Historical note:

            In 1823, Samuel G. Arnold Sr. purchased a large house at 14 John Street in Providence. This house served many generations of the family over the next century. The following brief chronology of the earlier years is abstracted from Frances M.G. Wayland's "Account of 14 John St." in the collection.

1823House purchased by Samuel G. Arnold. Moves in with wife Frances Rogers Arnold and two children: Cornelia E. and Samuel G. Jr.

1826    Samuel G. Sr. dies.

1835    Cornelia marries Timothy R. Green and moves to New York. 

            Frances' mother, the widow Elizabeth Rodman Rogers, moves in along with Frances'             bachelor brother Henry A. Rogers.

1840    Timothy R. Green dies; the widowed Cornelia returns to the house with her son Arnold             Green. Cornelia's daughter Frances Mary Green born soon after.

1848    Samuel G. Arnold Jr. marries and moves out. Elizabeth Rodman Rogers dies.

1865    Arnold Green marries Cornelia A. Burges; they settle at 14 John St. Frances Rogers Arnold dies. Samuel G. Arnold Jr. returns with his wife and 3 daughters.

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Scope and content:

            This collection includes papers from many of the family members that lived at 14 John St., and also general accounts for household expenses including repairs and maintenance of the house. The bulk of the papers are under the name of Frances Rogers Arnold, but her daughter Cornelia E. Arnold Green is also featured prominently.

            Boxes 4 and 5 contain the papers of attorney Henry A. Rogers pertaining to the estate of Samuel G. Arnold Sr. The papers are mainly accounts and legal documents that he oversaw for the estate's beneficiaries (primarily Frances R. Arnold and her children, Samuel G. Arnold Jr. and Cornelia E.A. Green). Henry A. Rogers was administering the estate on behalf of Frances Rogers Arnold, his sister.

            While most of the 14 John St. bills in boxes 2 and 3 are for household expenses, the Samuel G. Arnold estate accounts are more often related to land and building ownership, either in the form of legal agreements and deeds or bills for work performed and materials purchased at various sites. Many of the accounts involve the Rutenberg Mill estate in North Providence and the Woonsocket Company in Cumberland. Providence real estate mentioned includes 14 John Street, a house on Dorrance St., 79 Congdon St., 133 S. Main St., property on S. Water St., and Fox Point and Tockwotten plats. Other properties mentioned include Paget Farm and land in Johnston.

            Quite a few of the papers in these folders are receipts from Arnold family members to Henry A. Rogers confirming the receipt of various amounts of money from the estate. Other miscellaneous articles throughout the accounts include school tuition bills and federal and city tax bills.

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Provenance:

            The bulk of this collection was donated in 1981 by Mrs. Burgess Green, widow of a great-grandson of Cornelia E.A. Green. The Arnold Green diary was donated by her in 1983. The Edith Jackson Green diary was purchased from manuscript dealer Stephen Gross in 1999. A single paid bill from 1883 was donated by Rick Stattler in 2001 after purchasing it from Tiverton dealer Michael Danieli, who was offering many others for sale. The remainder of the collection was donated by Burgess Green's children Ms. Elliot Green Chesebrough and Theodore Francis Green II in 1996. All folders not marked otherwise can be assumed to be from the 1981 donation.

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Processing note:

           The bulk of this collection was partly organized circa 1981, a card index to receipts created, and the papers of individual family members were separated out. In 1996, these parts were gathered together to the extent possible, but they have not yet been fully processed, and the 1996 gifts have not been fully integrated in. Parts of the earlier accession are not housed in acid-free folders. Only the Theodore Francis Green Papers have been left as a separate collection.

Related collections:

            The following are related collections that might be of interest:

Timothy Green Papers, MSS 450

            The papers of Cornelia E. Arnold Green's husband's parents.

Arnold Green Papers, MSS 9001-G

Consists of a single volume of land title history compiled by Green for A.D. Smith in 1869, donated by William Burgess Smith.

Samuel G. Arnold Jr. Papers, MSS 9001-G

4 letters written, 1845-1852.

United States and Paraguay Navigation Company Records, MSS 767

            Samuel G. Arnold Jr. and Richard J. Arnold were actively involved in this company.

Theodore Francis Green Papers, MSS 467

            Includes a small amount of correspondence re the family history and family papers.

Zachariah Allen Papers, MSS 254

            Allen was brother-in-law to Samuel G. Arnold Sr.

Walter S. Burges Papers, MSS 836

            Father of Cornelia Abby Burges Green.

Frederick H. Jackson Papers, Mss 990

            Father of Edith Jackson Green.

The John Carter Brown Library has a large collection of Arnold-Green Papers, donated by T.F. Green in 1945. They consist mostly of business records of Samuel G. Arnold Sr. and his father Welcome Arnold, dated mostly circa 1780-1826.

The John Hay Library at Brown University also has extensive records from the Green family line: Timothy Ruggles Green, Arnold Green and Sen. Theodore F. Green, also received in 1996 from Ms. Chesebrough and Mr. Green.

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Inventory:

Box 1. Miscellaneous family papers

Folder 1.         "Account of 14 John St." by Frances M.G. Wayland, written 1916 for nephew                                     Theodore F. Green. A detailed memoir of the family and its home.

Folder 2.         Frances Rogers Arnold, Correspondence, 1803-1865, from various relatives                                     including husband Samuel Greene Arnold and father John Rogers.

Folder 3.         Samuel Greene Arnold, 1803-1826

                                    Summons to heirs of Welcome Arnold on complaint of Demus Bishop,                                                 1803

                                    Receipt to N. Dodge & Co., 1812

                                    Letter from William Rogers (uncle of Frances), 7/8/1815

                                    List of relatives at funeral, 1826.

Folder 4.         Arnold Green diary 1848-1850, mostly re raising chickens as a boy.

                                     Written from age 10-12.

Folder 5.         Arnold Green, biography prepared by his sister Frances Wayland for T.F. Green,                                     1904

Folder 6.         Arnold Green, 1 volume with transcriptions of family gravestones.

Folder 6a.       Arnold Green, paid bill, 1901

Folder 7.         Cornelia E. Arnold Green, memorial, 1897

Folder 8.         Cornelia E. Arnold Green, biography prepared by Frances Wayland for T.F.                                     Green, 1898

Folder 8a.       Edith Jackson Green diary, March 1910 to August 1911. Wife of Erik H. Green. Written mostly at home in Texas, but was visiting in-laws at 14 John Street from June to September 1910.

Folder 9.         Draft of agreement re Joseph Martin estate, initialed by TRG and CEG, 1839.

Folder 10.       Thomas Noyes, letter to brother, 11/7/1798, re illness of wife Lydia (Rogers)                         Noyes.

Folder 11.       William Rodman of Newport, fragment of will, 1760

Folder 12.       Elizabeth Rodman Rogers, correspondence, 1812-1846

                                    Account w/ Samuel Nightingale Jr., 1812

                                    Letters from grandson S.G. Arnold, 1/3/1839-2/24/1846

                                    Seven letters from son, H.A. Rogers, 1845-1846

Folder 13.       Elizabeth Rodman Rogers, poem addressed to "Miss Betsy Rodman" from cousin                                     G.B., circa 1780

Folder 14.       John Rogers, letter from Mr. Desforger, 6/8/1797.

Folder 15.       John Rogers, brief family history. Genealogy of Rogers family, 3 pages. It gives the ancestors and children of William Rogers (1709-1772), including John Rogers.

Folder 16.       John Rogers, copy of gravestone inscription, 1810, addressed to Mrs. Elizabeth Rogers

Folder 17.       Estate of Martha D. Rogers (ca.1785-1838), documents, accounts, and correspondence including a copy of her will, 1834-1857

Folder 18.       Copy of undated, unsigned letter to Gen. George Washington.

Folder 19.       Miscellaneous manuscript fragments and newspaper clippings

Folder 20.       Various undated, unsigned literary extracts

Fldrs. 21-26.   School papers, undated and unsigned. Most are probably by Cornelia E. Arnold Green. Also 2 school notebooks titled “Sketches from Mr. Rollins’ Ancient History.”

Fldrs. 27-30.   Frances Rogers Arnold accounts

                        Frances Rogers Arnold, accounts with children, 1826-1835 (1 vol.)

                        Frances Rogers Arnold, account books 1845-1859 (4 vol.)

Folder 31.       Cornelia E. Arnold Green, account books, 1834-1857 (3 vol.)

Folder 32.       Cornelia E. Arnold Green, bills and correspondence, 1900-1901

Folder 33.       Edward Rogers, bill to Amasa Mason, 1818

Folder 34.       Memorandum from S. Ames regarding silks & gloves for Havana market, undated

Box 1a. Miscellaneous family accounts

Frances Rogers Arnold, personal bills paid, 1813-1832 (10 folders)

Frances Rogers Arnold, bills paid for tuition and school bills for Cornelia and Samuel Jr., 1827-1841 (1 folder)

Box 2. Miscellaneous family accounts

Frances Rogers Arnold personal bills paid, 1833-1839 (7 folders)

Cornelia E. Arnold Green personal bills paid, 1833-1839 (3 folders)

            These bills were probably originally part of the "14 John Street bills paid" folders and            separated in an effort to file the bills according to family member. This effort has been             discontinued. Additional bills for Frances Rogers Arnold and Cornelia E. Arnold Green             can be found throughout the "14 John Street bills paid" folders.

14 John Street bills paid, 1827-1852 (20 folders)

Box 3. Miscellaneous family accounts

14 John Street bills paid, 1853-1865, 1883 (53 folders)

Box 4. Henry A. Rogers papers as follows:

Estate of Samuel G. Arnold accounts, 1826-1852 (15 folders)

            Folder 11 includes a highly detailed bill to Samuel G. Arnold Jr. from Uriah Baker for             the building of a house at 79 Congdon St., Providence.

Box 5. Henry A. Rogers papers:

Folders 1-12.  Estate of Samuel G. Arnold accounts, 1853-1865

Folder 13.       Estate of Samuel G. Arnold, correspondence relating to accounts, 1832-1863

Folder 14.       Estate of Samuel G. Arnold, documents, 1826-1840

Folder 15.       Estate of Samuel G. Arnold, documents and accounts relating to Cornelia E.                                     Green, 1826-1833

                        This folder contains materials specifically held together by her attorney, Henry                         A. Rogers, additional accounts and bills relating to Cornelia E. Green can be                         found throughout the Estate of Samuel G. Arnold accounts in boxes 4 and 5.

Folder 16.       Estate of Samuel G. Arnold, accounts with Frances R. Arnold, 1828-1865

                        Additional accounts and bills relating to Frances R. Arnold can be found                             throughout the Estate of Samuel G. Arnold accounts in boxes 4 and 5.

Folder 17.       Henry A. Rogers, receipt from Silvanus Tingley for tombstone for Ms. Rogers, 1838

                        and a receipt from S. Tingley & Sons for gravestone for Mrs. Elizabeth Cozzens, 1840

Box 6. Index to receipts in Boxes 2-3 (created in 1981)
Card file index A-Z for receipts dating c.1841-1865

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Subjects:

x Arnold, Cornelia E. (1814-1897)                 See Cornelia E. Arnold Green.

Arnold, Frances (Rogers) (1786-1865)

Arnold, Samuel G. (1778-1826) 

Arnold, Samuel G. Jr. (1821-1880)

Diaries - 1848-1850 

Diaries - 1910-1911

Green, Arnold (1838-1903) 

Green, Cornelia E. (Arnold) (1814-1897)

Green, Edith (Jackson) (b.1876)

x Green, Frances M. (b.1840)                         See Frances M.G. Wayland

Green, Theodore Francis (1867-1966)

Green, Timothy R. (d.1840)

x Jackson, Edith (b.1876)                               See Edith Jackson Green

John Street (Providence, R.I.)

Noyes, Thomas (1754-1820)

Providence, R.I. - Social life and customs

Rodman, William (b.1732)

x Rodman, Elizabeth (d.1848)                        See Elizabeth Rodman Rogers

Rogers, Elizabeth (Rodman) (d.1848)

Rogers, Henry A. (1801-1869)

Rogers, John (1756-1810)

Rogers, Martha (ca. 1785-1838)

x Rogers, Frances (1786-1865)                     See Frances Rogers Arnold.

Rogers family

Root, Henry T. (1830-1914)

Texas - Social life and customs

Washington, George (1732-1799)

Wayland, Frances M. (Green) (b.1840)

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RIHS1822