59 School Street, Box 1310, Edgartown MA 02539 - 508.627.4441
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A Finding Aid to the Gale Huntington Papers, circa 1800-1802, 1878-2005, undated

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 444
Creator Huntington, Gale, 1902-1993
Title Gale Huntington papers
Date 1800-1802, 1878-2005, undated
Extent 4 boxes + 3 oversize folders
Language The materials are in English.
Abstract This collection consists of research papers, photographs, and publications created by Gale Huntington between 1930 and 1986. Gale Huntington, 1902-1993, was a folksinger, musician, author of local history, and editor of the Dukes County Intelligencer.

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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 444, Gale Huntington Papers.

Acquisition Information

  • The bulk of the material was gifted by Emily Huntington Rose in 2008. (Accession no. 2008.050).
  • William Litten's Fiddle Tunes: 1800-1802 was gifted by Gale Huntington in 1977. (Accession no. 1977.012).

Publication Information

Martha's Vineyard Museum

Gale Huntington Research Library
59 School Street
P.O. Box 1310
Edgartown, MA 02539
(508)627-4441

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Related Materials

Related Materials

See also, RU 353, Smith Diaries, 1813-1824.

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Index Terms

Corporate Name(s)

  • S.P. Hitchcock (Schooner)

Genre(s)

  • Christmas cards
  • Correspondence
  • Logs (records)
  • Maps
  • Monographs
  • Photographs
  • Research notes
  • Transcripts

Geographic Name(s)

  • Aquinnah (Mass.)
  • Cape Verde
  • Dukes County (Mass.)--History
  • Gay Head (Mass.)
  • Martha's Vineyard (Mass.)--History

Personal Name(s)

  • Smith, Hannah
  • Smith, Rebecca
  • Tilton, Tom, 1887-
  • Wortman, Denys, 1887-1958

Subject(s)

  • Wampanoag Indians--Massachusetts--Aquinnah--History
  • Wampanoag Indians--Massachusetts--Gay Head--History

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Biography/Historical Note

Elon Gale Huntington, known as Gale Huntington, was born in New York City on June 4, 1902 to Elon Obed Huntington, 1869-1926, and Anna Blackwell, 1872- 1957. Anna Blackwell was the adopted daughter of Emily Blackwell, a pioneering physician and co-founder of the New York Infirmary for Women and Children. Gale Huntington had three brothers; Frederick Romeyn, Wilfred Horace, and Albert Preston. In 1925, Gale Huntington graduated from Stetson University in Florida. After relocating to Chilmark, Massachusetts, Huntiongton married Mildred A. Tilton in 1933. Their only child, Emily Huntington, was born on January 28, 1936. Gale Huntington had a variety of professions throughout his life including fisherman, farmer, folksinger, musician, historian, high school history teacher at Tisbury High School and later at Martha's Vineyard Regional High School, and editor of the Dukes County Intelligencer from 1959-1977. Huntington authored multiple articles for the Intelligencer; wrote three books: Songs the Whalemen Sang (1964), Introduction to Martha's Vineyard and a Guided Tour of the Island (1969), and Vineyard Tales (1980); transcribed for publication William Litten's Fiddle Tunes: 1800-1802 (1977); edited, transcribed, and annotated Sam Henry's Songs of the People (1990); and edited Tom Tilton: Coaster and Fisherman (1984), narrated by Tom Tilton. Gale Huntington died on December 26, 1993.

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Scope and Content of Collection

This collection contains Gale Huntington's research papers, photographs, and publications. The research papers are largely related to articles and books written by Gale Huntington, as well as his work at the Dukes County Intelligencer. The collection also contains a logbook kept by Elon O. Huntington, Gale's father, during his voyage on board the S. P. Hitchcock (Schooner) in 1892 and six Denys Wortman Christmas cards sent to the Huntington family. There was one February 19, 1870 American Ship Masters' Association certificate for Aaron D. Littlefield found with the collection that does not appear to be a part of the original accession. The certificate was removed.

Arrangement

  • Series I: Research and Personal Papers, 1800-1802, 1892, 1930-1986, undated
  • Series II: Photographs, 1888-1986, undated
  • Series III: Publications, 1878-2005, undated
  • Series IV: Additions to Collection, 1923-1993, undated

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Collection Contents

Series I. Research and Personal Papers, 1800-1802, 1892, 1930-1986, undated 

Scope and Content

Series I includes Gale Huntington's research papers for various articles, books, and unpublished works concerning whaling songs; Native American's of Gay Head (now Aquinnah); stories about Martha's Vineyard; transcriptions of Hannah and Rebecca Smith's diaries; and correspondence and newspaper clippings concerning the publication of the Tom Tilton: Coaster and Fisherman. Tom Tilton was Gale's father-in-law. The series also includes Huntington's personal papers: a logbook kept by Elon O. Huntington, Gale's father, during his voyage on board the S. P. Hitchcock (Schooner) in 1892; six Denys Wortman Christmas cards sent to the Huntington family; drawings by an unidentified artist; and postcards.

Arrangement

Materials are arranged alphabetically by folder title.
Box Folder

Articles and stories, 1965, undated 

Note

Material removed from album for preservation reasons.

 1 1

Banks, undated 

 1 2

The Beautiful World, undated 

Note

Material removed from album for preservation reasons.

 1 3

Cape Verde Islands, 1980-1981, undated 

 1 4

Drawings, undated 

Note

Unidentified artist.

 1 5

Hannah Smith, undated 

Note

Material removed from album for preservation reasons.

 1 6

Helen Attaquin, undated 

 1 7

Indictments 1767, undated 

Note

This folder was empty.

 1 8

Logbook of the S. P. Hitchcock, 1892 July-December 

 1 9

Manuscript chapters, undated 

Note

Material removed from album for preservation reasons.

 1 10

Map of Chilmark and Gay Head, undated 

 Map Case 1

Martha's Vineyard history, undated 

 1 11

Martha's Vineyard miscellaneous history, undated 

 1 12

Martha's Vineyard more history, undated 

 1 13

Martha's Vineyard some history, undated 

 2 1

Material about Hannah Smith, undated 

Note

Material removed from album for preservation reasons.

 2 2

Mayhew, Matthew, undated 

 2 3

Miscellaneous papers, 1977 December-1978 January, undated 

 2 4

Morrell, William, undated 

 2 5

Notes for Sam Henry's Song of the People, undated 

 2 6

Pease, Richard L., undated 

 2 7

Postcards, 1930-1951, undated 

 2 8

Rebecca Smith,  undated 

 2 9

Roger William,  undated 

 2 10

Starbuck, Alan,  undated 

 2 11

Talk to the DAR on Indians,  undated 

 2 12

Tantaquidgean, Gladys, 1979 January 17, undated 

 2 13

Tom Tilton Story, 1980 May-1986 March 

 2 14

Vineyard Indians-Biography, 1980 April 18 

 2 15

William Litten's Fiddle Tunes: 1800-1802, 1800-1802 

 2 16

Wortman Christmas cards,  undated 

 OS GEN 4 14

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Series II. Photographs, 1888-1986, undated 

Scope and Content

Series II contains photographs of Martha's Vineyard residents, snapshots from vacations, and family pictures. The majority of the subjects in the Huntington-Tilton family photographs are identified. The subjects and places in the other photographic prints, snapshots, and negatives are primarily unidentified. Also included in this series is a mounted photograph of Dr. Emily Blackwell, Gale Huntington's adopted maternal grandmother.

Arrangement

Materials are arranged alphabetically by folder title.
Box Folder

Huntington Tilton family photographs, 1888-1986, undated 

 3 1

Huntington Tilton family photographs, 1888-1986, undated 

 3 2

Mounted photograph of Dr. Emily Blackwell, undated 

 OS GEN 4 15

Negatives, undated 

 3 3

Silver gelatin prints, undated 

 3 4

Snapshots, 1920-1969, undated 

 3 5

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Series III. Publications, 1800-1802, 1892, 1930-1986, undated 

Scope and Content

Series III includes books written by Gale Huntington as well as various guide books about Martha's Vineyard. The papers included a copy of The Story of Martha's Vineyard: From the Lips of its Inhabitants Newspaper Files and Those Who Have Visited its Shores, including Stray Notes on Local History and Industries by C. G. Hine, New York, Hine Bros., 1908. Copy not retained as two copies exist in the library's collection.

Arrangement

Publications are arranged alphabetically by folder title.
Box Folder

Fifty Glimpses of Martha's Vineyard Island, 1900 

 4 1

Guide to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, 1878 

 4 2

Martha's Vineyard: Embracing Oak Bluffs, Vineyard Haven and Edgartown, undated 

 4 3

New York to San Francisco Under Sail 1892, undated 

 4 4

Songs the Whalemen Sang, 2005 

 4 5

William Litten's Fiddle Tunes: 1800-1802, 1977 

Note

Two copies signed by Gale Huntington.

 4 6

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Series IV. Additions to Collection, 1923-1993, undated 

Scope and Content

Series IV contains material from an archival survey of the Martha's Vineyard Museum's Collections and was added in August 2015. It contains research materials, annotated manuscripts, transcriptions, and correspondence created by Gale Huntington for his numerous publications and work on Martha's Vineyard. The series also includes some materials from Huntington's musical career, including a set list and a book of songs.

Arrangement

Materials are arranged alphabetically by folder title.
Box Folder

Clippings, 1956, 1980, 1986-1988 

 4 7

Cyril Norton's Book transcription, 1975 

 4 8

Folksongs from Martha's Vineyard photocopies, undated 

 4 9

Gale Huntington autobiographical information, 1979, 1993 

 4 10

Indian Converts research notes, undated 
 1998.038.015

 4 11

The Mandans, undated 
 1998.038

 4 12

The Mandans manuscript, undated 
 1998.038

 5 1

Mandan research correspondence, undated 
 1998.038.017a

 5 2

Mandan manuscript research materials, undated 
 1998.038.018

 5 3

Martha's Vineyard and the Beautiful World manuscript, undated 
 1998.038.016c

 5 4

Martha's Vineyard and the Beautiful World manuscript, undated 
 1998.038.016c

 5 5

Martha's Vineyard and the Beautiful World manuscript, undated 
 1998.038.016c

 5 6

Martha's Vineyard and the Beautiful World manuscript, undated 
 1998.038.016c

 5 7

Mildred Tilton (Huntington) Tisbury Elementary report card, 1923 

 5 8

The Political Allignment of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket in the Seventeenth Century as Regards the Question of Representation, undated 

 5 9

Set List, undated 
 1995.046.003

 5 10

Tilton genealogical notes, undated 

 5 11

Town Seals of Dukes County research and correspondence, 1965, undated 

 5 12

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