GEORGE A. CHAPIN AND FAMILY:
An Inventory of Their Papers at the Minnesota Historical Society
Manuscripts Collection
OVERVIEW
| Creator: | Chapin, George A., 1824-1878, creator. | |
| Title: | George A Chapin and family papers. | |
| Dates: | 1828-1978. | |
| Language: | Materials in English. | |
| Abstract: | Correspondence, household and personal financial records, school exercises and class notes, genealogical data, and miscellaneous papers of several generations of the family of George A. Chapin, a hardware dealer who moved from Boston to Saint Paul in 1868. Included as well are correspondence, travel diaries, photographs, and other papers of Carolyn Chapin and her parents, William G. and Caroline E. Johnson. | |
| Quantity: | 3.10 cubic feet (6 boxes and 1 folder in partial box). | |
| Location: | See Detailed Description for shelf locations. |
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
George Aaron Chapin was born in Boston on January 18, 1824, the son of Aaron and Lucy (White) Chapin. Unable to complete college coursework because of financial constraints, he entered his uncle's Boston hardware firm--Loring, Fiske and Company--and,started his own business some time later. Chapin married (June 2, 1846) Sarah Homans Davis, the daughter of Boston residents Gilman and Sarah Homans (Leeds) Davis. Their four children were Sarah Davis (1847-1947), George Gilman (1849-1873), Walter Leeds (1863-1947), and Blanche Ingersoll (1865-1931).
The family moved to St. Paul in June, 1868 and Chapin joined the hardware firm of C.D. Strong and Company, later Strong, Hackett and Chapin. Chapin died on August 20, 1878, and Sarah on September 10, 1906.
Carolyn Johnson was the daughter of William G. and Caroline E. Johnson. She married George Gilman Chapin in 1922. W. G. Johnson was employed by the Northern Pacific Railway Company as assistant comptroller (1913-1918) and as a special accountant (1918-1923).
SCOPE AND CONTENTS
Materials include correspondence (1828-1946), household and personal financial records (1854-1902), school exercises and class notes (1864-1884), and genealogical data (1899-1978). Papers from the earlier generations include personal and household expense records of George and Sarah Chapin, kept in Boston and St. Paul; attendance records for a school run by the Chapins in their St. Paul home (1871-1873); school exercise books kept by various family members; letters from relatives Charles and Gilman Davis (1847-1850) concerning their steamship voyages to Liverpool and San Francisco, with information on the California gold rush; and letters from George and Sarah's son (1859-1873) concerning student life at Harvard and Boston social life. Later materials include a grandson's letters (1916-1919) regarding World War I service in the YMCA and the U.S. Army, and correspondence (1918-1946) of granddaughter Mary Chapin largely concerning her teaching career and her travels, but also including World War II service letters from various family members. There are also poems (1911-1921) by Blanche Ingersoll Chapin and a small file of genealogical materials.
Johnson family materials include family photographs, corespondence, and diaries and other materials related to a European tour the family made in 1912, and pages from a family scrapbook (1931-1940).
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Availability:
The collection is open for research use.
Preferred Citation:
[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Chapin, George A., George A Chapin and family papers. Minnesota Historical Society.
See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.
Accession Information:
Accession numbers: 1993; 6220; 9323; 12,375; 12,401; 16,753
Processing Information:
Processed by: David B. Peterson, July 2013
Catalog ID number: 001732672
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
| Box | |||||||||||
| P1238 | 1 | Chapin family papers, undated and 1828-1909. 3 folders. | |||||||||
| The first folder (1828-1855) includes correspondence between Abigail Leeds and Mary Ingersoll Leeds; an essay in French by George A. Chapin; letters regarding the marriage of George and Sarah; and miscellaneous letters from family members. The second folder (1860-1869) contains correspondence between George A. and his parents and tuition slips issued to George G., a student at Chauncy-Hall School in Boston. The third folder (1870-1909) includes letters from George A. to family members during business trips to Boston and while traveling for health reasons. Letters also relate to the death of George G. (1873). Notable items include a letter (1846) from Josiah Quincy to Sarah regarding her marriage and a letter (1873) from Edward Everett Hale. | |||||||||||
| Charles Henry Davis and Gilman Ingersoll Davis letters, 1847-1850. | |||||||||||
| Letters to brother-in-law George A. Chapin describe Gilman's trip to Liverpool (1847-1848) and Charles' and Gilman's voyage from Boston to San Francisco (1849-1850). The latter detail the ship, its passengers, visits to Valparasso (Peru) and Angra dos Reis (near Rio de Janeiro), the economic and social climate in San Francisco, gold mining and other Bostonians in the area. | |||||||||||
| George Gilman Chapin (1849-1873) papers, undated and 1859-1873. 4 folders. | |||||||||||
| Includes correspondence with friends and family concerning Boston social activities, Harvard student life, and Chapin's business ventures; also includes a series of letters to his cousin Lizzie concerning the family's removal to St. Paul. | |||||||||||
| George Gilman Chapin (1888-1959) papers, 1916-1919. 2 folders. | |||||||||||
| Letters detail George's service with the YMCA and the United States Army during World War I, including descriptions of army camps in Texas, Iowa, and Georgia, as well as his service in France. | |||||||||||
| Box | |||||||||||
| P1238 | 2 | Harold Sewall Chapin (1890-1954) papers, 1916. | |||||||||
| Detail his life and work in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. | |||||||||||
| Mary Wright Chapin (1896-1978) papers, 1918-1946. 5 folders. | |||||||||||
| Includes correspondence with her parents, aunt Betty Wright, and brother Walter Leeds Chapin, Jr., detailing her teaching career, school activities, and her trips; a series of letters with her mother, including some from Mexico; and World War II letters from Josephine Downey, a St. Paul teacher serving with the Women's Auxiliary Army Corp in the South Pacific and wartime letters from nephews Kenneth, Donald, and William Chapin, including some (1946) from China. | |||||||||||
| Walter Leeds Chapin (1863-1947) papers, 1921-1925. | |||||||||||
| Letters to his parents and his sister Mary while a student at Harvard. | |||||||||||
| Blanche Ingersoll Chapin (1865-1931) poems, 1911-1921. | |||||||||||
| Poems, largely on patriotic and Minnesota themes, many of which were published in newspapers and magazines. | |||||||||||
| Miscellaneous papers, undated and 1863-1884. | |||||||||||
| Includes calling, business, and membership cards from a variety of people, student and teacher directories for Chauncy-Hall (Boston) and a literary manuscript (undated) by Susan Sewall Chapin entitled "Modern Mysticism." | |||||||||||
| Genealogical and family information, 1899-1978. | |||||||||||
| Miscellaneous obituaries and family history data; also includes a photocopy of a genealogy of the Chapin and related families, 1208-1947 (compiled by Sarah Davis Chapin, 19 pages), a genealogy of the Sewall family, 1544-1936 (compiled by Susan Sewall Chapin, 5 pages); and "Some Descendants of Samuel Sewall and Elizabeth Quincy" (compiled by Theodore Paul Wright, Jr., 1958). | |||||||||||
| Box | |||||||||||
| P1238 | 3 | Sarah Homans Chapin (1825-1906) financial records: | |||||||||
| 1. Household and personal expenses, 1854. | |||||||||||
| 2. Household expenses, 1857-1858. | |||||||||||
| Also includes French exercises (circa 1856). | |||||||||||
| 3. Household expenses, 1861. | |||||||||||
| 4. Household expenses, 1862. | |||||||||||
| 5. Household expenses, 1865-1866. | |||||||||||
| 6. Household expenses and cashbook, 1868-1870. | |||||||||||
| 7. Household expenses, 1867-1876. | |||||||||||
| Includes cashbook (1868). | |||||||||||
| 8. Household expenses, 1870. | |||||||||||
| 9. Household expenses and cashbook, 1875-[1878?]. | |||||||||||
| 10. Household expenses and cashbook, 1875-1882. | |||||||||||
| 11. Household expenses and cashbook, 1878-1882. | |||||||||||
| 12. Household expenses and cashbook, 1878-1892. | |||||||||||
| 13. Household expenses and cashbook, 1880-1881. | |||||||||||
| Box | |||||||||||
| P1238 | 4 | 14. Household expenses and cashbook, 1881-1883. | |||||||||
| 15. Household expenses and cashbook, 1883-1884. | |||||||||||
| 16. Household expenses and cashbook, 1884-1887. | |||||||||||
| 17. Household expenses and cashbook, 1891-1902. | |||||||||||
| 18. Household expenses and cashbook, 1897-1901. | |||||||||||
| George Gilman Chapin (1849-1873) financial and school records: | |||||||||||
| 19. Personal expenses and cashbook, 1866-1869. | |||||||||||
| 20. Cashbook, 1868-1869. | |||||||||||
| 21. Cashbook, 1868-1870. | |||||||||||
| Box | |||||||||||
| P1238 | 5 | 22. Personal expenses and cashbook, 1870-1872. | |||||||||
| 23. Penmanship exercises, 1864. | |||||||||||
| 24. Latin exercises, 1865. | |||||||||||
| 25. Latin exercises, 1866. | |||||||||||
| 26. Elocution exercises, 1866. | |||||||||||
| 27. Mathematical exercises, 1866. | |||||||||||
| Sarah Davis Chapin (1847-1947) school records: | |||||||||||
| 28. School attendance records, 1871-1873. | |||||||||||
| Also includes attendance records of Blanche Ingersoll Chapin (1865-1931). | |||||||||||
| 29. Physiology notes, 1879-1883. | |||||||||||
| 30. Physiology notes, 1883-1884. | |||||||||||
| Box | |||||||||||
| 153.I.4.1B | 6 | Johnson family papers: | |||||||||
| Family photographs, undated and 1892-1905. | |||||||||||
| Several portraits of William G. Johnson, including one with Carolyn and one with a grandchild; Johnson with Northern Pacific Railway Company officials Wilkse and Charles S. Fee, circa 1904; "Aunt Maggie" (Reeves), Johnson's sister; Clarence and Maurice Reeves as young men (undated); "Sunny Jim" and Mary Reeves as children (1905); two photographs of Ridler family members (W. G. Johnson's English relatives); two photographs of unidentified women, probably Johnson family members; photographs of Johnson and "Mr. Billings," circa 1892; three photographs of Johnson in Yellowstone National Park, 1897; portrait of two unidentified children, probably Johnson's grandchildren William and George Chapin. | |||||||||||
| Family letters, 1892, 1910-1911. | |||||||||||
| Primarily correspondence between Carolyn Johnson and her father while she was attending Wells College in Aurora, N.Y. (1910-1911). There are several references to a Lewis Smith, and one letter from him. Also includes a letter to W. G. Johnson from the Northern Pacific Railway Company office of the president regarding his re-entering Northern Pacific service (1892). | |||||||||||
| European tour, 1909, 1912. | |||||||||||
| Tour itinerary, ship's passenger lists, a few ship's menus, a few receipts for hotels and purchases, and a deck plan of the Red Star Line cruise ships showing the location of the Johnsons' cabins. Mrs. Johnson and Carolyn took the whole tour, with Mr. Johnson joining them midway. Includes two informational booklets for travelers: Notes of Interest and Code for Travelers (American Express Company, 1912) and Information for Ocean Passengers (Great Western Railway Company, England, October 1909). | |||||||||||
| European tour correspondence, 1912. | |||||||||||
| W. G. Johnson's correspondence making tour arrangements; letters between the Johnsons prior to W. G. joining the tour; a few letters from other friends visiting Europe, including Rowena Osborne, who later married Lewis Smith. | |||||||||||
| European tour diaries, Caroline and Carolyn Johnson, 1912. 2 volumes. | |||||||||||
| Carolyn Johnson essay on Sir John Eliot, 1915. | |||||||||||
| Family letters, 1917-1918. 2 folders. | |||||||||||
| Primarily correspondence between Carolyn Johnson and her parents while she was attending library school in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Carolyn's letters discuss school life, school work, and social activities; her parents discuss home life, social activities, W. G.'s health, and occasional war news, including references by W. G. to the nationalization of the NP Railway. There are also a couple of letters to Carolyn from friends. In September-October 1918 there is an exchange of letters between W. G. Johnson and NP president Howard Elliott regarding his employment status with the railway. | |||||||||||
| Johnson and Chapin family letters, 1920-1923. | |||||||||||
| Includes letters to Carolyn Johnson from George Chapin prior to their marriage (1922); a few letters congratulating her on her engagement (October-December 1922); a letter from Carolyn to her parents (December 1923) a few months after the birth of their son. | |||||||||||
| Letters to Carolyn Chapin, undated [1920s and 1930s]. | |||||||||||
| Includes one from Rowena Lewis describing a sojourn in Japan. | |||||||||||
| Johnson and Chapin family letters, 1924-1929. 4 folders. | |||||||||||
| Letters in 1924-1925 are primarily between Carolyn Chapin and her parents while the latter were in California for W. G. Johnson's health. There are a few letters from other friends and family members. Letters in March-April 1925 discuss Carolyn's operation for appendicitis, and the Chapins' subsequent debts. Letters in 1926 are primarily condolences on the October 2 death of Mrs. Johnson. There are a few letters from George to Carolyn while on western (1927) and Canadian (1929) trips, and a DAR memorial to Mrs. Johnson (1927). | |||||||||||
| Letters to Carolyn Chapin, 1930-1939. 4 folders. | |||||||||||
| Letters from friends, relatives, and her sons. Those for 1931 are primarily condolences on the July 18 death of W. G. Johnson. Sons Willie and George write from summer camps, and there are two letters to them from Carolyn. There are several letters from "Aunt Maggie" (Mrs. John Reeves), W. G. Johnson's sister, in Toronto, and "Aunt Mary" (Mrs. Joseph F. Langton) in Jacksonville, Ill., discussing daily life and news of family and friends. A few letters from Rowena Lewis discuss her daughters Elizabeth and Virginia. There are occasional comments about difficulties of life during the Depression. A few letters early in 1939 talk about the Chapins' divorce. | |||||||||||
| Memorabilia, undated and 1926-1940. | |||||||||||
| Financial notes (income? investments?) by W. G. Johnson; his Chicago and Northwestern Railway pass (1926); life membership certificate, Minnesota Historical Society, for Mrs. George G. Chapin (1929); Saint Paul Baseball Club photograph, including Lloyd Johnson (1940). | |||||||||||
| [0.15 cubic feet empty, legal sized] | |||||||||||
| Box | |||||||||||
| 129.F.3.8F-1 | 7 | Johnson/Chapin family scrapbook, circa 1931-1940. 1 oversize folder in partial box. | |||||||||
| Pages and loose items from a dismantled scrapbook, containing newspaper clippings and memorabilia relating to Johnson and Chapin family members and friends. They include clippings on the death of W. G. Johnson (1931); a few poems by Blanche Ingersoll Chapin; a few news notes about George G., Mrs. George G. (Carolyn), and Mary Wright Chapin; the engagement of Frances R. Fleming to Walter Leeds Chapin; and items about members of the N. B. Hinckley, Herbert P. Keller, Joseph F. Langton, and Lewis Smith families, who are also represented in Carolyn Chapin's correspondence. | |||||||||||
CATALOG HEADINGS
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.
- Topics:
- Gold mines and mining -- California.
- Military training camps -- United States.
- Ocean travel.
- Postage stamps -- Catalogs.
- School attendance -- Minnesota -- Saint Paul.
- Women poets -- Minnesota.
- World War, 1914-1918.
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Participation, Female.
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Campaigns -- South Pacific Ocean.
- Persons:
- Bradstreet family.
- Chapin family.
- Chapin, Blanche I., 1865-1931, author.
- Chapin, Carolyn, 1889-1953, author.
- Chapin, George A., 1824-1878, author.
- Chapin, George G., 1849-1873, author.
- Chapin, George G., 1888-1959, author.
- Chapin, Harold S., 1890-1954, author.
- Chapin, Mary W., 1896-1978, author.
- Chapin, Sarah Davis, 1849-1947, author.
- Chapin, Sarah Homans, 1825-1906, author.
- Chapin, Susan W., 1862-1942, author.
- Chapin, Walter L., 1863-1947, author.
- Chapin, Walter L., 1902-, author.
- Davis family.
- Davis, Charles Henry, 1824-1864, author.
- Davis, Gilman Ingersoll, 1823-, author.
- Downey, Josephine, author.
- Fisk family.
- Hale, Edward Everett, Sr., 1822-1909, author.
- Hull family.
- Ingersoll family.
- Leeds family.
- Leeds, Mary I., 1773-1853, author.
- Quincy, Josiah, 1772-1864, author.
- Sewell family.
- White family.
- Wright family.
- Wright, Theodore Paul, 1926-, author.
- Organizations:
- Chauncy-Hall School (Boston, Mass.)
- Harvard University -- Students.
- United States. Army.
- Places:
- Boston (Mass.) -- Social life and customs.
- California -- Description and travel.
- Minnesota -- Description and travel.
- Saint Paul (Minn.)
- South America -- Description and travel.
- United States -- Armed Forces -- Women.
- Document Types:
- Essays.
- Genealogies.
- Photographs.
- Poems.
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