Howells-Fréchette families papers, 1844-1934

Collection context

Summary

Abstract:
Papers belonging to American editor and journalist William Dean Howells, his family and the Fréchette family.
Extent:
2.40 Linear Feet (2 boxes)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Howells-Fréchette families papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection consists mostly of letters, along with some documents, one bound volume of manuscripts, and ephemera related to the family and social life of the Howells and Fréchette families. Along with family papers, the collection also contains materials related to literary, journalistic, and political matters, including ballot counts from the deadlocked 1880 Republican Convention and medical bulletins from the time of President Garfield's assassination. Family members represented in the collection include William Cooper Howells, William Dean Howells, Achille Fréchette, and Annie Howells Fréchette. Additional members of the extended Howells and Fréchette families are represented in the collection as well. Correspondents include Mary Austin, Samuel Clemens, George Cary Eggleston, Hamlin Garland, Richard Watson Gilder, James Abram Garfield, Lucretia Rudolph Garfield, and William Henry Smith.

Biographical / historical:

William Dean Howells (1837-1920), author, journalist, and editor of the Atlantic monthly, was the son of Ohio newspaperman William Cooper Howells. After the Civil War, William Cooper Howells, an acquaintance and client of President James Garfield, served as U.S. Consul in Quebec. The entire Howells family was active in the literary and journalistic circles of the eastern United States, and one of William Dean Howells's sisters, Annie Thomas Howells, married the Canadian journalist Achille Fréchette.

Acquisition information:
Purchased from Marie Marguerite Fréchette, 1963.
Processing information:

Processed by Huntington Library staff. In 2022, Brooke M. Black created a finding aid.

Arrangement:

Arranged alphabetically.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.

Terms of access:

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]. Howells-Fréchette families papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191