Lucy Stone Robinson Papers, 1824-1846
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Not requestable
Scope and Content Note
The Lucy Stone Robinson Papers consist of letters sent to Lucy Stone during various periods of her life as well as letters she wrote to her fiancé, John Robinson, during their engagement from 1837-1839, when he was in Canton, China.
The bulk of the collection consists of letters written by John and Lucy to each other. John Robinson wrote most of the letters to Lucy Stone during the two-year period he spent in Canton, China, where he served as a supercargo. She was living on the corner of Chestnut and Summer Streets in Salem and describes the social life of the period in her letters to him. He wrote 43 letters to her; the collection contains 15 letters that she wrote to him. Letters from New York City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Portsmouth, New Hampshire from 1839 to 1844 show that John Robinson still traveled often after the couple was married.
The miscellaneous letters include one letter written in 1824 to Lucy and her brothers. It came from their father, John Stone, and describes a trip he and his wife took from Salem to Worcester, Massachusetts. One set of letters from various correspondents was addressed to Lucy Stone at the time of her wedding in 1839. These accompanied wedding gifts. Also in this folder is a letter of certification dated April 28, 1837, written by John Robinson that states his intention to marry Lucy P. Stone.
The last set of letters indicate sorrow at the death of John Robinson in April, 1846, and joy at the birth of the couple's son, John, in 1846. John Robinson's eclectic taste in reading is illustrated by a lengthy list of books read on his voyages to and from Canton, China. He lists the Sir Walter Scott novels, a biography of Patrick Henry, and a memoir of Aaron Burr among his favorites.
Dates
- Creation: 1824-1846
Creator
- Robinson, Lucy Stone, 1815-1893 (Person)
Restrictions on Access
This collection is open for research use.
Biographical Sketch
Lucy Stone Robinson was born in Salem, Massachusetts, on June 30, 1815, the daughter of Deacon John Stone and Catherine Dodge Pickering. John and Catherine Stone had three other children as well: Lucy Pickering (born and died in 1807), John Hubbard (born 1809), and Henry Orne (born 1819). After his first wife's death on March 24, 1818, John Stone married Mary Hodges in Salem, on May 2, 1819. There were no children by this marriage.
On June 6, 1839, Lucy Pickering Stone married John Robinson in Salem. Robinson was born in Andover, Massachusetts, on Aug. 29, 1796, the son of Aaron and Sarah Poor Robinson. He was a merchant in Salem. Lucy and John Robinson had two children: Lucia (born and died in 1845) and John (born 1846). Their son later became curator of the Peabody Academy of Science. John Robinson Sr. died on April 24, 1846 in Salem.
On June 1, 1857, Lucy Robinson married Dr. Samuel Johnson, who was born in Andover, Massachusetts, on December 18, 1790. He graduated from Harvard College in 1814 and from Harvard Medical School in 1817. He was a successful physician in Salem for nearly half a century. Dr. Johnson died on May 26, 1876. There were no children by this marriage. On May 9, 1893, Lucy Pickering Stone Robinson Johnson died in Salem.
Extent
0.25 linear feet (1 box)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The Lucy Stone Robinson Papers consist of letters sent to Lucy Stone during various periods of her life as well as letters she wrote to her fiancé, John Robinson, during their engagement from 1837-1839, when he was in Canton, China.
Physical Location
Phillips Library Stacks
Provenance
These papers were donated by David Wheatland on April 3, 1987 (acc. #87003).
Processing Information
Collection processed by Irene Axelrod, February 2003. Updated by Nicholas Long, May 2015.
Subject
- Robinson, John, 1796-1846 (Person)
- Stone, John, 1781-1849 (Person)
- Title
- LUCY STONE ROBINSON PAPERS, 1824-1846
- Author
- Processed by: Irene Axelrod; Updated by: Nicholas Long; machine-readable finding aid created by: Rajkumar Natarajan.
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Phillips Library Repository