The University of Massachusetts Amherst
Robert S. Cox Special Collections & University Archives Research Center
CredoResearch digital collections in Credo

Collecting area: New England

Wells, William, 1767-1848

William Wells Papers

1796-1863
1 box 0.5 linear feet
Call no.: MS 347

A prominent figure in the rural town of Shelburne, Mass., during the early nineteenth century, William Wells served for many years as a town selectman, representative in the state legislature, and captain of the militia. He died in Shelburne in July 1848, leaving behind his wife Prudence (May) and their nine children.

This tightly focused body of documents from William Wells represents a cross-section of public life in the town of Shelburne during the early decades of the nineteenth century, touching on the town’s finances, care for the church, school, highways, roads, and the local militia.

Subjects

Shelburne (Mass.)--History

Contributors

Wells, William
Wendell (Mass.). Treasurer

Wendell (Mass.). Treasurer Account book

1794-1864
1 vol. 0.1 linear feet
Call no.: MS 090

A sparsely populated rural community in eastern Franklin County, Massachusetts, the town of Wendell was incorporated in 1781 after it was separated from the adjacent towns of Shutesbury and Erving. Primarily a farming community to the present day with only light manufacturing (particularly the manufacture of palm-leaf hats), Wendell remains one of the state’s least populous communities.

A standard double column account book, the Treasurer’s ledger from the town of Wendell was reviewed, settled, and approved annually by the selectmen. The transactions are the typical stuff of small town life in New England, recording taxes, payments for expenses relating to schools and maintenance of the poor, and during the Civil War, payments of bounty money for volunteers. Among the signatories are locally prominent figures such as Judge Joshua Green and the Treasurers Samuel Brewer, George W. Fleming, and Franklin Howe (and other members of the Howe family).

Subjects

Green, JoshuaWendell (Mass.)--History--19th century

Contributors

Brewer, SamuelFleming, George WHowe, FranklinWendell (Mass.). Treasurer

Types of material

Account books
Wendell Post

Wendell Post Collection

1977-2001
1 box 1 linear feet
Call no.: MS 762
Depiction of Wendell Post editorial crew
Wendell Post editorial crew

From 1977 through 2001, the Wendell Post newspaper was published by and for the residents of Wendell, Mass. With its distinctive local perspective, the Post covered local politics, people, and events, but also issues with national implications, including the anti-nuclear movement, environmental concerns, recycling, and peacework.

The Wendell Post collection contains nearly every issue of a community newspaper produced in a small, rural New England town. Most issues include reports on town meetings and elections, the schools, and public works, but the Post also carried news of the stuff of daily life such as births and deaths, high school graduations, anniversaries and Old Home Day, profiles of town residents and town history, and the crime report.

Subjects

New Salem (Mass.)--HistoryNewspapers--MassachusettsWendell (Mass.)--History
Wentworth, Mary L.

Mary L. Wentworth Papers

1966-1968
13 boxes 19.5 linear feet
Call no.: MS 522

The activist Mary Wentworth has worked throughout New England on behalf of a variety of progressive causes, beginning with the antiwar and feminist movements in the 1960s and 1970s and working against racism and other forms of discrimination, militarism, patriarchy, corporate power, and U.S. imperialism. In 1984, she ran for U.S. Congress against long-term incumbent Silvio O. Conte, winning almost 30% of the vote in a district in which Conte had run unopposed.

The Wentworth Papers include records relating to her congressional campaign against Conte, material on U.S. involvement in Central America during the 1980s, and other issues of concern throughout her career.

Subjects

Activists--MassachusettsAnti-imperialist movementsCentral America--Foreign relations--United StatesConte, Silvio O. (Silvio Oltavio), 1921-1991Peace movements--MassachusettsUnited States--Foreign relations--Central America

Contributors

Wentworth, Mary L

Types of material

Photographs
West Springfield Airport, Inc.

West Springfield Airport, Inc. Records

1946-1954
2 boxes 0.5 linear feet
Call no.: MS 497 bd

Shortly after the end of the Second World War, a small group of residents formed a corporation to build an airport in West Springfield, Mass. Chartered on June 3, 1946, and based on Riverdale Street, the corporation attracted a small group of investors, but appears never to have prospered. After many months of attempting to sell off their real estate, the corporation voted to liquidate in August 1954.

The records of the West Springfield Airport, Inc., offer a brief, but relatively complete history of small, failed corporation. Although sparsely detailed, the collection documents the financial and organizational uncertainties that led to the early cessation of operations.

Acquired from Peter Masi, Mar. 2005

Subjects

Airports--Massachusetts--West SpringfieldWest Springfield (Mass.)--History

Types of material

Minute books
Westerly Monthly Meeting (Society of Friends)

Westerly Monthly Meeting (Society of Friends) Records

1766-2009 Bulk: 1995-2009
1 box 0.5 linear feet
Call no.: MS 902 W478

The present-day Westerly Friends Meeting can trace its roots to a Preparative Meeting established in 1744 under the care of South Kingstown Monthly Meeting. As the home meeting of John Wilbur, Westerly was deeply immersed in the Separation of 1845, with the South Kingstown Wilburite meeting persisting until the great reunion of New England Friends a century later. South Kingstown Monthly Meeting (Wilburite) was renamed Westerly Monthly Meeting after the reunion and continues under that name to the present.

The records of Westerly Monthly Meeting are incomplete, but include minutes recording its transition from its Wilburite predecessor, the South Kingstown Monthly Meeting, and sporadic minutes since.

Gift of New England Yearly Meeting of Friends, April 2016

Subjects

Quakers--Rhode IslandSociety of Friends--Rhode IslandWesterly (R.I.)--Social life and customs

Contributors

New England Yearly Meeting of Friends

Types of material

Minutes (Administrative records)Newsletters
Western Massachusetts Bridge Association

Western Massachusetts Bridge Association Records

1957-2007
12 boxes 16 linear feet
Call no.: MS 801
Depiction of

Established in 1957, the Western Massachusetts Bridge Association (WMBA) Unit 196 was created by founding members of the Springfield Bridge Club eager to share their love for the game with the wider western Massachusetts area. The unit played a prominent role in teaching interested individuals to learn to play contract bridge by reaching out to colleges, clubs, and churches. Over the years, WMBA has remained an active unit in the New England Bridge Conference District 25, one of the largest districts of the American Contract Bridge Association.

Records of the WMBA and District 25 document the growth of contract bridge in New England. From the earliest days of the unit, members drafted by-laws, oversaw membership services, organized tournaments, and tracked finances. Materials in the collection shed light on every aspect of these activities.

Gift of Wilfred R. Lenville, Oct. 2013

Subjects

Contract bridge
Western Massachusetts Health Planning Council

Western Massachusetts Health Planning Council Records

ca.1960-1988
46 boxes 23 linear feet
Call no.: MS 270

Records of the Western Massachusetts Health Planning Council consist of health system plans, determination of need reports, and subjects files realting to various regional hospital and health care facilities.

Subjects

Public health--Massachusetts

Contributors

Western Massachusetts Health Planning Council
Western Massachusetts Library Advocates

Western Massachusetts Library Advocates Records

1898-2011
13 boxes 3.75 linear feet
Call no.: MS 492
Depiction of Deerfield Public Library
Deerfield Public Library

Situated in a region known for its progressive spirit, the Western Massachusetts Library Club was established in 1898 to respond to the unique needs of librarians overseeing small or rural libraries, and to foster camaraderie among local colleagues. Almost immediately, however, the club expanded its focus, taking positions on issues ranging from modern library practices to national legislation and leading the way in the expansion of services for public libraries, all while maintaining its identity as an advocate for local libraries and librarians.

The collection is richest in records that document the early history of the club including detailed meeting minutes, news clippings, programs, and circulars. Beginning in the late 1960s, the club’s activities are captured primarily through membership lists and meeting notices and programs. Taken together, the records trace the growth of the WMLC for more than a century from its establishment to the present.

Subjects

Cutter, Charles A. (Charles Ammi), 1937-1903Libraries--Massachusetts--History

Contributors

Western Massachusetts Library Club
Western Massachusetts Regional Library System

Western Massachusetts Regional Library System Records

1957-2010
2 boxes, oversized 3 linear feet
Call no.: MS 671
Depiction of Bookmobile, 1957
Bookmobile, 1957

The Western Massachusetts Regional Library System was formed in 1962 as the Western Regional Public Library System, one of two organizations that provided professional support for the public librarians of the Commonwealth. Through the years, the two regions increased to three and then six, with the west consistently serving as a voice for the many small libraries that comprise its membership. Supported by funds from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, WMRLS provided a range of services, including continuing education for librarians; bookmobiles, delivery services, and interlibrary loan; reference support; catalog support and online databases; and youth services; as well as a purchasing cooperative. Following the national economic crisis in 2008-2009, WMRLS was consolidated with the other five regional library systems in Massachusetts and in June 2010, merged into the Massachusetts Library System.

The WMRLS collection contains a complete run of its newsletter from 1962 to 2010, copies of newsletters for continuing education and youth services, and a small assortment of administrative documents relating to its history and the services it provided.

Subjects

Public libraries--Massachusetts

Contributors

Western Massachusetts Regional Library System