Creator:	Forbes, Mary Bowditch, 1878-1961
Title:	Mary Bowditch Forbes papers
Dates:	1882-1961
Bulk Dates:	1890-1961
Physical Description:	28 document boxes
Call Number:	Ms. N-49.68
Repository:	Massachusetts Historical Society 1154 Boylston Street Boston, MA 02215 library@masshist.org

Abstract:

This collection consists of the papers of Mary Bowditch Forbes of Milton, Mass., an ardent anti-suffragist, conservative Republican, anti-pacifist, anti-socialist, amateur poet, and admirer of Abraham Lincoln.

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Biographical Sketch

Mary Bowditch Forbes was the daughter of James Murray Forbes and Alice Bowditch Forbes. Her siblings were Dorothy Murray Forbes and Allan Forbes. She was a horse and dog enthusiast, admirer of Abraham Lincoln, amateur poet, political conservative, anti-pacifist, and anti-suffrage lobbyist. She was single, resided in Milton, Mass., and summered at a family home in Dark Harbor, Islesboro, Maine, and sometimes at Nantucket.

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Collection Description

This collection consists of correspondence; account books; scrapbooks containing Mary Bowditch Forbes's poetry and material concerning pacifism, World War I, women's suffrage, socialism, and other political subjects; papers related to her anti-suffrage work, including correspondence with Clara Vezin of the New Jersey Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage; poetry of Forbes and others; papers related to Abraham Lincoln and a replica of his birthplace that Forbes had built in Milton, Mass.; and financial papers, including checkbooks, bank statements, and bills and receipts. Among Forbes's correspondents are her parents James Murray Forbes and Alice Bowditch Forbes, siblings Dorothy Murray Forbes and Allan Forbes, Theodore Roosevelt, F. Lauriston Bullard, Buckminster Fuller, Vivian T. Pomeroy, and Walter G. Page.

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Related Materials

The Massachusetts Historical Society (MHS) holds the following collections related to the Mary Bowditch Forbes papers:

James Murray Forbes papers, 1868-1957. Ms. N-49.67. Finding aid available at: http://www.masshist.org/findingaids/doc.cfm?fa=fa0157.

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Acquisition Information

Gift of H. A. Crosby Forbes of Cambridge, Mass., 1992.

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Organization of the Collection

The collection is organized into the following series:


	I. Correspondence, 1882-1961
	II. Volumes, 1892-1955
		A. Miscellaneous volumes, 1892-1955
		B. Scrapbooks and guest books, 1910-1955
	III. Miscellaneous papers, 1887-1961
	IV. Financial papers, 1901-1960
		A. Bills and receipts, 1901-1960
		B. Financial statements, 1924-1960
		C. Checkbooks, 1923-1960
	V. Printed matter, 1883-ca. 1961

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Detailed Description of the Collection


Box	Contents
	I. Correspondence, 1882-1961 Arranged chronologically. The correspondence in this series relates to Mary Bowditch Forbes's many interests, in particular Abraham Lincoln; anti-suffrage and other conservative political stances, including strong anti-FDR and anti-pacifist beliefs; family conflicts, notably her sister Dorothy's alcoholism; and the expenses of the family property in Milton, Mass.
Box 1		Undated, 1882, 1900-1927 Among the correspondents are Forbes's mother and father, anti-suffragist Clara Vezin (23 Nov. 1907), diplomat W. Cameron Forbes (25 Sep. 1916), Theodore Roosevelt (4 Jan. 1917; 8 Aug. 1918), Clement H. Norton (30 Dec. 1919), the secretary to the president (26 Jan. 1924), Louis A. Coolidge (7 Feb. 1924), Gen. William H. Bisbee (3 Aug. 1924), and Henry R. Rathbone (3 June 1926). Subjects include World War I, anti-suffrage, the Lincoln Cabin (a replica in Milton, Mass.), and the death of Richard S. Fay.
Box 2		1928-1935 Among the correspondents is Walter Gilman Page (28 May 1929). Subjects include the Lincoln Cabin, trust funds, family correspondence, financial matters (particularly the Milton estate), and Dorothy Murray Forbes's alcohol abuse.
Box 3		1936-1944 Included is a copy of a Franklin Delano Roosevelt letter (25 Feb. 1937). Among the correspondents are Robert Washburn (29 Apr. 1940), Wendell L. Willkie (30 Nov. 1940), the secretary to Winston Churchill (3 Feb. 1941), Pearl S. Buck (19 Aug. 1942; 26 Oct. 1942; 11 Jan. 1943), and editor Virginia Pennington (from 8 Apr. 1944). Subjects include Forbes's support of Alf Landon and her antagonism towards Roosevelt; a family dispute over the expenses of the Milton estate; Abraham Lincoln's birthday and the Lincoln Cabin; insurance policies; Forbes's anti-socialist and anti-communist views; the Islesboro (Maine) property; the death of James Murray Forbes (1937); Mary Bowditch Forbes's contribution to a proposed book entitled Lincolniana in Private Collections, compiled by Virginia Pennington (of Hobbies Magazine); the treason trial of Elizabeth Dilling (22 May 1944); the launching of the ship R. B. Forbes (14 Sep. 1944); the National Cathedral Association; and the death of Dorothy Murray Forbes (Nov. 1944).
Box 4		1945-1961 Among the correspondents are Helen Keller (25 Mar. 1946), Virginia Pennington of Hobbies Magazine, Unitarian minister and writer Vivian T. Pomeroy (20 Dec. 1946), MHS director Stewart Mitchell (12 Mar. 1947), Dwight D. Eisenhower (20 Feb. 1948), R. Buckminster Fuller (Sep. 1949), F. Lauriston Bullard (17 Oct. 1949), the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (12 Nov. 1949), and musician, lecturer, and writer Boris Goldovsky (11 Dec. 1957). Subjects include financial matters and insurance, Abraham Lincoln, the proposed Lincolniana book, and appeals to charities.
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Box	Folder	Contents
		II. Volumes, 1892-1955
			A. Miscellaneous volumes, 1892-1955 Arranged chronologically.
Box 5	Folder 1			Memorandum book, schedule for piano lessons, undated This volume apparently did not belong to Mary Bowditch Forbes.
Box 5	Folder 2			Telephone number book, undated
Box 5	Folder 3			History notebook, 1892
Box 5	Folder 4			Account book, 1899-1908 This volume was kept by James Murray Forbes for Mary Bowditch Forbes.
Box 5	Folder 5			Account book, 1911-1919 This volume was kept by James Murray Forbes for Mary Bowditch Forbes.
Box 5	Folder 6			Record of birthdays, 1931 to ?
Box 5	Folder 7			Address book for Christmas cards, 1939
Box 5	Folder 8			Account book, 1954-1955
			B. Scrapbooks and guest books, 1910-1955 Arranged chronologically.
Box 5	Folder 9			Scrapbook, undated Included are papers related to U.S. presidents through Benjamin Harrison.
Box 6	Folder 1			The Clamshell, 1910-1919 This volume contains photographs, signatures of guests, poetry, and newspaper clippings. Included are suffrage/anti-suffrage clippings and poetry, World War I clippings and memorabilia, and a signed Marcel Duchamp print of "Nude Descending a Staircase" on the last page.
Box 6	Folder 2			The Pebble, Dark Harbor, Islesboro, Maine, 1913-1928 This volume contains photographs, newspaper clippings, signatures of guests, and poetry. Subjects include World War I, suffrage/anti-suffrage, and Forbes's anti-socialist views.
Box 7	Folder 1			The Clamshell, 1920-1944 This volume contains signatures of guests, photographs of dogs, etc., poetry, and newspaper clippings. Subjects include the golden wedding anniversary of James Murray Forbes and Alice Bowditch Forbes.
Box 7	Folder 2			The Lincoln Cabin, 1923-1926 This volume contains only signatures of guests.
Box 7	Folder 3			Scrapbook, 1927-1950 Included are clippings, correspondence, and photographs from family vacations at Nantucket.
Box 8	Folder 1-2			Scrapbook, 1936-1938 This volume contains newspaper clippings of Mary Bowditch Forbes's poetry and clippings related to her political and personal interests.
Box 8	Folder 3-4			Scrapbook, 1938-1940 This volume contains newspaper clippings of Mary Bowditch Forbes's poetry and clippings related to her political and personal interests.
Box 8	Folder 5			Anchors Aweigh, Islesboro, Maine, 1940-1955 This volume contains signatures, poetry, photographs, and newspaper clippings. Included is a poem by painter Margaret Fitzhugh Browne with her signature, as well as a photograph and a newspaper clipping.
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Box	Contents
	III. Miscellaneous papers, 1887-1961
Box 9		Anti-suffrage papers, 1914-1922 Included are letters; notes, etc.; papers related to the National Women's Party meeting in Boston (1919); anti-suffrage newspaper clippings (1914-1920); printed anti-suffrage literature, including pamphlets, flyers, etc.; and a scrapbook of telegrams, newspaper clippings, correspondence, postcards, and other printed items.
Box 10		Writings and Abraham Lincoln memorabilia, 1887-1961 This box contains poems and writings by Mary Bowditch Forbes and others, including Forbes's autobiography; pencil drawings by Forbes; ephemera; and Abraham Lincoln memorabilia, including notes, clippings, and items sent to her by other Lincoln enthusiasts. Forbes's property in Milton, Mass., was an exact replica of Lincoln's birthplace, and she usually had a celebration there on the anniversary of his birth.
Box 11		Greeting cards, postcards, and miscellaneous newspaper clippings, 1916-ca. 1961
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Box	Contents
	IV. Financial papers, 1901-1960
		A. Bills and receipts, 1901-1960 Arranged chronologically.
Box 12			1901-1940
Box 13			1941-1956
Box 14			1957-1958
Box 15			1959-1960
		B. Financial statements, 1924-1960 Arranged chronologically.
Box 16			1924-1932
Box 17			1933-1937
Box 18			1938-1950, 1952-Sep. 1953
Box 19			Oct. 1953-1954
Box 20			1955-Mar. 1956
Box 21			Apr. 1956-June 1957
Box 22			July 1957-10 Oct. 1958
Box 23			15 Oct. 1958-6 Jan. 1960
Box 24			12 Jan.-12 Dec. 1960
Box 24			Income taxes, 1955-1960
		C. Checkbooks, 1923-1960 Arranged chronologically.
Box 25			1923-1952
Box 26			1952-1956
Box 27			1957-1960
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Box	Contents
Box 28	V. Printed matter, 1883-ca. 1961 This series contains signed Buckminster Fuller printed items, Theodore Roosevelt Club circulars with engravings and original packaging, two maps, and a copy of Extending the Right of Suffrage to Women: Hearings Before the Committee on Woman Suffrage, H.R. Res. 200 (1918).

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Preferred Citation

Mary Bowditch Forbes papers, Massachusetts Historical Society.

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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.


	Persons:
		Bullard, F. Lauriston (Frederic Lauriston), 1866-1952
		Forbes, Alice Francis Bowditch, 1848-1929.
		Forbes, Allan, 1874-1955.
		Forbes, Dorothy Murray, 1881-1944.
		Forbes, James Murray, 1845-1937.
		Fuller, R. Buckminster (Richard Buckminster), 1895- .
		Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865--Museums.
		Page, Walter Gilman, 1862-1934.
		Pomeroy, Vivian T. (Vivian Towse), 1883-1961.
		Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919.
		Vezin, Clara.


	Organizations:
		New Jersey Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage.


	Subjects:
		Account books--1899-1908.
		Account books--1911-1919.
		Account books--1954-1955.
		Family history--1900-1949.
		Family history--1950-1999.
		Poetry.
		Scrapbooks--1910-1955.
		Women and peace.
		Women and socialism.
		Women poets.
		Women--Suffrage.
		World War, 1914-1918--Public opinion.

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Materials Removed from the Collection

Photographs from this collection have been removed to the MHS Photo Archives. One glass-plate negative has been removed to Misc. Glass Plate Negatives (Box 2).

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http://www.masshist.org/findingaids/doc.cfm?fa=fa0324
Send reference questions to library@masshist.org.

Collection processed by Katherine H. Griffin, September 1992.
Encoded by Susan Martin, August 2009

Massachusetts Historical Society
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