1820-2020; bulk: 1877-1957
Guide to the Collection
Abstract
This collection consists of papers of the related Curtis and Tomlinson families of eastern Massachusetts, primarily Alonzo Prince Curtis, Villette Rose Curtis, Mabel Warren Curtis Tomlinson, and William Edward Tomlinson. Contents include correspondence, diaries, legal and financial papers, genealogical papers, and printed material.
Biographical Sketches
Alonzo Prince Curtis (1846-1927), known to his family and friends as "Lon," was the son of George Augustus Curtis (1811-1883) and Nancy Hendley Hobart Curtis (1811-1850). Born in Boston, Mass., he served with the 1st and 2nd Light Batteries of the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia during the American Civil War (1861-1865). After the war, he worked as a secretary for the Eliot Insurance Company, where his father sat as president until his death in 1883. On 30 August 1877, Alonzo married Villette Rose (1856-1883), with whom he had two children: Mabel Warren Curtis (1879-1958) and Grace Rose Curtis (1881-1919). Alonzo enjoyed close relations with his in-laws, Calvin Mower Rose (1832-1910) and Annorille Proctor Rose (1830-1890) of Dixfield, Me. In 1883, Villette died of tuberculosis. Alonzo remarried to Lillian Louise Lancey (1862-1915) in 1887 and had a son, George Lancey Curtis (1888-).
Mabel Warren Curtis Tomlinson (1879-1958) was the daughter of Alonzo Prince Curtis (1846-1927) and Villette Rose Curtis (1856-1883). Born and raised in Newton, Mass. alongside her sister Grace Rose Curtis (1881-1919), Mabel excelled academically. She married William Edward Tomlinson (1873-1955) on 30 September 1903 in Newton. The couple had eight children: Emma Lillian Tomlinson (1904-2007), Louise Villette Tomlinson (1906-1998), George Willard Tomlinson (1908-1994), Mary Arundale Tomlinson (1911-), William Edward Tomlinson, Jr. (1913-2006), Warren Curtis Tomlinson (1915-2002), Grace Rose Tomlinson (1924-), and Anne Tomlinson (1927-). She died in 1958.
William Edward Tomlinson (1873-1955) was the son of Samuel Tomlinson (1839-1894) and Emma Rosalie Johnson Tomlinson (1852-1923). Born in Westboro, Vt. on 16 December 1873, he operated a hardware store. William married Mabel Warren Curtis on 30 September 1903, and the couple had eight children. He died in 1955.
Collection Description
The Curtis-Tomlinson family papers consist of papers of the related Curtis and Tomlinson families of eastern Massachusetts, primarily Alonzo Prince Curtis, Villette Rose Curtis, their daughter Mabel Warren Curtis Tomlinson, and her husband William Edward Tomlinson, as well as the Rose family and other related families. Contents include family correspondence, diaries, legal and financial papers, genealogical papers, and printed material.
Correspondence relates primarily to family matters and includes many letters from Alonzo and Villette Curtis to her parents Calvin Mower Rose and Annorille Proctor Rose on their dairy farm in Dixfield, Me. between 1877 and 1888. Letters detail Villette's illness and death in 1883 and Alonzo's grief for her. Also included are letters from Villette's aunt Olive Brown Rose Millett. Later family correspondence consists primarily of letters from Mabel and William Tomlinson to their daughter Emma Lillian Tomlinson Bennett and her husband Paul Edwin Bennett.
The collection also contains diaries of Alonzo Price Curtis, Calvin Mower Rose, and William Edward Tomlinson; miscellaneous personal papers of various family members; genealogies and histories of the related families, including the Warren family; and printed material, primarily newspaper clippings and a pamphlet on descendants of William Curtis.
Acquisition Information
Gift of William Silas Bennett, November 2020.
Detailed Description of the Collection
I. Family correspondence, 1850-1957
Arranged chronologically.
This series contains correspondence to and from members of the related Curtis, Rose, and Tomlinson families. The bulk of the early correspondence consists of letters from Alonzo "Lon" Prince Curtis and Villette "Lettie" Rose Curtis in Boston and Newtonville, Mass. to her parents Calvin Mower Rose and Annorille Proctor Rose on their dairy farm in Dixfield, Me. between 1877 and 1888. The letters primarily discuss family matters, including Alonzo and Villette's children, Mabel Warren Curtis and Grace Rose Curtis, and related topics of child care, domestic work, family planning, and reproductive health choices. They also cover Villette's declining health due to tuberculosis and her death on 14 December 1883. Alonzo's mental health features prominently, including his fears of Villette's death, anxieties about supporting his family, depression, stress, the death of his father George Augustus Curtis, and his close parental relationship with his in-laws Calvin Mower Rose and Annorille Proctor Rose. Included are three letters from Villette's aunt Olive Brown Rose Millett, who nursed her when she was ill, as well as letters from Alonzo to the Roses pertaining to sales of their butter in the 1880s.
Beginning in 1907, the bulk of the correspondence consists of letters between members of the Tomlinson family, primarily from Mabel Warren Curtis Tomlinson and William Edward Tomlinson to their daughter and son-in-law, Emma Lillian Tomlinson Bennett and Paul Edwin Bennett, discussing family news and household matters. Additional correspondents include Grace Rose Curtis Gould and George Lancey Curtis.
II. Personal papers, 1820-2020
This series contains personal papers (excluding correspondence) of the related Curtis, Rose, and Tomlinson families, including diaries, legal and financial papers, and genealogies.
A. Diaries, 1861-1930
Arranged chronologically.
This subseries contains two diaries of Alonzo Prince Curtis; a photocopy of select diary pages of Calvin Mower Rose; and a diary of William Edward Tomlinson. Curtis's diaries include one kept primarily while he was a teenager, 14 Feb.-7 Aug. 1861, and another describing daily events, 4 Nov. 1864-8 Feb. 1865. Rose's diary, 7 Aug. 1876-10 Jan. 1877, contains references to his daughter Villette and Alonzo Curtis prior to their marriage. Tomlinson's diary discusses family matters and his church work, 1 Jan.-1 Dec. 1930.
B. Miscellaneous personal papers, 1820-1932
Arranged chronologically.
Included are school compositions, receipts, and legal papers belonging to various family members.
C. Genealogies and family histories, 1905-2020, undated
This subseries contains papers related to the genealogy and history of the Curtis, Tomlinson, and related families, such as the Warren family. Included are family trees, genealogical notes, photocopies of photographs and portraits, histories written by family members, and material related to the Curtis homestead. The "Curtis Genealogy, 1631-1875" is a softbound manuscript volume with annotations in a second hand. Most of the papers in this subseries are undated.
Oversize family trees, 1953, 1978
These two items have been removed to Mss. Large and are filed together at 1953.III. Printed material, 1850-1970
Arranged chronologically.
This series contains printed material about members of the related Curtis and Tomlinson families, primarily newspaper clippings. Also included are clippings related to the Curtis homestead.
This pamphlet includes manuscript annotations and a page of manuscript addenda attached.
This small paperbound booklet contains marriage and death notices of family members that appeared in newspapers.
Preferred Citation
Curtis-Tomlinson 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:
Subjects:
Materials Removed from the Collection
Photographs from this collection have been removed to the Curtis-Tomlinson family photographs (Photo. Coll. 395).