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3. Provenance 5. Inventory 6. Subjects |
Wetmore-Sherman Family Papers Family papers of Newport, RI and New York Papers, 1730-1970. Bulk, 1802-1955 Size: 1.5 ft. Catalog number: MSS 1078 Processed by: Karen Eberhart, September 2001 ©Rhode Island Historical Society Manuscripts Division |
Historical note:
George Peabody Wetmore was governor of Rhode Island for two terms from 1885-1887. He also served for three terms as a U.S. Senator for the period 1894-1912. The other great interest of his life was genealogy. When he was in his late 20's, Mr. Wetmore started his genealogical work by doing research on his great grandfather General William Shepard. From there his research expanded to include all the lines in his family and many in his wife's family. Mr. Wetmore was able to trace his ancestry back to English forebears in the 1600's.
The interest in family history was taken up by Mr. Wetmore's niece, Georgette (Sherman) Brown. She studied the materials her uncle had collected. Notes found throughout the documents indicate that she passed the information along to her niece Sybil (Sherman) Sellar. The two of them compiled genealogical lists and tables and wrote up biographies of many members of the Sherman line. The collection of documents then passed to Sybil's daughter Iris (Sellar) Veeder.
Mr. Wetmore's ancestors settled in upper New York state and in Massachusetts. His father, William S. Wetmore, was a successful businessman in the China trade and built, in 1851, a summer residence in Newport, RI which he called Chateau-Sur-Mer. The Wetmore family divided their time between New York City and Newport.
see also: George Peabody Wetmore Papers MSS 798
Bibliography:
Scope and content:
These papers relate to a wide range of the extended family of George P. Wetmore and his wife Edith Keteltas Wetmore. The records consist mostly of correspondence, copies of wills and genealogical notes and biographies. The papers are organized according to the following family groups. When known, relationships between the individuals have been noted in the inventory.
1) Shepard Family. George P. Wetmore's great grandfather, Gen. William Shepard (1737-1817), was a Revolutionary War officer. As a general in the Massachusetts militia, he played an important part in defending Springfield during Shay's Rebellion in 1787.
2)Wetmore Family. This section includes the papers of George P. Wetmore and his paternal ancestors, father William S. Wetmore (1801-1862) and grandfather Seth Wetmore (1769-1830). These Wetmores resided in Middletown, Conn.; St. Albans, Vt.; New York City and Newport, RI. George P. Wetmore's wife Edith (Keteltas) Wetmore and their three children William S.K., Maude and Edith are also represented here. Included in this section is a 1773 account book of Abraham Keteltas that was later used as the Keteltas family register through at least 1887. The Keteltas family lived on Long Island and in New York City.
3) Pickman Family. George P. Wetmore's maternal ancestors, including the Pickman, Derby and Rogers families. These families for the most part hailed from Salem, Massachusetts.
4) Sherman Family. William W. Sherman (1842-1912) married Annie D.R. Wetmore (1848-1884), and was thus the brother-in-law of George P. Wetmore. The collection includes papers of his father Watts Sherman (1809-1865), his mother Sarah Maria (Gibson) Sherman, grandfather Henry Bicker Gibson, and daughter Georgette (Sherman) Brown. This family resided in New York - in Canandaigua, Albany and New York City. Georgette (Sherman) Brown married into the prominent Brown family of Rhode Island and divided her time between New York City and Newport, RI.
Provenance:
The structure of the collection suggests that it was gathered together by Georgette (Sherman) Brown, who apparently inherited her uncle George P. Wetmore's genealogical notes, and added them to the collected notes and papers from her father's family. She died in 1960 without children, and the papers were probably left to her niece Iris (Sellar) Veeder (1908-1983), who died in 1983 and left the papers to her son Paul L. Veeder II.
These papers were donated to the Rhode Island Historical Society in 1985 by Paul L. Veeder II (b.1933). He was the son of Iris (Sellar) Veeder (1908-1983), the grandson of Sybil K. (Sherman) Sellar (1875-1953), and the great-grandson of William W. Sherman and Annie D.R. (Wetmore) Sherman.
Processing note:
Inventory:
Shepard Family
William Shepard (1737-1817) - great grandfather of George P. Wetmore
box 1, folder 1 U.S. Army Accounts 1778
Massachusetts Militia Accounts 1787-88
box 2, folder 2 Correspondence 1781-1808
Pickman Family
box 1, folder 3 Bible photostats containing family records 1730's - 1880's
Benjamin Pickman (1740-1819)
box 1, folder 4 , Will and papers 1788, 1817, 1819
Mary (Toppan) Pickman (1744-1817) - wife of Benjamin Pickman (1740-1819)
box 1, folder 5 , Memorial written by her son Benjamin Pickman 1817
Benjamin Pickman (1763-1843) - son of Benjamin (1740-1819) and Mary Toppan
box 1, folder 6 , Will 1843
Love Rawlins Pickman - daughter of Benjamin (1740-1819) and Mary Toppan
box 1, folder 7 Will n.d.
Sarah Pickman
box 1, folder 8 Estate 1812
Wetmore Family
Seth Wetmore (1769-1830) - grandfather of George P. Wetmore; son-in-law of William Shepard
box 1, folder 9 Correspondence 1802, n.d.
William S. Wetmore (1801-1862) - son of Seth Wetmore, father of George P. Wetmore
box 1, folder 10 Correspondence and papers 1845-61
box 1, folder 11 Financial statements 1832-40
box 1, folder 12 Profit and loss ledger 1834-39
box 1, folder 13 Profit and loss ledger 1834-40
William Shepard Wetmore Jr. (1844-1858) - son of William S. Wetmore
box 1, folder 14 Lock of hair c. 1858
George P. Wetmore (1846-1921) - son of William S. Wetmore
box 1, folder 15 Correspondence - Derby Family 1886, 1912-21
box 1, folder 16 Correspondence - Dudley Family 1899-1915
box 1, folder 17 Correspondence - Pickman book 1920-21
[see also: box 1, folders 24, 32, 33 ]
box 1, folder 18 Correspondence - Pickman Family 1920-21
box 1, folder 19 Correspondence - Rogers Family 1887-1920
box 1, folder 20 Correspondence regarding Gen. William Shepard 1874-90
box 1, folder 21 Correspondence regarding Gen. William Shepard Monument 1914-19
box 1, folder 22 Correspondence regarding William S. Wetmore 1906,1917-28, n.d.
Edith (Keteltas) Wetmore (1848-1927) - wife of George P. Wetmore
box 1, folder 23 Correspondence 1909-22, n.d.
box 1, folder 24 Correspondence - Pickman book 1924-27
Abraham Keteltas (1732-1798)
box 1, folder 25 Account book and Keteltas family register 1773-1887
William S.K. Wetmore ( -1925) - son of George and Edith Wetmore
box 1, folder 26 Newspaper article 1915
Edith M.K. Wetmore (1870-1966) - daughter of George and Edith Wetmore
box 1, folder 27 Correspondence and papers 1915-66
box 1, folder 28 Estate inventory 1966
box 1, folder 29 Estate inventory 1966
Maude A.K. Wetmore (1873-1951) - daughter of George and Edith Wetmore
box 1, folder 30 Correspondence and papers 1902-51
box 1, folder 31 Correspondence regarding Gen. William Shepard 1931-33
silver bowl by Paul Revere
Edith M.K. Wetmore, Maude A.K. Wetmore, Henry A. Vale
box 1, folder 32 Correspondence regarding Pickman book 1924-28
box 1, folder 33 Correspondence acknowledging receipt of Pickman book 1928-34
Sherman Family
Henry Bicker Gibson (1783-1863) - father of Sarah Maria (Gibson) Sherman
box 1, folder 34 Estate 1863-64, 1875
Sarah (Sherman) Gibson (1796-1881) - wife of Henry Bicker Gibson
box 1, folder 35 Correspondence and will 1865, 1878, n.d.
Cornelia Sherman - sister of Olivia Sherman
box 1, folder 36 Correspondence from her sister Olivia Sherman 1822
Olivia Sherman - sister of Cornelia Sherman
box 1, folder 37 Correspondence 1878
Sally Sherman
box 1, folder 38 Correspondence 1811
Watts Sherman (1809-1865) - son in law of Henry and Sarah Gibson
box 1, folder 39 Correspondence and papers 1833-65
box 1, folder 40 Deeds 1836-58
box 1, folder 41 Deeds - Albany 1822-41
box 1, folder 42 Estate 1864-71
Sarah Maria (Gibson) Sherman (1816-1878) - wife of Watts Sherman, daughter of Henry and Sarah Sherman
box 1, folder 43 Correspondence 1835-76, n.d.
box 1, folder 44 Correspondence from Watts Sherman 1830-63
box 1, folder 45 Deed and will 1860, 1875
box 1, folder 46 Diary 1838-39
box 1, folder 47 Diary 1839
box 2, folder 1 Diary 1839-40
box 2, folder 2 Diary 1840
box 2, folder 3 Diary 1866
box 2, folder 4 Passports 1854, 1873
Duncan Sherman - son of Watts and Sarah Maria (Gibson) Sherman
box 2, folder 5 Transfer orders 1868
William Watts Sherman (1842-1912) - son of Watts and Sarah Maria (Gibson) Sherman
box 2, folder 6 Correspondence 1863-85
Annie D.R. (Wetmore) Sherman (1848-1884) - wife of William Watts Sherman, daughter of William S. Wetmore
box 2, folder 7 Correspondence 1856-68
box 2, folder 8 Will 1878
Georgette (Sherman) Brown - daughter of William Watts and Annie D.R. (Wetmore) Sherman, wife of Harold Brown
box 2, folder 9 Correspondence 1908-35
box 2, folder 10 Estate 1902-58
box 2, folder 11 Sherman family historical notes and excerpts n.d.
Harold Brown (1813-1900) - husband of Georgette (Sherman) Brown, son of John Carter Brown
box 2, folder 12 Will 1899
Sybil (Sherman) Sellar (1875-1955) - sister of Georgette (Sherman) Brown
box 2, folder 13 Correspondence 1923
box 2, folder 14 Sherman family notes and biographies 1955, n.d.
Iris (Sellar) Veeder (1909?-1983) - daughter of Sybil (Sherman) Sellar
box 2, folder 15 Correspondence and notes 1955, n.d.
Francis Veeder - husband of Iris (Sellar) Veeder
box 2, folder 16 Correspondence 1955, n.d.
Miscellaneous files on family and friends
box 2, folder 17 Cyphering book - "Algebra and the Mathematics" n.d.
box 2, folder 18 Death dates - Wetmore extended family and friends 1877-1967
box 2, folder 19 Deed - James Howard and Catharine Howard to 1835
Ramsay M. Henry, Baltimore County
box 2, folder 20 John and Alexander Greig 1857, 1868
box 2, folder 21 Newspaper clippings 1855-1967
box 2, folder 22 Henry A. Vale - Obituaries 1939
box 2, folder 23 Wetmore Mansion - Chateau Sur Mer 1969-70
box 2, folder 24 Unidentified correspondence 1871?, 1909
Subjects:
Chateau-Sur-Mer (Newport, RI)
Cyphering Books.
Diaries, 1838-1866
New York - Social life and customs.
Rhode Island - Social life and customs.
Shays' Rebellion, 1786-1787.
Brown, Georgette (Sherman), 1872-1960.
Brown, Harold, 1813-1900.
Gibson, Henry Bicker, 1783-1863.
Gibson, Sarah (Sherman), 1796-1881.
Hancock, John, 1737-1793.
Holmes, Oliver Wendell, 1809-1894.
Keteltas, Abraham, 1732-1798.
Lincoln, Benjamin, 1733-1810.
Pickman, Benjamin, 1740-1819.
Pickman, Benjamin, 1763-1843.
Pickman, Mary (Toppan), 1744-1817.
Sellar, Sybil (Sherman), 1875-1955.
Shepard, William, 1737-1817.
Sherman, Annie D. R. (Wetmore), 1848-1884.
Sherman, Duncan.
Sherman, Sarah Maria (Gibson), 1816-1878.
Sherman, Sophia Augusta (Brown), 1866-1947.
Sherman, Watts, 1809-1865.
Sherman, William Watts, 1842-1912.
Vale, Henry Ambler, 1867-1939.
Veeder, Iris (Sellar), c.1909-1983.
Wetmore, Anstiss Derby (Rogers), 1822-1889.
Wetmore, Edith (Keteltas), 1848-1927.
Wetmore, Edith M. K., 1870-1966.
Wetmore, George Peabody, 1846-1921.
Wetmore, Maude A. K., 1873-1951.
Wetmore, Seth, 1769-1830.
Wetmore, William S., 1801-1862.
Wetmore, William S. K., 1875-1925.
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RIHS1822