Overview
Contains personal papers of Augustus Lowell, his wife, Katherine Bigelow Lawrence Lowell, and their children. Also included are materials from various Lowell family members, including William Lowell Putnam, who died in the Civil War.
Dates
- 1836-1928
Language of Materials
Materials are in English.
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
This collection is shelved offsite at the Harvard Depository. Retrieval requires advance notice. Readers should check with Houghton Public Services staff to determine what material is offsite and retrieval policies and times.
Extent
2.5 linear feet (3 boxes)The Lowell family papers contain correspondence, primarily personal in nature, between Augustus Lowell, his wife Katherine Bigelow Lawrence Lowell, and their children, including Percival Lowell. There are also various business materials from Augustus Lowell.
The collection also contains materials pertaining to William Lowell Putnam, a cousin to Augustus, who died in the Civil War. There are letters from him home to his mother as well as letters from his mother to various soldiers during the war.
Biographical / Historical
The Lowell family is one of the Boston Brahmin families of New England, known for both intellectual and commercial achievements. The Lowell family papers contain materials primarily from Augustus Lowell and his wife, Katherine Bigelow Lawrence.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in four series:
- Augustus Lowell papers
- Katherine Bigelow Lawrence Lowell papers
- William Putnam Lowell papers
- Lowell family papers
Physical Location
Harvard Depository
Immediate Source of Acquisition
86M-101. Gift of Mrs. G. D'Andelot Belin, 1987. Mrs. Belin's first name is unknown as of 2021.
Processing Information
Processed by Elizabeth Amos under the supervision of Adrien Hilton, 2017-2018.
- Title
- Lowell family. Lowell family papers, 1836-1928 (MS Am 3166): Guide.
- Status
- completed
- Author
- Houghton Library, Harvard University.
- Date
- February 27, 2018
- Description rules
- dacs
- Language of description
- und
- EAD ID
- hou02893
Repository Details
Part of the Houghton Library Repository
Houghton Library is Harvard College's principal repository for rare books and manuscripts, archives, and more. Houghton Library's collections represent the scope of human experience from ancient Egypt to twenty-first century Cambridge. With strengths primarily in North American and European history, literature, and culture, collections range in media from printed books and handwritten manuscripts to maps, drawings and paintings, prints, posters, photographs, film and audio recordings, and digital media, as well as costumes, theater props, and a wide range of other objects. Houghton Library has historically focused on collecting the written record of European and Eurocentric North American culture, yet it holds a large and diverse number of primary sources valuable for research on the languages, culture and history of indigenous peoples of the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania.
Houghton Library’s Reading Room is free and open to all who wish to use the library’s collections.
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