Lucius Manlius Boltwood Papers

Table of Contents

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Lucius Manlius Boltwood, dated 22 September 1904; sent from Michigan to his friend George Cutler in Amherst

Lucius Manlius Boltwood Papers


Abstract

The papers of Lucius Manlius Boltwood are primarily notes on the history and genealogy of families in Western Massachusetts and Connecticut including vital statistics, town records, and genealogical notes. Since many of the original sources are no longer extant, the papers are of great value to genealogists, local historians and historians of Western New England.
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Biographical Note

Lucius Manlius Boltwood, son of Lucius and Fanny Haskins Shepard Boltwood, was born in Amherst, Massachusetts on June 8, 1825. After attending Amherst College (A.B., 1843) he studied at Andover Theological Seminary. Although he graduated in 1847, he was never ordained. It was during this period that he became interested in local history and genealogy, beginning a voluminous correspondence with Sylvester Judd, the noted historian of Hadley. In 1852 Boltwood became the librarian at Amherst College and, at the same time, became involved in local politics. He married Clarinda Boardman Williams on June 6, 1860. Boltwood was appointed Postmaster of Amherst during the Lincoln administration as a result of his involvement in politics. In 1867 he became Assistant Librarian of Congress and, in 1868, Librarian of the Young Men's Institute of Hartford. He moved to New Haven in 1879 to be near Yale College and thence to Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1895 where he owned large tracts of land. Boltwood died on February 18, 1905, and was buried in Amherst. 
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Scope and Content

The papers of Lucius Manlius Boltwood, over 1000 items in seventeen boxes, are primarily notes on the history and genealogy of families in Western Massachusetts and Connecticut. They contain vital statistics, town records, and genealogical notes that Boltwood collected while he was preparing the genealogies for Judd's History of Hadley (1863) and his own Noble Genealogy (1878), along with personal family research and research on various Amherst families. Since many of the original sources are no longer extant, the papers are of great value to genealogists, local historians and historians of Western New England.
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Extent

8.5 linear feet (17 manuscript boxes)
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Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research.
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Provenance​

The Lucius Manlius Boltwood Papers were obtained by gift and purchase from Fanny Haskins Boltwood in 1922 along with some 1000 historical and genealogical volumes. The manuscripts Boltwood collected, obtained at this same time, form the core of the library's local history manuscript collection. The Boltwood Papers were microfilmed by The Genealogical Society, Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1959.
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Preferred Citation

(Folder Name), Lucius Manlius Boltwood Papers, Special Collections, Jones Library, Amherst, Massachusetts.
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Processing information

The original collection processing information is unknown. The finding aid was last updated in 2022 by Katherine Whitcomb.
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Related Materials

Books and pamphlets owned by Lucius Manlius Boltwood form the basis of the Boltwood Genealogy & Local History Collection housed in the Special Collections Reading Room.

Copies of Judd's History of Hadley and Boltwood's Genealogies of Hadley Families and Noble Genealogy can be found in Special Collections. Copies of Judd's History of Hadley can also be found in the Jones Library non-fiction section, available for check-out.
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Arrangement

The collection is arranged by topic, then alphabetically by folder title. [To ensure that the large amount of Noble Correspondence is housed in their own boxes, several folders that would alphabetically be found after ‘Correspondence’ have been moved into an earlier box. The same applies for the Scrapbooks.]
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Collection Inventory
Box Folder Title/Description
1 1 Account Book, 1867-1873
Household accounts, including food, clothing, sundries
1 2 Account Book, 1874-1876
Household accounts, including food, clothing, sundries
1 3 Albany Records
Small notebook of handwritten notes, many which look like transcriptions taken from various books.
1 4 Amherst College Graduates
Large notebook of handwritten notes about the graduates of Amherst College, including last residences, professions, and dates of death; also several loose pages taken from published books.
1 5 Amherst Notes
Two small notebooks with handwritten notes on Amherst cemeteries, various deeds of land from Amherst residents to Amherst College, vital records, and personal notations.
2 1 Amherst Records
Large ledger containing handwritten vital and town records about early Amherst; first 100 pages were sliced out of the book. Also a typewritten table of contents for the ledger.
2 2 Amherst Vital Records (1)
Notebook containing transcriptions of Amherst [Mass.] birth, baptism and death records from the 1640s to the 1880s, including part of what is today Hadley, many with brief genealogies. Includes newspaper clippings on Amherst history and statistics, pasted in, and a hand drawn map on the inside back cover. Typed index.
2 3 Amherst Vital Records (2)
Loose handwritten sheets, notebooks without covers, and newspaper clippings.
2 4 Amherst Vital Statistics
Hardcover notebook with alphabetical list of last names and various vital records (births, baptisms, marriages, and deaths), Abby through Gaylord.
2 5 Boltwood Family Notes
Handwritten loose sheets and unbound notebook pages of genealogical information about the Boltwood and allied families.
2 6  Boltwood Genealogy
Notebook containing handwritten genealogical and family history information of the Boltwood Family, from Robert Boltwood (died 1684); also photocopies of obituaries of Fanny Shepard Boltwood and Lucius Manlius Boltwood.
2 7  Boltwood History
Thirty-page handwritten manuscript of Boltwood family history.
3 1  "Book 4"
Large ledger of transcribed genealogical and other information; it appears that many of the entries came from newspapers or periodicals.
3 2  Book of Genealogical Notes
695 pages; bound volume of transcribed historical and genealogical information.
[Note: This volume is very fragile and has a split binding.]
3 3  Book of Genealogical Notes
879 pages; bound volume of transcribed historical and genealogical information.
4 1  Catalogue of Books
11 typewritten pages; Catalog of the Genealogical Library of Hon. Lucius Manlius Boltwood, 65 Morris Avenue, Grand Rapids, Michigan”; many of these were donated to the Jones Library and form the basis of the Boltwood Genealogy and Local History Collection.
4 2  Charlestown Records
Ledger containing notes about many different families transcribed from many different sources; most sources appear to reference Connecticut though the first is from Charlestown, Mass.
4 3  Colchester Records
Small notebook containing transcribed records, including cemetery inscriptions, vital and baptismal records; mainly from sources about/from Colchester or Lebanon [CT].
4 4 Colchester and Middletown Records
Composition book containing transcribed notes from Colchester and Middletown [CT], primarily probate and cemetery records and genealogical notes.
4 5 College Graduates of Amherst
Loose sheets and a notebook containing information about men from Amherst (native sons and residents) who attended college; includes a copy of the Hampshire and Franklin Express from 16 July 1858.
4 6 Connecticut Records
Small notebook of transcribed records from various sources, including probate records and excerpts from “Crimes & Misdemeanors”.
[Note: This volume is fragile, with the front cover almost detached.]
4 7 Current Events, 1902-1903
Small notebook of transcribed records, some with dates of 1902-1903. First four pages have been torn out, and many sheets are blank.
4 8 Deerfield Records
Small notebook of transcribed records from Deerfield, Northampton, Hatfield, and Northfield, including notes on the Native attacks on Deerfield from the Hampshire County Recorder’s Book.
4 9 Diary, 1844
Personal diary of Lucius M. Boltwood, from 29 February 1844 to 19 June 1845 (not daily entries); family genealogy, lists of letters received and written, and other entries in the back of the book.
4 10 Enfield [Conn.] Records
Notebook of transcribed records from various sources, including the First Baptist Church of Enfield, the Records of Suffield, Conn., and the Enfield Centre Burying Ground.
4 11 Ephemera
Two empty envelopes, one addressed to Mr. L. M. Boltwood and the other to Mrs. L. M. Boltwood.
5 1 Essays
Small notebook with “Essays & Extracts” written on the binding. Mostly religious subjects, with many essays prefaced by a short passage from the Bible; also, a recipe for “Indian Sponge Cake”.
5 2 Eulogy
Handwritten notes on three pieces of stationary, apparently an early version of a eulogy for Boltwood’s father Lucius Boltwood (1792-1872); many cross-outs and insertions.
5 3 “Expense Book #2”
Though titled “Expense Book”, with several of the later pages arranged and titled ledger-style, there are no expenses listed – the entries are almost entirely genealogical information.
5 4 Fairfield Records
Notebook containing transcribed records from various Connecticut sources, including Fairfield, Hartford, and Waterbury town records.
5 5 Family Genealogy
Eight packets of transcribed records from Montague, Greenwich, Palmer, and Berkshire County Mass., and New Haven and East Haven, Conn.
5 6 “Figures of Speech”
A notebook of figures of speech (including hyperbole, apostrophe, and metaphor) with definitions and examples; also, a section of autographs of men, mostly affiliated with Amherst College and the surrounding towns (signatures have been cut from larger pieces of paper) with explanations of their identity; also, notes upon “Lectures on Natural Philosophy” by Prof. E. Snell.
5 7  Flyers
Flyers and programs from various sources, including several for chapel services at Yale College and two for theatre performances.
5 8 Genealogical Miscellany
Handmade notebook of miscellaneous genealogical notes (including a letter sent to Boltwood), no sources given; the majority of the entries were originally written in pencil, with many later traced over in ink.
5 9 Genealogical Notebook
Small notebook of various genealogical information from sources including the 1880 U. S. census, Amherst Town Records, and various books; also, a recipe for cough medicine.
5 10 Genealogical Scraps (1)
Three handmade notebooks, titled “Genealogical Scraps Vol. I”, “Vol. II”, and “Vol. III”. “Vol. I” begins with several pages of religious writings. The notebooks contain information from various sources in Connecticut and Massachusetts in no obvious order.
5 11 Genealogical Scraps (2)
Two handmade notebooks titled “Genealogical Scraps Vol. IV”  and “Vol. V”. The notebooks contain information from various sources in Connecticut and Massachusetts in no obvious order.
5 12 Genealogical Scraps (3)
Two handmade notebooks titled “Genealogical Scraps Vol. VI”  and “Vol. VII”. The notebooks contain information from various sources in Connecticut and Massachusetts in no obvious order.
5 13 Genealogical Scraps (4)
Two handmade notebooks titled “Genealogical Scraps Vol. VII”  and “Vol. IX”. The notebooks contain information from various sources in Connecticut and Massachusetts in no obvious order.
6 1 Genealogy
One typewritten sheet outlining Boltwood’s descent from Thomas Shepard, two copies of a thumbnail biography of Boltwood, and one of Mrs. L. M. Boltwood’s calling cards from when they lived in New Haven, Conn.
6 2 Grand Rapids Records
Small notebook containing genealogical and historical records from various Michigan and New York sources, with a few pages of personal records at the end (letters written, expenses).
6 3 Granville Records
Small notebook containing vital and cemetery records from Granville and Westfield, Mass.
6 4 Great Barrington Records
Daily diary for 1868, containing genealogical and historical records from Canaan, Conn., and Berkshire County, Mass., rather than diary entries. The inventory of his brother Edward’s estate is copied in the back of the volume.
6 5 Hadley Clergy
Handwritten list of clergymen for churches in Hadley, Hatfield, South Hadley, Amherst, and Granby from the time the church was established until the mid-1800s.
6 6  Hadley Genealogy
Handwritten draft copy of Boltwood’s “Genealogies of Hadley Families…”
6 7  Hadley Records
Transcription of births, deaths, and marriages for Northampton (1655-1688), Hadley (1660-1688), and Hatfield (1668-1844), as well as an account of the Native American incursions into the settlement at Deerfield in the early 1700s.
6 8 Hadley Town Records
Small notebook titled, “Extracts from Hadley (Mass.) Town Records & Gravestone inscriptions”.
6 9 Hadley Vital Records
Small homemade notebook with records for Hadley and Hatfield, copied from town and county record books.
6 10 Hampshire County Deeds
Small notebook of Hampshire County deed references, all including book/page and grantor/grantee info, some with further information.
6 11 Hampshire County Records
Two small and one larger notebook with various records, primarily Hampshire County, with sporadic entries from Connecticut.
7 1 Hartford Courant Clippings
Ledger with pasted-in clippings from the Hartford Courant newspaper, most undated with a few handwritten dates from 1851 and 1853.
7  2  Hatfield Cemetery Records
Small notebook entitled “Inscriptions and dates copied June 1888, by Lucius M. Boltwood, from Old Grave Yard in Hatfield, Mass”.
7  3  Hawley Family
One large folded sheet of paper with genealogical notes about the Hawley Family of Amherst.
7  4  History of Amherst
31 pages; a hand-bound sheaf of papers containing a handwritten history of the town of Amherst.
7 5  Hitchcock Genealogy
Handtied sheaf of papers and a single sheet outlining the genealogy of the Hitchcock Family of Springfield, Granville, and Deerfield, Mass, five generations of ancestors of Rev. Edward Hitchcock of Amherst College.
7  6  Judd Correspondence, 1845-1846
13 letters between the men discussing various genealogical topics; folder contains a calendar of the entire correspondence.
7  7  Judd Correspondence, 1847-1848
8 letters between the men discussing various genealogical topics.
7  8  Judd Correspondence, 1849
12 letters between the men discussing various genealogical topics.
7  9  Judd Correspondence, 1850
4 letters between the men discussing various genealogical topics.
7  10  Judd Correspondence, 1850-1856
8 letters from Boltwood to Judd discussing various genealogical topics.
7  11  Lecture Notes
Two notebooks, Book 1st and Book 4th of “Lectures or Abstracts of Lectures delivered by Rev. Bennet Tyler D.D. to the Junior Class in East Windsor Theo Institute”, handwritten by Boltwood.
7 12  Letter to Belcher
An acknowledgment and thank-you note written by Boltwood in his role as the Amherst College Librarian to Nathan Belcher for Belcher’s donation of a book to Amherst College; pre-printed form with note written on the inside. Dated 5 December 1853; signed by Boltwood and AC President Edward Hitchcock.
7 13  Letter to Hitchcock
Long hand-written letter from Boltwood to Professor Edward Hitchcock of Amherst College, dated 1904, containing information about Amherst history and the Boltwood family. [Hitchcock was the son of Edward Hitchcock, President of Amherst College.]
7  14  Letter to Taft
Letter from Boltwood to H. W. Taft, containing genealogical information about Dr. Moses Green of Montague, Col. Rufus Graves of Leverett, and Deacon Ransom Dickinson of Amherst. [Letter was written from Grand Haven, Michigan, and dated 14 June 1884.]
7  15  Letters
Two small notebooks containing various notes, including genealogical information, personal expenses, and lists of letters written.
7  16  Librarian
A handwritten history of Boltwood’s time as the Amherst College librarian.
7  17  Memorial
Two copies of George Sheldon’s 1905 “Memorial of Lucius Manlius Boltwood” and many notes from colleges, libraries, and individuals acknowledging the receipt of a copy of the small book.
8  1  Miscellaneous Notebooks
Four small notebooks filled with various pieces of historical and genealogical information from Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, and other areas.
8  2  New Haven Records
Notebook containing information from various Connecticut sources including town records, burial grounds, and probate records.
8  3  Noble Advertising
Copy of the pamphlet advertising the upcoming publication of the “Noble Genealogy”, dated August 1875; also a closely-written letter from George Southworth, dated 4 May 1897, written to “Dear Cousin Lucius”, discussing family history.
8  4  Noble Extracts
Notebook containing various historical and genealogical records, primarily concerning the Noble family. 
8  5  Noble Genealogy - Additions
Notebook titled, “Noble Genealogy. Additions & Corrections. 1879-“. 
8  6  Noble Genealogy - Manuscript (1)
Three notebooks containing extensive handwritten outlines of Noble family genealogies.
8  7  Noble Genealogy – Manuscript (2)
Four notebooks containing extensive handwritten outlines of Noble family genealogies.
8  8  Noble Genealogy - Subscribers
Two notebooks containing names and addresses of people who ordered copies of Boltwood’s “Noble Genealogy”.
8  9  Noble Notes
Three notebooks containing various historical and genealogical records, primarily concerning the Noble Family.
9  1  Noble Correspondence, Volume I - Index
Handbound sheaf of papers containing a handwritten index to Volume I of the Noble Correspondence; these letters appear to have been written to Boltwood in response to requests for information about the Noble family; stored in numerical order according to the system set up by Boltwood.
9  2 Noble Correspondence, Volume I – #1-15
9  3  Noble Correspondence, Volume I – #16-30
9  4  Noble Correspondence, Volume I – #31-45
9  5  Noble Correspondence, Volume I – #46-60
9  6  Noble Correspondence, Volume I – #61-75
9  7  Noble Correspondence, Volume I – #76-90
9  8  Noble Correspondence, Volume I – #91-105
9  9  Noble Correspondence, Volume I – #106-120
9  10  Noble Correspondence, Volume I – #121-135
9  11 Noble Correspondence, Volume I – #136-148
10  1  Noble Correspondence, Volume II – Index
Handbound sheaf of papers containing a handwritten index to Volume II of the Noble Correspondence; these letters appear to have been written to Boltwood in response to requests for information about the Noble family; stored in numerical order according to the system set up by Boltwood.
10  2  Noble Correspondence, Volume II – #1-15
10  3  Noble Correspondence, Volume II – #16-30
10  4 Noble Correspondence, Volume II – #31-45
10  5  Noble Correspondence, Volume II – #46-60
10  6  Noble Correspondence, Volume II – #61-75
10  7  Noble Correspondence, Volume II – #76-90
10  8  Noble Correspondence, Volume II – #91-105
10  9  Noble Correspondence, Volume II – #106-120
10 10  Noble Correspondence, Volume II – #121-135
10  11 Noble Correspondence, Volume II – #136-150
10  12  Noble Correspondence, Volume II – #151-161
11  1  Noble Correspondence, Volume III – Index
Handbound sheaf of papers containing a handwritten index to Volume III of the Noble Correspondence; these letters appear to have been written to Boltwood in response to requests for information about the Noble family; stored in numerical order according to the system set up by Boltwood.
11  2  Noble Correspondence, Volume III – #1-15
11  3  Noble Correspondence, Volume III – #16-30
11  4  Noble Correspondence, Volume III – #31-45
11  5  Noble Correspondence, Volume III – #46-60
11  6  Noble Correspondence, Volume III – #61-75
11  7  Noble Correspondence, Volume III – #76-90
11 8  Noble Correspondence, Volume III – #91-105
11  9 Noble Correspondence, Volume III – #106-120
11  10  Noble Correspondence, Volume III – #121-135
11  11  Noble Correspondence, Volume III – #136-150
11  12  Noble Correspondence, Volume III – #151-165
11  13 Noble Correspondence, Volume III – #166-180
11  14  Noble Correspondence, Volume III – #181-195
12  1 Noble Correspondence, Volume III – #196-210
12 2  Noble Correspondence, Volume III – #211-225
12  3  Noble Correspondence, Volume III – #226-240
12  4 Noble Correspondence, Volume III – #241-255
12  5  Noble Correspondence, Volume III – #256-270
12 6  Noble Correspondence, Volume III – #271-285
12  7  Noble Correspondence, Volume III – #286-300
12  8  Noble Correspondence, Volume III – #301-315
12  9  Noble Correspondence, Volume III – #316-330
12  10 Noble Correspondence, Volume III – #331-345
12  11 Noble Correspondence, Volume III – #346-360
12  12  Noble Correspondence, Volume III – #361-373
13 1  Northampton Extracts
Two small notebooks containing various genealogical and historical entries from Northampton, Amherst, Conway (including records from the Congregational Church and cemeteries), Pittsfield, and other Massachusetts records with a few personal entries at the end.
13  2  Notes on Families with Surname "B"
Loose sheets of paper with notes on William Ashmead Bartlett, the Billings family, the Beecher family, and James Beebe. Also one on James A. Sweezey, who married Emily Maria Boltwood in 1853.
13 3 Notes on Families with Surname "M"
Loose sheets of paper with notes on various members of the Montague, Mansfield, Moore, and Mann families.
13  4  Notes on Families with Surname "P"
Loose sheets of paper with notes on various members of the Pantry and Perkins families. 
13  5  Notes on Families with Surname "T"
Loose sheets of paper with notes on various members of the Thompson, Taylor, and Todd families.
13  6  Palmer Records
Composition book with several pages of Palmer (Mass.) Town Records.
13  7  Photographs
A few photos of Lucius Manlius Boltwood, one dated March 1872 and another dated 22 September 1904. One copy of the 1904 photo is dedicated to Mr. George Cutler (of Amherst).
13  8 Pittsfield Records
Small handbound notebook primarily containing records from Pittsfield and other Berkshire County (Mass.) towns, and some from various places in Connecticut – it appears that most of the notes relate to the Noble family.
13  9  Plainfield Records
Two notebooks containing records from various towns in Connecticut, including Plainfield, Lebanon, Gilead, Hebron, and Saybrook.
13  10 Post Office
Notebook containing records from when Boltwood was Postmaster in Amherst, primarily receipts of registered letters received by Amherst residents.
13  11  Post Office Boxes - Amherst
Single sheet of paper listing last names of Post Office Box renters; partial list, last names beginning with Ws and Ys.
13  12  Sheldon, Isaac
Handbound sheaf of papers and a few separate sheets containing genealogical and family history on Isaac Sheldon, “the patriarch of the Northampton family” as Boltwood calls him.
13  13  Shepard, Thomas
Thick notebook of genealogical information about the family of Thomas Shepard (circa 1632-1693). There are also many loose sheets tucked into the book and in a separate small envelope.
13  14  Shepard Genealogy
Folder of papers containing genealogical information about various members of the Shepard Family. [Boltwood’s mother was a Shepard.]
14   Scrapbook
Two scrapbooks of various newspaper articles and notices. A few of the items in the larger are dated during the 1840s and 1850s, and a few others bear the name of the Hartford newspaper, The Courant. The smaller book contains articles from 1857-1860 (when dated), and many come from the Amherst newspapers. Also, a folder containing a fragment removed from one of the other Boltwood scrapbooks.
15    Scrapbook
Two scrapbooks of various newspaper articles and notices. One is labelled “Vol. III, Amherst & Hampshire County” and primarily contains Amherst Record items from 1879-1882, and the second contains articles from other newspapers from roughly the same time period.
16   Scrapbooks
Three scrapbooks of various newspaper articles and notices. One labelled “Boltwood Scrapbook 4”, containing “Pen pictures & [illegible] of Amherst, 71-76”. One labelled “Vol. VI, Hampshire County, 83-88” is about ¼-full. One labelled “Vol. VIII, Amherst & Miscellany, ‘87-1900”.
17  1  Shrewsbury Records
Small notebook containing genealogical, probate, and cemetery records from various places including Shrewsbury [NJ], Kings County NY, Sheffield [Mass.], Amherst, and New Haven [CT].
17 2  Springfield Records
Small notebook containing town and probate records from Springfield, Amherst, and other towns in Hampshire County.
17  3  Taunton Records
Ledger containing town and probate records from various places including Taunton [MA] and Rockingham County, NH.
17  4  Tuition, 1840-1843
Tuition receipts from Amherst College for Lucius M. Boltwood, signed by Amherst College Treasurer Edward Dickinson.
17  5  Westfield Miscellany
Handbound notebook containing records from Westfield, Mass., including town and burying ground records; also records from Hatfield and Springfield. Many relate to the Noble family.
17  6  Westfield Records
Thirteen small notebooks containing various records from Westfield, Mass.
17  7  Westfield Town Records
Small notebook entitled “Westfield, Mass; Town Records, etc.; Church Records; Gravestone inscriptions, etc.”
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