Judith Winsor Smith Family Photographs 1860-1921 Guide to the Collection

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

Collection Summary

Biographical Sketch

Judith Winsor McLauthlin Smith was born in Marshfield, Mass., 26 November 1821. Her parents, Lewis McLauthlin and Polly Hathaway, were descendents of Mayflower passengers. In 1842, Judith married Silvanus Smith, a shipbuilder in East Boston. During the early years of their marriage, they lived in Duxbury, and later they moved to Jamaica Plain. Together they had six children: Sidney (b. 1846), Frances (1849-1916), Zilpha (1852-1926), Mary (1855-1908), Erasmus (b. 1858), and Jennie (b. 1865).

During her lifetime, Smith was involved in numerous social and political organizations and causes. She was an abolitionist, a member of the Standing Committee of Theodore Parker's 28th Congregational Society, a founder and the first president of the Home Club of East Boston (the second women's club in Massachusetts), and an officer in state and national women's suffrage associations. Smith remained active in the suffrage movement until her death in 1921.

At least two of the Smith's children, Zilpha and Frances, were also involved with social causes. Zilpha Drew Smith, social worker and educator, was involved in many aspects of social welfare in Boston from 1872-1918. She served as the Head Registrar and General Secretary of the Associated Charities, a city wide network of charity organizations, from its founding in 1879 to 1903. She was also active in the National Conference of Charities and Correction. In 1888, Smith along with Charles W. Birtwell formed the Monday Evening Club, a discussion group for social workers. In 1904 Smith became the Assistant Director of the Boston School for Social Workers (later the Simmons College School of Social Work).

Frances Smith was also a social worker and she devoted much of her life to charitable organizations. She was the district secretary of the North Station District of the Associated Charities of Boston, a member of the Co-operative Society of Visitors, and editor of the first Directory of Boston Charitable and Beneficent Organizations.

Jennie Smith married a man with the last name of Merrick, and it is likely that the photographs were handed down through this part of the family. Very little is known about the Smiths' other children.

Collection Description

The Judith Winsor Smith family photographs consist of one box of loose photographs and three oversized photographs in one oversize box. The collection spans the years ca.1860 to 1921.

The collection consists primarily of portraits of the Smith family. Most of these are photographs of Judith Winsor Smith, her husband Silvanus Smith, and their daughters, Zilpha, Frances, and Jennie. Additional portraits include Judith's parents, Polly and Lewis McLauthlin, and the Smith's three other children, Mary, Erasmus, and Sidney, as well as their grandchildren. Several portraits were removed from a photo collage created for Judith and Silvanus's 50th wedding anniversary. This collage was disassembled; the original collage can be seen hanging in the background of Photo. #161.70. Oversize portraits include a photograph of Judith and Silvanus with their six children. There is also one photograph of the Smith family home in East Boston, Mass. This collection includes one tintype and one carte de visite.

Photographers represented in the collection include Eliphalet J. Foss, Charles F. Conly, and Robert J. Chute (all of Boston, Mass.), and Bushby & Hart (Lynn, Mass.).

Related Materials

The Massachusetts Historical Society (MHS) holds the following collections related to the Judith Winsor Smith photographs:

Judith Winsor Smith papers, 1796-1926. Ms. N-123. Finding aid available at: http://www.masshist.org/findingaids/doc.cfm?fa=fa0063.

Acquisition Information

The Judith Winsor Smith family photographs were removed from the Judith Winsor Smith papers, which were donated to the Massachusetts Historical Society by Jane Bartels in March 1987.

Organization of the Collection

The collection is organized into the following series:

Detailed Description of the Collection

Preferred Citation

Judith Winsor Smith family photographs, Photo. Coll. 161, Massachusetts Historical Society Photo Archives.

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.