Baldwin Family Papers

This collection contains family correspondence and a few miscellaneous items, chiefly addressed to Joel and Ruth Barlow, Clara Baldwin Bomford, and her daughter Ruth Bomford Paine. Correspondents include Elizabeth Whitman and George William Erving (1769-1850), an American diplomat. The letters discuss the Baldwin family affairs and contain only occasional references to political affairs. Also included are a few documents and 1 manuscript poem.

The collection chiefly reflects the children of Michael Baldwin (1719-1787) of New Haven, including Abraham Baldwin (1754-1807), American statesman and founder of the University of Georgia; Henry Baldwin (1780-1844), justice of the United States Supreme Court; Ruth (Baldwin) Barlow (1756-1818) and her husband, Joel Barlow (1754-1812), American poet and statesman; Clara (Baldwin) Bomford (1782-1856), wife of George Bomford (1782-1848), chief of ordnance of the army; and the descendants of George and Clara Bomford. About one-sixth of the letters are addressed to Joel and/or Ruth Barlow, 1779-1816; about one-half to Ruth's sister, Clara (Baldwin) Bomford, 1803-1855; about one-sixth to Clara's daughter, Ruth (Bomford) Paine, 1856-1891; and the remainder to others. Perhaps the collection as a whole is best described as the remnant of a family archive which has passed through a number of generations.

Subject matter include Baldwin family affairs; social life in New Haven, Connecticut; the Kalorama property in Washington, D.C., purchased by the Barlows in 1807; sold to the Bomfords in 1818 and subsequently sold by them in 1846; society in Washington, D.C., from 1803 to 1815; the Barlow's social life in Paris in 1811 and 1812; and description and travel in Europe, with letters by George W. Erving describing Switzerland, Italy, and France. Includes biographical material for: Abraham Baldwin; Ruth (Baldwin) Barlow and Joel Barlow; Clara (Baldwin) Bomford and George Bomford; George William Erving; Robert and Harriet Fulton; and other members of the Baldwin family and descendants of George & Clara Bomford.

Of particular note are the letters of Elizabeth Whitman to Joel Barlow; the letters of Ruth Barlow; and the extensive series of letters from George William Erving (1769-1850), American diplomat, to Clara Bomford. Erving's letters are perhaps the most substantial part of the collection and the earlier ones are particularly interesting. He never married, occupied several diplomatic posts in Europe, travelled about a good deal, and lived for many years in Paris. The letters contain nothing about his diplomatic work as such, but are full of reflections and observations on a number of subjects and some of them run to a considerable length--there is one of twenty-nine pages.

In the earlier part of the collection there are references to Joel Barlow and a number of letters addressed to him, but only one document and several postscripts in his handwriting, and copies of his will and one poem. There are occasional references to political affairs, but the primary importance of the collection is for the picture it presents of the social and day-to-day life of the time, and for the information it contains about the individuals noted below.

Persons represented by 3 or more pieces (Figures in square brackets indicate number of letters addressed to the individual)"

Some notable items include: