1770-1945; bulk: 1840-1910
Guide to the Collection
This collection guide was made possible by members of the Burnham and Griswold families, in memory of Gail Burnham.
Abstract
This collection consists of the papers of Unitarian clergyman John C. Kimball, his wife Emily Richardson Kimball, and their family, as well as papers of the related Griswold, Richardson, and Barrett families. They include correspondence, personal papers, sermons, writings, diaries, account books, genealogical papers, and printed material. Civil War papers of John and his brother Joseph E. Kimball include letters, diaries, and reminiscences of the war.
Biographical Sketches
These brief biographical sketches highlight the individuals most prominently represented in the Kimball-Griswold family papers. They are listed chronologically by date of birth.
Emily Olivia Richardson Kimball (1826-1902) was born on 3 Sept. 1826 in Alstead, N.H., the daughter of wheelwright Charles Richardson (1789-1859) and Lydia Barrett Richardson (1790-1875). Her siblings were John Barrett Richardson (1815-1885), Lorenzo Hamilton Richardson (1817-1904), Augusta Richardson Bullard (1819-1877), Franklin Locke Richardson (1821-1867), Lydia Richardson Huntoon (1823-1898), Urania "Ura" Barrett Richardson Livermore (1829-1883), Henry M. Richardson (1832-1894), and Sarah Richardson Burge (1835-1856). After studying at Williston Seminary in Easthampton, Mass. in 1845, Emily attended Mt. Holyoke Seminary in South Hadley, Mass. from 1846 to 1847. She taught at the New Hampshire towns of Alstead, Sullivan, Keene, and Hinsdale, and at Northfield, Mass.; helped to establish a female department at the New Brattleborough Academy in West Brattleboro, Vt. in 1854; and served as principal of the girls' department at the Academy at Rochester, Mass. from 1856 to 1858 and as high school principal of the girls' department in Marietta, Ohio in 1859.
Emily married Unitarian minister John Calvin Kimball on 1 Feb. 1860 in Beverly, Mass. Supporting her husband in his ministry, she accompanied him to the Washington Territory in his capacity as Agent of American Unitarian Association in 1871 and 1872. The couple lived in Newport, R.I. from 1873 to 1878, where Emily served as one of the first women on the Newport school board. In Hartford, Conn. from 1878 to 1888, she served as president of the Equal Rights Club, and twice served as a delegate to the National Convention in Washington, D.C. In Sharon, Mass. from 1899 to 1902, Emily served as president of the Women's Alliance and vice president of the Woman's Suffrage League. She and John adopted Grace Clarke (1874-1928) in 1876 and raised her brother Edward Taber Clarke (1871-1918) until he was 15 years old. Emily died on 16 Oct. 1902 in Greenfield, Mass. at the home of her daughter Grace.
John Calvin Kimball (1832-1910) was born 23 May 1832 in Ipswich, Mass., the eldest child of John Kimball (1800-1876) and Rebecca Gould Kimball (1800-1888). His siblings were Stephen Henry Kimball (1833-1893), Eben A. Kimball (1835-1887), Sarah Dunbar Kimball Bird (1837-1890), Joseph Edward Kimball (1839-1896), and Lucy Ann "Annie" Kimball Damon (1844-1900). He attended grammar and high school in Ipswich and graduated from Amherst College in 1854. After teaching languages at Texas State University from 1854 to 1855 and traveling throughout the south, John attended Harvard Divinity School, graduating in 1859. He became the Unitarian minister at the First Parish in Beverly, Mass. in 1860, taking a leave of absence to become chaplain of the 8th Mass. Infantry Regiment from Oct. 1862 to Aug. 1863. He left Beverly in 1871 to become superintendent of the Unitarian Association in the Washington Territory and served at the Channing Memorial Church in Newport, R.I. from 1873 to 1878; at Unity Church in Hartford, Conn. from 1878 to 1888; and at Sharon, Mass. from 1900 to 1904. John was known for his sermons and writings on abolition, temperance, women's rights, and workers' rights, including a notable sermon advocating for the anarchists executed after Chicago's Haymarket riots in 1886. He also wrote extensively on the philosophy and science of evolution.
John married Emily Olivia Richardson on 1 Feb. 1860 in Beverly. The couple adopted Grace Clarke (1874-1928) in 1876 and raised her brother Edward Taber Clarke (1871-1918) until he was 15 years old. Three years after Emily's death in 1902, John moved to Greenfield, Mass., where he died on 16 Feb. 1910 at the home of his daughter Grace.
Joseph Edward Kimball (1839-1896) was born on 12 June 1839 in Ipswich, Mass., the son of John Kimball (1800-1876) and Rebecca Gould Kimball (1804-1888). After attending Ipswich schools, Joseph was trained as a machinist, working in Cambridge, Boston, and East Boston. At the outbreak of the Civil War, he enlisted in Company B, 1st Massachusetts Infantry in May 1861, mustering in for three years. He served at the Siege of Richmond, taking part in the battles of Yorktown and Williamsburg, where he received a bayonet injury; Fair Oaks; Bull Run; Malvern Hill; Fredericksburg; Chancellorsville; and Gettysburg, where he was again wounded. During the summer of 1863, he was with his regiment in New York to suppress the draft riots. In Oct. 1863, he was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant in the 37th Colored Infantry Regiment, and in Sept. 1864 he was breveted 1st Lieutenant in the 116th Colored Infantry Regiment, taking part in the battles of Petersburg and Appomattox Court House and serving for a year after the war on the Rio Grande in Texas. He was breveted as captain and retired from the service in Jan. 1867, having taken part in 37 battles.
After the war, Joseph joined the Abington shoe manufacturing business of his brother Eben Kimball as a partner and machinist, and he held several patents for his inventions. In 1868, he married Ellen F. Janes (1849-1869). After her death, he married Susan F. Dunham (1848-1879) in 1871, with whom he had three children: Anne Durham Kimball Brown, John Hermon Kimball, and Josephine Kimball Cushman. After the death of Joseph's second wife, he married Evelyn Collicott in 1882. He died on 22 Feb. 1896 in Brockton, Mass.
Lyman William "Will" Griswold (1868-1944) was born on 16 Oct. 1869 in Watkins Glen, N.Y., the son of Theophilus Lyman Griswold (1829-1884) and Isabella Holden Griswold (1838-1882). After his parents died, he was brought up by his uncle John Flavel Griswold in Greenfield. Mass. Will graduated from Powers Institute in Bernardston in 1888 and Amherst College in 1892, teaching school in Presque Isle, Me. for a year before beginning his study of the law. After he was admitted to the bar in 1896, he became a partner in the Greenfield law firm Winn and Griswold. In 1898, Will inherited his uncle's Greenfield farm and continued to run it. He served on Greenfield's school committee from 1898 to 1910; as a captain in the 2nd Massachusetts Infantry Regiment from 1902 to 1905; as state representative from 1906 to 1914; and as state senator from 1917 to 1925. From 1936 to 1944, he was the president of the Greenfield Cooperative Bank.
Will married Grace Clarke Kimball on 8 June 1899, and the couple had eight children: Emily Kimball Griswold Raymond (1900-1979), May Griswold (1901-1901), Theophilus Griswold (1903-1962), Grace Griswold Conlon (1903-1999), Ruth Griswold Baker (1907-1972), Elizabeth Griswold Burnham (1911-1988), Talcott Griswold (1914-2004), and Lyman William Griswold (1917-2013). He died on 30 Jan. 1944 in Greenfield, Mass.
Grace Clarke Kimball Griswold (1874-1928) was born on 24 Apr. 1874 in New Bedford, Mass., the daughter of Joseph Clarke (1811-1875) and Mercy Taber Carpenter Clarke (1830-1875). After her parents died, Grace was adopted by John and Emily Kimball in 1876, and she moved with them from Newport, R.I. to Hartford, Conn. in 1878. She attended the Brown School in Hartford and graduated from Smith College in 1897. Grace married Lyman William Griswold on 8 June 1899, and the couple had eight children: Emily Kimball Griswold Raymond (1900-1979), May Griswold (1901-1901), Theophilus Griswold (1903-1962), Grace Griswold Conlon (1903-1999), Ruth Griswold Baker (1907-1972), Elizabeth Griswold Burnham (1911-1988), Talcott Griswold (1914-2004), and Lyman William Griswold (1917-2013). She died on 15 Apr. 1928 in Greenfield, Mass.
Collection Description
The Kimball-Griswold family papers consist of 24 document boxes, 11 cased volumes, and one oversize box of manuscript and printed material spanning the years 1770 to 1945, with the bulk of material dating from 1840 to 1910. The collection has been divided into six series that document the lives of Unitarian clergyman and social activist John C. Kimball, his wife Emily Richardson Kimball, their adopted daughter Grace Clarke Kimball Griswold, her husband Lyman W. Griswold, and numerous members of the extended Kimball, Griswold, Richardson, and Barrett families. It contains personal and professional papers, family correspondence, financial and legal records, ministerial records, Civil War correspondence and memoirs, writings, account books, sketchbooks, diaries, and printed material.
John C. Kimball's papers comprise the largest part of the collection. They reflect his experiences as a student in Ipswich, Amherst College, and Harvard Divinity School; as a Civil War chaplain with the 8th Regiment, Massachusetts Volunteers; as a minister at the First Church in Beverly, the Unitarian Association in the Washington Territory, Channing Memorial Church in Newport, Unity Church in Hartford, the Unitarian Church of Sharon, and other locations; and as a social activist for temperance, abolitionism, women's suffrage, and workers' rights. Included are sermons, writings, correspondence, diaries, and financial records. Correspondents include Edward Everett Hale, James Freeman Clarke, Julia Ward Howe, and Hartford parishioner Edith Spencer. Of note are Kimball's five volumes of Miscellanies, which contain detailed entries on his family history, youthful reminiscences, political and social opinions, ministerial duties, Civil War experiences, and travels. His volume of ministerial records contains parish histories, lists of members, baptisms, funerals, and marriages for each of his parishes. Together with his pocket diaries and correspondence records, these volumes document his day-to-day life and ministerial career.
Family correspondence is largely that of Kimball, his wife Emily, and their daughter Grace. Topics include John and Emily's courtship and marriage; John's work and travels; family events; daily life in Alstead, Ipswich, Beverly, Newport, and Hartford; and Grace's studies at Smith College. Additional correspondents include Emily's maternal grandmother, Urania Locke Barrett; Emily's mother, Lydia Barrett Richardson; Emily's sisters, Augusta Richardson Bullard and Urania Richardson Livermore; John's brother, Joseph Edward Kimball; Emily's niece, Emily "Kitty" Bullard; Grace's husband, Lyman William Griswold; and many members of the extended Richardson, Kimball, and Griswold families. Of particular interest are the letters of Joseph E. Kimball describing his Civil War service with the 1st Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, the 37th Colored Infantry Regiment, and the 116th Colored Infantry Regiment, including details of battles and his impressions of the African American troops. Joseph's Civil War diary, memoirs, and published "Battle Sketches" are also included in the collection.
Papers of Emily Richardson Kimball document her childhood in Alstead, N.H.; her studies at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary; her teaching career in New Hampshire and Marietta, Ohio; her life as the wife of a Unitarian minister; and her advocacy of women's suffrage. They include correspondence, diaries, and teacher's records. Griswold family papers include those of John and Emily's adopted daughter, Grace Kimball Griswold, including school papers, financial accounts, and pocket diaries reflecting her childhood in Hartford and her married life in Greenfield, Mass. Also included are the papers of Grace's husband, Greenfield lawyer Lyman W. Griswold; Lyman's father, Theophilus Lyman Griswold; Lyman's uncle, John Flavel Griswold; and other family members.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Tracy Burnham, Jan. 2008; Mr. and Mrs. Tracy Burnham, Jael Raymond, Mr. and Mrs. Holden Baker, Drusilla Burnham Vodra, Deborah Burnham Printz, and Lyman W. Griswold, Aug. 2008 and Aug. 2014; Laura Burnham, Oct. 2018; and William and Drusilla Burnham Vodra, Melissa Burnham Pritchard, and Laura Burnham Distel, Oct. 2019.
Detailed Description of the Collection
Expand allI. John C. Kimball papers, 1841-1910
Kimball's papers document his life as a student in Ipswich, Amherst, and Cambridge, Mass.; a Civil War chaplain; a Unitarian minister in New England and the Washington Territory; and an advocate of social reform. They include personal and professional correspondence, financial records, writings, sermons, ministerial records, and several series of diaries and journals.
A. Personal and professional correspondence, 1841-1909
Arranged chronologically.
The bulk of Kimball's correspondence is related to his ministerial career in Beverly and Hartford. Included are letters discussing the establishment of Hartford's Unity Church in 1878 and correspondence documenting his rocky tenure with the church, largely due to his controversial sermon topics and ministerial style. January and February 1888 letters contain responses to his lectures and pamphlet in support of Chicago's Haymarket riot anarchists. Other topics include requests for copies of Kimball's sermons, the exchange of pulpits with area ministers, invitations to become the minister of various congregations, the publication of Kimball's writings and sermons, and other church and parish matters. Correspondents include Edward Everett Hale, James Freeman Clarke, Julia Ward Howe, and Nathaniel T. Allen.
Kimball's correspondence also includes five letters he wrote from New Bern, N.C. and Roanoke, Va., where he served as chaplain of the 8th Mass. Infantry Regiment in 1862 and 1863. Addressing Beverly's First Parish Sunday School, he describes his camp experiences, daily life among the troops, and New Bern under military rule.
Personal correspondence includes letters related to Ipswich's history and anniversary celebrations, as well as Kimball's real estate investments in Wichita, Kan. and Waynesboro, Ga. An extensive correspondence with Hartford parishioner Edith Spencer documents daily church activities and politics, as well as the Kimballs' family life and social activities.
1841-1888
1889-1902
1905-1909
B. Legal and financial records, 1851-1909
Arranged chronologically.
This series largely contains receipts, including those for Amherst College tuition, taxes, utilities, household furnishings and repairs, real estate assessments, medical care, funeral expenses, and sundries. Also included are Kimball's 1860 marriage certificate; an 1872 deed for land in Olympia, Washington Territory; papers related to the administration of his father's estate (1869-1880); and papers related to the sale of Kimball's holdings in the Wichita Banking Co., where he served as president.
C. Writings, 1847-1904
Arranged chronologically.
Kimball's writings consist of Ipswich high school essays written from 1847 to 1849, as well as numerous speeches, addresses, articles and poems written from 1854 to 1904. Topics include temperance, abolition, evolution, and his experiences in the American West. Many items are undated.
D. Sermons, 1858-1904
Arranged chronologically.
Kimball numbered and dated his handwritten sermons through 1862, although there are large gaps in the numerical sequence. Most sermons contain notations indicating the dates preached (some as many as four times), the title of the sermon, the Bible verse upon which it was based, and the handwritten text. Undated sermons appear to be drafts or sermons that were not delivered. Sermons were preached primarily in Beverly, Ipswich, Newport, Hartford, and Sharon, as well as the Washington Territory (1872). Many discuss abolitionism, temperance, workers' rights, and Unitarianism.
1858-1867
1868-1877
1878-1886
1887-1904, undated
Undated
E. Volumes, 1845-1910
i. Miscellanies, 1845-1872
Arranged chronologically.
These five handwritten volumes consist of Kimball's reminiscences, genealogical essays, diary entries, poems, records of ministerial activities, and business transactions.
Miscellany, Vol. 1, 1845-1855
This is a photocopy of the original volume. The location of the original is unknown.
This volume includes Kimball's essays on his ancestry, including genealogies; copies of wills, estate inventories, and deeds; recollections of his father John Kimball, written as an oral history; a memoir of his mother Rebecca Gould Kimball; a history of his father's business; and recollections of his parents' social life. Also included are Kimball's reminiscences of his childhood in Ipswich, describing his schooling, friends, Sunday School, his work as a mill boy from 1846 to 1848, copies of some of his high school compositions, and a map and sketches of Ipswich in 1832. The volume also contains a copy of his first diary, written from Jan. to June 1845.
Kimball begins a contemporaneous diary on 23 May 1849, his 17th birthday, writing primarily from Ipswich and Amherst. Some entries are long and detailed, particularly about his sailing experiences. Entries are interspersed with copies of letters and essays, as well as information about his classes at Amherst College from 1851 to 1852.
Miscellany, Vol. 2, 1856-1859
This volume is entitled "Miscellany of a Young Fellow – Doings, Doubts, Friendships, Thoughts, and Feelings." Written in Ipswich, Worcester, Cambridge, East Alstead, N.H., and Amherst, it includes diary entries describing the weather, Kimball's health, studies, activities, and thoughts on politics, philosophy, and religion. Topics include his opinions on Kansas as a free state, the antislavery movement, differences between the American North and South, the 1856 election, the Mormon War, and the financial crisis. Kimball describes meeting his future wife, Emily Richardson, and their courtship and engagement. Included are copies of Emily's letters which describe her life as a teacher in Marietta, Ohio in 1858 and 1859.
Kimball also describes his studies at Harvard Divinity School, including a copy of his dissertation, as well as his call to become the minister at Beverly in 1859, along with a description of the town and its people. He quotes letters from his siblings Joseph, Anna, and Eben, remarking on their individual situations; includes copies of his Worcester Lyceum lectures; and at the end of each year, lists annual expenditures and receipts, as well as letters sent and received.
Miscellany, Vol. 3, 1860-1864
Entitled "Miscellany of a Minister's Accounts, Letters, Sermons, Recreation, and Work During the War," this volume was written primarily in Beverly, Ipswich, and at the Civil War Army camp in New Bern, N.C. 1860 entries describe Kimball's ministerial duties and his congregation in Beverly; his wedding in Alstead, N.H.; and his opinions on the Shoemaker's Strike and Republican presidential nominations. Sermons preached, weddings, and funerals are listed in daily narratives. 1861 entries describe setting up house in Beverly; Abraham Lincoln's inauguration; Kimball's preaching on slavery, including texts of sermons in which he advocates for immediate emancipation; and the enlistment and Civil War service of his brother Joseph E. Kimball, including copies of Joe's letters from the front and excepts from his war journal from 30 Oct. to 5 Nov. 1861.
1862 entries include news of the war; Kimball's ministerial activities and sermons; family visits and letters; a copy of Joe's war journal from 15-19 Apr.; Joe's 16 May account of the Battle of Williamsburg; Kimball's decision to join the 8th Mass. Infantry Regiment as chaplain; and his voyage to the army camp at New Bern, N.C., including a description of the camp and its men. 1863 entries describe army life at New Bern, Kimball's visits to Elizabeth City and Roanoke Island, his opinions about slavery and the war, his return to Beverly in July, and ministerial matters in Beverly. Included are numerous excerpts from letters of his wife Emily and niece Kitty Bullard. 1864 entries discuss parish affairs, politics, and the war, including excerpts from Joe's letters describing his experiences with African American troops. Summaries after each year list accounts and correspondence.
Miscellany, Vol. 4, 1865-1870
This volume contains almost daily diary entries for each year, discussing Kimball's ministerial duties, family news and activities, personal life in Beverly, political opinions, and news of the day. In addition, 1865 entries describe Kimball's abolitionist sermons, the South's surrender and the end of the war, Abraham Lincoln's assassination, and Joe's military activity in Texas. Excerpts from family letters are included. Of note is a copy of Kimball's 4 June sermon, "Negro Suffrage and Citizenship." 1867 and 1868 entries also include descriptions of Kimball's trips to Washington, D.C., including a description of Arlington National Cemetery. 1869 entries describe Kimball's trips to St. Louis, Topeka, Chicago, and Newport, and his sailing excursion from July to September. Beginning in 1869, portions of the diary entries are written in code.
Miscellany, Vol. 5, 1871-1872
1871 entries describe Kimball's travels on the Pacific coast with Emily as a "prospector and agent of the Unitarian Society," visiting Portland, Salem, Oregon City, Walla Walla, Seattle, Port Townsend, Victoria, and Olympia. Included are frequent excerpts of letters from Kimball's niece, Kitty Bullard, including a description of the Great Chicago Fire on 8 October, which left her family homeless. November entries mention Kimball's participation in a women's suffrage convention and meeting Susan B. Anthony. Entries end abruptly on 15 April 1872.
ii. Ministerial records, 1858-1907
This volume contains a list of 290 sermons Kimball delivered from 1858 to 1868, as well as records of his ministry at Beverly, Mass. (1860-1869), Washington Territory (1871-1872), Newport, R.I. (1873-1878), Hartford, Conn. (1878-1888), Sharon, Mass. (1899-1904), and other locations as a visiting pastor. Records for each ministry include a history of the parish; a description of his ordination; a list of families in each parish, including names, remarks, and death dates; dates and subjects of sermons; admissions to the church; baptisms; funerals; marriages; benevolent contributions; Sunday School information; and an end-of-the-year summary. Records from 1901 and 1902 mention his wife Emily's involvement with the women's suffrage movement and as president of the Sharon branch of the Woman's Alliance.
Loose papers include notes for an 1880 Hartford Sunday School report, an 1881 pastor's report, and several undated copies of the covenant of the First Unitarian Church of Newport.
Ministerial records, 1858-1907
Loose papers removed from volume, undated
iii. Household expenses, 1861-1908
This volume begins with an 1861 inventory of household goods, listed by room. Kept throughout Kimball's life, the volume lists family expenses for each year, including date, amount, and detailed description of purchases such as food, services, travel expenses, and household items. Occasionally written by Emily, the entries also provide evidence of the Kimballs' daily activities and travels.
iv. Pocket diaries, 1863-1909
Kimball began keeping a pocket diary when he served as an army chaplain during the Civil War, and after 1872, when he returned from the Washington Territory, they replaced his more detailed "miscellanies." Daily entries in these small volumes consist of brief notations about the weather, Kimball's health, family activities, ministerial duties, travels, visitors, and expenses. Unlike the entries in his "miscellanies," they provide little detail or narrative. Some portions are written in code. Summaries in the back of several volumes list cash accounts and letters sent and received. Of note are entries chronicling his father's last illness in May 1876, an 1897 memorial to his brother Joseph E. Kimball, and a record of Emily's final illness and death on 16 Oct. 1902.
Diary, 1863-1870
Diary, 1873
Diary, 1874
Diary, 1875
Diary, 1876
Diary, 1877
Diary, 1878
Diary, 1879
Diary, 1880
Diary, 1881
Diary, 1882
Diary, 1883
Diary, 1884
Diary, 1885
Diary, 1886
Diary, 1888
Diary, 1889
Diary, 1890
Diary, 1891
Diary, 1892
Diary, 1893
Diary, 1894
Diary, 1895
Diary, 1896
Diary, 1897
Diary, 1898
Diary, 1899
Diary, 1900
Diary, 1901
Diary, 1902
Diary, 1903
Diary, 1904
Diary, 1905
Diary, 1906
Diary, 1907
Diary, 1908
Diary, 1909
Loose papers removed from diaries, 1863-1909
v. Logbook and expenses of the Emily, 1891-1895
The volume includes a log of a voyage on Kimball's sailboat, the Emily, from 3 July to 17 September 1891. Entitled "Trip from Lake Champlain to the Thousand Islands," the log records visits to Shelburne Harbor, Burlington, St. John, St. Antoine, and Montreal. Also included is a list of 1895 expenses for the boat.
vi. Correspondence record books, 1901-1910
Arranged chronologically.
These volumes contain Kimball's record of "letters written and received," including date, sender or recipient, where letters were written, and a brief synopsis.
Correspondence records, 1901
Correspondence records, 1902
Correspondence records, 1903
Correspondence records, 1904
Correspondence records, 1907
Correspondence records, 1908
Correspondence records, 1909
Correspondence records, 1910
vii. Commonplace-book, undated
Kimball's commonplace-book contains brief quotations about science, philosophy, and history arranged alphabetically by subject.
Commonplace book, undated
Loose papers removed from volume, undated
F. Sketches and artwork, 1848, undated
Artwork includes undated childhood watercolor sketches and a map of Ipswich as it was in 1832. Drawn in 1848, the map is a draft of the one found in Kimball's Miscellany, Vol. 1.
II. Family correspondence, 1786-1945
Arranged chronologically.
Early family correspondence, dating from 1786 to 1850, is almost exclusively that of the Barrett-Richardson family. Correspondence of Urania Locke Barrett of Ashby, Mass., the maternal grandmother of Emily Richardson Kimball, and Lydia Barrett Richardson of New Alstead, N.H., Emily's mother, includes letters from Urania's siblings Lucretia Locke Kingsbury, Eunice Locke Richards, and Samuel Locke; Lydia's siblings Samuel Barrett, Urania Barrett Griswold, Nathan Barrett, Olive Barrett Damon, Polly Barrett Chamberlin, John Barrett, and Betsey Barrett Crosby; Lydia's children Emily Richardson Kimball, Ellen Richardson Huntoon, and Augusta Richardson Bullard; and numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews. Lydia's letters largely describe life in New Alstead, family events, and her religious convictions. Two 1819 letters from Lydia's brother Samuel Barrett describe his experiences while a student at Dartmouth College. An 1835 letter from Nathan Barrett to his mother Urania Locke Barrett describes his voyage from Boston to the Bahamas and New Orleans.
The bulk of family correspondence consists of letters written to and between John C. Kimball, his wife Emily Richardson Kimball, and their adopted daughter Grace Clarke Kimball. Included are John and Emily's courtship letters; correspondence during John's ministerial travels describing day-to-day life in Beverly, Newport, and Hartford, family events, and church matters; 1888 letters discussing Grace's adoption; and 1894 letters from Grace at Smith College discussing her studies, activities, and finances. During the summer of 1902, when Emily is in Greenfield with Grace and her family, John writes to her several times a week. After Emily's death in October 1902, Grace's letters to her father describe her daily life in Greenfield and the health of her children.
Also included are John's letters to his brother Joseph Edward Kimball while serving as a Civil War chaplain in July and August 1862. Joseph's 1863 and 1864 letters to John, Emily, and other family members discuss his war experiences, his relationship with African American troops in his regiment, and his pride "in a Negro regiment fighting the slave holders' rebellion." Later correspondence between John and Joseph largely discusses financial affairs, including the destruction of Joseph's Brockton machinery business by fire in 1882. Other family correspondents include John's siblings Annie Damon and Stephen Henry Kimball; Emily's siblings Augusta Richardson Bullard, Urania Richardson Livermore, and Lorenzo Hamilton Richardson; and many nieces and nephews, including Kitty Bullard, Nellie Livermore, Fred Huntoon, and Alice Kimball Darmond.
Some correspondence dating from 1876 to 1888 is related to John and Emily's efforts in the care of Edward and Grace Clarke, as well as Grace's adoption. Included are letters between members of the Taber-Clarke family, John, Emily, and the children, including Eddie's letters to his brother Joseph Clarke.
A small amount of correspondence is that of the Griswold family, including 1893 letters to Lyman William "Will" Griswold from his brother Hiram "Hite" Griswold in Pueblo, Colo. describing his interest in running a dairy business; and letters from his brother Carl Schurz Griswold about his bicycle business in Corning, N.Y. in 1894 and his Colorado mining business in 1897. Also included are letters of Lyman's father Theophilus Griswold and his uncle John Flavel Griswold.
Undated correspondence includes that of Urania Locke Barrett, Urania Barrett Griswold, John C. Kimball, and Emily Richardson Kimball. A number of empty envelopes without corresponding letters contain notations about the missing letter's subject or author.
1786-1883
1884-1891
1892-1901
1902-1945
Undated
Envelopes without letters, 1856-1902
III. Kimball family papers, 1841-1902
This series contains the papers of Emily Olivia Richardson Kimball, the wife of John C. Kimball, including correspondence, diaries, and teacher's records; Joseph Edward Kimball, John C. Kimball's brother, including correspondence, military papers, and Civil War diaries and remembrances; and Edward Taber Clarke, John C. Kimball's ward, including correspondence, school essays, and an 1884 diary.
A. Emily Richardson Kimball papers, 1841-1902
This series contains the correspondence, personal papers, diaries, and teaching records of Emily Richardson Kimball. They reflect her life and work as a teacher and school administrator, the wife of Unitarian minister John C. Kimball, and a women's rights advocate.
i. Loose papers, 1844-1902
Arranged chronologically.
Correspondence includes letters from early suitors; friends from Alstead, Beverly, Newport, and elsewhere; teaching co-workers from New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Marietta, Ohio; administrators offering Emily teaching positions and providing recommendations in the 1850s; and wives of ministers also traveling to the Washington Territory in 1871. Of note is a June 1878 letter to Emily from the Newport school superintendent about her resignation from the school board, as well as a March 1888 letter from Lucie Isaacs mentioning the women's suffrage movement in Boston and San Francisco.
Other papers include Emily's election certificate to the Public School Committee of Newport in April 1876, papers related to Emily's work with women's suffrage and the Mt. Holyoke College Association in 1900, a May 1902 draft of Emily's will, and her published obituaries in October 1902. Empty envelopes addressed to Emily without corresponding letters are filed at the end of this series.
ii. Diaries, 1841-1896
Arranged chronologically.
Emily's memoir and diary, with entries from March 1841 to July 1850, contains remembrances of her early childhood activities and routines, including a description of her Family Temperance Society; descriptions of her siblings as children; and sketches of her childhood homes, school, and father's woodworking shop. Also included are copies of letters she sent to family members describing her high school experiences in Westfield in 1842 and letters she received from family and friends. Entries discuss her daily life at school, her 1844 qualification to teach school in New Hampshire, her life at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in 1845 and 1846, and her return to New Hampshire to teach.
Her Marietta journal, written from September to December 1858, contains religious thoughts, as well as discussions of classes she teaches, daily activities, and letters received from John Kimball and others. Pocket diaries, kept fairly regularly between 1869 and 1877 and again in 1896, record her daily activities and those of her husband, the couple's health, weather, visitors, letters written and received, school and parish matters, and current reading material. Emily's 1872 diary, written in the Washington Territory, describes her painting and sketching, but not much about the West. Later diaries contain more sporadic entries.
Memoir and diary, 1841-1850
Marietta journal, Sept.-Dec. 1858
Pocket diary, 1869
Pocket diary, 1870
Pocket diary, 1872
Diary transcript (excerpts), 1872
Pocket diary, 1873
Pocket diary, 1875
Pocket diary, 1876
Pocket diary, 1877
Pocket diary, 1896
iii. Teacher's records, 1843-1853
Emily's record book contains information about her New Hampshire and Massachusetts classes at various Alstead and New Alstead districts from 1843 to 1848, the Sullivan district in 1848 and 1849, the Paper Mill Village Select School in 1850 and 1851, the FitzWilliam and Langdon districts in 1850, the Hinsdale district and private school in 1851 and 1852, and the West Brattleboro district in 1853. Records include names and ages of her students, their parents, and other facts such as death or marriage dates.
An undated teaching chart lists subjects taught and the number of students for each term.
Records, 1843-1853
Teacher's chart, undated
iv. Scrapbook, 1854-1902
This scrapbook contains newspaper clippings and ephemera, most dating from the 1880s and 1890s, pasted into a bound volume of the periodical "The Crayon," Vols. III and IV (1856). Included are articles related to family members' social activities; obituaries; articles and speeches written by her husband John C. Kimball; articles related to the history of Ipswich, Beverly, Newport, and Hartford; articles about women's suffrage, temperance, and church activities in Newport and Hartford; and articles about the Hartford Equal Rights Club, for which Emily served as president in 1898 and 1899. Loose items removed from the scrapbook are primarily newspaper clippings and printed ephemera, including several related to the Equal Rights Club. Loose manuscript material, largely undated, includes notes for talks on the history of liquor legislation and a brief essay by John Kimball.
Scrapbook, 1854-1902
Loose papers removed from scrapbook, 1876-1902
v. Address book, 1891
Recorded in an 1887 pocket diary, this volume lists the names, addresses, and occasionally the affiliations of persons known by Emily Kimball.
B. Joseph Edward Kimball papers, 1854-1900
The papers of Joseph E. Kimball, Civil War veteran, machinist, inventor, and brother of John C. Kimball, include correspondence, financial papers, military papers, a Civil War diary, and memoirs of his war years.
i. Loose papers, 1854-1900
Arranged chronologically and by size.
Included are papers related to Joseph's 1864 commission as first lieutenant of the 116th Regiment of the United States Colored Troops in the 10th Army Corps, as well as his 1867 discharge and his commission as brevet captain. Other papers include an 1872 mortgage on business property of his brother Ebenezer Kimball; a deed to a lot at the Mt. Vernon Cemetery in Abington; several life insurance policies; and his estate settlement papers, including his will and estate inventory. Letters from William Rollin Shipman, dating from 1876 to 1879, discuss family, friends, and Shipman's duties as a minister and professor at Tufts College.
Correspondence, military, and financial papers, 1854-1900
Military papers, 1864
ii. Civil War diary and memoirs, 1864-1865
Joseph's Civil War diary, dating from 4 Dec. 1864 through 1865, is a pocket diary with sporadic entries describing the weather; activities in camp and on the field; and impressions of his company, the African American troops, and his commanding officers. Joseph provides detailed entries from 30 March through mid-April, describing the battles of Petersburg and Appomattox, and news of Abraham Lincoln's assassination. Dec. 1864 entries begin in the back of the volume, along with a list of English to Spanish vocabulary and several financial accounts.
Joseph's memoir, "Civil War Remembrances," describes the beginning of the war, his decision to join, and his choice of company. "Battle Sketches" discusses the June 1862 Battle of Seven Pines outside Richmond and Joseph's impressions of Gen. George McClellan.
Diary, 1864-1865
"Civil War Remembrances," undated
"Battle Sketches," undated
C. Edward Taber Clarke papers, 1884-1888
Arranged chronologically and by record type.
Papers of Edward Taber Clarke, ward of John and Emily Kimball and brother of Grace Clarke Kimball Griswold, include correspondence, personal papers, school essays, and an 1884 diary.
i. Correspondence and personal papers, 1886-1888
Arranged chronologically.
Papers include letters to friends, signed Eddie T. Kimball; several notes apologizing for his bad behavior in school; writings about being disciplined by the Kimballs; and financial accounts with John Kimball.
ii. School essays, 1885-1886
Arranged chronologically.
Essays, written in Hartford when Edward was 14 years old, discuss history and nature, as well as some personal reminiscences.
iii. Diary, 1884
This line-a-day diary, written in Hartford when Edward was 13, primarily describes attending school and church, as well as other daily activities.
IV. Griswold family papers, 1780-1944
This series contains the papers of Lyman W. Griswold; his wife Grace Clarke Kimball Griswold, adopted daughter of John C. Kimball; Lyman's father, Theophilus Lyman Griswold; Lyman's uncle, John F. Griswold; Lyman's great-grandfather, Theophilus Griswold; and other family members. Included are correspondence, military appointments, legal and financial papers, school records, diaries, and a scrapbook.
A. Early family papers, 1780-1849
i. Theophilus Griswold (1761-1821) military appointments, 1780-1798
Arranged chronologically.
These commissions include Griswold's 1780 appointment as a sergeant in the Massachusetts Militia; a 1795 appointment as an ensign in the militia's 2nd Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 4th Division; and his appointment as lieutenant in the 2nd Regiment in 1798.
ii. Theophilus Lyman Griswold (1828-1884) diary, 1846-1849
Entries in the diary of Theophilus Griswold, the father of Lyman W. Griswold, begin in 1846 when Theophilus was 14 years old. They describe daily activities on his family's Elmira, N.Y. farm; singing school; his philosophical thoughts and hopes for his future; and his schooling, including boarding with different families. After several gaps, two Sept. 1849 entries describe attending Amherst College.
iii. Miscellaneous family papers, 1844, undated
Papers include an 1844 property lease given by Lyman Griswold (1793-1863) of Greenfield, a watercolor sketch for his daughter Ellen Griswold (b. 1835) by an unknown artist, and undated awards of merit given to his daughter Harriet W. Griswold (1838-1913) from the Westhaven Female Seminary.
B. John F. Griswold papers, 1854-1897
Arranged chronologically.
John Flavel Griswold (1825-1898) was the brother of Theophilus Lyman Griswold. After Theophilus's death in 1884, John served as administrator of his brother's estate and guardian for his two minor nephews, Hiram "Hite" Griswold and Lyman W. "Will" Griswold. His papers contain a large amount of bills and receipts for books, lumber, farm supplies, printing, taxes, and sundries. Also included are 1885 estate settlement papers for his brother Theophilus, legal correspondence regarding the support of his nephews, and 1887 report cards from the Powers Institute of Bernardston, Mass. for Lyman W. Griswold and Alice Harrington.
C. Lyman W. Griswold papers, 1881-1944
Arranged chronologically and by record type.
Lyman "Will" Griswold's papers contain correspondence about Amherst College and his Beta Iota fraternity with his college classmates in 1892 and 1893, correspondence related to his application for the position of Fitchburg grammar school principal in 1893, and correspondence related to his study of law by mail with the Sprague School of Law in Detroit from 1894 to 1895. Additional correspondence documents his business with his brother Carl at the Rochester Cycle Co. in Rochester, N.Y., including plans to sell bicycles, advertising, and financial records. Also included are Will's early undated school papers, including exercises in arithmetic, geography, and German.
Will's account book, kept from 1912 to 1944, records rental property payments and expenses, as well as accounts with his children Lyman W. Griswold, Talcott Griswold, and Elizabeth Griswold.
i. Loose papers, 1881-1928
ii. Account book, 1912-1944
D. Grace Clarke Kimball Griswold papers, 1882-1927
Grace Kimball Griswold was the adopted daughter of John and Emily Kimball and the wife of Lyman W. Griswold. Her papers include school papers, financial accounts, genealogical correspondence, pocket diaries that she kept during her childhood and again in her early married life, and a scrapbook containing newspaper clippings related to her family's life.
i. Loose papers, 1884-1927
Arranged chronologically.
Grace's loose papers consist of report cards from the Brown School in Hartford dating from 1884 and 1885; several 1886 school essays; 1895 accounts from the estates of her biological parents, Joseph Clarke and Mercy Tabor Clarke; and genealogical correspondence primarily related to her Cole family ancestors, 1916-1927.
ii. Diaries, 1882-1902
Arranged chronologically.
Grace's line-a-day pocket diaries begin in 1882, with January and February entries written in the hand of her adopted mother Emily. In March, she began to write her own entries, consisting primarily of her daily activities at school and church. 1883 to 1886 diaries contain short, more frequent entries discussing her health, weather, school, church, household chores, visitors, and special events such as the Barnum Circus. By 1887, Grace writes more detailed entries on the same topics, as well as her father's sermons and her sailing expeditions with him. Much of her 1884 diary is blank, although she writes in December of returning home from Smith College. Her 1900 diary, written in Greenfield, Mass., contains sporadic entries describing her married life, the birth of her daughter Emily on 9 May, infant milestones, and a few other activities. Her 1902 Greenfield diary contains only a few entries, including her mother Emily's death on 16 October.
Diary, 1882
Diary, 1883
Diary, 1884
Diary, 1885
Diary, 1886
Diary, 1887
Diary, 1889
Diary, 1890
Diary, 1891
Diary, 1892
Diary, 1894
Diary, 1900
Diary, 1902
iii. Scrapbook, 1897-1910
Grace's scrapbook consists of newspaper clippings and ephemera pasted into a business ledger. Included are her 1899 wedding announcements; published writings by, and articles about, her father; articles about cases tried by her husband; articles about her husband's military experience with the local militia; obituaries of her mother; poems; and historical articles, primarily about Hartford and Greenfield.
Scrapbook, 1897-1910
Loose material removed from scrapbook, undated
V. Miscellaneous family papers, 1770-1913
A. Barrett-Locke family papers, 1813-1838
Arranged chronologically.
The Barrett and Locke families were ancestors of Emily Richardson Kimball and her son-in-law Lyman W. Griswold. (Emily's mother and Lyman's grandmother were sisters.) Papers in this subseries include accounts for payment on a bond of John Locke, dated from 1813 to 1822; an 1818 personal property inventory of Urania Barrett; and several other receipts and memoranda.
B. Mercy Taber Clarke autograph album, 1852-1860
Mercy Taber Clarke was the biological mother of Grace Kimball Griswold. Her autograph album contains poems and quotations from friends and acquaintances, dating from 1852 to 1860.
C. Emily "Kitty" Bullard diary, 1872
Emily "Kitty" Bullard was the daughter of Joel Bullard and Augusta Richardson Bullard and the niece of Emily Richardson Kimball. Her diary discusses her daily life and activities in West Newton, Mass. and Chicago. She frequently mentions John Kimball, with whom she corresponded regularly. A list of accounts is in the back of the volume.
D. Unrelated or unidentified papers, 1770-ca. 1913
Arranged chronologically.
Included is a 1770 receipt for six pillars for the Roxbury meetinghouse; an 1816 essay by N. Kingsbury written for Newton Academy; 1847 memorials for Betsy Crosby of Putney, N.H.; an 1863 New Hampshire teaching certificate for Jennie M. Bartlett; and other writings, poems, and receipts.
E. Genealogical material, undated
Most likely collected by Grace Kimball Griswold, material includes 18th-century lists of family births, marriages, and deaths; copies of gravestone inscriptions; a Taber family tree; Grace's DAR application for her ancestor Archippus Cole; a birth certificate for Alice Kimball Darmond; and a marriage certificate for Mercy Tabor Carpenter and Joseph Clarke.
VI. Printed material, 1803-1944
Printed material includes published copies and newspapers clippings of John C. Kimball's sermons, articles, and letters to the editor; Joseph E. Kimball's Civil War memoirs and patriotic poetry; and other clippings and ephemera related to the extended Kimball and Griswold families.
A. John C. Kimball sermons and writings, 1863-1908
Arranged chronologically.
Included are John's printed letters and articles about his 1863 experiences as an army chaplain in New Bern, N.C.; reprints and excerpts of his sermons, including his 1870 farewell sermon at First Church in Beverly; descriptive articles and essays about the Pacific Northwest, the White Mountains, and sailing expeditions; essays on evolution and temperance; his 1897 speech at the dedication of Ipswich's Soldier's Monument; articles about the history and culture of Ipswich and Newport; and genealogical articles.
B. Joseph E. Kimball writings, 1877-1887
Arranged chronologically.
Included are 22 articles published in the Milford Journal and Hopkinton Banner from 1877 to 1887 describing Joseph's personal recollections of the battles of Gettysburg, Chancellorsville, Bristow Station, Groveton, Bull Run, Chantilly, and Williamsburg; the Richmond and Peninsula campaigns; and the evacuation of Yorktown. Also included is a small amount of patriotic poetry, written from 1877 to 1886.
C. Material related to Kimball-Griswold family, 1803-1944
Arranged chronologically.
This subseries contains newspaper clippings and ephemera including Ipswich celebration programs; church service programs; the 1873 order of exercises at John Kimball's installation at the Channing Memorial Church in Newport; the 1879 constitution of the First Unitarian Congregational Society of Hartford; and family obituaries. Newspaper articles chronicle John Kimball's ministerial work in the Washington Territory in 1871 and the dedication of Ipswich's Soldier's Monument in 1897 and include numerous critiques and descriptions of Kimball's sermons. Also included is an undated "Dictionary of Chinook Jargon," published in Portland, Oregon.
D. Oversize material, 1818-1902
Arranged chronologically.
Included is an 1818 list of students at Bradford Academy, an 1865 auction broadside, and the 15 Nov. 1902 issue of The Woman's Journal containing an obituary of Emily Richardson Kimball.
Preferred Citation
Kimball-Griswold 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:
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Materials Removed from the Collection
Photographs from this collection have been removed to the MHS Photo Archives (Photo. Coll. 378).
Emily Richardson Kimball's sketchbooks and drawings, primarily of the Washington Territory and Oregon, 1871-1872, have been removed to MHS Graphics (Graphics Kimball Coll.).