Helen West Stewart Ridgely Family Papers 1840-1918, MS. 715.1

HELEN WEST [STEWART] RIDGELY FAMILY PAPERS

MS. 715.1

Maryland Historical Society

Baltimore MD 21201-4674

This collection consists of papers pertaining to members of Helen Ridgely's family. Included are papers of: her grand-parents Leonice [Sampson] and Joseph White Moulton; her parents Josephine [Moulton] and John Stewart; her husband John Ridgely, and their son Julian White Ridgely.

The papers span the years 1840-1918.

Provenance

Most of these papers were apparently collected by Leonice S. Moulton and given to her granddaughter Helen W. [Stewart] Ridgely (See Helen West Ridgely, My Heritage, p. 18, MS. 716, Box 4). The papers had been scattered among collections MS. 692, MS. 692.1, and MS. 715 and were brought back together in 1977.

Leonice [Sampson] Moulton Papers

Leonice [Sampson] Moulton (1811-1897) was Helen West [Stewart] Ridgely's grandmother. Her papers consist of letters she received (1840-1892, ca. 50 items), a diary (1862), and a journal (1832) and Spanish language exercises. These were kept by? Purviance while in the Navy in South America and given to Mrs. Moulton. The letters are from her daughter Josephine discussing her children and also Baltimore during the Civil War. There are a few letters from her granddaughter Helen while she was in Europe (1870). Mrs. Moulton's diary has brief daily entries of her activities in Roslyn, New York.

Joseph White Moulton Papers

Joseph White Moulton was a lawyer, partner of Daniel Webster, and an historian. His papers do not reveal much about his career, but there is one letter (1844) from

Daniel Webster and another letter (1846) from E.B. O'Callaghan discussing Moulton's work Novum Belgium. The remainder of his letters (1844-1871, ca. 30 items) are from his daughter Josephine Stewart and her children mainly while they were in Europe 1870-1871. There are 2 letters concerning Moulton's brother-in-law (?) Major-General John Ellis Wool (1784-1869). One (1861) is from Josephine Stewart while visiting Wool, commander of Fortress Monroe; the other (1869) is a letter from Wool detailing his long military career.

Letters written by Joseph Moulton are found in the papers of John Stewart.

John Stewart Papers

John Stewart (1826-1901?) was a lawyer in Baltimore. The few papers of his in this collection are 30 letters (1852-1871) he received. The bulk of the letters are those (1856) from his wife Josephine while she and her children were visiting her family, and those (1869-71) from her father Joseph W. Moulton.

Josephine [Moulton] Stewart Papers

Josephine [Moulton] Stewart's papers consist of incoming letters, extracts of a diary, a commonplace book, and a scrapbook. The letters (1854-1903, ca. 30 items) are mainly from her daughter and grandchildren. The diary extract recalls an incident with her father Joseph Moulton in 1868. The commonplace book was begun in 1869 on a trip to Europe and also contains thoughts jotted down in later years. The scrapbook contains newspaper clippings and printed material.

John Ridgely Papers

John Ridgely (1851-1938) was a gentleman farmer at Hampton. The papers in this collection that belong to him are mainly letters (1870s-1880s, ca. 20 items) he received from his wife Helen W. [Stewart] Ridgely. John's letters to Helen

during this period describe his farming activities and are part of Helen's papers, MS. 715. There are also a few certificates belonging to him.

Julian W. Ridgely Papers

Julian W. Ridgely (1887-1939) was the son of John and Helen W.S. Ridgely. His papers consist of 20 items dealing with his education at the Country School for Boys, including grades and compositions.

The collection also includes a few items relating to Helen W.S. Ridgely's uncle, lawyer John Ordronaux (d. 1908) and her cousin Hariette E. [Griswold] Hart (d. 1895).

Box 1

Leonice S. Moulton Incoming Letters

1840-1895, n.d.

Leonice S. Moulton Diary

1862

Leonice S. Moulton Purviance Papers

Leonice S. Moulton Memorabilia

Joseph W. Moulton Incoming Letters

1844-1873

Joseph W. Moulton Sketch

John Stewart Incoming Letters

1852-1871

Box 2

Josephine M. Stewart Incoming Letters

1854-1903, n.d.

Josephine M. Stewart Commonplace book

Josephine M. Stewart Scrapbook

John Ridgely Incoming Letters

1872-1918, n.d.

John Ridgely Certificates

Julian W. Ridgely Papers

John Ordronaux Papers

Harriette Hart Papers