Charles H. Cummings Papers, 1830-1919, bulk 1885-1907

Title:

Charles H. Cummings Papers, 1830-1919, bulk 1885-1907

Creator:

Cummings, Charles H., 1842-1920

Accession / Call Number:

2021.003

Object ID:

2021.003

Date:

1830-1919

Physical Description:

12 boxes ; 5.59 linear feet

Scope and Content:

The Charles H. Cummings Papers consist primarily of his correspondence with other railroad executives between 1885 and 1895, with the addition of extensive records of repairs and other operating costs associated with his winter estate in Jacksonville, Florida. Incoming letters from friends, business associates and family are interspersed with bills and other financial papers. Many of the letters were actually written to Cummings' secretary, David Pearsall (1861-1921), who handled many of the business and personal details of Cummings' life. Cummings was a Freemason, and there are membership cards and letters from various lodges. The materials trail off in the 1890s, and there is no documentation of his life after 1907, by which time he presumably lived full time in Meredith, New Hampshire. Although an obituary indicated that Cummings had been president of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad, his exact titles and roles in the railroad and the coal industries are not documented in these papers. The purchase of the Jacksonville, Florida estate (called “Keystone”) and its eventual presumed sale are not documented, although the construction of a house there (after the first one burned down) and the building and supplying of a 'steam yacht' are. The resident manager of the estate wrote David Pearsall, Cummings' secretary, every two weeks to report on work done for maintenance of the house and grounds, as well as any new construction undertaken. Spindle Point, his house in Meredith, is not as well documented, though there are bills for household supplies and construction/repair materials. He called it a 'farm,' but by the time of his death, it was a large property: his will mentioned several miles of shorefront, two islands, farm buildings and a “lodge.” Notable among the business papers are many personal letters appealing to him for help: former employees, relatives, colleagues who suffered business failures, widows and orphans of all the above. They ask for money, jobs, and recommendations and usually detail the circumstances surrounding their need. These letters offer a stark illustration of life before any sort of organized charity or financial security existed for most people. There is no outgoing correspondence, and although he traveled extensively in the United States as well as Europe and Asia, no materials describing the trips or ephemera associated with them are present. After congratulations on his wedding in 1885, his wife is not mentioned and there are no letters from her. There are no photographs. The collection also contains scattered issues of two satirical magazines, Judge and Puck between 1880 and 1892. There is also a group of letters written to “Henry Cummings” between 1858 and 1874 with family news (deaths of grandmother, grandfather, local gossip, etc.). The identity of this person and his relationship to Charles Henry Cummings is unknown.

Subjects:

Businessmen , Charity , Correspondence , Dwellings--Maintenance and repair , Freemasons , House construction , Periodicals , Railroad conductors , Railroads , Sheet music , Yachts--Design and construction

Locations:

Jacksonville, FL
Mauch Chunk, PA
Meredith, NH
Plymouth, NH

People:

Cummings, Charles H., 1842-1920

Organizations:

Lehigh Valley Railroad Company

Credit Line:

Gift of Q. David Bowers.

Restrictions:

Available for research.

Level Description:

Collection

Finding Aid Link:

RS63219_Charles_H._Cummings_Papers_2021.003.pdf