Thomas Wentworth Higginson Papers, 1850-1907

Collection

Identifier: 103

Staff Only

Collection Overview

This collection comprises letters written to and by Thomas Wentworth Higginson, a manuscript of a portion of his book Cheerful Yesterdays, and pamphlets written by Higginson. The letters include discussion of Higginson's time in England and work with the Cambridge Public Library. The manuscript contains the second chapter of Higginson's memoir, Cheerful Yesterdays, “A Child of the College.” The pamphlets include speeches, sermons, reminiscences, and essays; topics covered include slavery and women's suffrage.

Dates

1850-1907

Creator

Higginson, Thomas Wentworth, 1823-1911 (Creator, Person)

Language of Materials

English

Access to Collection

This collection is open to research.

Conditions Governing Use

The materials in this collection are believed to be in the public domain. However, it is the responsibility of the researcher to understand and observe copyright law and to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyright. Questions concerning copyright and permission to publish should be directed to the Cambidge Room, Cambridge Public Library Archives and Special Collections.

Biography

Thomas Wentworth Higginson was a writer, minister, colonel, abolitionist, and activist. He was born on December 23, 1823 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Louisa Storrow Higginson and Stephen Higginson Jr. Thomas Wentworth Higginson graduated from Harvard College in 1841 and from Harvard Divinity School in 1847. He then served as a preacher, first in Newburyport, where he was deemed too radical, and later at the Free Church in Worcester, Massachusetts. During this time, Higginson became increasingly active in abolitionist activity. He wrote and preached against slavery in the years leading up to the Civil War and was active in the Boston Vigilance Committee and the Underground Railroad. After supporting abolitionist settlers in Kansas following the Kansas-Nebraska Act, he provided financial support to John Brown's raid of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. During the Civil War, Higginson led the Union's first African-American regiment. He described his military service in the memoir Army Life in a Black Regiment.

After the Civil War, Higginson focused on writing, editing, and activism, living in Newport, Rhode Island, for about two decades before returning to Cambridge. As a writer, he published fiction, memoirs, and essays, working with publications such as the Atlantic Monthly and the Woman's Journal. He wrote on issues such as women's suffrage, temperance, and Reconstruction. Higginson was also an editor; he corresponded with Emily Dickinson and co-edited her poetry for publication after her death. Higginson served as a trustee of the Cambridge Public Library and was instrumental in establishing the collections of the Cambridge Room, the library’s archives and special collections. Higginson married Mary Channing in 1847. After her death in 1877, he married Mary Thacher in 1879. They had two daughters, Louisa, who died in infancy in 1880, and Margaret, born in 1881. Higginson died on May 9, 1911 in Cambridge and was buried in Cambridge Cemetery.

Extent

.2 Linear Feet

.2 Cubic Feet

1 boxes (half Hollinger)

25 Items

Additional Description

Organization of Collection

Approximately 25 items grouped by type

Series 1: Correspodence

Subseries 1.1: Incoming

Subseries 1.2: Outgoing

Ten letters grouped chronologically within series.

Series 2: Manuscript

One manuscript.

Series 3: Pamphlets

Fourteen pamphlets grouped alphabetically by title.