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3. Provenance 5. Inventory 6. Subjects |
Pearson Family Papers Bank clerk of Providence, R.I. Papers, 1852-1861 Size: .25 ft. Catalog number: MSS 608 Processed by: Elizabeth Delmage, May 2007 ©Rhode Island Historical Society Manuscripts Division |
Historical note:
Robert A. Pearson (1837-1905) was born on 20 October 1837 in Great Falls, New Hampshire and was the son of John and Martha (Allen) Pearson, who both emigrated from England. Robert also had a brother Richard (fl. 1861) and a sister Jane (fl. 1862). On 25 November 1861, he married Clara Molten Johannot, the daughter of Andrew and Clarrissa (Molten) Johannot of Providence, R.I. The couple had two children: Martha B. (Pearson) Peck and Clara B. Pearson (b. 1869). Pearson lived in Providence, R.I. and worked as a clerk in a bank until his death on 12 October 1905.
Bibliography
1865 R.I. State Census
1870 U.S. Census
R.I. Cemetery Database
R.I. Marriage Records
Scope and content:
The collection is comprised of correspondence written to Robert A. Pearson in Providence, R.I. from 1852 to 1861. The majority of these letters are from Pearson's friends: James Dingwell, Jr., Jarvis, William W. Merrill, Edward S. Plimpton, C.T. Salisbury and J.B. Swan. Pearson and this group of friends were part of an order referred to as "O.S.B.," with Pearson serving as the Grand Master. The official title of this order is unknown since it was never explicitly explained or described throughout their correspondence and research about the order remains inconclusive. These men referred to one another as brothers and often wrote to Pearson to discuss their religious views and sentiments, to discuss the future of the order, to relay news about other order members, and to plan future meetings with one another. They also described to Pearson their current living conditions in other parts of the United States during this time, including Denison, Iowa and San Franscico, California (following the time of the gold rush), and to discuss their feelings about the upcoming Civil War (1861-1865). There are also letters from William Chace, who served in Company D of the Rhode Island Regiment, who wrote Pearson about his daily activities during the beginning of the war.
There are also letters from members of Pearson's family including his sister Jane Dinsley and her son John from Clinton, Penn.; his brother Richard, who had just moved to California; his nieces Belle, Martha, Mary, and Sarah Emely from Glastonbury, Conn.; and his aunts Ann Rutherford and Grace Sinclair from England. Also included are letters from his future wife, Clara Johannot and a letter accepting Pearson into the Franklin Lyceum.
Provenance:
The provenance of this collection is unknown.
Processing note:
The letters within this collection were mostly likely pasted within a scrapbook, but have been removed at an unknown time. This collection was rehoused into an archival box and folders in May 2007.
Inventory:
Box 1, Folder 1. Robert A. Pearson's Acceptance into the 22 Apr 1856
Franklin Lyceum, Providence
Correspondence
Box 1, Folder 2. Albert H. Bond 21 Nov 1859 -
23 Jan 1860
Box 1, Folder 3. William Chace 20 Apr - 16 Jul 1861
Box 1, Folder 4. James Dingwell, Jr. 6 Sep 1858 -
9 Jul 1860, n.d.
Box 1, Folder 5. Jane Dinsley 29 Aug 1852 -
25 Jan 1860
Box 1, Folder 6. John Dinsley 2 Jan 1858 -
11 Feb 1861
Box 1, Folder 7. Belle Emely 27 Nov 1858 -
5 Apr 1859
Box 1, Folder 8. Martha A. Emely 3 Aug 1856 -
1 May 1860
Box 1, Folder 9. Mary J. Emely 7 Mar 1858 -
23 Dec 1861
Box 1, Folder 10. Sarah Emely 7 Mar 1858
Box 1, Folder 11. D. Henshaw 3 Apr 1857
Box 1, Folder 12. Jarvis 23 Nov 1854 -
16 Mar 1859
Box 1, Folder 13. William W. Merrill 16 Sep 1858 -
2 Jan 1861
Box 1, Folder 14. Clara M. (Johannot) Pearson 5 Feb - 18 Sep 1860
Box 1, Folder 15. Richard R. Pearson 21 Nov 1860 -
18 Jul 1861
Box 1, Folder 16. Edward S. Plimpton 8 Feb 1858 -
2 Dec 1861
Box 1, Folder 17. Lina J. Plimpton 20 Nov 1859
Box 1, Folder 18. Ann Rutherford 9 Jun 1859 -
6 Jan 1860
Box 1, Folder 19. C.H. Salisbury 5 Jan - 18 Mar 1856
Box 1, Folder 20. C.T. Salisbury 28 Aug 1860 -
25 Nov 1861
Box 1, Folder 21. Grace Sinclair 23 Apr 1859
Box 1, Folder 22. T.J. Stead 2 Jun 1855 -
21 Nov 1856
Box 1, Folder 23. J.B. Swan 8 Nov 1854 -
21 Jun 1855
Subjects:
California - Travel and description - 19th century
Christianity - 19th century
Franklin Lyceum (Providence, R.I.)
Fraternal organizations - 19th century
Iowa - Travel and description - 19th century
Pearson, Robert A., 1837-1905 - Correspondence
United States - History - Civil War, 1861-1865
Washington (D.C.) - Travel and description - 19th century
West (U.S.) - Description and travel - 19th century
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RIHS1822