Samuel Austin Collection
1718-1920
2 boxes 1 linear feet
Call no.: MS 937
An historian and educator, Samuel Austin (1816-1897) was known for his long association with the Friends Boarding School in Providence, R.I. (later renamed the Moses Brown School). An alumnus who married an alumna, Elizabeth H. Osborn, Austin taught at the Boarding school for decades and was instrumental in gathering and preserving documents relating to the school. He wrote and lectured regularly on the history of Friends’ education and on the Boarding School, and its noted teachers and alumni.
A product of the historical work of Samuel Austin, the collection contains both essays, notes, and talks on the Friends’ Boarding School in Providence and on Moses and Obadiah Brown, and some significant original documents used by Austin in his research. Noteworthy among the original materials are a fascinating series of records from monthly and quarterly meetings in and near Rhode Island, mostly in 1787-1793; a rich series of epistles received by Smithfield Monthly Meeting from other meetings in New England (1718-1767); some key printed epistles from Yearly Meetings, including those on war (London, New England, and Philadelphia Yearly) and slavery (London and Philadelphia). Of equal note are a series of letters from Elisha Thornton (a New Bedford merchant, educator, and antislavery advocate), a lengthy letter on doctrine from John Wilbur, and a 1765 sermon from Rachel Wilson.
Background on Samuel Austin
An historian, educator, and long associate of the Friends Boarding School in Providence, R.I. (later renamed the Moses Brown School), Samuel Austin was born on Nantucket, Mass., on June 15, 1816, the son of Joseph A. and Rachel (Hussey) Austin. Having attended the school during a flourishing period in the 1830s, Austin never broke his ties. When he married on Oct. 12, 1843, he married an alumna, Elizabeth H. Osborn (1820-1893), and for any years thereafter, he taught at the school and wrote historical essays centered on the institution, its noted teachers and alumni, and on local Quaker history.
Austin and his wife raised a family of five: Katharine Hanson Austin (b. 1841), Mary Louise Austin (b. 1847), John Osborne Austin (1849-1918), William Samuel Austin (b. 1854), and Rachel Austin (b. 1859). Both Katharine and Mary followed their father as teachers at the Boarding School. Samuel Austin died in Providence on Feb. 13, 1897.
Contents of Collection
A product of the historical work of Samuel Austin, the collection contains both essays, notes, and talks on the Friends’ Boarding School in Providence and on Moses and Obadiah Brown, and some significant original documents used by Austin in his research. Noteworthy among the original materials are a fascinating series of records from monthly and quarterly meetings in and near Rhode Island, mostly in 1787-1793; a rich series of epistles received by Smithfield Monthly Meeting from other meetings in New England (1718-1767); some key printed epistles from Yearly Meetings, including those on war (London, New England, and Philadelphia Yearly) and slavery (London and Philadelphia). Of equal note are a series of letters from Elisha Thornton (a New Bedford merchant, educator, and antislavery advocate), a lengthy letter on doctrine from John Wilbur, and a 1765 sermon from Rachel Wilson.
Collection inventory
Austin, Katharine H., Letter to Thomas J. Battey
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Austin, Samuel, Historical essays on Friends and Friends hisotry
Austin, Samuel, Daniel Howland (notes for essay or talk)
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Austin, Samuel, Education and some educators among early Friends
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Austin, Samuel, Elisha Thornton (folder enclosing essays, notes)
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Austin, Samuel, Elisha Thornton (notes and essay)
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Austin, Samuel, Friends Boarding School, Providence (notes)
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Austin, Samuel, Friends Boarding School, Providence (notes and drafts)
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Austin, Samuel, Friends’ history (notes)
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Austin, Samuel, Friends Sufferings in Rhode Island (notes)
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Austin, Samuel, Isaac Lawton (essay typescript)
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Austin, Samuel, A list of ministers and elders of New England Yearly Meeting
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Au
stin, Samuel, Moses Brown, Elisha Thornton, et al. (notes)
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Austin, Samuel, Portsmouth School (talk read at Friends School, in part)
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Austin, Samuel, Portsmouth School (includes discussion of teachers Isaac Lawton and comments on Elisha Thornton and Job Scott)
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Austin, Samuel, Saylesville (essay or talk)
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Austin, Samuel, Saylesville (talk), read at Saylesville, R.I.
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Austin, Samuel, Thomas Howland (talk)
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Austin, Samuel, William Rotch (essay)
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Battey, Thomas C., The other side of the shield (newsclipping from The Informant on Indian affairs
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Brown, Moses and Obadiah: Notes by Rayner W. Kelsey, Augustine Jones, et al. on Moses Brown and son
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Primarily assembled by Kelsey.
Clark, Samuel W.: Memoirs of Samuel W. Clark, as given by his mother
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Reminiscences of a deceased child.
Clinton Grove School (Weare, N.H.): Printed flier
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Flier announcing new term.
Coleman, Elihu, Advice to his children and grandchildren [later transcript]
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Collins, Micajah: Poetry from the Newport Mercury. A tribute to respect of the memory of Micajah Collins
1 printed handbill
Box 1: 24
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Earle, John, Letter to David Buffum
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Epistles: London Yearly Meeting [printed]
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Epistles: New England Yearly Meeting [printed]
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Epistles: Philadelphia Yearly Meeting [printed]
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Epistles: Philadelphia Yearly Meeting [printed]
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Epistles: Philadelphia Yearly Meeting: The ancient testimony and principles of the People called Quakers, renewed, with respect to the King and Government; and touching the commotions now prevailing in these and other parts of America, addressed to the people in general [printed]
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Epistles: Philadelphia Yearly Meeting for Sufferings [printed]
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Epistles: Smithfield Monthly Meeting
Mostly epistles received from other meetings in New England; certificates of removal, etc.
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Epistles: Smithfield Monthly Meeting
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Epistles: Smithfield Monthly Meeting
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Epistles: Smithfield Monthly Meeting
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Free Produce Meeting [circular letter and petition]
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Organizing a free produce campaign in Newport and elsewhere in Rhode Island.
French Quakers, letter to Edward Fox
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
May relate to the capture of the Brig Providence (Edward Fox, Master).
Greene, Lois Anna, Notes and reminiscences
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Greene (1840-1923) was from Providence and attended the Friends Boarding School.
Howland, George: Obituary
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Undated, but may be the George Howland of Newport who died 1878.
Ives, Clara E. (granddaughter of Elisha Thornton)
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Jenkins, William: Obituary
1 printed handbill
Box 2: 6
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Kelsey, Rayner W.: notes from research on Friends’ education
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Dartmouth Monthly Meeting
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
East Greenwich Quarterly Meeting (Women)
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
New England Yearly Meeting of Friends: miscellaneous fliers
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
New England Yearly Meeting of Friends, Queries
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
New England Yearly Meeting of Friends, Queries
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
New England Yearly Meeting of Friends, Queries
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Newport Yearly Meeting of Women Friends
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Portsmouth Monthly Meeting: Prayers
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Portsmouth Quarterly Meeting
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Providence Monthly Meeting (subscription for Barclay’s Apology, support for the poor
Subscription list of 1729 is only tentatively identified and may be from Smithfield Monthly instead.
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Providence Monthly Meeting (Women)
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Providence Quarterly Meeting (Women)
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Rhode Island Monthly Meeting
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Rhode Island Quarterly Meeting. School Committee
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Smithfield Monthly Meeting (Women)
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Smithfield Quarterly Meeting
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Smithfield Quarterly Meeting
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Swansea Quarterly Meeting (Women)
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
New England Tract Association of Friends
“Removed from Austin Collection of Moses Brown Papers, Box 3, in 1996. — R. D. S.”
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Register of all the Publick Friends that have visited New England since the year 1656, with Register of all the women Friends
See several additional copies of the same manuscript in the Quaker Miscellaneous Collection (MS 926).
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Rotch, William, Letters to Walter Allen (New Bedford, Mass.)
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Testimony of Robert Barrow. . . at George Fox’s burial
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Thornton, Elisha, Correspondence with Moses Brown
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Thornton, Elisha, Letter to William Buffum
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Thornton, Elisha, Letter to Thomas Howland
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Thornton, Elisha, Letter to Hyrena Paine
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Wilbur, John, Letter to John Osborn (Hopkinton, R.I.)
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Wilson, Rachel, Sermon. . . delivered at the Friends Meeting House in the Province of New York
Originally part of the NEYM Austin Collection.
Administrative information
Provenance
Part of the New England Yearly Meeting of Friends Collection, April 2016.
Processing Information
Processed by I. Eliot Wentworth, August 2016.
Cite as: Samuel Austin Collection (MS 937). Special Collections and University Archives, University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries.
Gift of New England Yearly Meeting of Friends, 2016
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