COLLECTION GUIDES

1764-1914; bulk: 1850-1914

Guide to the Collection

browse digital content

Representative digitized documents from this collection:

Restrictions on Access

Use of the originals is restricted. This collection is available as color digital facsimiles (see links below). Black and white microfilm is also available for use in the library.


Collection Summary

Abstract

This collection consists of clippings and correspondence related primarily to Norwood P. Hallowell's career as an army officer and as lieutenant-colonel of the 55th Mass. Regiment, the second Black regiment in the state, during the Civil War.

Biographical Sketch

Norwood Penrose Hallowell (1839-1914) was born on 13 Apr. 1839 in Philadelphia, Penn., the son of Morris L. and Hannah (Penrose) Hallowell. He graduated from Harvard College in 1861. On 10 June 1861, he was commissioned first lieutenant of the 20th Mass. Regiment and later promoted to captain. He fought in many battles, including Ball's Bluff, Yorktown, Glendale, Malvern Hill, Chantilly, and Antietam, where he was wounded. On 17 Apr. 1863, he was appointed lieutenant-colonel of the 54th Mass. Regiment and later colonel of the 55th Mass. Regiment, the second Black regiment raised in the state. The regiment was stationed at New Bern, N.C. and took part in the attack on Fort Wagner, S.C. Hallowell's brothers, Edward N. and Richard P. Hallowell, were also involved in the recruitment of Black soldiers for the 54th and 55th Regiments. The family was active in the anti-slavery movement and worked to get equal pay for Black soldiers and other equal treatment for Blacks.

In 1863, Norwood P. Hallowell was discharged from military service and entered the wool business in New York and Boston. He married Sarah Wharton Haydock on 27 Jan. 1868. The couple settled in Medford, Mass. and had six children: Anna Norwood Hallowell; Robert Haydock Hallowell; Norwood Penrose Hallowell, Jr.; John White Hallowell; Esther Fisher Hallowell; and Susan Morris Hallowell.

Collection Description

This collection consists of clippings and correspondence related mostly to Norwood P. Hallowell's career as an army officer and as lieutenant-colonel of the 55th Mass. Regiment. The papers, primarily in scrapbooks, also contain Hallowell's essays as a student at Harvard, papers related to his lifelong affiliation and loyalty to the college, and items concerning his career as a businessman in Boston.

Arrangement

The Norwood Penrose Hallowell papers consist primarily of five scrapbooks. Three of the scrapbooks (Vols. 1, 2, and 4) have been disbound and rehoused in boxes and folders, and two of the scrapbooks (Vols. 3 and 5) are still bound. Volume 3 is an oversize scrapbook located in Oversize Box 1. Items in some, but not all, of the scrapbooks are arranged in rough chronological order, and researchers will find overlap of dates and subjects across the five volumes. Some loose clippings were photocopied for preservation.

Oversize papers in this collection have been removed to an oversize box but are digitized at their original location. Some loose items from Scrapbook Vol. 5 have been removed to document boxes, but are also digitized at their original location.

Acquisition Information

Gift of Mrs. John Crocker, May 1971.

Restrictions on Access

Use of the originals is restricted. This collection is available as color digital facsimiles (see links below). Black and white microfilm is also available for use in the library.

Other Formats

The collection is also available on microfilm, P-800 (2 reels). See the Microfilm Reel List below.

Detailed Description of the Collection

Loose papers, 1858-1914digital content

Included are speeches, writings, correspondence, and clippings.

Box 1Folder 1digitized

1858

Box 1Folder 2digitized

1859

Box 1Folder 3digitized

1860

Box 1Folder 4digitized

1861

Box 1Folder 5digitized

1862-1863

Box 1Folder 6digitized

1864-1865

Box 1Folder 7digitized

1867-1877

Box 1Folder 8digitized

1882-1899

Box 1Folder 9digitized

1903-1910

Box 1Folder 10digitized

1911-1914

Box 1Folder 11digitized

Undated papers

Scrapbook vol. 1, 1850-1904 (disbound)digital content

Included are clippings, photographs, correspondence, and ephemera. NOTE: Some numbered pages in this scrapbook are blank and have not been scanned. All pages with content are included in the digital presentation.

Box 1Folder 12digitized

Pages 1-6

Box 1Folder 13digitized

Pages 7-14

Box 1Folder 14digitized

Pages 15-24

Box 1Folder 15digitized

Pages 25-34

Box 1Folder 16digitized

Pages 35-42

Box 1Folder 17digitized

Pages 43-50

Box 1Folder 18digitized

Page 51; The Negro as a Soldier in the War of the Rebellion, by Norwood P. Hallowell (Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1897)

Box 1Folder 19digitized

Pages 52-60

Box 1Folder 20digitized

Pages 61-66

Box 1Folder 21digitized

Pages 67-76

Box 1Folder 22digitized

Pages 77-84

Box 1Folder 23digitized

Pages 85-94

Box 1Folder 24digitized

Loose materials

Scrapbook vol. 2, 1863-1887; bulk: 1863-1865 (disbound)digital content

This scrapbook contains clippings primarily related to the 54th and 55th Mass. Regiments, as well as printed material, notices, broadsides, circular letters, and correspondence of John A. Andrew and Edward N. Hallowell. Because many of the papers were loose, individual items have been numbered rather than pages.

Box 2Folder 1digitized

Items 1-25

Box 2Folder 2digitized

Items 26-57

Box 2Folder 3digitized

Items 58-68

Box 2Folder 4digitized

Items 69-89

Box 2Folder 5digitized

Items 90-105

Box 2Folder 6digitized

Items 106-130

Box 2Folder 7digitized

Items 131-147

Box 2Folder 8digitized

Items 148-151

Box 2Folder 9digitized

Items 152-168

Box 2Folder 10digitized

Items 169-188

Box 2Folder 11digitized

Items 189-199

Box 2Folder 12digitized

Items 200-219

Box 2Folder 13digitized

Items 220-229

Box 2Folder 14digitized

Items 230-239

Box 2Folder 15digitized

Items 240-249

Box 2Folder 16digitized

Items 250-259

Box 2Folder 17digitized

Items 260-269

Box 2Folder 18digitized

Items 270-279

Box 2Folder 19digitized

Items 280-289

Box 2Folder 20digitized

Items 290-299

Box 2Folder 21digitized

Items 300-309

Box 2Folder 22digitized

Items 310-319

Box 2Folder 23digitized

Items 320-329

Box 2Folder 24digitized

Items 330-339

Box 2Folder 25digitized

Items 340-349

Box 2Folder 26digitized

Items 350-359

Box 2Folder 27digitized

Items 360-369

Box 2Folder 28digitized

Items 370-379

Box 2Folder 29digitized

Items 380-389

Box 2Folder 30digitized

Items 390-399

Box 2Folder 31digitized

Items 400-415

Box 2Folder 32digitized

Items 416-430

Box 2Folder 33digitized

Items 431-440

Box 2Folder 34digitized

Items 441-457

Box 2Folder 35digitized

Items 458-469

Box 2Folder 36digitized

Items 471-488

Box 3Folder 1digitized

Items 489-499

Box 3Folder 2digitized

Items 500-509

Box 3Folder 3digitized

Items 510-526

Box 3Folder 4digitized

Items 527-539

Box 3Folder 5digitized

Items 540-557

Box 3Folder 6digitized

Item 558

Box 3Folder 7digitized

Items 559-560

Box 3Folder 8digitized

Items 561-575

Box 3Folder 9digitized

Items 576-590

Box 3Folder 10digitized

Items 591-595

Box 3Folder 11digitized

Loose materials

Scrapbook vol. 3, 1764-1914; bulk: 1862-1914digital content

This scrapbook contains clippings, photographs, and papers related to the education of Hallowell family members; material on Harvard College, especially Harvard football; and obituaries of members of the 54th and 55th Mass. Regiments. Correspondents include Morris L. Hallowell, George F. Hoar, Theodore Roosevelt, Henry Cabot Lodge, and William H. Taft.

Box OS 1digitized

Scrapbook Volume 3

Scrapbook vol. 4, 1860-1888 (disbound)digital content

Box 3Folder 12digitized

Front matter/loose papers

Box 3Folder 13digitized

Pages 1-10

Box 3Folder 14digitized

Pages 11-20

Box 3Folder 15digitized

Pages 21-30

Box 3Folder 16digitized

Pages 31-41

Box 3Folder 17digitized

Pages 42-53

Scrapbook vol. 5, 1861-1885; bulk: 1861-1863digital content

NOTE: Loose items from this volume are stored in Box 3 but are digitized at their original location.

Bound scrapbook. Included are clippings related to the Civil War, especially the 20th Mass. Regiment.

Volume 5digitized

Scrapbook Volume 5

Box 3Folder 18

Loose items removed from Scrapbook Volume 5, pages 25-47

NOTE: Loose items from this volume are stored in Box 3 but are digitized at their original location.

Box 3Folder 19

Loose items removed from Scrapbook Volume 5, page 51

NOTE: Loose items from this volume are stored in Box 3 but are digitized at their original location.

Box 3Folder 20

Loose items removed from Scrapbook Volume 5, page 95 and end of vol.

NOTE: Loose items from this volume are stored in Box 3 but are digitized at their original location.

Oversize papers

NOTE: Oversize papers in this collection have been removed to an oversize box but are digitized at their original location.

Box OS 2

Microfilm Reel List

Reel 1

Loose papers, 1858-1914, undated

Reel 1

Volume 1, 1850-1904

Reel 1

Volume 2, 1863-1887; bulk: 1863-1865

Reel 2

Volume 3, 1764-1914; bulk: 1862-1914

Reel 2

Volume 4, 1860-1888

Reel 2

Volume 5, 1861-1885; bulk: 1861-1863

Preferred Citation

Norwood Penrose Hallowell 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:

Andrew, John A. (John Albion), 1818-1867.
Hallowell, Edward N., d. 1871.
Hallowell, Morris Longstreth, 1809-1880.
Hallowell, Richard P. (Richard Price), 1835-1904.
Hoar, George Frisbie, 1826-1904.
Lodge, Henry Cabot, 1850-1924.
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919.
Taft, William H. (William Howard), 1857-1930.

Organizations:

Harvard College (1780- ). Class of 1861.
National Bank of Commerce (Boston, Mass.).
United States. Army. Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, 20th (1861-1865).
United States. Army. Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, 54th (1863-1865).
United States. Army. Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, 55th (1863-1865).

Subjects:

Abolitionists.
Antislavery movements--United States.
Merchants--Massachusetts--Boston.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Participation, African American
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Regimental histories--Massachusetts Infantry, 55th Volunteers.

Materials Removed from the Collection

One photograph from this collection has been removed to Portraits small (Photo. 9.34).