TABLE OF CONTENTS

Overview of the Collection

Biography

Scope and Content

Arrangement

Restrictions

Index Terms

Related Material

Administrative Information

Detailed Description

Series I: Leavenworth Family, undated, 1755-2004

Series II: Leavenworth Family materials, undated, 1839-1958

Series III: Schmitz Family, undated, 1882-1983

Series IV: Huhn Family, undated, 1882-1906

Series V: Peck Family, undated, 1791-1807

Series VI: Stone Family, undated, 1886-1937

Series VII: Judson Family, 1825-1832

Series VIII: Photographs, undated, ca. 1890-1984

Leavenworth Family Papers

Archives & Special Collections at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center

405 Babbidge Road, Unit 1205

Storrs, Connecticut 06269-1205

URL http://doddcenter.uconn.edu

Biography

Elias W. Leavenworth in his A Genealogy of the Leavenworth Family in the United States with Historical Introduction (Dodd C6163) has Thomas Leavenworth arriving in New Haven, Connecticut some time between 1664 and 1675. At time in the 17th century, however, a Thomas Leavenworth, ancestor of this branch of the Leavenworths, settled in western Connecticut and acquired and/or inherited considerable property prior to his death in 1683.

The first Leavenworth for which there is documentation in the Leavenworth Family Papers is David Leavenworth. Born in Woodbury, Connecticut, David was a Captain of the Fourth Company, 13th Regiment of the Colony of Connecticut during the American Revolution. Active in the war, documentation of his activities has been recorded in Cothren's Ancient History. Married twice and the father of eight, David died in Woodbury at the age of 82.

Morse Leavenworth, the second of David's children, was born in Roxbury, Connecticut on 1 July 1764. A farmer and soldier in the American Revolution (Cothren, p.783), Morse married Sarah Benedict, the daughter of Jonathan Benedict of New Milford, Connecticut in 1783. They had six children, born and raised in the house built by Morse in Roxbury.

Morse Leavenworth (Jr.) was born 27 July 1805, the youngest of six children. A farmer, Morse married Amarilla Beecher, the daughter of Deacon John Beecher of New Milford, Connecticut, and fathered three sons. He died in 1852 and Amarilla remarried O. B. Seward.

John Henry Leavenworth was born 13 August 1830, the eldest of the three sons of Morse and Amarilla Leavenworth. A farmer and teacher in Roxbury, he married Mary Ann Peck, the daughter of Marquis D. Peck of Morris, Connecticut. They had two children, George and Florence.

George Washington Peck Leavenworth was born 12 April 1855 in Roxbury. In the 1880 Census George listed his profession as teacher. He married Cora Turley of Vicksburg, Mississippi prior to 1888. Their only son, Dana Turley Leavenworth, was only a year old when Cora died in 1889. George then married, Nellie Ames, the eldest daughter of James B. Ames of Bethlehem, Connecticut. Married in 1892, Nellie and George had one son, Carleton. Nellie died in 1932 and George moved off the family homestead in Roxbury to Southbury, Connecticut before finally moving to Hartford, Connecticut prior to his death in 1941.

Dana T. Leavenworth was born 25 June 1888, presumably in Roxbury. He attended Yale College and graduated in 1910. He joined the Army in 1914 and saw action along the U.S.-Mexico border prior to joining the American Expeditionary Force in France in 1918. Dana returned to the States in 1919 and took up civilian life. He married Marie Christina Schmitz, daughter of Charles W. Schmitz of Waterbury in 1924. Employed as an estate councilor at Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Company, Dana and Marie established their household at 25 Staples Place in West Hartford, Connecticut. There they raised three sons, Robert, Donald and Alden. Marie died in 1950 and Dana married Katherine Marsh in 1954. Dana's autobiography, The Passing Scene, was published in 1973. Dana died in December 1980. Two of his children attended Yale University, recipients (like their father) of the Leavenworth Family Scholarship at that institution, and all married and settled out of state.

Carleton Ames Leavenworth was born 26 September 1893, also presumably in Roxbury. He also attended Yale College and graduated in 1919. Carleton lived in New York City for some time, before returning to Connecticut and marrying Katherine Stone, daughter of Harvey R. Stone, in 1935 and settled in Southbury, Connecticut. While it is difficult to determine precisely, it appears that Carleton owned a book shop for several years before turning to more literary pursuits. He published several collections of poetry and prose and edited a literary magazine in 1957. Carleton died in 1958.

Detailed genealogical information on the members of the Leavenworth family from their arrival in the United States in the seventeenth century through the mid nineteenth century can be found in A Genealogy of the Leavenworth Family in the United States with Historical Introduction by Elias Warner Leavenworth [Dodd Call ]. Information about the Roxbury/Woodbury area can be found in several town histories, also available in Archives & Special Collections.

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Scope and Content

The collection contains financial and legal documents, correspondence, publications, maps, photographs, postcards, diplomas, certificates, journals, diaries, manuscripts, notes, clippings and similar materials retained by members of the extended Leavenworth family dating from the 1750s through 1993. As can be expected, the documentation is less plentiful for the earlier generations and becomes increasingly voluminous and diverse for the more recent generations. Of particular interest are the personal diaries and journals of several individuals that record their daily activities and thoughts, extensive correspondence between family members, correspondence during World War I, documentation of travels across the United States, personal ephemera and artifacts.

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Arrangement

The collection is arranged according to genealogical progression. Please see the attached genealogical references to identify specific individuals or family names. [Due to software incompatibilities the genealogical information cannot be displayed electronically, please contact the collection curator for a copy of this information.]

Postcards in the collection, whether they have been written on or not, have been placed in Series VIII: Photographs. Researchers are reminded to refer to Series VIII when reviewing the correspondence sections of the collection. Photographs of individuals, events or locations not already mentioned in the manuscript portions of the collection are represented only in Series VIII: Photographs (i.e., Ames Family).

Series I: Leavenworth Family (undated, 1755-2004) contains correspondence, notes, legal and financial documents, ephemera, photographs, and artifacts of eight generations of the Litchfield County (Connecticut) Leavenworths. The series is further divided by generation with wives filed after their husbands. Materials pertaining to unknown or indirect Leavenworth relations can be found in Series II. Materials pertaining to distaff relations have been placed in a separate Series as indicated.

Series II: Leavenworth Family materials (undated, 1839-1958) contains family materials that cannot be directly and positively associated with a specific individual.

Series III: Schmitz Family (undated, 1882-1983) includes correspondence, artifacts, architectural plans, ephemera, legal and financial records pertaining to the family of Marie Schmitz Leavenworth, the first wife of Dana T. Leavenworth.

Series IV: Huhn Family (undated, 1882-1906) contains ephemera and correspondence pertaining to the family of Christina "Tena" Huhn Schmitz.

Series V: Peck Family (undated, 1791-1807) includes materials pertaining to the ancestors of Mary Ann Peck Leavenworth, the wife of John Henry Leavenworth.

Series VI: Stone Family (undated, 1886-1937 ) contains correspondence and ephemeral materials pertaining to the relatives of Katherine Stone Leavenworth, the wife of Carleton A. Leavenworth.

Series VII: Judson Family (1825-1932) contains correspondence and a journal of Elizabeth Judson, maternal grandmother of Mary Ann Peck Leavenworth.

Series VIII: Photographs (undated, ca. 1890-1984) includes images (photographs, tintypes, etc. as well as postcards and slides) of extended family members and associated locations. Some family relationships are documented only in this series and not in the manuscript portion of the collection. Researchers are reminded to review all series when searching for a particular individual or family name.

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Restrictions

Restrictions on Access

Originals of fragile 18th century legal documents are restricted from use. Photocopies of these documents have been integrated into the collection.

Restrictions on Use

Permission to publish from these Papers must be obtained in writing from both the University of Connecticut Libraries and the owner(s) of the copyright.

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Related Material

Archives & Special Collections has a substantial collection of materials pertaining to various aspects of Connecticut history. For detailed information on these collections please contact the curator or ask at the reference desk.

The following titles were separated from the collection and cataloged.

Brewer's Collection of National Songs and Hymns (1900). Dodd WM 32

Candidate (January 1919). Dodd WU5

Choice After Dinner Stories (1907). Dodd WPN57

Churches of Mattatuck: A Record of a Bi-Centennial Celebration at Waterbury, Connecticut, November 4th and 5th, 1891 (1892). Dodd A5710

Connecticut fights. The Story of the 102nd Regiment (1930). Dodd C6148

Contributions to the Ecclesiastical History of Connecticut. Volume II. (1967). Dodd A5581

"Don't Quote Me". (1972) Dodd B6557

Election Year Facts for Every Voter (1936). Dodd WJK 13

English Reader; or, Pieces in Prose and Poetry (1830). Dodd A5709

Field Service Pocket Book (1917). Dodd A5043

Field Service Regulations (1914). Dodd A5708

Fighting President. The Story of Franklin D. Roosevelt (1934). Dodd A4960

First Lessons in spoken French for Men in Military Service (1917). Dodd A10415

Greatest Thing in the World (undated). Dodd WBV 110

History of the Class of 1910 (1910). Dodd WLD 30

History of the Class of 1910. (First supplement, 1912)

History of the Class of 1910. Volume III (1926). Dodd C7239 v.3

History of the Class of 1910. Volume IV (1935). Dodd C7239, v.4

History of the Class of 1910. (1940)

History of the Class of 1910. (1946)

History of the Class of 1910. (1950)

History of the Class of 1910. (1955)

History of the Class of 1910. (1960)

History of the Class of 1910. (1970)

Home Pastimes; or, Agreeable exercises for the Mind consisting of Enigmas, Charades, Conundrums, etc. (undated) Dodd WPZ331

Houghtaling's Hand-Book of Useful Information (1884). Dodd WZ324

How to Speak Good English (1931). Dodd A5225

Infant's Primer (undated). Dodd WBV 111

Infantry Drill Regulations (1918). Dodd WUD 2

Infantry Drill Regulations (Provisional). Part I. (1918) Dodd A5705

Leavenworth Then...Leavenworth Now! (1996) Dodd B6559

Mademoiselle from Armentières (1930). Dodd A4957

Manual for Courts-Martial, Courts of Inquiry and of other procedure under military law (1917). Dodd C7244/7245

Manual for Noncommissioned Officers and Privates of Infantry of the Army of the United States (1917). Dodd A5042

Manual for Privates of Infantry of the Organized Militia of the United States (1909). Dodd A5706

Manual of Physical Training (1914).

Manual of the Chief of Platoon of Infantry (1917). Dodd A5711

McBride Fifth Reader (1898). Dodd A5046

Military Map Reading (1909). Dodd WUG 2

Military Sketching and Map Reading (1917). Dodd A5039

Mind and Work (1909). Dodd A4961

Le Mirroir. No. 248. (1918 August)

Notes on Anti-Aircraft Guns (1917). Dodd WUF 1

Notes on Bayonet Training (1917). Dodd WUD 1

Notes on Recent Operations. No. 2. (1917) Dodd WU 3

Officers' Manual (For use of subalterns) (1907). Dodd A5707

One Hundred Years in an old New England Parish, 1816-1916 [1916]. Dodd WF148

Passing Scene (1973). [Dana Leavenworth autobiography] Dodd B6558

Poe's Run & Other Poems (1916). Dodd B6556

Poor Richard: or, the Way to Wealth (1907). Dodd WPS 3618

Popular Songs of the A.E.F. (1918) Dodd WM 31

Ramikin. Senior Year Book of Mechanics Institute (1914). Dodd C6282

Rand-McNally Primary School Geography (1894). Dodd C6593

Reveries of a Bachelor; or, a Book of the Heart (1900).

Rules of Land Warfare (1914). Dodd A5704

Salmagundi [St. Margaret's School] (1917). Dodd 6284

Saturday Chronicle.Vol. 32. (1917 September 22)

Small Problems for Infantry (1917). Dodd C7243

Soldier's Mentor (1917). Dodd A5702

Story of Connecticut (1932). Dodd A5395

Table of Fundamental Allowances, Quartermaster Supplies (1917). Dodd WUC 1

Tales of Leavenworth (1986). Dodd A4959

Trolley Trips through Southern New England (1908). Dodd WF 149

Uncle Sam's Almanac 1937. Dodd WAY 2

La Vie Parisienne. Vol. 57, No. 4. (1919 January 25)

Who's Who List of Leaders. Vol. 11, No. 17. (1935 May 15)

Wild Geese and Other Poems (1921). Dodd A4958

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Index Terms

This record series is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms.

Persons:

Organizations:

Family Names:

Places:

Document Types:

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

[Item description, #:#], Leavenworth Family Papers. Archives & Special Collections at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center, University of Connecticut Libraries

Acquisition Information

The collection was donated to Archives & Special Collections at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center by Robert, Donald and Alden Leavenworth in August 2003.

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Detailed Description