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Martha Bemis Correspondence, 1831-1846

 Collection
Identifier: MSS 0.1578

Scope and Contents

This collection contains 51 letters sent to Henry Wheatland by his sister Martha Bemis and her husband, Robert E. Bemis. The correspondence is ordered chronologically, dating from January 1831 to December 1846. Materials generally concern family matters within the Wheatland and Bemis families, including the death of Martha’s daughter Hannah in 1835.

Dates

  • Creation: 1831-1846

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research use.

Biographical / Historical

Martha Bemis (1807-1872) was the youngest daughter of Richard Wheatland (1762-1830) and Martha Goodhue (1770-1826) (Ancestry Grave). She married Robert Eddy Bemis (1798-1873) in 1827 (Ancestry Marriages). They had four children: Robert Wheatland Bemis (1828–1906), Caroline Eddy Bemis (1830–1896), Mary W. Bemis Whitney (1838–1912), and Sarah Davis Bemis Fiske (1841–1929) as well as a girl, Hannah, who died in childhood in January 1835.

Her brother Henry Wheatland (1812-1893) was a naturalist involved in the founding of the Essex Institute, a precursor organization of the Peabody Essex Museum. He was as a member of the Essex Natural History Society, one of the organizations that merged into the Essex Institute in 1848.

Extent

0.1 Linear Feet (1 folder)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

This collection contains 51 letters sent to Henry Wheatland by his sister Martha Bemis and her husband, Robert E. Bemis. The correspondence is ordered chronologically, dating from January 1831 to December 1846. Materials generally concern family matters within the Wheatland and Bemis families, including the death of Martha’s daughter Hannah in 1835.

Physical Location

Phillips Library Stacks

Provenance

This material was donated by David P. Wheatland in 1959.

Bibliography and Related Collections

Bibliography:

Ancestry.com. U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.

Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, U.S., Compiled Marriages, 1633-1850 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.

Related Collections:

Henry Wheatland Papers, MSS 464

Processing Information

This material was placed in an acid free folder.

Title
MARTHA BEMIS CORRESPONDENCE, 1831-1846
Status
Completed
Author
Patrick Doyle
Date
January 2023
Description rules
Dacs
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Sponsor
The processing of this collection was funded by a gift from the Pingree heirs.

Repository Details

Part of the Phillips Library Repository

Contact:
Peabody Essex Museum
306 Newburyport Turnpike
Rowley MA 01969 USA