1789-1941
Guide to the Collection
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| Title: | King-Hale-Douglass family papers |
| Dates: | 1789-1941 |
| Physical Description: | 9 document
boxes and 2 cased volumes |
| Call Number: | Ms. N-371 |
| Repository: | Massachusetts Historical Society
1154 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02215
library@masshist.org |
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Abstract:
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This collection contains family papers of the King,
Hale, and Douglass families, including family correspondence. It also includes
professional papers of Cyrus King, a United States legislator from
Massachusetts, and Benjamin Hale and Malcolm Douglass, both ministers and
educators, as well as records of Norwich University.
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Cyrus King (b. Scarboro, Maine, 6 Sept. 1772, d.
Saco, Maine, 25 Apr. 1817) was the half-brother of Rufus King and brother of
William King. Cyrus King served as private secretary to Rufus King when he was
United States minister to England in 1796, practiced law in Saco, Maine, served
as major general of the Sixth Division, Massachusetts Militia, and was elected
as a Federalist to the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Congresses (1813-1817). In
addition to Rufus and William, Cyrus had at least one sister, Eliza King
Porter. He married Hannah Storer, and fathered six known children: Mary
Caroline King Hale (m. Benjamin Hale), William Rufus King, Ann Frasier King
Bridge, Elizabeth King, Olive S. King, and Hannah S. King.
Rufus King (b. Scarboro, Maine, 24 Mar. 1755, d.
Jamaica, N.Y., 29 Apr. 1827) was the older half-brother of Cyrus and William
King. Rufus King served as a member of the Continental Congress from
Massachusetts, 1784-1787, delegate to the Federal Constitutional convention at
Philadelphia in 1787, and delegate to the state convention in 1788 which
ratified the same. In 1788 he moved to New York City and served in United
States Senate for New York, 1789-1796 and 1813-1825. Rufus King also served as
U.S. minister to Great Britain, 1796-1803.
William King (b. Scarboro, Maine, 1768, d. 1852)
was half-brother of Rufus King and brother of Cyrus King. A wealthy ship-owner,
William King became a leader in the Maine statehood movement, and eventually
the state's first governor, 1820-1821.
Benjamin Hale (b. Newburyport, 1797, d.
Newburyport, 1863) was a Congregational and Episcopal clergyman. Hale served as
principal of the Gardiner Lyceum, 1823-1827, and as the third president of
Geneva College, N.Y. (which later became Hobart), 1836-1858. He was the son of
Thomas and Mary Little Hale and had seven known siblings: Sarah (Sally) Hale,
Moses Hale, Josiah Hale, Mary Hale, Alice Hale March (m. John C. March), Thomas
Hale, and Ebenezer Hale. He married Mary Caroline King Hale, daughter of Cyrus
King, and fathered five known children: Sarah Elizabeth Hale Douglass (m.
Malcolm Douglass), Josiah L. Hale, Thomas Hale, and Benjamin Hale, Jr.
Gardiner, R.H. (Robert Hallowell) (b. Bristol,
England, 1782, d. 1864) was an agriculturalist who fostered agricultural
societies and founded the Gardiner Lyceum, 1821, a forerunner of American
agricultural and technical schools. He also served as an overseer of Bowdoin
College, 1811-1841, member of the Maine House of Representatives in 1822, and
was involved in the educational work of the Episcopal Church.
Malcolm Douglass (b. 1825, d. [Sept.] 1887) was
an Episcopal clergyman and served as the president of Norwich University (Vt.),
1871-1875. Douglass was the son of Ann E. Douglass, and had six known siblings:
Andrew, Henry, Charles, Emily (m. Sidney Wilbur), Ellen (m. W.O. Jarvis), and
Mary. He married Sarah Elizabeth Hale Douglass, daughter of Benjamin Hale, with
whom he had three known children: Elliott Douglass, Benjamin Douglass, and
Malcolm Douglass, Jr.
The King-Hale-Douglass papers, 1789-1941, contain the family and
professional papers of three generations of public servants linked by marriage.
The basic organization in bundles by correspondent and topic in which the
collection arrived has been preserved as much as possible.
Cyrus King, along with his brothers Rufus and William, was an active figure
in the politics of the early Republic. Benjamin Hale, a Congregational and
Episcopal minister as well as president of Geneva College, married the daughter
of Cyrus King. Malcolm Douglass, Episcopal minister and president of Norwich
University, married the daughter of Benjamin Hale.
The collection features family correspondence and papers from the King,
Hale, and Douglass families as well as professional correspondence and papers
of Cyrus King, Benjamin Hale, and Malcolm Douglass and records of Norwich
University.
King family correspondence includes Rufus King's discussion of Cyrus King's
education and the Jay Treaty, William King's discussion of his nephew, William
Rufus King's, education, Hannah King's detailed accounts of her husband's
sickness, treatment, and death, and letters regarding the settlement of his
estate. King family papers contain accounts and recipes for cupcakes, lemonade,
etc.
The majority of Hale family correspondence is between Benjamin Hale and his
siblings, especially Moses, Josiah, and Thomas. It includes letters from 1836
that document Benjamin Hale's trip to St. Croix. Douglass family correspondence
contains Malcolm Douglass's correspondence with his wife Sarah Hale Douglass,
as well as extensive letters from his siblings and brothers-in-law, including
letters in 1887 concerning his trip to England.
Cyrus King's professional correspondence and papers span his employment as
personal secretary to his brother Rufus, then U.S. minister to Great Britain,
his career as an attorney in Maine, and his two terms as a member of Congress.
Benjamin Hale's professional correspondence and papers contain discussion of
education, especially the Gardiner Lyceum, and church business, as well as
lectures and sermons.
Malcolm Douglass' professional correspondence and papers relate to his work
as a pastor in the Episcopal Dioceses of Western New York, New Hampshire, and
Vermont and his tenure as president of Norwich University. Douglass' Norwich
University correspondence includes several letters from Tiffany & Co., 1872
(Apr.- July), regarding school medals, two sketches of which are included with
a letter of 18 Apr. 1872.
Norwich University records include a variety of manuscript and printed
materials, many of which relate to the school's appeal for financial help from
the state and a suit brought by instructor James Batchelder for unpaid
wages.
Gift of Richard Rickard, October 2001.
Camp "Mac El-Mo" sign in book, gift of Anonymous donor, July 2008.
The collection is organized into the following series.
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| I. King family papers, 1789-1853 |
| | A. Family papers, 1789-1853 |
| | B. Cyrus King papers, 1791-1816 |
| II. Benjamin Hale papers, 1817-1907 |
| | A. Hale family correspondence, 1817-1907 |
| | B. Benjamin Hale professional correspondence, 1821-1863 |
| | C. Benjamin Hale papers, 1819-1853 |
| III. Malcolm Douglass papers, 1841-1913 |
| | A. Douglass family correspondence, 1841-1913 |
| | B. Malcolm Douglass professional correspondence, 1846-1881 |
| | C. Malcolm Douglass papers, 1847-1880 |
| | D. Norwich University papers, 1867-1876 |
| IV. Camp "Mac El-Mo" sign-in book, 1890-1941 |
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| Box | Folder | Contents | |
| | | I. King family papers,
1789-1853 |
| | | | A. Family papers,
1789-1853
Arranged chronologically King family papers contain letters from Rufus King, letters from William
King, letters from Mary Black King to her son Cyrus King, Cyrus King family
correspondence, and Cyrus King family papers.
Rufus King letters include several letters to Cyrus King discussing his
education and relaying developments in the negotiation and passage of Jay's
Treaty. The majority of William King's letters are to Cyrus King, but
recipients also include Hannah S. King, William Rufus King (Cyrus' son), and
Reuben H. Green. William's letters to Cyrus King primarily discuss mutual
business matters. His letters to Hannah and William Rufus King after Cyrus
King's death in 1817 discuss W.R. King's education. Mary Black King's letters
to her son Cyrus date from when he was in school, as well as when he was in
England with Rufus King, and contain family news and maternal advice.
Cyrus King family correspondence, 1791-1853, covers a variety of family
matters. Cyrus King's correspondents include wife Hannah S. King, son William
Rufus King, sister Eliza King Porter, and brother-in-law Seth Storer. Several
copies of letters from Cyrus to Rufus and William King are also included.
Hannah S. King's correspondents include brother Seth Storer, William King, and
all of her children. Correspondence after Cyrus King's death in 1817 includes
discussion of the settlement of his estate, two descriptions of his sickness,
treatment, and death by his wife, and general family correspondence between his
wife and children. One folder of family papers contains accounts, recipes for
cupcakes, lemonade, etc., notes, and miscellaneous.
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| Box 1 | Folder 1 | | | | Letters from Rufus King,
1789-1818 |
| Box 1 | Folder 2-5 | | | | Letters from William King,
1793-1822 |
| Box 1 | Folder 6-7 | | | | Mary Black King to Cyrus King,
1791-1798 |
| Box 1 | Folder 8-13 | | | | Cyrus King family correspondence,
1791-1853 |
| Box 1 | Folder 14 | | | | Cyrus King family papers,
1792-1853 |
| | | | B. Cyrus King papers,
1791-1816
Arranged chronologically Cyrus King papers include professional papers and correspondence, speeches,
and essays/compositions. Professional papers and correspondence, 1796-1816,
span Cyrus King's employment as private secretary by his brother Rufus when he
served as minister to England, his career as an attorney in Saco, Maine, and
his two terms in Congress. One folder of speeches, 1797-1816, includes orations
on subjects such as the invasion of Canada, party politics, and the
conscription of minors. Five folders of school compositions and essays,
1791-1793 (mostly undated), touch on many subjects including human nature,
education, philosophy and political science.
For Cyrus King family correspondence, which contains several letters to him
regarding professional and political matters including the Jay Treaty, see King
family correspondence.
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| Box 2 | Folder 1-5 | | | | Cyrus King professional papers and correspondence,
1796-1816 |
| Box 2 | Folder 6 | | | | Cyrus King speeches,
1797-1816 |
| Box 2 | Folder 7-11 | | | | Cyrus King compositions,
1791-1793 |
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| | | II. Benjamin Hale papers,
1817-1907 |
| | | | A. Hale family correspondence,
1817-1907
Arranged chronologically Hale family correspondence contains general Hale family correspondence,
Benjamin Hale family correspondence, Benjamin and Mary Caroline Hale
correspondence with Malcolm and Sarah Hale Douglass, and Sarah E. Hale
(Douglass) correspondence.
General Hale family correspondence contains letters between family members
other than Benjamin Hale, the majority of which are from Sarah (Sally) Hale
(sister of Benjamin Hale) to her brother Moses, as well as siblings Josiah,
Alice, and Moses' wife Mary. Also included are letters to Moses from his
grandfather Josiah Little, his father Thomas Hale, his brother Josiah, and
brother-in-law John C. March; and from Olive Ward to Hannah Heywood.
Benjamin Hale family correspondence primarily consists of letters to his
brothers Moses, Josiah, Thomas, and Ebenezer, as well as his father Thomas, and
his mother Mary L. Hale. Benjamin Hale's letters from 1836 document his trip to
St. Croix.
There is one folder of correspondence between Benjamin Hale, his wife Mary
Caroline Hale, their daughter Sarah Elizabeth Hale Douglass, and her husband
Malcolm Douglass.
One folder of Sarah Elizabeth Hale (Douglass) correspondence includes
letters from her aunts Hannah Heywood, Mary Hale, and Elizabeth King, uncle
Thomas Hale, cousins Olive King Ward and Octavia and Anne Bridge, and her
brothers Josiah and Benjamin Hale, Jr. For additional Sarah Hale Douglass
correspondence, see Douglass family correspondence.
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| Box 3 | Folder 1-3 | | | | Hale family correspondence,
1817-1840;1864 |
| Box 3 | Folder 4-15 | | | | Benjamin Hale family correspondence,
1820-1857 |
| Box 3 | Folder 16 | | | | Benjamin Hale correspondence with Mary Caroline Hale and Malcolm and
Sarah Elizabeth Hale Douglass,
1845-1863 |
| Box 3 | Folder 17 | | | | Sarah Elizabeth Hale (Douglass) correspondence,
1849-1876;1907 |
| | | | B. Benjamin Hale professional correspondence,
1821-1863
Arranged chronologically Benjamin Hale correspondence includes letters from R.H. Gardiner, letters
to the Rev. Kendrick Metcalf, and letters to the Rev. W.H.A. Bissell. The
letters from R.H. Gardner frequently discuss the Gardiner Lyceum. Benjamin
Hale's letters to the Rev. Kendrick Metcalf and the Rev. W.H.A. Bissell discuss
family matters, contemporary events, and church business. For additional W.H.
Bissell correspondence, see Malcolm Douglass pastoral correspondence.
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| Box 4 | Folder 1-5 | | | | R.H. Gardiner to Benjamin Hale,
1821-1836 |
| Box 4 | Folder 6-7 | | | | Benjamin Hale to the Rev. Kendrick Metcalf,
1837-1863 |
| Box 4 | Folder 8-9 | | | | Benjamin Hale to the Rev. W.H.A. Bissell,
1860-1863 |
| | | | C. Benjamin Hale papers,
1819-1853
Arranged chronologically Benjamin Hale papers include a list of Benjamin Hale letters, including
notes on subject matter, lecture and sermon notes, a catalog of math and
natural science books, and a folder of printed memorials.
See also Douglass family correspondence for letters concerning the
publication of Benjamin Hale's sermons.
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| Box 4 | Folder 10 | | | | List of Benjamin Hale letters,
1822-1853 (Includes notes on subject matter)
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| | Vol. 1 | | | Lecture and sermon notes,
1819-1850 |
| Box 4 | Folder 11 | | | | Sermon notes,
ca. 1825-1833 |
| Box 4 | Folder 12 | | | | Catalog of math and natural science books,
ca. 1831 |
| Box 4 | Folder 13 | | | | Printed Benjamin Hale memorials,
1858,1866 |
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| | | III. Malcolm Douglass papers,
1841-1913 |
| | | | A. Douglass family correspondence,
1841-1913
Arranged chronologically Douglass family correspondence contains Malcolm Douglass-Sarah Douglass
correspondence, letters concerning the publication of Benjamin Hale's sermons,
and letters regarding the sale of the Douglass house in Northfield, Vermont.
The letters between Malcolm and Sarah Douglass document family matters, their
moves between New York, New Hampshire, and Vermont, and their travels, and
contain several poems written to Sarah by Malcolm. The majority of family
correspondence is letters to and from Malcolm Douglass, but also includes
correspondence among other family members. Correspondents include Douglass'
mother Ann, his siblings Andrew, Henry, Charles, Emily, Ellen, and Mary, and
brothers-in-law Sidney Wilbur, W.O. Jarvis, Josiah L. Hale, Thomas Hale, and
Benjamin Hale, Jr. Letters from June 1887 document Malcolm Douglass' trip to
England.
For additional Sarah Hale Douglass correspondence, see Hale family
correspondence.
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| Box 5 | | | | | Malcolm Douglass and Sarah Douglass correspondence,
1855-1886 |
| | | | | Family correspondence |
| Box 6 | | | | | | 1841-1876 |
| Box 7 | Folder 1-6 | | | | | 1877-1887;1893-1895 |
| Box 7 | Folder 7 | | | | Letters concerning the publication of Benjamin Hale's sermons,
1869-1871 |
| Box 7 | Folder 8 | | | | Letters concerning the Douglass house in Northfield, Vermont,
1853,1872,1913 |
| | | | B. Malcolm Douglass professional correspondence,
1846-1881
Arranged chronologically Malcolm Douglass' professional correspondence includes calls to various
parishes, pastoral correspondence, correspondence with Bishops Carleton Chase
and W.H. de Lancey, and Norwich University correspondence.
Douglass received many letters from parishes calling for his pastoral
services on permanent or temporary bases. His pastoral correspondence contains
letters to and from members of his congregations at Trinity Church, Seneca
Falls, N.Y., Christ Church, Albion, N.Y. and St. Paul's Church, Waterloo, N.Y.,
requesting advice, giving thanks, and discussing matters of faith, as well as
church business.
From 1853-1854, Douglass corresponded with Mrs. H.M. Ellsworth and members
of her family regarding her surprise decision to leave the Episcopal Church and
be baptized in the Baptist faith. He exchanged letters with Hannah Peck,
1863-1834, a woman who had taken an interest in William Barnes, a man executed
in 1864 for the murder of his wife. Douglass and Peck discuss legal options and
Barnes' spiritual preparations.
Pastoral correspondence for the first half of 1868 concerns the election of
W.H.A. Bissell as the Bishop of Vermont. Douglass' correspondence with the
Bishops de Lancey and Chase contains discussion of church business in the
diocese of Western New York and New Hampshire, respectively. The Bishop Chase
correspondence specifically relates to the parish at Cornish, N.H. Douglass'
Norwich University correspondence contains official and unofficial letters
concerning his appointment and resignation, the financial situation of the
school, and other administrative concerns. Norwich University correspondence
also includes several letters from Tiffany & Co., 1872 (Apr.- July),
regarding school medals. Two pencil sketches of medals, one gold and one
silver, are contained in the correspondence with a letter of 18 Apr. 1872.
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| Box 7 | Folder 9-13 | | | | Calls to parishes,
1846-1881 |
| Box 8 | Folder 1-8 | | | | Pastoral correspondence, 1850-1873 |
| Box 8 | Folder 9 | | | | Bishop W.H. de Lancey correspondence,
1851-1858 |
| Box 8 | Folder 10 | | | | Bishop Carleton Chase correspondence,
1860-1870 |
| Box 8 | Folder 11-17 | | | | Norwich University correspondence,
1861-1878 |
| | | | C. Malcolm Douglass papers,
1847-1880
Arranged chronologically Malcolm Douglass' papers include two Decoration Day addresses, and records
from Douglass' tenures as the superintendent of the Sunday school of the Church
of the Epiphany, New York, and the St. Paul's Parish school, Waterloo, N.Y.
Malcolm Douglass papers also include one folder of printed materials,
containing clippings and diocese circulars, and one folder of printed Sunday
school materials from Malcolm Douglass' brother, the Rev. Charles E. Douglass,
who was a minister in England.
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| Box 8 | Folder 18 | | | | Decoration Day addresses,
1873,1876 |
| Box 8 | Folder 19-20 | | | | Church school papers,
1847-1859 |
| Box 8 | Folder 21 | | | | Printed materials,
1861-1880 |
| Box 8 | Folder 22 | | | | Charles E. Douglass printed Sunday school materials,
1856-1876 |
| | | | D. Norwich University papers,
1867-1876
Arranged chronologically Norwich University records include various manuscript and printed
materials, most of which relate to Malcolm Douglass' tenure as president. The
records include student records, appeals for degrees from former students,
curriculum materials, correspondence and other papers concerning the
University's appeal for financial help from the state of Vermont in 1872,
records of a suit brought against the school by James Batchelder for unpaid
wages, diplomas, newspaper clippings, printed circulars and pamphlets,
commencement materials, copies of The University
Reveille (the school newspaper), and miscellaneous printed
materials.
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| Box 9 | Folder 1-3 | | | | Records,
1870-1876 |
| Box 9 | Folder 4 | | | | State financial appeal records,
1872 |
| Box 9 | Folder 5 | | | | Batchelder suit records,
1872-1874 |
| Box 9 | Folder 6 | | | | Diplomas,
1872 |
| Box 9 | Folder 7 | | | | Newspaper Clippings,
1872-1876 |
| Box 9 | Folder 8 | | | | Printed Circulars,
1866-1875 |
| Box 9 | Folder 9 | | | | Printed Commencement materials,
1871-1875 |
| Box 9 | Folder 10 | | | | Norwich University Pamphlets,
1874-1875 |
| Box 9 | Folder 11 | | | | Miscellaneous Pamphlets,
1870-1874 |
| Box 9 | Folder 12 | | | | The University Reveille,
1867-1874 |
| Box 9 | Folder 13 | | | | Miscellaneous Printed Materials,
1871-1874 |
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| | Vol. 2 | IV. Camp "Mac El-Mo" sign-in book,
1890-1941
Sign-in book for Camp "Mac El-Mo", a Douglass family-owned lodge in East
Wareham, Mass. The volume contains signatures and home cities and towns of
visitors to the lodge from 1890-1941. In the later years, guests to the camp
gave more detailed accounts of their journey to the camp (including by
automobile beginning in the early 20th century) and of their stay.
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King-Hale-Douglass family papers, Massachusetts Historical Society
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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| Persons: |
| | Bissell, W.H.A.,
Bishop. |
| | Chase, Carleton, Bishop.
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| | De Lancey, William Heathcote,
1797-1865. |
| | Douglass, Malcolm, 1825-1887.
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| | Douglass, Sarah Elizabeth Hale.
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| | Gardiner, Robert Hallowell,
1782-1864. |
| | Hale, Benjamin,
1797-1863. |
| | Hale, Josiah,
1803-1875. |
| | Hale, Moses Little, 1799-1874.
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| | Hale, Thomas,
1800-1854. |
| | King, Cyrus,
1772-1817. |
| | King, Hannah Storer. |
| | King, Mary Black. |
| | King, Rufus, 1755-1827.
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| | King, William,
1768-1852. |
| | Metcalf, Kendrick. |
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| Organizations: |
| | Episcopal Church. Diocese of New
Hampshire. |
| | Episcopal Church. Diocese of
Vermont. |
| | Episcopal Church. Diocese of
Western New York. |
| | Gardiner Lyceum (Gardiner,
Me.). |
| | Norwich University. |
| | Tiffany and Company. |
| | |
| Subjects: |
| | Clergy--New Hampshire. |
| | Clergy--New York (State).
|
| | Clergy--Vermont. |
| | Education. |
| | England--Description and
travel--1801-1900. |
| | Essays. |
| | Estates (Law)--Maine. |
| | Family
history--1750-1799. |
| | Family
history--1800-1849. |
| | Family history--1850-1899.
|
| | Jay's treaty, 1794. |
| | Lawyers--Maine--Saco. |
| | Legislators--United
States. |
| | Lyceums. |
| | Maine--History--1775-1865.
|
| | Maine--Politics and
government--1775-1865. |
| | Recipes. |
| | Saint Croix (V.I.)--Description
and travel. |
| | Sermons--1819-1850. |
| | Speeches, addresses, etc. |
| | United States--Politics and
government--19th century. |
Photograph Removed
The following photograph was removed from the collection and placed with the
MHS Photo Collection for storage and cataloging.
Photo of Anne Bridge (daughter of Ann Frasier King Bridge).
Printed Material Removed
For a list of printed materials removed from this collection, see Curator of
Manuscripts.
Fiscal Paper Removed
The following item was removed from the collection for placement and
cataloging with the MHS Fiscal Papers collection.
One sheet of 3 USA $12 interest coupons, 1780, each endorsed by Moses
Little.
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