Passing Strange (48 page)
Authors: Martha A. Sandweiss
When I began this project, I never suspected I would meet someone who had known Ada Copeland Todd King; I had not yet discovered that she lived to be 103. But then I found her great-granddaughter, Patricia Chacon. Patty has a trove of valuable family memories, and a keen sense of which might prove most useful to a writer. She and her husband, Edgar, opened up their home to me, and Patty generously shared with me her stories and family snapshots. I am deeply grateful to her for her trust and support, and for her willingness to share her ancestors with a curious outsider like myself.
In the end, of course, this is a book about a family. So I offer thanks to my children, Adam and Sarah, constant reminders of why family matters. And I dedicate this book to my parents, Joy and Jerry Sandweiss, who first showed me the value and power of familial love.
Martha A. Sandweiss
Pelham, Massachusetts
May 2008
Pelham, Massachusetts
May 2008
Notes
PROLOGUE: AN INVENTED LIFE
1
On the weather, see “The Weather,”
New York Times,
June 5, 1900, 1, and June 6, 3. For Edward V. Brown and his work on North Prince Street, see the Twelfth Census of the United States, New York, Queens, SD 2, ED 665, sheet 4,
http://content.ancestrylibrary.com/Browse
/view.aspx?dbid=7602 & path=New+York.Queens.Queens+Ward+3.665.8 & fn=Ad a&ln=Todd& st=r&pid=56465284&rc=& zp=50 (accessed July 20, 2007). On the racial breakdown of Queens and Brooklyn, see
Census Reports,
vol. 1,
Twelfth Census of the United States, Taken in the Year 1900: Population, Part 1
(Washington, DC: United States Census Office, 1901), 631; for the percentage of foreign-born residents, see p. 669.
On the weather, see “The Weather,”
New York Times,
June 5, 1900, 1, and June 6, 3. For Edward V. Brown and his work on North Prince Street, see the Twelfth Census of the United States, New York, Queens, SD 2, ED 665, sheet 4,
http://content.ancestrylibrary.com/Browse
/view.aspx?dbid=7602 & path=New+York.Queens.Queens+Ward+3.665.8 & fn=Ad a&ln=Todd& st=r&pid=56465284&rc=& zp=50 (accessed July 20, 2007). On the racial breakdown of Queens and Brooklyn, see
Census Reports,
vol. 1,
Twelfth Census of the United States, Taken in the Year 1900: Population, Part 1
(Washington, DC: United States Census Office, 1901), 631; for the percentage of foreign-born residents, see p. 669.
2
John Hay, quoted in Henry Adams,
The Education of Henry Adams
(c. 1907; repr., Sentry edition, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1961), 416; all subsequent citations are to the Sentry edition.
John Hay, quoted in Henry Adams,
The Education of Henry Adams
(c. 1907; repr., Sentry edition, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1961), 416; all subsequent citations are to the Sentry edition.
4
Defendant’s Exhibit C, Plaintiff ’s Trial Memorandum,
Ada King et al. v. George Foster Peabody et al.
(file no. 26821-1931; Records of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, New York County Clerk ’s Office), 171 (hereafter
King v. Peabody et al.
). See also below, pages 235-37.
Defendant’s Exhibit C, Plaintiff ’s Trial Memorandum,
Ada King et al. v. George Foster Peabody et al.
(file no. 26821-1931; Records of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, New York County Clerk ’s Office), 171 (hereafter
King v. Peabody et al.
). See also below, pages 235-37.
CHAPTER 1: BECOMING CLARENCE KING
1
William Dean Howells, “Meetings with Clarence King,” in
Clarence King Memoirs: The Helmet of Mambrino,
comp. James D. Hague (New York and London: Published for the King Memorial Committee of the Century Association by G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1904), 148.
William Dean Howells, “Meetings with Clarence King,” in
Clarence King Memoirs: The Helmet of Mambrino,
comp. James D. Hague (New York and London: Published for the King Memorial Committee of the Century Association by G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1904), 148.
3
Ibid., 312.
Ibid., 312.
5
Clarence King (CK) to James T. Gardiner (JTG), 15 Feb. 1873, Gardiner Collection, New York State Library.
Clarence King (CK) to James T. Gardiner (JTG), 15 Feb. 1873, Gardiner Collection, New York State Library.
16
Ibid., 223.
Ibid., 223.
18
On King’s paternal ancestors, see Samuel Franklin Emmons, “Clarence King—Geologist,” in Hague,
Memoirs,
255-58; Thurman Wilkins,
Clarence King: A Biography,
rev. and enlarged ed., with the help of Caroline Lawson Hinkley (Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1988), 6-14; Jacques M. Downs,
The Golden Ghetto: The American Commercial Community at Canton and the Shaping of American China Policy, 1784-1844
(Bethlehem, PA: Lehigh University Press, 1997), 198-209, 369. See also Samuel Franklin Emmons, “Clarence King—Memoranda,” box 35, S. F. Emmons Papers, Manuscript Division (hereafter Ms. Div.), Library of Congress (hereafter LC); and Rufus King, “Pedigree of King, of Lynn, Essex County, Mass.: 1602-1891” [printed genealogical chart], King Papers, Henry E. Huntington Library, San Marino, CA (hereafter HEH). The Wilkins biography remains the best source for the details of King’s youth and professional life, and I am indebted to it throughout.
On King’s paternal ancestors, see Samuel Franklin Emmons, “Clarence King—Geologist,” in Hague,
Memoirs,
255-58; Thurman Wilkins,
Clarence King: A Biography,
rev. and enlarged ed., with the help of Caroline Lawson Hinkley (Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1988), 6-14; Jacques M. Downs,
The Golden Ghetto: The American Commercial Community at Canton and the Shaping of American China Policy, 1784-1844
(Bethlehem, PA: Lehigh University Press, 1997), 198-209, 369. See also Samuel Franklin Emmons, “Clarence King—Memoranda,” box 35, S. F. Emmons Papers, Manuscript Division (hereafter Ms. Div.), Library of Congress (hereafter LC); and Rufus King, “Pedigree of King, of Lynn, Essex County, Mass.: 1602-1891” [printed genealogical chart], King Papers, Henry E. Huntington Library, San Marino, CA (hereafter HEH). The Wilkins biography remains the best source for the details of King’s youth and professional life, and I am indebted to it throughout.
20
In “Senate of the United States. February 19, 1839. Submitted by Mr. Robbins . . . Senate Committee of the Joint Committee on the Smithsonian Institution,” 25th Cong., 3rd sess., S. Doc. 234, serial set 340, session 3; Marlana Portolano, “Increase and Diffusion of Knowledge: Ethos of Science and Education in the Smithsonian’s Inception,”
Rhetoric Review
18, no. 1 (Autumn 1999): 65-81. Although the Smithsonian Institution ultimately emphasized museum exhibition over conventional instruction or pure research, Robbins helped shape its broader educational mission.
In “Senate of the United States. February 19, 1839. Submitted by Mr. Robbins . . . Senate Committee of the Joint Committee on the Smithsonian Institution,” 25th Cong., 3rd sess., S. Doc. 234, serial set 340, session 3; Marlana Portolano, “Increase and Diffusion of Knowledge: Ethos of Science and Education in the Smithsonian’s Inception,”
Rhetoric Review
18, no. 1 (Autumn 1999): 65-81. Although the Smithsonian Institution ultimately emphasized museum exhibition over conventional instruction or pure research, Robbins helped shape its broader educational mission.
21
See Emmons, “Clarence King—Memoranda,” S. F. Emmons Papers, LC; Wilkins,
King,
8-13; Emmons, “Clarence King—Geologist,” in Hague,
Memoirs,
258-59. Sophia Little’s abolitionist activities and involvement with the Rhode Island Anti-Slavery Society can be traced through accounts in the
North Star
and
Frederick Douglass’ Paper
during the years 1848-52. Julie Roy Jeffrey makes passing mention of Little’s views on the antislavery movement and religion in
The Great Silent Army of Abolitionism: Ordinary Women in the Antislavery Movement
(Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1998), 145-54. Little’s own books include
The Birth, Last Days, and Resurrection of Jesus. Three Poems
(1841),
Thrice through the Furnace: A Tale of the Times of the Iron Hoof
(1852),
The Reveille, or, Our Music at Dawn
(1854), and
Pentecost
(1869). Emmons alludes to King’s “rapid diction” in “Clarence King—Memoranda,” [51], S. F. Emmons Papers, LC.
See Emmons, “Clarence King—Memoranda,” S. F. Emmons Papers, LC; Wilkins,
King,
8-13; Emmons, “Clarence King—Geologist,” in Hague,
Memoirs,
258-59. Sophia Little’s abolitionist activities and involvement with the Rhode Island Anti-Slavery Society can be traced through accounts in the
North Star
and
Frederick Douglass’ Paper
during the years 1848-52. Julie Roy Jeffrey makes passing mention of Little’s views on the antislavery movement and religion in
The Great Silent Army of Abolitionism: Ordinary Women in the Antislavery Movement
(Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1998), 145-54. Little’s own books include
The Birth, Last Days, and Resurrection of Jesus. Three Poems
(1841),
Thrice through the Furnace: A Tale of the Times of the Iron Hoof
(1852),
The Reveille, or, Our Music at Dawn
(1854), and
Pentecost
(1869). Emmons alludes to King’s “rapid diction” in “Clarence King—Memoranda,” [51], S. F. Emmons Papers, LC.
22
Wilkins,
King
, 9; Florence King Howland (FKH) to S. F. Emmons, 24 Feb. 1902, box 13, S. F. Emmons Papers, Ms. Div., LC.
Wilkins,
King
, 9; Florence King Howland (FKH) to S. F. Emmons, 24 Feb. 1902, box 13, S. F. Emmons Papers, Ms. Div., LC.
25
FKH to S. F. Emmons, 17 Jan. 1902, cited in Wilkins,
King,
14. In later years, Florence King Howland recalled it as her twenty-second birthday.
FKH to S. F. Emmons, 17 Jan. 1902, cited in Wilkins,
King,
14. In later years, Florence King Howland recalled it as her twenty-second birthday.
29
Clarence King, “Camp Forester, West Brattleboro, VT. 1859,” A2, “Notebooks, Private,” King Papers, HEH.
Clarence King, “Camp Forester, West Brattleboro, VT. 1859,” A2, “Notebooks, Private,” King Papers, HEH.
30
A Chinese phrase book by George L. Shaw is in A2, King Papers, HEH; see also Bronson,
Reminiscences,
332.
A Chinese phrase book by George L. Shaw is in A2, King Papers, HEH; see also Bronson,
Reminiscences,
332.
31
The Asian art was sold at auction with the books from King’s estate. See the advertisement for the American Art Galleries,
New York Times,
Mar. 7, 1903, 5.
The Asian art was sold at auction with the books from King’s estate. See the advertisement for the American Art Galleries,
New York Times,
Mar. 7, 1903, 5.
33
Ibid., 338.
Ibid., 338.
34
[ J. T. Gardiner], “Clarence King’s Boyhood,” 2, box 2, A3, King Papers, HEH. This typescript reminiscence appears to be a joint production of King’s friends James T. Gardiner, R. W. Raymond, James D. Hague, and S. F. Emmons. Although the authorship of different sections is not always clear, Gardiner’s contributions are obvious, as he was the only one of the authors to have known King as a youth. See R. W. Raymond to James D. Hague, 17 Jan. 1902, 11 Feb. 1902, and 19 Feb. 1902; James D. Hague to R. W. Raymond, 19 Feb. 1902, box 2, A3, King Papers, HEH. Thanks to Peter Blodgett, H. Russell Smith Foundation Curator of Western Historical Manuscripts, Huntington Library, for his assistance in sorting out the attribution of the typescripts.
[ J. T. Gardiner], “Clarence King’s Boyhood,” 2, box 2, A3, King Papers, HEH. This typescript reminiscence appears to be a joint production of King’s friends James T. Gardiner, R. W. Raymond, James D. Hague, and S. F. Emmons. Although the authorship of different sections is not always clear, Gardiner’s contributions are obvious, as he was the only one of the authors to have known King as a youth. See R. W. Raymond to James D. Hague, 17 Jan. 1902, 11 Feb. 1902, and 19 Feb. 1902; James D. Hague to R. W. Raymond, 19 Feb. 1902, box 2, A3, King Papers, HEH. Thanks to Peter Blodgett, H. Russell Smith Foundation Curator of Western Historical Manuscripts, Huntington Library, for his assistance in sorting out the attribution of the typescripts.
37
See the entry for Clarence and Florence King in 1850 U.S. Federal Census, Town of Pomfret, Windham County, CT, sheet 380,
http://content.ancestrylibrary.com/Browse/view.aspx?dbid=8054
& path = Connecticut.Windham.Pomfret.9 & fn =Wm%20Florence & ln = King& st= r& pid = 18384080 & rc= & zp =50 (accessed Jan. 8, 2006).
See the entry for Clarence and Florence King in 1850 U.S. Federal Census, Town of Pomfret, Windham County, CT, sheet 380,
http://content.ancestrylibrary.com/Browse/view.aspx?dbid=8054
& path = Connecticut.Windham.Pomfret.9 & fn =Wm%20Florence & ln = King& st= r& pid = 18384080 & rc= & zp =50 (accessed Jan. 8, 2006).
38
FKH to S. F. Emmons, 24 Feb. 1902, box 13, S. F. Emmons Papers, LC.
FKH to S. F. Emmons, 24 Feb. 1902, box 13, S. F. Emmons Papers, LC.
40
Emmons, “Clarence King—Memoranda,” [52], S. F. Emmons Papers, LC. The “climate” in Boston proved against them, Emmons wrote.
Emmons, “Clarence King—Memoranda,” [52], S. F. Emmons Papers, LC. The “climate” in Boston proved against them, Emmons wrote.
41
“Sophia Louisa Little,” in
Appleton’s Cyclopaedia of American Biography,
vol. 3 (New York: D. Appleton, 1887).
“Sophia Louisa Little,” in
Appleton’s Cyclopaedia of American Biography,
vol. 3 (New York: D. Appleton, 1887).
43
[ JTG], “Clarence King’s Boyhood,” 1-2, King Papers, HEH.
[ JTG], “Clarence King’s Boyhood,” 1-2, King Papers, HEH.
46
As a boy, Gardiner spelled his name without an
i.
He returned to the traditional family spelling of the name later, and for consistency’s sake, I’ve used the later spelling throughout.
As a boy, Gardiner spelled his name without an
i.
He returned to the traditional family spelling of the name later, and for consistency’s sake, I’ve used the later spelling throughout.
47
Letter reprinted in
A Memorial of Lt. Daniel Perkins Dewey, of the Twenty-Fifth Regiment Connecticut Volunteers
(Hartford: Press of Case, Lockwood, 1864), 25.
Letter reprinted in
A Memorial of Lt. Daniel Perkins Dewey, of the Twenty-Fifth Regiment Connecticut Volunteers
(Hartford: Press of Case, Lockwood, 1864), 25.
48
CK to JTG, Sat. eve., [n.d. 1860], HM 27814, HEH.
CK to JTG, Sat. eve., [n.d. 1860], HM 27814, HEH.
49
Wilkins,
King,
25; “Message of the President of the United States, communicating, in compliance with a resolution of the Senate, the instructions to, and dispatches from, the late and present ministers in China,” 36th Cong., 1st sess., S. Ex. Doc. 30 (vol. 1032), 114.
Wilkins,
King,
25; “Message of the President of the United States, communicating, in compliance with a resolution of the Senate, the instructions to, and dispatches from, the late and present ministers in China,” 36th Cong., 1st sess., S. Ex. Doc. 30 (vol. 1032), 114.
51
CK to JTG, 2 Oct. 1859, HM 27809, HEH.
CK to JTG, 2 Oct. 1859, HM 27809, HEH.
52
CK to John Hay ( JH) [n.d. 1893], John Hay Collection, Brown University Library.
CK to John Hay ( JH) [n.d. 1893], John Hay Collection, Brown University Library.
54
King, “Camp Forester, West Brattleboro, VT. 1859,” King Papers, HEH.
King, “Camp Forester, West Brattleboro, VT. 1859,” King Papers, HEH.
55
[JTG], “Clarence King’s Boyhood,” 1, King Papers, HEH.
[JTG], “Clarence King’s Boyhood,” 1, King Papers, HEH.
56
James Gregory Moore,
King of the 40th Parallel: Discovery in the American West
(Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2006), 10-11.
James Gregory Moore,
King of the 40th Parallel: Discovery in the American West
(Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2006), 10-11.
57
John Leander Bishop et al.,
A History of American Manufactures from 1608 to 1860
(Philadelphia: Edward Young, 1868), 3:190; Henry R. Stiles,
A History of the City of Brooklyn,
vol. 3, chap. 12 (Brooklyn, NY: published by subscription, 1867-70),
http://search.ancestrylibrary.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=HistBrooklyn123&so=2&rank=0&tips=0&gsfn=george&gsln=howland&sx=&gs1co=2%2cUSA&gs1pl=35%2cNew
+York&year=1860& yearend=&sbo=0&sbor=&wp=4%3b_80000002%3b_80000003&prox=1&db=&ti=5542 &ti.si=0&gss=angs-b&o_iid=21416&o_lid=21416&o_it=21416&srchb=p (accessed Aug. 10, 2007).
John Leander Bishop et al.,
A History of American Manufactures from 1608 to 1860
(Philadelphia: Edward Young, 1868), 3:190; Henry R. Stiles,
A History of the City of Brooklyn,
vol. 3, chap. 12 (Brooklyn, NY: published by subscription, 1867-70),
http://search.ancestrylibrary.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=HistBrooklyn123&so=2&rank=0&tips=0&gsfn=george&gsln=howland&sx=&gs1co=2%2cUSA&gs1pl=35%2cNew
+York&year=1860& yearend=&sbo=0&sbor=&wp=4%3b_80000002%3b_80000003&prox=1&db=&ti=5542 &ti.si=0&gss=angs-b&o_iid=21416&o_lid=21416&o_it=21416&srchb=p (accessed Aug. 10, 2007).
60
Wilkins,
King,
29. On John Snowden Howland’s age, see his entry in the 1870 U.S. Federal Census, Third Ward, City of Newport, County of Newport, RI, p. 30,
http://content.ancestrylibrary.com/Browse
/view.aspx?dbid=7163& path=Rhode+Island.Newport.Newport+Ward+3.30 & fn=Florence%20K& ln=Howland& st=r& pid=9785013& rc= & zp =50 (accessed Jan. 10, 2007).
Wilkins,
King,
29. On John Snowden Howland’s age, see his entry in the 1870 U.S. Federal Census, Third Ward, City of Newport, County of Newport, RI, p. 30,
http://content.ancestrylibrary.com/Browse
/view.aspx?dbid=7163& path=Rhode+Island.Newport.Newport+Ward+3.30 & fn=Florence%20K& ln=Howland& st=r& pid=9785013& rc= & zp =50 (accessed Jan. 10, 2007).
61
Clarence King, “Miscellaneous Notes, 1860,” box A2, King Papers, HEH; CK to JTG, 26 Apr. 1860, HM 27812, HEH; Nancy K. Anderson, Ross Merrill, and Michael Skalka, “Albert Bierstadt: A Letter from New York,”
Archives of American Art Journal
40, no. 3/4 (2000): 28-31.
Clarence King, “Miscellaneous Notes, 1860,” box A2, King Papers, HEH; CK to JTG, 26 Apr. 1860, HM 27812, HEH; Nancy K. Anderson, Ross Merrill, and Michael Skalka, “Albert Bierstadt: A Letter from New York,”
Archives of American Art Journal
40, no. 3/4 (2000): 28-31.
62
CK to JTG, 4 Jan. 1860, HM 27810, HEH.
CK to JTG, 4 Jan. 1860, HM 27810, HEH.
63
King documents his churchgoing activities in his small pocket notebook “Miscellaneous Notes, 1860,” King Papers, HEH.
King documents his churchgoing activities in his small pocket notebook “Miscellaneous Notes, 1860,” King Papers, HEH.
64
CK to JTG, 20 May 1860, HM 27813, HEH.
CK to JTG, 20 May 1860, HM 27813, HEH.
65
CK to JTG, Sat. eve., [n.d. 1860], HEH.
CK to JTG, Sat. eve., [n.d. 1860], HEH.
66
CK to JTG, 25 Mar. [1860], HM 27811, HEH.
CK to JTG, 25 Mar. [1860], HM 27811, HEH.
67
[ JTG], “Clarence King’s Boyhood,” 1, King Papers, HEH; Raymond, “Biographical Notice,” in Hague,
Memoirs,
308.
[ JTG], “Clarence King’s Boyhood,” 1, King Papers, HEH; Raymond, “Biographical Notice,” in Hague,
Memoirs,
308.
68
See the entries for Sophia Little, Florence King, and Clarence R. King in 1850 U.S. Federal Census, City of Newport, County of Newport, RI, sheet 355,
http://content.ancestr
ylibrar y.com /iexec /?ht x=View& r=5542 & dbid = 8054 & iid = R IM432 _ 842-0128 & fn = Sophia& ln=Little& st=r& ssrc= & pid=12395818 (accessed Nov. 18, 2006).
See the entries for Sophia Little, Florence King, and Clarence R. King in 1850 U.S. Federal Census, City of Newport, County of Newport, RI, sheet 355,
http://content.ancestr
ylibrar y.com /iexec /?ht x=View& r=5542 & dbid = 8054 & iid = R IM432 _ 842-0128 & fn = Sophia& ln=Little& st=r& ssrc= & pid=12395818 (accessed Nov. 18, 2006).
69
CK to JH, [Mar.?] 1888, Hay Collection, Brown.
CK to JH, [Mar.?] 1888, Hay Collection, Brown.
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