MS 0509.1
Lyman Beecher material , Jan.-Dec. 1826
2 folders
Chronological
Forms part of MS 0509, the Beecher Family Papesr
Restrictions: Unrestricted
Last Updated: 2002/09/04
Description:
The Lyman Beecher material consists of
correspondence written to his son Edward Beecher
from Jan.-Dec. 1826 while Edward was at Yale
College. In his letters he often gives family
news, discusses his health and dispenses advice
regarding Edward's future career as a minister.
The collection also contains a letter from 1829
written to Zilpah Grant Banister arguing that she
should unite with his daughter Catharine Beecher
in an educational endeavor in Hartford.
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MS 0509.2
Catharine E. Beecher material , 1822-1878
5 folders
Chronological
Forms part of MS 0509, the Beecher Family Papers
Restrictions: Unrestricted
Last Updated: 2002/09/04
Description:
The Catharine E. Beecher material dates from
1822-1878 and consists of correspondence by her
and a manuscript sketch of her life by an unknown
author. Her correspondence dates from 1822-1960
and mainly consists of letters to her brother
Edward Beecher, Mary Lyon, and Zilpah Grant
Banister. In her letters to her brother,
1822-1828, she frequently gives advice regarding
his career as a minister and his religious views.
In a letter dated March 26, 1825 she also
expresses her desire that he have "a 'cronie
dear' of your sex and not look to ours alone."
Her letters to Edward, which also contain letters
to her brother George in two instances,
illustrate her sentiment, expressed in a letter
dated April 25, 1826, that "the interest of
brothers and sisters in each others employment
and concerns should not be suffered to decay, by
neglecting" letter writing. The topic she
discusses most often in her letters is the
Hartford Female Seminary. In a letter dated June
1, 1826 she discusses the religious state of the
school and in a letter dated August 23, 1828 she
bemoans the lack of proper textbooks available:
"there is not a single book upon earth made as it
ought to be and one of the best things in the
millennium will be schoolbooks that will not tire
the patience of Job to read them." In two
letters dated March 8 and April 25, 1826 she
mentions the need to find "a young man of colour
who is pious to be educated for a physician" for
the colony of Liberia. Her letters to Lyon and
Banister discuss her writings, the publication of
her textbooks, objections to Lyon's plan to open
Mount Holyoke Female Seminary, the need for more
teachers, and her ideas on women's education. Of
note is the letter written to Banister ca. 1849
from the Northampton Water Cure run by David
Ruggles urging Banister to come see Dr. Ruggles.
A broadside describing the establishment forms
the first page of this letter. The Catharine E.
Beecher material also includes photocopies of a
letter written to Mary Lyon in 1843 and of a
manuscript stating the need for more teachers.
The originals of these documents can be found in
the Henry Barnard Collection, Fales Library, New
York University.
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MS 0509.3
William Beecher material , 1827, 1889
1 folder
Chronological
Forms part of MS 0509, the Beecher Family Papers
Restrictions: Unrestricted
Last Updated: 2002/09/04
Description:
The William Beecher material consists of a letter
dated July 8, 1827 to his brother Edward Beecher
in which he discusses his future plans, and a
copy of a memorial article from June 1889 which
provides some biographical information about him.
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MS 0509.4
Katherine Edes Beecher material , 1839
1 folder
Chronological
Forms part of MS 0509, the Beecher Family Papers
Restrictions: Unrestricted
Last Updated: 2002/09/04
Description:
The material relating to Katherine Edes Beecher,
wife of William Beecher, consists of a letter
written in 1839 to Zilpah Grant Banister
requesting her help in finding a suitable head
for an unnamed seminary.
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MS 0509.5
Edward Beecher material , 1826-1836, ca. 1870
3 folders
Chronological
Forms part of MS 0509, the Beecher Family papers
Restrictions: Unrestricted
Last Updated: 2002/09/04
Description:
The Edward Beecher material consists of
correspondence, 1826-1836, and sermons, ca. 1870.
The bulk of the letters are written to his
father, Lyman Beecher, but also include a letter
written to his maternal grandmother, Roxana
Foote. In these letters he discusses his job as
a tutor at Yale College, family news, various
professional opportunities or job offers received
from churchs and colleges, and his physical,
mental and spiritual health. In a letter dated
December 4, 1826 he requests that his father
preach the sermon at his upcoming ordination
service. The collection also includes
handwritten copies of four of his sermons and
fragments of two others, ca. 1870. Topics of the
sermons include "Is dancing a proper amusement
for Christians?", "Has more evil than good been
accomplished by fictitious writing?", "Suffering
not necessarily an evil," and women's suffrage.
The material also includes an undated letter
written by Anna Jones to her sister, Edward's
wife Isabella Jones Beecher.
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MS 0509.6
Mary Beecher material , 1826
1 folder
Chronological
Forms part of MS 0509, the Beecher Family Papers
Restrictions: Unrestricted
Last Updated: 2002/09/04
Description:
The Mary Beecher material consists of two letters
written to her brother Edward Beecher dated
February and April 5, 1826. Her first letter
discusses her struggles with the Christian life,
which she says "tho' a life of trial and conflict
is also one of great happiness." She also
discusses the family's upcoming move from
Litchfield, Connecticut, a place she describes
with great fondness. Her second letter is
written from Hartford, Connecticut and discusses
her sister Catharine's school there, the Hartford
Female Seminary. She describes the school's new
building (rent was $65) and also discusses her
spiritual life.
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MS 0509.7
Henry Ward Beecher material , 1887-1903
1 folder
Chronological
Forms part of MS 0509, the Beecher Family Papers
Restrictions: Unrestricted
Last Updated: 2002/09/04
Description:
The Henry Ward Beecher material consists of three
memorial items dating from 1887-1903. The
collection includes a copy of the program for the
Henry Ward Beecher Memorial dated March 8, 1903.
It also includes a copy of "The Boyhood of Henry
Ward Beecher," printed on July 19, 1887 at the
request of friends. The volume contains
descriptions of Beecher's formative years and
includes some of Beecher's own recollections.
The collection also includes a memorial volume
compiled by the Plymouth Church in 1887 which
documents the death and funeral of Henry Ward
Beecher. This volume contains a formal
photograph.
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MS 0509.8
Charles Beecher material , 1894, 1900
1 folder
Chronological
Forms part of MS 0509, the Beecher Family Papers
Restrictions: Unrestricted
Last Updated: 2002/09/04
Description:
The Charles Beecher material consists of a letter
written to Charles' nephew Frederick W. Beecher
(son of his brother Edward Beecher) by Charles
and his wife Sarah Coffin Beecher dated November
20, 1894. In it she writes of fond family
memories and intimates some change in Frederick's
parents Edward and Isabella Beecher (perhaps
sickness - both died in 1895). Charles writes of
the book Frederick sent him, which he is reading
"with interest". The collection also includes a
pamphlet dated May 1, 1900 containing the address
given at Charles Beecher's funeral service.
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MS 0509.9
Thomas Kinnicut Beecher material , 1845, 1865
1 folder
Chronological
Forms part of MS 0509, the Beecher Family Papers
Restrictions: Unrestricted
Last Updated: 2002/09/04
Description:
The Thomas Kinnicut Beecher material consists of
correspondence written to his brother Edward
Beecher and Beecher's son Frederick W. Beecher.
In a letter dated November 22, 1845 Thomas writes
to Edward for his father Lyman, who was
recovering from an illness. The letter discusses
a recent article written by Edward, entitled
"Organic Sins," and Lyman's misgivings about that
phrase. His letter to his nephew Frederick is
dated May 20, 1865. In it he consoles his nephew
on a recent loss (probably the death of his child
from diphtheria), and mentions that "Grandpa
[Lyman] Beecher buried his Freddie," referring to
the 1820 death of Lyman's son Frederick. His
letter also mentions his grief at the death of
President Abraham Lincoln.
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MS 0509.10
Frederick W. Beecher material , 1858-1859, 1865
1 folder
Forms part of MS 0509, the Beecher Family Papers
Restrictions: Unrestricted
Last Updated: 2002/11/11
Description:
The Frederick W. Beecher material consists of a
letter dated June 9, 1865, written by Richard
Henry Stoddard sympathizing with Frederick on the
recent loss of his young son. The letter is
accompanied by a copy of a poem written by
Stoddard's wife, Elizabeth Drew Barrett Stoddard,
published in "Harper's Magazine," written after
the death of their infant son ca. 1861. The
material also contains notes taken on sermons and
lectures by his father, Edward Beecher, and
others, dated 1858-1859.
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