Little, Hale, and Douglass families papers
Scope and Contents
This collection includes the papers of David Bates Douglass, Malcolm Douglass, Sarah Hale Douglass, the Josiah Little family, the Heywood family, the Hale family, and Benjamin Hale. Correspondence comprises the major portion of the collection. There are also journals, scrapbooks, sketchbooks and one music book. The earliest date, 1788, is found in the Little family portion of the collection while the latest date, 1911, occurs in the scrapbook in the last box and refers to Andrew Douglass, great-grandson of David Bates Douglass.
Dates
- Creation: 1788-1911
Biographical Note
The Little, Hale, and Douglass families papers contains mostly correspondence to and from members of the Little, Douglass, and Hale families.
A brief history of the Little Family:
George Little was the first English settler on Turkey Hill, in 1640. He died 1693-4 and the farm was divided between his two sons Joseph and Moses (Moses received the upper farm). Moses passed the upper farm to his son Moses the 2nd. Moses Little 2nd left the farm to his son Moses Little 3rd (May 8, 1724 - May 27, 1798), who was an officer in the Revolutionary Army. He commanded the Newbury regiment at the battle of Bunker Hill. When Colonel Moses Little 3rd died, his farm was given to his son Josiah Little born 1747. Most of his land in Apthorp, New Hampshire. and one-eighth of the Pejepscot patent. At his death in 1830 his son Josiah Little 2nd received the farm. Josiah Little 2nd died in 1860 leaving a large estate to Christian literacy and other benevolent uses and the farm to his nephew Josiah Little 3rd, who, dying soon after, left the farm to his son Josiah Little 4th. Josiah Little 4th sold the farm in 1870 to his cousin Josiah Little Hale, a maternal grandchild of the first Josiah Little.
A brief history of the Hale Family:
Thomas Hale (1773-1836) was married to Alice Little until her death in 1819, then he married her sister Mary Little in 1822. Alice and Mary were the daughters of Josiah Little 1st, and sisters of Josiah Little 2nd. Thomas Hale and Alice Little Hale's son Benjamin Hale (1797-1863) married Mary Caroline King and was the President of Hobart College from 1836-1858.
Benjamin Hale and Mary Caroline King Hale's daughter Sarah Elizabeth Hale (1832-1913) married Malcolm Douglass (1825-1887), son of David Bates Douglass of Geneva, New York.
Extent
12 Linear Feet (13 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Location
Box 1-15: Archives Storage / Range 22B / Section 7
Provenance
With the exception of a few of the letters, the provenance of these papers is unclear. A portion of the letters were presented to the Warren Hunting Smith Library Archives in October of 1988 by Mr. Toby Jackson, Professor of History, University of Victoria, Victoria, B.C., Canada.
The remainder of the collection may have been part of President Hale's papers given to Demarest Library in 1942. This is reported in the 9 April 1942 edition of The Hobart Herald. No donor is mentioned in the article. Miss Edith Douglass and Mrs. Mary Rackliff, granddaughters of David Bates Douglass, donated a large collection of books to the library at an unknown date. The papers may also have been a part of that gift.
Subject
- Douglass, Sarah Hale, 1832-1913 (Person)
- Hale, Mary Caroline King (Person)
- Douglass Family (Family)
- Hale Family (Family)
- Little, Edward (Person)
- Lewiston Falls Manufacturing Company. (Lewiston, ME). -- Records and correspondence (Organization)
- Hale, Ebenezer (Person)
- Little Family (Family)
- Hobart College (Organization)
- Geneva College (N.Y.) (Organization)
- Hale, Benjamin, 1797-1863 (Person)
- Douglass, Malcolm, 1825-1887 -- Sermons (Person)
- Little, Josiah -- Estate (Person)
- Heywood Family (Family)
- Douglass, David Bates, 1790-1849 (Person)
Genre / Form
Geographic
Topical
- Title
- Little, Hale, and Douglass families papers, 1788-1911: A Finding Aid
- Status
- Under Revision
- Author
- Heather K. Lavender and Kate Benson, with the Archivist Charlotte Hegyi. Updated by Laura Duquette with the Archivist Katie Lamontagne, February 2012.
- Date
- Spring 2000
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
Repository Details
Part of the Hobart and William Smith Colleges Archives and Special Collections Repository
Warren Hunting Smith Library
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Geneva New York 14456 U.S.A. US (United States)
archives@hws.edu
