History of the City of New York

mnsss39 Martha J. Lamb Papers, 1838-1969 Finding Aid Finding aid prepared by Amy Hague. Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College

Northampton, MA

2003

Finding aid encoded using Perl scripts and edited in XMetal 2.0. Encoded by Brook Hopkins. 2003-06-05 Finding aid written in English. 2005-09-23 mnsss39 converted from EAD 1.0 to 2002 by v1to02-5c.xsl (sy2003-10-15). Sophia Smith CollectionSmith College Martha J. Lamb Papers, 1838-1969 Finding Aid MS 88 Amy Hague 2001 Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Collection Overview Lamb, Martha J. (Martha Joanna), 1829-1893 Martha J. Lamb Papers1838-1969 1862-1893 MS 88 12 boxes (4.5 linear ft.) Sophia Smith Collection

Smith College Northampton, MA

Author, historian, editor. The Lamb Papers consist of extensive personal and some professional correspondence; copies of all major articles and published books; diaries; research notes and reviews for her History of the City of New York; and copies of her Magazine of American History. Topics reflected in writings include women's rights, social reform, politics, and personal remembrances. Notable correspondents include Louisa May Alcott, Presidents Rutherford B. Hayes and Theodore Roosevelt, and John Jay. English. Biographical Note

Martha J. Nash was born in Plainfield, Massachusetts on 13 August 1826, the third of the four children of Arvin Nash and Lucinda Vinton. Her mother died when Martha was a child and her father remarried and with his second wife had two more children. Martha Nash was educated at several schools in Massachusetts: in Goshen, at the Williston Seminary in Easthampton (1844-45), and at the Northampton High School. She did especially well in mathematics and taught that subject at schools in Newark, New Jersey and Maumee, Ohio.

On 8 September 1852 she married Charles A. Lamb in Maumee. He was a mechanic who had two daughters from an earlier marriage. The Lambs moved to Chicago in 1857 and Martha became involved in charity work. She was a founder of the Home for the Friendless and the Half-Orphan Asylum. In 1863 she served as secretary of Chicago's first Sanitary Fair, held to raise money for soldiers' relief.

Martha Lamb, n.d.

Shortly after the Civil War, Martha Lamb's marriage ended in divorce and it became necessary for her to support herself financially. She moved to New York City after 1866 and acted upon her belief that a woman "with any brains or any sort of intellectual capacity" should work at a significant occupation. She decided to follow her literary aspirations (first manifested in 1847 when she published an article in her local newspaper, The Daily Hampshire Gazette, Northampton, Massachusetts) and published a series of children's stories in 1869 and 1870. In the 1870s she also wrote Spicy, a romance novel featuring the Sanitary Fair and the Chicago Fire; several Christmas annuals; and articles on a wide array of subjects for Harper's and other periodicals. She also edited The Homes of America. In the course of this writing she realized writing history was her true calling and she began extensive research for History of the City of New York: Its Origin, Rise, and Progress. The first volume on the colonial period was published in 1877; the second volume appeared in 1880. Although she was not trained as a professional historian and favored a narrative rather than analytical approach, her work was praised by the renowned contemporary historian, George Bancroft. In 1883, Lamb purchased the Magazine of American History, a financially struggling monthly founded in 1877. She devoted herself to editing the magazine for the last decade of her life, producing over fifty signed articles and more that were unsigned. She also published articles by others, original documents, book reviews, and other standard components of a professional historical journal at a time when there was little precedent for such an endeavor. The magazine ceased publication shortly after her death in 1893.

Lamb was a fixture in New York social circles; she had connections with many of the old families she chronicled in her historical writings. She also belonged to numerous historical and patriotic societies. She was twice invited to the White House: President Grover Cleveland gave a dinner in her honor in 1886; in 1889 President Benjamin Harrison recognized her contributions to the centennial celebration of Washington's inauguration with an invitation.

Martha Lamb died of pneumonia in January 1893. Her funeral service was held at the Madison Square Presbyterian Church and she was buried in Spring Grove Cemetery in Florence, Massachusetts.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Martha J. Lamb Papers are related to both her personal and professional lives. They consist of biographical and genealogical material, scrapbooks, memorabilia, extensive personal and some professional correspondence, diaries, copies of Lamb's major articles and fifteen volumes of her published books, research notes and reviews for History of the City of New York, and organization files. The biographical and correspondence series contain considerable material related to her family, especially the family of her sister, Maria Nash Whitmarsh, because Maria's daughter, Martha P.Whitmarsh, originally collected the Papers and donated them to the Northampton Historical Society.

The bulk of the papers date from 1862 to 1893, primarily related to Lamb's years in New York City, but there is also a significant amount of material generated by her family in Western Massachusetts during these years, as well as some correspondence and biographical material from the late 1830s through the 1840s. There is very little material from her years in Maumee, Ohio, and Chicago during the 1850s and early 1860s. Topics addressed in the papers include New York City history and social life, children's literature, late-nineteenth century historiography, and daily life in rural Western Massachusetts in the last-half of the nineteenth century.

Organization of the Collection

This collection is organized into four series:

I. Biographical Material II. Correspondence III. Writings IV. Organization Files Oversize Materials Information on Use Terms of Access and Use

The papers are open to research according to the regulations of the Sophia Smith Collection.

The copyright owner of unpublished works in this collection is unknown. It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyrights. Permission to publish reproductions or quotations beyond "fair use" must also be obtained from the Sophia Smith Collection as owners of the physical property.

Preferred Citation

Please use the following format when citing materials from this collection:

Martha J. Lamb Papers, Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College, Northampton, Mass.

History of the Collection

Martha P. Whitmarsh, Martha Lamb's niece, originally donated the Lamb Papers to the Northampton Historical Society, circa 1930. The Society in turn donated the Papers to the SSC in 1968.

Processed by Amy Hague, 2001.

Search Terms Alcott, Louisa May, 1832-1888--Correspondence Lamb, Martha J. (Martha Joanna), 1829-1893 Lyman, Susan Elizabeth. Lady historian, Martha J. Lamb (1969)--Sources Roosevelt, Theodore, 1831-1878--Correspondence Hayes, Rutherford Birchard, 1822-1893--Correspondence Jay, John, 1745-1829 --Correspondence Chicago (Ill.)--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Personal narratives Children's literature--Authorship--19th century--Sources Goshen (Mass.)--History--Sources Historiography--United States--19th century--Sources Magazine of American History--History--Sources New York (N.Y.)--History--19th century--Sources Northampton (Mass.)--History--Sources Women editors--United States--History--19th century--Sources Women historians--United States--History--Sources Women authors, American--19th century--Sources Additional Information SERIES I. BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL (1840s-1969) 1.5 linear ft.

This series provides an overview of Martha J. Lamb's life, as well as the genealogy and activities of her family in Western Massachusetts. Susan Lyman's Lady Historian Martha J. Lamb (1969), which is a comprehensive summary of her life, draws upon these papers as well as professional papers of Lamb at the New York Historical Society. There are also numerous articles about her life and career. Scrapbooks and a few other items represent her early life in Massachusetts, but the bulk of this material reflects her career in New York. Images of Lamb and her family are almost exclusively portraits, including a few daguerreotypes. There are also a few items about her family members, most notably, a diary kept by Lamb's sister, Maria Nash Whitmarsh from 1848 to 1849 while she was a teacher.

SERIES II. CORRESPONDENCE (1838-1915) .5 linear ft.

This series is organized into two subseries: Family and Friends and associates. The bulk of the Family subseries is from the period during which Lamb lived in New York; there is also correspondence between family members ("Third party"), notably courtship letters from Jacob Whitmarsh to Lamb's sister, Maria Nash. The Friends and associates subseries includes a few well-known correspondents, such as Louisa May Alcott, Presidents Hayes and Theodore Roosevelt, and John Jay, almost all of it related to Lamb's public life; there are also letters to Lamb's family members, mostly condolences upon her death.

SERIES III. WRITINGS (1847-91, n.d.) 1.8 linear ft.

This series includes diaries, copies of Lamb's major articles and published books, research notes and reviews for History of the City of New York and correspondence with publishers and others related to her writings. Many of the articles are about various historical topics, but there are also writings related to women's rights, social reform, politics, and her reminiscences. There are also copies of her books for children.

SERIES IV. ORGANIZATION FILES (1863-88) .75 linear ft.

The organizations in this series range from those to which Martha Lamb belonged and had some significant involvement, to those with which she apparently had minimal involvement. Most of the folders, arranged alphabetically, contain only a few items. Types of material include correspondence, annual reports, receipts, membership certificates, invitations, programs, and membership lists. It appears that for many of these organizations only a token number of items were saved, including the Northwestern Sanitary Fair (Chicago 1865) for which Lamb was an organizer and secretary; a few others, such as the Huguenot Society of America, have slightly more extensive material.

SERIES I. BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL (1840s-1969) 1 1 Contents Genealogy 1 2 Nash Family, n.d. 1 3 Notes 1 4 Correspondence between Mary Persis Crafts (Northampton Historical Society) and Dorothy Barck (New York State Historical Association) re: Lamb's family and genealogy, 1958-60 1 5 Articles and notes, 1882-1963, n.d. 1 6 Biographical sketch by R. B. Wyllyss: typescript, 1893 1 7 Obituaries and photo of grave, 1893 Lady Historian Martha J. Lamb by Susan Elizabeth Lyman (Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College, Northampton, Mass.), 1969 1 8 New York Historical Society: brochures and permissions 1 9 Manuscript and corrections 1 10 Galleys 1 11 Published pamphlet 1 12 Speeches by Lyman at Northampton Historical Society and the Sophia Smith Collection Financial and legal materials 1 13 Stock certificates, 1881-89 1 14 Will, 1889 Memorabilia 1 15 Plainfield, MA: invitations and receipt, 1842, 1847, n.d. 1 16 Autograph books (1840s, 1867), calling lists (1881-85), and calling cards (n.d.) 1 17 Dress samples Scrapbooks 2 Correspondence, clippings, invitations, calling cards, and printed materials, 1863, 1881-87 2 Biographical clippings, correspondence, poems and articles by Martha Lamb, and printed material, 1879-92 2 Herbarium 1857 2 "Summer Gleanings," journal with pressed flowers and notes 1882 3 Newspaper clippings, 1870s-80s (2 volumes)

[See also OVERSIZE MATERIALS for scrapbook of newspaper articles and fashion illustrations, 1950s-60s]

Photographs 4 1 Portraits, 1878, 1889, n.d. 4 2 Anna C. Lamb (stepdaughter) (includes 1862 pencil sketch and home of her mother in Sharon, CT, n.d.), 1889, 1895, n.d. 4 3 Charles S. Lamb (husband), n.d. 4 4 Other family: John and Ellen (sister) Baker, Arvin Nash (father), Mr. and Mrs. James (brother) Nash, Maria Nash Whitmarsh (sister), and Mr. and Mrs. Nahum Whitmarsh, n.d 4 5 Friends and associates: William Cullen Bryant, President Grover and Mrs. Cleveland, Edward Clarence Redman, Chief Justice M.R. and Mrs. Waite, n.d. 4 6 Places: Plainfield, MA church and town hall; homes in Chicago and New York City; and grave (1893) 4 4 Daguerreotypes: Arvin Nash (2) and Maria Nash, n.d. Family 4 7 Nash, Arvin: list of members of Plainfield Congregational Church, 1884 Whitmarsh, Maria Nash 4 8 Diary, 1848-49 4 9 School composition and teaching certificate, 1846, 1854 SERIES II. CORRESPONDENCE (1838-1915) 5 1 "Index of Letters by Mrs. Martha J. Lamb" (Northampton Historical Society), n.d. Family 5 2 Conant, A. A. (cousin), 1891 5 3 Miller, Harriet A. (wife of nephew), 1891 5 4 Nash, James A. (brother), 1890-91 5 5 Reed, Fred (brother-in-law?), 1871 5 6 Reed, Sam R., 1873 5 7 Rice, Eunice Nash (sister), 1838 5 8 Whitmarsh, Bessie (niece), 1883, 1889 5 9 Whitmarsh, Maria Nash (sister), 1862, 1885, 1890-91 5 10-12 Whitmarsh, Martha P. (niece), 1867-92 Third party Baker, Anna (niece) 5 13 to Martha P. Whitmarsh, 1880-95 5 14 to Maria Nash Whitmarsh, 1893 5 15 Baker, Mary (sister) to Maria Whitmarsh, 1879, 1893 5 16 Crittenden, L.M. to Anna Lamb (includes note from Mrs. C.H. Gardner), 1893 5 17-19 Lamb, Anna (step-daughter) to Martha P. Whitmarsh, 1874-1915 5 20 Miller, Eugene (nephew) to Maria Whitmarsh, 1893 5 21 Miller, Florence to Martha Whitmarsh, 1893-1912 5 22 Miller, Harriet (Mrs. Eugene) to Martha Whitmarsh, 1893-94 5 23 Nash, Arvin and Dorothy to Eunice Rice, 1839 5 24 Nash, Maria Dorothy to Martha Whitmarsh, 1893 5 25 Nash, James to Maria Whitmarsh, 1893 5 26 Reed, M.W. (nephew) to Martha Whitmarsh, 1893 5 27 Whitmarsh, Jacob Sebert to Maria Nash, 1850-64, n.d. 5 28 Whitmarsh, Martha P. to "a friend," n.d. Friends and associates 5 29 Alcott, Louisa May, 1876 5 30 Alden, Maria Weed to Martha Whitmarsh, 1893 5 31 Baneker, Mary E., 1890 5 32 Barbour, Mrs. William H. to Anna Lamb, 1893 5 33 Bassett, Ellen to Maria Nash Whitmarsh, 1855-61 5 34 Bolton, Robert, 1872 5 35 Chadwick, Ellen N., 1878 5 36 Cooke, Dr. N.F., 1872 5 37 Dall, Caroline Healey, 1891 5 38 De Costa, B.F., 1872 5 39 de Lancey, Edward F., 1873, 1882 [?], 1891 5 40 Doremus, Estelle E. to Anna Lamb, 1893 5 41 Dwight, Theodore F., 1890 5 42 Erben, Peter, 1872-73 6 1 Gardiner, C.H. to Maria Whitmarsh, 1893 6 2 Gardiner, David and Coralie, 1891 6 3 Garfield, Mrs., 1881 6 4 Ghiselin, George R., 1873, n.d. 6 5 Gilman, Daniel Coit, 1891 6 6 Gregory, C.E., 1873 6 7 Halleck [?], William A., 1852 6 8 Harris, Jean to Martha Whitmarsh, 1893 6 9 Hayes, Rutherford B., 1880 6 10 Hostetter, A.F., 1891 6 11 Hotchkiss, Mrs., 1876-87, n.d. 6 12 Hughson, S.S., 1873 6 13 Jay, John, 1891 6 14 Johnson, Caroline T.A., 1873 6 McDowell, William O.

[See SERIES IV. ORGANIZATION FILES-Sons of the American Revolution]

6 15 Pelletreau, William S. to Martha Whitmarsh, 1903 6 16 Prelat, Reba G. to Martha Whitmarsh, 1889 6 17 Richards, William C., 1872 6 18 Roosevelt, Theodore, 1890 6 19 Sage, Mrs. Russell (written by her secretary, Catharine Hunter) to Martha Whitmarsh, 1910 6 20 Stedman, Edmund C., 1881 6 21 Stockbridge, Fanny, 1886 6 22 Stockbridge, Helen, 1882 6 23 Sussner, A. to Maria Whitmarsh, 1893 6 24 Thompson, Frederick D., 1891 6 25 Waite, Mary F. and Amelia C., 1890, 1891 6 26 Wells, E.S., 1870 6 27 Youmans, Kate L., 1886 6 28 Young, M.J., 1873 6 29 Miscellaneous business and personal (originally combined with a diary in letter book), 1873-74

[See also SERIES III. WRITINGS for diary]

SERIES III. WRITINGS (1847-91, n.d.) 6 30 Diaries, 1857, 1872, 1880, 1882, 1885 6 31 Lists of works by Martha Lamb, n.d. Correspondence 6 32 A.S. Barnes & Co., 1881-82 6 33 Century Magazine, 1883 6 34 The Forum and readers re: series "Formative Influences," 1890-91 6 35 Funk & Wagnalls re: "Wall Street in History," 1883-90 6 36 Scribner's Monthly re: story "The Floating Volcano," 1871 6 37 White, Stokes, & Allen, 1885 6 38 Miscellaneous, 1890-91, n.d. Articles and stories 6 39 "The Broken Pitcher: A Story," in Supplement to Andrews' Bazar for April, n.d. 6 40 "Columbus and His Times," n.d. 6 41 Hampshire Gazette (Northampton, MA) article "by Emogene," 1847 6 42 "The Jeaf: From the Life of a Blackboard," n.d. 6 43 Ladies Literary Society, Maumee, OH: Questions for Debate," 1856 6 44 The Ladies Offering: stories submitted, signed "Emogene," n.d. 6 45 "Silk Industry of America," in Andrew's American Queen, 17 Jul 1880

[See also OVERSIZE MATERIALS for cover illustration of Nonotuck Silk Mill, Florence, MA]

6 46 "The Story of the Washington Centennial," Magazine of American History, Jul 1889 6 47 U.S. Bureau of the Census: accounts, correspondence, etc. re: article about New York City, 1882-83 6 48 Miscellaneous, 1979, n.d. Books History of the City of New York: It's Origin, Rise, and Progress, 2 Vols. (New York and Chicago: A.S. Barnes and Company), 1877, 1880 6 49 Manuscript notes for historical articles, 1885-92, n.d. 7 1 Contract and correspondence, 1872-82, n.d. 7 2 Genealogical notes, n.d. 7 3 Notes, brochures, miscellaneous correspondence, reviews, subscriptions, and draft of index, 1881, 1886, n.d.

[See also OVERSIZE MATERIALS for flyer, "Works of Mrs. Martha J. Lamb]

7 Vol. I, 1877 8 Vol. II, 1880 8 The Homes of America, edited by Martha J. Lamb (New York: D. Appleton and Company), 1879 9 "Souvenir of the Centennial Anniversary of Washington's Inauguration, April 30, 1798 as First President of the United States of America," by Martha J. Lamb (New York; London: White and Allen, circa 1889) 9 Wall Street in History (New York: Funk & Wagnalls), 1883 Children's books 9 Aunt Mattie's Library series (Boston: Gould and Lincoln), 1870: Drifting Goodward, Fun and Profit, Merry Christmas, and Sabbath Schools 9 Play School Stories for Little Folks series (Boston: D. Lothrop & Co.): Fanny, Harry (2 copies), Julia, and Mattie (2 copies) 10 Snow and Sunshine: A Story for Boys and Girls (New York: White and Stokes), 1882 10 Christmas booklets, 1882, 1888, n.d. Spicy: A Novel (New York: D. Appleton and Company), 1873 10 1 Advertisement, n.d. 10 Published volumes (2 copies) Magazine of American History 10 2 Advertisements and review, 1889-92, n.d. 10 3 Correspondence, 1883-92, n.d. Poetry 10 4 The Ladies Offering submissions, n.d. 10 5 Miscellaneous, 1878-87 SERIES IV. ORGANIZATION FILES (1863-88) 11 1 American Academy of Political and Social Science, 1890, n.d. 11 2 American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1880, 1882, 1891 11 3 American Historical Association, 1886-91 11 4 American McAll Association, New York Auxiliary, 1885-86 11 5 Charity Organization Society of the City of New York, 1883, 1886 11 6 Christian League for the Promotion of Social Purity (New York), 1891(?) 11 7 Colonial Dames of America, 1891, n.d. 11 8 Columbian Exposition, Chicago, 1893 11 9 Foster Home Society (Newark, NJ), 1849 11 10 Huguenot Society of America, 1885-91 11 11 Long Island Historical Society, 1871-72 11 12 Madison Square Presbyterian Church, 1881-92, n.d. 11 13 Meridian Club (New York), 1886 11 14 Minisink Valley Historical Society (Port Jervis, NY), 1890 11 15 New Haven Colony Historical Society, 1881-82 11 16 New York Academy of Sciences, 1887 11 17 New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, 1881-89 11 18 New York Historical Society, 1871, 1888-91 11 19 Nineteenth Century Club (New York), 1887-88 11 20 Northwestern Literary and Historical Society (Sioux City, IA), 1886 11 21 Northwestern Sanitary Fair, Chicago, 1865 11 22 Rhode Island Historical Society, 1884 11 23 Scientific Alliance of New York, 1891 11 24 Sons of the American Revolution (William O. McDowell), 1890, n.d. 11 25 Tarrytown Historical Society (Tarrytown, NY), 1890 11 26 Trinity Historical Society (Dallas, TX), 1887 11 27 Union League Club (New York), 1883 11 28 The Wetmore Home for Fallen and Friendless Girls (New York), 1886 OVERSIZE MATERIALS Scrapbook: clippings and illustrations, 1850s-60s Andrew's American Queen: cover showing Nonotuck Silk Mills in Florence, MA, 17 Jul 1880 "Works of Mrs. Martha J. Lamb": flyer, n.d.