1.   Historical note

2.   Scope and content

3.   Provenance

4.   Processing note

5.   Inventory

6.   Subjects


    List of finding aids

    R.I.H.S. Library page

    R.I.H.S. home page

 Bacon Family Papers

 Family of New Haven, Conn. and Peace Dale, R.I.

 Papers, 1833-1952. Bulk, 1880-1951.

 Size: 6 linear feet

 Catalog number: MSS 483 sg 54

 Processed by: Rick Stattler, October 1998

 USE MICROFILM    HQ 1438. R45 Pt 2 Reels 16 - 17


©Rhode Island Historical Society

Manuscripts Division

 


Historical note:


            These are the papers of five generations of the Bacon family of New Haven, Connecticut and Peace Dale, Rhode Island. Brief biographical notes on the individual family members involved can be found preceding the inventory of their papers. The following family tree demonstrates the relationship between these family members.


            Nathaniel A. Bacon (1798-1870)                                          Leonard Bacon (1802-1881)

                                                                                                                                

Ellen Bacon (1827-1857)               Susan Bacon (1835-1887) m. Leonard W. Bacon (1834-1907)

                                                                                                                                    

Helen (Hazard) Bacon (1861-1925) m. Nathaniel Terry Bacon (1858-1926)

                                                                                                                                  

Susan (Bacon) Keith (1889-1980)Leonard Bacon (1887-1954)

                                                                                                                                    

Martha Sherman (Bacon) (Oliver-Smith) Ballinger (1917-1981)


Relationship unknown: Elizabeth Cahoone Newton (1878- ) and Helen K. Gorman (ca.1915- )


Bibliography:

Baldwin, Thomas W. Michael Bacon of Dedham, 1640, and His Descendants (Cambridge, Mass., 1915), 323, 358

Dictionary of American Biography. Nathaniel T. Bacon in volume 32, p. 193. Leonard Bacon in volume 49, page 490.

Descendants of Rowland Gibson Hazard, revised edition, October 1993 (unpublished document compiled by family).

Representative Men and Families of Old Rhode Island, vol. 2, p. 1246 (Newton family)

1900 U.S. Census of Newport, E.D. 219, page 10 (Newton family)

Rhode Island Cemetery Database


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Scope and content:


            The bulk of these papers relate to chemist Nathaniel T. Bacon, his wife Helen (Hazard) Bacon, and their granddaughter, author Martha S. (Bacon) (Oliver-Smith) Ballinger. More detailed descriptions of each series can be found in the inventory.


Series listing:


Series 1: Nathaniel A. Bacon Papers, 6 folders                    Box 1. Inventory on page 3.

Series 2: Ellen Bacon Papers, 1 folder.                                Box 1. Inventory on page 4.

Series 3: Susan (Bacon) Bacon Papers, 5 folders.                Box 1. Inventory on page 5

Series 4: Leonard W. Bacon Papers, 2 folders.                    Box 2. Inventory on page 6.

Series 5: Nathaniel T. Bacon Papers, 1 lin. ft.                      Box 2. Inventory on page 7

Series 6: Helen (Hazard) Bacon Papers, 1.5 lin. ft.               Box 3, 4. Inventory on page 9.

Series 7: Susan (Bacon) Keith Papers, 7 folders                   Box 5. Inventory on page 11.

Series 8: Leonard Bacon Papers, 5 folders.                          Box 5. Inventory on page 12.

Series 9: Martha (Bacon) Ballinger Papers, 1.5 ft.               Box 5, 6. Inventory on page 13.

Series 10: Elizabeth Cahoone Newton Papers, 0.75 ft.        Box 7, 8. Inventory on page 15.

Series 11: Helen K. Gorman Papers, 7 folders.                    Box 8. Inventory on page 16.

Series 12: Leonard Bacon (1802-1881) Papers, 1 folder.     Box 8. Inventory on page 17.

Series 13: Unidentified Bacon Papers, 4 folders.                  Box 8. Inventory on page 18.


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Provenance:


            The great majority of these papers were donated in two gifts in June of 1974. Three cartons were donated by Mr. and Mrs. John C. Davies on June 14, and five cartons were donated by Mr. and Mrs. Melville G. Davey Jr. on June 15. Unfortunately, the distinction between what exactly comprised the two gifts has been blurred over the years. Most of the Nathaniel Terry Bacon papers seem to have come with the earlier Davies gift.

            The relationship between the Davies / Davey family and the Bacons is unknown. A comprehensive list of the descendants of Helen (Hazard) Bacon printed in 1993 listed no persons by either name. It seems likely that they were later owners of the Bacon family estate in Peace Dale.

            A folder of Helen Hazard Bacon's tax records, a single letter to Leonard Bacon dated 1838, and a single letter to Nathaniel T. Bacon dated 1897 arrived as part of the massive collection of Hazard family papers that were donated in 1985.

 

            A collection of materials regarding the life of Reverend Leonard W. Bacon (1830-1907) is located at Yale University.

 


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Processing note:


            This collection is part of the Hazard Family Papers, which were processed with support from the Rhode Island Committee for the Humanities, the Beinecke Foundation, and the extended Hazard Family.


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Inventory:




Series 1: Nathaniel A. Bacon Papers


            Nathaniel Almoran Bacon (1798-1870) of New Haven married Almira Selden (1803-1867). They had three daughters: Ellen (see below), Rebecca (1833-1864) and Susan (see below).


Box 1, folder 1. Letter, 1865; and correspondence re wife's death, 1867

Box 1, folder 2. House construction account book, 1833-1834 (identification uncertain)

Box 1, folder 3. Cash book, 1863-1870

Box 1, folder 4. Household accounts paid, 1868

Box 1, folder 5. Draft will, ca.1857-1858; and memoranda, circa 1862-1865 (i.d. uncertain)

Box 1, folder 6. Clippings and memoranda found in unidentified wallet, circa 1840s.





Series 2: Ellen Bacon Papers


            Ellen Bacon (1827-1857) was the daughter of Nathaniel A. and Almira Bacon. She lived in New Haven, Connecticut for all of her short life, and never married. The only item in this series is her diary, written from 1847 to 1855, written entirely in New Haven, Connecticut.


Box 1, folder 7. Diary, 1847-1855


Series 3: Susan (Bacon) Bacon Papers


            Susan Bacon (1835-1887) was the daughter of Nathaniel A. and Almira Bacon. She married a distant cousin, Leonard Woolsey Bacon and had eleven children, including Nathaniel T. Bacon (see below).


Box 1, folder 8. Letters from son Nathaniel T. Bacon, 1880-1883

Box 1, folder 9. Letters from son Nathaniel T. Bacon, 1884

Box 1, folder 10. Letters from son Nathaniel T. Bacon, 1885

Box 1, folder 11. Letters from son Nathaniel T. Bacon, 1887

Box 1, folder 12. Will, 1877; and plate for printing calling cards.




Series 4: Leonard W. Bacon Papers


            Leonard W. Bacon (1830-1907), son of Leonard Bacon (1802-1881) of New Haven, was a Yale-educated clergyman and author, and held pastorates at several churches across America. After the death of his first wife Susan (Bacon) Bacon, he remarried to Letitia Jordan.


Box 2, folder 1. Personal ledger, 1854-1873

Box 2, folder 2. "A Crime Against Society: Speech of Leonard Woolsey Bacon to the Citizens of Norwich, Conn.", printed temperance pamphlet, 1880




Series 5: Nathaniel T. Bacon Papers


            Nathaniel Terry Bacon (1858-1926) was a the son of Leonard W. and Susan (Bacon) Bacon. He was raised in New Haven, Connecticut. A chemical engineer, he was instrumental in securing the Hazard family's involvement with the Hudson Highland Bridge and Railway Company in 1881. He served as engineer for the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad in 1883, residing at Port Chester, N.Y. He was employed as assistant to Rowland Hazard II at the Solvay Process Company in Syracuse, N.Y. from 1884 to 1895. While there, he married Hazard's daughter Helen (1861-1925). He relocated to the Hazard family homestead in 1895, where he helped manage the Peace Dale Manufacturing Company. He also served as president of the Narragansett Pier Railroad from 1915 to 1924; and was a director of Belanger's, Inc., a rubber plantation in Nicaragua.


            Bacon's papers consist largely of his personal correspondence, and particularly of letters from his immediate family. Nathaniel seems to have been caught in the middle of a bitter dispute between his siblings and his father Leonard W. Bacon, who remarried shortly after their mother's death in 1887. Squabbling over the eventual disposition of his estate continued until the father's death in 1907; many of the father's letters are quite touching. This collection includes frequent letters from many of Nathaniel's siblings, his parents, his step-mother, his wife, his children and his in-laws. There are not many official business-related letters. Beyond the correspondence files, there is also an interesting file on Belanger's Inc., Bacon's Nicaragua plantation; and a file on his support of missionaries in China.


            Found among these papers were a large volume of official records of the Hudson Highland Bridge and Railway Company, which were transferred to subgroup 24 of the Hazard Family Papers.


            Many of these papers were donated in extremely poor condition. The letters were found still folded in their original envelopes, from which the upper right corners had been torn by a rather unsophisticated stamp collector, which accounts for the peculiar holes in many of the letters. More significantly, a large portion of these papers had suffered severe water damage, particularly those papers dated after 1920. The most badly damaged letters were found to house active mold and insect colonies. Copies of these letters were made on archival paper, and the originals were discarded to prevent contamination of the remaining collection. Though the copies are often nearly illegible, they are considerably easier to read than the originals were.


            Ninety-seven boxes of Nathaniel T. Bacon's papers can be found in the archives of the James P. Adams Library at Rhode Island College.


Series 5: Nathaniel T. Bacon Papers (continued)


Correspondence:

Box 2, folder 3. 1871-1881

Box 2, folder 4. 1882-1883

Box 2, folder 5. 1884

Box 2, folder 6. 1885

Box 2, folder 7. 1886

Box 2, folder 8. 1887

Box 2, folder 9. 1888

Box 2, folder 10. 1889

Box 2, folder 11. 1890

Box 2, folder 12. 1891

Box 2, folder 13. 1892

Box 2, folder 14. 1893

Box 2, folder 15. 1894

Box 2, folder 16. 1895

Box 2, folder 17. 1897, 1899

Box 2, folder 18. 1900-1909

Box 2, folder 19. 1910

Box 2, folder 20. 1911

Box 2, folder 21. 1912-1914

Box 2, folder 22. 1915-1921 (all business or from stepmother)

Box 2, folder 23. 1922 (all from wife or son - copies only)

Box 2, folder 24. 1923 (all from wife or son - copies only)

Box 2, folder 25. 1924 (all from wife or son - copies only)

Box 2, folder 26. 1925 (all from wife or children - copies only)

Box 2, folder 27. Undated

Box 2, folder 28. Letters to father, enclosed in letters to Nathaniel, 1887-1892


Miscellaneous:

Box 2, folder 29. American-Chinese Educational Commission correspondence, 1923-1925

Box 2, folder 30. "America's Silent Commerce in Colonial Days", by Premio Real, 1880

Box 2, folder 31. Belanger's, Inc. papers, 1908-1917

Box 2, folder 32. Family estate - Deeds, bills, etc., 1889-1917

Box 2, folder 33. Family estate - Letters from W.H. Shields of Norwich, Conn., 1906-1909

Box 2, folder 34. Family estate - Letters from W.H. Shields of Norwich, Conn., 1910-1920

Box 2, folder 35. Passport, 1894

Box 2, folder 36. Specifications for house in Syracuse, N.Y., undated

Box 2, folder 37. Miscellaneous:

                                    Railroad passes, 1880-1881; Yale reunion papers, 1889

                                    Two letters to editors, 1889 and undated

                                    Genealogical clipping re Bacon family, undated


Series 6: Helen (Hazard) Bacon Papers


            Helen (Hazard) Bacon (1861-1925) was born in Peace Dale, the daughter of Rowland Hazard II and Margaret (Rood) Hazard. She married Nathaniel T. Bacon in 1885. They had two children: Leonard (b. 1887) and Susan (b.1889). The family resided in Syracuse, N.Y. until 1895, then returned to Peace Dale. Her papers consist mostly of letters from her immediate Hazard family, and from her daughter Susan. There are also many letters relating to her involvement in World War I relief activities. Her sister Caroline Hazard was a regular correspondent. Prominent Rhode Island deaf education advocate Jeannie Lippitt Weeden wrote on 2/1/1918.

            Four additional boxes of Helen Hazard Bacon's papers can be found in the archives of the James P. Adams Library at Rhode Island College.


Correspondence:

Box 3, folder 1. 1885, June - September

Box 3, folder 2. 1885, October

Box 3, folder 3. 1885, November - December

Box 3, folder 4. 1886, January - April

Box 3, folder 5. 1886, May - August

Box 3, folder 6. 1886, August - September (all from husband)

Box 3, folder 7. 1886, September - December

Box 3, folder 8. 1887, January - April

Box 3, folder 9. 1887, May - August

Box 3, folder 10. 1887, September - December

Box 3, folder 11. 1888, January - February

Box 3, folder 12. 1888, March - April (no May through September)

Box 3, folder 13. 1888, October - December

Box 3, folder 14. 1889, January - May (no June - September)

Box 3, folder 15. 1889, October - December

Box 3, folder 16. 1890, January - April

Box 3, folder 17. 1890, May - August

Box 3, folder 18. 1890, September - December

Box 3, folder 19. 1891, January

Box 3, folder 20. 1891, February - April

Box 3, folder 21. 1891, May - December

Box 3, folder 22. 1892, January - August

Box 3, folder 23. 1892, September - December

Box 3, folder 24. 1893, January - March

Box 3, folder 25. 1893, April - August

Box 3, folder 26. 1893, September - December

Box 3, folder 27. 1894, January - March

Box 3, folder 28. 1894, April - August

Box 3, folder 29. 1894, September - December

Box 3, folder 30. 1895, January - February

Box 3, folder 31. 1895, March - April

Box 3, folder 32. 1895, May - October

Box 3, folder 33. 1905-1906 (all from daughter Susan)

Box 3, folder 34. 1907 (all from children Leonard and Susan)

Box 4, folder 1. 1908 (all re daughter Susan)

Box 4, folder 2. 1910 (mostly from daughter Susan)

Box 4, folder 3. 1913 (all from daughter Susan)

Box 4, folder 4. 1914 (mostly from daughter Susan)

Box 4, folder 5. 1915

Box 4, folder 6. 1916

Box 4, folder 7. 1917

Box 4, folder 8. 1918

Box 4, folder 9. 1918 (condolences on death of brother Rowland G. Hazard II)

Box 4, folder 10. 1919

Box 4, folder 11. 1920-1923

Box 4, folder 12. Undated, circa 1915-1919

Box 4, folder 13. Undated


Miscellaneous:

Box 4, folder 14. Poetry, 1879-1893

Box 4, folder 15. Silent Circle of King's Daughters missionary letters, 1892

Box 4, folder 16. Silent Circle of King's Daughters publications, 1914, 1925

Box 4, folder 17. Tax records, 1919-1921


Series 7: Susan (Bacon) Keith Papers


            Susan (Bacon) Keith (1889-1980) was the daughter of Nathaniel T. and Helen (Hazard) Bacon; she was raised in Peace Dale, R.I. She married Elmer Davenport Keith, had four children (Margaret, Susannah, Caroline and Rowland) and divorced in 1945. She moved into the Scallop Shell House in Peace Dale in 1952.


Box 5, folder 1. Correspondence, 1910, 1917

Box 5, folder 2. Correspondence, January - April 1918

Box 5, folder 3. Correspondence, May 1918

Box 5, folder 4. Correspondence, June 1918 - 1919

Box 5, folder 5. Correspondence, 1944, 1948-1950

Box 5, folder 6. Cash book, 1915-1918 (identification uncertain)

Box 5, folder 7. Medical prescriptions, 1911-1912





Series 8: Leonard Bacon Papers


            Leonard Bacon (1887-1954) was the son of Nathaniel T. and Helen (Hazard) Bacon. A renowned poet, he lived in Peace Dale and in California; he received the Mission Hill estate in Santa Barbara in the will of his aunt Caroline Hazard. In 1912, he married Martha S. Stringham (1891-1967). They had three daughters: Martha (see below), Helen and Alice.

            Two additional boxes of Leonard Bacon's papers can be found in the archives of the James P. Adams Library at Rhode Island College.


Box 5, folder 8. Correspondence, 1923, 1940-1952

Box 5, folder 9. Aphorisms, undated, circa 1920-1925 (found with letters to father)

Box 5, folder 10. Checkbook, August 1949 - January 1950

Box 5, folder 11. Diploma, St. George's School, 1905

Box 5, folder 12. Miscellaneous:

                                    Valpax Trust accounts, 1942

                                    Press clippings, 1915

                                    Partial undated contract re "Heroic Ballads of Servia"

                                    Obituary of widow, 1967


Series 9: Martha S. (Bacon) (Oliver-Smith) Ballinger Papers


            Martha "Marnie" Sherman Bacon (1917-1981) was the daughter of Leonard and Martha S. (Stringham) Bacon. She was a frequently published poet, and her first novel, A Star Called Wormwood, was published by Random House in 1948. She maintained residences in Peace Dale and Santa Barbara. She married painter Phillip Oliver-Smith in 1940, and divorced in 1952. They had three children: Anthony, Martha and Helen. She later married Ronald Ballinger.

            Among her frequent correspondents were her parents; her sister Helen; Rupert Allan; Gertrude Beekman; Dorothy and William R. Benet; Carolyn N. Britton of Falls Church, Va.; Harold "Hal" Wiener of Scarsdale, N.Y.; Dr. Hilda Rollman of Los Angeles; Bessie Cahoone "Noo" Newton; LeRoy Makepeace, ambassador to Paraguay; Jane Easton of Lampasas, Texas; Jane Mills of San Francisco; her future husband Philip Oliver-Smith (4/18/1939); her future second husband Carlton McKinney of Los Angeles; Pauline Karl James of Los Angeles. There is a short personal letter from Hubert H. Humphrey dated January 20, 1950.


Correspondence:

Box 5, folder 13. 1938

Box 5, folder 14. 1939

Box 5, folder 15. 1942

Box 5, folder 16. 1943-1946

Box 5, folder 17. 1947

Box 5, folder 18. 1948, January - February

Box 5, folder 19. 1948, March - April

Box 5, folder 20. 1948, May - June

Box 5, folder 21. 1948, July - August

Box 5, folder 22. 1948, September - October

Box 5, folder 23. 1948, November - December

Box 5, folder 24. 1948, letters sent

Box 5, folder 25. 1949, January - February

Box 5, folder 26. 1949, March - April

Box 5, folder 27. 1949, May - June

Box 5, folder 28. 1949, July - August

Box 5, folder 29. 1949, September - October

Box 5, folder 30. 1949, November - December

Box 5, folder 31. 1950, January - March

Box 5, folder 32. 1950, April - June

Box 5, folder 33. 1950, July - September

Box 5, folder 34. 1950, October - December

Box 5, folder 35. 1951

Box 5, folder 36. Undated




Literary work by Martha Bacon Oliver-Smith:

Box 6, folder 1. "The Birthday of the Infanta" (fragment of play)

Box 6, folder 2. "The Crooked Rose" (novel) - latest draft

Box 6, folder 3. "The Crooked Rose" (novel) - early drafts of chapters 1 through 4

Box 6, folder 4. "The Crooked Rose" (novel) - early drafts of chapters 5 through 9

Box 6, folder 5. "The Crooked Rose" (novel) - early drafts of chapters 10 through 14

Box 6, folder 6. "Dream it Tonight" (poems)

Box 6, folder 7. "The Exiles" (short story)

Box 6, folder 8. "The House in Summer" (short story) - two drafts

Box 6, folder 9. "Lament for the Chieftains" (poems) - proofs and contract, 1942

Box 6, folder 10. "The Lost Children" (novel) - draft #1

Box 6, folder 11. "The Lost Children" (novel) - draft #2, dated 11/14/1945

Box 6, folder 12. "The Lost Children" (novel) - draft #3 (became "A Star Called Wormwood")

Box 6, folder 13. "The Mistress of Provinces" (novel) - draft #1

Box 6, folder 14. "The Mistress of Provinces" (novel) - draft #2

Box 6, folder 15. "Other People's Children" (short story)

Box 6, folder 16. "The Thing to Do" (short story)

Box 6, folder 17. "Things Visible and Invisible" (poems)

Box 6, folder 18. Miscellaneous essays on poetry

Box 6, folder 19. Miscellaneous poems

Box 6, folder 20. Miscellaneous poems

Box 6, folder 21. Miscellaneous reviews written

Box 6, folder 22. Miscellaneous stories


Literary work by other authors:

Box 6, folder 23. "The Frenchman's Thanksgiving", by Luc Bouchage (short story)

Box 6, folder 24. "Variations on a summer Theme" by Anne Fairchild (short story)

Box 6, folder 25. Various short stories by Philip Oliver-Smith

Box 6, folder 26. "Jewel Song" by Anna May Schafe (novel)


Miscellaneous:

Box 6, folder 27. Reviews of "A Star Called Wormwood", 1949-1950

Box 6, folder 28. Author's Guild guidelines, 1952

Box 6, folder 29. Royalty statements, 1946-1950

Box 6, folder 30. Miscellaneous:

                                    Psychological profile, 1950

Cards, Santa Barbara Museum; and Americans for Democratic Action, 1951

                                    Barrington School Alumnae Association dues card

                                    Invitation to Hazard Brothers Circus Ball, 1939

                                    Christmas present list, undated

                                    Notes on the American Red Cross

                                    Promotional biography of Philip Oliver-Smith

                                    Report card of son Anthony Oliver-Smith, first grade, 1948


Series 10: Elizabeth Cahoone Newton Papers


            Children's author Bessie Cahoone Newton was born in December of 1878, the daughter of Newport architect Dudley Newton (1845-1907) and Mary E. Bailey. She published numerous poems and children's stories, including Animal Stories for Children (Crist Co., 1911). She lived in Newport and in Sacramento, California for most of her life. She was generally known to friends as "Bessie" or "Noo", and was not married by 1931. Her relationship to the Hazard family is unknown. She was a friend of Martha Bacon Philip-Smith, a much younger author.

            Probably the most interesting item among her papers is a notebook from an interview with a former slave, titled "Francis Newmans Life: Run-a-way Slave". This notebook describes the life of a slave named Jessie Lee, her escape during the Civil War, her marriage to African Methodist minister Francis Newman, her husband's death in Arkansas, and Jessie's life in Newport. No record of Jessie Newman could be found in the Newport directories or the 1900 or 1920 census. However, a Mrs. Frances E. Newman can be found in both the 1900 census (E.D. 220, page 6), and in the directories from 1884 to 1915. According to the census, she was an African-American widow born in Virginia in 1830, had been married for thirteen years, and had no children, all of which fits the narrative. The author of these notes is uncertain, though the handwriting appears similar to Bessie Newton's. The date of the interview would probably be between 1900 (when Newton was 21 years old) and 1915, when Newman disappears from the Newport directories. It does not seem to have been published.

            Also included among Bessie Newton's papers are a folder of letters from a failed romance with a New York language teacher; drafts and clippings of various children's stories and poems; and several fairly mundane travel diaries.


Box 7, folder 1. Correspondence, general, 1908-1928

Box 7, folder 2. Correspondence, general, 1934-1935

Box 7, folder 3. Correspondence, from A. Max Girola, 1912-1913

Box 7, folder 4. Correspondence, with editors, 1910-1911

Box 7, folder 5. Diary:        July - August 8 1929 (Europe)

Box 7, folder 6. Diaries:      August 9 - September 7 1929 (Europe)

                                                September 8 - September 22 1929 (Europe)

Box 7, folder 7. Diary:        July 31 - August 1930 (Carmel, Cal.)

Box 7, folder 8. Diaries:      June 13 - June 19 1931 (Europe)

                                                June 23 - July 8 1931 (Europe)

                                                July 6 - August 17 1931 (Europe)

Box 7, folder 9. Essays, 1929 (written in Paris)

Box 7, folder 10. Notebooks for stories, undated

Box 7, folder 11. Poems and clippings, miscellaneous

Box 7, folder 12. Scrapbook of poems

Box 7, folder 13. Scrapbook of poems

Box 7, folder 14. Scrapbook of poems

Box 8, folder 1. "The Doings of Paradise Court" (Irish-dialect comic novella)

Box 8, folder 2. "Something Was Going to Happen" (novella)

Box 8, folder 3. "Francis Newmans Life: Run-a-way Slave"


Series 11: Helen K. Gorman Papers


            Helen K. Gorman was apparently a servant in Leonard and Martha Bacon's household whose papers were left behind. In her letters, she was variously referred to as "Ellie" or "Nellie" or "E.K."; sometime she gave her surname as O'Gorman. She was born circa 1915, as her age was given as 29 on undated WWII ration book. She was apparently born in Ireland, and does not seem to have married by 1949. Her correspondence is mostly from Irish-American friends and family, with some letters from overseas. Letters from Eugene Donnelly of Narragansett Pier are particularly frequent. The following chronology of her residences was culled from envelopes and postcards:


            1937                102 Blackstone Blvd., Providence

            1938-1941      With the Stussey family at Silver Lake Farm, Wakefield, R.I.

            1942-1943      In St. Philomena's Rectory, Narragansett Pier

            1943-1944      c/o Eugene Donnelly or T. Salzer, Peace Dale

            1944                12 West Cedar Street, Boston, c/o Mrs. Leonard Bacon

            1945                Ellie K. Gorman. At 52 River Ave., Providence, in home of Marguerite Gallogly

            1946-1949      At the Acorns, with Leonard & Martha Bacon. Went with family on vacation to Mission Hill, Cal., March - May 1948, and April 1949.

            5-6/1949        Cartrif House, Bryn Mawr, Penn., c/o Miss Helen Bacon


Box 8, folder 4. Correspondence, 1937-1945

Box 8, folder 5. Correspondence, 1946-1947

Box 8, folder 6. Correspondence, 1948-1949

Box 8, folder 7. Correspondence, undated

Box 8, folder 8. Correspondence, undated fragments

Box 8, folder 9. Related letters, 1942-1945

Box 8, folder 10. Miscellaneous:

                                    Ration book, World War II, undated

                                    Irish football program, 1935

                                    Christmas and St. Patrick Day's cards, undated






Series 12: Leonard Bacon Papers


            Leonard Bacon (1802-1881) was a nationally-known Congregational clergyman of New Haven, Connecticut. He was the father of Leonard W. Bacon (1830-1907) (see series 5).


Box 8, folder 11. Single letter from A. Rood, 3/20/1838


Series 13: Unidentified Bacon Papers


            These series consists of items found among the Bacon Papers which could not be identified as relating to specific family members. Much of the series consists of unidentified poems. Several of the individuals represented in the Bacon Family Papers were published poets, including Ellen Bacon, Leonard Bacon, Martha Bacon Oliver-Smith, and Bessie Cahoone Newton. Helen (Hazard) Bacon also wrote poetry as a pastime. Thus, identifying these unsigned works would require a certain degree of guesswork.


Box 8, folder 12. Unidentified poems, 19th century

Box 8, folder 13. Unidentified poems, 20th century?

Box 8, folder 14. "Speech at the Union Square Meeting Held in New York", 4/21/1861, by Col. Edward D. Baker.

Box 8, folder 15. Miscellaneous:

                                    "Scraps of veneer & inlay taken from mahogany table and Dutch chair"

                                    Card to Miss K.E. Bacon, 1899

                                    Letter to Katherine ---

                                    Letter to Mabel Holgate of Peace Dale, 1906

                                    Letter to Mrs. William Arnold of Wakefield, from Lizzie Holgate, 1907

                                    Receipt from Emelia McKay to Anna McKenna, 1940

                                    Copy of obituary of Sarah Marks, 1847

                                    Undated list of hours worked by household servants

                                    Sketch of 1798 real estate held by Amaziah Waterman heirs, circa 1900.

                                    Undated gift list


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Subjects:


Afro-Americans - Rhode Island - Newport. Notebook from an interview with a former slave, titled "Francis Newmans Life: Run-a-way Slave". This notebook describes the life of a slave named Jessie Lee, her escape during the Civil War, her marriage to African Methodist minister Francis Newman, her husband's death in Arkansas, and Jessie's life in Newport. In series 10, the Bessie Cahoone Newton Papers.


American-Chinese Educational Commission. Correspondence file, 1923-1925, in series 5, the Nathaniel T. Bacon papers.


Authors - Rhode Island. Papers of three published authors: children's writer Bessie Cahoone Newton (b.1878), poet Leonard Bacon (1887-1954), and poet/novelist Martha S. (Bacon) Oliver-Smith (1917-1981). The papers of Newton and Oliver-Smith include drafts and correspondence with editors.


Bacon, Almira (Selden) (1803-1867). Wife of Nathaniel A. Bacon, of New Haven, Conn. One folder of correspondence re her death in series 1, the Nathaniel A. Bacon Papers.


Bacon, Ellen (1827-1857). Of New Haven, Conn. Diary, 1847-1855, in series 2.


Bacon, Helen (Hazard) (1861-1925). Wife of Nathaniel T. Bacon of Syracuse, N.Y. and Peace Dale, R.I. Two boxes of her personal papers, mostly letters received from 1885 to 1923, in series 6. Also many letters to her husband Nathaniel T. Bacon in series 5.


Bacon, Leonard (1802-1881). Congregationalist minister, New Haven, Conn. A single letter from A. Rood to Leonard Bacon, 1838.


Bacon, Leonard (1887-1954). Author, of Peace Dale, R.I. Five folders of his miscellaneous personal papers in series 8; also many letters to his father Nathaniel T. Bacon in series 5, and to his daughter Martha S. (Bacon) Oliver-Smith in series 9.


Bacon, Leonard Woolsey (1830-1907). Congregational clergyman, of New Haven, Conn. His personal ledger from 1854-1873, and an 1880 temperance pamphlet, are in series 4. Many letters written to his son Nathaniel T. Bacon, or discussing his strained relationships with his children, can be found in series 5.


x Bacon, Martha (1917-1981). See Oliver-Smith, Martha S. (Bacon).


Bacon, Nathaniel Almoran (1798-1870). Of New Haven, Conn. Six folders of miscellaneous personal papers, 1833-1870, in series 1.


Bacon, Nathaniel T. (1858-1926). Chemist, of Syracuse, N.Y. and Peace Dale, R.I. One box of his personal papers, mostly personal correspondence dating from 1880 to 1925, can be found in series 5. Also four folders of letters to his mother Susan (Bacon) Bacon, 1880-1887, in series 3.


Bacon, Susan (Bacon) (1835-1887). Wife of Leonard W. Bacon of New Haven, Conn. Four folders of letters from her son Nathaniel T. Bacon dated 1880-1887, and her will dated 1877, in series 3.


Baker, Edward D. (1811-1861). "Speech at the Union Square Meeting Held in New York", 4/21/1861, in series 13.


Ballinger, Martha S. (Bacon) (Oliver-Smith) (1917-1981). Author, of Peace Dale, R.I. and Santa Barbara, Cal. Her personal papers from 1938-1952 can be found in series 9, including many letters received, drafts of poems, essays and novels, and other papers.


Belanger's, Inc.. Rubber plantation in Bluefields, Nicaragua. One folder of director Nathaniel T. Bacon's correspondence re Belanger's, 1908-1917, in series 5.


California - Social life and customs. Papers of several Bacon family members who either resided or vacationed in Santa Barbara, Cal. from about 1890 through 1950. Of particular interest are the papers of two authors who lived in California: series 9 re Martha (Bacon) Oliver-Smith; and series 10 re Bessie Cahoone Newton.


China - Foreign relations - 1912-1949. Correspondence file re the American-Chinese Educational Commission, 1923-1925, in series 5, the Nathaniel T. Bacon papers.


Connecticut - Social life and customs Papers relating to Bacon family members who resided in or near New Haven, Conn. from 1830s to the early 1900s. Of particular interest are the diary of Ellen Bacon from 1847 to 1855 in series 2; and the papers of Nathaniel T. Bacon in series 5, which feature many letters from Connecticut relatives.


Diaries - 1847-1855 Diary of Ellen Bacon (1827-1857) of New Haven, Connecticut, an unmarried daughter of Nathaniel A. Bacon, in series 2.


Diaries - 1929-1931. Seven diaries of Bessie Cahoone Newton, written from July 1929 to August 1931, mostly while traveling in Europe, in series 10.


Europe - Description and travel. Seven diaries of Bessie Cahoone Newton, written from July 1929 to August 1931, mostly while traveling in Europe, in series 10.


Gorman, Helen K. (b.ca.1915). Irish-American household servant employed by the Bacon family in Peace Dale. Six folders of letters received, 1937-1949, plus a folder of memorabilia, in series 11.


Hazard, Caroline (1856-1945). Educator and philanthropist, of Santa Barbara, Cal. Frequent letters to her sister Helen (Hazard) Bacon in series 6.


Hazard, Rowland II (1829-1898). Industrialist, of Peace Dale, R.I. Frequent letters to daughter Helen (Hazard) Bacon in series 6, and to son-in-law Nathaniel T. Bacon in series 5.


Hazard, Rowland G. II (1855-1918) Industrialist, of Peace Dale, R.I. Frequent letters to sister Helen (Hazard) Bacon in series 6.


Humphrey, Hubert H. (1911-1978). U.S. Senator, Minnesota. Short personal letter from Hubert H. Humphrey to Martha S. (Bacon) Oliver-Smith, dated January 20, 1950, in box 5, folder 31.


Irish-Americans - Rhode Island - South Kingstown. See Helen K. Gorman Papers in series 11. Irish-American household servant employed by the Bacon family in Peace Dale. Six folders of letters received, 1937-1949, plus a folder of memorabilia.


Keith, Susan (Bacon) (1889-1980). Wife of Elmer D. Keith, of Peace Dale, R.I. Five folders of correspondence 1910-1918 and 1948-1950; a folder of medical prescriptions; and a cash book from 1950; all in series 7.


Newman, Frances E. Notebook from an interview with a former slave, titled "Francis Newmans Life: Run-a-way Slave". This notebook describes the life of a slave named Jessie Lee, her escape during the Civil War, her marriage to African Methodist minister Francis Newman, her husband's death in Arkansas, and Jessie's life in Newport. In series 10, the Bessie Cahoone Newton Papers.


Newton, Elizabeth Cahoone (1878- ). Author, of Narragansett, R.I. 0.75 linear feet of papers, 1908-1935, including interview notes with a former slave; a folder of letters from a failed romance with a New York language teacher; drafts and clippings of various children's stories and poems; and several fairly mundane travel diaries, in series 10. Her letters to Martha (Bacon) Oliver-Smith are in series 11.


Nicaragua - Business records. One folder of director Nathaniel T. Bacon's correspondence re Belanger's Inc., a rubber plantation in Bluefields, Nicaragua, 1908-1917, in series 5.


x Oliver-Smith, Martha S. (Bacon) (1917-1981). See Ballinger, Martha S. (Bacon) (Oliver-Smith) (1917-1981).


Poetry - Rhode Island. Several of the individuals represented in the Bacon Family Papers were published poets, including Ellen Bacon, Leonard Bacon, Martha Bacon Oliver-Smith, and Bessie Cahoone Newton. Helen (Hazard) Bacon also wrote poetry as a past-time. Drafts and unpublished poems can be found in series 6, 9, 10 and 13.


South Kingstown, R.I. - Social life and customs. Papers of several Bacon family members who either resided or vacationed in Peace Dale, R.I. from about 1890 through 1950. Of particular interest are the papers of Nathaniel T. Bacon in series 5; Helen (Hazard) Bacon in series 6; Susan (Bacon) Keith in series 7; and Helen K. Gorman in series 11.


United States - History - Civil War, 1861-1865. "Speech at the Union Square Meeting Held in New York", by Col. Edward d. Baker, 4/21/1861, in series 13.


Weeden, Jeannie Lippitt. Deaf education advocate, of Providence. Letter to Helen (Hazard) Bacon, 2/1/1918, in series 6.


Women authors, American - California. Papers of children's writer Bessie Cahoone Newton (b.1878), and poet/novelist Martha S. (Bacon) Oliver-Smith (1917-1981). Includes drafts and correspondence with editors.


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RIHS1822