No online items No online items       Request items ↗

Thoreau and Sewall Families Papers: Finding Aid

Finding aid prepared by Rebecca Tuttle and Alison Dinicola, September 24, 2002.
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens
Manuscripts Department
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2129
Email: reference@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org
© 2002
The Huntington Library. All rights reserved.

Overview of the Collection

Title: Thoreau and Sewall Families Papers
Dates (inclusive): 1790-1917
Bulk dates: 1831-1876
Collection Number: mssHM 64835-64969
Extent: 135 pieces.
Repository: The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens. Manuscripts Department
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2129
Email: reference@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org
Abstract: The collection contains correspondence and manuscripts chiefly of the Sewall family of Massachusetts in the 19th century. However, there is also correspondence from the the Ward family and members of the family of author Henry David Thoreau, as well as a scrapbook of the Thoreau family.
Language: English.

Access

Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.

Administrative Information

Publication Rights

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item]. Thoreau and Sewall Families Papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Provenance

Purchased from Grace Davenport, July 17, 1991.

Removed or Separated Material

Five unlabeled ambrotypes depicting two girls, a boy, a woman, and a man were moved to Photo Archives on September 23, 2002, and assigned call numbers: photDAG 149-153. They may be images of Joseph Osgood (adult male), Elizabeth Osgood (older female child), Joseph Osgood (male child), Ellen Devereux Osgood (younger female child), and possibly Caroline Ward Sewall or Ellen Sewall Osgood (adult female).

Related materials in the Huntington Library

Prudence Ward and Anne J. Ward correspondence, 1839-1906   (mssHM 68710-68772)

Biographical Note

Ellen Devereux (Sewall) Osgood was born on March 10, 1822, in Barnstable, Massachusetts, to Edmund Quincy and Caroline (Ward) Sewall. Edmund Sewall was a Unitarian minister in Scituate, Massachusetts, for seventeen years. In 1842, Ellen met Reverend Joseph Osgood, born on September 23, 1815, to Dr. Joseph Otis and Elizabeth (Fogg) Osgood in Kensington, New Hampshire. They married on May 20, 1844. Rev. Joseph Osgood, like Ellen’s father, was a Unitarian minister, who served fifty-five years as the pastor at the First Unitarian Church of Cohasset. Ellen and Joseph had ten children: Caroline Ward, born in 1845 but died the same year due to accidentally smothering in her bedding when no one was watching; Elizabeth, who married George Lyman Davenport and had George L. Davenport, who maintained this collection; Joseph Otis; Edmund Quincy Sewall; George; Ellen Devereux; Mary Fogg; William Sherburne; Frances Parsons; and Louise Lovett, who helped her sister Elizabeth write the article about their mother and Henry David Thoreau. Ellen died on December 8, 1892 and Joseph died on August 2, 1898.
Ellen’s parents were both descended from two of the original founding families of Massachusetts. Caroline (Ward) Sewall was sixth generation of William Ward. William Ward moved to New England in 1638 from England with his second wife, Elizabeth, and his first five children of the eventual thirteen children. He helped to found Sudbury, Massachusetts. His eldest son, John, settled in Newton, Massachusetts, with his wife Hannah Jackson and was the first representative of the new township in 1679 at the General Court. Joseph (1), the youngest of thirteen children, born November 15, 1677, married Esther Kenrick and had nine children. Their third child was Joseph (2) born on September 21, 1706 who married Experience Stone and had twelve children. Joseph (2) was a deacon at the West Parish Church and a blacksmith. Joseph (3), the second son of Joseph (2) and Experience, was born on July 2, 1737. He married Prudence Bird and had eight children. Joseph (3) was a schoolteacher before the Revolutionary War. During the war, he was the secretary and aide-de-camp to both General Heath and a distant cousin General Artemis Ward. He eventually became Colonel of the General-Commissary of the Musters. On November 26, 1778, he was taken prisoner by the British. After his release and retirement from the military, he became a realtor and stockbroker. Joseph and Prudence’s last daughter was Caroline Ward who married Edmund Quincy Sewall on August 23, 1820, and had three children: Ellen Devereux, Edmund Quincy, and George Ward.
Edmund Quincy Sewall is a descendent of Henry Sewall (3) who came to New England in 1634. Henry’s (3) grandfather, Henry (1), was a mayor of Coventry, England. Henry Sewall (2) did not agree with the English politics and had his son and family to move to New England with him in 1634. Henry (3) came with his wife Jane Dummer and his first five of their eight children, including a nine-year-old Samuel Sewall (1). Samuel Sewall (1) married Hannah Hull and had fourteen children. He was a Chief Justice of Massachusetts Supreme Court and presided over the Salem witch trials. Only six of his fourteen children survived beyond childhood and only the two sons lived into their seventies. One of the sons was Joseph Sewall who married Elizabeth Walley. They only had one child that lived into adulthood, Samuel Sewall (2). Joseph was pastor of the Old South Church of Boston. His son Samuel (2) married Elizabeth Quincy and had seven children. Samuel (2) was a merchant and a deacon at his father’s church, Old South Church. Samuel son, Samuel (3), followed in his great- grandfather’s footsteps and became a Chief Justice of Massachusetts Supreme Court. Samuel (3) married Abigail Devereux and had nine children, the seventh child being Edmund Quincy Sewall. It is through this ancestor that Ellen is related to Louisa May Alcott, her second cousin. Samuel’s (3) sister Dorothy married Colonel Joseph May and had a daughter Abigail May. Abigail married Amos Bronson Alcott and had Louisa May Alcott.
After Col. Joseph Ward’s death, Prudence Bird Ward and her daughters become close friends with the Thoreau family, especially Mrs. Cynthia Thoreau (Henry David Thoreau’s mother), and Misses Elizabeth, Jane, and Maria Thoreau (Henry David Thoreau’s aunts). It was Maria Thoreau who, in 1817, introduced Caroline Ward to Edmund Quincy Sewall. In 1833, Mrs. Ward and her daughter, Prudence, moved to Concord and lived in a house owned by John Thoreau, Sr. (Henry David Thoreau’s father). They lived there until Mrs. Ward’s death in 1844. In 1836, Caroline brought her daughter Ellen to visit her grandmother, aunt and the Thoreaus. Caroline took her son Edmund on a similar trip in 1839. It was this same year that Ellen (age 17) paid another visit by herself. She attracted the attention of both John Thoreau, Jr. and Henry David Thoreau. Both John and Henry corresponded with Ellen as well as sent her other items. Henry sent her poems and John sent her crystals and stones for her mineral specimen box. In 1840, Edmund became a pupil at the Thoreau school. In July 1840, John proposed to Ellen. She initially accepted, but eventually declined due to her father’s wishes and because she was concerned for her father’s health. In November of the same year, Henry also proposed to Ellen. Since she declined John, she had to decline Henry. Years later, she told her daughters, Elizabeth and Louise, that she regretted accepting John’s proposal since she cared more for Henry. Henry told his sister, Sophia, on his deathbed that he never got over his love for Ellen. Ellen remained close to Sophia Thoreau. They wrote often until Sophia’s death in 1876. Just before her death, Sophia sent Ellen a scrapbook that had been started by John, then was used by Henry after John’s death, and was continued to be used by Sophia after Henry’s death. Ellen’s aunt, Prudence, was a close confidante to Maria Thoreau, which continued for years even after Prudence left Concord in 1844. Prudence Ward died on June 2, 1874 and Maria Thoreau died in 1881.
Note: The numbers in parentheses following the names in the Biographical Note refer to the numbered names in the family trees.

Ward and Sewall Family Trees

Bibliography

Dictionary of American Biography (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1935).
Graham, Judith S. Puritan Family Life: The Diary of Samuel Sewall (Boston: Northeastern University Press, 2000).
Harding, Walter Roy, 1917-. “Henry Thoreau and Ellen Sewall,” The South Atlantic Quarterly, 64 no. 1 (Winter 1965): 100-109.
Martyn, Charles. The William Ward Genealogy: The History of the Descendants of William Ward of Sudbury, Mass., 1638-1925 (New York: Artemas Ward, 1925).
The National Cyclopedia of American Biography.
Tiffany, Nina Moore. Samuel E. Sewall: A Memoir (Cambridge: The Riverside Press, 1898).

Scope and Content

The collection contains correspondence and manuscripts chiefly of the Sewall family of Massachusetts in the 19th century. However, there is also correspondence from the the Ward family and members of the family of author Henry David Thoreau, as well as a scrapbook of the Thoreau family. The correspondence covers the years of 1790-1876, with the majority between 1831 and 1876. The majority of the correspondence is to or from Ellen Sewall Osgood, who wrote mostly to her mother Caroline Ward Sewall and received most of her correspondence (within this collection) from Sophia Thoreau. However, there is also correspondence from the Sewall family, the Ward family, and the Thoreau family. Several letters, within this collection, make references to Henry David Thoreau, John Thoreau, Jr., Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Amos Bronson Alcott.
The collection also contains a scrapbook kept by several members of the Thoreau family. It was first kept by John Thoreau, Jr. and contains poems written by John, poems by other authors copied by John into the journal, photographs, hair fob, and a poem by Henry David Thoreau to his brother. The scrapbook was then turned over and started in the opposite direction as a dedication to Henry David Thoreau, after his death. Sophia Thoreau continued to add to the scrapbook until just before her death, at which point she sent it to Ellen Sewall Osgood. Ellen added to the contents as did her daughter, Elizabeth Osgood Davenport. This side contains letters and newspaper clippings about Henry, after his death, and the Thoreau family.
There is a rock labeled opal that was sent to Ellen Sewall Osgood by John Thoreau. This opal is mentioned in the letter from John Thoreau to Ellen’s brother, George, on Dec. 31, 1839 (HM 64928).
The last item is a three-ring binder. It contains photocopies of typed transcriptions of the letters and manuscripts in the collection. There is a brief introduction written by George Lyman Davenport, Jr., Ellen’s grandson by her daughter, Elizabeth. It has a table of contents for the Thoreau scrapbook. It also has a brief family tree for both the Sewall and Ward family showing only the direct ancestors of Ellen Sewall Osgood. However, the family trees end with Ellen’s generation. The transcriptions are not in chronological order, but remain in the order arranged by Mr. Davenport. Some of the items mentioned in Mr. Davenport’s introduction (the mineral specimen box and the seven-volume set of Thoreau’s works) are not a part of this collection.

Arrangement

The correspondence and manuscripts are arranged together alphabetically, followed by the scrapbook, ephemera, binder, and oversized material.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Huntington Library's Online Catalog.  

Subjects

Alcott, Amos Bronson, 1799-1888.
Alcott, Louisa May, 1832-1888.
Emerson, Ralph Waldo, 1803-1882.
May, Samuel J. (Samuel Joseph), 1797-1871.
Osgood, Ellen Sewall.
Osgood, Joseph, 1815-1898.
Sanborn, F. B. (Franklin Benjamin), 1831-1917.
Sewall, Edmund Q. (Edmund Quincy), 1796-1866.
Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862.
Thoreau, John, 1815-1842.
Thoreau, Maria, 1794-1881.
Thoreau, Sophia E.

Forms/Genres

Diaries -- United States -- 19th century.
Family papers -- United States -- 19th century.
Letters (correspondence) -- United States -- 19th century.
Manuscripts for publication -- United States -- 19th century.
Scrapbooks -- United States -- 19th century.
Photographs -- United States -- 19th century.
Ephemera -- United States -- 19th century.

Additional Contributors

Alcott, May.
Davenport, Elizabeth Osgood, b. 1846.
Frost, Barzillai, 1804-1858.
Koopman, Louise Osgood.
Marston, John, 1796-1885.
May, Samuel J. (Samuel Joseph), 1797-1871.
Osgood, Ellen Sewall.
Osgood, Joseph, 1815-1898.
Ricketson, Daniel, 1813-1898.
Sewall, Caroline Ward, 1797-1867.
Sewall, Edmund Q. (Edmund Quincy), 1796-1866.
Sewall, Samuel, 1757-1814.
Sewall, Samuel E. (Samuel Edmund), 1799-1888.
Thoreau, Helen L. (Helen Louisa), 1812-1849, correspondent.
Thoreau, John, 1815-1842.
Thoreau, Maria, 1794-1881.
Thoreau, Sophia E.
Ward, Joseph, 1737-1812.
Ward, Prudence, 1795-1874.
Ward, Prudence Bird, 1765-1844, correspondent.

Indexing: Subjects: People

Alcott, Abba May, 1800-1877. In Sophia Thoreau, letter to Ellen Sewall Osgood, 1869, July 27. HM 64943
Alcott, Amos Bronson, 1799-1888. In Ellen Sewall Osgood, letter to Caroline Ward Sewall and Edmund Q. Sewall, 1839, Sept. 26. HM 64881
Alcott, Amos Bronson, 1799-1888. In Ellen Sewall Osgood, letter to Prudence Ward, 1839, Sept. 29. HM 64887
Alcott, Amos Bronson, 1799-1888. In Ellen Sewall Osgood, letter to Prudence Ward, 1842, Dec. 10. HM 64897
Alcott, Amos Bronson, 1799-1888. In Caroline Ward Sewall, letter to Edmund Q. (Edmund Quincy) Sewall, 1843, Jan. 25. HM 64912
Alcott, Amos Bronson, 1799-1888. In Sophia Thoreau, letter to Ellen Sewall Osgood, 1868, Dec. 20. HM 64939
Alcott, Amos Bronson, 1799-1888. In Sophia Thoreau, letter to Ellen Sewall Osgood, 1870, July 13. HM 64947
Alcott, Louisa May, 1832-1888. In May Alcott, letter to Sophia E. Thoreau, 1870, Mar. 29. HM 64837
Alcott, Louisa May, 1832-1888. In Sophia Thoreau, letter to Ellen Sewall Osgood, 1869, Feb. 23. HM 64940
Alcott, Louisa May, 1832-1888. In Sophia Thoreau, letter to Ellen Sewall Osgood, 1869, July 27. HM 64943
Alcott, Louisa May, 1832-1888. In Sophia Thoreau, letter to Ellen Sewall Osgood, 1870, June 30. HM 64946
Alcott, Louisa May, 1832-1888. In Sophia Thoreau, letter to Ellen Sewall Osgood, 1870, July 13. HM 64947
Emerson, Ralph Waldo, 1803-1882. In E.Q. (Edmund Quincy) Sewall, letter to Ellen Sewall Osgood, 1840, Apr. 10. HM 64922
Emerson, Ralph Waldo, 1803-1882. In Maria Thoreau, letter to Prudence Ward, 1847, Sept. 25. HM 64931
Emerson, Ralph Waldo, 1803-1882. In Maria Thoreau, letter to Prudence Ward, 1849, Apr. 4. HM 64934
Emerson, Ralph Waldo, 1803-1882. In Maria Thoreau, letter to Prudence Ward, 1849, May 1. HM 64935
Emerson, Ralph Waldo, 1803-1882. In Maria Thoreau, letter to Prudence Ward, 1850, Jan. 16. HM 64938
Emerson, Ralph Waldo, 1803-1882. In Sophia Thoreau, letter to Ellen Sewall Osgood, 1868, Dec. 20. HM 64939
Emerson, Ralph Waldo, 1803-1882. In Sophia Thoreau, letter to Ellen Sewall Osgood, 1870, July 13. HM 64947
Emerson, Ralph Waldo, 1803-1882. In Sophia Thoreau, letter to Ellen Sewall Osgood, 1876, May 8. HM 64951
Emerson, Ralph Waldo, 1803-1882. In Sophia Thoreau, incomplete letter to Prudence Ward, c. 1870. HM 64952
Emerson, Ralph Waldo, 1803-1882. In Prudence Ward, letter to Caroline Ward Sewall, 1837, Sept. 25. HM 64965
Emerson, Ralph Waldo, 1803-1882. In Prudence Ward, letter to Caroline Ward Sewall, 1847, Feb. 26. HM 64966
Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth, 1807-1882. In Ellen Sewall Osgood, letter to Prudence Ward, 1839, Dec. 26. HM 64889
May, Samuel J. (Samuel Joseph), 1797-1871. In Ellen Sewall Osgood, letter to Prudence Ward, 1839, Sept. 29. HM 64887
May, Samuel J. (Samuel Joseph), 1797-1871. In Ellen Sewall Osgood, letter to Prudence Ward, 1839, Nov. 23. HM 64888
May, Samuel J. (Samuel Joseph), 1797-1871. In Ellen Sewall Osgood, letter to Prudence Ward, 1839, Dec. 26. HM 64889
May, Samuel J. (Samuel Joseph), 1797-1871. In Ellen Sewall Osgood, letter to Prudence Ward, 1843, May 18. HM 64898
Osgood, Ellen Sewall. In Elizabeth Osgood Davenport and Louise Osgood Koopman, “Henry D. Thoreau, 1839-1840,” 1917, Oct. HM 64835
Osgood, Ellen Sewall. In Elizabeth Osgood Davenport or Louise Osgood Koopman, Notes for “Henry D. Thoreau, 1839-1840,” c. 1917. HM 64836
Osgood, Ellen Sewall. In Caroline Ward Sewall, letter to Prudence Ward, 1839, Nov. 8. HM 64916
Osgood, Ellen Sewall. In John Thoreau, letter to George Sewall, 1839, Dec. 31. HM 64928
Osgood, Ellen Sewall. In Maria Thoreau, letter to Prudence Ward, 1847, Sept. 25. HM 64931
Osgood, Ellen Sewall. In Maria Thoreau, letter to Prudence Ward, 1849, Feb. 28. HM 64932
Osgood, Ellen Sewall. In Prudence Ward, letter to Caroline Ward Sewall, 1831. HM 64963
Osgood, Joseph, 1815-1898. In Ellen Sewall Osgood, letter to Prudence Ward, 1842, Dec. 10. HM 64897
Osgood, Joseph, 1815-1898. In Ellen Sewall Osgood, letter to Prudence Ward, 1843, May 18. HM 64898
Ricketson, Daniel, 1813-1898. In Sophia Thoreau, letter to Ellen Sewall Osgood, 1871, May 8. HM 64948
Sanborn, F.B. (Franklin Benjamin), 1831-1917. In Sophia Thoreau, letter to Ellen Sewall Osgood, 1869, Mar. 11. HM 64941
Sewall, Edmund Q. (Edmund Quincy), 1796-1866. In Caroline Ward Sewall, letter to Prudence Ward, 1849, Nov. 14. HM 64918
Sewall, Henry D. (Henry Devereux), 1786-1845. In Abigail Devereux Sewall, letter to Edmund Q. (Edmund Quincy), 1824, Feb. 24. HM 64905
Sewall, Lydia Maria, 1791-1822. In Abigail Devereux Sewall, letter to Edmund Q. (Edmund Quincy) Sewall, 1824, Feb. 24. HM 64905
Thoreau, Cynthia D. (Cynthia Dunbar), 1787-1872. In Caroline Ward Sewall, letter to Edmund Q. (Edmund Quincy) Sewall, 1843, Jan. 25. HM 64912
Thoreau, Elizabeth Orrok, 1782-1839. In Ellen Sewall Osgood, letter to Prudence Ward, 1839, Nov. 23. HM 64888
Thoreau, Helen L. (Helen Louisa), 1812-1849. In Maria Thoreau, letter to Prudence Ward, 1849, May 1. HM 64935
Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862. In Ellen Sewall Osgood, Extract of “Diary,” 1841. HM 64843
Thoreau, Henry, 1817-1862. In Ellen Sewall Osgood, letter to Edmund Q. Sewall, 1839, July 31. HM 64873
Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862. In Ellen Sewall Osgood, letter to Prudence Ward, 1839, Dec. 26. HM 64889
Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862. In Ellen Sewall Osgood, letter to Prudence Ward, 1840, Jan. 21. HM 64890
Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862. In Ellen Sewall Osgood, letter to Prudence Ward, 1840, Feb. 12. HM 64891
Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862. In Ellen Sewall Osgood, letter to Prudence Ward, 1840, Oct. 26. HM 64893
Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862. In Ellen Sewall Osgood, letter to Prudence Ward, 1840, Nov. 18. HM 64894
Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862. In Ellen Sewall Osgood, letter to Prudence Ward, 1853, Jan. 4. HM 64900
Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862. In Daniel Ricketson, letter to Sophia E. Thoreau, 1862, May 13. HM 64904
Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862. In Caroline Ward Sewall, letter to Edmund Q. (Edmund Quincy) Sewall, 1843, Jan. 25. HM 64912
Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862. In John Thoreau, letter to Helen L. (Helen Louisa) Thoreau, 1836, June 24. HM 64929
Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862. In Maria Thoreau, letter to Prudence Ward, 1847, Sept. 25. HM 64931
Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862. In Maria Thoreau, letter to Prudence Ward, 1849, Feb. 28. HM 64932
Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862. In Maria Thoreau, letter to Prudence Ward, 1849, Mar. 15. HM 64933
Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862. In Maria Thoreau, letter to Prudence Ward, 1849, May 1. HM 64935
Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862. In Maria Thoreau, letter to Prudence Ward, 1849, Nov. 15. HM 64936
Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862. In Maria Thoreau, letter to Prudence Ward, 1849, Dec. 17. HM 64937
Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862. In Maria Thoreau, letter to Prudence Ward, 1850, Jan. 16. HM 64938
Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862. In Sophia Thoreau, letter to Ellen Sewall Osgood, 1868, Dec. 20. HM 64939
Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862. In Sophia Thoreau, letter to Ellen Sewall Osgood, 1869, Mar. 11. HM 64941
Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862. In Sophia Thoreau, letter to Ellen Sewall Osgood, 1869, July 8. HM 64942
Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862. In Sophia Thoreau, letter to Ellen Sewall Osgood, 1869, Dec. 14. HM 64945
Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862. In Sophia Thoreau, letter to Ellen Sewall Osgood, 1870, July 13. HM 64947
Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862. In Sophia Thoreau, letter to Ellen Sewall Osgood, 1871, May 8. HM 64948
Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862. In Prudence Ward, letter to Caroline Ward Sewall, 1847, Feb. 26. HM 64966
Thoreau, Jane, 1784-1864. In Ellen Sewall Osgood, letter to Prudence Ward, 1839, Nov. 23. HM 64888
Thoreau, John, 1815-1842. In Elizabeth Osgood Davenport and Louise Osgood Koopman, “Henry D. Thoreau, 1839-1840,” 1917, Oct. HM 64835
Thoreau, John, 1815-1842. In Elizabeth Osgood Davenport or Louise Osgood Koopman, Notes for “Henry D. Thoreau, 1839-1840,” c. 1917. HM 64836
Thoreau, John, 1815-1842. In John Marston, letter to Helen L. (Helen Louisa) Thoreau and Sophia E. Thoreau, 1842, Jan. 27. HM 64839
Thoreau, John, 1815-1842. In Ellen Sewall Osgood, Extract of “Diary,” 1841. HM 64843
Thoreau, John, 1815-1842. In Ellen Sewall Osgood, letter to Edmund Q. Sewall, 1839, July 31. HM 64873
Thoreau, John, 1815-1842. In Ellen Sewall Osgood, letter to Prudence Ward, 1839, Sept. 29. HM 64887
Thoreau, John, 1815-1842. In Ellen Sewall Osgood, letter to Prudence Ward, 1839, Dec. 26. HM 64889
Thoreau, John, 1815-1842. In Ellen Sewall Osgood, letter to Prudence Ward, 1840, Jan. 21. HM 64890
Thoreau, John, 1815-1842. In Ellen Sewall Osgood, letter to Prudence Ward, 1840, Feb. 12. HM 64891
Thoreau, John, 1815-1842. In Ellen Sewall Osgood, letter to Prudence Ward, 1840, Aug. 25. HM 64892
Thoreau, John, 1815-1842. In E.Q. (Edmund Quincy) Sewall, letter to Ellen Sewall Osgood, 1840, Apr. 10. HM 64922
Thoreau, John, 1815-1842. In Sophia Thoreau, letter to Ellen Sewall Osgood, 1868, Dec. 20. HM 64939
Thoreau, Maria, 1794-1881. In Ellen Sewall Osgood, Extract of “Diary,” 1841. HM 64843
Thoreau, Maria, 1794-1881. In Ellen Sewall Osgood, letter to Prudence Ward, 1839, Nov. 23. HM 64888
Thoreau, Maria, 1794-1881. In Ellen Sewall Osgood, letter to Prudence Ward, 1843, May 18. HM 64898
Thoreau, Maria, 1794-1881. In Ellen Sewall Osgood, letter to Prudence Ward, 1853, Jan. 4. HM 64900
Thoreau, Maria, 1794-1881. In Daniel Ricketson, letter to Sophia E. Thoreau, 1862, May 12. HM 64904
Thoreau, Maria, 1794-1881. In Prudence Ward, letter to Caroline Ward Sewall, 1847, Feb. 26. HM 64966
Thoreau, Sophia E. In Ellen Sewall Osgood, “Diary,” c. 1832, May 31-July 15. HM 64842
Thoreau, Sophia E. In Ellen Sewall Osgood, letter to Prudence Ward, 1839, Nov. 23. HM 64888
Thoreau, Sophia E. In Ellen Sewall Osgood, letter to Prudence Ward, 1840, Aug. 25. HM 64892
Thoreau, Sophia E. In Ellen Sewall Osgood, letter to Prudence Ward, 1843, May 18. HM 64898
Thoreau, Sophia E. In Ellen Sewall Osgood, letter to Prudence Ward, 1853, Jan. 4. HM 64900
Thoreau, Sophia E. In Maria Thoreau, letter to Prudence Ward, 1847, Sept. 25. HM 64931
Thoreau, Sophia E. In Maria Thoreau, letter to Prudence Ward, 1849, Feb. 28. HM 64932
Thoreau, Sophia E. In Maria Thoreau, letter to Prudence Ward, 1849, May 1. HM 64935
Thoreau, Sophia E. In Maria Thoreau, letter to Prudence Ward, 1849, Nov. 15. HM 64936
Thoreau, Sophia E. In Maria Thoreau, letter to Prudence Ward, 1849, Dec. 17. HM 64937
Thoreau, Sophia E. In Maria Thoreau, letter to Prudence Ward, 1850, Jan. 16. HM 64938
Ward, Prudence Bird, 1765-1844. In Edmund Q. (Edmund Quincy) Sewall, letter to Caroline Ward Sewall, 1844, Feb. 6. HM 64921
Ware, Henry, 1794-1843. In Ellen Sewall Osgood, letter to Edmund Q. Sewall, 1835, Feb. 13. HM 64871

Indexing: Added Entries

Greele, Samuel. Note to Edmund Q. (Edmund Quincy) Sewall. On Caroline Ward Sewall, letter to Edmund Q. (Edmund Quincy) Sewall, 1822, Aug. 24. HM 64909
Marston, Louisa. Note to Helen L. (Helen Louisa) Thoreau and Sophia E. Thoreau. On John Marston, letter to Helen L. (Helen Louisa) Thoreau and Sophia E. Thoreau, 1842, Jan. 27. HM 64839
Osgood, Ellen Sewall. Note sent to E. Q. (Edmund Quincy) Sewall. On Ellen Sewall Osgood, letter to Caroline Ward Sewall, 1835, Sept. 10. HM 64846
Sewall, Edmund Q. (Edmund Quincy), 1796-1866. Handwritten note. On Samuel Sewall, letter to Abigail Devereux Sewall, 1814, June 3. HM 64925
Sewall, E.Q. (Edmund Quincy), 1828-1908. Note to Prudence Ward. On Ellen Sewall Osgood, letter to Prudence Ward, 1839, Sept. 29. HM 64887
Wood, E.A. Note sent to Caroline Ward Sewall. On Ellen Sewall Osgood, letter to Caroline Ward Sewall, 1834, June 21. HM 64845

Indexing: Subjects

Electricity—Early works to 1850. In Maria Thoreau, letter to Prudence Ward, 1849, May 1. HM 64935
The Home Journal. In Maria Thoreau, letter to Prudence Ward, 1850, Jan. 16. HM 64938
Niagara Falls (N.Y. and Ont.). In Caroline Sewall, “Diary,” 1839, Sept. 16-28. HM 64907
U.S. Congress—History. In Joseph Ward, letter to Prudence Bird Ward, 1798, Mar. 13. HM 64960
U.S. Congress—History. In Joseph Ward, letter to Prudence Bird Ward, 1798, Mar. 19. HM 64961
United States—History—1799-1801. In Joseph Ward, letter to Prudence Bird Ward, 1798, Mar. 19. HM 64961
 

Correspondence and Manuscripts

Box 1

Correspondence and Manuscripts (HM 64835-64902)

 

Davenport, Elizabeth Osgood, b. 1846, and Louise Osgood Koopman. “Henry D. Thoreau, 1839-1840,” MS. (carbon copy typewritten: 19p.), 1917, Oct. HM 64835

 

Davenport, Elizabeth Osgood, b. 1846, or Louise Osgood Koopman. Notes for “Henry D. Thoreau, 1839-1840,” A.MS. (incomplete: 6p.), c. 1917. HM 64836

 

Alcott, May. 1 letter to Sophia E. Thoreau, A.L.S. (1p.), 1870, Mar. 29. HM 64837

 

Frost, Barzillai. “On the Death of John Thoreau Who Died of Lockjaw. Jan. 11, 1842,” A.MS. (20p.), 1842, Jan. 16. HM 64838

 

Marston, John, 1796-1885. 1 letter to Helen L. (Helen Louisa) Thoreau, 1812-1849, and Sophia E. Thoreau, A.L.S. (2p.), 1842, Jan. 27, Faunton, Mass. Notes: A.L.S. by Louisa Marston on page 2. Letter is from John and Henry Thoreau scrapbook page JT-14. HM 64839

 

May, Samuel J. (Samuel Joseph), 1797-1871. 2 letters to Edmund Q. (Edmund Quincy) Sewall, 1796-1866. HM 64840-64841

 

Osgood, Ellen Sewall. “Diary,” A.MS. (9p.), c. 1832, May 31-July 15. HM 64842

 

Osgood, Ellen Sewall. Extracts from “Diary,” MS. (8p.), c. 1841. In daughter’s handwriting, either Elizabeth Osgood Davenport, b. 1846 or Louise Osgood Koopman. HM 64844

 

Osgood, Ellen Sewall. 1 letter to Elizabeth Osgood, A.L.S. (4p.), 1849, June 15, Cohasset, Mass. HM 64844

 

Osgood, Ellen Sewall. 26 letters to Caroline Ward Sewall, 1797-1867. HM 64845-64870

 

Osgood, Ellen Sewall. 8 letters to Edmund Q. (Edmund Quincy) Sewall, 1796-1866. HM 64871-64878

 

Osgood, Ellen Sewall. 5 letters to Caroline Ward Sewall, 1797-1867 and Edmund Q. (Edmund Quincy) Sewall, 1796-1866. HM 64879-64883

 

Osgood, Ellen Sewall. 18 letters to Prudence Ward, 1795-1874. HM 64884-64901

 

Osgood, Ellen Sewall. 1 letter to Prudence Bird Ward, 1765-1844, A.L.S. (4p.), 1837, Jan. 22, Roxbury, Mass. HM 64902

Box 2

Correspondence and Manuscripts (HM 64903-64966)

 

Osgood, Joseph, 1815-1898. 1 letter to Elizabeth Osgood, A.L.S. (2p), 1846, Aug. 28, Cohasset, Mass. HM 64903

 

Ricketson, Daniel, 1813-1898. 1 letter to Sophia E. Thoreau, A.L.S. (4p.), 1862, May 13, Brooklawn, N.J. Note: Letter is from John and Henry Thoreau scrapbook page HT-24. HM 64904

 

Sewall, Abigail Devereux. 1 letter to Edmund Q. (Edmund Quincy) Sewall, 1796-1866, A.L.S. (4p.), 1824, Feb. 24, New York, N.Y. HM 64905

 

Sewall, Anne Henchman. 1 letter to Joseph Sewall, 1795-1851, A.L.S. (3p.), 1810, Nov. 3, Marblehead, Mass. HM 64906

 

Sewall, Caroline Ward, 1797-1867. “Diary,” A.MS. (16p.), 1839, Sept. 16-28. HM 64907

 

Sewall, Caroline Ward, 1797-1867. 1 letter to Ellen Sewall Osgood, A.L.S. (4p.), 1838, Mar. 21, Boston, Mass. HM 64908

 

Sewall, Caroline Ward, 1797-1867. 4 letters to Edmund Q. (Edmund Quincy), 1796- 29. HM 64909-64912

 

Sewall, Caroline Ward, 1797-1867. 7 letters to Prudence Ward, 1795-1874. HM 64913-64919

 

Sewall, Caroline Ward, 1797-1867. 1 letters to Prudence Bird Ward, 1765-1844, A.L.S. (4p.), 1842, Sept. 9, Scituate, Mass. HM 64920

 

Sewall, Edmund Q. (Edmund Quincy), 1796-1866. 1 letter to Caroline Ward Sewall, 1797-1867, A.L.S. (4p.), 1844, Feb. 6, Scituate, Mass. HM 64921

 

Sewall, E.Q. (Edmund Quincy), 1828-1908. 1 letter to Ellen Sewall Osgood, A.L.S. (4p.), 1840, Apr. 10, Concord, Mass. HM 64922

 

Sewall, Lydia M. 1 letter to Edmund Q. (Edmund Quincy), 1796-1866, A.L.S. (3p.), 1807, Feb. 6, Portland, Me. HM 64923

 

Sewall, Mary, 1820-1901. 1 letter to Ellen Sewall Osgood, A.L.S. (4p.), 1841, Dec. 12, Watertown, N.Y. HM 64924

 

Sewall, Samuel, 1757-1814. 1 letter to Abigail Devereux Sewall, A.L.S. (3p.), 1814, June 3, Augusta, Me. Note: A.L.S. by Edmund Q. (Edmund Quincy), 1796-1866, at the bottom of page 3. HM 64925

 

Sewall, Samuel, 1757-1814. 1 letter to Joseph Sewall, 1795-1851, A.L.S. (3p.), 1811, Aug. 10, Marblehead, Mass. HM 64926

 

Sewall, Samuel E. (Samuel Edmund), 1799-1888. 1 letter to Edmund Q. (Edmund Quincy) Sewall, 1796-1866, A.L.S. (3p.), 1839, Aug. 23, Burlington, Vt. HM 64927

 

Thoreau, John, 1815-1842. 1 letter to George Sewall, 1834-1923, A.L.S. (4p.), 1839, Dec. 31, Concord, Mass. Note: Contains drawing by John Thoreau. HM 64928

 

Thoreau, John, 1815-1842. 1 letter to Helen L. (Helen Louisa) Thoreau, 1812-1849, A.L.S. (3p.), 1836, June 24, Boston, Mass. HM 64929

 

Thoreau, Maria, 1794-1881. 9 letters to Prudence Ward, 1795-1874. One letter in an extra-oversized folder. HM 64930-64938

 

Thoreau, Sophia E. 13 letters to Ellen Sewall Osgood. HM 64939-64951

 

Thoreau, Sophia E. 1 letter to Prudence Ward, 1795-1874, A.L.S. (incomplete: 4p.), c. 1870. HM 64952

 

Ward, Joseph, 1737-1812. 9 letters to Prudence Bird Ward, 1765-1844. One letter in oversize box (HM 64953). HM 64953-64961

 

Ward, Prudence, 1795-1874. “A little Field Mouse who was snugly rolled up…” A.MS.S. (2p.), c. 1839-1853. HM 64962

 

Ward, Prudence, 1795-1874. 4 letters to Caroline Ward Sewall, 1797-1867. HM 64963-64966

Box 3

Scrapbook, Ephemera, and Oversized Folder

 

Scrapbook. HM 64967

Table of Contents—John Thoreau Portion of the Book

  • Inside Cover: Vaughan, Henry. “They Are All Gone,“ MS. (printed: 1p.), n. d.
  • Also: In pencil, “For Mrs. Osgood” written by Sophia E. Thoreau.
  • JT-1: Inscriptions, “John Thoreau Jr. 1839” written by John Thoreau, 1815-1842. JT-1v: Advertisement for “Thoreau’s Improved Drawing Pencils” put out by John Thoreau and Co.
  • JT-2: Photograph copies of John Thoreau, 1815-1842, Helen L. Thoreau, 1812- 1849, and Henry David Thoreau, 1817-1862. Also, hair fob described as “John Thoreau 3rd, Hair, Feb. 1842, P. Ward.”
  • JT-3: Cowley, Abraham, 1618-1667. “Of Myself,” MS. (2p.), n. d. Handwritten copy by John Thoreau, 1815-1842.
  • JT-4: Cowley, Abraham, 1618-1667. “The Wish,” MS. (2p.), n. d. Handwritten copy by John Thoreau, 1815-1842.
  • JT-5: -------. “Most Ancient English Song,” MS. (1p.), post-1250. Handwritten copy by John Thoreau, 1815-1842.
  • JT-6-7: Emerson, Ralph Waldo, 1803-1882. “To the Humble Bee,” MS. (3p.), n. d. Handwritten copy by John Thoreau, 1815-1842.
  • JT-8: -------. “Brother where dose thou dwell?” MS. (1p.), n. d. Note: In pencil, “verses by Henry Thoreau.”
  • JT-9: Writing in pencil. Too faint to make out handwritten text.
  • JT-9v: Clipping from a longer letter with a drawing of a rabbit. Note: Handwritten message on verso by Sophia E. Thoreau: “Extract of a letter from dear John sent to me when I was a little girl. S.E.T.”
  • JT-10: Photograph copy of Henry David Thoreau with a beard. JT-10v: ----. “Noble! the sympathetic tear!” MS. (1p), n. d.
  • JT-11: ------. “Noble! the sympathetic tear!” MS. (1p), Aug. 1840. Note: In pencil, “Brother John.”
  • JT-11v: ----. “Gather Sisters! sweet to sing…” MS. (1p.), n. d. Note: In pencil, on verso, “John.”
  • JT-12: ------. “Of all the household tools what suffers…” MS. (1p.), n. d. Note: In pencil on verso, “John.”
  • JT-13: Thoreau, John, 1815-1842. “Voyageurs Song” A.MS. (2p.), June 1837. Note: In pencil, “John T.”
  • JT-14: Marston, John, 1796-1885. 1 letter to Helen L. (Helen Louisa) Thoreau, 1812-1849, and Sophia E. Thoreau, A.L.S. (2p.), 1842, Jan. 27, Faunton, Mass. Notes: A.L.S. by Louisa Marston on page 2. Letter is cataloged separately, HM 64839.

Table of Contents—Henry David Thoreau Portion of the Book (Instructions: Flip book over and start at the back cover)

  • Inside Cover: Whittier, John Greenleaf, 1807-1892. “The Loved Not Lost” MS. (printed: 1p.), n. d.
  • HT-1: Thoreau, Sophia E. 1 letter Ellen Sewall Osgood, A.L.S. (1p.), 1876, Apr., Bangor, Me.
  • pre-HT-2: Photograph of Henry David Thoreau by Black, photographer. Same photograph was photocopied and is pasted in the John Thoreau portion of the scrapbook.
  • HT-2: ------. “Stanzas: Written to be sung at the funeral of Henry D. Thoreau, of Concord, Massachusetts, Friday, May 9th, 1862” MS. (printed: 1p.), 1862, pre-May 9th, Concord, Mass.
  • HT-3: 2 Newspaper clippings about the death of Henry David Thoreau, 1817- 1862.
  • HT-4: Off-print about Henry David Thoreau, 1817-1862, printed in Aug. 1862.
  • HT-5: Marble, Annie Russell, 1864-1936. “Where Thoreau Worked and Wandered,” Critic, p. 509-516.
  • HT-6: Fuller, Richard F. (Richard Frederick), 1824-1869. 1 letter to “My dear sir,” A.L.S. (2p.), 1862, Aug. 5, Wayland, Mass.
  • HT-7: Newspaper clipping about F.B. (Franklin Benjamin) Sanborn, 1831-1917, book about Henry David Thoreau, 1817-1862.
  • HT-8: Stearns, Mary E. 1 letter to Sophia E. Thoreau, A.L.S. (2p.), 1862, May 18, Medford, Mass.
  • HT-9: Sawyer, J. B. (Joseph Bartlett), 1823-1897. “Henry David Thoreau,” A.MS.S. (1p.), 1862, May 6, Concord, Mass.
  • HT-10: ------. “Henry D. Thoreau,” The Harvard Magazine, 8 no. 74 (May 1862): 313-318.
  • HT-11: Ricketson, Daniel, 1813-1898. 1 letter to Sophia E. Thoreau, A.L.S. (4p.), 1862, May 22, Brooklawn, N.J.
  • HT-12: 2 Newspaper clippings about Henry David Thoreau, 1817-1862. 1817-
  • pre-HT-13: Fragment of a letter sent Sept. 7, 1848 talking about Henry David Thoreau going on another walking tour.
  • HT-13: Newspaper clipping of a poem dedicated to Henry David Thoreau, 1862.
  • HT-14: Off-print about Henry David Thoreau, 1817-1862, entitled “Forester” printed in Apr. 1862.
  • HT-15: Alcott, Louisa May, 1832-1888. “Thoreau’s Flute,” Atlantic Monthly, Sept. [1862?]. Newspaper clipping.
  • HT-16: Newspaper clipping about Henry David Thoreau, 1817-1862.
  • HT-17: Newspaper clipping about Henry David Thoreau, 1817-1862.
  • HT-18: Newspaper clipping about Henry David Thoreau, 1817-1862.
  • HT-19: Benton, Myron Beecher, 1834-1902. 1 letter to Sophia E. Thoreau, A.L.S. (3p.), 1862, May 27, Dutchess County, N.Y.
  • HT-20: Alcott, Amos Bronson, 1799-1888. 1 letter to Cynthia D. (Cynthia Dunbar) Thoreau, 1787-1872, A.L.S. (4p.), 1862, May 20, Concord, Mass.
  • HT-21: 2 Newspaper clippings of poems dedicated to Henry David Thoreau, 1817-1862.
  • HT-22: 2 Newspaper clippings of poems dedicated to Henry David Thoreau, 1817-1862.
  • HT-23a: Greene, Calvin H. 1 letter to F.B. (Franklin Benjamin) Sanborn, 1831- 1917, A.L.S. (3p.), 1862, June 8, Rochester, Mich.
  • HT-23b: Greene, Calvin H. 1 letter to Cynthia D. (Cynthia Dunbar) Thoreau, 1787-1872 and Sophia E. Thoreau, A.L.S. (3p.), 1862, June 18, Rochester, Mich.
  • HT-24: Ricketson, Daniel, 1813-1898. 1 letter to Sophia E. Thoreau, A.L.S. (4p.), 1862, May 13, Brooklawn, N.J. Letter is cataloged separately, HM 64904.
  • HT-24v: Fragment of a letter. Has writing in pencil on the verso
  • HT-25: Dall, Caroline Wells Healey, 1822-1912. 1 letter to Sophia E. Thoreau, A.L.S. (4p.), 1862, July 26, Medford, Mass.
  • HT-25v: 1 Newspaper clipping about Henry David Thoreau, 1817-1862 and one handwritten message illegible.
  • HT-26: Newspaper clippings on Henry David Thoreau, 1817-1862. HT-26v: Newspaper clipping on Henry David Thoreau, 1817-1862.
  • HT-27: Newspaper clipping about a monument being dedicated in Cohasset, Mass. for victims of a shipwreck which Henry David Thoreau witnessed and wrote about.
  • HT-27v: Newspaper clipping about the Thoreau family in reaction to F.B. (Franklin Benjamin) Sanborn, 1831-1917, book about Henry David Thoreau, 1817-1862, and family.
  • HT-28: Newspaper clipping about the Thoreau family.
  • HT-29: Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862. “My Prayer,” MS. (printed: 1p.), n. d.
  • HT-30: Newspaper clipping about Henry David Thoreau, 1817-1862. Stored separately.
Folder 1

Newspaper clipping about Henry David Thoreau, 1817-1862. Clipping is from John and Henry Thoreau scrapbook page HT-30.

Folder 2

Correspondence from and to George L. Davenport, grandson of Ellen Sewall Osgood, regarding material in this collection. Also contains off-print of: Harding, Walter Roy, 1917-. “Henry Thoreau and Ellen Sewall,” The South Atlantic Quarterly, 64 no. 1 (Winter 1965): 100-109.

Folder 3

Photocopies of miscellaneous manuscripts.

Oversize folder

Ward, Joseph, 1737-1812. 1 letter to Prudence Bird Ward, 1765-1844, A.L.S. (2p.), 1790, June 1, Philadelphia, Pa. HM 64953 

Box 4

Rock

 

Rock labeled “Opal, J.T.” Possible rock mentioned in John Thoreau’s letter to George Sewall, 1839, Dec. 31. HM 64968

 

Binder

Binder

Davenport, George L. Three-ring binder containing typed transcriptions of: “Henry D. Thoreau, 1839-1840” by Elizabeth Osgood Davenport and Louise Osgood Koopman; 72 original letters and other writings; a table of contents for the Thoreau scrapbook; sermon given by Rev. Barzillai Frost at John Thoreau’s funeral; contents of John Thoreau’s mineral specimen box; list of Thoreau books belonging to Ellen Sewall Osgood; genealogical data; older family letters by Ward family members and Sewall family members; and Prudence Ward’s short story of the “Little Field Mouse.” HM 64969

 

Extra-Oversize folder

Extra-Oversize folder

Thoreau, Maria, 1794-1881. 1 letter to Prudence Ward, 1795-1874, A.L.S. (4p.), 1821, Sept. 8, Concord, Mass. HM 64930

Home | Contributing Institutions | Collection Guides | Browse Map | About OAC | FAQs | Contact Us | Privacy Statement | Terms of Use | Accessibility
The Online Archive of California is a service of the UC Libraries, powered by the California Digital Library.