West Family Collection
Collection
Identifier: CHC043
Collection Description
The materials found in this collection include blue prints and a contract for work done on the two West properties, 115 Pearl Street and 6 Cottage Street; the ledger of a short-lived family clock business; school copy books for Alfred, George, and Gertrude West, which reflect the educational methods of the times; grade school essays by George; and a large album of unidentified photographs. The collection spans the date range 1885 to 1926.
Dates
- 1885-1926
Language of Materials
Material is in English.
Access
Collection is available for research under the CHC rules of use.
Copyright Notice
Copyright for materials resides with the creators of the items in question, unless otherwise designated.
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 Cambridge Historical Commission Archives.
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 Cambridge Historical Commission Archives.
Historical Note
Alfred West came from Bristol, England in the early 1900s, settled in Cambridge, and bought properties at 115 Pearl Street and 6 Cottage Street. The family, of five children, maintained these properties, the former as a rental unit and the latter as their home, until the death of the last child, Gertrude, in 1987. Little is known of the family’s activities except for Alfred’s brief foray into a clock business and Gertrude’s fifty years of service at the Jordan Marsh store in Boston.
Extent
2 boxes
Scope and Content
The materials found in this collection include blue prints and a contract for work done on the two West properties, 115 Pearl Street and 6 Cottage Street; the ledger of a short-lived family clock business; school copy books for Alfred, George, and Gertrude, which reflect the educational methods of the times; grade school essays by George; and a large album of unidentified photographs.
Of particular interest are the essays composed by George, which describe the experiences of a schoolboy in the early 1900s; an eighth grade class visit to the new Cambridge Public Library being a particularly expansive and engaging account. The family’s penchant for copying and clipping famous poetry brought into the collection the poem “Hagerty,” written to honor a Cambridge soldier killed in the Spanish American War.
Of particular interest are the essays composed by George, which describe the experiences of a schoolboy in the early 1900s; an eighth grade class visit to the new Cambridge Public Library being a particularly expansive and engaging account. The family’s penchant for copying and clipping famous poetry brought into the collection the poem “Hagerty,” written to honor a Cambridge soldier killed in the Spanish American War.
Collection Arrangement
This small collection is arranged by folder topic. For preservation purposes the photograph album is stored separately.
Physical Location
Collection is stored on-site
Provenance
The West Family Collection was donated to the Cambridge Historical Commission by Jeff Murray of 115 Pearl Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Mr. Murray had been a long term tenant of the Wests, and his account provides the only, very sketchy, descriptive material available on the family. He donated the collection on May 15, 2007.
Processing Information
Processing and finding aid by Alice Dodds, June 2007.
Encoded by: Brittany Fox, September 2020.
Encoded by: Brittany Fox, September 2020.
- Title
- Inventory of the West Family Collection, 1885-1926
- Author
- Processing and finding aid by H. Alice Dodds, June 2007. Machine-readable finding aid by Brittany Fox, September 2020.
- Description rules
- Finding Aid Was Prepared Using Dacs
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- Description is in English.
Repository Details
Part of the Cambridge Historical Commission Archives Repository
Contact:
831 Massachusetts Avenue
2nd Floor
Cambridge Massachusetts 02139 US
617-349-4683
histcomm@cambridgema.gov
831 Massachusetts Avenue
2nd Floor
Cambridge Massachusetts 02139 US
617-349-4683
histcomm@cambridgema.gov