Priscilla Cushing Sprague Collection of Eaton, Stearns, and Buck family papers, 1847-1947

The Priscilla Cushing Sprague Collection contains papers of various members of the Eaton, Stearns and Buck families gathered by Priscilla Cushing Sprague, a descendant of all three families: she was the niece of Charlotte Buck, granddaughter of Priscilla Stearns Batchellor, and grandniece of Joanna Eaton and George Eaton.

These papers provide very little biographical information. The journals of Joanna Eaton and Sarah Yeager indicate that they were young Massachusetts women, and probably were teachers. George Eaton, also from Massachusetts, wrote to his children from Para, Brazil, where he worked, building a railroad and later manufacturing brick. His wife had died and his children were living with relatives in Grantville, Massachusetts. His son, Charles Eaton, worked in Quincy for a time.

Oliver Stearns was noted throughout Massachusetts as a theologian and Unitarian minister. His son-in-law, Charles Buck, was a minister in Fall River, Massachusetts and Maine. Reverend Buck's daughters, Charlotte Buck and Frona Buck, wrote long, gossipy letters from Echo Point, Maine, during summer vacations and later lived in Belmont and Cambridge. Dates, places and surnames are often missing from the correspondence, which, however, in a general way describes nineteenth century family life and daily activities.

The Eaton papers consist of three journals of Joanna Eaton; two journals of her niece, Sarah Mary Yeager; the letters of George Eaton (Joanna Eaton's brother ?) to his children, Charles Eaton, Hannah Eaton and Annie Eaton; and a small number of letters from other family members.

The Stearns-Buck papers contain a few letters of Dr. Oliver Stearns and his first wife, Mary (Blood) Stearns, as well as some probate notes re Oliver Stearns' will. The bulk of the correspondence centers around the Buck family, in particular the daughters of Charles and Mary (Stearns) Buck. Most of these letters were written by Charlotte and Frona Buck to their father and each other over summer vacations.