Papers of the Richardson family, 1824-1999 (inclusive), 1900-1976 (bulk)

The collection contains correspondence, diaries, financial records, photographs, etc., documenting the lives of John and Hope Hemenway Richardson, their daughter, Hope Richardson, and other members of the Richardson family. Most materials arrived at the library unfoldered and in no discernable order; the archivist created folder titles for those files. A small number of files were foldered and those titles have been preserved and appear in quotation marks. Files were arranged by the archivist.

Series I, JOHN AND HOPE HEMENWAY RICHARDSON, 1889-1984 (#1.1-18.5, 35FB.1, 36F+B.1-36F+B.2), includes correspondence, diaries, notes, clippings, etc., documenting the lives of John and Hope Hemenway Richardson. It is arranged in two suberies.

Subseries A, Biographical and personal, 1896-1984 (#1.1-8.6, 35FB.1, 36F+B.1-36F+B.2), includes diaries, financial documents, notes, clippings, etc., documenting the Richardson's childhoods, education, travels, civic activities, etc. Also included are commissions, orders, training notes, etc., documenting John Richardson's service in World War I. Files are arranged alphabetically within the following groupings: Hope Hemenway Richardson, John Richardson, and John and Hope Hemenway Richardson.

Subseries B, Letters, 1889-1975 (#9.1-18.5), contains letters to John and Hope Hemenway Richardson from family and friends. Letters generally include accounts of travels, work, politics, and of daily activities. A majority of letters written between 1904 and 1909 are to John Richardson and generally include references to the Harvard crew team, which John captained in 1908, focusing on the rivalry between Harvard and Yale University. Files are arranged alphabetically.

Series II, HOPE RICHARDSON, 1910-1999 (#18.6-28.10, 35FB.2-35FB.3), includes correspondence, diaries, appointment books, notebooks, etc., documenting the life of Hope Richardson, eldest daughter of John and Hope Hemenway Richardson. It is arranged in two subseries.

Subseries A, Biographical and personal, 1917-1999 (#18.6-24.8, 35FB.2-35FB.3), includes diaries, appointment books, notebooks, etc., documenting Richardson's travels, daily life, education, and health. Richardson appears to have suffered from migraine headaches and other unspecified health problems for which she recorded her treatments, including dietary restriction and prescription medications. Files are arranged alphabetically.

Subseries B, Correspondence, 1910-1998 (#24.9-28.10), contains correspondence between Hope Richardson and her family and friends. Letters include accounts of travels; education, including Richardson and several of her friends' attendance at boarding and finishing schools; health problems; and general news of family and friends, including births, deaths, weddings, parties, professional activities, and political beliefs. Also included are exchanges between Richardson and several Unitarian ministers, including Vivian T. Pomeroy, who was pastor at the First Parish Church in Milton, Massachusetts, which Hope attended. Files are arranged chronologically, following letters from John and Hope Hemenway Richardson.

Series III, INTERSTATE 95 EXPANSION PROTEST, 1944-1976 (#28.11-30.4, 36F+B.3, SD.1), includes correspondence, notes, reports, meeting notices, maps, and printed material relating to John, Hope Hemenway, and Hope Richardson's opposition to Interstate 695, the proposed expansion of Interstate 95, which was slated to pass through Canton and Milton, Massachusetts, near the Richardsons' home. Also included are printed materials addressing land conservation. Most of the material was found loose, and it was often unclear whether items belonged to one individual or were shared by all three Richardsons. These items were filed together and arranged chronologically by year by the archivist. A file titled "Hope Richardson" containing similar materials was kept intact and is listed separately. Files are arranged alphabetically.

Series IV, OTHER FAMILY, 1824-1987 (#30.5-34.5, 36F+B.4-36F+B.5, SD.2), includes correspondence, a genealogy, schoolwork, clippings, etc., belonging to John and Hope Hemenway Richardson's parents; children, with the exception of Hope Richardson whose papers can be found in Series II; siblings; and other family members. Of particular interest are letters written by leading figures of the day to Charles and Eliza Follen, including a detailed letter from Harriet Beecher Stowe containing biographical information and letters from Lydia Maria Child discussing slavery, abolition, and women's rights. Files are arranged alphabetically.

Series V, PHOTOGRAPHS, 1862-1994 (#PD.1-PD.27), contains portraits and snapshots of members of the Hemenway and Richardson families. Photographs depict trips to Europe and around the United States as well as daily life at the Hemenway and Richardson homes in Boston, Milton, and Cohasset, Massachusetts. Files are arranged in an order reflective of the arrangement in previous series.

Most of the photographs in this collection are or will be cataloged in VIA, Harvard University's Visual Information Access database. Others, referred to as "uncataloged" photographs, are not of sufficient research interest to warrant cataloging and are simply treated as part of the documents they accompany; they are marked on the back with an asterisk in square brackets [*].