1833-1992; bulk: 1890-1985
Guide to the Collection
Restrictions on Access
The Coolidge-Cary 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.
Portions of Series I. Family correspondence are closed to researchers until 1 Jan. 2038.
Abstract
This collection consists of the papers of the interrelated Coolidge and Cary families, primarily those of Richard Bradford Coolidge, Harry Montfort Cary, and Ruth (June) Coolidge Cary. It includes family correspondence; personal, political, and military papers; diaries; scrapbooks; and printed material.
Biographical Sketches
These brief biographical sketches highlight the individuals most prominently represented in the collection. They are arranged chronologically.
Richard Bradford Coolidge (1879-1957) was born on 14 September 1879 in Deering, Me. to Merrit B. and Lucy French Coolidge. After graduating from the Westbrook Seminary in Deering in 1898, he entered Tufts College where he was editor-in-chief of The Tuftonian, a student literary magazine, earning both a bachelor's and master's degree in 1903. After graduating from Harvard Law School in 1906, Richard joined the law firm of French and Curtiss, the practice of his uncle, William B. French. Upon his uncle's death in 1912, he became a partner in the firm. In September 1908, Richard married Ruth Burleigh Dame and settled in Medford, Mass., where the couple had three children: Ruth Alden Coolidge Cary (1912-1995), William Bradford Coolidge (1916-2010) and Olive Dame Coolidge Butman (1920-2008).
Richard became active in Massachusetts politics during the 1910s. In 1917, he was elected to the Medford board of aldermen; he served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives for the Medford/Winchester district from 1920 to 1922; and he was elected mayor of Medford from 1923 to 1926. In 1926, Richard became president and director of the First National Bank in Medford, and in 1950 he became a board member of its successor, Middlesex County National Bank. A founder and president of the Lawrence Memorial Hospital, Richard also served as treasurer of Tufts College from 1934 to 1952 and was elected a lifetime trustee in 1950. On 17 February 1957, Richard died at the home of his daughter Olive in Concord, Mass.
Harry Montfort Cary (1910-1988) was born in Cragsmoor, N.Y., the son of Maude Simington Lyon and Henry Monfort Cary and the brother of Maud Cary Hayden, Robert Cary, Julia Cary Tigner, and Regina Cary Lapoint. When he was a teenager, he moved with his family to Tokyo, Japan where his father served as a Universalist missionary. He attended the American School in Tokyo from 1924 to 1929. Harry graduated from Tufts College with a degree in English (1934) and theology (1935) and the next year returned to Japan as an assistant to his father, teaching and working with Japanese university students. Upon his father's death in April 1936, he succeeded him as Universalist extension chairman. In 1938, he returned to the United States, teaching English and managing publicity at the John C. Campbell Folk School, an experimental school in Brasstown, N.C. In May 1943, Harry joined the U.S. Naval Reserve as an intelligence officer, spending a year at the Japanese Language School in Boulder, Colo., then serving in the South and Central Pacific fronts during World War II. After his medical discharge in November 1945, he served in a Civil Service position with the Navy in Japanese Affairs, the U.S. Army in Tokyo from 1954 to 1955, and the CIA in Washington, D.C. until 1969. In his later years, he worked as library assistant in McLean, Va. and was active in local theater.
Harry married Ruth "June" Coolidge, who he met at Tufts, in Tokyo in 1936. The couple had two sons, Lorin Lee Cary and Richard Montfort Cary. Harry died in March 1988 in Bedford, Mass. after an extended illness.
Ruth Alden "June" Coolidge Cary (1912-1995) was born on 19 June 1912 in Medford, Mass., the oldest child of Richard Bradford Coolidge and Ruth Burleigh Dame Coolidge and the sister of William Bradford "Brad" Coolidge and Olive Dame "Oggie" Coolidge Butman. June attended public elementary and high schools in Medford, and attended Swarthmore College, the Museum School of Fine Arts in Boston, and Tufts College, where she later completed her B.A. in Fine Arts in 1958. In 1936, June married Harry Montfort Cary in Tokyo, Japan, where Harry served as a missionary for the Universalist Church. In 1938, the couple moved to Brasstown, N.C. where June worked as an art teacher and handicraft designer for the John C. Campbell Folk School, an experimental school owned by June's aunt. During World War II, June moved to California with her two sons, Lorin Lee Cary and Richard Montfort Cary, while her husband served as a Naval intelligence officer on the Pacific front. After the war, the family moved to the Washington, D.C. area, where June taught art and worked as the director of an art gallery in Arlington, Va. She traveled with Harry to Japan from 1954 to 1955, teaching art at the Yokohama American High School and studying traditional Japanese brush painting. Upon their return to the United States, June continued to paint and taught art at public and private schools, serving as head of the art department at the Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C. from 1961 to 1977. June passed away on 25 February 1995 in Nantucket, Mass.
Collection Description
The Coolidge-Cary family papers consist of eight record cartons and one oversize box spanning the years 1833 to 1992, with the bulk of papers dating from 1890 to 1985. The collection has been divided into four series: Family correspondence; Coolidge-Dame family papers; Cary family papers; and Miscellaneous and oversize material. Family correspondence comprises the largest part of the collection, including the letters of Harry M. Cary and his wife Ruth Coolidge Cary (known as June); June’s grandfather Lorin Low Dame; June's parents, Richard B. Coolidge and Ruth Dame Coolidge; June's aunts, Olive Dame Campbell and Daisy Gertrude Dame; June's siblings, William Bradford Coolidge and Olive Coolidge Butman; and June and Harry's children, Lorin Lee Cary and Richard Montfort Cary. It chronicles daily life, family news, and social activities in Medford and Nantucket, Mass.; Harry and June's courtship, their marriage in Tokyo, and experiences while living in Japan from 1936 to 1938; Harry's military service during World War II, including his studies at the Navy's Japanese Language School in Boulder, Colo. and his impressions of the islands of the South Pacific; and the family's later lives and occupations in the Washington D.C. area.
The papers of Richard B. Coolidge contain essays, notebooks, diaries, and ephemera reflecting his years as a student at Westbrook Seminary, Tufts College, and Harvard Law School. Political correspondence related to Richard's service as mayor of Medford and his 1924 re-election campaign include letters from constituents and Massachusetts politicians. Two scrapbooks of correspondence, newspaper clippings, and other printed material also chronicle Richard's 1924 campaign.
The papers of Ruth "June" Coolidge Cary contain diaries and detailed, annotated scrapbooks that document her childhood summers in Nantucket, her school years, the first year of her marriage in Japan from 1936 to 1937, the family's time in Boulder and Harry's wartime experiences, and their lives in Japan from 1953 to 1954. June's papers also reflect her career as an artist and art teacher at Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C., including correspondence, account books, exhibition records, and scrapbooks of art portfolios.
Harry M. Cary's papers largely pertain to his military service during World War II and his later civil service career in the U.S. and Japan. They include military orders while working for Naval Intelligence on the Pacific Front, 1943 broadcast scripts for Radio Tokyo, an English translation of a Japanese soldier's line-a-day diary written from 1942 to 1944, write-ups of interviews with Japanese prisoners of war, and a 1969 certificate of retirement from the CIA. Later papers reflect Harry's interest in acting and directing amateur theater in northern Virginia.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Lorin Lee Cary and Richard Montfort Cary, October 2012 and March 2013.
Restrictions on Access
The Coolidge-Cary 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.
Portions of Series I. Family correspondence are closed to researchers until 1 Jan. 2038.
Detailed Description of the Collection
I. Family correspondence, 1884-1992
Arranged chronologically.
Correspondence in this series includes the letters of Harry Cary and his wife June Coolidge Cary; June's parents, Ruth Dame Coolidge and Richard Coolidge; Harry's mother Maude Lyon Cary; June's siblings, William "Brad" Coolidge and Olive "Oggie" Coolidge Butman; Harry's siblings, Maud Cary Hayden, Julia Cary Tigner, Robert Cary, and Regina Cary Lapoint; June's aunt Olive Dame Campbell; and June and Harry's children, Lorin Lee Cary and Richard Montfort Cary. A few early letters include those of June's grandparents, Lorin Low Dame and Lucy French Coolidge. Letters written from 1934 to 1935 are largely courtship letters from Harry to June, including letters from Korea and Japan while he traveled as a lay missionary. Letters from Brad to June describe life at home in Medford, Mass. and at Tufts College. 1936 letters chronicle Harry and June's wedding in Tokyo, and June's detailed daily journal, written as letters to family members from August 1936 to November 1938, describe events, activities, and daily life in Japan. A small amount of correspondence from 1938 to 1941 discuss the family's move to Brasstown, N.C. to teach at the John C. Campbell Folk School and the birth of Lorin and Richard.
Wartime correspondence (1942-1945) includes letters from Harry to June describing the Navy's Japanese Language School in Boulder, Colo., preparations for going overseas, life at sea with the 3rd Fleet, and people and places in the South Pacific, including the Society Islands, Samoa, Fiji, and New Caledonia. Letters from June describe daily life at home in Medford and news of family and friends. The couple wrote daily letters to each other from August 1943 to April 1945, and beginning in Dec. 1944, June compiled excerpts of Harry's letters into typescripts to share with family.
1950s correspondence chronicles Harry and June's move to Virginia, their time in Japan from 1953 to 1954, family news and activities, and daily life in Medford and Nantucket. Brad writes about his work in Japan with the U.S. Foreign Service in 1955 and 1956 and in Tokyo and Bangkok with the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) in 1958. 1957 correspondence discusses the death of Richard Coolidge and the distribution of his estate between Brad, Olive, and June.
Family correspondence from 1961 to 1992 is closed to researchers until January 2038.
1884-1944
1945-1960
CLOSED 1961-1992
Undated
II. Coolidge-Dame family papers, 1833-1973
This series primarily consists of the papers of Massachusetts politician and businessman Richard Bradford Coolidge. Also included are papers related to Richard's wife Ruth Dame Coolidge; Richard's father Merrit B. Coolidge; Ruth's father Lorin Low Dame; Ruth's sisters, Daisy Gertrude Dame and Olive Dame Coolidge Campbell; and Richard and Ruth's daughter Olive Coolidge Butman. Papers include correspondence, school papers, political papers, essays and writings, diaries, scrapbooks, and printed material.
A. Merrit B. Coolidge papers, 1833-1855
Arranged chronologically.
This subseries contains financial papers related to Coolidge's property in Hallowell, Maine.
B. Lorin Low Dame papers, 1860-1903
Arranged chronologically and by record type.
Dame's papers include typescripts of Civil War letters from E. Dascomb of the 2nd New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry from New Hampshire, Washington D.C., and Virginia. Also included is a letter of thanks from Booker T. Washington for book donations to the Tuskegee Institute, story drafts, periodical articles, an undated notebook of essays, and Dame's printed obituaries and memorials.
Loose papers, 1861-1898
Printed material, 1860-1903
Notebook, n.d.
C. Richard B. Coolidge papers, ca. 1890-1952
Papers include correspondence, essays, notebooks, diaries, scrapbooks, and printed material largely related to Richard's years as a student at Westbrook Seminary, Tufts College, and Harvard Law School; and his political career as mayor of Medford.
i. Loose papers, 1897-1948
Arranged chronologically and by record type.
Included are school essays from Westbrook Seminary and Tufts College on historical, political, and literary topics; college dance cards; correspondence related to Richard's service as mayor of Medford and his 1924 re-election, including letters from constituents and Massachusetts politicians; and Tufts College trustee meeting notes.
School essays, 1897-1902
Dance cards, 1900-1903
Political correspondence, 1924
Miscellaneous papers, 1899-1948
ii. Volumes, 1890-1929
Arranged chronologically.
Volumes include an 1890 notebook of memos and sketches; two school notebooks containing compositions and class notes; three line-a-day diaries written from Woodfords, Me. about weather and daily activities; and a cash book listing Richard's expenses while a student at Tufts. Richard's two mayoral scrapbooks contain political ads, newspaper articles about his campaigns and achievements in office, a small amount of correspondence, pamphlets, programs, and other ephemera.
Notebook, ca. 1890
Diary, 1891
School notebook, 1892
School notebook, 1893
Diary, 1893
Diary, 1894
Cash book, 1898-1900
Papers removed from cash book, 1901-1902
Mayoral scrapbook #1, 1922-1923
Papers removed from mayoral scrapbook #1, 1917-1926
Mayoral scrapbook #2, 1923-1924
Papers removed from mayoral scrapbook #2, 1913-1929
iii. Printed material, 1898-1952
Arranged chronologically.
Printed material is primarily related to Richard's school years, including an 1898 edition of Westbrook Seminary's The Messenger containing his valedictory speech; Tufts College and Harvard Law School registers; and other school ephemera.
D. Ruth Dame Coolidge papers, 1912-1940
Ruth's papers consist of correspondence, personal papers, diaries, and a scrapbook recording her daughter's infancy.
i. Loose papers, 1929-1938
Arranged chronologically.
Papers include those related to Ruth's participation on the Massachusetts Bay Tercentenary Committee and the Governor’s Committee on Open Spaces, as well as a small amount of personal correspondence.
ii. Volumes, 1912-1940
Arranged chronologically.
Ruth's scrapbook contains photos, diary entries, greeting cards, letters, ephemera, and several childhood drawings that illustrate the life of her daughter Ruth Alden Coolidge (known as June) from birth to age 7. Her diaries consist of brief entries describing social and civic events, family activities, and daily life.
Scrapbook (June's baby book), 1912-1919
Diary, 1923-1926
Diary, 1940
E. Daisy Gertrude Dame volumes, 1891-1920
Arranged chronologically.
This subseries consists of the papers of Daisy Gertude Dame, the sister of Ruth Dame Coolidge. It includes an 1891 travel diary describing a trip to England, Scotland, Germany, Sweden, and Finland; a kindergarten music scrapbook containing sheet music of children’s songs with handwritten copies of music and lyrics; and a music composition notebook.
Travel diary, 1891
Papers removed from travel diary, 1891-1907
Kindergarten music scrapbook, 1911-1920
Music notebook, n.d.
Papers removed from music notebook, n.d.
F. Olive Dame Campbell papers, 1901-1967
Arranged chronologically.
The papers of Olive Dame Campbell, the sister of Ruth Coolidge, include photocopies of her 1901 annotated sketches of Nantucket; typescripts and notes related to the 1941 and 1942 Campbell Folk School Christmas plays; and personal correspondence related to Olive's biography of her husband, John C. Campbell.
G. Olive Coolidge Butman papers, 1971-1973
Arranged chronologically.
The papers of Olive Coolidge Butman, the daughter of Richard and Ruth Coolidge, contains papers related to the Nantucket Planning Board and various planning committees.
III. Cary family papers, 1918-1990
This series contains the papers of Ruth "June" Alden Coolidge Cary; her husband Harry Montfort Cary; and their sons, Lorin Lee Cary and Richard Montfort Cary. It includes personal and professional correspondence, school papers, military papers, sketchbooks, scrapbooks, diaries, and printed material. Much of the series is related to June's work as an artist and art teacher, Harry's military and government service, and the couple's experiences while living in Japan from 1936 to 1938 and from 1953 to 1954.
A. Ruth "June" Coolidge Cary papers, 1918-1990
June's papers include personal correspondence, school records, financial accounts, essays and writings, printed material, sketchbooks, and diaries. They are largely related to June's education and career as an artist and art teacher. Her scrapbooks document her childhood in Nantucket, her school years, her art exhibitions, and her life in Japan from 1936 to 1938 and from 1953 to 1954.
i. Personal and professional papers, 1926-1990
Arranged chronologically.
June's personal correspondence includes letters from suitors, letters from friends in Japan after her return to North Carolina in 1938 through the 1980s, sympathy notes on the death of her father in 1957, and correspondence with artist associations in Nantucket. Subjects include the upkeep of the family's Nantucket property, June's teaching at Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C., her retirement from Sidwell Friends in 1977, her painting and exhibitions, and Harry's illness in 1979. Correspondence contains some retained copies.
Other papers consist of memoranda about her paintings and her 1954 exhibition in Japan, financial accounts and sales records of her artwork, papers related to the completion of her Fine Arts degree from Tufts and obtaining her teaching certificate, arrangements for her art exhibitions, and papers related to her position as head of the art department at Sidwell Friends from 1961 to 1977.
Writings include school essays, notes about her son Richard's infancy, and drafts of short stories.
ii. Artwork, 1926-1973
Arranged chronologically.
June's artwork, largely undated, includes still-life pencil sketches, layouts for signs and labels, woodblock prints, greeting cards, and several watercolor sketches of fruit and flowers.
iii. Printed material, 1926-1990
Arranged chronologically.
Printed material includes June's 1926 junior high school yearbook, for which she served as editor, theater programs, newspaper clippings documenting the life of June and her family, material related to her art classes, invitations, school newsletters, and art show brochures.
iv. Volumes, ca. 1918-1977
Arranged chronologically.
Volumes include diaries, scrapbooks, sketchbooks, and other miscellaneous volumes. Diaries from 1925 to 1932 contain short, often sporadic, entries describing social activities, school work, family events, and daily life. Later diaries contain more detailed entries. June's 1943 volume describes her life while Harry was away during the war, and the 1947 and 1948 volumes discuss June's health and raising her children.
June's series of scrapbooks illustrate much of her life with photos, sketches, letters, programs, ephemera, and handwritten annotations. Early scrapbooks or "Memory Books" document her childhood, high school, and freshman year at Swarthmore, while "The Dogwatch," named for the Coolidge family newspaper, chronicles the summer of 1930 at Hinckley Farm in Nantucket. Her 1936 scrapbook contains newspaper clippings of her engagement, mementos of a family trip through the western United States, and photos and announcements of her wedding in Japan. Two additional scrapbooks, made for family members, describe the first year of her marriage in Japan from August 1936 to August 1937. A scrapbook dated from 1942 to 1945 contains photos of the family in Boulder, Colo. and clippings and telegrams related to Harry's wartime service. Later scrapbooks illustrate the family's trip from Virginia to Japan in 1953, their lives in Japan from 1953 to 1954, and June's portfolio of paintings from her 1954 art show in Japan.
Other volumes include childhood and high school sketchbooks, several planners and memo books, and a Sidwell Friends retirement book containing notes from students and co-workers.
Sketchbook, ca. 1918-1927
Scrapbook, 1920-1927
Notebook/sketchbook, 1924-1929
Diary, 1925-1927
Diary, 1926
Scrapbook/diary, 1926-1929
Sketchbook, 1927
Sketchbook, 1927
Diary, 1928
Diary, 1928
Swarthmore scrapbook, 1929-1930
Diary, 1929-1930
"The Dogwatch" diary/scrapbook, 1930
Tufts notebook/planner, 1934-1935
Scrapbook, 1936-1937
Scrapbook, Aug. 1936-Aug. 1937
Scrapbook, Aug. 1936-Sept. 1937
Scrapbook, 1942-1945
Diary, Sep.-Nov. 1943
Calendar/planner, 1945
Diary, Mar.-June 1947
Diary, July 1947-Oct. 1948
Scrapbook "From Virginia to Japan," Feb.-Mar. 1953
Scrapbook, Mar.-Dec. 1953
Scrapbook, Jan.-June 1954
Japan scrapbook/photo album, 1954
Sidwell Friends School retirement book, 1977
B. Harry Montfort Cary papers, 1926-1983
Harry's papers reflect his youth and schooling in Japan, his service with the Naval Reserve and Naval Intelligence during World War II, his civil service career in the U.S. and in Japan, and his later interest in amateur theater in Virginia. They contain correspondence; military records; translated Japanese records, including the diary of a Japanese soldier; newspaper clippings; and theater programs.
i. Personal and military papers, 1926-1983
Arranged chronologically.
This subseries contains Harry's personal correspondence, including letters from friends in Tokyo and his time in the Navy; report cards from the American School in Japan from 1926 to 1929; and several pages of journal entries from 1934 and 1935. The bulk of papers chronicle Harry's career in the military and government service, including his May 1943 appointment as lieutenant in the U.S. Naval Reserve; copies of military orders while working for Naval Intelligence; his 1945 medical discharge; papers documenting his 1946 Civil Service position with the Navy in Japanese Affairs and his 1954-1955 position in Tokyo with the U.S. Army Forces; and his 1969 certificate of retirement from the CIA.
ii. Japanese papers, ca. 1943-1945
Included in this subseries are notes, lists, and papers written in various Japanese characters, including "romaji" that were most likely exercises from Harry's Japanese training school and work product created during his time in naval intelligence. Also included are radio broadcast scripts for Radio Tokyo (June 1943), reports on propaganda leaflets, an English translation of a Japanese soldier's line-a-day diary written from Jan. 1942 to July 1944 in the South Pacific, and write-ups of interviews with Japanese prisoners of war.
iii. Printed material, 1935-1980
Arranged chronologically.
Printed material includes newspaper clippings, many related to the Japanese language school in Boulder, Colo.; theater programs from the Fairlington Players of Arlington, Va. and other local playhouses where Harry acted and directed; and some printed scripts.
iv. Volumes, 1929-1944
Arranged chronologically.
Volumes include two address books and a notebook of memos Harry kept during his service in the Navy.
Address book, 1929
Navy notebook, 1943-1944
Address book, 1944
C. Lorin Lee Cary papers, 1949-1985
Arranged chronologically and by record type.
The papers of Lorin Lee Cary, the older son of Harry and June Cary, are largely related to Lorin's history studies and teaching positions, including readings and class syllabi from the University of Toledo in 1969, departmental correspondence, and research fellowship applications from 1976 and 1982. Printed material includes school newspapers from Annandale (Va.) High School and the University of Toledo; newspaper clippings; and a reprint of Lorin's 1976 article in Science and Society.
School and professional papers, 1949-1982
Printed material, 1951-1985
D. Richard Montfort Cary papers, 1953-1983
Arranged chronologically and by record type.
This subseries consists of the papers of Richard Montfort Cary, the younger son of Harry and June Cary. Personal papers contain school papers, tests, notes, essays, and poems. Correspondence is largely related to the Theatre Workshop of Nantucket, where Dick worked as artistic director. Printed material includes newspaper clippings pertaining to Dick and the Theatre Workshop, copies of the Annandale High School literary magazine, theater programs, printed poetry readings, and miscellaneous newsletters.
Personal papers, 1953-1983
Printed material, 1957-1983
IV. Miscellaneous and oversize material, 1855-1990
Arranged chronologically and by record type.
The bulk of this series consists of writings and memoranda by unidentified authors; printed material that could not be attributed to a specific individual, including newspaper clippings, theater programs, commencement and class day programs, membership rosters, and ephemera related to activities of the Coolidge and Cary families; and genealogical material on the Coolidge and Cary families.
Oversize material includes two posters for the 1924 mayoral reelection campaign of Richard B. Coolidge, as well as diplomas and certificates of Lorin Low Dame, Richard B. Coolidge, Ruth Burleigh Dame (Coolidge), Daisy Gertrude Dame, and Harry M. Cary.
Unidentified writings and memoranda, 1859-1968
Miscellaneous printed material, 1888-1990
Genealogical records, 1907-1984
Sketches and drawings, n.d.
Oversize material, 1855-1943
Preferred Citation
Coolidge-Cary 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.
Persons:
Organizations:
Subjects:
Materials Removed from the Collection
Photographs from this collection have been removed to the MHS Photo. Archives.
Richard B. Coolidge's 1923 mayoral ribbon has been removed to MHS Artifacts.