Martha's Vineyard Museum
A Finding Aid to the Sons of Martha's Vineyard Collection, 1887-1892, undated
Table of Contents
Descriptive Summary
| Repository | Martha's Vineyard Museum,
Gale Huntington Research Library 59 School Street P.O. Box 1310 Edgartown, MA 02539 (508)627-4441 |
|---|---|
| Call Number | RU 425 |
| Creator | Sons of Martha's Vineyard (Boston, Mass.) |
| Title | Sons of Martha's Vineyard collection |
| Date | 1887-1892, undated |
| Extent | 1/2 Box |
| Language | The materials are in English. |
| Abstract | The Sons of Martha's Vineyard was a Boston, Massachusetts based social club organized in 1887. Membership in the club was contingent upon island ties. Records dating from 1887 to 1892, document the establishment of the organization and events organized by the club. |
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
There are no restrictions.
Use and Reproduction Restrictions
Requests to reproduce material from this collection should be directed to the library's staff. Reproduction fees may apply.
Preferred Citation
Martha's Vineyard Museum, RU 425, Sons of Martha's Vineyard Collection.
Acquisition Information
The immediate source of acquisition and date of accession are unknown.
Publication Information
Martha's Vineyard Museum
Gale Huntington Research Library59 School Street
P.O. Box 1310
Edgartown, MA 02539
(508)627-4441
Processing Information
Finding aid prepared by Insley Julier December 2012. Machine-encoded by Nathaniel Janick April 2014.
Processing of this collection and creation of this finding aid was sponsored by the towns of Aquinnah, Chilmark, Oak Bluffs, Tisbury, and West Tisbury through the Massachusetts Community Preservation Act. Machine-encoding of the finding aid was sponsored by the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.Related Materials
Related Materials
See also, the Martha's Vineyard Museum's Photograph Collection for a group portrait of the Sons of Martha's Vineyard.
Index Terms
Genre(s)
- Badges
- Bylaws
- Constitutions
- Correspondence
- Invitations
- Menus
Geographic Name(s)
- Boston (Mass.)--Social life and customs
Personal Name(s)
- Pease, Richard L. (Richard Luce), 1814-1888
- Peakes, James D.
Subject(s)
- Clubs--Massachusetts--Boston
- Clubs--Massachusetts--Martha's Vineyard
Biography/Historical Note
The Sons of Martha's Vineyard was a Boston, Massachusetts based social club organized on 8 July 1887. Membership in the club was contingent upon Vineyard ties. According to the constitution and bylaws, only "native-born" or "adopted sons of Martha's Vineyard, or their descendants" could be elected officers and receive full voting privileges. Many members of the club were drawn from old island families including; Baylies, Butler, Chadwick, Chase, Clough, Coffin, Crowell, Daggett, Davis, Dexter, Fisher, Holmes, Huxford, Jernegan, Look, Luce, Manter, Merry, Morse, Norton, Pease, West and others. Original officers included, Leander Butler, William H. Daggett, Charles H. Robinson, James D. Peakes, Frank P. Luce and Jared W. Crowell. In addition to social functions held in the Boston area, the group also made an annual pilgrimage to the island for the July 4th holiday. The club remained active until at least 1891.
Scope and Content of Collection
The collection includes printed booklets from 1887, containing the constitution and bylaws of the organization, invitations to events, a menu and membership list from the first annual banquet in December 1887, correspondence, a copy of a poem originally published in the Vineyard Gazette, a manuscript address delivered by Richard L. Pease during the group's first annual pilgrimage to the island and several printed accounts of this pilgrimage. The island pilgrimages organized by the group included receptions, processions, addresses, banquets and dances, and reports on the planning of these gatherings and reception programs are included. Additionally, the collection contains several badges and memorial badges printed on ribbon, which may or may not be linked to the club.
It is not evident from institutional records whether this collection was artificially created by former library staff or if it was acquired and retained intact as the records of this organization. Many of the materials are addressed to James D. Peakes, who held various executive positions in the organization however other materials bear the names of other individuals, suggesting that the collection was assembled from a variety of sources.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged chronologically.
Collection Contents
| Box | Folder | |||
Establishment, Constitution and Bylaws, 1887 | 1 | 1 | ||
Invitation and Menu, Annual Banquet, 1887 December 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
Correspondence and Circulars, 1887-1888, undated | 1 | 3 | ||
Address by Richard L. Pease, 1888 July 7 NoteNote: Reproduced in the publication, "First Pilgrimage of the Sons of Martha's Vineyard, July 4, 1888." | 1 | 4 | ||
Reception Programs and Reports, 1888-1889 | 1 | 5 | ||
Published account, "First Pilgrimage of the Sons of Martha's Vineyard, July 4, 1888.", 1889 | 1 | 7-Jun | ||
Badges and Memorial Badge, 1892, undated | 1 | 8 | ||
Poem, "One Hundred 'Sons' or More.", undated | 1 | 9 | ||