1830-1922; bulk: 1847-1865
Guide to the Collection
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| Creator: | Lee, Francis L.,
1823-1886 |
| Title: | Francis L. Lee papers |
| Dates: | 1830-1922 |
| Bulk Dates: | 1847-1865 |
| Physical Description: | 4 boxes, 1
narrow box, and 1 oversize container |
| Call Number: | Ms. N-2315 |
| Repository: | Massachusetts Historical Society
1154 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02215
library@masshist.org |
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Abstract:
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This collection consists of the papers of Francis
L. Lee, farmer and colonel of the 44th Regiment of the Massachusetts Volunteer
Infantry during the Civil War, and includes correspondence, personal papers,
military papers, and printed material.
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Born on 10 Dec. 1823, Francis Lowell Lee of Brookline, Mass. was the son of
Boston merchant Henry Lee (1782-1867) and Mary Jackson Lee (1783-1860). He
entered Harvard College in 1839. While working as a supercargo for the Lee
family business during the 1840s, he traveled to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Cuba;
and Calcutta, India. He built his country home, "Stoney Sides," on Lake
Champlain in 1847, where he farmed and became involved in the Champlain Valley
Horticultural Society. In 1848 he married Sarah Wilson Lee, with whom he had
six children: Mary Lee (later Hale), Francis W. Lee, Alice Lee, Thomas Lee,
Anne Lee, and Robert Lee.
On 26 May 1862 Lee became major of the 4th Battalion of Infantry in First
Brigade and First Division of the Militia of the Commonwealth. Lee was
commissioned as the colonel of the 44th Regiment of the Massachusetts Volunteer
Infantry in August 1862, and in October the regiment was sent to North
Carolina, where it joined with Stevenson's Brigade. The regiment returned home
from North Carolina and disbanded in June 1863. After his honorable discharge,
Lee became a military advisor at the Massachusetts State House. He died in
1886.
Lee family papers, Massachusetts Historical Society (P-345, Ms.
N-2019)
"Forty-Fourth Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Militia (Infantry) 9
Months." Acton Memorial Library Civil War
Archives. Acton Memorial Library, 2009. Web. 21 April 2010.
www.actonmemoriallibrary.org/civilwar/Regiments/Mass/44MVI.htm
This collection consists of the personal and military papers of Francis L.
Lee of Brookline, Mass., a farmer and colonel of the 44th Regiment of the
Massachusetts Volunteer Militia. The collection includes correspondence related
to Lee's studies at Harvard, including letters to his father, Henry Lee, and
mother, Mary Jackson Lee, from Samuel A. Ripley and Josiah Quincy. An account
book and letterbook document his business dealings as a supercargo in India.
Between 1847 and 1859, Lee's correspondence deals primarily with personal
matters, including the construction of his country home "Stoney Sides" near
Lake Champlain, his marriage to Sarah Wilson Lee, family news, agriculture,
politics, and personal finances. Frequent correspondents include Mary Jackson
Lee, Henry Lee Sr., and brother Henry Lee Jr. During the Civil War, Lee
received letters from his wife and children about their daily activities on the
homefront in Chestnut Hill, Mass. and the progress of the war. Other letters
discuss military matters, such as the formation of African-American regiments,
pay disputes and routine military business. Notable correspondents include
Wallace Hinckley, Gov. John A. Andrew, Charles Russell Lowell, Louis Agassiz,
and Albert S. Bickmore. The collection does not contain letters written by
Francis L. Lee during his service in the Civil War. Several documents and
letters in the collection were sent to Lee's son, Francis W., after his
father's death. Also included in the personal papers series are theatre papers
and drawings.
Approximately half of the military papers series consists of
ordnance-related reports and returns. The remainder of the documents are an
assortment of material related to the 44th Regiment, including petitions from
the officers, a list of items taken from Southerners, and Lee's 1863 discharge
certificate. The printed material series contains a wide assortment of items,
including political pamphlets and articles, agricultural reports, and newspaper
clippings, including obituaries for Sarah Wilson Lee.
The Massachusetts Historical Society (MHS) holds the following collections
related to the Francis L. Lee papers:
Lee family papers, 1535-1957. P-345. 41 reels (microfilm), Ms. N-2019
(Tall). Finding aid available at:
http://www.masshist.org/findingaids/doc.cfm?fa=fa0260.
Lee family additions, 1815-1880. Ms. N-241.
Due to severe mildew, approximately one-half of the personal papers and
one-fifth of the military papers are photocopies. The originals were
photocopied and discarded for safety reasons.
Gift from the estate of Mary Lee through Thomas S. Walker, executor, Dec.
2007.
The collection is organized into the following series:
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| I. Personal papers, 1830-1922 |
| | A. Correspondence, 1830-1922 |
| | B. Theater papers, 1847-1865 |
| | C. Drawings, 1861-1865 |
| II. Military papers, 1861-1865 |
| III. Printed material, 1839-1922 |
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| Box | Folder | Contents |
| | I. Personal papers, 1830-1922 |
| | | A. Correspondence, 1830-1922
Arranged chronologicallyThis subseries contains letters written to, by, and about Francis L. Lee,
including correspondence related to his role as the colonel of the 44th
Regiment of the Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War. It also
includes several letters written to his son, Francis W. Lee, as well as a small
assortment of personal documents.
Correspondence from 1838-1840 relates primarily to Lee's studies, including
letters to his father, Henry Lee, and mother, Mary Jackson Lee, from Samuel A.
Ripley and from Josiah Quincy concerning Francis L. Lee's studies and
difficulties at Harvard. In 1844 Lee wrote a letter to his friend Thomas B.
Hall describing his travels in Rio de Janeiro as a supercargo for the family
trading business. An 1845 account book and letterbook document Lee's family
business dealings in India, including the purchase of silks, linseed, and
general merchandise.
Correspondence from 1847-1859 deals primarily with personal and family
matters. His primary correspondents include Mary Jackson Lee, Henry Lee,
brother Henry Lee (1817-1898), sister-in-law Lizzie Cabot Lee, and friend
Thomas B. Hall. One major subject is the building, outfitting and remodeling of
his country home, "Stoney Sides," located near Lake Champlain. Other subjects
include family news, such as his marriage to Sarah Wilson Lee, visits to
friends, the birth of his daughter Mary Lee (later Hale) in 1849, the birth of
his son Francis W. Lee in 1852, and the birth of his daughter Alice Lee in
1854. Additional topics include farm life and agriculture, Lee's finances, the
economic effects of the railroads, and Lee's 1853 trip through Philadelphia,
Washington, DC., Virginia, Kentucky, and Cincinnati, in which he discusses
slavery and his impressions of the South.
After 1860, Francis L. Lee's correspondents are more varied. Throughout the
Civil War, Lee received letters from his wife, Sarah Wilson Lee, concerning the
war's progress and family life at home. Lee's children Francis W. Lee, Mary
Lee, and Alice Lee wrote about their daily activities and the war. Throughout
the war, other officers wrote Lee letters concerning personnel, and several of
the men that served under him requested letters of recommendation. Another
frequent correspondent was E.J. Hunter, who was responsible for Lee's business
matters at home. Several correspondents, including Charles Russell Lowell,
wrote to Lee about the formation of African-American regiments, and a series of
1864 letters discuss an expedition to collect specimens in Bermuda undertaken
by Albert S. Bickmore for Louis Agassiz. Other letters relate to Francis L.
Lee's role as a military advisor at the Massachusetts State House in 1865.
Several legal documents, including mortgages, quit-claim deeds, and
discharges of mortgages, are located in this subseries. A folder of papers
related to Francis W. Lee includes a quit-claim deed and a letter electing him
treasurer of the Trustees of Phillips Exeter Academy.
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| Box 1 | | | | 1830-1851 |
| Box 2 | | | | Jan. 1852-Feb. 1863 |
| Box 3 | Folders 1-35 | | | March 1863-June 1878 |
| Folder 36 | | | Francis W. Lee papers, 1894-1922 |
| Folders 37-40 | | B. Theater papers, 1847-1865
Arranged chronologicallyThis subseries contains handwritten scenes from various plays in which
Francis L. Lee performed, including The Waterman,
Perfection, The Rivals, The German, Good Night's Rest, Turn Out, Damon Pythias,
and Who's the Dupe.
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| Folders 41-42 | | C. Drawings, 1861-1865
Arranged chronologicallyThis subseries includes drawings sent to Lee by his children during the
Civil War, as well as house plans drawn by Lee.
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| Box 4 | Folders 1-31 | II. Military papers, 1861-1865
Arranged chronologicallyThis series is comprised of documents related to Francis L. Lee's position
as colonel of the 44th Regiment of the Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry during
the Civil War. Approximately half of this series consists of ordnance-related
documents, including receipts of ordnance for individual companies within the
44th Regiment, and invoices of ordnance returned to regimental stores. Also
included are Lee's quarterly returns of unused ordnance to the central
office.
The rest of the series is comprised of a variety of documents, including
daily orders, passes, receipts of pay, petitions from officers in the 44th
Regiment, and signals. Other notable military papers include a list of items
taken from Southerners, a regimental history, a report on the condition of
company camps and barracks, Lee's 1862 appointment as major of the 4th
Battalion of Infantry in First Brigade and First Division of the Militia of the
Commonwealth, and his1863 discharge.
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| | III. Printed material, 1839-1922
Arranged chronologically.This series contains several items related to Francis L. Lee's interest in
agriculture, including the Champlain Valley Horticultural Society reports on
apples, pears, and other crops. The printed material also reflects Lee's
involvement in the theater, and includes a playbill of the comic opera
Il Recrutio performed for Major General John Gray
Foster in 1863. Some of the printed material pertains to the Civil War, such as
sanitary regulations for camps, a roster of the Massachusetts Volunteers Field
Officers, special orders from Gov. John A. Andrew, and the pamphlets
Instructions for Making Muster-Rolls, Mustering into
Service, Periodical Payments, and Discharging from Service Volunteers or
Militia and Northern Interests and Southern
Independence: A Plea for United Action by Charles J. Stille. Other
papers of interest relate to African-American regiments, and include newspaper
clippings and a subscription paper for the 54th Regiment of Massachusetts
Volunteers. A miniature copy of the Emancipation Proclamation and a program for
a concert in the honor of the Proclamation appear in the collection as well.
Finally, there are several obituaries marking Sarah Wilson Lee's death in 1901.
Oversize printed material includes 1862 military ordnance supply lists;
article reprints, the bulk published by the New England Loyal Publication
Society in 1863; and miscellaneous material including an 1862 Eastern Railroad
notice, a Boston city council invitation to an 1863 Independence Day
celebration, and an 1865 Thanksgiving proclamation.
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| Box 4 | Folders 32-36 | | 1839-1862 |
| Box 5 | | | 1863-1922 |
| OS Box | Folders 5-7 | | 1862-1865 |
Francis L. Lee papers, Massachusetts Historical Society.
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.
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| Persons: |
| | Lee, Francis W., b. 1852. |
| | Lee, Henry, 1782-1867. |
| | Lee, Henry, 1817-1898. |
| | Lee, Mary Jackson, 1783-1860. |
| | Lee, Sarah Wilson, 1821-1901. |
| | Lee family. |
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| Organizations: |
| | Harvard University--Students. |
| | United States. Army. Massachusetts Infantry
Regiment, 44th (1862-1863). |
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| Subjects: |
| | Account books. |
| | Agriculture--New England. |
| | Amateur theater. |
| | Brazil--Commerce--United States. |
| | Family history--1800-1849. |
| | Family history--1850-1899. |
| | India--Commerce--United States. |
| | India trade. |
| | Merchants--Massachusetts--Boston. |
| | United States--Army--Officers. |
| | United States--Commerce--Brazil. |
| | United States--Commerce--India. |
| | United States--History--Civil War,
1861-1865--Popular opinion. |
| | United States--History--Civil War,
1861-1865--Regimental histories--Massachusetts Infantry, 44th Volunteers.
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Ten photographs have been removed to the Francis L. Lee photograph
collection (Photo. Coll. 500.108).
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