Samuel Francis Batchelder Papers, 1765-1930
Series Description and Folder Listing
Processor:
Survey conducted by Amy Gray, February 1993
Processed by Brian A. Sullivan, April 2000
Re-processed by Keith Pendergrass, December 2010
Acquisition Information: Exact date of receipt unknown (presumably after Batchelder’s death in 1927). Four pencil sketches were donated by his son in 1956.
Access: There are no restrictions to access except that fragile materials have been photocopied and removed to the end of the collection.
Permission to Publish: Requests for permission to publish from the collection should be made to the Executive Director.
Copyright: The Cambridge Historical Society holds copyright on materials Samuel Francis Batchelder created as an officer of the Cambridge Historical Society. Copyright in his published materials has expired.
Biographical Sketch:
Samuel Francis Batchelder was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1870. His parents were Samuel Batchelder (Harvard College Class of 1851, d. 1888) and Marianne Giles Washburn. From 1870 to 1878, the Batchelder family resided in the Vassall House on Brattle Street at the corner of Hawthorne Street. Batchelder’s early education was under the supervision of Mrs. Arthur Fuller and later Miss Howe. At the age of nine, he moved with his family to Andover, Massachusetts and attended public school. Eighteen months later, the Batchelder family returned to Cambridge where Batchelder began his education under Emma F. Harris (whose school was located above a shoemaker’s shop on Hancock Street, in Cambridgeport). At age fourteen, he entered the Classical Department of the Cambridge High School (known as the Latin School). Ill health compelled Batchelder’s parents to send him, in the fall of 1887, to St. Paul’s School in Concord, New Hampshire. There he was the editor of the school paper, the Horae, and received a number of academic prizes for his poetry.
From 1889-1893 he attended Harvard participating in a number of activities and organizations including Freshman Crew, Signet Society, O.K. Club, Fencing Club, St. Paul’s Society, Harvard St. Paul’s School Club, and the Hasty Pudding Society. He was also the editor of the Harvard Lampoon for two years.
Batchelder taught for one year at St. Paul’s School in Garden City, Long Island, New York. Thereafter, he enrolled in Harvard Law School and received his degree in 1898.
Batchelder served as clerk of Christ Church in Cambridge, also playing the organ and managing the choir. In addition, he served as the Secretary of the Cambridge Historical Society from 1916 to his death in 1927. A notice published in the CHS Proceedings stated that he was a “faithful and efficient secretary; he was its mainstay, the originator of its activities, inexhaustible in its suggestions for its meetings and its resources for attracting members and sustaining their interest.”
Batchelder published several works during his lifetime and one was published posthumously. The first was Christ Church, Cambridge: some account of its history and present condition, especially prepared for visitors (1893), which was largely a continuation of his undergraduate thesis at Harvard College. His next work was a biography on Peter Harrison. This volume appears to have never been published—in a review of the book Peter Harrison, First American Architect by Carl Bridenbaugh, in The William and Mary Quarterly (Jul., 1949), Hugh Morrison states that Bridenbaugh paid tribute to the material collected by Batchelder but does not mention a book or publication. A small portion was published, though, in the Bulletin of the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (January 1916) under the title “Peter Harrison.” In, 1924, Batchelder published Bits of Harvard History. Several chapters were previously published elsewhere: “The Singular Story of Holden Chapel” (1921), “The History of the Commons” (1919), “Harvard Hospital-Surgeons of 1775” (1920), and “Wanted!—‘College Characters’” (1922) in the Harvard Alumni Bulletin; and “C.C. Langdell, Iconoclast” (1906) in The Green Bag. In 1930, Bits of Cambridge History was published posthumously. Variations of several chapters had previously appeared in the Cambridge Historical Society Proceedings: “Adventures of John Nutting, Cambridge Loyalist” (1910); “Colonel Henry Vassal and His Wife Penelope Vassal” (1915); “Burgoyne and His Officers in Cambridge, 1777-1778” (1918), which included a map of Cambridge in 1777; and “The Washington Elm Tradition” (1925).
Related Collections:
Winwood Serjeant Letters, 1769-1840, Cambridge Historical Society. This collection contains originals of the Serjeant letters, which Batchelder was researching (see Box 8, Folders 7-9).
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged in seven series:
Series I. Christ Church, Cambridge, 1765-1923
Series II. Bits of Harvard History, 1903-1926
Series III. Bits of Cambridge History, 1778-1930
Series IV. Peter Harrison, 1772-1918
Series V. Revolutionary War Materials, 1906-1925
Series VI. Cambridge Historical Society, 1920-1925
Series VII. Other Research Material, 1772-1926
Scope and Content:
The Samuel Francis Batchelder Papers consist of research notes and correspondence related to his historical research and writing; photographs and illustrations; maps, etc.
Series I. Christ Church, Cambridge, 1765-1923, contains materials related to Batchelder’s book Christ Church, Cambridge: some account of its history and present condition, especially prepared for visitors. Published in 1893, it was based on his thesis completed at Harvard College. Batchelder continued to work throughout his life on improving this early publication, hoping to produce a more comprehensive history of Christ Church, and the materials in the series reflect this. The bulk of materials consist of research notes and correspondence and are related to many aspects of the church’s history with a focus on its early years and the church’s role in the Mayhew Controversy. Also included are rough drafts, later programs, prints of the church, and historic material collected by Batchelder, some of which is identified as the Hoppin Collection. Folders are arranged alphabetically.
Series II. Bits of Harvard History, 1903-1926, contains materials related to Batchelder’s first major published work, Bits of Harvard History (1924). The materials are arranged by chapter, several of which were first published as articles in the Harvard Alumni Bulletin and other publications, and this is noted in folder titles. The bulk of the series consists of research notes and correspondence. Also included are drafts, illustrations and plates, newspaper clippings, and proof sheets. Folders are arranged alphabetically.
Series III. Bits of Cambridge History, 1778-1930, contains materials related to Batchelder’s second major published work, Bits of Cambridge History, published posthumously in 1930. The materials are arranged by chapter. Several of the chapters were first published as articles in the Cambridge Historical Society Proceedings. The bulk of materials consist of research notes and correspondence, with a focus on the chapter relating to Burgoyne and on Batchelder’s attempt to map the area of confinement for Burgoyne’s officers. Also included are drafts, prints and illustrations, newspaper clippings, and pamphlets. Folders are arranged alphabetically.
Series IV. Peter Harrison, 1772-1918, contains material related to Batchelder’s undated and likely unpublished biography of the architect Peter Harrison. Harrison was the architect of King’s Chapel, Boston and Christ Church, Cambridge. The bulk of materials consist of research notes and correspondence, which focus on identifying specific architectural works of Peter Harrison. Also included are a number of drafts, including a bound draft of “Peter Harrison: American Colonial Architect,” as well as prints of churches contemporary to Christ Church, Cambridge. Folders are arranged alphabetically.
Series V. Revolutionary War Materials, 1906-1925, contains material related to Batchelder’s research on the Revolutionary War. Batchelder was interested in the Revolutionary War and its history in the Cambridge area, though it is unclear whether he was working towards a book or simply fulfilling a passion with his extensive research and correspondence. The bulk of materials consist of research notes and correspondence, which relate to Batchelder’s attempt to assemble a list of all the orderly books and war diaries of the period that were relevant to the Cambridge area. Also included are several drafts, compilations, and newspaper clippings. For additional material related to Batchelder’s Revolutionary War research, see Series III, Bits of Cambridge History. Folders are arranged alphabetically.
Series VI. Cambridge Historical Society, 1920-1925, contains material related to Batchelder’s secretarial work at the Cambridge Historical Society. The bulk of materials consist of correspondence that focuses on the Old Burying Ground of Cambridge and Batchelder’s work to improve the area. Also included are notes, newspaper clippings, and photographs and negatives of the grounds. Folders are arranged alphabetically.
Series VII. Other Research Material, 1772-1926, contains material that does not fit with any of Batchelder’s major research endeavors, but that is of a similar nature. The series includes research notes and correspondence, newspaper clippings, index cards, and prints. Also included are notes and correspondence about a genealogy project he was working on for the Royall Tyler family; transcriptions of the letters of Winwood Serjeant as well as notes and correspondence; and personal and family papers. Folders are arranged alphabetically.
Samuel Francis Batchelder Papers, 1765-1930 (inclusive), 1893-1927 (bulk)
[table tablesorter=”0″ class=”table table-border”]
| |Series I: Christ Church, Cambridge, 1765-1923
Box|Folder|
1|1|Correspondence, re: Revolutionary War period, 1902-1905
1|2|Draft: Christ Church, Cambridge, n.d.
1|3|Draft: re: Washington in Christ Church, n.d.
1|4|Draft: lecture given to the Cantabrigia Club, Dec 30, 1903; includes correspondence
1|5|Prints: Christ Church, ca.1893 (one photograph)
| |1.01 SFB – Christ Church Cambridge, ca.1893
1|6|Research material: Christ Church programs, 1901-1915
1|7|Research material: Hoppin Collection materials on Christ Church, 1790-1861, n.d.
| |1.02 SFB – Mr. Hanford (sexton), ca.1860 [Black & Case]
1|8|Research notes and correspondence, 1897-1923, n.d.; includes A. W. Longfellow
1|9|Research notes and correspondence re: the bells of Christ Church, 1901-1904, n.d.
1|10|Research notes and correspondence re: receipts of Christ Church, n.d.
1|11|Research notes and correspondence re: Mayhew Controversy, 1765-1914, n.d. ; includes copies of early newspapers
1|12|Research notes and correspondence re: Mayhew Controversy, 1913-1915, n.d.
1|13|Mayhew Controversy, research notes and correspondence, 1914-1915, n.d.
1|14|Research notes and correspondence re: pew holders, n.d.
1|15|Research notes and correspondence re: the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, 1914-1923, n.d.
| |
| |Series II: Bits of Harvard History, 1903-1926
Box|Folder|
1|16|Chapter I: “The Singular Story of Holden Chapel,” printed in Harvard Alumni Bulletin, and corrections, 1921
1|17|Chapter I: “The Singular Story of Holden Chapel,” prints and illustrations, ca.1924 (2 photographs)
| |2.01 SFB – A Midnight foray into the Medical Room in Holden Chapel, ca.1924, “From Hayward’s ‘College Scenes’ (1850).”
| |2.02 SFB – Holden Chapel, ca.1924, “Holden Chapel about 1860. Showing cupolas, small east windows, and scar of staircase well”
1|18|Chapter 1: “The Singular Story of Holden Chapel,” research notes and correspondence, 1919-1926, n.d.
2|1|Chapter II: “The Student in Arms—Old Style,” newspaper clippings and correspondence, 1921, n.d.
2|2|Chapter II: “The Student in Arms—Old Style,” prints and illustrations, ca.1924
2|3|Chapter II: “The Student in Arms—Old Style,” proof sheets, ca.1924
2|4|Chapters III and IV: “The History of the Commons,” clippings and Harvard Alumni Bulletin, 1919-1926
2|5|Chapters III and IV: “The History of the Commons,” prints and illustrations, ca.1924 (six photographs)
| |2.03 SFB – Memorial Hall Dining Room, ca.1924
| |2.04 SFB – Plate from the Dinner Service imported by President Quincy, ca.1924, “‘Celtic China’ by Enoch Wood & Sons Staffordshire. See Barber, Anglo-American Pottery”
| |2.05 SFB – The Buttery Clock, ca.1924
| |2.06 SFB – Early View of Kitchen Christ Church Oxford, ca.1924, “Christ Church Oxford”
| |2.07 SFB – Part of a Page from the Steward’s Book of 1650, ca.1924
| |2.08 SFB – Handle of Tablespoon from Silverware imported by President Quincy, ca.1924, “2” wide medallion to be 1 1/8” across”
2|6|Chapters III and IV: “The History of the Commons,” proof sheets, ca.1924
2|7|Chapters III and IV: “The History of the Commons,” research notes and correspondence, 1920-1921, n.d.
2|8|Chapter V: “Harvard Hospital-Surgeons of 1775,” correspondence, 1920
2|9|Chapter V: “Harvard Hospital-Surgeons of 1775,” draft: “Harvard in the Revolutionary Medical Service, 1775,” n.d.
2|10|Chapter V: “Harvard Hospital-Surgeons of 1775,” prints and illustrations, ca.1924
2|11|Chapter V: “Harvard Hospital-Surgeons of 1775,” proof sheets, ca.1920
2|12|Chapter V: “Harvard Hospital-Surgeons of 1775,” reprint from the Harvard Alumni Bulletin, 1920
2|13|Chapter V: “Harvard Hospital-Surgeons of 1775,” research notes and correspondence, 1919-1923, n.d.
2|14|Chapter VI: “Old Times at the Law School,” draft, n.d.
2|15|Chapter VI: “Old Times at the Law School,” “Harvard Law School” [by Emory Washburn] and other documents, n.d.
2|16|Chapter VI: “Old Times at the Law School,” research notes and correspondence, 1903, 1922-1923, n.d.
2|17|Chapter VIII: “Wanted!—‘College Characters,’” draft, n.d.
2|18|Chapter VIII: “Wanted!—‘College Characters,’” Harvard Alumni Bulletin, 1922
2|19|Chapter VIII: “Wanted!—‘College Characters,’” prints and illustrations, ca.1924 (3 photographs)
| |2.09 SFB – Clary about 1860, ca.1924
| |2.10 SFB – John the Orangeman, ca.1924
| |2.11 SFB – Poco, ca.1924
2|20|Chapter VIII: “Wanted!—‘College Characters,’” proof sheets, ca.1924
2|21|Chapter VIII: “Wanted!—‘College Characters,’” research notes and correspondence, 1922-1923, n.d.
3|1|Chapter IX: “C.C. Langdell, Iconoclast,” The Green Bag, 1906
3|2|Chapter IX: “C.C. Langdell, Iconoclast,” prints and illustrations, ca.1924 (one photograph)
| |2.12 SFB – C.C. Langdell, ca.1924
3|3|Chapter IX: “C.C. Langdell, Iconoclast,” research notes and correspondence, 1905-1906, 1922-1923, n.d.
3|4|”Bits of Harvard History” Illustrations and plates, ca.1924
3|5|”Bits of Harvard History” Indexes, ca.1924
3|6|Research material: Harvard documents, including prints, pamphlets, and correspondence, 1921-1922, n.d.
| |
| |Series III: Bits of Cambridge History, 1778-1930
Box|Folder|
3|7|Chapter I: “Burgoyne and his Officers in Cambridge,” Burgoyne’s letter, 1778 [original letter not present]
3|8|Chapter I: “Burgoyne and his Officers in Cambridge,” map, 1918
3|9|Chapter I: “Burgoyne and his Officers in Cambridge,” map, Cambridge in 1635, n.d.
3|10|Chapter I: “Burgoyne and his Officers in Cambridge,” map, Cambridge Poor, n.d.
3|11|Chapter I: “Burgoyne and his Officers in Cambridge,” map, between Garden Street and Vassall Lane, n.d.
3|12|Chapter I: “Burgoyne and his Officers in Cambridge,” map, east of North Avenue (ox pasture), n.d.
3|13|Chapter I: “Burgoyne and his Officers in Cambridge,” map, Oyster Bank n.d.
3|14|Chapter I: “Burgoyne and his Officers in Cambridge,” map, between Sparks and Fayerwether Streets, n.d.
3|15|Chapter I: “Burgoyne and his Officers in Cambridge,” map, east of Sparks Street, n.d.
3|16|Chapter I: “Burgoyne and his Officers in Cambridge,” research notes, n.d.
3|17|Chapter I: “Burgoyne and his Officers in Cambridge,” research notes and correspondence, 1902-1926, n.d.
3|18|Chapter I: “Burgoyne and his Officers in Cambridge,” research notes and correspondence, 1927, n.d.
4|1|Chapter I: “Burgoyne and his Officers in Cambridge,” research notes and correspondence, re: map project, 1920-1927, n.d.
4|2|Chapter I: “Burgoyne and his Officers in Cambridge,” research notes and correspondence, re: map project, 1924-1926, n.d.
4|3|Chapter I: “Burgoyne and his Officers in Cambridge,” research notes and correspondence, re: map project, 1924-1927, n.d.
4|4|Chapter II: “Colonel Henry Vassall,” correspondence, 1919-1922
4|5|Chapter II: “Colonel Henry Vassall,” prints and illustrations, ca.1930 (2 photographs)
| |3.01 SFB – Colonel Henry Vassall, ca.1930, “Col. Henry Vassall. Lent to Harvard University by Cambridge Historical Soc’y.”
| |3.02 SFB – Penelope Vassall, ca.1930, “Penelope (Royal) Vassall. Lent to Harvard University by Cambridge Historical Soc’y.”
4|6|Chapter II: “Colonel Henry Vassall,” Vassall Family Tree, 1898
4|7|Chapter III: “The Washington Elm Tradition,” correspondence, 1925-1926, n.d.
4|8|Chapter III: “The Washington Elm Tradition,” acknowledgements of receipt, 1925-1926
4|9|Chapter III: “The Washington Elm Tradition,” correspondence, re: Washington Orderly Books, 1921-1923, 1925
4|10|Chapter III: “The Washington Elm Tradition,” draft and prints, n.d.
4|11|Chapter III: “The Washington Elm Tradition,” pamphlet and working copy, 1925
5|1|Chapter III: “The Washington Elm Tradition,” research notes and correspondence, 1925-1927, n.d.
5|2|Chapter III: “The Washington Elm Tradition,” research notes and correspondence, newspaper clippings and Harvard Alumni Bulletin, 1906, 1920-1926, n.d.
5|3|Chapter IV: “Adventures of John Nutting, Cambridge Loyalist,” prints and illustrations, ca.1930
| |
| |Series IV: Peter Harrison, 1772-1918
Box|Folder|
5|4|Correspondence, 1896-1905
5|5|Correspondence, 1912-1916
5|6|Correspondence re: Dartmouth College Plan, 1911-1915
5|7|Correspondence, draft, etc., re: “Search for Peter Harrison,” 1906, n.d.
5|8|Correspondence and report re: Peter Harrison search, 1896-1911, n.d.
5|9|Correspondence and research material re: Shipley Jones, 1772-1911, n.d. [original letters not present]
5|10|“Peter Harrison: American Colonial Architect,” typescript, n.d.
5|11|Research notes, n.d.
5|12|Research notes, n.d.
5|13|Research notes re: Harrison Family, n.d.
6|1|Research notes and correspondence, 1896-1906, n.d.
6|2|Research notes and correspondence, 1896-1910, 1918, n.d.
6|3|Research notes and correspondence, 1898, 1907, n.d.
6|4|Research notes and correspondence, 1898-1916, n.d.
6|5|Research notes and correspondence, 1907, n.d.
6|6|Research notes and correspondence, 1907-1913, n.d.
6|7|Research notes and correspondence, 1911, n.d.
6|8|Research notes and correspondence re: Cape Breton Plan (bulk), 1910-1915, n.d.
6|9|Research notes and correspondence re: Churches contemporary with Christ Church, 1899-1908, n.d.; includes prints
6|10|Research notes and correspondence re: King’s Chapel, 1896-1910, n.d.
6|11|Research notes and correspondence, re: Newport Synagogue, 1895-1915, n.d.; includes draft
6|12|Research notes and correspondence, re: Redwood Library, 1893, 1913-1915, n.d.
| |Series V: Revolutionary War Materials, 1906-1925
Box|Folder|
6|13|Compilations of diaries and orderly books, n.d.
6|14|Compilations of diaries and orderly books, n.d.
7|1|Correspondence, re: orderly books, 1906-1925 (scattered)
7|2|Drafts re: Cambridge during the Revolutionary War, n.d. See OS.1 for maps
7|3|Draft re: compilation of diaries and orderly books relating to Cambridge, n.d.
7|4|Research notes, n.d.
7|5|Research notes, n.d.
7|6|Research notes re: American military organization and policy in 1775, n.d.
7|7|Research notes and correspondence re: war diaries, 1921, 1925, n.d.
7|8|Research notes and correspondence, clippings, etc., 1923, n.d.
7|9|Research notes and extracts, re: orderly books and war diaries, n.d.
| |
| |Series VI: Cambridge Historical Society, 1920-1925
Box|Folder|
7|10|Correspondence relating to secretarial duties, 1920-1921
7|11|Correspondence re: Old Burying Grounds, 1897-1925
7|12|Correspondence re: Old Burying Grounds, 1922-1925
7|13|Correspondence, re: Old Burying Grounds (gate), 1923-1925
7|14|Correspondence re: Old Burying Grounds (with Mr. Hastings), 1922-1925
7|15|Correspondence re: Old Burying Grounds and Revolutionary burials, 1922-1923
7|16|Correspondence and notes re: Old Burying Grounds (Harvard lot) 1922, 1924, n.d.
7|17|Correspondence, lists, and photographs re: Old Burying Grounds, 1922-1923 (5 photographs, 10 negatives)
| |6.01 SFB – Old Burying Ground graves, 1922, with negative
| |6.02 SFB – Old Burying Ground tombstone, 1922, with negative
| |6.03 SFB – Old Burying Ground tomb, 1922, “Wadsworth tomb (Oakes tomb in like case),” with negative
| |6.04 SFB – Old Burying Ground damage, 1922, with negative
| |6.05 SFB – Old Burying Ground graves and building, 1922, with negative
| |6.06 SFB – Old Burying Ground fence, 1922, negative
| |6.07 SFB – Old Burying Ground wall, 1922, negative
| |6.08 SFB – Old Burying Ground fence and wall, 1922, negative
| |6.09 SFB – Old Burying Ground tombstone and tomb, 1922, negative
| |6.10 SFB – Old Burying Ground area, 1922, negative
| |
| |Series VII: Other Research Material, 1772-1926
Box|Folder|
8|1|Correspondence re: various research, 1897-1911, 1920-1925, n.d.
8|2|Correspondence and notes re: Royall Tyler Family, 1920-1921, n.d.
8|3|Correspondence and notes re: Royall Tyler Family, 1921, n.d.
8|4|Personal and family material, 1925, n.d.
8|5|Research notes re: John Harvard, n.d.
8|6|Research notes re: Moffatt family, etc., n.d.
8|7|Research notes and correspondence re: Winwood Serjeant, 1909-1912, n.d.
8|8|Research notes and correspondence re: Winwood Serjeant, 1913-1914, n.d.
8|9|Research notes and transcriptions re: Winwood Serjeant, 1772-1774, n.d [original letters not present]
9|1|Fragile material copied and removed from 1.1-2.1
9|2|Fragile material copied and removed from 2.4-3.4
9|3|Fragile material copied and removed from 3.8-4.9
9|4|Fragile material copied and removed from 4.10-5.4
9|5|Fragile material copied and removed from 5.6-6.11
9|6|Fragile material copied and removed from 6.12-7.11
9|7|Fragile material copied and removed from 7.12-8.9
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