Guide to the Guide to the Ralph E. Carpenter, Jr., collection of manuscripts, 1711-1920 and undated

(bulk 1711-1870)


Redwood Library and Athenaeum
50 Bellevue Avenue
Newport, RI 02840
Tel: (401) 847-0292
Fax: (401) 841-5680
email: redwood@redwoodlibrary.org

Published in 2014

Collection Overview

Title: Guide to the Ralph E. Carpenter, Jr., collection of manuscripts
Date range: 1711-1920 and undated, (bulk 1711-1870)
Creator: Carpenter, Ralph E.
Extent: 0.42 linear foot (1 document case)
Abstract: This collection consists mainly of letters, receipts, and accounts from 1711-1920 that were collected by Ralph E. Carpenter, Jr. (1910-2009). The majority of these documents regard various people, places, and events in Newport, Rhode Island, from the colonial period through the early twentieth century.
Language of materials: English
Repository: Redwood Library and Athenaeum
Collection number: RLC.Ms.040

Scope & content

This collection consists mainly of letters, receipts, and accounts from 1711-1920 that were collected by Ralph E. Carpenter, Jr. The majority of these documents regard various people, places, and events in Newport, Rhode Island, from the colonial period through the early twentieth century. Items of particular note include a scrapbook with newspaper clipping detailing the 1723 trial of 36 persons for piracy in Newport, eighteenth-century recipes for soap and preserving beef for the winter, a 1776 letter from Ezra Stiles to William Ellery, and a 1778 certificate for three slaves from George W. Babcock.

Access Points

Subject Names Subject Organizations Subject Topics Geographical Names Subject Topics Document Types

Arrangement

This collection is arranged in chronological order.

Biographical note

Ralph Emerson Carpenter, Jr., (1910-2009) was born on October 6, 1906, in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, and was a descendant of William Carpenter (1610-1685) who, with Roger Williams and others, founded Providence in 1636. Carpenter attended Cornell University and graduated in 1931 with a degree in mechanical engineering, after which he moved to New York City where he worked in insurance and investment banking from 1931 to 1958. In 1958, he became partner of Reynolds Securities retiring as a senior vice president in 1978. Following his retirement, Carpenter joined Christie’s auction house as a senior American decorative arts consultant, a position he held for thirty years.

Throughout his entire business career, Carpenter was passionate about antiques and preserving historical buildings. He was particularly interested in American colonial furniture, decorative arts, English silver, and Dutch paintings. One of his earliest projects was the construction of his home, Mowbra Hall, in Scarsdale, New York, which was built by assembling eighteenth century materials and furnishings. Following this endeavor and his first visit to Newport at the end of World War II, Carpenter began his avocation in architectural and historic preservation when he directed the refurbishing and furnishing of Hunter House, one of American’s colonial treasures, for the newly formed Preservation Society of Newport County. The success of this project led to others, allowing Carpenter to be actively involved in the restoration of some of Newport’s defining structures such as the White Horse Tavern, Trinity Church, the Colony House, the Brick Market, and the Redwood Library and Athenaeum. He also directed the preservation and furnishings of Longfellow’s Wayside Inn in Sudbury, Massachusetts.

The work Carpenter accomplished during the restoration of the Hunter House and his appreciation for furniture made by Newport’s Townsend and Goddard families inspired the 1953 publication of his book, The Arts and Crafts of Newport, Rhode Island, 1640-1820. This volume was one of the first books to focus on America’s colonial cabinetmakers as equals of their European counterparts. It also asserted that Newport was home to some of the most sophisticated and refined furniture due to the works of the Townsend and Goddard families. Carpenter also wrote articles for various magazines on antiques related subjects and served as a lecturer at various organizations.

Ralph E. Carpenter, Jr., participated in various clubs and associations. He was a member of the American Antiquarian Society, Walpole Society, Society of the Cincinnati, Newport Country Club, and the Abraham Redwood Society among others. He also served on a number of boards and committees including the National Trust for Historic Preservation Society, Preservation Society of Newport County, Hunter House, Trinity Church Landmark Preservation Fund, and the Foundation for Newport. In 1992, he founded the Newport Symposium, a yearly gathering of experts in many fields of art and decoration. Carpenter also established the Society of Philosophes in 1997, which was a financial support group for the Preservation Society of Newport Country. One of his last projects was his effort to organize the John Clarke Society with the primary mission of collecting and disseminating information relating to John Clarke (1609-1676), one of the founders of Newport and the author of the 1663 Rhode Island Charter.

Carpenter was a major supporter of the Redwood Library and Athenaeum for a number of years, serving as both a board and committee member. He helped raise funds for the Library’s 2007 restoration, renovation, and expansion project and was also instrumental in the publishing of Newport: A Lively Experiment 1630-1969. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the Redwood as well as historic preservation in Newport, the second floor meeting room in the Library was named in his honor. The Carpenter Room also houses the Ralph and Robert Carpenter collection, the Carpenter’s personal library of more than 900 titles on preservation, decorative and fine arts, architecture, and American history.

Ralph E. Carpenter, Jr., married Cynthia Ramsey in 1932 and the couple had one daughter, Cynthia Linton, before their marriage ended in divorce. Carpenter married Roberta Lowy in 1978 and the couple enjoyed many years in Newport before Mr. Carpenter died on February 2, 2009, at the age of ninety-nine.

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: Guide to the Ralph E. Carpenter, Jr., collection of manuscripts, RLC.Ms.040, 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

Administrative Information

ABOUT THE COLLECTION  
Acquisition: Gift of Ralph E. Carpenter, Jr.: 2006 Nov 21 and 2006 Dec 13
Processing information: A collection inventory was made upon arrival at the Library and these materials were originally stored with RLC.Ms.002, Ralph E. Carpenter, Jr., papers. During processing in 2014, the documents listed on the inventory were gathered into their own collection and rehoused according to current archival standards. Many of the items were already housed in archival sleeves and some had labels placed on the front of the sleeve. In some cases, the label has detached from the sleeve and is no longer found with the item; however, there is no indication that these labels are connected to the original collection inventory.
ABOUT THE FINDING AID  
Author: Finding aid prepared by Elizabeth Delmage.
Encoding: Finding aid encoded by Elizabeth Delmage 2014 May 30
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

Inventory

Box 1, Folder 1 The Spectator
 1711 Jul 2
Box 1, Folder 2 Letter to Abigail Church
 1716 Aug 27
Box 1, Folder 3 Scrapbook of the trials of 36 persons for piracy
 1723
Box 1, Folder 4 Commission as Justice of the Peace for Benjamin Hazard signed by John Wanton
 1734 May 6
Box 1, Folder 5 Account between Peter Faneuil and Stephen Ayrault
 1736 May 21
Box 1, Folder 6 Account between John Brett and Stephen Ayrault
 1745 Aug 20
Box 1, Folder 7 Account between John Fryors and Stephen Ayrault
 1746
Box 1, Folder 8 Letter to Abraham Redwood from Daniel Jencks
 1746 Dec 12
Box 1, Folder 9 Letter to Stephen Ayrault from Benjamin Prat
 1747 Jul 3
Box 1, Folder 10 Account between John Bennet and Francis Honyman
 1750 Jan 26
Box 1, Folder 11 The Boston Weekly News-letter
 1751 Jul 4-Aug 8
Box 1, Folder 10 Arrest warrant for Jeremiah Dayley
 1753 Aug 29
Box 1, Folder 12 Printed leaf from "History of Sir Charles Grandison and the Honorable Miss Byron"
 circa 1753
Box 1, Folder 13 John Bunn, Benoni Arnold, Ebenezer Godfrey vs. Peleg Thurston
 1756 Apr 3
Box 1, Folder 14 Second of Exchange to Abraham Mortier
 1763 Oct 1 and 1764 Mar 2
Box 1, Folder 15 Indenture between John Channing and Joseph Scott
 1765 Mar 14
Box 1, Folder 16 Letter to Thomas Robinson from Godfrey Malbone
 1770 Jan 7
Box 1, Folder 17 Bill of sale between Peter Faneuil and Thomas Haliburton
1771 Jan 12
Box 1, Folder 18 Letter from Richard Jackson
 1773 May 21
Box 1, Folder 19 Letter from Simon Pease
 1774 Jul 4
Box 1, Folder 20 Certificate for Robert Shearman
 1776 Nov 30
Box 1, Folder 21 Letter to William Ellery from Ezra Stiles
 1776 Dec 3
Box 1, Folder 22 Certificate to Dr. John Anderson for three prime slaves from George W. Babcock
 1778 Mar 9
Box 1, Folder 23 Letter to Mr. Richardson from Elnathan Hammond
1780 Jul 3
Box 1, Folder 24 Letter to Mr. [Aaron?] Lopez from Welcome Arnold
 1781 Jun 9
Box 1, Folder 25 Letter to Charles Dudley from Sheridan
 1784 May 27
Box 1, Folder 26 Letter to John Collins from John Warren
 1786 Jul 31
Box 1, Folder 27 The Connecticut Gazette
 1790 Feb 12
Box 1, Folder 28 Third bill of exchange
 1790 Jun 11
Box 1, Folder 29 Letter to Christopher Champlin from Benjamin Waterhouse
 1790 Jun 24
Box 1, Folder 30 Letter to John Avery Collins from Thomas and John Hancock
 1797 Oct 12
Box 1, Folder 31 Last will and testament of Charles Feke (photostat)
 1801 Jul 14
Box 1, Folder 32 Broadside for the election of Thomas Arnold and William Hunter
 1806 Aug 22
Box 1, Folder 33 Deed between Peleg Lawton and Christopher L. Phillips
 1813 Dec 16
Box 1, Folder 34 Letter to William Hornsley from John L. Sullivan
 1814 Nov 14
Box 1, Folder 35 Letter to Smith Thompson from Daniel D. Tompkins
 1819 Sep 24
Box 1, Folder 36 Letter to Samuel Vinson from Samuel Austin
 1826 Apr 27
Box 1, Folder 37 Letter to the Second Congregational Society (Samuel Vernon, Adam S. Coe, Simon Newton, John H. Barber, George W. Ellery) from William Patten
 1831 Sep 14
Box 1, Folder 38 Letter to Dutee J. Pearce from William Emmons
 1832 Mar 12
Box 1, Folder 39 Letter to Robert Hare from T. Wayland
 1832 Nov 5
Box 1, Folder 40 Receipt between Adam S. Coe and William Cullen
 1833 Sep 20
Box 1, Folder 41 Estate of Major Samuel Phillips
 1836 Mar 5
Box 1, Folder 42 Letter to Dutee J. Pearce from A. H. Everett
1837 Feb 4
Box 1, Folder 43 Letter to Dutee J. Pearce from E. R. Potter
 1837 Jun 29
Box 1, Folder 44 Letter to Dutee J. Pearce from J. B. Francis
 1847 Dec 25
Box 1, Folder 45 Facsimile of first paper printed by Benjamin Franklin
 1856 Sep 17
Box 1, Folder 46 Extract from the Journal of the Boston Committee of Correspondence written by George Bancroft
 1859 Sep 28
Box 1, Folder 47 Letter to Dr. David King from Hector Bossange
 1860 Apr 3
Box 1, Folder 48 Receipt between Samuel Vinson and Henry Bull
 1864 Nov 17
Box 1, Folder 49 Letter to Christopher E. Robbins from William L. Howe
 1869 Jul 9
Box 1, Folder 50 Letter to Dr. David King from William Gowans
 1870 Oct 7
Box 1, Folder 51 Postage stamp
 circa 1870-1871
Box 1, Folder 52 "Newport Harbor's Siege - The operations of August, 1778" in the New York Times
 1878 Aug 18
Box 1, Folder 53 Poem "My Sister" by S. K. B.
 1920 Nov 5
Box 1, Folder 54 Letter to James Franklin
undated
Box 1, Folder 55 Letter to Mr. Vinson
 undated
Box 1, Folder 56 Letter to Mrs. Dudley
 undated
Box 1, Folder 57 Method of making soap
 undated
Box 1, Folder 58 Note in Italian
 undated
Box 1, Folder 59 Portion of a document referring to a treaty
 undated
Box 1, Folder 60 Receipt for Joseph Wanton
 undated
Box 1, Folder 61 Recipe to put up beef for winter use by John Banister
undated
Box 1, Folder 62 Trinity Church with regard to building a new Church (photocopy)
 undated
Box 1, Folder 63 A Universalist Theology by Rev. George Adams
 undated