Rowland Hazard Papers (Mss. Gr. 6)

Biographical note

Rowland Hazard, the son of Rowland Gibson Hazard and Caroline Newbold, was born August 16, 1829. He attended Brown University and remained active in University activities after graduation. Later he formed a group called the "Club" consisting of several other intellectuals who wrote papers on topics of interest. These papers, dating from 1868 to 1883, are found in Series VIII, in two volumes, at the end of the collection.

Rowland Hazard was an influential man of his time. He traveled much and was active in politics, religion, and industry. The items in this collection cover the major part of Hazard's life and are divided into eight different series, consisting of school records, correspondence, business records, newspaper clippings, memorial service, speeches, miscellaneous, and club records. Of particular interest are the speeches and club records which make up the majority of the collection.

Hazard married Margaret Rood on March 29, 1854. He was involved not only in the matters of his home community of Peace Dale, Rhode Island, but also in the major national and international issues of the day. As President of the Washington County Agricultural Society (W.C.A.S.), Hazard gave a speech at the county fair almost every year from 1875 to 1896. He also spoke at many other events, presenting detailed orations on topics such as currency, tariffs, silos and ensilage, sugar, etc. All these can be found in Series VI. Series V contains materials regarding the memorial service accorded him on December 28, 1898. This service reflects the beloved man he was and the legacy he left for generations to come.