Amos Lawrence Papers 1814-1879 Guide to the Collection

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

Collection Summary

Biographical Sketch

Amos Lawrence was born April 22, 1786 in Groton, Mass. He was the fourth son of Samuel and Susanna (Parker) Lawrence, and had eight brothers and sisters: Luther, who married Lucy Bigelow; Samuel (1781-1796), who never married; William, who married Susan Ruggles Boardman; Susan, who never married; Mary, who married Rev. Samuel Woodbury; Abbot, who married Katherine Bigelow; Eliza, who married Joshua Greene; and Samuel (1801-1880), who married Alison Turnbull.

Lawrence received an elementary education in the district schools of Groton, Massachusetts, and for a short time was enrolled in the Academy in Groton. When he was thirteen years old, he accepted a position as clerk in a general store in Dunstable. After a few short months, he left that job to apprentice under James Brazer, a Groton store owner, for seven years. He eventually rose to the position of manager of that store.

In 1807, Lawrence moved to Boston, Massachusetts where he was employed as a clerk in a reputable mercantile house. In December of the same year, he began his own business in a small dry goods store at No. 31 Cornhill (now Washington Street). He soon moved his business across the street to No. 46 Cornhill. In 1808, Lawrence took on his younger brother Abbot as an apprentice. The following year, his older brother William moved to Boston and was employed in the store until beginning his own business.

On June 6, 1811 Lawrence married Sarah Richards, the daughter of Giles and Sarah Adams Richards of Boston. They had three children: William Richards, who married Susan Combs Dana; Amos Adams, who married Sarah Elizabeth Appleton; and Susanna Lawrence, who married Rev. Charles Mason.

On January 1, 1814, when Abbot reached maturity, the two brothers formed a partnership under the name "A & A Lawrence." After two moves, A & A Lawrence was permanently located at "Lawrence Block" on Milk Street, Boston. Tragically, his wife Sarah died in Boston on January 14, 1819, age 28. The three children were sent to Groton to be cared for by grandparents and aunts so as to allow Lawrence to continue his business.

Two years later in April, Lawrence married Nancy Means Ellis, daughter of Robert and Mary McGregor Means of Amherst, New Hampshire, and widow of Hon. Caleb Ellis, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of New Hampshire. Lawrence's children returned to Boston to live with them and Lawrence and Nancy had two children: Mary Means and Robert Means.

During the following ten years, Lawrence became engrossed in his business. "A & A Lawrence" established its strong business foundation by importing drygoods from England as soon as peace was restored in and with Europe in 1815. However, the firm gradually became devoted to the sale of domestic cottons and woolens, and around 1837, became interested in the manufacturing aspect of families such as the Lowells, Appletons, and Jacksons, "A & A Lawrence" became involved in the development of New England as a thriving industrial center.

In addition to a career as a businessman, Lawrence was a member of the building committee of the Board of Directors of the Bunker Hill Monument Association. He was also a significant contributor to that fund in memory of his father who fought there. In 1821, he served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. In addition, he was a Trustee of and donated money to the Massachusetts General Hospital. Contrary to common belief, his philanthropic endeavors actually began during his active business years. In the 1820's, he donated to many families, students, and societies, such as the Boston Boys Asylum, the Boston Young Men's Society, and the Middlesex Mechanics Association .

In June 1831, Lawrence took violently ill and was obliged to retire from active participation in the firm, as a result the rest of his life was devoted to correspondence, family life, and philanthropy. A few of the many educational institutions Lawrence graciously aided are Williams, Wabash, Kenyon, and Bowdoin Colleges, the Academy at Groton, the Bangor Theological School, and the Mather School. His donations were primarily but not exclusively monetary, donating books and expensive materials and equipment. He was kind to the widowed and the poor to whom he often anonymously donated clothing and food. In addition, he gave to the Boston Female Asylum, the Young Mens's total Abstinence Society, boston Society for Natural History, the Young Men's Literary Association, and Boston Horticultural Society. By the end of his life, Lawrence had give away 5/6th of his fortune.

Politically, Lawrence was originally a Federalist and later became a Whig. He was well informed about and discussed politics often in his letters. Yet, he had no desire to hold public office, even refusing to vote for his brother Abbott who campaigned for the Whig nomination for the Vice-Presidency in 1848.

Amos Lawrence died on December 31, 1852 at age 66. He is buried at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Collection Description

The Amos Lawrence papers consist of eight document boxes that spans the years 1814-1879. The collection is divided into two series: Loose Papers and Bound Volumes.

The bulk of the collection consists of Lawrence's correspondence with family, friends, and many organizations and schools to which he donated money and goods. The loose correspondence particularly reflects his relationships with his second wife Nancy, sons William Richards and Amos Adams Lawrence, brothers Abbot, Samuel and Luther Lawrence, sisters Mary Lawrence Woodbury and Eliza Lawrence Greene, and the family of his first wife Sarah Richards. The loose correspondence also reflects his many philanthropic activities; interests in politics; and to a lesser extent his involvement in land companies and his business "A & A Lawrence." The letterbooks primarily include copies of correspondence between Lawrence and his friend Mark Hopkins, and reflect both of their interests in philanthropic activities and politics. Other correspondents include his nephew Franklin Pierce, Josiah Quincy of Harvard University, Charles Storrow, and the Secretary of the Navy, Nathan Silsbee, among many others.

In addition to the correspondence the collection also includes some loose business papers, and personal account books kept by Lawrence.

Related Materials

The Massachusetts Historical Society (MHS) holds the following collections related to the Amos Lawrence papers:

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

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

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

Amos A. Lawrence diaries and account books, 1816-1886. Ms. N-1558. Finding aid available at: http://www.masshist.org/findingaids/doc.cfm?fa=fa0165.

Arrangement

The correspondence in the Amos Lawrence papers was removed from twelve bound volumes and arranged chronologically. As a result, the indexes to each volume (now located in box 1) no longer reflected the arrangement of the papers. Box 1 also contains a "guide to the indexes" that matches the original locations of the letters in the bound volumes to the years covered by each volume; this guide will make the letters accessible from the indexes to their current locations in the boxes.

Acquisition Information

The "Hopkins Letters" were a gift of Robert M. Lawrence in 1919. The account books were a gift of John Silsbee Lawrence in 1950.

Organization of the Collection

The collection is organized into the following series:

Detailed Description of the Collection

Preferred Citation

Amos Lawrence 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.