Francis W. Hatch Papers 1906-1985 Guide to the Collection The Francis Whiting Hatch 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 Sketch Collection Description Acquisition Information Restrictions on Access Restrictions on Use Organization Detailed Description of the Collection Preferred Citation Access Terms Materials Removed

Collection Summary

Biographical Sketch

Francis Whiting Hatch was born in Medford, Mass. on January 9, 1897. He attended Volkmann School, Brookline, and graduated from Harvard College in 1919. Prominent in business, civic and cultural affairs of Boston, he was also a writer, poet, playwright, composer, and performer. In summer, and year round after his retirement in 1967, he made his home in Castine, Maine. He married Marjory Kennard Hatch. He died in Boston on May 14, 1975.

Francis Whiting Hatch was Vice-President and Director of the advertising firm, Batten, Barton, Durstine, and Osborn, for four decades and held several business directorships. He was a trustee of such organizations as the Massachusetts General Hospital, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the Noble and Greenough School. He served as Chairman of the Red Feather Drive, President of the Harvard Alumni Association, President General of the Society of the Cincinnati, President of the Castine (Maine) Hospital, and in other local and national positions.

His writings, both prose and light verse, appeared in publications such as The New Yorker, Down East, The Saturday Evening Post, The Boston Globe, The Christian Science Monitor, and The Pilot. His column "Where But New England" appeared regularly in the Essex County (Mass.) newspapers until his death. His musical comedies were performed by amateur groups such as the Vokes Players, Inc., Wayland, Mass.; and the Cupola Players, made up of Hatch family and friends in Castine. Many of his songs, among them "Some Coward Closed the Old Howard" and "Vote Early and Often for Curley," as performed at the piano by the composer, were favorites at public and private gatherings and have been published and recorded.

Collection Description

The bulk of the papers date from 1945-1975 and illustrate the public and creative life of Francis Whiting Hatch. The papers reveal little of his business life or of his personal life beyond the range of his interests, his gift for friendship, and his love of Castine, Maine, in particular. The bulk of the papers consist of Francis Whiting Hatch's creative output: prose, poetry, music, and scripts. Whether the voluminous newspaper and magazine clippings comprise a complete record of his published writings is uncertain.

The collection is housed in 5 record cartons and one oversize box. The record cartons are stored offsite and must be requested by barcode number at least 24 hours in advance. The oversize box remains onsite.

A large quantity of material is in typescript form; some items contain manuscript changes and some writing is in rough draft. The correspondence consists primarily of single letters from various individuals. The only sustained correspondence is between Francis Whiting Hatch and his Harvard classmate, George Brownell, which was saved by Brownell.

The collection also includes biographical and genealogical material; Christmas cards; journals; notebooks; and research notes; pamphlets; notices; reports; programs; invitations, and clippings concerning institutions in which Francis Whiting Hatch was interested; theatrical programs and handbills from musical productions; clippings about Francis Whiting Hatch and his family; ephemera; and photographs.

The collection is divided into four series: Personal and Creative; Activities and Interests; Clippings and scrapbooks; and Photographs. The photographs in the latter series have been physically removed from the collection to be housed with the M.H.S. photograph collection. Also, because many of the writings are undated, no systematic effort has been made to remove duplicates.

Newsclippings of writings by Francis Whiting Hatch have been arranged chronologically for each publication. Many of the clippings found in the scrapbooks can also be found with the loose clippings.

Acquisition Information

The papers of Francis Whiting Hatch were assembled by Mr. Hatch, his wife Marjory Kennard Hatch, and his son, Francis Whiting Hatch, Jr. They were sorted and arranged by Caroline D. Bain in June 1986. Additional papers were incorporated into the collection by Mrs. Bain in June 1987.

The papers were donated to the Massachusetts Historical Society in 1990.

Restrictions on Access

The Francis Whiting Hatch 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 literary rights (copyright) of letters and manuscripts written by individuals other than Francis W. Hatch in this collection. The Massachusetts Historical Society cannot give permission to publish or quote from documents by individuals for whom it does not hold copyright. Use of these materials does not imply permission to publish. It is the sole responsibility of the researcher to obtain formal permission from the owners of the literary rights (copyright) to publish or quote from documents in this collection.

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 Massachusetts Historical Society.

Organization of the Collection

The collection is organized into the following series:

Detailed Description of the Collection

Preferred Citation

Francis W. Hatch papers, 1906-1985, 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.

Materials Removed from the Collection

Printed Materials Removed

For a list of printed materials removed from this collection, including musical scores and theater broadsides, see Curator of Manuscripts.

Photographs Removed

The following photographs were removed the the MHS Photo. Archives, July 1990.

Francis Whiting Hatch: portraits and snapshots, 1918-

Francis Whiting Hatch: with Marjory Kennard Hatch and Francis Whiting Hatch, Jr.; also at 60th birthday party and Harvard reunion, 1964.

Francis Whiting Hatch and Francis Whiting Hatch, Jr. in public life. Publicity glossies, including group picture signed by Christien Herter.

Francis Whiting Hatch, Jr. and Marjory Kennard Hatch: portraits and snapshots.

Family snapshots: Beverly, New Jersey

Family: Castine, including Cupola and box, glossies and enlargements.

Family snapshots: Cazenovia, N.Y.

Family snapshots: Vermont.

Family snapshots: Wayland, Mass.

Family snapshots: Miscellaneous

Batten, Barton, Durstine and Osborn: n.d., 1936-1948

Harvard Commencement, 1956

Society of the Cincinnati

Boston Symphony Orchestra, Golden Trumpet Ball, 1965

Old Howard Theater

Maine (mostly Castine): scenes, buildings (some identified), glossies and enlargements

Maine (mostly Castine) snapshots: places, buildings, etc.

Castine, Maine: people, enlargements.

Castine, Maine snapshots: people (some of Hatch family members)

Abraham Lincoln

Miscellaneous

Museum Objects Removed

The following items have been removed from Ms. N-184, the Francis W. Hatch papers, to be placed in the M.H.S. museum collection, July 1990:

Honor Guard badge, 44th U.S. Presidential Inauguration, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, January 20, 1961.

Society of the Cincinnati pin, n.d., presumably owned by Francis W. Hatch.