Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, W. Atlee Burpee & Company Records
Mowbray, H. Siddons (Harry Siddons), 1858-1928 Search this
Container:
Box 4, Folder 19
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
circa 1885
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment.
Collection Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Collection Citation:
Harry Siddons Mowbray and Mowbray family papers, 1872-1976. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art. Glass plate negatives in this collection were digitized in 2019 with funding provided by the Smithsonian Women's Committee.
The collection documents Cyrus W. Field's efforts to lay the transatlantic cable from Ireland to Newfoundland in 1866. The materials include photographs, correspondence, resolutions, maps, charts, and printed publications about Field and the transatlantic Cable.
Scope and Contents:
The collection contains materials documenting Cyrus W. Field's efforts to lay the Trans-Atlantic cable from Ireland to Newfoundland. The collection consists primarily of correspondence, publications, and maps and charts about the Trans-Atlantic cable.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into five series.
Series 1: Personal/Biographical Materials, 1854-1896
Series 2: Photographs, 1840, 1865, 1871, 1893
Series 3: Correspondence, 1835-1893
Series 4: Publications, 1854-1893
Series 5: Miscellaneous, 1856-1897
Biographical / Historical:
Cyrus Field (1819-1892) was born into a large family in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. At age fifteen an older brother helped him find a job in a New York City dry goods store. In 1840, he became junior partner in a paper company. When the firm failed a year later, he took it as a personal duty to repay all creditors. He then formed his own paper company, which succeeded due to his integrity, salesmanship, and entrepreneurial skills. By 1852, he had amassed a modest fortune and retired. Early in 1854, a contact made by another brother led Field to take over a bankrupt project to build a telegraph line across Newfoundland. Field had a bigger idea: extend the line to Britain.
Field gained fame for organizing the effort to successfully lay an underwater telegraph cable across the Atlantic Ocean from Europe to North America. Success in 1866 came after a decade's worth of effort and several earlier failures. To complete the cable Field marshalled financial, political and technical support on both sides of the Atlantic. He helped create companies to undertake the project and found investors willing to gamble on the new technologies involved. He negotiated with the British and American governments for material support in the form of ships and equipment, and for commitments to use the cable when it was finished. He obtained the assistance of leading scientists and engineers. In all this, the entrepreneurial skills and integrity he had demonstrated as a successful businessman, combined with his boundless enthusiasm, stood him in good stead. The resulting cable was the first means of fast transatlantic communication and one of the foundations of today's telecommunications network.
Field married Mary Bryan Stone on December 2, 1840, and they had seven children.
Materials at the Archives Center:
Warshaw Collection of Business Americana (AC0060), Series: Telegraphs
Anglo-American Telegraph Company Records, 1866-1973 (AC0073)
Western Union Telegraph Company Records (AC0205), Series 6: Cyrus W. Field Papers, 1840-1892
Materials consist of drawings and illustrations, specifically the Great Eastern, illustrated magazines, publications, and newspaper clippings.
Materials at Other Organizations
New York Public Library
Cyrus W. Field papers, 1831-1905 (bulk 1880-1890)
11 linear feet (20 boxes)
Collection contains correspondence, legal and financial documents, estate papers, inventories, notes, maps, photographs, and printed materials that document Field's business activities and estate. General correpondence, 1846-1892 (mostly incoming letters), concerns business matters. Business papers, 1858-1891, consist of correspondence and legal and financial documents relating to Field's involvement with various telegraph, railroad, and newspaper companies. Land papers, 1831-1895, pertain to properties in New York State (with information about the Croton Aqueduct), New York City and Massachusetts. Field's estate papers, 1851-1905, include wills, insurance policies, stock, correspondence, legal papers, and claims against Field's estate. Financial papers, 1843-1892, contain account books, accounts, receipts, and cancelled checks. Also, inventories of Field's estate, notes on the Field family, papers regarding Major John AndreĢ monument and James Garfield memorial, maps, photographs, printed matter, and miscellaneous papers.
Separated Materials:
Artifacts related to Cyrus W. Field are in the Division of Work Industry. They include medals, paintings and cable samples. See accessions: EM*007199; EM*007200; EM*007205; EM*007207; EM*007208; EM*007210.01-.04; EM*007211.1; EM*007211.2; EM*007212; and EM*007213.
Provenance:
The collection was loaned by Isabella Field Judson, daughter of Cyrus W. Field, to the United States National Museum in 1897. The loan converted to a gift in 1931.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
The collection is open for research. Patrons must use microfilm copy.
Collection Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Collection Citation:
The Allen Tupper True and True family papers, 1841-1987
Sponsor:
Glass plate negatives in this collection were digitized in 2019 with funding provided by the Smithsonian Women's Committee.
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Collection Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Collection Citation:
Felicia Meyer Marsh and Meyer family papers, circa 1880-1997. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
The collection has been digitized and is available online via AAA's website. Glass plate negatives are housed separately and not served to researchers.
Collection Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Collection Citation:
John Frederick Peto and Peto family papers, circa 1850-1983. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
The collection has been digitized and is available online via AAA's website. Glass plate negatives are housed separately and not served to researchers.
Collection Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Collection Citation:
John Frederick Peto and Peto family papers, circa 1850-1983. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
The collection has been digitized and is available online via AAA's website. Glass plate negatives are housed separately and not served to researchers.
Collection Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Collection Citation:
John Frederick Peto and Peto family papers, circa 1850-1983. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
The collection has been digitized and is available online via AAA's website. Glass plate negatives are housed separately and not served to researchers.
Collection Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Collection Citation:
John Frederick Peto and Peto family papers, circa 1850-1983. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
This is a single household account book for the period from January 1, 1883 through April 27, 1887, maintained by Lucretia Deming until two days before her death. The final entry is $120.05 for the payment of Litchfield property taxes.
The accounts record daily expenditures in substantial detail, i.e oysters, candy, bread, oil, Century Magazine, etc. There are also regular entries by firm name only, i.e. Park and Tilford, New York City Ice Company, Belden Brothers, and Grannis and Elmore, a dry goods store. Pew rent is recorded for a Congregational Church in Litchfield and for a Presbyterian Church in New York City. There are entries for the wages of servants, both male and female, several of whom accompanied her from Litchfield to New York and return, as well as summary records of each servant's wages by month and year.
Memoranda in the back of the book are mostly New York addresses for dentists, cabinet makers, dress makers, charities, employment bureaus. There are a number of names and addresses not otherwise identified, probably those of friends.
One entry of June 15, 1883 describes the origin of several young hickory trees on the south side of the home lot (Litchfield) as nuts from land once owned by Julius Deming, Esq."
Entries are handwritten in ink and are clear and readable. Some of the pages are loosening but the ledger is in generally good condition.
Biographical / Historical:
Lucretia Deming was born in Litchfield, Connecticut on August 13, 1804 and died in New York City on April 29, 1887. She was the youngest of eight children of Julius Deming and Dorothy Champion Deming, his cousin. Julius Deming served through the Revolutionary War under his uncle, Colonel Henry Champion, Principal Assistant Commissary General for the department of the east. Captain Julius Deming accompanied the convoy which crossed the Hudson and delivered the supplies to Valley Forge that saved General Washington's troops from starvation. He also carried the funds to Philadelphia to pay the New England forces. On one occasion the sum was so large (pay and arrears) that a troop of horses escorted him.
In 1790 Julius Deming began to build the family mansion in Litchfield, Connecticut. The architect, William Sprats, was also responsible for a number of noteworthy buildings in Connecticut and along the Hudson River. The Deming house later became known as the Lindens because of a double row of trees planted by Lucretia Deming. It remained in the family for an unbroken period of one hundred and twenty years from 1790 until 1910. Upon Lucretia Deming's death the estate was inherited by her nephew, Julius Deming Perkins, the surviving son of her sister Clarissa and Julius Deming's oldest grand son.
The account book records expenses for the Lindens and the New York winter home (9 W. 20th) for the last years of Lucretia Deming's life. Both the household accounts and a description of the family homes and their furnishings in the Litchfield Historical Society give evidence of gracious living and substantial wealth. The only references to its source speak of Julius Deming as a businessman and merchant. He left a large fortune at his death on January 23, 1838.
Lucretia Deming was one of the early pupils of Miss Pierce's famous School for Young Ladies. According to family records in the Litchfield Historical Society she led a sheltered, upright and pleasant life, in Litchfield in the summer and New York City in the winter. She loved flowers, made serious study of botany and gave special attention to the flower garden which bloomed from May until December. The novels of Sir Walter Scott, popular when she was young, were favorites of hers as were the sermons and prayers of Dr. Lyman Beecher.
Miss Deming, her sister Mary and her brother Charles lived together in the family homes. Mary died in 1847; Charles in 1852. Her nephew and niece and their families were frequent visitors in both Litchfield and New York. Mr. and Mrs. Julius Deming Perkins and their children spent their winters with Miss Deming in her New York home. Every autumn Mr. and Mrs. Quincy with their little son and daughter visited the family home in Litchfield before returning to their own town house for the winter.
The Litchfield Enquirer of May 5, 1887, a few days after Miss Deming's death, stated "...Her excellent native abilities had been so cultivated by reading and observation, that her judgement in practical matters was almost unerring and in public affairs, especially English politics, she took great interest and was well informed to the last day of her life. Her thoughts were expressed in clear and concise language..."
Related Materials:
Several other household account books, a record of income and investments, two bank books and a forty eight page Quarto of the visits of Miss Deming's friends are in the Litchfield Historical Society, P.O. Box 385, Litchfield, Connecticut 06759.
Provenance:
The account book was in the Warshaw Collection of Business Americana.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
The Harriet Jacobs family papers / Jean Fagan Yellin, editor ; Joseph M. Thomas, executive editor ; Kate Culkin, associate editor ; Scott Korb, associate editor
Author:
Jacobs, Harriet A (Harriet Ann) 1813-1897 Search this
