Guide to the Collection of Redwood family papers, 1710-1999 and undated
(bulk 1729-1796)
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Redwood Library and Athenaeum
50 Bellevue Avenue
Newport, RI 02840
Tel: (401) 847-0292
Fax: (401) 841-5680
email: redwood@redwoodlibrary.org
Published in 2013
Collection Overview
Title: |
Collection of Redwood family papers |
Date range: |
1710-1999 and undated, (bulk 1729-1796) |
Creator: |
Redwood family |
Extent: |
1.8 linear feet (1 half document case, 1 flat box)
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Abstract: |
This collection consists of letters, legal documents, accounts, family histories, and other papers related to the Redwood family and its descendants, particularly Abraham Redwood (1709-1788), the founder of the Redwood Library and Athenaeum. |
Language of materials: |
English |
Repository: |
Redwood Library and Athenaeum
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Collection number: |
RLC.Ms.029 |
Scope & content
This collection consists of letters, legal documents, accounts, family histories, and other papers related to the Redwood family and its descendants, particularly Abraham Redwood (1709-1788), the founder of the Redwood Library and Athenaeum.
Access Points
Subject Names
- Ellery, Abraham Redwood, 1773-1820
- Fisher, Redwood, 1782-1856
- Fisher, Sarah Redwood, 1759-1847
- Franklin, Susan B., d. 1956
- Marchant, Henry, 1741-1796
- Redwood, Abraham, 1665-1728
- Redwood, Abraham, 1709 or 1710-1788
- Redwood, Abraham, 1742-1788
- Redwood, Abraham, 1764-1838
- Redwood, Hannah, 1759-1796
- Redwood, Henry, 1848-1923
- Redwood, Patience, 1687-1745
- Redwood, William, 1726-1815
Subject Organizations
Subject Topics
Geographical Names
Subject Topics
Document Types
Arrangement
This collection is arranged into the following series:
- Series 1. Correspondence, 1710-1881
- Series 2. Legal papers, 1741-1955
- Series 3. Financial records, 1732-1815
- Series 4. Family histories, 1788-1997 and undated
- Series 5. Miscellaneous, 1756-1999 and undated
Items within series are arranged in chronological order.
Biographical note
Abraham Redwood (1665-1728) was born in Bristol, England, in 1655. He worked as a merchant and was involved in the sugar trade between England, New England, Africa, and Antigua. In 1687, Redwood went to the island of Antigua, where he met his future business partner and father-in-law, Jonas Langford, who owned a prosperous sugar plantation called Cassada Garden. This plantation, and the slaves that worked on it, eventually became Abraham’s possession through his marriage to Mehetable Langford (d. 1715), daughter of Jonas Langford, sometime before 1697.
Abraham and Mehetable had the following children: William (1697-1712), Mary (1698-1763), Ann (1700-1742), Sarah (1702-1791), Jonas Langford (1706-1724), Abraham (1709-1788), and John (1710-1713). The family traveled frequently between Antigua and New England so that Abraham could manage his business, but by 1712, they moved to America and lived in Newport, Rhode Island. Mehetable Langford Redwood passed away on April 30, 1715, and was buried in Newport. Redwood remained in Newport until 1717, and then moved to Salem, Massachusetts.
Abraham Redwood married his second wife, Patience Howland Phillips (1687-1745), on June 14, 1716. The couple had the following five children: Patience (1717-1772), Rebecca (1719-1804), Mehetable (1722-1761), Lydia (b. 1724), and William (1726-1815). In 1720, Redwood purchased land and a house in Marblehead, Massachusetts, and the family lived there until his death in 1728. Following the death of Abraham Redwood, Patience and Joseph Whipple (1687-1750), the husband of Abraham’s daughter Sarah (1702-1791), administered Abraham’s estate. As a result, Patience was appointed the guardian of all of their minor children and disposed of the farm in Marblehead before moving back to Newport. She also signed a dower release, signing over all of her rights to the Cassada Garden plantation and its slaves in Antigua to her eldest step-son, Abraham Redwood (1709-1788). Patience Redwood died on December 11, 1740, in Newport.
Abraham and Mehetable Redwood’s son, Abraham (1709-1788), was born in Newport on February 15, 1709. On February 8, 1726 or 1727, Abraham Redwood married Martha Coggeshall (1709-1760) of Newport and they had the following children: Abraham (1728-1736), Jonas Langford (1730-1779), Mehetable (1731-1794), Martha (1733-1734), William (1734-1784), Elizabeth (1735-1735), Martha (1740-1740), Abraham (1742-1788), and Martha (1745-1746).
Prior to officially inheriting his father’s estate in 1730, Abraham Redwood was involved in the sugar trade from the plantation well before then. From the age of sixteen or seventeen, Abraham corresponded with the manager of the plantation and also acted as an agent in Newport to sell the sugar from the plantation to England and other local merchants. It was not until 1737 that he was able to travel to Cassada Gardens for the first time, staying there for three years. Through the course of his lifetime, Redwood was able to improve upon the already successful sugar plantation, making him one of the most respected and wealthiest merchants in Newport at the time. His wealth and reputation also led to one of his greatest achievements – the establishment of the Redwood Library and Athenaeum in 1747.
In 1743, Redwood purchased 140 acres of land in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. He also owned a house on Spring Street and one on Thames Street with a wharf that extended to the harbor, which helped facilitate his business activities. Later on, he also purchased a farm in Mendon, Massachusetts, where he also lived regularly until his death. Abraham Redwood died on March 7, 1788, and was buried in the Coggeshall family cemetery. His estate was passed on to his surviving children.
Abraham Redwood’s half-brother, William (1726-1815), was born on October 21, 1726, and was the son of Abraham Redwood (1665-1728) and his second wife, Patience. William Redwood worked closely with his brother Abraham in the sugar trade and later moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1772 to continue his mercantile pursuits. From 1782 to 1787, William lived at Cassada Garden to help take care of the plantation after his nephew, Jonas Langford Redwood (1730-1779), had died. He returned to Philadelphia in 1787, where he remained until his death on January 16, 1815. William Redwood married first to Hannah Holmes (1737-1767) of Newport on November 7, 1754, and had the following children: Sarah (1755-1847), Hannah (1759-1796), Samuel Holmes (1765-1790), and Elizabeth (1767-1767). He married his second wife, Sarah Saunders of Philadelphia, on January 18, 1776, and had the following children: Mary (1776-1777), and William (1778-1838). His daughter, Sarah, married Miers Fisher in Newport on December 18, 1755, and she was the sole inheritor of all of his property in Rhode Island.
The descendants of Abraham Redwood (1709-1788) thrived and lived throughout the United States and Europe, marrying into other notable families such as the Whipple, Ellery, Wanton, Hazard, and Fisher families.
Access & Use
Access to the collection: |
Access is open to members and researchers at the Redwood Library and Athenaeum. |
Use of the materials: |
This collection is owned by the Redwood Library and Athenaeum. Permission to publish materials must be obtained in writing from the Special Collections Librarian of the Redwood Library and Athenaeum. |
Preferred citation: |
Collection of Redwood family papers, RLC.Ms.029, Redwood Library and Athenaeum. |
Contact information: |
Redwood Library and Athenaeum 50 Bellevue Avenue Newport, RI 02840 Tel: (401) 847-0292 Fax: (401) 841-5680 email: redwood@redwoodlibrary.org
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Administrative Information
ABOUT THE COLLECTION |
Acquisition: |
When the source of an acquisition for part of this collection is known, it is listed below; otherwise, acquisition information is unknown.
Gift of James A. Tyson: Letter dated September 2, 1734, from Giles Duluke Tidmark to Abraham Redwood.Gift of Benjamin and Hannah Hazard, July 12, 1851: “Memoir of the Redwood Family,” signed by Sarah R. Fisher, December 18, 1842.Gift of Miss Maria M. Anderson, April 2, 1888: Print of a portrait of Abraham Redwood.Gift of the heirs of David King, October 27, 1906: Deed between Abraham Redwood and the Redwood Library, August 13, 1834.• Gift of Mrs. William Grosvenor, November 1964: Letter dated July 11, 1772 from Henry Marchant to William Redwood.Gift of Mrs. Sydney L. Wright, October 5, 1975: Photocopy of “Genealogical Sketch of the Redwood Family,” undated; letters from Abraham Redwood, Sr. and William Redwood.Gift of Mrs. John H. Benson, September 7, 1994: Copy of a pen and ink drawing of William Redwood, undated.Gift of Maris S. Humphreys, March 1999: Photographs and negatives of the site of Cassada Garden in Antigua. Photographs taken in March 1999 by Maris S. Humphreys.Purchase from Stuart Lutz Historical Documents, Inc., 2002 December 3: William Redwood’s bonds, signed by William Ellery, dated November 25, 1772.Gift of the Nancy Hay estate, 2004 April 4: Last will and testament of Sarah Pope Redwood dated July 12, 1796. |
Accruals: |
Future additions are expected. |
Processing information: |
Prior to the processing of this collection in November 2013, majority of the papers currently found in this collection were housed within the Library’s steel cabinet drawers (Drawer 4, Folder 8 and 10). These papers and other single items related to the Redwood family were gathered together to create this collection. |
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ABOUT THE FINDING AID |
Author: |
Finding aid prepared by Elizabeth Delmage. |
Encoding: |
Finding aid encoded by Elizabeth Delmage
2013 November 21 |
Descriptive rules: |
Finding aid based on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS) |
Sponsor: |
Funding for processing and cataloging this collection was provided by the van Beuren Charitable Foundation. |
Additional Information
Related material: |
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The Holy Bible containing the Old Testament and the New (Abraham Redwood family bible), BS 185 1690 .L5, Redwood Library and Athenaeum.
- Abraham Redwood family bible, l315 +1769, Redwood Library and Athenaeum.
- William Redwood family bible, l315 +1693, Redwood Library and Athenaeum.
- Birckhead collection of Redwood family papers, RLC.Ms.025, Redwood Library and Athenaeum.
- Elinor A. Leonberger collection of Redwood, Ellery, and other related families, RLC.Ms.026, Redwood Library and Athenaeum.
- William Redwood account books (Amb .7256), The Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
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Bibliography: |
Lippincott, Bertram, III. Genealogy of the Redwood family. Newport, RI: Redwood Library and Athenaeum, 1993.
Redwood. “Genealogy of the Redwood family,” The Newport Historical Magazine 1, no. 1 (July 1880): 7-16.
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Inventory
Series 1. Correspondence
Correspondence consists of letters either sent to or received by members of the Redwood family. The bulk of this series is made up of letters written to Abraham Redwood (1709-1788) from family members and business associates concerning his mercantile business, Cassada Garden, and the establishment of the Redwood Library in 1747. Also included are letters written by his father, Abraham Redwood (1665-1728) while on his plantation in Antigua, and by his half-brother, William Redwood, concerning his business in Philadelphia. Letters from other Redwood family descendants include Hannah Redwood (1759-1796), daughter of William Redwood; Redwood Fisher (1782-1856), son of Sarah Redwood Fisher (759-1847); and Henry Redwood (1848-1923), a descendant from Jonas Langford Redwood (1730-1779).
Box 1, Folder 1 |
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Letters from Abraham Redwood (1665-1728)
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1710 Feb 12-1714 Jan 14 |
Box 1, Folder 2 |
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Letters to Abraham Redwood (1709-1788)
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1729 Apr 18-1769 Jul 3 |
Box 1, Folder 3 |
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Letter from Abraham Redwood (1742-1788)
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1760 Oct 14, 1787 Jan 24 |
Box 1, Folder 4 |
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Letters to and from William Redwood
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1772 Jul 11-1789 Aug 30 |
Box 1, Folder 5 |
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Letter from Hannah Redwood
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1781 Apr 16 |
Box 1, Folder 6 |
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Letter from Redwood Fisher
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1845 Aug 17 |
Box 1, Folder 7 |
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Letter from Henry Redwood
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1881 May 19 |
Series 2. Legal papers
Legal papers consist of deeds, mortgages, stock certificates, and a will concerning various members of the Redwood family. Of particular interest are Abraham Redwood’s (1709-1788) mortgage dated October 7, 1741, for his house on Thames Street in Newport, and the deed from Abraham Redwood (1764-1838) of Marylebone, England, to the Redwood Library on August 13, 1834, in which he signs over the land the Library was built upon for one dollar. The insurance policy with Philip Wilkinson and Daniel Ayrault, Jr., dated March 11, 1757, was for ship Snow Hanover leaving the Newport harbor for Jamaica with goods from various Newport merchants, including Abraham Redwood (1709-1788), who all paid into the policy to insure their merchandise.
Box 2, Folder 1 |
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Abraham Redwood (1709-1788) mortgage
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1741 Oct 7 |
Box 2, Folder 2 |
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Insurance policy with Philip Wilkinson and Daniel Ayrault, Jr.
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1757 Mar 11 |
Box 1, Folder 8 |
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Abraham Redwood (1709-1788) deed
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1757 Sep 7 |
Box 1, Folder 9 |
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Abraham Redwood(1709-1788) stock certificate
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1761 Jun 10 |
Box 1, Folder 10 |
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William Redwood deed
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1769 Sep 18 |
Box 1, Folder 11 |
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Last will and testament of Sarah Pope Redwood
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1796 Jul 12 |
Box 1, Folder 12 |
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Abraham Redwood (1764-1838) deed
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1834 Aug 19 |
Box 1, Folder 13 |
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Transcription of an Abraham Redwood (1709-1788) deed
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1955 |
Series 3. Financial papers
Financial records are comprised mainly of accounts and receipts concerning Abraham Redwood’s (1709-1788) business in the sugar trade between his plantation in Antigua, and buyers in Newport and England. Also included are his half-brother William Redwood’s accounts as well as the final estate account of his step-mother, Patience Redwood.
Box 1, Folder 14 |
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Abraham Redwood (1709-1788) accounts
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1732-1780 |
Box 2, Folder 3 |
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Abraham Redwood (1709-1788) accounts
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1740, 1749 |
Box 2, Folder 4 |
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Patience Redwood estate account
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1748 Jul 26 |
Box 1, Folder 15 |
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William Redwood accounts
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1764-1815 |
Series 4. Family histories
Family histories contain genealogies of the Redwood family as well as newspaper obituaries for Abraham Redwood (1709-1788) and his grandson, Abraham Redwood Ellery (1773-1820). The “Memoir of the Redwood family” is a printed family history written by Sarah Redwood Fisher (1759-1847). There are two copies of such, one of which is signed by Fisher and includes a pasted receipt from Abraham Redwood (1708-1788) from 1744.
Box 1, Folder 16 |
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Obituaries
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1788, 1821 |
Box 2, Folder 5 |
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“Memoir of the Redwood family”
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1842 Dec 18 |
Box 1, Folder 17 |
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Genealogical sketch of the Redwood family (photocopy)
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circa 1879 |
Box 1, Folder 18 |
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Redwood family genealogies
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1955 and undated |
Box 1, Folder 19 |
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Draft of an article on Abraham Redwood (1709-1788) by Dr. Susan B. Franklin
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circa 1950s |
Box 2 |
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Genealogical chart of Redwood and Hottinger families
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1997 Nov 1 |
Series 5. Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous items consist of maps of Antigua and the Redwood farm in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, photographs, prints of portraits of Abraham Redwood (1709-1788) and William Redwood, the Redwood family coat of arms, and two poems. Photographs and their negatives were taken in 1999 by Maris S. Humphreys, an employee of the Redwood Library and Athenaeum, of the site of Cassada Garden, Abraham Redwood’s sugar plantation, in Antigua. An undated photograph of the Redwood family farm in Portsmouth, Rhode Island is also included.
Box 1, Folder 20 |
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Poems
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1756 and undated |
Box 1, Folder 21 |
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Photographs and negatives of Cassada Garden in Antigua
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1997 Mar |
Box 1, Folder 22 |
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Coats of arms
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undated |
Box 1, Folder 23 |
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Embroidery sample
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undated |
Box 2, Folder 6 |
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Maps
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1868 and undated |
Box 2, Folder 7 |
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Photograph of Redwood Farm
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undated |
Box 2, Folder 8 |
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Prints
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undated |