Prescott Buckminster Correspondence, 1895-1903

Title:

Prescott Buckminster Correspondence, 1895-1903

Creator:

Buckminster, Prescott, 1879-1933

Accession / Call Number:

2024.020

Object ID:

2024.020

Date:

1895-1903

Physical Description:

2 boxes ; 0.54 linear feet

Scope and Content:

The one-way correspondence, 1895-1903, of Prescott Buckminster (1879-1933) to Lena Bridge (later Buckminster) (1882-1965) consists of his letters to her professing his love and desire to marry her, an event which occurred in 1905 and is outside the time frame of the collection. During this time, she appears to be living and working in Keene, NH, while he moves between jobs in Charlestown, MA; Waltham, MA; and his father’s farm in Roxbury, NH. While most of the text of the letters consists of declarations of love and worry about whether she reciprocates and is being faithful, he also details his struggles finding work and observations of the working lives of a few of his friends. His first job is as a 'fireman' on locomotives and consists primarily of shoveling coal: he describes the danger, how tired he is, and the episodic nature of the work. At one point he tries to 'get into' factory work in Waltham, but is unsuccessful, and he thinks about several other possible opportunities. Between these efforts he returns to the farm, which he considers always to be a back-up possibility, but apparently Lena has refused to marry him if that is where he works. By the end of the letters in 1902, he has found a slightly more agreeable situation working (though still as a fireman) for the Boston and Maine Railroad and living in Concord, NH, near the station. Census returns indicate that he continued working for Boston and Maine, eventually becoming a 'locomotive engineer.' In addition to working conditions and job-seeking angst, the letters document working-class courtship at the beginning of the 20th Century, expectations of young adults for living and working situations, and social norms re requirements for marriage. In one 1902 letter, Prescott Buckminster explains why he has joined the YMCA branch near the railroad station in Concord. There are no photographs and no ephemera. The nature of Lena's work is undefined.

Subjects:

Correspondence , Courtship , Farm life , Farmers , Railroad employees , Railroads

Locations:

Concord, NH
Keene, NH
Roxbury, NH

People:

Bridge, Lena R., 1882-1965 , Buckminster, Prescott, 1879-1933

Organizations:

Boston and Maine Railroad
Young Men's Christian Association

Credit Line:

Gift of Dawn Giroux.

Restrictions:

Available for research.

Level Description:

Collection