Whitcomb and Momyer Family Papers, 1805, 1862-1955

Title:

Whitcomb and Momyer Family Papers, 1805, 1862-1955

Creator:

Momyer, Harry Eastman, Jr., 1880-1962

Accession / Call Number:

2022.039

Object ID:

2022.039

Date:

1805, 1862-1955

Physical Description:

1 box ; 0.33 linear feet

Scope and Content:

The bulk of the Whitcomb and Momyer Family Papers consists of correspondence to, from, and collected by Harry E. Momyer, Jr. of Philadelphia, PA. The letters deal primarily with family genealogy and the quest to "fill in the holes," as stated in a note in the first folder of correspondence. The correspondence was placed in chronological order, though as the note describes, it did not arrive in any particular order. Harry Momyer writes to family, potential relatives, government officials, and genealogical societies to inquire about information concerning his ancestors including the location and dates of marriages, births, and deaths. Many of the letters are in search of information on William Pitt Whitcomb’s marriage to Mercy Ann Brown of New Hampshire. The majority of the correspondence is between Harry Momyer and William H. Coon, an attorney in Batavia, NY, and Momyer’s third cousin. Their correspondence details their efforts in learning more about the Whitcomb family, as well as providing details on their childhoods and lives. Through the letters, we learn Momyer is a member of the Masons, and Coon is a member of the Baptist Church, Masonic Lodge, Odd Fellows Lodge, Elks Lodge, Kiwanis, Spanish War Veterans, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and others. The letters show the growth of their research, enlisting relatives near and far, in the search for information. In a letter dated April 9, 1933, Coon writes that as soon as he received letters and photographs from Mrs. Odell of "the folks in Oregon" and letters from Mr. Momyer, he shared them with his Uncle Ernest C. Hawkins and Cousin Josiah T. Whitcomb. In the correspondence, they work through the lines of old letters to piece together where family members were living and visiting. A letter from May 2, 1933, shows Momyer thinking of someday taking a genealogical trip through western Pennsylvania, up to New York to visit Coon, and on to New England. This trip is discussed in detail, both planning and afterwards, in 1941, as it appears he and his wife made the trip in July of that year. Other correspondence notes the acceptance of Momyer’s mother (Jessie Whitcomb) and sister into the Daughters of the American Revolution after they proved their descent from Lieutenant Joseph Whitcomb of New Hampshire, and his work to join the Sons of the American Revolution. Over time Coon and Momyer further expand to discussing current activities and daily life, in between the family research. Coon, for instance, discusses music and concerts, even going into detail on his thoughts in a 1936 letter on "the darn gold flute" (a Haynes Company flute) which he feels doesn’t have the same tone as the silver flute, despite it being "pretty." These discussions correlate to music ephemera in this collection, including Batavia Festival Orchestra programs and newspaper clippings on flutists. Another letter from Coon, dated September 12, 1933, tells of the recent death of Ernest Hawkins, who died by suicide, and includes transcriptions of the notes he left behind for the family. Other materials in this collection consist of programs for plays, a drawing of the family crest, a newspaper clipping on William Coon, and photographs of gravestones and houses of ancestors in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York.

Subjects:

Correspondence , Families , Flute , Flute players , Genealogy , Gravestones , Heraldry , Lawyers , Music , Photographs , Suicide , Travel

Locations:

Argyle, NY
Batavia, NY
Grafton, VT
Lancaster, MA
Philadelphia, PA
Stratford, NH
Swanzey, NH
Washington, DC

People:

Barrère, Georges, 1876-1944 , Brown, Loyal P., 1881-1961 , Coon, William Hawkins, 1876-1953 , Hawkins, Ernest C., 1858-1933 , Kincaid, William, 1895-1967 , Momyer, Harry Eastman, Jr., 1880-1962 , Momyer, Jessie B., 1856-1944 , Whitcomb, Josiah T., 1860-1935 , Wright, Ellen M., 1828-1910

Organizations:

Batavia Festival Orchestra
Daughters of the American Revolution
Freemasons
Sons of the American Revolution
Whitcomb family

Credit Line:

Gift of Robert K. Momyer.

Restrictions:

Available for research.

Level Description:

Collection

Finding Aid Link:

RS64947_Whitcomb_and_Momyer_Family_Papers_2022.039.pdf