Elizabeth (Tyson) Vaughan (1871-1949) papers

Description

The Elizabeth (Tyson) Vaughan (1871-1949) papers (MS013) contain material belonging to Vaughan, who lived in the Hamilton House in South Berwick, Maine, and members of her family (several of whom did not live in the house at any time). The collection includes correspondence, manuscripts, printed matter, ephemera, genealogical material, artwork, photographs, and postcards that reflect the personal and social lives of the Anthony, Tyson, and Vaughan families of South Berwick, Maine and New Bedford, Massachusetts. Spanning nearly 200 years (1799 to 1974), the bulk of the materials date between 1862 and 1948. The collection is arranged in five series.

Background:
In 1949, Historic New England was bequeathed the Hamilton House in South Berwick, Maine, from Elise (Tyson) Vaughn (died 1949). The papers within the house at the time of acquisition formed the bases of the collection: Elise Tyson Vaughan papers (now MS013).

Update: 2013-2014
In 2013-2014, through a National Historical Publications and Records Commission grant (Award Number: NAR13-RH-50051-13: "Family Manuscript Collections: Expanding Online Access to New England Heritage Project"), twenty-six Historic New England manuscript collections of family papers were re-evaluated and processed/reprocessed to meet current archival standards and 'best practices;" corresponding finding aids were created/updated to be DACS-compliant and converted into electronic Microsoft Word document form; and the finding aids were made accessible/searchable online through the use of the Minisis M2A archival database of the Minisis Collections Management System. The Elizabeth (Tyson) Vaughan (1871-1949) papers (MS013) were part of the grant project.

Prior to the 2013-2014 collection processing, the Elizabeth (Tyson) Vaughan papers (now MS013) comprised one legal-size file box (approx. 0.42 linear ft.). The file box contained a diary, an account book, correspondence with related envelopes, and genealogical material. Since most of the correspondence was arranged chronologically and read as a continuous narrative, the original order of the letters was maintained; folder titles were created; related folders were combined or rearranged, as applicable; and brief research was engaged to create a biographical/ historical sketch and genealogy. Preservation issues were identified and basic preservation methods were applied, as applicable; papers throughout the collection were removed from envelopes (if applicable), unfolded, flattened, and related pages were noted with corresponding information in brackets ([x-1/3], [x-2/3], [x-3/3]; and oversize materials were interleafed within file boxes, as applicable. The collection was rehoused (in acid-free folders and boxes), numbered, labeled, barcoded, and stored accordingly; subsequent accessions were tracked and noted with their corresponding items; and related collections held by Historic New England and other repositories were researched and noted. A DACS-compliant, electronic 2010-2013 Microsoft Word document finding aid was created (with corresponding paper finding aid) and entered into the collection record in the Minisis M2A online database.

NOTE: The initial processing/updating the collection and making the finding aid accessible online were made possible through grants from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (Award Number: NAR13-RH-50051-13), the Bedford Family Foundation, and an anonymous donor.

Update: 2024
During the 2023-2024 relocation of Historic New England’s Library & Archives from Otis House to a temporary swing space at 85 Merrimac, two boxes of unprocessed materials relating to Elise Tyson Vaughan were located; the decision was made in November 2024 to add these materials as an accrual to MS013. The materials had been removed from Hamilton House in October 2018 by Archives Curator Lorna Condon and senior Curator Richard Nylander. Prior to the accrual, MS013 comprised one legal-size file box (approx. 0.42 linear ft.). The file box contained a diary, an account book, correspondence with related envelopes, and genealogical material. The accrual significantly enlarged the existing collection and therefore a new arrangement (building off of the format of the existing one) was needed. Series I: Correspondence was broken down into two subseries and Series II: Other papers was broken down into four subseries (the bulk of these being items from the accrual). Series III, IV, and V were added, bringing MS013 to an extent of 2.3 linear ft. (4 file boxes, 1 print box, 1 oversize folder). Preservation issues were identified, and basic preservation methods were applied, as applicable; rusted, loose, and otherwise dangerous were removed, as applicable; and fragile and vulnerable materials were noted. The accrued materials were rehoused (in acid-free folders and boxes), numbered, labeled, barcoded, and stored accordingly. The existing DACS-compliant 2014 finding aid was updated and the collection record was updated in the Minisis M2A online database.