1822-1985; bulk: 1917-1945
Guide to the Collection
Restrictions on Access
The Francis B. Lothrop, Sr. family 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 contains the papers of the Lothrop family, primarily those of Francis Bacon Lothrop, Sr. and his mother Alice Putnam Bacon Lothrop. Additional materials pertaining to interrelated families are also included, in particular the Abbott, Bacon, Buckminster, Bundy, Crowninshield, Peabody, Putnam, Sturgis, and Tiffany families. Materials include diaries, notebooks, correspondence, ephemera, military papers, newspaper clippings, and autographs.
Biographical Sketch
Names in bold indicate representation in the collection.
Lothrop Family
Reverend Samuel Kirkland Lothrop (1804-1886) was born to John Hosmer Lothrop (1769-1829) and Jenusha Kirkland Lothrop (1776-1862). From 1834-1876, he served as the pastor of the Brattle Square Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Reverend Lothrop married Mary Lyman Buckminster (1805-1859) in 1829.
Their son Thornton Kirkland Lothrop (1830-1913) married Anne Maria Hooper (1835-1930) in 1866, and the couple had four children: Mary Buckminster Lothrop (1867-1946), Amy Peabody Lothrop Coolidge (1869-1954), William Sturgis Hooper Lothrop (1870-1905), and Thornton Kirkland Lothrop, Jr. (1872-1945).
On 15 October 1891, William Sturgis Hooper Lothrop married Alice Putnam Bacon (1869-1945). Alice Putnam Bacon Lothrop was born 29 November 1869 to Francis Edward Bacon (1835-1909) and Louisa Crowninshield Bacon (1842-1927) in Brookline, Massachusetts. Her father was a cotton broker, and the family lived on an estate on Clyde Street in Brookline that is now the location of The Country Club. William Sturgis Hooper Lothrop was a banker with interests in the sugar trade. While on a business trip in Puerto Rico, he fell ill from appendicitis and died at the age of 34. The couple had three sons: Samuel Kirkland Lothrop (1892-1965), who became a noted archeologist; Francis Bacon Lothrop (1898-1986); and Sturgis Lothrop (1897-1910), who died at the age of 13 from complications of diabetes. Alice never remarried following her husband's death. She died on 23 April 1945.
Samuel Kirkland "S.K." Lothrop married Rachel Warren (1892-1972) in 1914. They had three children: Samuel Kirkland Lothrop, Jr. (1919-2007), Joan Lothrop Mesker, and John Warren Lothrop. S.K.'s second wife, whom he married in 1929, was Eleanor Bachman. Samuel Kirkland, Jr. served in the United States Army during World War II and married Isabelle Breaux on 28 February 1942.
Francis Bacon Lothrop, Sr. was born on 3 August 1898. From 2 May 1918 to 5 October 1918, Francis served as a driver in Section 2 of the American Red Cross Ambulance Service with the Italian Army on the Piave front in Italy; he was later awarded the Croce al Merito di Guerra (Italian War Cross). His service interrupted his education at Harvard University, from where he graduated 1921 with a degree in Anthropology. While there, he was a member of the crew team and studied at Oxford University in England for one year.
On 17 April 1922, Francis married Eleanor Abbott (1901-1992), the daughter of Gordon and Katharine Tiffany Abbott. Eleanor, born on 16 September 1900, attended Radcliffe College. The couple had three children: Mary Buckminster Lothrop Bundy (1925-2022), Francis Bacon Lothrop, Jr. (1927-2003), and Jane Tiffany Lothrop Gardiner (1931-2021). As a civilian, Francis worked as an associate trust officer with the New England Trust Company, as assistant treasurer for Wellington Sears and Co., and with the Middlesex Product Corporation.
During World War II, Francis spent two years in North Africa, Italy, England, and France in the United States Army Air Forces. In May 1942, he was commissioned as captain, and promoted to major in April 1945. During his tenure, Francis served in a variety of roles, including in the Appointment and Procurement Division of the American Air Force from May to October 1942; the French Liaison Section of the 12th Air Force from June to October 1943; as an intelligence officer for the 97th Fighter Squadron in the 82nd Fighter Group between February 1944 and May 1945; and the United States Strategic Bombing Survey from March to May 1945. He entered inactive service in September 1945 and was honorably discharged in 1947.
Francis sat on the charitable boards of Boston Home for Incurables, Sailors' Snug Harbor, and the Greater Boston United War Fund. He was also a member of several social clubs, including the Somerset Club, The Country Club, Union Boat Club, Essex County Club, Manchester Yacht Club, Wednesday Evening Club of 1777, the India Wharf Rats, and the Alteburger Ski Club. He died on 5 February 1986.
Abbott Family
Gordon Abbott (1863-1937) was the son of Jeremiah Abbott (1824-1895) and Ellen Maria (Bangs) Abbott (1831-1920). A graduate of Harvard University, he served as chairman of the board of directors of the Old Colony Trust Company and as president of Boston Children's Hospital from 1917-1930. His wife Katharine McLane (Tiffany) Abbott (1872-1948) was the daughter of Louis McLane Tiffany (1844-1916), a renowned physician, and his wife Madeline Borland Tiffany (1852-1873). Katharine was a member of the North Shore Garden Club, the Manchester (Massachusetts) Historical Society, the Colonial Dames, and served as president of the Society for the Preservation of Essex County Antiquities.
Gordon and Katharine Abbott had three children: Katharine, who married George L. Batchelder; Gordon Abbott, Jr.; and Eleanor, who married Francis Bacon Lothrop, Sr.
Bacon and Crowninshield Families
Francis Edward Bacon married Louisa Crowninshield in 1860. In addition to their daughter Alice, they had another daughter, Susan Gorham (Bacon) Hewetson (1866-1909), and a son, Louis Bacon (1872-1937). Louisa was the daughter of Francis Boardman Crowninshield (1809-1877) and Sarah Gooll (Putnam) Crowninshield (1810-1880). Socialite Constance Crowninshield Coolidge (1892-1973) was a third cousin of Francis Bacon Lothrop, Sr. through their shared ancestor, Benjamin Crowninshield (1772-1851).
Buckminster Family
Mary Lyman Buckminster (later Lothrop) was the daughter of Reverend Joshua Buckminster IV (1719-1792) and Lucy (Williams) Buckminster (1721-1803). Her sister Olivia Buckminster (1799-1832) married George Barrell Emerson (1797-1881) in 1824 and died in childbirth at the age of 33. Emerson opened the Emerson School for Girls in Boston in 1823.
Peabody Family
Oliver White Peabody (1834-1896) was a lieutenant colonel in the Massachusetts 45th Infantry Regiment, Company H. He married Mary Anne "Mollie" Lothrop (1837-1910), the eldest daughter of Reverend Samuel Kirkland Lothrop (1804-1886) and Mary Lyman (Buckminster) Lothrop (1805-1859).
Putnam and Bundy Families
George Putnam (1834-1912) and Harriet Lowell (1836-1920) were married in 1860. Their son William Lowell Putnam (1861-1924) married Elizabeth Lawrence Lowell (1862-1935). William and Elizabeth had five children; their daughter Katharine Lawrence Putnam (1890-1983) married Harvey Hollister Bundy (1888-1863) in 1917. Their son McGeorge Bundy (1919-1996) married Francis and Eleanor Lothrop's eldest daughter Mary in 1950.
Sturgis Family
Susan Sturgis Bigelow (1825-1853) was the daughter of Captain William F. Sturgis, Jr. (1782-1863) and Elizabeth M. Davis Sturgis (1789-1864). She married Dr. Henry Jacob Bigelow (1818-1890) in 1847. Her niece Anna Maria Hooper was married to Thornton Kirkland Lothrop.
Collection Description
The Francis B. Lothrop, Sr. family papers consist of 3 record cartons of manuscripts, ephemera, and printed material. They primarily document the World War I and World War II service of Francis Bacon Lothrop, Sr. and the personal and financial correspondence of his mother, Alice Putnam Bacon Lothrop, between 1917 and 1945. A small amount of materials pertaining to interrelated families is also included.
Francis Bacon Lothrop, Sr.'s papers consist of personal materials (1917-1983), including correspondence; items pertaining to his time at Harvard University, club affiliations, and his work with the Middlesex Product Corporation and the Greater Boston United War Fund; passports; and a diary from 1924. His papers from World War I (1917-1985) include correspondence with family and friends, ephemera, and American Red Cross materials and newsletters, as well as a diary from his months of service as an American Red Cross ambulance driver on the Italian front. There is also materials from the 1980s regarding an American Red Cross documentary and article. World War II (1942-1985) materials include diaries; notebooks; and military correspondence and training documents for the Appointment and Procurement Staff Conference (1942), pilot school (1942), and the United States Strategic Bombing Survey (1945). Also included is correspondence, primarily from Francis to his friends and family, particularly his wife Eleanor and his children Francis, Jr. (Frank), Mary, and Jane. There is also some correspondence to Francis from his brother S.K., as well as his wife and children. Reunion newsletters for the 82nd Fighters' Group from the 1980s are also included.
Alice Putnam Bacon Lothrop's papers consist of personal papers (1905-1944), including an American Red Cross day book, and correspondence from friends and family, in particular her grandchildren Mary Lothrop, Joan Lothrop, and Samuel Lothrop, Jr. Financial papers (1905-1944) contain philanthropic contributions, as well as financial correspondence regarding investments managed by her son Francis.
Family papers (1822-1940) contain additional materials related to the Lothrop family and interrelated families. This largely consists of correspondence, certificates, ephemera, and printed material pertaining to the Abbott, Bacon, Buckminster, Bundy, Crowninshield, Putnam, and Peabody families, as well as a recollection on the Goldsboro Expedition of 1862 written by Oliver White Peabody. Other family members represented in this series include Louisa Crowninshield Bacon (1842-1927), Susan Gorham Bacon Hewetson (1866-1909), Constance Crowninshield Coolidge (1892-1973), Mary Lyman Buckminster Lothrop (1805-1858), Olivia Buckminster Emerson (1799-1832), Mary Ann "Mollie" Lothrop Peabody (1837-1910), and Susan Sturgis Bigelow (1825-1853), as well as Eleanor Abbot's parents, Gordon and Katharine Tiffany Abbott, and grandfather Louis McLane Tiffany. The Putnams are represented by a typescript of George and Harriet Lowell Putnam's family histories leading up to and after the Civil War, compiled by their daughter Elizabeth "Elsie" Putnam.
Acquisition Information
Gift of James Bundy, July 2022.
Restrictions on Access
The Francis B. Lothrop, Sr. family 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. Francis B. Lothrop, Sr. papers, 1917-1983
Arranged chronologically.
This series contains the papers of Francis Bacon Lothrop, Sr., including correspondence, diaries, ephemera from both World War I and World War II, and miscellaneous materials pertaining to Harvard University.
A. Personal papers, 1917-1983
Arranged chronologically.
This series contains materials pertaining to Harvard University, Lothrop's passports, and personal correspondence. Of particular note is his diary from 1924, where he shares descriptions of work, life with wife Eleanor and their extended family and circle of friends, books he has read, and current events. Francis also served on the planning committee for the Harvard Class of 1921 Class Day in June 1924, the activities of which he shares in his diary.
Harvard University, 1917, 1921, 1983
Passports, 1918-1920
Correspondence, 1919-1945
Diary, 1924
Middlesex Product Corporation, 1942
Greater Boston United War Fund, 1942-1945
Club affiliations, 1945, 1983
Address book, undated
B. World War I papers, 1917-1985
Arranged chronologically.
This series contains correspondence, as well as ephemera and documentation from Francis's service as an American Red Cross ambulance driver in Italy in 1918. Francis's 1918 diary details his service from May to September 1918, including training to learn roads and routes and interactions with other American Red Cross drivers, Italian soldiers, and Major Guy Lowell, among others. A number of entries detail his work of tending to the wounded and dead, particularly during the Second Battle of the Piave River (15-23 June 1918). An entry on 9 July 1918 details his account of fellow ambulance driver Ernest Hemingway's heroics while stationed at Fossalta di Piave. Also included in this series is a small collection of postcards written to Italian and Austrian soldiers; it is unclear how these came into Francis's possession.
Harvard Department of Military Science and Tactics, 1917-1918
American Red Cross, 1917-1918
American Red Cross bulletins and news articles, 1917-1918
Correspondence, 1917-1918
Ephemera, 1917-1918
Correspondence sent to Austrian and Italian soldiers, 1918
Diary, 1918
American Red Cross documentary and article, 1984-1985
C. World War II papers, 1942-1985
Arranged chronologically by type.
This series contains correspondence, military documents, notebooks, ephemera, and diaries related to Francis Bacon Lothrop's service during World War II. The diaries account mostly for weather, position of squadrons, promotions, and the number of sorties or number of aircraft deployed in a mission, with the last names of those deployed. Correspondence from Eleanor, Mary, Francis, Jr. ("Frank"), and Jane Lothrop highlight social outings and family life in Manchester and Boston, Massachusetts. Letters to and from Eleanor and Francis are often addressed as "mom" and "pappy" and signed as such. A small number of letters to Francis are from his brother Samuel ("S.K."); some of these letters discusses their mother Alice and her failing health. Military papers are primarily correspondence, training materials, notes, shipping tickets, inventories, and pay and allowance allocations.
Appointment and Procurement Division Staff Conference, 1942
Pilot School, 1942
Correspondence, 1942-1945
Notebooks, 1942-1944
Ephemera, ca. 1942-1944
Military documents, 1942-1945, 1947
Diaries, 1944-1945
Honorable discharge certificate, 1947
82nd Fighters' Group newsletters, 1981-1985
II. Alice Putnam Bacon Lothrop papers, 1905-1944
Arranged chronologically.
This series includes the personal and financial papers of Alice Putnam Bacon Lothrop, including correspondence, the bulk of which is financial correspondence. Also included is an American Red Cross day book for the Conservation and Reclamation Department from 1918.
A. Personal papers, 1905-1944
Arranged chronologically.
This subseries contains a small selection of letters from Francis Bacon Lothrop, Sr. and his wife Eleanor; Samuel K. Lothrop and his second wife, Eleanor Bachman; her former daughter-in-law and Samuel's first wife, Rachel Warren; granddaughters Mary Lothrop, Joan Lothrop, and grandson Samuel Kirkland Lothrop, Jr. and his wife Isabelle Breaux; and other family members. Also included in this subseries are an American Red Cross day book for the Conservation and Reclamation Department, presumably belonging to Alice Lothrop, and an address book.
American Red Cross day book, 1918
Correspondence, 1905-1944
Address book, undated
B. Financial papers, 1905-1944
Arranged chronologically.
This subseries contains a wide variety of financial correspondence regarding insurance and investments, much of which was managed by Francis Bacon Lothrop, Sr. Materials pertaining to philanthropic contributions is also included in this series.
Philanthropic contributions, 1930-1941
Correspondence, 1934-1942
Correspondence, 1936-1942
III. Family papers, 1822-1938
Arranged alphabetically by family surname.
This series includes a small amount of autographs, correspondence, memoirs, schoolwork, and certificates from families that either married into, or constitute another branch of, the Lothrop family, including the Abbott, Bacon, Buckminster, Bundy, Crowninshield, Peabody, Putnam, and Sturgis families.
A. Abbott family, 1895-1940
Arranged chronologically.
This subseries includes correspondence related to Gordon Abbott and Katharine McLane Tiffany Abbott, as well as a small autograph collection, presumably kept by Gordon Abbott. Autographs include those from Joseph Storey, James Ford Rhodes, and Serge Koussevitzky. A minor amount of correspondence is addressed to Katharine's father, Louis McLane Tiffany.
Correspondence to Louis Tiffany, 1853-1908
Autographs, 1895-1925
Correspondence to Katharine Abbott, 1909-1940
Correspondence to Gordon Abbott, 1911-1935
B. Bacon and Crowninshield families, 1905-1937
Arranged chronologically.
This subseries contains correspondence sent to Alice Bacon Lothrop's sister Susan Gorham Bacon Hewetson, a letter from Susan Bacon to her mother Louisa Crowninshield Bacon about Susan's impending marriage to Dr. John Hewetson, and a letter from an unknown sender (possibly Margaret Douglas) to Louisa Crowninshield Bacon. Also included is a handwritten copy of a letter from Constance Crowninshield to her cousin "Crownie," accompanied by a letter from Margaret Douglas to Alice Lothrop. The origins of the letter and why Alice had a copy are unclear.
Louisa Crowninshield Bacon and Susan Bacon correspondence, 1905, 1921
Copy of Constance Crowninshield Coolidge correspondence, with related material, 1937
C. Lothrop family, 1822-1938
Arranged chronologically.
This subseries contains correspondence and printed material from various family members with Lothrop connections. Of particular interest is a school notebook belonging to Mary Ann "Mollie" Lothrop (1837-1910), who was a student at George B. Emerson's School for Girls. Correspondence to a young Samuel K. Lothrop, Jr. includes two letters written by his parents, Samuel and Rachel Warren, while they were on archaeological trips abroad.
Correspondence to Mary Lyman Buckminster and Olivia Buckminster, 1822-1823, 1826
Schoolbook of Mary Ann (Mollie) Lothrop, 1851-1852
Obituary of Susan Sturgis Bigelow, 1853
Printed sermon by Samuel Kirkland Lothrop on the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, 1865
Correspondence to Anne Sturgis Hooper from Mary Buckminster Lothrop and Amy Peabody Lothrop, 1882-1883
Correspondence to Thornton Kirkland Lothrop, Jr., 1898, 1908
Correspondence to Samuel Lothrop, Jr. from Samuel and Rachel Warren Lothrop, 1925, 1938
D. Peabody family, 1850-1899
Arranged chronologically.
This subseries contains correspondence and ephemera pertaining to the Peabody family. Of particular interest is the handwritten recollection by Oliver Peabody of his experience in the Goldsboro Expedition on 17 December 1862, in which the Union army sought to destroy the railroad tracks leading towards the Goldsboro Bridge, as well as the bridge itself. The account was written on 20 December 1862.
Correspondence and ephemera, 1850, 1863, 1875, 1899
Recollections on Goldsboro Expedition by Oliver Peabody, 1862
Certificates, 1885, 1888
E. Putnam and Bundy families, 1926
Arranged chronologically.
This subseries includes typescripts of The Life and Letters of George Putnam and Harriet Lowell Putnam, which provide genealogies of the Lowell and Putnam families, as well as biographical histories of the two families leading up to and after the Civil War. It was compiled and written by their daughter Elizabeth "Elsie" Putnam (1874-1967).
Preferred Citation
Francis B. Lothrop, Sr. 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
Photographs from this collection have been removed to the MHS Photo Archives.