Mass State Lbrong The Commonwealth of Massachusetts William Francis Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth Archives Division Ronald Epp Director of Shapiro Library Southern New Hampshire University 2500 N. River Road Manchester, NH 03106 February 15, 2005 Dear Dr. Epp, This letter is in response to your request received February 8, 2005 for copies of legislation pertaining to the foundation of the New England Bank. Enclosed you will find a copy of the above-mentioned legislation. I hope you have found this information helpful. If we can be of any assistance to you in the future, please do not hesitate to contact us again. Sincerely, John John Hannigan Reference Archivist 220 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, Massachusetts.02125 . (617) 727-2816 www.state.ma.us/sec/aro LAWS or THE Commonwealth of Massachusetts PASSED AT THE SEVERAL SESSIONS OF THE GENERAL COURT, HOLDEN IN BOSTON, BEGINNING 26th MAY, 1812, AND ENDING ON THE 2d MARCH, 1815. Published agreeably to a Resolve, passed 16th January, 1812 VOL.VI. BOSTON: RUSSELL, CUTLER, STATE. BENJAMIN RUSSELL, PRINTER TO THE 1812-15. Message Page 1 of 4 Epp, Ronald From: Epp, Ronald Sent: Thursday, August 05, 2004 2:52 PM To: 'Department, Reference (LIB)' Subject: RE: Massachusetts Legislature: 19th Century Dear Ms. Murphy: The information you provided is quite helpful. I appreciate your efforts. I was aware of Charles Hazen Dorr's burial at Mt. Auburn and the appropriate dates. The brief paragraph about Samuel Dorr in the NEHGS Register might prove useful and please let me know what the fee would be to have this reproduced and sent to me. I am aware of the Sieur de Monts publications. Finally, might I can advance one other reference question that has troubled me to no end as I prepare this biography of Mr. George Dorr? All reliable sources credit to Bostonian Brahmin George Dorr wealth in excess of a million dollars on the death of his mother (Mary Ward Gray Dorr of the Salem Ward Family) in 1901. Mr. Dorr had no "vocation" or career in the modern sense of the word prior to her death. I've been reading through the extensive Ward Family Papers at the MHS in recent weeks but financial matters are not treated thus far. This family wealth could also have been built on the textile wealth credited to the Dorr family but even here I find no documentation. In a word, I've been unable to find any 19th century authoritative source material that accounts for the wealth of either the Ward and Dorr families. We might suppose that the evidence is unsound and yet we know that Dorr had sufficient wealth to purchase hundreds of tracts of land in Hancock County Maine and to be chided by both Harvard President Charles Eliot and J.D. Rockefeller Jr. for depleting his wealth. Perhaps only the NEHGS can shed light on my efforts to "follow the money." If you have any research suggestions I will certainly take them to heart. Most appreciatively, Ron Ronald H. Epp, Ph.D. Director of Shapiro Library Southern New Hampshire University Manchester, NH 03106 603-668-2211, ext. 2164 603-645-9685 fax Original Message 8/5/2004 Message Page 1 of 4 Epp, Ronald From: Epp, Ronald Sent: Thursday, August 05, 2004 2:52 PM To: 'Department, Reference (LIB)' Subject: RE: Massachusetts Legislature: 19th Century Dear Ms. Murphy: The information you provided is quite helpful. I appreciate your efforts. I was aware of Charles Hazen Dorr's burial at Mt. Auburn and the appropriate dates. The brief paragraph about Samuel Dorr in the NEHGS Register might prove useful and please let me know what the fee would be to have this reproduced and sent to me. I am aware of the Sieur de Monts publications. Finally, might I can advance one other reference question that has troubled me to no end as I prepare this biography of Mr. George Dorr? All reliable sources credit to Bostonian Brahmin George Dorr wealth in excess of a million dollars on the death of his mother (Mary Ward Gray Dorr of the Salem Ward Family) in 1901. Mr. Dorr had no "vocation" or career in the modern sense of the word prior to her death. I've been reading through the extensive Ward Family Papers at the MHS in recent weeks but financial matters are not treated thus far. This family wealth could also have been built on the textile wealth credited to the Dorr family but even here I find no documentation. In a word, I've been unable to find any 19th century authoritative source material that accounts for the wealth of either the Ward and Dorr families. We might suppose that the evidence is unsound and yet we know that Dorr had sufficient wealth to purchase hundreds of tracts of land in Hancock County Maine and to be chided by both Harvard President Charles Eliot and J.D. Rockefeller Jr. for depleting his wealth. Perhaps only the NEHGS can shed light on my efforts to "follow the money." If you have any research suggestions I will certainly take them to heart. Most appreciatively, Ron Ronald H. Epp, Ph.D. Director of Shapiro Library Southern New Hampshire University Manchester, NH 03106 603-668-2211, ext. 2164 603-645-9685 fax Original Message 8/6/2004 "Message Page 2 of 4 From: Department, Reference (LIB) [mailto:Reference.Department@state.ma.us] Sent: Thursday, August 05, 2004 2:13 PM To: Epp, Ronald Subject: RE: Massachusetts Legislature: 19th Century Dr. Epp: At present I do not find information about Charles Hazen Dorr, legislator, except that there is buried in Mt. Auburn Cemetery a person of that name, born August 27, 1821. I do not know his death date or other particulars, but you could contact the cemetery office for more information. I did find a listing for Samuel Dorr (1774-1844), father of a Charles H. Dorr (and others) and legislator in the Mass. House 1819, 1834, and 1835 and in the Senate 1837 and 1838. There is a brief paragraph about him in an 1849 issue of the NEHGS Register (vol.3, p. 327). Let me know if you want a copy of this entry; we can provide it for a small fee. We also are supposed to have a copy of a 1916 U.S. government publication (about the Sieur de Monts national monument) by George Bucknam Dorr if you do not have it from another source. I hope that this is helpful. Let me know if you need more information. Eva Murphy Reference Librarian State Library of Massachusetts State House, Room 341 Boston, MA 02133 617-727-2590 617-727-5819 fax Original Message From: Epp, Ronald [mailto:r.epp@snhu.edu] Sent: Wednesday, August 04, 2004 11:12 AM To: General Questions (LIB) Subject: FW: Massachusetts Legislature: 19th Century Archivist John Hannigan suggested that I contact you regarding the reference question that I mistakenly sent to him (please see below). Ronald H. Epp, Ph.D. Director of Shapiro Library Southern New Hampshire University Manchester, NH 03106 8/6/2004 Message Page 2 of 4 From: Department, Reference (LIB) [mailto:Reference.Department@state.ma.us] Sent: Thursday, August 05, 2004 2:13 PM To: Epp, Ronald Subject: RE: Massachusetts Legislature: 19th Century Dr. Epp: At present I do not find information about Charles Hazen Dorr, legislator, except that there is buried in Mt. Auburn Cemetery a person of that name, born August 27, 1821. I do not know his death date or other particulars, but you could contact the cemetery office for more information. I did find a listing for Samuel Dorr (1774-1844), father of a Charles H. Dorr (and others) and legislator in the Mass. House 1819, 1834, and 1835 and in the Senate 1837 and 1838. There is a brief paragraph about him in an 1849 issue of the NEHGS Register (vol.3, p. 327). Let me know if you want a copy of this entry; we can provide it for a small fee. We also are supposed to have a copy of a 1916 U.S. government publication (about the Sieur de Monts national monument) by George Bucknam Dorr if you do not have it from another source. I hope that this is helpful. Let me know if you need more information. Eva Murphy Reference Librarian State Library of Massachusetts State House, Room 341 Boston, MA 02133 617-727-2590 617-727-5819 fax Original Message From: Epp, Ronald [mailto:r.epp@snhu.edu] Sent: Wednesday, August 04, 2004 11:12 AM To: General Questions (LIB) Subject: FW: Massachusetts Legislature: 19th Century Archivist John Hannigan suggested that I contact you regarding the reference question that I mistakenly sent to him (please see below). Ronald H. Epp, Ph.D. Director of Shapiro Library Southern New Hampshire University Manchester, NH 03106 8/5/2004 Message Page 1 of 2 Epp, Ronald File: S.D. From: Hannigan, John (SEC) [John.Hannigan@state.ma.us] Sent: Friday, February 04, 2005 2:43 PM To: Epp, Ronald Subject: RE: Research Query: New England Bank persons Thank you for your inquiry. We have the legislation enacting the original incorporation of the New England Bank, which is found in the Acts of 1813, chapter 56 (passed June 16, 1813). I could photocopy this and send it out to you if are interested. It does mention Samuel Dorr as one of the original members of the corporation. After the 1850s, the regulation of corporations in Massachusetts was handled by the Corporations Division of the State Secretary's Office. You may want to try contacting them for more information. Their website also has a searchable database of some corporations. http://www.sec.state.ma.us/cor/coridx.htm John Hannigan Reference Archivist Massachusetts Archives 220 Morrissey Blvd Boston, MA 02125 617-727-2816 Original Message From: Epp, Ronald [mailto:r.epp@snhu.edu] Sent: Thursday, February 03, 2005 3:49 PM To: archives@sec.state.ma.us Subject: Research Query: New England Bank Following research at the New England Historic and Genealogical Society on George Bucknam Dorr (1853-1944), his papers refer to the role of Samuel Dorr (1774-1844) as a founder in Boston in 1813 of The New England Bank; Dorr was Director and then President of this institution from 1823-1831. The Bank prospered well into the late 19th century since his son Charles Hazen Dorr (1821-1892) had an account at this Bank until the time of his death in 1892. My question is: was New England Bank renamed "The Bank of New England" or were these two banking establishments distinct from one another? Checking OCLC has not been productive. References to documentation would be much appreciated. I appreciate this professional courtesy. Ronald H. Epp, Ph.D. Director of Shapiro Library Southern New Hampshire University Manchester, NH 03106 603-668-2211, ext. 2164 2/7/2005 Message Page 3 of 4 603-668-2211, ext. 2164 603-645-9685 fax Original Message From: Hannigan, John (SEC) [mailto:John.Hannigan@state.ma.us] Sent: Wednesday, August 04, 2004 8:37 AM To: Epp, Ronald Subject: RE: Massachusetts Legislature: 19th Century Thank you for your inquiry. The Massachusetts State Library holds lists of representatives and senators and their dates of service. You should contact them for more information. Massachusetts State Library Special Collections Room 341, State House Boston, MA 02133 Tel: 617/727-2590 http://www.state.ma.us/lib/homepage.htm John Hannigan Reference Archivist Massachusetts Archives 220 Morrissey Blvd. Boston, MA 02125 617-727-2816 Original Message From: Epp, Ronald [mailto:r.epp@snhu.edu] Sent: Tuesday, August 03, 2004 3:08 PM To: archives@sec.state.ma.us Cc: Epp, Ronald Subject: Massachusetts Legislature: 19th Century I am engaged in research on a biography of Acadia National Park founder, George Bucknam Dorr who reports that his father, Charles Hazen Dorr (1820-1892), a Boston Brahmin, was a legisative representative (Suffolk County) in both Massachusetts Houses- -the timeframe is imprecise but surely between 1855-90. Can you suggest a search strategy or document that would enable me to verify this claim and his years of service? I appreciate the professional courtesy. Ronald H. Epp, Ph.D. Director of Shapiro Library 8/6/2004 Epp, Ronald From: Murphy, Eva (LIB) [Eva.Murphy@state.ma.us] Sent: Wednesday, December 01, 2004 2:25 PM To: Epp, Ronald Subject: RE: The Dorrs Once Again Dr. Epp: The article appears to have been in two (2) parts: "Notice of Edward Rawson, Secretary of the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, from 1650 to 1686" (July 1849), pp. [201] -208. "Genealogical notices of the descendants of Secretary Rawson" (October 1849), pp. [297] - 330. The first page of the second article refers in a "Note" to a related article in the previous issue. There was no author indicated; it may have been compiled and written by an editorial board or the editor. By the way, I can see how you read the number "19" and the bottom of the first page of the second article. However the pagination is as specified above. I hope that this answers your questions. Eva Murphy Reference Librarian State Library of Massachusetts State House, Room 341 Boston, MA 02133 617-727-2590 617-727-5819 fax Original Message From: Epp, Ronald [mailto:r.epp@snhu.edu] Sent: Monday, November 29, 2004 12:05 PM To: Murphy, Eva (LIB) Subject: The Dorrs Once Again Dear Ms. Murphy: Thank you for the assistance that you provided last August. In updating my bibliography I noticed the absence of an author's name--and complete page range-- for the article you sent me from the "New England Historical and Genealogical Register, III, No. IV October 1849, Pp. 19 ff. The article is titled "Genealogical Notices of the Descendants of Secretary Rawson." Would it be possible for you to locate this information without a great deal of trouble? Thanks! Ronald H. Epp, Ph.D. Director of Shapiro Library Southern New Hampshire University Manchester, NH 03106 603-668-2211, ext. 2164 603-645-9685 fax Original Message From: Murphy, Eva (LIB) [mailto:Eva.Murphy@state.ma.us] 1 Epp, Ronald From: Epp, Ronald Sent: Monday, November 29, 2004 12:05 PM To: 'Murphy, Eva (LIB)' Subject: The Dorrs Once Again Dear Ms. Murphy: Thank you for the assistance that you provided last August. In updating my bibliography I noticed the absence of an author's name--and complete page range-- for the article you sent me from the "New England Historical and Genealogical Register, III, No. IV October 1849, PP. 19 ff. The article is titled "Genealogical Notices of the Descendants of Secretary Rawson." Would it be possible for you to locate this information without a great deal of trouble? Thanks! Ronald H. Epp, Ph.D. Director of Shapiro Library Southern New Hampshire University Manchester, NH 03106 603-668-2211, ext. 2164 603-645-9685 fax -Original Message From: Murphy, Eva (LIB) [mailto:Eva.Murphy@state.ma.us] Sent: Thursday, August 19, 2004 4:35 PM To: Epp, Ronald Subject: Dorrs Dr. Epp: My apologies for the delayed response. We can supply you with a copy of the brief entry about Samuel Dorr (1774-1844) upon receipt of a check in the amount of $3.00 issued to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Please mail it to my attention to the address below. I have been looking for some clues to the Ward and Dorr wealth and would suggest that you check with the Peabody Essex Museum (www.pem.org) and the Boston Public Library. I have scanned histories of Salem and genealogies of Wards, without much success. Perhaps in the meantime something at the Mass. Historical Society has come to light; I hope SO. I did notice that Samuel Dorr was President of the New England Bank for ten years, according to this article, but that is the only concrete statement that I found. You are welcome to come here to look at what local histories and genealogies we do have, but other collections might be more helpful in these areas. Eva Murphy Reference Librarian State Library of Massachusetts Room 341, State House Boston, MA 02133 617-727-2590 617-727-5819 FAX 1