Series Descriptions

Series I.  Eben Norton Horsford Correspondence
A. General – 13.75 lin. ft. [inventory]
The Correspondence Series contains letters and supporting documents received from family, friends, colleagues, students and clients.  Correspondence that had been collected in annual files was rearranged alphabetically by correspondent to facilitate access.   Major correspondent files are arranged chronologically.  Correspondence from family members makes up a large portion of the material.  Eben’s parents, Jerediah and M. C. Horsford, wrote frequently as did Eben’s sisters, Julia Norton and Eliza Tryon, and cousin, Eliza Norton.  Illness and medical treatment discussed in the family correspondence is particularly detailed.  Politics, religion and education are also frequent topics of discussion. 

The broad and varied interests of Eben Norton Horsford are represented in correspondence with a large number of people.  Subjects include:  the American Academy of Arts & Science, explosion of burning fluid, patents, artificial manure, Focault pendulum experiments, India rubber, lead poisoning, gutta percha, water analysis, water systems, bleaching processes, science education, spiritualism, geological surveys, hydropathy and the Smithsonian Institute.  Noteworthy correspondents include: James Hall, E. B. Hunt, Louis Agassiz, Joseph Lovering, Justus von Liebig, Alexander Graham Bell, Samuel Morse, Jared Sparks, Edward Everett, Benjamin Gould, 

B.  Lawrence Scientific School Requests, 1848-1859 – 1.25 lin. ft. [inventory]
This material comprises requests for information, letters of recommendation, admission requirements, etc. received by Horsford in his role as head of the Lawrence Scientific School at Harvard.  The material, though often routine, documents the type of students who applied to the School as well as the increase in the popularity of its programs during the first twelve years.

C.  Rumford Chemical Works, 1852-1892 - .4 lin. ft. [inventory]
Letters from George F. Wilson make up the bulk of this sub-series and are arranged chronologically.  George F. Wilson co-founded the Rumford Chemical Works and took care of the business of operating the company.  Methods of manufacture, development of new products and markets for new products are among the subjects discussed in this correspondence.  The Rumford Chemical Works produced Horsford’s chemical inventions.  Among the products manufactured and sold were Horsford’s yeast powder, baking powder and cream of tartar used in baking; acid-phosphate used for indigestion; and anti-chlorine used as a bleaching agent.

D.  Letters from Phoebe Gardiner Horsford, 1854-1879 - .4 lin. ft. [inventory]
This sub-series is arranged chronologically.  Many of Phoebe’s letters were not dated by month and year.  These letters have been arranged in undated folders and letters with similar topics or noted time periods have been placed together when possible.  The bulk of the letters were written during the 1860’s when Eben spent a considerable amount of time away from home.  The transition from sister-in-law to wife, family illnesses, Cambridge society, Shelter Island society and Horsford’s resignation from Harvard are among the subjects of note in this correspondence.

E.  Letter Drafts [inventory]
Letters written by Eben Norton Horsford in draft or copy form make up this sub-series which is arranged chronologically.  Letters written as journals of Eben’s study abroad in Germany are included in this material.  The letters were published in his hometown newspaper and transcribed into two volumes.  A copy of a letter to his mother describes a visit to the plantation of former president John Tyler and includes remarks about slavery.

Series II.  Eben Norton Horsford Professional Papers [inventory]
A.  Scientific Papers, 1817-1892 – 1.25 lin. ft.
This sub-series contains analyses, research journals, lectures, speeches, presentations, manuscripts and essays covering an extensive variety of scientific topics.  The bulk of the material was written by Eben Norton Horsford throughout the course of his career.  Significant topics in this material include bread making, army rations, water analysis, chemical analysis, patent information and writings on the advancement of science and technology.

B.  Norumbega Writings, 1871-1892 - .4 lin. ft.
This sub-series documents an avocation of Eben Norton Horsford that occupied the latter part of his life.  Horsford’s research included the origin of Norumbega, the location of Norumbega, the site of Leif Ericson’s settlement along the Charles River, the exploration of John Cabot and a study of Indian dialects.  His study resulted in several published volumes.  Manuscripts and drafts of these volumes as well as research notes are included in this material.  A bibliography of Horsford’s published works is appended to this guide.

Series III.  Eben Norton Horsford Collections, 1681-1857 - .2 lin. ft. [inventory]
Collections of autographs, advertisements and German documents make up the contents of this series arranged alphabetically.  Autographs collected by Horsford as a young man are not distinctive and their meaning to him is unknown.  The significance of German documents dating as early as 1681 is again unknown.  The advertisement collection includes ads for Horsford’s products from the Rumford Chemical Company.

Series IV.  Horsford Financial Records, 1849-1900 - .4 lin. ft.[inventory]
Material in this series includes bill receipts, account books, inventories and annual statements.  The material is arranged chronologically by year.  The bill receipts and account books document household expenses including goods and services.  Wages for nannies, cooks and maids are also noted.  A renovation of the Horsford home in 1880 is well documented.  Inventories include those of homes on Shelter Island.

Series V.  Mary Gardiner Horsford Papers [inventory]
A.  Correspondence, 1832-1855 - .4 lin. ft.
This sub-series comprises letters received from family members and close friends.  The correspondence is arranged alphabetically by correspondent and chronologically within.  Letters from Mary’s sister Phoebe include descriptions of the latest fashions and social engagements.  The letters exhibit a very close bond between the sisters.  Letters from Mary’s cousin and former first lady, Julia Gardiner Tyler, include statements about child birth, the lives of slaves on their plantation and references to the “President” (John Tyler).  Anne C. Lynch, former tutor to Mary and her sisters, is a frequent correspondent.  Letters from her mother-in-law, M. C. Horsford, contain many references to health and child rearing advice.

B.  Letters from Eben Norton Horsford, 1841-1855 - .4 lin. ft.
Correspondence from Eben to Mary is concentrated on their courtship and marriage in 1847 and times of separation when Mary spent summers on Shelter Island.  The material is predominately love letters with bits of news and references to family members.  Mary’s health is frequently referred to in this correspondence. 

C.  Poetry, 1855, n.d. - .4 lin. ft.
Poems written by Mary Gardiner Horsford make up this sub-series.  Manuscript drafts and a published volume of Indian Legends and Other Poems are arranged first.  This volume was published in 1855 shortly before Mary’s death.  Handwritten drafts and printed versions of various poems are also included in this material.

Series VI.  Phoebe Gardiner Horsford Papers [inventory]
A.  Correspondence, 1846, 1857-1900 - .4 lin. ft.
Correspondence in this series is predominantly that of family members and dates after Phoebe’s marriage to Eben in 1857.  Letters are arranged alphabetically.  Memorials to Eben following his death in 1893 are included in this material.

B.  Letters from Eben Norton Horsford, 1856-1887 - .4 lin. ft.
Voluminous correspondence in this series gives an almost daily account of Eben’s out of town trips.  Letters from the early 1860’s document his resignation from Harvard, national events such as the Civil War and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and new business ventures.  These ventures included manufacture of iron safes, submarine design, army rations and chemical manufacture at the Rumford Chemical Works.  Court cases involving patent disputes are also frequently referred to.  Later correspondence documents Eben’s travel to Europe, California and the Caribbean.  Family matters such as illness, move to a new home, finances and the education of their children are mentioned in Eben’s letters.

C.  Scrapbook, 1853-1874 - .2 lin. ft.
A scrapbook kept by Phoebe Gardiner Horsford contains newspaper clippings of poems, Shelter news and notices regarding Eben Norton Horsford and his work.

Series VII.  Lilian Horsford Farlow Papers, 1850-1929 - .2 lin. ft. [inventory]
This series contains a small amount of correspondence from family members and information regarding the estates of Eben and Phoebe Horsford.

Series VIII.  Mary Katherine Horsford Papers, 1859-1928 - .4 lin. ft. [inventory]
Correspondence, accounts, articles and genealogy material collected by Mary Katherine Horsford are arranged alphabetically in this series.

Series IX.  Cornelia Conway Felton Horsford Papers [inventory]
A.  Correspondence, 1870-1941, 1954 - .4 lin. ft.
Correspondence in this sub-series is arranged alphabetically.  Most letters are from family members.  Letters regarding book plates designed by Cornelia and communications regarding financial matters are also included in this material.

B.  Writings & Sketches, etc., 1876-1941 - .8 lin. ft.
Material in this sub-series is arranged alphabetically and order was imposed.  The writings of Cornelia Horsford and those that she collected make up part of this material.  A diary of her trip to California in 1880 and sketchbooks of her travel to California and Europe are of particular interest. 

Series X.  Mary Catherine L’Hommedieu Papers, 1812-1842 - .8 lin. ft. [inventory]
Material in this series is comprised of documents and correspondence regarding the estate of Benjamin L’Hommedieu.  The series is arranged alphabetically.  An estate dispute with the Dering family is of particular note.

Series XI.  Samuel S. Gardiner Papers, 1819-1859 - .4 lin. ft. [inventory]
This series comprises financial documents of Samuel G. Gardiner kept for the management of his estate.  Bills, accounts, wills, deeds and statements are arranged alphabetically.

Series XII.  North Carolina Tennessee Lands, 1775-1929 - .4 lin. ft. [inventory]
Correspondence, legal documents, deeds and maps make up the material in this series.  This material regards land purchased by Benjamin L’Hommedieu in territory later divided between the states of Tennessee and North Carolina.  This material documents a long complicated process of establishing ownership by family heirs.  Because a deed was never filed locally, a land dispute ensued and was not resolved until a civil suit brought by Eben Norton Horsford was decided in 1888.  The land was divided among several families and eventually sold over a long period of time.

Series XIII.  Photographs, 1886-1929, n.d. [inventory]

Daguerrotypes, tin types, film negatives, glass negatives and black & white prints are included in this series.  Portraits of family members include Phoebe Gardiner Horsford and Cornelia Horsford.  Snapshots of travel spots, family homes and photos of ancestral gravestones are among the subjects represented.  Some of photographs and most of the negatives are not identified.  Oversized photographs have been placed in a map case.

Series XIV.  Artifacts, 1775, n.d. [inventory]
This series contains several artifacts kept by the Horsford family.  The two of the seal molds bear the initials ENH.  The remaining molds are apparently family crests.  The church to which the key belongs is not identified, but it is likely that of the Shepard Memorial Church (now First Church, Congregational) in Cambridge, MA.  The continental currency probably belonged to Benjamin L’Hommedieu and was then passed down through the family as a keepsake.