1842-2019
Guide to the Collection
Restrictions on Access
The Roger Weed Eckfeldt family papers are stored offsite and must be requested at least two business days in advance via Portal1791. Researchers needing more than six items from offsite storage should provide additional advance notice. If you have questions about requesting materials from offsite storage, please contact the reference desk at 617-646-0532 or reference@masshist.org.
Abstract
This collection consists of papers of Roger Weed Eckfeldt, his wife Dorothy (Turnbull) Eckfeldt, and other Eckfeldt family members, including World War I letters and other correspondence, diaries, school papers, writings, scrapbooks, and genealogical papers.
Biographical Sketch
Roger Weed Eckfeldt was born on 31 Oct. 1891 in New Bedford, Mass., the second child of Thomas Hooper Eckfeldt (1853-1924) and Grace Blanchard (Weed) Eckfeldt (1862-1949). His older sister was Margaret Weed Eckfeldt (1890-1975), who married William Chase Greene (1890-1978), and his younger brother was Thomas Hooper Eckfeldt, Jr. (1896-1961), who married Ruth Carter Grant. Roger Eckfeldt attended St. Andrew's School in Concord, Mass. and graduated from Harvard College in 1913. After graduation, he worked in the supply departments of various railroad companies.
Eckfeldt served in France during World War I, but his military career began earlier. He was a private in Battery A, 1st Battalion of Field Artillery, Massachusetts Volunteer Militia, from 1909 to 1912, and a private and corporal in the Headquarters Company, 1st Regiment of Field Artillery, Massachusetts National Guard, from 1916 to 1917. He was stationed in El Paso, Tex. from 20 June-31 Oct. 1916 during the Mexican Border War.
On 25 May 1917, Eckfeldt was commissioned first lieutenant in the 2nd Massachusetts Field Artillery and assigned to Battery D, later designated Battery D of the 102nd Field Artillery, 26th Division. He shipped out to Europe in Sep. 1917. He was promoted to captain on 9 Feb. 1918 and commanded, at different times, Batteries B, A, and D. He fought in the Chemin des Dames sector (7 Feb.-20 Mar. 1918) and the Meuse-Argonne offensive (Oct.-Nov. 1918). From 1 Apr.-24 Oct. 1918, he was detailed to the Artillery School at Camp de Souge, near Bordeaux, France, where he taught maps and orientation. He returned to the U.S. in April 1919.
Eckfeldt continued to serve stateside in the Massachusetts National Guard after the war. In 1934, he was promoted to brigadier general of the 51st Field Artillery Brigade. Five years later, he was promoted to major general of the 26th Division and served in that capacity during World War II.
Eckfeldt was secretary of the Massachusetts Commission on Foreign and Domestic Commerce, 1919-1920; purchasing agent for Millar and Wolfer Shoe Co. from 1920; and vice president of James Millar Co., 1924-1926. In 1926, he became an investment banker with White Weld and Co., working his way up to resident manager of the Boston office in 1945 and senior resident manager of the firm in 1958. He retired in 1979.
On 25 June 1917, Eckfeldt married Anna Dorothea Turnbull (1892-1964), who went by the name Dorothy or "Dotty." The couple had three children: Roger "Jerry" Weed Eckfeldt, Jr. (1920-1975), who married Gertrude Macaulay; Robert "Bobby" Turnbull Eckfeldt (1922-1972), who married Anne Ristine; and Suzanne "Susie" (or "Suzie") Eckfeldt (1925-2015), who married Edward Perry Harding.
Eckfeldt died in Portland, Me. on 30 Oct. 1985.
Collection Description
This collection contains the papers of Roger Weed Eckfeldt; his wife Dorothy (Turnbull) Eckfeldt; their children Roger, Jr., Robert, and Suzanne; and other family members. Included is correspondence, personal papers, scrapbooks, and genealogical papers. The bulk of the family correspondence consists of letters from Roger to Dorothy during his World War I service in France as an officer with the 102nd Field Artillery. Subjects include training, life at the front, and his work as an instructor at Camp de Souge near Bordeaux. Also included are Roger's letters to his parents during his earlier service with the Massachusetts National Guard in 1916 during the Mexican Border War and letters to Dorothy while he worked as a recruiter in New England, as well as family correspondence related to the World War II service of his sons Roger, Jr. and Robert and activities of his daughter Suzanne at Bennington College in Bennington, Vt.
Personal papers of family members include correspondence with non-family members, diaries, school papers, and writings. Roger Weed Eckfeldt's personal papers relate to his education at Harvard University, his work with various railroad companies, promotions, and other personal matters. Included is a diary he kept as a teenager describing his daily activities and attendance at St. Andrew's School in Concord, Mass., and a diary of a 1911 canoe trip to Maine with Richard A. Blodgett. Dorothy (Turnbull) Eckfeldt's personal papers relate primarily to her artwork, financial matters, writing classes, and an occupational therapy certification course she took during World War II.
Other personal papers include report cards and letters about the education of Roger, Jr., Robert, and Suzanne Eckfeldt; Suzanne's correspondence with friends, as well as a paper and notes on the Eckfeldt family written by her; and a diary kept by Roger's mother Grace (Weed) Eckfeldt on a tour of French battlefields sometime in the 1930s. Several members of the family corresponded with Grace R. Anthony, the "mother" of Battery D of the 102nd Field Artillery. Other correspondents include Roger's father, educator Thomas Hooper Eckfeldt, and his uncle, Judge Alonzo Rogers Weed.
The collection also contains disbound scrapbooks with supporting research, including printed items, printouts, photocopies, and other material about Roger Weed Eckfeldt and the Eckfeldt family, with annotations by his granddaughter Linda Harding; unverified typed transcriptions by Harding of the World War I correspondence; and miscellaneous genealogical papers on various members of the Eckfeldt and related families.
Acquisition Information
Gift of the Harding family in memory of their Eckfeldt heritage, April 2019.
Restrictions on Access
The Roger Weed Eckfeldt family papers are stored offsite and must be requested at least two business days in advance via Portal1791. Researchers needing more than six items from offsite storage should provide additional advance notice. If you have questions about requesting materials from offsite storage, please contact the reference desk at 617-646-0532 or reference@masshist.org.
Detailed Description of the Collection
I. Family correspondence, 1896-1985, [ca. 2015-2019]
Arranged chronologically.
This series consists of correspondence between members of the Eckfeldt and related families. Most of the letters were written by Roger Weed Eckfeldt. Included are letters to his parents Thomas and Grace (Blanchard) Eckfeldt during his service with the Massachusetts National Guard in the Mexican Border War, June-Oct. 1916. Letters discuss his training and other daily work, provisions, the weather (including severe dust storms), social activities, and financial matters. His brother Thomas Hooper Eckfeldt, Jr. also served in the regiment, which was stationed at Camp Pershing in El Paso, Tex.
Letters from Roger to Dorothy "Dotty" (Turnbull) Eckfeldt written in the spring and summer of 1917 describe his work recruiting for the Massachusetts National Guard, his love for her, travel to various locations in New England, training at Boxford (Mass.) Training Camp, inoculations, and shipping out to Europe. Other soldiers mentioned include his brother Thomas and Lt. Willard Simpkins.
The bulk of the series consists of World War I letters, written every two or three days (with gaps in Feb.-Mar. and Sep. 1918), from Roger to Dorothy while he served in France with the 102nd Field Artillery, Sep. 1917-Mar. 1919, first as first lieutenant, then as captain. Letters describe troop movements, conditions, training (including equestrian training), French towns and landscapes, his love and homesickness for her, the censorship of letters, financial matters, family news, items sent from home, his promotion to commander of Battery B in Jan. 1918 and to a captaincy in Feb. 1918, his work as an instructor of maps and orientation at Camp de Souge from Apr. to Oct. 1918, his disappointment at being away from the front, news of the regiment and the war, friends and social activities, his first ride in an airplane, his return to active duty and command of Battery D in Oct. 1918, the end of the war, a flu outbreak, and inspections. Soldiers mentioned in the World War I correspondence include Captain Roger D. Swaim, 1st Lt. Lester T. Lewis, and Private William D. Sharples (Eckfeldt's orderly, or "striker").
One letter to Roger from his father Thomas Hooper Eckfeldt, 30 Sep. 1917, describes Thomas' pride in his sons' military service and his work at St. Paul's School in Concord, N.H. Also included are two letters from Roger's uncle, Judge Alonzo Rogers Weed.
The series also contains correspondence of the children of Roger and Dorothy (Turnbull) Eckfeldt, including letters from Roger Weed Eckfeldt, Jr. and Robert Turnbull Eckfeldt at Camp O-at-ka in Maine in the early 1930s and later during their World War II service. Roger, Jr. served in multiple engineer battalions, and Robert was a pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corps. Also included is correspondence of Suzanne Eckfeldt while she attended Bennington College in the 1940s, primarily about her studies, social activities, and fiancé Edward Perry Harding, as well as letters from Roger, Sr. about his work as commander of the 26th Infantry Division, Massachusetts National Guard, during World War II.
Linda Harding, the granddaughter of Roger and Dorothy (Turnbull) Eckfeldt, transcribed and annotated Roger's letters from 23 Sep. 1917 to 9 Apr. 1919, and these unverified transcripts are filed at the end of the series.
Correspondence, 1896-1985
Transcripts of World War I letters, [ca. 2015-2019]
II. Personal papers, 1889-2010
This series consists of personal papers of Roger Weed Eckfeldt, his wife Dorothy (Turnbull) Eckfeldt, their children, and other family members, including correspondence with non-family members, diaries and other volumes, school papers, writings, and other material.
A. Roger Weed Eckfeldt personal papers, 1904-1985
This subseries contains report cards, test questions, and other school papers of Roger Weed Eckfeldt, primarily from Harvard; passes and correspondence related to his work as a foreman and storekeeper with various railroad companies before World War I; correspondence with Thomas R. Morse at Belmont Hill School about the education of Eckfeldt's sons Roger, Jr. and Robert; notes of congratulations on his promotion to brigadier general of the Massachusetts National Guard in 1934 and to general of the 26th Division in 1939; letters of condolence on the death of Dorothy (Turnbull) Eckfeldt; and other personal papers.
Included is a manuscript poem by actress Evelyn Nesbit, 1933; a letter from Serge Koussevitzky of the Boston Symphony Orchestra on behalf of trumpeter Roger Voisin, 1942; an undated drawing by Bill Visser; and two letters from Eckfeldt to Grace R. Anthony, written in France in 1919, discussing news of his regiment and deaths of soldiers. Anthony was considered the "mother" of Battery D of the 102nd Field Artillery.
The subseries also contains a diary and account book kept by Eckfeldt as a teenager. The diary's brief line-a-day entries describe his daily activities, attendance at St. Andrew's School (Concord, Mass.), recreation, violin practice, etc. The account book lists his allowance and daily purchases, including candy and soda. A second diary documents a canoe trip to Maine Eckfeldt took with Richard A. Blodgett (1897-1918), 25 June-9 Sep. 1911. Entries describe hunting, fishing, camping, etc.
Correspondence and other papers, 1904-1985
Account book, 1905-1909
Line-a-day diary, 1906-1909
Harvard test questions, 1906-1912
Diary of a trip to Maine, 1911
Bank book, State National Bank, El Paso, Tex., 1917-1918
B. Dorothy (Turnbull) Eckfeldt personal papers, 1917-1964
This subseries contains two letters to Dorothy (Turnbull) Eckfeldt from Sgt. Walter C. Hughes of the 102nd Field Artillery about her husband Roger, who saved Hughes' life, 1918; papers related to her artwork and to the estate of her aunt Caroline M. Hilton; short stories and poems written by Dorothy; detailed letters from Mathilde Weil (1872-1942) of the Writers' Workshop in New York City and instructors at the Columbia University Home Study English Department reviewing Dorothy's stories; bills and correspondence related to her daughter Suzanne's education at the Buckingham School; and other receipts and bills.
Also included in this subseries is a notebook created by Dorothy for an occupational therapy certification course at the YMCA in 1943. The notebook contains class notes and samples of knotting, braiding, collages, embroidery, and other craftwork.
Correspondence and other papers, 1917-1964
Receipts, bills, and checks, 1931-1935
Short stories and poems, 1932-1933
Occupational therapy notebook, 1942-1943
C. Roger Weed Eckfeldt, Jr. personal papers, 1920-1975
Included are report cards from summer camp and school, personal letters, a copy of Roger Weed Eckfeldt, Jr.'s World War II military record, and other papers.
D. Robert Turnbull Eckfeldt personal papers, 1922-1972
Included are report cards from summer camp and school, papers related to Robert Turnbull Eckfeldt's career, and other material.
E. Suzanne (Eckfeldt) Harding personal papers, 1925-2010
This subseries contains detailed report cards of Suzanne (Eckfeldt) Harding from the Buckingham School; letters from her friends William M. Rackemann, Paul H. Spiers, Jr., Richard S. Stockwell, and others, primarily about social activities; two letters from Pat W. Smart (later Cooper), serving in England with the Women's Royal Naval Service, 1944; condolence letters and papers related to the death of Roger Weed Eckfeldt; and other material. Also included is a paper on the Eckfeldt family written by Suzanne for a Bennington College course called "Personality and the Social Order" in 1945, with detailed descriptions of her parents and brothers, as well as other notes on the family written between 1995 and 2010.
Correspondence and other papers, 1925-1946, 1972-2004
Paper on the Eckfeldt family, 1945
Notes on the Eckfeldt family, 1995-2010
F. Grace (Weed) Eckfeldt personal papers, 1889-1949
This subseries consists of papers of Grace (Weed) Eckfeldt, Roger Weed Eckfeldt's mother, including a letter from Grace R. Anthony about the 102nd Field Artillery, the flu epidemic, one "shell shocked" soldier, and other subjects, 6 Dec. 1918; estate papers; and a diary kept by Grace Eckfeldt on a trip to France sometime after 1929. The diary is entitled "Drive to Battlefields" and describes a guided bus tour to the sites of World War I battles, memorials, cemeteries, ruins, and new construction, with some sketches.
Correspondence and other papers, 1889-1949
Diary of a trip to French battlefields, [1930s?]
G. Thomas Hooper Eckfeldt, Jr. personal papers, 1945
This subseries consists of papers of Thomas Hooper Eckfeldt, Jr., Roger Weed Eckfeldt's younger brother, primarily related to a hiking trip in 1945. Included is a sketch by Bill Visser of the trip.
III. Scrapbooks, 1900-2017, compiled [ca. 2015-2019]
Many of the letters, photographs, artifacts, printed items, and ephemera in this collection came to the MHS in seven three-ring binders, compiled by Linda Harding (Roger Weed Eckfeldt's granddaughter), in which related material was arranged together with supporting research and detailed annotations. These scrapbooks have been disbound, and letters, transcripts, and personal papers distributed to Series I and II. Photographs and artifacts have been removed to the MHS Photo Archives or Artifacts Collection. The remaining papers are included here as research and supporting material, which consists of printed items, blank postcards, printouts, photocopies, and other miscellaneous papers.
For researchers interested in the original arrangement of the scrapbooks, the series also contains photocopies of the pages of each binder before it was disassembled, with detailed annotations and contextual information by Harding. Also included are photocopies of Harding's "indexes," detailed notes on some of the letters not included in the scrapbooks.
Vol. 1. "Border War (El Paso), National Guard recruitment, and Boxford Training Camp," [ca. 2015-2019]
Research and supporting material, 1912-1968
Photocopies of original binder pages
Vol. 2. "Letters home from France WWI," [ca. 2015-2019]
Research and supporting material, 1911-2017
Photocopies of original binder pages
Vol. 3. "Millar Shoe Company, Thomas Hooper Eckfeldt's death...WWII...sons go to war," [ca. 2015-2019]
Research and supporting material, 1922-2016
Photocopies of original binder pages
Vol. 4. "Dorothy Turnbull Eckfeldt, etc.," [ca. 2015-2019]
Research and supporting material, 1923-1956
Photocopies of original binder pages
Vol. 5. "Roger W. Eckfeldt, the later years," [ca. 2015-2019]
Research and supporting material, 1949-1993
Photocopies of original binder pages
Vol. 6. "Roger W. Eckfeldt's children, Bobby, Jerry & Suzie," [ca. 2015-2019]
Research and supporting material, 1931-2016
Photocopies of original binder pages
Vol. 7. "Thomas Hooper Eckfeldt & Grace Weed Eckfeldt, Roger W. Eckfeldt's early years," [ca. 2015-2019]
Research and supporting material, 1900-2017
Photocopies of original binder pages
"Indexes," [ca. 2015-2019]
IV. Genealogical and miscellaneous family papers, 1842-2019
This series contains genealogical papers of the Eckfeldt, Turnbull, and Weed families, including family trees in various hands and papers related to some notable relatives. Also included is a publication entitled "Red-ucators at Harvard University," but the connection of this publication to the Eckfeldt family is unknown.
Family trees, 1945, 2019, and undated
"Leaves From a Family Tree: The Kin of William Chase Greene and His Wife Margaret Weed Eckfeldt Greene," 1977-1979
Margaret Weed (Eckfeldt) Greene was Roger Weed Eckfeldt's older sister. This booklet was written by her husband William Chase Greene in 1977 and includes a memoir and family trees.
Adam Eckfeldt / U.S. Mint, 1930-1974
Adam Eckfeldt (1769-1852) was chief coiner for the U.S. Mint from 1814 to 1839 and created the die for the 1792 silver half disme. Papers include biographical material, family coats of arms, newspaper clippings, and correspondence with artist John Ward Dunsmore and others about Dunsmore's painting featuring Adam Eckfeldt.
John Hilton Knowles, 1953-1979
Dr. John Hilton Knowles (1926-1979) was Dorothy (Turnbull) Eckfeldt's nephew, the son of her sister Jean (Turnbull) Knowles. Papers include a letter he wrote to Suzanne (Eckfeldt) Harding, as well as the printed pamphlet from his memorial service, newspaper clippings, and other printed matter.
Murray family, 1916-1984
Margaret Kingsley (Turnbull) Murray was Dorothy (Turnbull) Eckfeldt's sister. She married Samuel Wilson Murray, and their son John Heber "Jack" Murray (1919-1969) was an artist and teacher at Groton Academy. Included are newspaper clippings, a booklet by Samuel Murray about wines, papers related to an exhibition of Jack Murray's paintings, and other material.
Robert Turnbull, 1842-1847, 1956
Robert Turnbull (1809-1877) was Dorothy (Turnbull) Eckfeldt's grandfather and first pastor of the Harvard Street Baptist Church in Boston. Papers include biographical notes and two printed pamphlets by Turnbull.
"Red-ucators at Harvard University," 1949
This publication by the National Council for American Education lists Harvard professors alleged to have Communist affiliations and/or sympathies. Its connection to the Eckfeldt family is unknown.
V. Oversize papers
This series contains oversize papers pulled from the rest of the collection.
Preferred Citation
Roger Weed Eckfeldt family 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.
Persons:
Organizations:
Subjects:
Materials Removed from the Collection
Photographs from this collection have been removed to the Roger Weed Eckfeldt family photographs. Artifacts have been removed to the MHS Artifacts Collection.