1869-1944
Guide to the Collection
Abstract
This collection consists of letters written by Elizabeth Sherman Cameron, wife of U.S. Senator J. Donald Cameron, to members of her family. The letters address her activities as hostess for her husband; her time in Paris living as an expatriate during World War I, where she ran a "Foyer aux Refugies" to aid refugees from Belgium and France; and her time in Dorset, England, where she vacationed and moved following her daughter Martha's death in 1918.
Biographical Sketch
Elizabeth Sherman Cameron was born in 1858 in Mansfield, Ohio, the youngest of Charles and Eliza Sherman's six children. Her father, a federal district judge, was the brother of Sen. John Sherman and Civil War officer William Tecumseh Sherman. In 1878, Elizabeth married Sen. J. Donald (Don) Cameron of Pennsylvania, a widower with six children who was more than 20 years her senior.
The couple divided their time between their house on Washington, D.C.'s fashionable Lafayette Square and the Camerons' family home in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. In Washington, Elizabeth met Henry Adams and his wife Clover, who welcomed her into their circle of friends, which included some of the great intellectuals of the late 19th century. Following Clover's suicide in 1886, a strong friendship grew between her and Henry Adams. In 1886, the Camerons' only daughter, Martha, was born. Henry Adams was particularly close to Martha Cameron.
In 1909, Martha Cameron married Ronald Lindsay, a junior officer in the British Foreign Service, and accompanied him to his post in Cairo, Egypt. After Martha's marriage, Elizabeth Cameron moved permanently to Europe and settled in Paris, where she officially separated from her husband. In Paris, she joined American expatriates and played the role of a great hostess, much as she had done years before in Lafayette Square, and spent her vacations at Stepleton, an English manor house in Dorset which the Lindsays had rented as a second home.
When World War I broke out, Elizabeth, encouraged by her friend Edith Wharton, operated a "Foyer aux Refugies" to assist refugees from Belgium and the French countryside. In 1918, Martha returned from Cairo with paratyphoid and other complications. She died at Stepleton in April 1918, just one month after Henry Adams's death in Beverly, Mass. Later that year, Don Cameron also died at his home in Harrisburg, Penn. Elizabeth, mourning for her daughter, stayed on at Stepleton, where Martha was buried. It took years before she recovered from Martha's death, and friends remarked on her eccentric behavior. She eventually purchased Stepleton for herself and Ronald Lindsay, entertaining guests and often traveling during the winter months. She lived there until her death in 1944.
Collection Description
The collection consists primarily of letters from Elizabeth Sherman Cameron to her various friends and family members, beginning with letters from her mother Eliza Sherman in the years preceding and immediately following Elizabeth's marriage to Don Cameron. Letters from Elizabeth herself begin in 1877 and are addressed to her mother and sisters. In 1884, she began to write to her niece Cecilia "Tia" Miles Reber and her nephew Sherman Miles, the children of her sister Mary and General Nelson Miles. Writing from such diverse places as Paris, Italy, and Egypt, Elizabeth comments on her work in the Foyer, international politics, and family news. During World War I, letters discuss work with refugees, rationing, and life in France.
After 1918, Elizabeth wrote almost exclusively to her niece Tia and grand-nephew Sam "Simmy" Reber, Jr. from Stepleton and vacation spots in the south of France. The bulk of the letters fall between the years 1930 and 1944 when Elizabeth was living at Stepleton. These letters are primarily concerned with family matters, although there is much commentary on contemporary events, especially as World War II approached. These intervening years concern the purchase of Stepleton (fall of 1923), the sickness and death of her daughter Martha who Elizabeth believed was "murdered by surgeons" (1918), discussions of weather, world and European politics, the abdication of Edward VII, the rise of Hitler, criticism of U.S. domestic and foreign policy, economic depression, and an occasional mention of social customs. Letters to Simmy, a member of the U.S. diplomatic corps stationed in Europe, often discuss international politics and the coming of the war.
Letters written during World War II discuss a range of wartime concerns, including Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, conscription, economizing at home, rations, household daily activities, empty shops, boredom, and the "internment of aliens." Other topics include: the Republican Party, neutrality, isolationism, the conscription of women, and inflation. Elizabeth's letters also contain occasional comments and reminiscences about great literary and artistic figures of her time, including Edith Wharton, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, John Singer Sargent, and the Adams brothers, Henry and Brooks.
Other topics include Elizabeth's engagement, friends and family news, life in Washington, D.C., and her health. Letters from Eliza Sherman include disparaging comments about Don Cameron. There are also references to visits of Elizabeth and Martha to Bar Harbor, Maine, and Beverly Farms; Henry Adams's devotion to 19-month-old Martha; and Martha's childhood.
The collection also contains a letter from Martha Cameron about hospital work in Cairo, a letter from Sam Reber to his wife Tia, and a letter from Ronald Lindsay discussing the death of Elizabeth in some detail.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Mrs. Miles Reber of Tyringham, Mass., 1985.
Arrangement
Letters are arranged chronologically. Undated letters are filed at the beginning.
Other Formats
Letters of Elizabeth Sherman Cameron, 1869-1924 (Box 1), are on microfilm, P-488, 1 reel.
Detailed Description of the Collection
Mentions the death of Clover Adams.
Mentions Adams.
Mentions "Mr. Adams."
Mentions "Mr. Adams."
Mentions Adams's death.
Mentions Adams.
Mentions Brooks Adams.
Mentions J. Q. Adams.
Mentions Charles Francis Adams [IV].
Mentions "Charley" Adams [IV].
Mentions book The Adams Family by J. T. Adams.
Mentions book The Adams Family and Brooks Adams.
Mentions Adams family.
Mentions Henry Adams.
Mentions Tom Adams.
Mentions Adams letters, Vol. II.
Preferred Citation
Elizabeth Sherman Cameron letters, 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.