William Tudor personal archive

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Three letters written from Tudor to his family from London. Among the subjects about which he writes include the fruit and vegetable bushes and seeds he is sending to Rockwood, the family estate, as well as his impressions of London society and weather. He also writes about political issues, including the Napoleonic Wars, unification in Ireland, and the challenges of being an American in trade in England.

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Four letters written from Tudor to his family while he was traveling in France in 1800 and 1802. In two letters, he describes in detail his capture by a French privateer aboard the ship Minerva in the spring of 1800. He also discusses the business activities of "Mr. C" (John Codman), his employer. Tudor additionally describes the French countryside and the impact of the French Revolutionary Wars on the cities.

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Five letters written from St. Pierre, Martinique, include updates on Tudor’s attempts to secure exclusive commercial rights to import ice to the island, as well as his ideas for storing ice and methods of storing cargo onboard a ship.

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Two letters written from St. Pierre and Les Trois-Îlets, Martinique; in the latter Tudor discusses the recovery of his cousin and traveling companion James Savage, who had fallen ill. He also describes the conditions of enslaved people slaves on several local estates and plantations

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Four letters written from St. Pierre, Martinique, Basseterre, Guadalupe, and St. Barts. In one letter written over a number of days, he describes extensively his travels in Antigua, and the various people he met, including Captain William Jarvis. He also details his meeting with Ralph Payne, 1st Baron Lavington, the governor of the Leeward Islands, regarding the prospects of importing ice.

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Four letters written from St. Thomas, St. Croix, and Santo Domingo, in which he indicates his petitions for privilege to import ice have been successful except at St. Croix with the Danish government. He also decribes the architecture and cultural diversity of St. Thomas, which had been rebuilt after a fire in 1805.

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Two letters written from Santo Domingo in which Tudor discusses his efforts to gain passage from there to Jamaica, as well as relays details about the island and its churches.

Scope and Contents Two letters written from London. In one letter, written in French, Tudor inquires after Emma’s study of the piano and French. In a later letter, he describes to her the cottages he has seen in England, and advises her on the house she is planning to build in Gardiner, Maine, including two architectural sketches. Tudor also offers detailed descriptions of the shops in London, his impressions of Londoners’ rudeness and "blustering air," his impressions of the different classes in England and...

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Four letters written from Oaklands, the Gardiner family mansion. Emma details the family’s journey to Gardiner from Boston, and offers updates on her children’s activities and health. She also writes following the death of their father, William Tudor, expressing profound grief and reflecting on his character and good nature.

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Four letters in which Emma further expresses grief over the loss of their father and gives a positive critique of a memoir of William Tudor that her brother had written. Other topics include literature, friends, and visitors to Oaklands, and various purchases her brother made on her behalf in Boston.

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Four letters in which Emma writes instructions for Tudor to buy her a shawl and her children a tea-set. In one letter, she recommends changes to Tudor’s diet and exercise routine to improve his health.

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Four letters written during the Gardiner family’s journey through Maine and while they were settling in at Oaklands.

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Four letters in which Gardiner discusses progress of the church he was building on the estate and requests Tudor send him certain books from Boston.

Scope and Contents Four letters written from Oaklands. One letter from Emma expressing her grief and shock over the death of their father was finished by her husband, who described hearing the news from a friend, and Emma’s subsequent reaction. In other letters, Gardiner offers advice on resolving the elder William Tudor’s debts by selling off assets such as shares in the Boston Athenaeum and in a pew at Trinity Church. In one letter, Gardiner also offers his opinion regarding the prospects of Henry James...

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Four letters regarding the Gardiner children as well as Delia Stewart’s constantly changing travel plans.

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Five letters regarding topics such as Delia Stewart’s travel plans, local Maine politics, and progress in the construction of a church on the estate. In one letter, Gardiner writes about attending the funeral of Bowdoin College President Jesse Appleton.

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Four letters regarding topics such as local Maine politics and various household items and books Tudor acquired on the Gardiner family’s behalf.

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One letter from Oaklands requesting Tudor come for a visit, and relaying anectdotes about the Gardiner and Stewart children. One letter written to Tudor in Brazil providing an update on family and local politics

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This letter was written aboard the U.S.S. Franklin. Stewart writes in detail about William’s brother Henry James (Harry) Tudor, and concerns about his character, particularly his "natural indolence and indifference." He notes that like his wife, Delia, Harry spends money irresponsibly. Stewart also writes he tried to interest Harry in the pursership of the Franklin, and had hoped he would be appointed to the Consulate of Tripoli or Tunis.

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Three letters written during Tudor’s various travels in England and the United States. In one letter, he writes of the precautions Delia should take in their correspondence in light of increasing tension between the United States and England. One letter is in French.

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Three letters written while Delia was traveling with her husband in South America aboard the U.S.S Franklin. In one letter, she writes about people she has met, including Condy Raguet, the United States consul at Rio de Janeiro.

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Three letters written to his mother about items of clothing he wishes to have and an electrical shock machine his father had sent the family from England. Two letters written while he was apparently visiting Robert Hallowell Gardiner before his marriage to Tudor’s sister, Emma.

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Four letters written from London and Bordeaux in which Tudor relays his impressions of the London weather, and seeds and plants he will send home to Rockwood, as well as details about his capture by a French privateer.

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Four letters written from Paris, in which he describes his capture by a French privateer and discusses virtues and vices of French society and culture. He also relays details about social visits, including a meeting with the Marquis de Lafayette. Included is an undated list of packages and trunks he was sending home. Content is obscured in some places from loss, and dates are missing from two of the letters, but presumably they were sent in the summer of 1800.

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Three letters addressed to Tudor at Oaklands. Mrs. Tudor recounts social gatherings and various conversations in detail, local gossip, and the activities of family members.