Elise Cabot Forbes Papers 1875-1960 Offsite Storage Inventory The Elise Cabot Forbes papers are stored offsite and must be requested at least one business day in advance. Contact the Library at library@masshist.org or (617) 536-1608 to request materials. Please discuss your request with the reading room staff before requesting cartons by barcode. There are restrictions on the use of this collection. Users must sign an agreement stating that they understand these restrictions before they will be given access to the collection.

Table of Contents Collection Summary Biographical Information Collection Description Related Materials Acquisition Information Restrictions on Access Restrictions on Use Summary Description of the Collection Preferred Citation Access Terms Materials Removed

Collection Summary

Biographical Information

The daughter of Walter C. Cabot (1829-1904) and Elizabeth Rogers Mason Cabot (1834-1920), Elise Cabot (1869-1959) married Ralph Emerson Forbes (1866-1937) in January 1901. They had five children: William Hathaway (b. 1902), Ruth (b. 1903), Margaret (b. 1905), David Cabot (b. 1908), and Pauline (b. 1911).

Collection Description

The collections consists primarily of family correspondence and diaries kept by Elise Cabot Forbes. The correspondence relates primarily to the Cabot family, with the bulk of the correspondence between Elise Cabot Forbes and her mother, Elizabeth Rogers Mason Cabot. There is also a long series of correspondence between Elise Cabot Forbes and Ralph Emerson Forbes beginning in 1899 before they were married and ending in February 1937 shortly before his death. There are also two folders of letters from Elise, Robert, and their children to William Cameron Forbes in the Philippines.

Elise Cabot Forbes's diaries date from 1878-1950 (with significant gaps, see box list below). The collection also contains Elise Cabot Forbes's personal account books from 1892-1897 containing accounts kept during a trip to Europe and household expenses; and Ralph Emerson Forbes's diary kept in 1892.

Approximately 25 photographs have been removed to the MHS photo archives as the Elise Cabot Forbes family photographs.

Related Materials

The Massachusetts Historical Society (MHS) holds the following collections related to the Elise Cabot Forbes papers:

Elise Cabot Forbes family photographs, ca. 1865-1937. Photo. Coll. 201.

Ralph E. and Elise C. Forbes personal financial records, 1896-1952. Finding aid available at: http://www.masshist.org/findingaids/doc.cfm?fa=fa0109.

Acquisition Information

Deposited by the J.M. Forbes Archives Committee, 2002. Ownership will devolve upon the Massachusetts Historical Society on January 12, 2050.

Restrictions on Access

The Elise Cabot Forbes papers are stored offsite and must be requested at least one business day in advance. Contact the Library at library@masshist.org or (617) 536-1608 to request materials. Please discuss your request with the reading room staff before requesting cartons by barcode.

There are restrictions on the use of this collection. Users must sign an agreement stating that they understand these restrictions before they will be given access to the collection.

Restrictions on Use

The Massachusetts Historical Society does not claim ownership to the Elise C. Forbes papers which have been placed on deposit at the Historical Society by the J. M. Forbes Archives Committee. The J. M. Forbes Family collection contains the private papers of a large extended family that retains copyright of the documents. Some materials in the collection refer to people still alive, or survived by children and grandchildren. A researcher planning to base major research on these documents is advised to consult the J. M. Forbes Archives Committee in advance.

The Massachusetts Historical Society cannot give permission to publish or cite documents by individuals for whom it does not hold literary rights. Use of of the collection (including photocopying or any form of reproduction) does not imply permission to publish, all or in part, documents in this collection. It is the sole responsibility of the researcher to contact the Historical Society in writing to request permission to publish or cite documents in this collection. The Historical Society will then forward the formal written request to the J. M. Forbes Archives Committee.

Photocopies are for personal use only. Personal use photocopies may not be donated or deposited in other libraries or archives, or made available to other researchers without the written permission of the J. M. Forbes Archives Committee.

Summary Description of the Collection

Preferred Citation

Elise Cabot Forbes papers, Massachusetts Historical Society.

Access Terms

This collection is indexed under the following headings in ABIGAIL, the online catalog of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related persons, organizations, or subjects should search the catalog using these headings.

Photographs Removed from the Collection

Photographs have been removed from this collection to the Elise Cabot Forbes photographs, ca. 1865-1937. Photo. Coll. 201.