Hapgood family papers

Correspondence and a few other items, 1789-1860, of the related Hapgood and Grout families of Petersham, Massachusetts, make up this small collection. The major correspondents are Jonathan Grout, Sr., and Hutchins Hapgood, Sr., and their children. The papers are arranged alphabetically by author.

Jonathan Grout's twenty-two letters date from the time of his service in the First Congress, 1789-1792, but refer only occasionally to Congressional activities; see, for example, the letter of 1789 Sep 6 on the building of the Capitol in Washington, and the letter of 1790 Jan 18 on the funding of the National Debt. The bulk of his letters to his son deal with family business and other matters which Jonathan Grout, Jr., was handling in his father's absence, as do Jonathan Grout, Jr.'s two letters to his father. The three letters of Jonathan Grout, Sr., to Hutchins Hapgood are also concerned with business.

The fifty letters of Hutchins Hapgood, Sr., to his sons Hutchins and Charles cover the period 1809 through 1827; two copies of his will (1825 Jan 28, 1837 Oct 3) are also included. The letters contain advice to his sons about their education and health, and comments on politics and current events, but deal for the most part with his own and Hutchins Hapgood, Jr.'s business activities and financial problems, including land purchases, the settlement of the estates of family members, and several law suits. A few letters from Hutchins Hapgood, Sr.'s children and his daughter-in-law Betsy Hopkins deal with family matters. Two letters from Hutchins Hapgood, Jr., also discuss the Dutch community of Harlem and New York City and a yellow fever epidemic in the city (1822 Sep 16, 1826 May 31).

The remaining items in the collection include receipts, notes, and letters pertaining to the Grout and Hapgood families; one of these letters; from Abner Morse (1860 Nov 23), deals with Hapgood family genealogy.

These papers were donated to Yale University by Elizabeth H. Backman in 1977.