Charles P. Bowditch Family Papers 1849-1952 Guide to the Collection

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

Collection Summary

Biographical Sketch

Charles Pickering Bowditch (1842-1921) was the son of Jonathan Ingersoll Bowditch and Lucy O. Nichols, and was the grandson of Nathaniel Bowditch. After earning his degree from Harvard College he served as first and second lieutenant and captain of the 55th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry and as captain of the 5th Massachusetts Volunteer Cavalry during the Civil War.

Bowditch is perhaps best known for his pioneering work as an archeologist, specializing in Maya hieroglyphic writing. In 1910, he published The Numeration, Calendar Systems and Astronomical Knowledge of the Mayas, one of the premier studies of the subject. He was also a major benefactor to the Peabody Museum in Salem, Mass., and served as treasurer of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences from 1905 to 1915 and president from 1917 to 1919.

On June 7,1866, he married Cornelia Livingston Rockwell (1841-1930), daughter of the Hon. Judge Julius and Lucy Forbes Walker. The couple lived in Jamaica Plain, Mass. and had four children: Cornelia Bowditch (b. 1867), Lucy Rockwell Bowditch (b. 1868; married in 1894 Franklin Greene Balch), Katherine Putnam Bowditch (b. 1870; married in 1899 Ernest Amory Codman), and Ingersoll Bowditch (b. 1875; married in 1904 Sylvia Church Scudder).

Collection Description

The Charles Pickering Bowditch family papers consist of 11 document boxes and 5 cases encompassing the years 1849-1952. The collection is divided into two series: I. Charles P. Bowditch correspondence and II. Bowditch family papers.

The first series, Charles P. Bowditch correspondence, includes letters to and from his mother, Lucy Nichols Bowditch and his father, Jonathan Ingersoll Bowditch as a child and a student at Harvard, as well as his years serving in the Civil War. Letters from his wife, Cornelia Rockwell to her parents, Charles P. Bowditch and his family and various friends are also included. This series contains a number of letters written to Cornelia Rockwell and Charles P Bowditch on the occasion of their marriage from friends and family members. After 1866, the theme shifts to family life and events as the couple begins to settle into a home and start a family. Charles P Bowditch travels frequently for his work, and the later years of this series include correspondence to his wife and daughter, as well as to his extended family and friends. Correspondence between the sisters Cornelia, Lucy, and Katherine also becomes more frequent as they grow old enough to travel on their own. Of particular interest is the correspondence written by several different members of the family while vacationing abroad, and their descriptions and frequent illustrations of the people and events they encounter.

In the second series in this collection, the Bowditch family papers, the focus is on Charles P. Bowditch’s daughters, and their correspondence with each other, as well as friends and extended family. This series also contains 6 bound volumes, including 5 travel diaries kept by Katherine Bowditch during her travels in Europe and Asia, 1897-1910. Finally, this series includes miscellaneous memorabilia consisting of news clippings and keepsakes such as calling cards, address books, invitations and pamphlets.

Acquisition Information

Gift of Mrs. Cornelia Wheeler, Cambridge, Mass., May 2001.

Organization of the Collection

The collection is organized into the following series:

Detailed Description of the Collection

Preferred Citation

Charles P. Bowditch family 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.