Baldwin family.

Mary and Elizabeth Baldwin were the socially prominent daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Baldwin. They hosted events first in Macon, Ga., and, after 1933, in Savannah, Ga., where they socialized with students from Wesleyan Conservatory, where Mary studied journalism, and Mercer University. Elizabeth married Adam Leopold Alexander in 1939 and had two children.

From the description of Baldwin family papers, 1915-1955 (bulk ca. 1927-1934) [manuscript]. WorldCat record id: 53471581

The Baldwins represented in this collection were civil engineers from Woburn, Ma.

Loammi Baldwin was born in 1745 and educated at Woburn. He supplemented his studies by attending lectures at Harvard. He and his fellow student, Benjamin Thompson (Count Rumford), made instruments to illustrate the principles they had heard about in class. When the Revolutionary War broke out, Baldwin was employed in land surveying and civil engineering. He served as a colonel in the American army and after the war became the sheriff of Middlesex County. He also represented Woburn in the state assembly in 1788 and 1789 and from 1800 to 1804. In 1785, Baldwin received an honary M.A. from Harvard. From 1794 to 1804, he was the engineer who oversaw the construction of the Middlesex Canal.

Baldwin was married twice. He and his first wife, Mary Fowle, had four sons and a daughter. The younger two sons, Loammi, Jr., born in 1780, and James Fowle, born in 1782, followed their father's career path and became civil engineers. Baldwin and his second wife, Margaret Fowle, had two children, Clarissa and George Rumford. Under his father's training, George became a draftsman and civil engineer.

Loammi, Jr., along with his brothers, attended Westford Academy. He continued his education at Harvard and graduated in 1800. Although he focused on mechanical subjects in school, he studied law in Groton upon graduation. In 1804, he opened a law office in Cambridge. Three years later, he closed it, having judged his profession distasteful. After deciding to become a civil engineer, he went to England to examine public works. Upon his return, Baldwin pursued construction for the rest of his life. His efforts were concentrated on works of internal improvements, including roads, canals, and docks. Among his great works were the dry docks built at the Charleston, Ma. Navy Yard and the Norfolk, Va. Navy Yard simultaneously and from the same plans. Baldwin was also engaged in building the Bunker Hill Monument, two buildings at Harvard, and finding a way to introduce pure water to the city of Boston. At one point in his life, Baldwin was named Engineer of Improvements for the city of Boston.

Although James Fowle started his professional life in the mercantile business, he joined his brother, Loammi, in the construction of the Charlestown dry dock. In 1828, he and his brother were appointed to a commission to make a survey for a railroad from Boston to Albany. From 1830 to 1835, James worked on the construction of the Boston and Lowell Railroad. In 1837, he was appointed as a commissioner to examine and report on the Boston water supply. He served as water commissioner for a number of years.

George Rumford divided his time between Woburn and Quebec, Canada. He designed and built the Boston Marine railway and was consulting engineer for the Charlestown and Quebec waterworks.

From the description of Papers, 1784-1904, bulk 1820-1834. (Winterthur Library). WorldCat record id: 84665779

The Baldwin family lived in eastern Massachusetts.

Luke Baldwin (b. 1797) and his father Luke Baldwin (1769-1832) were Boston merchants.

From the description of Baldwin family papers, 1807-1856. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 317574533