Sedgwick Family Papers 1717-1946 Guide to the Collection Funded by the Sedgwick Family Charitable Trust.

Table of Contents Collection Summary Biographical Timeline and Sketches Sources Collection Description Related Materials Arrangement Acquisition Information Organization Detailed Description of the Collection Appendix: Descendants of Theodore Sedgwick Preferred Citation Access Terms Materials Removed

Collection Summary

Biographical Timeline and Sketches

The timeline of Sedgwick family events is followed by biographical sketches of Sedgwick family members, arranged alphabetically in three sections: Sedgwick family members, related families, and historical collection. To view a genealogical chart of the Sedgwick family, click here.

Timeline of Sedgwick Family Events

List of abbreviations:

CMS--Catharine Maria Sedgwick (1789-1867)
HDS--Henry Dwight Sedgwick (1785-1831)
HDS II--Henry Dwight Sedgwick II (1824-1903)
HDS III--Henry Dwight Sedgwick III (1861-1957)
TS--Theodore Sedgwick (1746-1813)
TS II--Theodore Sedgwick II (1780-1839)
TS III--Theodore Sedgwick III (1811-1859)
TS IV--Rev. Theodore Sedgwick (1863-1951)

Sedgwick Family Members

Arranged alphabetically.

Susan Ridley Sedgwick Butler (1828-1883)
Born on 28 January 1828 to Robert and Elizabeth Ellery Sedgwick, Susan married Charles E. Butler, a lawyer practicing in New York City, on 1 October 1855. They had three children--Charles Sedgwick, Henrietta Sedgwick, and Robert Sedgwick--all of whom died at a young age. After Susan died on 17 March 1883, her husband commissioned St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Stockbridge built in her memory.

Elizabeth Ellery Sedgwick Child (1824-1909)
"Lizzie." The oldest child of Robert and Elizabeth Ellery Sedgwick, Elizabeth was born on 27 January 1824. She married Francis J. Child, a Harvard College professor of English and rhetoric, on 20 August 1860, and they had four children: Helen Maria, Susan Ridley Sedgwick, Henrietta Sedgwick, and Francis Sedgwick. She died in Cambridge on 6 September 1909.

Katherine Sedgwick Minot (1820-1880)
"Kate." The oldest child of Charles and Elizabeth Dwight Sedgwick, Katherine was born in Lenox on 15 September 1820 and was named after her aunt Catharine Maria Sedgwick. She attended schools in the Berkshires and New York City, receiving an excellent education. Katherine met William Minot II when she visited Rome, and they married in 1842. Katherine and William had seven children: Jane Sedgwick, Alice Woodbourne, William III, Charles Sedgwick, Robert Sedgwick, Henry Davis, and Laurence. They lived in Boston and later at "Woodbourne," the Minot family's home in West Roxbury. Throughout her life, she maintained a close relationship with her aunt Catharine Maria Sedgwick, who died at Katherine's home in 1867. Katherine died in Boston on 29 June 1880.

William Minot II (1817-1894)
The second son of William and Louisa Davis Minot and the grandson of George Richards Minot, William was born on 7 April 1817. After graduating from Harvard College in 1836 and Harvard Law School in 1840, he was admitted to the bar in 1841. He traveled to Europe because of ill health, then returned to work at 39 Court St., Boston, the law office where his father and grandfather had practiced. William gained a respected reputation in business law and, with his father, specialized in trust administration. He married Katherine Maria Sedgwick in 1842 and had seven children. After the death of his wife in 1880, he moved from "Woodbourne," the family estate, to 22 Marlborough St. in Boston, where he lived until his death in 1894.

Eliza Sedgwick Pomeroy (1775-1827)
The oldest child of Theodore and Pamela Dwight Sedgwick, Eliza was born on 30 April 1775. On 23 April 1797, she married Thaddeus Pomeroy of Stockbridge, a medical doctor. Their twelve children were: Theodore Sedgwick, George Williams, Egbert Benson, Pamela Dwight, Elizabeth Pamela, Ebenezer Watson, Frances Susan, Catherine Eliza, Julia, Charles Sedgwick, Mary, and Thaddeus. She died on 15 October 1827.

Elizabeth Sedgwick Rackemann (1826-1891)
"Bessie." The third child of Charles and Elizabeth Dwight Sedgwick, Elizabeth was born on 15 July 1826. She married Frederick William Rackemann of Bremen, Germany, in 1855, and they had six children: Charles Sedgwick, Frederick William, Jr., Felix, Elizabeth Sedgwick, Louise Sedgwick, and William Frederick. She died on 24 September 1891.

Jane Sedgwick Ricciardi (1859-1918)
"Blossom." Born on 30 July 1859 in Stockbridge, Jane was the eldest child and only daughter of Henry Dwight and Henrietta Ellery Sedgwick. Living in Europe for most of her life, Jane translated and published the works of Greek poets. She remained single until 1914, when at the age of 55, she married Michele Ricciardi, a law professor at the University of Naples. She died on 18 April 1918 in Naples.

Alexander Sedgwick (1867-1929)
"Aleck." The fourth child of Henry Dwight and Henrietta Ellery Sedgwick, Aleck was born on 24 January 1867 in New York City. Throughout his life, he suffered from poor health. He attended Bishop's College School in Lennoxville, Quebec, and traveled widely in Europe and California. Returning to Massachusetts, he and his family lived in Stockbridge in the Sedgwick family home built by his great-grandfather, Theodore Sedgwick, in 1785. He married Lydia Cameron Rogers of Buffalo, New York, on 2 October 1895, and they had three children: William Ellery, Christiana Davenport, and Alexander Cameron. A Democrat, Alexander was elected representative to the Massachusetts General Court in 1912-1913 and served as an ambulance driver in Italy during World War I. Following in his father's footsteps, he became president of the Laurel Hill Association of Stockbridge and was a member of the Union Club of Boston and the Century Club of New York City. He died in Bath, New York, on 18 October 1929.

Alexander C. Sedgwick (1901-1996)
"Shan." Born on 8 February 1901 to Alexander and Lydia Rogers Sedgwick in Stockbridge, he worked as the Middle East correspondent for the New York Times and as the Associated Press correspondent in Greece in the 1930s. He married Roxane Soteriadis of Greece and lived in that country for most of his later years. Alexander died in Greece on 19 January 1996.

Arthur George Sedgwick (1844-1915)
The fifth child of Theodore Sedgwick III and Sarah Ashburner Sedgwick, Arthur was born on 6 October 1844 in New York City. He graduated from Harvard in 1864 and immediately enlisted in the 20th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. He served from 23 June 1864 to 3 February 1865 as a first lieutenant, was captured at Deep Bottom, Virginia, and was jailed in Libby Prison. Following his service, he entered Harvard Law School, later becoming editor of the American Law Review. In addition to completing a revision of his father's work Sedgwick on Damages, he also served on the editorial staff of the New York Evening Post and The Nation. Arthur married Lucy Tuckerman on 16 November 1882, and the couple had two children: Grace Ashburner and Susan Ridley. Although he inherited the family home in Stockbridge, Arthur later sold it to his cousin Henry Dwight Sedgwick II. He died in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, on 14 July 1915.

Catharine Maria Sedgwick (1789-1867)
Born in Stockbridge on 28 December 1789, Catherine was the sixth child of Theodore and Pamela Dwight Sedgwick. In 1822, she anonymously published her first novel, A New England Tale; or Sketches of New England Character and Manners, inspired by her recent conversion to Unitarianism. With her novels Redwood (1824), Hope Leslie (1827), Clarence, or a Tale of Our Own Times (1830), and The Linwoods, or "Sixty Years Since" in America (1835), she earned a place as one of America's most popular and well-known authors. Although courted by many prominent men of her time, Catharine chose to remain unmarried and devote herself to her writing, residing in Lenox and in the various homes of her brothers and nieces. In 1857, she published her last novel, Married or Single? She died in West Roxbury at "Woodbourne," the home of her niece Katherine Maria Sedgwick Minot, on 31 July 1867.

Charles Sedgwick (1791-1856)
Born on 15 December 1791 in Stockbridge, Charles was the youngest child of Theodore and Pamela Dwight Sedgwick. He married Elizabeth Buckminster Dwight on 30 September 1819, and they moved to Lenox the following year. Charles and Elizabeth had five children: Katharine Maria, Charles, Elizabeth Dwight, William Dwight, and Grace Ashburner. Throughout his life, he maintained a close relationship with his sister Catharine Maria Sedgwick, who, along with his daughter Katherine Sedgwick Minot, edited his correspondence for publication following his death. Although he was the only one of Theodore Sedgwick's sons who did not attend college, Charles was widely known and respected for his intellectual skills. After studying law and passing the bar, he served most of his career as clerk of the courts in Berkshire County, Massachusetts. Ill health forced him to resign in 1856, and he died later that year.

Elizabeth Buckminster Dwight Sedgwick (1801-1864)
The daughter of Josiah and Rhoda Edwards Dwight, and the great-granddaughter of Jonathan Edwards, Elizabeth was born on 17 September 1801. She married Charles Sedgwick in 1819, and they had five children. For over thirty years, Elizabeth served as headmistress of a nationally recognized girls' school in Lenox. Close friends with her sister-in-law Catharine Maria Sedgwick, as well as actress Fanny Kemble (Butler), she was herself a prolific children's author. Her works include Stories of the Spanish Conquest in America (1830), Louisa and her Cousins (1831), The Beatitudes (1832), and A Talk with My Pupils (1863).

Elizabeth Dana Ellery Sedgwick (1799-1862)
"Lizzie." Elizabeth was born to William and Abigail Shaw Ellery in Newport, Rhode Island, on 27 August 1799. Her grandfather, William Ellery, was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. She married Robert Sedgwick on 21 August 1822. When he died in 1841, she was left with seven children between the ages of 3 and 17. She died in Stockbridge on 6 September 1862.

Henrietta Ellery Sedgwick (1829-1902)
"Netta." Born on 18 October 1829 in New York City to Robert and Elizabeth Ellery Sedgwick, Henrietta married her first cousin, Henry Dwight Sedgwick II, on 15 October 1857. Although her husband practiced law in New York City, she raised their five children--Jane Minot, Henry Dwight III, Theodore, Alexander, and Ellery--in Stockbridge, where her husband joined them almost every weekend. She died in Stockbridge on 23 February 1902 at the age of 72.

Henry Dwight Sedgwick (1785-1831)
"Harry." The second son of Theodore and Pamela Dwight Sedgwick, Henry was born in Stockbridge on 22 September 1785. Along with his brother Robert, he graduated from Williams College in 1804 and studied law with his father in Stockbridge, his brother Theodore Sedgwick II in Albany, and briefly at Tapping Reeve's Law School in Litchfield, Connecticut. Practicing primarily in New York City, Henry authored numerous essays, including "English Practice of Common Law" (1822), and his articles appeared in North American Review and Banner of the Constitution. He married Jane Minot, the daughter of George Richards Minot and the sister of William Minot, on 2 June 1817, and they had five children: George Minot, Jane Minot, Frances, Henry Dwight II, and Louisa Minot. Increasing mental illness forced him to retire and return to Stockbridge, and he was institutionalized in 1828-1829 at McLean Asylum. Henry died in Stockbridge on 23 December 1831.

Henry Dwight Sedgwick II (1824-1903)
"Hal." Born in New York City on 16 August 1824 to Henry Dwight and Jane Minot Sedgwick, Henry graduated from Harvard College in 1843 and Harvard Law School in 1846. He practiced law at the firm of Storrs and Sedgwick in New York City from 1846 until about 1860. On 15 October 1857, he married his first cousin, Henrietta, the daughter of his uncle Robert Sedgwick. For over twenty years, Henry commuted almost weekly between his law office in New York City and his wife and five children in Stockbridge, and he was an active member of the Century and Union League Clubs of New York. In his later years, he returned to his family home in Stockbridge and was deeply involved in community activities. He helped to found the Laurel Hill Association, the first village improvement society in the country, and served as its president for over twenty years. Henry died in Rome on 26 December 1903 at the age of 79.

Henry Dwight Sedgwick III (1861-1957)
"Hal." The second child and oldest son of Henry Dwight and Henrietta Ellery Sedgwick, Hal was born 24 September 1861 in Stockbridge. He graduated from Harvard College in 1882, was admitted to the bar in 1884, and began practicing in New York City with his father. Retiring from law about 1898, Henry devoted his life to traveling and writing. In 1893, he was elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and became a prolific historian and author. Among his works were A Short History of Italy (1905), Ignatius Loyola (1923), and Cortes the Conqueror (1926). He married Sarah Minturn in New York City on 7 November 1895. They had four children: Henry Dwight IV; Robert Minturn; Francis Minturn; and Edith Minturn, who died at birth. Henry Dwight Sedgwick III died on 5 January 1957.

Jane Minot Sedgwick (1795-1859)
Born in 1795 to George Richards and Mary Speakman Minot, Jane married Henry Dwight Sedgwick on 2 June 1817, and together they had five children. Beginning about 1828, when her husband's mental illness began to worsen, she assumed increasing responsibility for her family's business and financial affairs. Jane outlived her husband by 28 years before she died in New York City on 24 February 1859 at the age of 63.

Jane Minot Sedgwick II (1821-1889)
The oldest daughter of Henry Dwight and Jane Minot Sedgwick, Jane was born on 20 February 1821 in New York City. She converted to Catholicism in 1853 and spent much of her adult life in Rome. Remaining unmarried, she founded a Catholic school in West Stockbridge and was active in the West Stockbridge Catholic parish administration. She died on 12 February 1889.

Lydia Rogers Sedgwick (1867- 1934)
"Lily." The daughter of Sherman S. and Christina Cameron Davenport Rogers of Buffalo, New York, Lydia married Alexander Sedgwick on 2 October 1895. Their three children were Christiana Davenport, William Ellery, and Alexander Cameron Sedgwick. A trustee of the Stockbridge Public Library Association and a member of the Colonial Dames of America, she continued to live in Stockbridge after her husband's death. She died on 12 April 1934.

Pamela Dwight Sedgwick (1753-1807)
The daughter of Brigadier General Joseph Dwight of Great Barrington and his second wife, Abigail Williams (Sergeant) Dwight, Pamela was born on 26 June 1753. She became Theodore Sedgwick's second wife in 1774, and the couple had ten children, seven of whom lived to adulthood. They were: Eliza Mason, Frances Pamela, Theodore II, Henry Dwight, Robert, Catharine Maria, and Charles. Forced to endure her husband's long absences from home during the course of his political career, she suffered recurring episodes of mental illness and was institutionalized on several occasions. She died on 20 September 1807 in Stockbridge.

Robert Sedgwick (1787-1841)
The son of Theodore and Pamela Dwight Sedgwick, Robert was born on 6 June 1787 in Stockbridge, and graduated from Williams College in 1804. He married Elizabeth Dana Ellery of Newport, Rhode Island, on 21 August 1822, and they had eight children. Robert invested widely in New York real estate and practiced law in New York City, at first with his brother Henry Dwight Sedgwick, then with D.D. Field, and beginning in May 1835, with his nephew Theodore Sedgwick III. In March 1838, Robert suffered a paralyzing stroke, from which he never fully recovered. Theodore took over his law practice, and Robert went to Europe from May 1839 to August 1840 in an attempt to recover his health. He died in Sachem's Head, Connecticut, on 2 September 1841.

Susan Livingston Ridley Sedgwick (1788-1867)
Susan was born on 24 May 1788, the daughter of Matthew and Catherine Livingston Ridley and granddaughter of Governor William Livingston. She married Theodore Sedgwick II on 28 November 1808, and they had two children, Theodore III and Maria Banyer Sedgwick. A popular author, she wrote children's stories and other novels, including The Morals of Pleasure (1829), The Young Immigrants (1830), Allan Prescott (1834), and Alida (1844). She died in Stockbridge on 20 January 1867.

Theodore Sedgwick (1746-1813)
The fourth child of Deacon Benjamin and Ann Thompson Sedgwick, Theodore was born on 9 May 1746 in Hartford, Connecticut. After attending Yale College, Theodore studied law with Mark Hopkins at Great Barrington, Mass., and after his admittance to the bar in 1766, he practiced law in Great Barrington and Sheffield, Mass. As secretary to the Berkshire County committee in 1774, he helped to develop the "Berkshire Covenant," which proposed peaceful resistance to the British. He served on the staff of General John Thomas to reinforce Arnold's siege of Quebec in 1776 and, the following year, became a commissary for the northern Continental Army, supplying cattle, flour, and other necessities. Theodore moved his law practice to Stockbridge in 1785, and he there built the house that would become known as the "Sedgwick Mansion." Serving as a member of the Massachusetts legislature, Theodore was also a representative to the Continental Congress in 1785-1786. He actively worked to suppress Shays' Rebellion in 1787, resulting in several attacks to his home and threats on his life. Elected to the First Federal Congress in 1789, Theodore later ran for office as a member of the Federalist Party, serving six years in the U.S. House of Representatives, three years in the Senate (one year as President pro tem), then three more years in the House as Speaker of the House (1799-1801). In 1802, he was appointed to the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, serving there until his death.

Theodore was married three times, first to Eliza Mason, who died about 1771, within a year of their marriage. On 17 April 1774, he married Pamela Dwight, the mother of his ten children (seven of whom lived to adulthood). Theodore's wife Pamela died in 1807 after an extended mental illness, and he married Penelope Russell in November 1808. He died on 24 January 1813 and is buried in Stockbridge.

Theodore Sedgwick II (1780-1839)
The oldest son of Theodore and Pamela Dwight Sedgwick, Theodore Sedgwick II was born in Sheffield on 9 December 1780. Graduating from Yale College in 1798, he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1801. He settled in Albany, N.Y., in 1803 and began a law practice with Harmanus Bleecker. Theodore married Susan Livingston Ridley, a granddaughter of Governor William Livingston of New Jersey, on 28 November 1808, and they had two children. In 1821, he was appointed the U.S. charge d'affaires at The Hague, Netherlands, but he returned to Stockbridge within a year because of ill health and devoted his time to writing, agriculture, and state politics. He served as a representative in the Massachusetts legislature in 1824-1825 and again in 1827, where he was an early advocate of the Boston and Albany Railroad. His published essays and addresses include Hints to My Countrymen (1826) and The Practicability of the Abolition of Slavery (1831). In 1838, he published his most important work, the multi-volume Public and Private Economy. Theodore died from a stroke on 7 November 1839 after delivering an address to the Democrats of Pittsfield, at the age of 58.

Theodore Sedgwick III (1811-1859)
The third Theodore Sedgwick was born in Albany, N.Y., on 27 January 1811 to Theodore and Susan Ridley Sedgwick. After a public school education in New York City and Stockbridge, he graduated from Columbia College in 1829. Admitted to the bar in 1833, he became attaché at the U.S. embassy in Paris under his cousin, Edward Livingston. He returned to New York and began practicing law, joining his uncle Robert Sedgwick's practice in May 1835 and taking over the law office when Robert was debilitated by a stroke in 1838. Ill health forced Theodore Sedgwick III himself to retire from law in 1850, and he spent the next several years traveling to Italy, Switzerland, France, and England. In 1852, he became president of the Crystal Palace Association, organizing the construction of the building for the New York World's Fair. The author of several widely used legal textbooks, including A Treatise on the Measure of Damages (1847) and Statutes and Constitutional Law (1857), Theodore declined President James Buchanan's offer to become minister to the Netherlands and assistant secretary of state in 1857, and in 1858, he became the U.S. district attorney of the southern district of New York. Theodore married Sarah Morgan Ashburner of Stockbridge on 28 September 1835, and they had seven children, three of whom died in infancy. He died in Stockbridge on 9 December 1859.

Rev. Theodore Sedgwick (1863- 1951)
"Teedy." Born on 2 August 1863 to Henry Dwight and Henrietta Ellery Sedgwick, the fourth Theodore Sedgwick graduated from Harvard College in 1886 and from the Berkeley Divinity School in Middleton, Connecticut, in 1890. From 1890-1934, he served as rector of St. John's Church in Williamstown, Mass., the Church of St. John the Evangelist in St. Paul, Minnesota, Calvary Episcopal Church in New York City, St. Andrew's Memorial Church in Yonkers, and St. Paul's Church in Rome. Theodore Sedgwick IV married Mary Aspinwall Bend of St. Paul, Minnesota, in May 1903, and they had four children. He died in Sharon, Connecticut, on 22 May 1951.

William Dwight Sedgwick (1831-1862)
The second son of Charles and Elizabeth Dwight Sedgwick, William was born in Lenox on 27 June 1831. After attending Harvard College in 1851, he studied law for a year, then traveled abroad to study in Germany. There he married Louisa Frederica Tellkampf of Hanover, Germany, on 15 July 1857, and they had three daughters. In 1861, William joined the 2nd Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, later becoming a major on the staff of Major-General John Sedgwick. He was fatally wounded at Antietam on 29 September 1862.

William Ellery Sedgwick (1825-1873)
"Ell." Born on 28 March 1825 to Robert and Elizabeth Ellery Sedgwick, William was called "Ellery" or "Ell" by his family and friends. He graduated from Harvard College in 1846 and practiced law in New York City. He married Constance Irving Brevoort on 26 November 1850, and they had six children. He died on 16 April 1873 at the home of his cousin Henry Dwight Sedgwick II in New York City.

Katherine Sedgwick Valerio Washburn (1831-1884)
"Kate." Named for her famous aunt Catharine Maria Sedgwick, Katherine was born on 7 October 1831 in New York City to Robert and Elizabeth Ellery Sedgwick. Her first husband was Joseph Valerio of Genoa, Italy. After his death, she married William T. Washburn on 22 November 1871, with whom she had a daughter, Nathalie D'Oremieulx Washburn. Katherine died on September 1884 at Lagenschwalbach, Germany. Her sister and brother-in-law, Henrietta Ellery and Henry Dwight Sedgwick II, raised her daughter, who took the name Natalie Sedgwick.

Frances Sedgwick Watson (1778-1842)
Born to Theodore and Pamela Dwight Sedgwick on 6 May 1778, Frances married Ebenezer Watson of Hartford, Connecticut, on 2 April 1801. The family subsequently moved to New York City, where Ebenezer worked as a publisher, and they later lived in Albany, New York. The mother of five children, she was the victim of domestic abuse, and her marriage was a difficult one. She died on 20 June 1842 in Stockbridge.

Frances Sedgwick Watts (1822-1858)
"Fanny." The second daughter of Henry Dwight and Jane Minot Sedgwick, Fanny was born on 6 September 1822. She married Alexander Watts of Fordham, New York, with whom she had two sons, Alexander and Henry Sedgwick Watts. She died less than eight months after the birth of her second son, on 4 December 1858. Her husband and eldest son both died in 1860, and her husband's brother became the legal guardian for the young Henry Sedgwick Watts. Henry Dwight Sedgwick II served as administrator to the several Watts estates.

Related Families

Arranged alphabetically.

Abigail Williams Sergeant Dwight (1721-1791)
The daughter of Colonel Ephraim and Elizabeth Jackson Williams of Stockbridge, Abigail was the half-sister of Ephraim Williams, the founder of Williams College. On 16 August 1739, she married John Sergeant, missionary to the Stockbridge Indians, and they had three children: John, Erastas, and Electa. After her husband's death at the age of 39 in 1749, Abigail became headmistress of the Indian girls' boarding school. In 1752, she married General Joseph Dwight, lawyer, land speculator, and former military officer of the French and Indian War. Dwight took over the management of the Indian School along with Abigail, through which the couple made considerable profit. They had two children, Pamela (who married Theodore Sedgwick) and Henry Williams Dwight. Abigail died in 1791.

Rev. James Freeman (1759-1835)
Born on 22 April 1759 to Constant and Lois Cobb Freeman, James graduated from Harvard in 1777, joined the Continental Army, and was captured at Quebec in 1780. After his release, Freeman returned to Boston to become a minister at King's Chapel. In 1785, he convinced the church membership to change their liturgy from Episcopalian to Unitarian, making King's Chapel the first Unitarian church in the United States. Freeman received a Doctorate of Divinity from Harvard in 1811 and retired from the ministry in 1826. He married Mrs. Martha Clark of Newton in 1788 and had no children. The uncle of Louisa Davis Minot, Freeman performed many marriages and baptisms for the Minot and Sedgwick families. He served as a member of Boston's first school committee and was one of the founders of the Massachusetts Historical Society. He died on 14 November 1835 in Newton, Massachusetts.

George Richards Minot (1758-1802)
The youngest son of Stephen and Sarah Clarke Minot, George was born in Boston on 22 December 1758. He received an A.B. from Harvard College in 1778 and an A.M. in 1781, when he was asked to give the valedictory address. Admitted to the Massachusetts bar in 1781, he set up practice at 39 Court St. in Boston, where four generations of his descendants would also practice law. In 1792, Minot was appointed judge of probate for Suffolk County and, in 1800, judge of the Municipal Court of Boston. A founder of the Massachusetts Historical Society in 1791, he achieved recognition as a historian with his History of the Insurrections in Massachusetts in the year 1786, concerning Shays' Rebellion, published in 1788. In 1783, he married Mary Speakman, and they had three children: William, Jane, and George Richards. Minot died on 2 January 1802.

Louisa Davis Minot (1788- 1858)
Born on 10 May 1788, Louisa was the daughter of Daniel Davis, former solicitor general of Massachusetts, and Lois Freeman Davis. The oldest of thirteen children, she moved to Boston from Portland at the age of 17. She married William Minot on 29 July 1810, and they had five children: Mary, George Richards, William II, Francis, and Julia. Living on Beacon St. in Boston, Louisa served as president of the charitable Bethesda Society for more than 30 years, as well as president of the Franklin Infant School. An accomplished artist and writer, Louisa contributed children's and adult stories to many periodicals and published a popular essay on perspective. She taught drawing and painting to her friends' children and many public school teachers. She died on 21 January 1858 at the age of 70.

William Minot (1783-1873)
Born in Boston on 17 September 1783, William was the son of George Richards and Mary Speakman Minot. He graduated from Harvard with an A.B. in 1802 and an A.M. in 1805. William became a prominent Boston lawyer, specializing in trust administration and practicing for 65 years at 39 Court St., formerly the office of his father. He married Louisa Davis on 29 July 1810, with whom he had five children. William built a home at 61 Beacon St. in 1824, which survived the 1825 fire, and he later built a summer home, known as "Woodbourne," in the Forest Hills section of West Roxbury. He died on 2 June 1873 in Boston at age 89.

William Minot II (1817-1894)
See Biographical Sketches--Sedgwick Family.

Historical Collection

Arranged alphabetically.

Elias Boudinot (1740-1841)
Born in Philadelphia in 1740, Elias Boudinot served as a New Jersey delegate to the Continental Congress in 1777-1778 and again in 1781-1784. Elected president of the Continental Congress in 1783, he signed the Treaty of Paris in that capacity and served from 1789 to 1795 as a U.S. representative from New Jersey. In 1795, he was appointed director of the United States Mint, a position he held until 1805. Boudinot was also a trustee of the College of New Jersey (later Princeton University) from 1772 until his death in 1821.

John Tabor Kempe (1735-1792)
John Tabor Kempe was appointed attorney general of the Royal Province of New York in July 1759 after the death of his father, William Kempe, who had served in that capacity since 1752. During his time in office, he acquired over 163,000 acres of land in New York and New Jersey, much of which he purchased from Native Americans. He married Grace Coxe of New Jersey in 1766. A Loyalist, Kempe was accused of treason during the Revolutionary War, and his lands and property were confiscated. He returned to England in 1783, where he died in 1792.

Archibald Kennedy (ca. 1685-1763)
A descendant of Scottish peerage, Archibald Kennedy emigrated to New York about 1710. In 1722, he became collector of customs and receiver-general of the Province of New York, a position he held until his death. A successful land speculator, he purchased the property at #1 and #3 Broadway in New York City, as well as Bedlow Island, later the site of the Statue of Liberty. His 1751 pamphlet, "The Importance of Gaining and Preserving the Friendship of the Indians to the British Interest, Considered," earned him the friendship of Benjamin Franklin and helped to inspire Franklin's 1754 "Albany Plan of Union" for the North American British colonies. Kennedy had one son, Archibald Kennedy II.

Archibald Kennedy II (ca. 1723-1794)
Archibald Kennedy II joined the Royal Navy at the age of fourteen as a captain's servant, and he became a captain himself by the age of 34. Commanding the armed frigates Prince of Orange, the Halifax, and the Flamborough, he is believed to have amassed a fortune in excess of £250,000 from prize money won during the French and Indian War. He also acquired considerable land with his marriages to Katherine Schuyler and Anne Watts, by whom he had three children. Heir to his father's property as well, by the mid 1760s, he had become one of New York's largest landowners and had turned his home at #1 Broadway into what was considered by contemporaries the finest mansion in New York City. Kennedy served as the Royal Navy commander of the British blockade of New York Harbor during the Stamp Act crisis of November 1765. For failing to remove British stamps from Fort George to one of his ships, he was relieved of his command, although he was later cleared by a Royal Navy investigation. Kennedy's mansion was confiscated during the Revolutionary War and used by George Washington as his New York headquarters. Kennedy returned to England in 1781, and in 1792, upon the death of an heirless Scottish cousin, he became the 11th Earl of Cassillis.

John Morke (d. 1755)
A native of Denmark, John Morke captained the Danish vessel Sarah and Elizabeth in 1717, emigrating to Boston by the late 1720s. There he commanded the sloop Albany and the brigantine Dolphin, sailing trade routes between Boston, New York City, and Albany, New York. Morke was also the creator of a long list of inventions and proposals, which he tried unsuccessfully to market to many British colonial governors and various European countries. Among these were proposals for a floating dock for ship repair; methods for creating silver from black lead; a "scheme for the defense of America"; methods to sweeten butter, preserve timber, and dress leather; and new designs for ploughs, water pipes, and ships. He died destitute in 1755.

Sources

For further biographical information, see:

Dewey, Mary E., ed. Life and Letters of Catharine M. Sedgwick, 1871.

Kelley, Mary, ed. The Power of Her Sympathy: The Autobiography and Journal of Catharine Maria Sedgwick, 1993.

Kenslea, Timothy. The Sedgwicks in Love: Courtship Engagement and Marriage in the Early Republic, 2006.

Minot, James Jackson. Ancestors and Descendants of George Richards Minot, 1758-1802, 1936.

The Minot Family: Record of Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1754-1934. Copied from family Bibles.

Sedgwick, Hubert Merrill, comp. A Sedgwick Genealogy: Descendants of Deacon Benjamin Sedgwick. Published posthumously by the New Haven Colony Historical Society, 1961, on the Sedgwick family website, http://www.sedgwick.org/na/library/books/sed1961/sed1961.html.

Welsh, Richard E. Theodore Sedgwick, Federalist: A Political Portrait, 1965.

Collection Description

The Sedgwick family papers consist of 117 boxes and 3 oversize boxes of manuscripts and printed materials, as well as 52 manuscript and printed volumes. They are arranged in thirteen series that document the Sedgwick family of western Massachusetts and New York City from 1717 to 1946. The bulk of the collection consists of the papers of Theodore Sedgwick, a Federalist legislator and judge; his wife Pamela Dwight Sedgwick; five of their children--Theodore Sedgwick II, Henry Dwight Sedgwick, Robert Sedgwick, Catharine Maria Sedgwick, and Charles Sedgwick--and their families.

Also within the collection are the papers of families related to the Sedgwicks by marriage. Most notable are the papers of William Minot, a Boston lawyer; his wife Louisa Davis Minot; and several of their ancestors and descendants. Other parts of the collection include Sedgwick family genealogical, real estate, and financial papers, as well as historical documents collected by Theodore Sedgwick III.

Of particular significance are the papers of Theodore Sedgwick which date from 1754 to 1813 and document his career as an agent for the Continental Army, representative to the Continental Congress, member of the U.S. House of Representatives, justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, and Federalist leader. In addition to correspondence with most of the influential political leaders of his day, his papers also include family correspondence, as well as business and financial papers.

Along with Theodore Sedgwick and his wife Pamela Dwight Sedgwick, five of Sedgwick's children and their families are represented by individual series. Within these series, the papers of each child, as well as the papers of their spouses, children, and in some cases, grandchildren, are further divided into individual subseries. (To navigate the family tree, it may be helpful to reference the Sedgwick Genealogical Chart.) The subseries include extensive sets of family correspondence, personal and professional papers, literary and political writings, journals, scrapbooks, account books, and other miscellaneous papers. Although the papers of Theodore Sedgwick's daughter, author Catharine Maria Sedgwick, form a separate series of family correspondence and personal papers, her representation within this collection is relatively small.

The largest series within the collection contains the papers of the family of Henry Dwight Sedgwick and consists of 53 boxes and 5 volumes. The bulk are the papers of New York lawyer Henry Dwight Sedgwick II, consisting of 30 boxes dating from 1836 to 1904. In addition to correspondence with his wife, Henrietta Ellery Sedgwick, his papers include writings and speeches, personal and business papers, financial records, and legal papers. Of particular interest are papers relating to HDS II's extensive legal work with the New York Underground Railway Company from 1871 to 1892.

Family correspondence forms the second largest series, consisting of 18 boxes spanning the years 1800 to 1946 and containing correspondence among more than 55 Sedgwick family members. Arranged chronologically except for undated correspondence, which is arranged alphabetically by author, the letters in this series document births, marriages, deaths, and other significant family occasions, and comment on political and social events in western Massachusetts, Boston, New York, Italy, and France.

The Minot family papers primarily consist of the papers of Boston attorney William Minot and his wife, artist and educator Louisa Davis Minot. Dating from 1771 to 1893, this series also includes the papers of William Minot's father, George Richards Minot; his grandfather, Stephen Minot; and his son, William Minot II. Also represented within the collection are papers of the Davis, Dwight, Freeman, Hopkins, Livingston, Pomeroy, Rackemann, Sergeant, Watts, and Williams families, as well as the papers of Fanny Kemble (Butler).

The historical document collections acquired by Theodore Sedgwick III between 1831 and 1833 form a separate series, dating from 1717 to 1815. They include the papers of Danish sea captain and inventor John Morke, New York Collector of Customs Archibald Kennedy, British Royal Navy officer Archibald Kennedy II, New York Attorneys General William Kempe and John Tabor Kempe, and Continental Congress President Elias Boudinot, as well as a 1759 orderly book from the Siege of Quebec and papers relating to Shays' Rebellion.

Related Materials

The Massachusetts Historical Society (MHS) holds the following collections related to the Sedgwick family papers:

Catharine Maria Sedgwick Papers, 1798-1908. Ms. N-852, P-354. Guide to the microfilm edition available at http://www.masshist.org/findingaids/doc.cfm?fa=fa0357.

Charles Sedgwick Papers, 1813-1908. Ms. N-853. Finding aid available at: http://www.masshist.org/findingaids/doc.cfm?fa=fa0035.

Henry Dwight Sedgwick III and Robert Minturn Sedgwick Papers, 1820-1976. Ms. N-2330. Finding aid available at: http://www.masshist.org/findingaids/doc.cfm?fa=fa0360..

Minot-Rackemann Family Papers, 1824-1952. Ms. N-380.

Sedgwick-Minot Family Papers, 1776-1908. Ms. N-851.7.

Theodore Sedgwick (1746-1813) Letters, 1798-1801. Ms. S-127.

Theodore Sedgwick (1863-1951) Diaries, 1884-1950. OFFSITE STORAGE. Fiinding aid available at http://www.masshist.org/findingaids/doc.cfm?fa=fa0319.

Arrangement

The papers that form this collection were previously arranged as six separate collections of Sedgwick family papers based upon their acquisition by the Massachusetts Historical Society from various individuals. Designated as Sedgwick family papers I through VI, the collections contained the papers of many of the same family members, overlapping in both date and subject. The personal and professional papers of Theodore Sedgwick, for example, could be found in all six collections, creating a challenge for researchers. These collections have now been combined and organized into thirteen series, representing Theodore Sedgwick, his wife Pamela Dwight Sedgwick, and the families of five of their children. Additional series represent general family correspondence and papers, papers of related families, and historical collections.

The indexes to the former collections--Sedgwick family papers I through VI--are now obsolete and are superseded by the box and folder locations contained within this finding aid. Many items previously included within the first four collections of Sedgwick family papers are individually described in the MHS manuscript catalog. Individually described items primarily consist of the papers of Theodore Sedgwick (now in series I), the papers of Catharine Maria Sedgwick (now in series VI), and the historical collections (series XII). Cataloged items pertaining to the Dwight, Sergeant, and Williams families are now found in series XI.

In general, correspondence between family members may be found in series VIII, Sedgwick family correspondence. There are several exceptions. All of Theodore Sedgwick's family correspondence, both written and received by him, is located in series I (Theodore Sedgwick papers). The family correspondence of Catharine Maria Sedgwick, other than her correspondence with her father, Theodore Sedgwick, may be found in series VI (Catharine Maria Sedgwick papers). In addition, extensive sets of correspondence between individual family members, usually husband and wife or parent and child, may be found within the series or subseries representing that individual. For further information on the arrangement of family correspondence within the collection, see the introduction to series VIII (Sedgwick family correspondence).

Historical commentary and memorials on the life or works of a particular individual, even if written by another Sedgwick family member, may be found within the series or subseries of the subject.

Acquisition Information

Gift of Alexander Sedgwick, March 1923; Elizabeth Gaskell Norton, May 1924; Mrs. Henry M. Channing, May 1924; and Charles S. Rackemann, September 1925.

Organization of the Collection

The collection is organized into the following series:

Detailed Description of the Collection

Appendix: Descendants of Theodore Sedgwick

This family tree is based on information found in Hubert Merrill Sedgwick's A Sedgwick Genealogy: Descendants of Deacon Benjamin Sedgwick (New Haven Colony Historical Society, 1961), http://www.sedgwick.org/na/library/books/sed1961/sed1961.html, and from the MHS collection of Sedgwick family papers. Individuals whose papers can be found within the Sedgwick family papers (Ms. N-851) are highlighted in bold.