The Winterthur Library

 The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and Printed Ephemera

 

 

OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION

 

Creator:          Amelia Leavitt Hill                                           

Title:               Papers

Dates:             1761-1959

Call No.:         Col. 399

Acc. No.:         70x129 (Trex # 3503)

Quantity:        3 boxes

Location:        9 B 2-3

 

 

 

BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT

 

Amelia Leavitt Hill was a decorative arts scholar who resided in New York City from the late 1920s until her death in 1962.  She wrote several articles for Antiques magazine and in the 1950s became interested in French craftsmen, particularly cabinetmakers living in North America.  She travelled to Canada on an extensive research trip, hoping to produce a book on Canadian furniture.  Unable to find a publisher, the work was apparently abandoned.  She began studying French influences on the work of Louisiana cabinetmakers, but fell ill and died before her research was completed.

 

 

SCOPE AND CONTENT

 

This collection contains primary resources, research notes, typescripts, and photographs collected by decorative arts scholar Amelia Leavitt Hill.  The primary resources concern the shipping industry in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in the early 19th century.  They include deeds, letters, receipts, and bills from various ships, merchant Joshua H. Drisco, and the Shaw family of merchants.  The photographs are modern black and white prints of primarily 19th century Canadian and Louisiana furniture.  Some of these photos were used in periodical articles written by Hill.  Several typescripts of articles and book chapters are included, as well as her research notes and correspondence with other decorative arts scholars.

           

 

ORGANIZATION

           

 

 

PROVENANCE

           

Gift of Charles van Ravanswaay, Winterthur Museum.

 

 

RELATED MATERIALS

 

Additional papers of  Joshua H. Drisco are also available at this repository (Col. 430).

 

 

ACCESS POINTS

 

People:

            Drisco, James.

            Drisco, Joshua H.

            Seignouret, Francois.

            Shaw family.

 

Topics:

            Business records - New Hampshire.

            Manuscripts - Specimens.

            Bedroom furniture - Photographs.

            Furniture - Styles - United States.

            Furniture - Styles – Canada.

            Chairs - Photographs.

            Chests - Photographs.

            Cupboards - Photographs.

            Desks - Photographs.

            Rosewood furniture - Photographs.

            Shipping.

            Merchant marine.

            Furniture - Photographs - Canada.

            Furniture - Photographs - Louisiana - New Orleans.

            Real property – New Hampshire – Portsmouth.

            Real property - New Hampshire - Barrington.

            Privateering.

            Portsmouth (N.H.) - History.

            Typescripts.

            Maps.

            Merchants.

            Cabinetmakers - Canada.

            Cabinetmakers – United States.

 

 

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION

 

Location: 9 B 2-3

 

[note: all accession numbers begin with 70x129; .36 seems to be missing]

 

Box 1:

 

Folder 1: (see also .42 and .48 in Box 3)

 

            .43       “Sales of the Prize Brig Crown Prince and cargo…” on behalf of the crew of the brig Portsmouth, John Sinclair, commander, April 1815

                        the cargo consisted of bales of Spanish wool; purchasers are listed

                        [see also .42 in box 3]

 

            .44       “Sales of the prize ship James and cargo; for account of the owners, officers, & crew of the private armed brig Portsmouth, Nov. 23d, 1814”

                        lists some of the goods sold and the names of purchasers

 

            .45       “Sales of the prize goods, being part of the cargo of ship James.  Captured by the private armed brig Portsmouth & sold … December 8, 1814.”

                        Lists the goods sold and the names of purchasers

 

            .46       “Account sales of sundry packages of prize goods, brought into Portsmouth by the private armed brig Portsmouth … October 20, 1814.”

                        Lists some of the goods sold and the names of purchasers

 

            .47       Bill of sale, William Bulkley and Walter Perry of Fairfield, Connecticut, sell their sloop Boston to Abram Shaw of Portsmouth, N.H., January 18, 1825 (gives description of ship and equipment conveyed with her)

 

 

 

Folders 2-6:

 

            .74-173            Receipts and accounts of Joshua H. Drisco, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, 1825-1873.

 

Folder 7:

 

            .174-175          Wrappers for Estate Papers of James Drisco. 

                                    [note: nothing relating to the estate itself]

 

Folder 8:

 

            .176-178          Bills and receipts for Brig Mary Gay, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, 1848.

 

 

Folder 9:

 

            .179                 Margarette Drisco in account with John Clark, 1834, relating to her earnings from the schooner Augusta Jane

 

            .180-183          Bills of sale of Schooner Augusta Jane and expenses of the Augusta Jane, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, 1834-1836.

 

Folder 10:

 

            .184                 Shipment of goods on the schooner Peace, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, 1811.  The schooner was to sail to Gibraltar via Lisbon, and if no cargo was found there, was to go to Madeira.

 

Folder 11:

 

            .185                 Letter, Lydia Adams, Boston,  to brother Nathan Adams, Scituate, Massachusetts, January 22, 1826.

 

            .186                 Letter, Nathan Adams, Scituate, to sister Lydia Adams, Boston, April 8, 1826

 

Folder 12:

 

            .187                 Receipt, Oliver Ayres, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, to Aaron Moses, May 6, 1837.  For payment of tax due on pew in the Universalist Meeting-House, for pew 105.

 

Folder 13:

 

 

            .188                 “Sales at Auction for account of Mr. Elias Libbey, deputy marshal, Oct. 4, 1814,” Portsmouth, New Hampshire.  Sold schooner Columbia, boards, barrels of fish and meat, peas, potatoes, wood, shingles, and a trunk.  Buyers’ names are given.

 

Folder 14:

 

            .189                 Paper appointing Willard M. Gray a corporal in Company B of the Independent Battalion of  Portsmouth, N. H., 1873.

 

Folder 15:

 

            .190-194          Miscellaneous notes and observations, n.p., n.d.

 

Folder 16:

 

            .195                 Typescript: "The Development of French Furniture in America."

 

Folder 17:

 

            .196                 Typescript: "Antiques and Modernism."

 

            .197                 Typescript: "Francois Seignouret - The Duncan Phyfe of New Orleans."

 

Folder 18:

 

            .198                 Manuscript and typescript notes re Canadian Furniture and Louisiana Furniture.

 

Folder 19:

 

            .199                 Articles written by and collected by Amelia Leavitt Hill on Canadian Furniture.

 

Folder 20:

 

            .200                 Correspondence: Letters to and from Amelia Leavitt Hill.

 

 

 

Box 2: Photographs

 

Folder 1: Louisiana Furniture:

 

            .201-222          Beds

 

Folder 2: Louisiana Furniture:

 

            .223-230          Dressing tables, sideboards, etc.

 

Folder 3: Louisiana Furniture:

 

            .231-244          Armoires and Desks

 

Folder 4: Louisiana Furniture:

 

            .245-268          Armoires

 

Folder 5: Louisiana Furniture:

 

            .269-286          Chairs

 

Folder 6: Louisiana Furniture:

 

            .287-303          Tables

 

Folder 7: Louisiana Furniture:

 

            .304-309          Miscellaneous furniture, mantels, etc.

 

Folder 8:

 

            .310-324          Negative photostats for a magazine article on southern furniture

 

 

Folder 9: Canadian Furniture:

 

            .325-327          Chests

 

Folder 10: Canadian Furniture:

 

            .328-333          Desks

 

Folder 11: Canadian Furniture:

 

            .334-345          Tables

 

Folder 12: Canadian Furniture:

 

            .346-352          Cradles and beds

 

Folder 13: Canadian Furniture:

 

            .353-383          Armoires

 

Folder 14: Canadian Furniture:

 

            .384-389          Cupboards

 

Folder 15: Canadian Furniture:

 

            .390-397          Commodes

 

Folder 16: Canadian Furniture:

 

            .398-431          Chairs and rocking chairs

 

Folder 17: Canadian Furniture:

 

            .432-436          Sofas

 

Folder 18: Canadian Furniture:

 

            .437-444          Miscellaneous Furniture

 

Folder 19:

 

            .445-448          Canadian postal cards, mostly of Seignoiry Club, Quebec

 

Folder 20: Canadian Furniture:

 

            .449-459          Miscellaneous Furniture, etc.

 

 

Box 3 (oversize):

 

Folder 1:

 

            .1-35                Deeds, accounts and letters, etc., of Abraham Shaw, merchant, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, 1799-1813.

                                    Includes a map of his property at Tuttle Point

 

Folder 2:

 

            .37-41              Papers relating to the Brig Portsmouth, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, 1814-1815.

 

Folder 3:

 

            .42                   “Sales of the Prize Brig Crown Prince and cargo…” on behalf of the owners, officers, and crew of the brig Portsmouth, John Sinclair, commander, April 1815.

                                    The cargo consisted of wool; purchasers are listed.

 

            .48                   Bill of sale: Abraham Shaw of Portsmouth sold part of the Galliot Boston to Joshua H. Drisco of Portsmouth, June 1826.

 

Folder 4:

 

            .49-60              Deeds, letters and other papers of Izette Shaw and William Shaw, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, 1830-1839.

 

Folder 5:

 

            .61                   John Noble of Portsmouth sells to Daniel Warner of Portsmouth a messuage in Frame or Ellin’s Point, 1761 (only part of record remains).

 

            .62                   Daniel Warner of Portsmouth conveys to Joseph Shaw of Portsmouth a house and land in Frame or Ellins Point, 1772.

 

            .63                   William Knight of Portsmouth sells to Deborah Carter of Portsmouth a lot and dwelling house, 1792.

 

            .64                   John and Martha Wentworth of Portsmouth convey to George Prescott of Portsmouth a messuage and farm called Littler Harbour, 1806.

 

            .65                   John and Martha Wentworth of Portsmouth convey to Jonathan Heartwell and William Jones, Jr., a messuage and farm called Little Harbour, 1808.

 

            .66                   Daniel Smith of Durham, New Hampshire, conveys to Jonathan Hartwell of Portsmouth a tract of land in Little Harbour, 1808.

 

            .67                   Isaac Daniels of Barrington, New Hampshire, conveys to Jacob Sheperd of Barrington, a tract of land 1808.

 

            .68                   Jacob Sheperd of Barrington, New Hampshire, conveys to John Shackford of Portsmouth a tract of land in Barrington, 1808.

 

            .69                   Jacob Sheperd of Barrington, New Hampshire, conveys to Captain John Shackford of Portsmouth, a tract of land in the Two Mile Street part of Barrington, 1809.

 

            .70                   Samuel and Nancy Fernald of Portsmouth conveys to Hannah Smith of Portsmouth a house and land, 1813.

 

            .71                   Daniel Huntress of Portsmouth conveys to Sarah (called Sally) Bagley (widow of Elias Bagley), Willaim Page Bagley, Sarah Hunt Bagley, Mary Bagley, and Elizabeth Bagley, all of Portsmouth, a tract of land on Pickerings Neck, 1817.

 

            .72                   Eliza W. Haven of Portsmouth conveys to Asa Dearborn of Portsmouth a parcel of land, 1827

 

            .73                   “Plan of a tract of land in the town of Portsmouth belonging to Col. Joshua Haven, survey’d June 1810 by Benj. Akerman.”

                                    A plat map of property along the Piscataqua River, with a barn on it; the land lay between property of John Wentworth and Jer. Hill.