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Mary Richards letters to her brother Giles Richards

 Collection
Call Number: RH MS P802

Overview

These two letters of 1836 were written by Mary Richards, aunt of Amos Adams Lawrence, for whom Lawrence, Kansas and Lawrence College (Appleton, Wisconsin) are named. Richards' letters are to her brother Giles Richards, a prominent Ohio pioneer in textile manufacturing. She writes of the Richards family of Roxbury, Massachusetts, describing their mother's declining health and death, their brother George's residency in Paris, activities of their brother-in-law Amos Lawrence and nephew Amos, and kindnesses received from William Appleton, Boston shipping merchant and future father-in-law of their nephew Amos.

Dates

  • Creation: 1836

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

No access restrictions.

Biography of Mary Richards

Mary Richards was born in Massachusetts on February 22, 1798. Her father was Giles Richards (1754-1829), who had substantial interests in textile manufacturing in the Boston vicinity. Mary's mother was Sarah (Adams) Richards (1769-1836).

Mary's older sister, Sarah, married Massachusetts resident Amos Lawrence (1786-1852), a prosperous textile merchant and philanthropist. Their sons included Amos Adams Lawrence (1814-1886), who promoted anti-slavery settlement of Territorial Kansas and became the namesake of Lawrence, Kansas and Lawrence University (later Lawrence College) at Appleton, Wisconsin. William R. Lawrence, brother of Amos Adams Lawrence, edited and published a book of their father's writings in 1855, titled Extracts from the diary and correspondence of the late Amos Lawrence. Mary's brother Giles Richards (1792-1876) became a highly successful pioneer in the textile industry of southwestern Ohio, where he resided near Venice with his wife Eleanor and daughter Elizabeth. A book by Ophia Smith, The Life and Times of Giles Richards, is based upon a manuscript collection found in their Ohio home.

Extent

1 folder ; 25 x 38 cm

Language of Materials

English

Related Materials

Smith, Ophia D. (Ophia Delilah), b. 1891, The life and times of Giles Richards (1820-1860), F495.R54, Watson Library Stacks. Lawrence, Amos, Extracts from the diary and correspondence of the late Amos Lawrence: with a brief account of some incidents in his life, RH B1394, RH C5500, and RH C9011, Kansas Collection, Spencer Research Library; also electronic book access via the online catalog.

Separated Materials

Found laid in and separated from: Lawrence, Amos, 1786-1852, Extracts from the diary and correpondence of the late Amos Lawrence: with a brief account of some incidents in his life, RH B1394, Kansas Collection, Spencer Research Library.

Title
Guide to the Mary Richards Collection
Subtitle
Mary Richards letters to her brother Giles Richards
Author
Finding aid prepared by mh, 2007 ; Finding aid encoded by mh, 2007
Date
2007
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Finding aid written in<language encodinganalog="language">English.</language>
Finding aid permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/10407/7713310626
Preferred citation
Richards, Mary, b. 1798, Mary Richards letters to her brother Giles Richards, Kansas Collection, RH MS P802, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas Libraries

Repository Details

Part of the University of Kansas. Kenneth Spencer Research Library Repository

Contact:
1450 Poplar Lane
Lawrence KS 66045-7616 United States
785-864-4334