Amos Adams Lawrence Diaries and Account Books 1816-1886 Guide to the Collection

Table of Contents Collection Summary Biographical Sketch Collection Description Related Materials Acquisition Information Organization Detailed Description of the Collection Preferred Citation Access Terms Materials Removed from the Collection

Collection Summary

Biographical Sketch

Amos Adams Lawrence (1814-1886), son of Amos and Sarah Richards Lawrence, was a prominent merchant, textile manufacturer, and philanthropist.

Sarah Elizabeth Appleton(b. 1822), daughter of William and Mary Anne Cutler Appleton, married Amos Adams Lawrence in 1842.

Mary Anne Cutler Appleton was the wife of William Appleton and the mother Sarah E. (Appleton) Lawrence.

Collection Description

The Amos Adams Lawrence diaries and account books consist of 53 small volumes in 5 pamphlet boxes, and 15 large volumes in cases that spans the years 1814-1886. The collection is divided into three series: Amos Adams Lawrence Volumes, Sarah Elizabeth Appleton Lawrence Volumes, and Mary Anne Cutler Appleton Diaries.

The bulk of the collection includes diaries kept by merchant, businessman, and philanthropist Amos Adams Lawrence from 1814-1886, during his studies at Harvard University (Class of 1835); on trips to Europe, the Southern states and other parts of the U.S.; and while living in Boston, Massachusetts and the vicinity. The collection also includes Lawrence's personal account books kept from 1827-1886, with records of household accounts and charitable expenses; a list of his Massachusetts rental properties, with the names of towns and residents; and a book of receipts and expenditures for recruiting the 2nd Regiment of the Mass. Cavalry under Col. Charles R. Lowell during the Civil War in 1862-1863.

In addition, the collection includes Sarah Elizabeth Appleton Lawrence's diaries kept from 1843-1864, and account booksof household expenses and wages for domestic help kept from 1842-53. Finally, the collection includes diaries kept by Sarah's mother, Mary Anne Cutler Appleton, during a voyage with her husband, William Appleton, to Italy and France, 1816-17, along with a line-a-day diary kept in 1836.

Related Materials

The Massachusetts Historical Society (MHS) holds the following collections related to the Amos Adams Lawrence diaries and account books:

Amos Adams Lawrence papers, 1817-1886. Ms. N-1559. Finding aid available at: http://www.masshist.org/findingaids/doc.cfm?fa=fa0166.

Amos Lawrence papers, 1814-1879. Ms. N-1554. Finding aid available at: http://www.masshist.org/findingaids/doc.cfm?fa=fa0224.

Amos Lawrence papers II, 1811-1851. Ms. N-1555.

Amos Lawrence papers III, 1846-1852. Ms. N-1556.

Acquisition Information

Amos Adams Lawrence volumes were the gift of Mrs. Frederick Cunningham in 1927, Mrs. Augustus N. Hand in Nov. 1939, John S. Lawrence in Nov. 1950, and Paul C. Coolidge in Oct. 1989.

Sarah Elizabeth Appleton Lawrence volumes and Mary Anne Cutler Appleton diaries were the gift of Paul C. Coolidge in Dec. 1987.

Organization of the Collection

The collection is organized into the following series:

Detailed Description of the Collection

Preferred Citation

Amos Adams Lawrence Diaries and Account Books, 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

An engraving of William Appleton was removed to the Engraving Collection.