Martha's Vineyard Museum
A Finding Aid to the Verril Family and Martha W. Luce Collection, 1858-1880
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 452 |
| Creator | Verril, Charles P., 1839- Verril, Sarah H., 1846-1880 Luce, Martha W., 1834-1910 |
| Title | Verril family and Martha W. Luce collection |
| Date | 1858-1880, undated, bulk 1865-1868 |
| Extent | Physical Description:1 box + 1 oversize folder (0.529 cubic feet) |
| Language | The materials are in English. |
| Abstract | This collection contains 1864-1868 correspondence between Charles P. Verril, a mariner away at sea, and his wife, Sarah H. Verril of Tisbury, Massachusetts, and letters, 1858-1880, received by Martha W. Luce, also of Tisbury. |
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
There are no restrictions.
Use and Reproduction Restrictions
Requests to reproduce material from this collection should be directed to museum staff. Reproduction fees may apply.
Preferred Citation
Martha's Vineyard Museum, RU 452, Verril Family and Martha W. Luce Collection.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Seth Goodhart, August 3, 2011. (Accession no. 2011.007). The donor purchased these letters at an island antique market in West Tisbury circa 2005.
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, July-August 2013. Machine-encoded by Nathaniel Janick April 2014.
Creation of this finding aid was sponsored by the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.Related Materials
Related Materials
The University of Kansas holds a closely related collection, see: Luce and Swift Family Collection, MS 293, Department of Special Collections, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas Libraries.
Index Terms
Genre(s)
- Correspondence
Geographic Name(s)
- Holmes Hole (Mass.)
- Tisbury (Mass. : Town)
- Massachusetts-\-History-\-Civil War, 1861-1865
- United States-\-History-\-Civil War, 1861-1865
Personal Name(s)
- Luce, Benjamin N., 1840-1912
Subject(s)
- Communicable diseases
- Merchant ships
- Seafaring life-\-Atlantic Ocean
- Soldiers-\-Massachusetts-\-Correspondence
Biography/Historical Note
Sarah H. Swift Verril was born January 17, 1846 to Hannah V. Swift, 1823-1901 and Charles H. Swift, 1817-1884. She had seven siblings; Timothy, Elizabeth, Charles, Asa, Holmes, Mary and William. The family lived in Tisbury, Massachusetts, at that time called Holmes Hole. In 1864, Sarah H. Swift married mariner Charles Peter Verril. Charles Verril left the island to go to sea, while Sarah Verril remained in Tisbury, with her parents and daughter, Emma, 1866-. Born in Bangor, Maine in 1839, Charles P. Verril was employed on board various merchant vessels, including the schooner J. B. Brinkley, schooner Elvira A. Conant and the schooner Highland Queen. He spent significant amounts of time away from home. Between 1865 and 1868, he travelled largely along the eastern seaboard between United States port cities, including Boston, MA, New York, NY, Stonington, CT, Westport, ME, Philadelphia, PA and New Orleans, LA. He also ventured to foreign ports, such as, Halifax, Canada and Sagua la Grande, Cuba. Charles P. Verril was probably on the schooner Samuel Crowell out of Gloucester, Massachusetts, when it was lost in the gale of August 24, 1873. Sarah H. Verril died a widow in Tisbury on August 30, 1880.
Martha Washington Luce was born in 1834 to James Norton Luce, 1797-1868 and Martha N. Wilbur, 1814-1884. Martha W. Luce had nine siblings; James, Asa, West, Benjamin, Grafton, Charles, Theodore, Adriana and Fannie. While many remained on the island, several of her brothers travelled to other areas of the country. Luce's brother, Benjamin N. Luce, married a New Bedford, Massachusetts, woman, Mary Jane Devoll, 1840-1920, in 1859 and subsequently served in the Civil War. Benjamin and Mary J. Luce ultimately settled in Tisbury. Another brother, Grafton A. Luce, born 1842, married Alice Hazelton Pease, 1844-1872, and the couple resided in Indiana. Grafton Luce also served in the Civil War. In 1865 Martha W. Luce married a cousin Franklin Luce. They lived in Tisbury, Massachusetts, and had two daughters; Rhoda and Amelia. Martha W. Luce died in Tisbury on May 18, 1910 and her husband Franklin Luce predeceased her in 1868.
Scope and Content of Collection
The collection contains correspondence between merchant mariner, Charles P. Verril and his wife, Sarah H. Verril of Tisbury, Massachusetts, 1864-1868, written while Verril was away at sea and, 1858-1880 letters created by Martha W. Luce of Tisbury. The bulk of the correspondence received by Luce was written by her siblings and in-laws, and the collection includes several letters from her brother Benjamin N. Luce, who served in the Civil War.
It is not known if this collection is a natural accumulation of papers with the same provenance, or an artificial collection assembled by a previous custodian. However, the materials have been retained together because their immediate source of acquisition is the same and it is possible that they share the same provenance. There is a family connection between the Verrils and the Luces. Sarah Verril's brother, Holmes A. Swift, was married to Martha Luce's daughter Rhoda.
Arrangement
- Series I: Verril Family, 1864-1868, undated
- Series II: Martha W. Luce, 1858-1880, undated
Collection Contents
Series I. Verril Family, 1864-1868, undated Scope and ContentSeries I contains correspondence between husband, Charles P. Verril, a mariner, and his wife, Sarah H. Verril of Tisbury, Massachusetts, 1864-1868. Many of the letters are undated. The pair wrote to each other regularly, often every few days, and the letters frequently express their lonesomeness and desire to be together. Letters written by Sarah Verril mention the comings and goings and health of various members of the family, the baby (daughter Emma), attendance at "meetings" and social calls from friends. Letters written by Charles Verril contain queries regarding the health of friends and family at home, describe his whereabouts and occasionally, mention noteworthy events on his voyages, such as bad storms and damage or repairs to vessels. He also notes when he has sent money home and how much. His letters are sent from numerous United States port cities including; Boston, MA, New York, NY, Stonington, CT, Westport, ME, Philadelphia, PA and New Orleans, LA. Verril also wrote from Halifax, Canada and Sagua la Grande, Cuba. When in Boston, Charles Verril frequently received correspondence care of Charles F. Eaton, Long Wharf No. 45, a wholesale grocer and provisioner of ships. The series also contains two letters addressed to Sarah H. Verril's mother, Hannah V. Swift, from her daughter, Elizabeth (Lizzie) Ames and her granddaughter, both sent from Rockland, Maine. ArrangementThe series is arranged chronologically. Materials with no year identified have been filed by port at the end of the series. Miscellaneous envelopes and letters addressed to Hannah V. Swift are filed last. | ||||
| Box | Folder | |||
Correspondence, 1864-1865 | 1 | 1 | ||
Correspondence, 1865 February, June-July | 1 | 2 | ||
Correspondence, 1865 August-September | 1 | 3 | ||
Correspondence, 1865 October-December | 1 | 4 | ||
Correspondence, 1866 January-February | 1 | 5 | ||
Correspondence, 1866 July-August | OS GEN 4 | 29 | ||
Correspondence, 1866 December | 1 | 6 | ||
Correspondence, 1867 March-June, December | 1 | 7 | ||
Correspondence, 1868 January-May | 1 | 8 | ||
Correspondence from Boston, undated | 1 | 10-Sep | ||
Correspondence from Gloucester, Newport and Stonington, undated | 1 | 11 | ||
Correspondence from Westport, Winter Harbor Hill and Unidentified, undated | 1 | 12 | ||
Envelopes, undated | 1 | 13 | ||
Correspondence to Hannah V. Swift from Elizabeth Ames, 1879 August | 1 | 14 | ||
Series II. Martha W. Luce, 1858-1880, undated Scope and ContentSeries II consists of letters addressed to Martha W. Luce of Tisbury, Massachusetts, 1858-1880 and undated. Most of the letters are from members of the Luce family, but there are also a few letters from friends, including, Mary N. Pease and Ellen E. Whitten. Martha Luce's brother Grafton and his wife Alice wrote from Pleasant Grove, Indiana after moving there from Massachusetts, and later from Brazil, Indiana. During the Civil War, Benjamin N. Luce, a member of the 20th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, Company I, wrote from Camp Benton, Maryland and the hospital after he was wounded at Fredericksburg, Virginia. In his letters Benjamin Luce describes his condition and thanks the family for sending him supplies. He also attempts to resolve discord between his wife Mary Jane Devoll, and his sister Martha Luce. A letter to Martha Luce from her cousin, Sarah M. Marsh, describes a North Brookfield, Massachusetts epidemic of dysentery and typhoid which killed Marsh's husband and sickened many others. There are a few letters addressed to Frank, possibly Franklin Luce, discussing Luce relatives, island residents and the war, and one seemingly unrelated naval service discharge for Charles Watson. ArrangementCorrespondence is arranged alphabetically by sender with miscellaneous and unidentified materials filed at the end of the series. | ||||
| Box | Folder | |||
Devoll, Mary Jane, 1858-1859 | 1 | 15 | ||
Luce, Benjamin N., 1861-1862 | 1 | 16 | ||
Luce, Franklin, undated | 1 | 17 | ||
Luce, Grafton A. and Alice Hazelton Pease Luce, 1866, 1880 | 1 | 18 | ||
Marsh, Sarah M., 18--? | 1 | 19 | ||
Pease, Mary N., 1875-1877 | 1 | 20 | ||
Whitten, Ellen E., 1866 March 07 | 1 | 21 | ||
Letters to Frank and Miscellaneous, 1862-1863 | 1 | 22 | ||
Unidentified Correspondent, 1877 | 1 | 23 | ||