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Foster, William, 1772-1863. William Foster papers, 1734-1879.

Title: William Foster papers, 1734-1879.

Collection contains letters sent between William Foster Jr. and William's father, siblings and their spouses, neices and nephews, and children. Correspondents include brother-in-law Harrison Gray Otis, Andrew Ritchie, daughter and son-in-law James E. and Virginia (Foster) Coppinger, daughter Jeanne Francoise "Fanny" (Foster) Tudor, brother Leonard Foster, sisters Grace (Foster) Apthorp and Mary (Foster) Apthorp, and Nathan Spear Jr. William also received personal letters from friends in Cadiz, Spain and his wife's relatives in France. The political correspondence includes letters and treatises written for publication in newspapers and pamphlets as well as copies of letters sent to prominent political figures by William Foster Jr and their replies. William wrote to all the leading figures of the day, especially Anti-Masons and Democrats. Correspondents include John Quincy Adams, John A. Andrew, Thomas Hart Benton, Lewis Cass, Caleb Cushing, James C. Dobbin, Alexander Hill Everett, Edward Everett, Levi Lincoln, Marcus Morton, Franklin Pierce, John Randolph, Charles Sumner, John P. Van Ness, Daniel Webster, and Silas Wright. William's many schemes for public improvement led him to correspond with Peter Cooper and with men involved in forming the Smithsonian Institution. There are legal documents, both in English and French, membership certificates and some brief reminiscences relating to William Foster Jr. The collection also includes letters written by Harrison G. and Sally (Foster) Otis, Grace Jeanne Melite Foster, Virginia (Foster) Coppinger, William Leonard Foster, Charles Chauncy Foster, Francis Charles Foster, and William Leonard Foster to various family members besides William Foster Jr. There are papers concerning the family real estate holdings, held in common, that centered on Spear's Wharf (North End) and Foster's Wharf (foot of Fort Hill). The Fosters also had interest in land on Fort Hill and the South Cove areas of Boston. The material includes ledgers from scattered years concerning Foster's Wharf receipts, and a great deal on various municipal land takings for improving markets and widening streets. There are plot plans and maps for areas of Boston in which the Fosters had an interest. In addition to the correspondence, the collection contains ten scattered years of William Foster Sr's diary, patents by Leonard Foster, portrait miniatures, and photographs including daguerreotypes and ambrotypes.

ArchivalResource: 3 linear ft.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/70879605 View

Otis, Harrison Gray, 1765-1848. Harrison Gray Otis papers, 1691-1870.

Title: Harrison Gray Otis papers, 1691-1870.

The business, political, and personal papers of Harrison Gray Otis, lawyer, congressman, U.S. senator, mayor of Boston, and, to a lesser extent, the papers of his father Samuel Allyne Otis, his grandfather James Otis (1702-1778), his uncle James Otis (1725-1783), his half-sister Harriet Otis, and other family members. Among the business papers are correspondence, receipts, deeds, and accounts documenting Otis' speculation in undeveloped lands, particularly in Maine and western Mass. Political correspondents include John Adams, Mathew Carey, Henry Clay, Josiah Quincy, Theodore Sedgwick, and Daniel Webster on such topics as the Embargo of 1807, the Hartford Convention, slavery, state politics, and the Bank of the United States. Personal papers include numerous letters to his wife Sally Foster Otis and children describing both private matters and his public activities as a congressman and senator. Bound volumes consist of a letterbook (1788-1807), three account books, (1810-20, 1814-17, 1817-19), and a diary of a tour of Quebec (2-21 July 1806) all kept by H.G. Otis; and two diaries kept by Harriet Otis describing her life in Washington, D.C. and Boston (21 Dec. 1811 - 27 Feb. 1814) and a trip to Vermont (17-27 July 1817). In addition there is an unidentified diary of a trip to England and France (27 Sept. - 12 Oct. 1840) that also contains copies of two letters (1843) addressed to Abbott Lawrence about Lawrence family genealogy. Also includes unverified transcriptions of some of the Otis family correspondence, 1790-1820, and professional, business, and personal letters of Harrison Gray Otis, 1793-1816. The transcriptions were created by volunteers from the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (SPNEA) and are not included on Harrison Gray Otis microfilm.

ArchivalResource: 13 boxes,1 narrow box, 1 vol., and 1 oversize folder.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/35850145 View