Sayward family manuscripts collection, 1741-1977

Historical/Biographical Note

The Sayward family manuscripts collection, although rather small, consists of a variety of materials spanning two centuries. Besides several types of papers, there are photographic and printed materials. All the Sayward papers now in the collections of Historic New England were given to the organization with the official transfer of the Sayward House (York Harbor, Maine), recorded in York on October 20, 1977. Until that date, the house was owned by the heirs of Elizabeth Cheever Wheeler: Bancroft, Leonard, Eunice and Nathaniel Wheeler. Mr. Nathaniel Wheeler and his sister Eunice (from Worcester, Massachusetts) used to spend the summers in the house in Maine for the past 30 years and Mr. Wheeler also took the responsibility for the care and upkeep of the house and grounds during all those years. Most probably it was he who arranged some of the manuscripts in files according to family members, adding many notes with genealogical and historical data himself. Obviously the arrangement assisted him and his sister in answering the many inquiries they received about their ancestors.Staff members from Historic New England collected the papers from several locations in the house. One can say that the provenance of all materials is related to the Sayward House in one way or another, even if some of the creators or receivers of manuscripts did not live in the house or own it. Such is the case for instance with the papers related to Nathaniel and Charlotte Cheever and their sons, that are most probably preserved because their (grand) daughter Elizabeth Bancroft Cheever Wheeler renewed the ties of this branch of the family with the Sayward House.The reserach strengths of the collection are somewhat limited as the collection is not complete. Some papers are stored in other repositories and others are probably lost forever. At one time, one family member after going through the papers, recognized their interest and sent letters related to family matters such as wedding proposals etc. to the decendants of the persons involved. The last owners of the house also kept their correspondence and other materials of personal interest to them, such as photographic materials etc. However the old documents, such as those on Jonathan Sayward and Jonathan Sawyard Barrell as well as the photographs of the house and its surroundings, make this an interesting collection. There are some interesting papers related to the business relationships between Jonathan Sayward and the Barrell family that could reveal new aspects.As there does not exist a "definitive" study on the Sayward House and its inhabitants, the materials in the Historic New England collections are of importance for any study to be undertaken. Papers related to the house seem fairly complete but it should be noted that Historic New England has in its own permanent files additional information on the title of the house, highlighting its history as far back as possible.The Sayward House in York Harbor, Maine was a new house when it was bought by Joseph Sayward in 1720, who sold it to his son Jonathan in 1735. He was probably forced to do so because of financial difficulties. Jonathan Sayward was a local merchant and was actively involved in town politics and church affairs. He was commissioned by Governor Shirley (1744) to transport troops to Louisburg which resulted in a share of the booty of the expedition, now still on viewi n the house. By the 1760s Jonathan had became well established and was elected to the General Court in 1766. His diaries (now in the American Antiquarian Society, Worcester, Massachusetts) record his business transactions, political and religious thoughts as well as the daily household activities. The remodeling of the house is also well documented. Because of his loyalty to England during the Revolution however, he lost much of his prestige and his business suffered greatly.Jonathan (1713-1797) and his wife Sarah had only one child, their much beloved daughter Sarah or Sally (1738-1805) who married the merchant Nathaniel Barrell. During her husband's absence (in London), Sally lived at the Sayward House where her father had Joseph Blackburn paint her portriat. The original bill of the painter for this portrait, a unique manuscript, is now in box 1, folder 3 of Historic New England's collection. Sally and Nathaniel lived on a farm not too far from the house. They had nine children of whom Jonathan Sayward Barrell (1772-1857) and Sally Sayward Barrell Keating Wood (1759-1855), the first Maine woman novelist, were the most prominent. Sayward Barrell's misfortunes in business were in a way a fortune for the house, as it kept it from being changed. Besides taking a mortgage on the house, Sayward Barrell was forced to sell most of the furnishings to his daughter Elizabeth (1799-1883). She and her sister Mary (1803-1889) took on the responsibility of the household quite early, as their mother Mary Plummer (who was a niece of Jonathan Sayward's second wife, Elizabeth Plummer from Gloucester) and stepmother Anna (or Nancy) Plummer (Mary's sister) died in 1814 and 1826 respectively.The title to the house came to the sisters through the generosity of their brother Joseph in 1841, and with the proceeds acquired by selling the Sayward sawmill (1859) they were able to make repairs on the house. All this is well documented in the family papers. After Both sisters had died, the house was left to their nephew George Octavius Barrell (1848-1901) who was married to Julia Manent but died childless. His heirs Charles, James Y., George and Emma Manent sold the estate iwth its contents to Elizabeth Cheever Wheeler who was a direct descendent of Jonathan Sayward. She was the granddaughter of his daughter Charlotte and had visited the house frequently when it was occupied by the Barrell sisters. She and her family used the house duirng the summer months until 1977, when the property came to the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities, now Historic New England, as a gift. Apart from a few additions and some renewals the house was and is kept in its original integrity.

Description

The collection is subdivided into four groups, of which the first (the family papers) contains some valuable documents. The family has been very careful in preserving the most important official papers of which some, due to their age, are in a very brittle condition. If we progress in time the number of new documents decreases, to increase again when we reach more recent times. There is hardly any information on family members that left the house after their childhood to move to another residence, except when someone deliberately collected their papers or if they were sent to the head of the family (and owner of the house) after a sudden death. This might have happened with the papers of George Guelphs Barrell, American consul in Malaga, Sapin, who died in that country in 1838.The history of the house during the twentieth century is very well documented. Mr. Wheeler kept his archives carefully with a result that many of the bills on the house, and the complete correspondence with SPNEA have been preserved. The house and family are well presented graphically. Paintings and drawings are on display in the house, whereas photographs (now in the manuscript collection) of more recent times depict many family members. The printed materials collection is the least impressive, as it consists mostly of newspapers (clippings) on history and historic sites of York, collected by both generations of Wheelers.

Material in other collections

Jonathan Sayward's diary is in the collection of the American Antiquarian SocietyOther repositories with papers of importance to the Sayward family:Maine Historical SocietyMassachusetts Historical SocietyOld Gaol Museum, York, MaineMaine Women Writers Collection, University of New England, Portland, Maine

Arrangement

The arrangement of the collection is as follows:I. The family papers, 1741-1977These papers are arranged according to family members (25 individuals). Mr. Wheeler had ordered most of the papers under family members as subjects, thereby disregarding the "principle of provenance", whereas now the latter is strictly adhered to. The family member files are arranged by generations according to date of birth. Where papers of spouses are present these follow the partners directly. The genealogical notes that originally were added to the files by Mr. Wheeler have now been filed with his own papers (Box 3, Folder 5). Where applicable these papers are subdivided into correspondence (letters received), financial records, legal papers, literary papers, maps, and miscellaneous. Printed and photographic materials have been removed to other groups. The researcher should look in these files for additional information. When studying a particular subject it is important to cross check the files of various family members for they may contain complementary information. See for instance the financial records of Jonathan Sayward and his grandson Jonathan Sayward Barrell, as the latter continued the business activities of the first.1. Joseph Sayward papers, 17412. Jonathan Sayward papers, 1761-17923. Elizabeth Plummer Sayward papers, 1779-1789, undated4. Sarah Sayward Barrell and Nathaniel Barrell papers, 1775-1831, undated5. Sally Sayward Barrell Keating Wood papers, 1841-1847, undated6. Jonathan Sawyard Barrell papers, 1794-18547. Mary Plummer Sayward Barrell papers, 1795-18108. Anna (Nancy) Plummer Sayward Barrell papers, 1782-18159. John Sayward Barrell papers, 186310. Charlotte Sayward Barrell Cheever papers, 1803-1844, undated11. Nathaniel Cheever papers, 1803-1810, undated12. George Guelphs Barrell papers, 1799-183513. Nathaniel Sayward Barrell papers, 185114. Jonathan Sayward Barrell II papers, 1843-186215. Elizabeth Sayward Barrell papers, 187216. Mary Sayward Barrell papers, 1813-185817. Joseph Sayward Barrell papers, 1837-184318. George Barrell Cheever papers, 1818-185319. Henry T. Cheever papers, 1845-188820. Elizabeth Cheever Washburn papers, 1868-189321. Elizabeth Bancroft Cheever Wheeler papers, 1887-191922. Leonard Wheeler papers, 1905-195323. Ellen Cheever Rockwood papers, 1885-1906, undated24. Eunice Wheeler papers, 1949-196825. Nathaniel Wheeler papers, 1952-1977, undatedII. The Sayward House papers, 1901-1977These papers are arranged into 3 series (in this group the original arrangement by Mr. Wheeler was retained):1. Legal papers, 1901-1962, including deed, letter referring to the estate (sent and received by Ellen Rockwood) and general notes on the property, some of which referring to the Bliss v. Blaisdell trial, probably collected by Leonard Wheeler (1901-1909).2. Financial records, 1902-1977; mostly consisting of bills and correspondence of which those related to painting and repairs, starting in 1902 by Leonard Wheeler, are the most complete. In the correspondence and bills on the garden, one can follow the sad history of the elm trees that once surrounded the house.3. SPNEA and related papers, 1966-1977; this series of papers document in depth all stages of the transfer of the house and illustrate not only the depth of the history of the house but also the procedures followed by the Society when acquisition of a house is considered.III. Photographic materials, 1850-1975These materials are arranged according to type and subject. The daguerrotypes, ambrotypes and many other family pictures (including those in a photo album) date from the times of Elizabeth and Mary Barrell, who most probably collected them. The original photo album containing the series "York, Maine, 1886", dedicated to Miss Ellen J. Cheever by Thomas A. Hine, is still in the possession of the Wheeler family. It should be noted that a negative depicting a document of the Coat of Arms of Jonathan Sayward, brought to him by his son-in-law Nathaniel from Engl and, is missing from the collection. A framed pencil drawing of George Washington, was included in this group and filed for reasons of storage.1. George Washington (pencil drawing), undated2. Daguerreotypes, early 1850s3. Ambrotypes, 1855-1857?4. Positive prints, 1850-19755. Negatives, 1975, undatedIV. Printed materials, 1806-1975Although collected by different family members and thereby illustrating their interests, this collection does not contain much material offering new information on the family. The file "Family related clippings" (Box 7, Folder 4) contains some obituaries of family members, some clippings on Madam Wood (nee Sally Sayward Barrell) and some other rmaterial that might be of importance. The rest of the materials mostly related to the history of York and its houses (including the Sayward House). The collection is subdivided into books, graphical materials and newspapers, clippings and flyers.1. Books, 1806-19192. Graphical material, undated3. Newspapers, clippings, and flyers

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