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COLLECTION Identifier: HUD 823.49

Leonard family correspondence

Overview

The Leonard family lived primarily in Marshfield, Massachusetts. This collection contains five letters written by Molly Fobes Leonard, minister Elijah Leonard, and their son George, dating from 1793 to 1829. Included are correspondence between Elijah and George while George was attending Harvard Divinity School and living in Cambridge, a letter from Molly to her unmarried sister Nancy discussing courtship, and a letter from Elijah to his father-in-law Peres Fobes about son Elijah, Jr.'s occupation.

Dates

  • Creation: 1793-1829

Researcher Access

Open for research.

Extent

0.03 cubic feet (1 pamphlet binder)

This collection contains five letters written by Molly Fobes Leonard, minister Elijah Leonard, and their son George, dating from 1793 to 1829. Included are correspondence between Elijah and George while George was attending Harvard Divinity School and living in Cambridge, a letter from Molly to her unmarried sister Nancy discussing courtship, and a letter from Elijah to his father-in-law Peres Fobes about son Elijah, Jr.'s occupation.

Biographical Note on the Leonard family

The Leonard family lived primarily in Marshfield, Massachusetts. Reverend Elijah Leonard (1760-1831) was born in Raynham, Massachusetts, graduated from Yale University in 1783, and settled in Marshfield, where he was minister at the Second Congregational Society. Leonard married Molly Wales Fobes in 1792, and their five children, including Elijah, Jr., and George, were born in Marshfield. Molly died in 1801, and Leonard married Mary Delano of Scituate in 1804.

Reverend George Leonard (1801-1881) graduated Harvard University with an AB in 1823 and received an AM from Harvard Divinity School in 1826. In 1836, he was ordained as a minister in East Marshfield. Leonard also taught at a school in Marshfield and was a member of the town school committee for more than 20 years.

Biographical note on the Fobes family

Peres (or Perez) Fobes (1742-1812), educator and minister, was born in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. He received his AB from Harvard in 1762 and taught school in Plymouth until he was appointed minister of the First Church of Raynham in 1766. Fobes also founded a school in Raynham in 1773, and he was a charter member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1780. Fobes briefly served as vice-president of Rhode Island College (now Brown University) in 1786 and as Professor of Natural and Experimental Philosophy at the school from 1786 to 1798. He married Prudence Wales (1736-1815) in 1775, and they had two daughters born in Raynham, Nancy (1769-1854) and Molly Wales (1772-1801).

Nancy Fobes may have assisted her father as a teacher in his school until she married Simeon Doggett, Jr. (1765-1852), minister and preceptor of Bristol Academy, in 1797. They had eight children and lived in Taunton and Mendon before permanently settling in Raynham in 1831.

Molly Fobes was the subject of a portrait by physician and artist Rufus Hathaway (1770-1822) in 1790; the oil painting, titled “Lady with Her Pets,” is his earliest known work. She married Elijah Leonard in 1792 and moved to Marshfield. Molly died approximately six months after giving birth to her fifth child, George, on November 29, 1801.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Brooke McManus in January 2020. Folder titles were devised by the archivist.

Title
Leonard (Family : Marshfield, Mass.). Leonard family correspondence, 1793-1829 : an inventory
Description rules
dacs
Language of description
und
EAD ID
hua02020

Repository Details

Part of the Harvard University Archives Repository

Holding nearly four centuries of materials, the Harvard University Archives is the principal repository for the institutional records of Harvard University and the personal archives of Harvard faculty, as well as collections related to students, alumni, Harvard-affiliates and other associated topics. The collections document the intellectual, cultural, administrative and social life of Harvard and the influence of the University as it emerged across the globe.

Contact:
Pusey Library
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Cambridge MA 02138 USA
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