Manuscripts

Bennett family correspondence

Description: Twenty-one letters to Seeley J. Bennett and a few to his wife Jennie, primarily from his parents and brothers. There are also a few letters from a lawyer, Philip Myers. Letters discuss friends and family news, Seeley's marriage and move to California, supplying Seeley's business with mules and horses and other financial and business ties, probating Stephen R. Bennett's will in California, and the health of both parents and brothers. Many letters mention the Civil War experiences of his brothers Charles and George, including marches, illnesses, and George's involvement in the Battles of Fort Donelson, Shiloh, and Corinth in 1862, and his lengthy recovery from battlefield injuries. Letters convey considerable anxiety about the health of various family members, post-war prospects for George and Charles, and Seeley Bennett's infrequent communication and distance from his family. Handwritten transcripts provided by the donor are included for each letter.
Type: Manuscripts(Opens in new tab)
Date: 1861-1864
Call number: mssBenfam
Provenance: Gift of Nancy L. Barnes and Garland N. Barnes, October 2025.
Restrictions: Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.
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.
Find out more: View in the Library catalog(Opens in new tab); View in the Online Archive of California(Opens in new tab)

Bennett family correspondence

Manuscripts

Twenty-one letters to Seeley J. Bennett and a few to his wife Jennie, primarily from his parents and brothers. There are also a few letters from a lawyer, Philip Myers. Letters discuss friends and family news, Seeley's marriage and move to California, supplying Seeley's business with mules and horses and other financial and business ties, probating Stephen R. Bennett's will in California, and the health of both parents and brothers. Many letters mention the Civil War experiences of his brothers Charles and George, including marches, illnesses, and George's involvement in the Battles of Fort Donelson, Shiloh, and Corinth in 1862, and his lengthy recovery from battlefield injuries. Letters convey considerable anxiety about the health of various family members, post-war prospects for George and Charles, and Seeley Bennett's infrequent communication and distance from his family. Handwritten transcripts provided by the donor are included for each letter.

mssBenfam

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Family Correspondence (Charles and Henry)

Visual Materials

Box 1 contains letters from their parents, Lelia Mather Greene and Thomas Sumner Greene from 1889, when the brothers were in Boston attending MIT and apprenticing in architectural firms, to 1893, when they joined their parents in Pasadena. Although the envelope is usually addressed to Charles, the salutation is most often to both sons. The last few folders in the box contain letters from Thomas Sumner Greene to Charles, dating from 1900-1917. Organized alphabetically by the name of the correspondent, Box 2 contains correspondence from friends and family during the Boston years, again mostly addressed to Charles, but often including Henry. Social invitations give the flavor of the social life of the young men, while letters from cousins living nearby tell of family gatherings and family relations. The last few folders contain copies of examinations from MIT and ephemera from the Boston years and early Pasadena years.

Subseries A.

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Family correspondence

Manuscripts

The family correspondence includes letters from Jeannette G. W. Kelsey, her husband Albert Warren Kelsey, their eight children, parents, children's spouses, grandchildren, various aunts, uncles, and cousins. In some cases, there are letters from four generations of the family. As was typical of 19th century families the same names were used for each generation so there are at least four Alberts and multiple Charlottes; the family often used nicknames to distinguish the various family members. A family tree of the immediate Kelsey family has been attached to this finding aid to help with identification of the family members. The letters cover family events, such as births, marriages, deaths, illnesses, conflicts, travels, and celebrations. There are no letters from Jeannette G. W. Kelsey's parents, Cadwallader C. Washburn and Jeannette Garr Washburn, though there are two letters regarding the asylum care of Jeannette Garr Washburn.

mssKelsey

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Family correspondence: Lizzie Farnum - P. W. Wardwell

Manuscripts

A collection of 454 items from 1840 to 1891, which contains personal and professional correspondence of Charles P. S. Wardwell. Correspondents include his wife Marcia P. Wardwell, brothers, parents, and other family members, friends and business associates. The letters discuss family matters, including personal, social, religious, and professional lives of various family members. Subjects also include political news; everyday life, primarily in New England; as well as Wardwell's various inventions and patents. Included are letters describing Page's Oar Factory at Coaticook, Quebec (1859); emigration; working conditions; wages; and social life of miners in California during the Gold Rush; the Civil War; and Freedmen. Also included is a diary of William H. Wardwell covering November 1855 to December 1856 and letters addressed to Marcia P. Wardwell from her sisters.

mssWardwell

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Family correspondence: S. H. Wardwell - William H. Wardwell

Manuscripts

mssWardwell

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Curtis family correspondence

Manuscripts

A collection of family correspondence containing 110 items; the letters are chiefly to Delia Augusta and Sarah Henrietta Curtis from their brothers. The letters include discussion of the Curtis sisters' studies and education, family news, the Civil War, life in Ohio, Tennessee, Arizona, and California, from 1820 to 1892; also included are a few letters of Henry James and Clarissa Fisher Curtis. The collection also contains a typewritten summary and outline of the Curtis family letters (1984) and ephemera.

mssHM 50671-50759

Bennett family correspondence

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Bennett family correspondence

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