints of houses.
Helen Haven Langdon clippings, undated
Clippings removed from an album titled "Helen Haven Langdon's clippings." Album included.
Appendix 1: Langdon Family Genealogy
Expand allThis genealogy includes some relevant Langdon family members represented in this collection.
1. Henry Sherburne Langdon (1766-1857)
son of Woodbury Langdon (1738-1805) and Sarah Warner Sherburne Langdon (1748-1827)
m. Ann Nancy Eustis (1771-1818)
2. Sarah Sherburne Langdon (1797-1876)
m. John Appleton Haven (1791-1875)
3. Anna Langdon Haven (1819-1880)
m. William Sweetser (1797-1875)
3. John Haven (1821-1908)
m. Lydia Mason (1840-1881)
3. Langdon Henry Haven (1823-1871)
m. Elizabeth Symmes (b. 1825)
3. Caroline Eustis Haven (1824-1825)
3. Augusta Deblois Haven (1826-1890)
m. John Hopkins (1815-1901)
4. Augusta Deblois Hopkins (1851-1940)
4. Ellen Haven Hopkins (1855-1945)
m. Frank West Iredell (1857-1944)
4. Sarah Langdon Haven Hopkins (1855-1945)
m. Alfred Pierpoint Morewood (b. 1852)
4. Louisa Hopkins (b. 1859)
4. Frank Appleton Hopkins (1860-1892)
4. Eustis Langdon Hopkins (1864-1945)
4. Caroline Hopkins (b. 1867)
4. John A. Hopkins (b. 1872)
3. Sarah Langdon Haven (1828-1855)
3. Anna Mary Haven (1830-1855)
3. John Appleton Haven, Jr. (1831-1843)
3. Ellen Eustis Langdon Haven (1832-1907)
m. David Bryan Pugh (1828-1886)
4. John Haven Pugh (1860-1939)
m. Blanche I. Cudliff (b. 1874)
4. Alice Deblois Pugh (1861-1938)
m. Ralph Stone (1849-1910)
5. Ralph Townsend Stone (1886-1950)
m. Frances Burchell Burt (1886-1969)
5. John "Jack" Haven Pugh Stone (1889-1948)
5. Woodbury Langdon Stone (1890-1893)
5. Lawrence Augustine Pugh Stone (1892-1953)
m. Sallie Gustine (1895-1979)
5. Frances Haven Stone (1894-1967)
m. Thomas Harris, Jr. (b. 1890)
4. Grace Pugh (1863-1935)
4. Mary Haven Pugh (1865-1880)
4. Edith Eustis Pugh (1866-1895)
m. C. Woodbury Langdon (1837-1921)
4. Thomas Bryan Pugh (1868-1940)
m. Regina Cahill (1886-1907)
3. Olivia Hamilton Haven (1835-1840)
3. Grace Deblois Haven (1836-1855)
3. Frances Amory Langdon Haven (1838-1924)
2. Woodbury Langdon (1801-1842)
m. Frances Edward Cutter (1805-1893)
3. Charles Woodbury Langdon (1837-1921)
m. first Edith Eustis Pugh (1866-1895)
m. second Elizabeth Langdon Elwyn (1871-1945)
3. Miriam Cutter Langdon (1839-1852)
3. Francis "Frank" Eustis Langdon (1842-1890)
m. Helen Bell Haven (1845-1874)
4. Helen Haven Langdon (1870-1937)
4. Francis Eustis Langdon, Jr. (1872-1944)
m. Eva Agnes Rose (1891-1958)
5. Hazel Larose Langdon (1917-2010)
m. Harry Logan Page (1915-1966)
5. Haven Wallis Langdon (1931-1979)
5. Norman E. Langdon (1933-2018)
2. Sophia Hill Langdon (1818-1902)
1. John Langdon (1781-1852)
son of Woodbury Langdon (1738-1805) and Sarah Warner Sherburne Langdon (1748-1827)
m. Charlotte Ladd (1782-1870)
2. Charlotte Abigail Langdon Ames (1809-1893)
m. Horatio Ames
Appendix 2: Haven Family Genealogy
Expand allThis genealogy includes some relevant Haven family members represented in this collection.
1. John Appleton Haven (1791-1875)
son of John Haven (1766-1845) and Ann Woodward Haven (1771-1849)
m. Sarah Sherburne Langdon (1797-1876)
See "Sarah Sherburne Langdon" in Appendix 1 for descendants.
1. Eliza Wentworth Haven (1801-1842)
daughter of John Haven (1766-1845) and Ann Woodward Haven (1771-1849)
m. Nathaniel Appleton Haven, Jr. (1790-1849)
2. Eliza Appleton Haven (1824-1897)
2. Charlotte Maria Haven (1825-1893)
1. George Wallis Haven (1805-1895)
son of John Haven (1766-1845) and Ann Woodward Haven (1771-1849)
m. first Helen Sarah Bell (1805-1846)
m. second Susan Peters Halliburton (1830-1898)
2. Edith Haven (1840-1922)
daughter of George Wallis Haven and Helen Sarah Bell Haven
m. Charles Cogswell Doe (1830-1896)
3. Ralph Doe (1866-1882)
3. Perley Doe (1868-1922)
m. Myrtle Porter
3. Haven Doe (1870-1946)
m. Mora B. Hubbard
3. Catherine "Cate" Bell Doe (1872-1959)
3. Robert Doe (1875-1925)
m. Abbie Thompson (1875-1950)
3. Helen Doe (1877-1928)
3. Mary Doe (1880-1912)
m. Charles Hamilton Ayers (1874-1917)
3. Dorothy Doe (1882-1916)
m. Ernest Rutherford Groves
4. Catherine Doe Groves (1909-2005)
4. Ernestine Dorothy Groves (1912-2008)
3. Jessie Doe (1887-1916)
2. Helen Bell Haven (1845-1874)
daughter of George Wallis Haven and Helen Sarah Bell Haven
m. Francis Eustis Langdon (1842-1944)
See "Francis Eustis Langdon" in Appendix 1 for descendants.
2. Georgina Halliburton (1849-1910)
daughter of Susan Peters Halliburton and James Halliburton, stepdaughter of George Wallis Haven
2. George Haven (1861-1903)
son of George Wallis Haven and Susan Peters Halliburton Haven
Appendix 3: Cutter Family Genealogy
Expand allThis genealogy includes some relevant Cutter family members represented in this collection.
1. Charles W. Cutter (1799-1856)
son of Jacob Cutter (1772-1857) and Miriam Cross Cutter (1776-1856)
1. Frances Edward Cutter Langdon Bassett (1805-1893)
daughter of Jacob Cutter (1772-1857) and Miriam Cross Cutter (1776-1856)
m. first Woodbury Langdon (1801-1842)
m. second Francis Bassett (1786-1875)
See "Woodbury Langdon (1801-1842)" in Appendix 1 for descendants.
1. Ralph Cross Cutter (1810-1884)
son of Jacob Cutter (1772-1857) and Miriam Cross Cutter (1776-1856)
m. Hannah Hurd (1776-1856)
2. Ralph Ladd Cutter (1838-1926)
m. Laura Eliot (1842-1922)
1. Matilda Cutter (1815-1903)
daughter of Jacob Cutter (1772-1857) and Miriam Cross Cutter (1776-1856).
Preferred Citation
Langdon family 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.
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Materials Removed from the Collection
Daguerreotypes (Photos. 1.50, 1.171, and 1.233) and ambrotypes (Photos. 2.19 and 2.88) have been removed from this collection and are stored in the MHS Photo Archives by format.