Collection Description

The papers of the Pierce family of Dorchester, Mass. include notes, bills, receipts, and poetry of Benjamin, Asa, and Joshua Pierce, 1771-1849; notes, receipts, and diaries of Henry Pierce, 1843-1895; and letters of George Farnsworth to his sister Susan (Farnsworth) Pierce, 1853-1887, describing his life in Australia. Subjects of Farnsworth's letters include his voyage to Australia and conditions on board ship, 3 May 1853; Rio de Janeiro, slavery, prison conditions, and the legal system in the city, 24 July 1853; the difficulties of mining for gold, the high cost of living, the morality of the miners, and the countryside, 25 Nov. 1853; his efforts to built a reservoir at Long Creek, Australia, 24 Apr. 1867; and the American Civil War, 20 Feb. 1865.

The papers of teacher Mary Elizabeth Pierce consist of receipts, notes, a diary of a trip to Europe in 1895, class outlines for special education classes in mechanical drawing and clay modeling, and correspondence. Included is a letter from Emily A. Fifield discussing methods for teaching mechanical drawing, 29 Apr. 1892; Lina E. Troendle responding to Pierce's ideas on educational theory, 5 Oct. 1895; and Cora E. Wood describing the difficulties of learning for children with mental disabilities, June 1903; as well as a copy of a letter by Pierce about teaching children with physical disabilities, 5 Apr. 1895. The collection also contains three letters from Katherine Lee Bates, 8 Apr. 1903, 12 Oct. 1903, and 31 July 1904, and one from Josephine Preston Peabody, 25 Dec. 1903.