Beach, Webster, and Dickinson families papers
1995-15-0
Scope and Contents
The Beach, Webster, and Dickinson families papers (1995-15-0, 4.59 linear feet) relate to three associated Litchfield, Conn., families. In 1916, Bessie Rachel Beach (1893-1976) married Leonard Dickinson (1895-1946). The parents of Bessie were Milo D. Beach (1861-1959) and Louisa Webster Beach (1862-1951). A large part of the collection consists of genealogical information culled from a variety of sources. Original materials include marriage certificates; correspondence; mortgages and deeds; distribution and inventories of estates, scrapbooks; news clippings; 19th century recipe ("receipt") books (one book is an account book from 1820s-1850s that has been pasted over); 19th and early 20th century newspapers and clippings, including the Litchfield Monitor (1802-1803), Litchfield Republican (1856), and Connecticut Courant (1820s); autograph albums; documentation on Goshen and Milton; many family photographs of various types, including daguerreotypes, tintypes, cartes-de-viste, and cabinet cards, also two large albums from the late 19th century photographs; and 19th and early 20th century books. The papers do not document the business activities of the families.
Dates
- created: 1791-1990
- Other: Date acquired: 05/12/1995
Creator
- Rice, Betsy Dickinson Dinan (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright has been transferred to the Litchfield Historical Society for materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator(s) of this collection. Copyright status for other collection materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.
Biographical or Historical Information
The Beach, Webster, and Dickinson families have a long history in Litchfield and all settled there in the 1700s. The Websters of Litchfield are distant relatives of Noah Webster, as they all descended from the same ancestor who first came to America in the 1600s. The Dickinson line is related to noted miniature painter Anson Dickinson, as it descended from one of Anson's brothers. There is no relation to the poet Emily Dickinson.
Milo D. Beach operated the Litchfield Creamery from 1900 to 1940. At the time it closed, it was the last creamery in Connecticut. Bessie Beach Dickinson was a long-time piano teacher and organist for the First Congregational Church. Leonard Dickinson worked at the creamery until opening Dickinson's Dairy-Maid, a tea-room specializing in homemade ice cream, in the mid 1930s.
Note written by
Extent
4.59 Linear Feet
11 document boxes other_unmapped
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement Note
The collection is arranged in four series:
1. Beach/Webster family
2. Dickinson family
3. Photographs
4. Publications
Source of Acquisition
Betsy Dickinson Dinan Rice
Method of Acquisition
Gift
Separated Materials
Objects have been removed to the museum collections.
Other Descriptive Information
This collection was processed with support from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).
Subject
- Litchfield Creamery (Litchfield, Conn.) (Organization)
- Dickinson, Bessie Rachel Beach, 1893-1976 (Person)
- Beach, Louisa Webster, 1861-1951 (Person)
- Beach, Milo D., 1861-1959 (Person)
- Beach family (Family)
- Dickinson, Leonard, 1895-1946 (Person)
- Dickinson family (Family)
- Webster family (Family)
- Title
- Beach, Webster, and Dickinson families papers
- Author
- Leith Johnson
- Date
- 02/10/2010
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Litchfield Historical Society Repository
7 South Street
P.O. Box 385
Litchfield CT 06759
860-567-4501
860-567-3565 (Fax)
archivist@litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org