Tarbox family papers

Collection

Identifier: MC113

Staff Only

Scope and Content Note

The collection contains letters, photographs, genealogical information, certificates, and other material related to the Tarbox family, mostly Rev. Moses Tarbox, his daughter Grace Tarbox Whitman (Bates class of 1900), and her son Stanton Whitman. Of particular interest is an autobiography by Rev. Moses Tarbox, a Freewill Baptist minister and teacher, who also served as a trustee of Bates College. Two of his children attended Bates, and there are photographs of them and their classes. The Tarbox family genealogical material also contains a plot map of Phillips, Maine. Although the earliest dated material is from 1879, it is quite likely that other material (some photos, and Rev. Tarbox's autobiography) predate that number.

Dates

ca. 1879-1975, undated

Creator

Tarbox family (Family)

Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions

The collection is the physical property of Edmund S. Muskie Archives and Special Collections Library. Bates College holds literary rights only for material created by College personnel working on official behalf of the College, or for material which was given to the College with such rights specifically assigned. For all other material, literary rights, including copyright, belong to the authors or their legal heirs and assigns. Researchers are responsible for obtaining permission from rights holders for publication or other purposes that exceed fair use.

Historical Note

Moses H. Tarbox was born in Kennebunkport, Maine on September 8, 1824. His parents were Daniel and Susan (Hanscom) Tarbox. He prepared for college at Farmington, Me., and Lewiston Falls Academy, and graduated from Waterville College in 1849, and Bangor Theological Seminary in 1855. He was ordained as a Freewill Baptist minister by the Kennebec Quarterly Meeting in 1851, and was pastor at several towns in Maine, including Sabattus, Bangor, Kendall's Mills, Cornishville, Dover, and Houlton, as well as Amesbury, Mass. He also served as a missionary in Lewiston for three years. Subsequently moving to Minnesota, he became pastor of the Elk River church. In 1856, he married Adrianna Weymouth, who passed away in August 1879. In 1882, he married Mary Nash. He served as a trustee of Bates College, and had five children, including Oren Cheney Tarbox (class of 1880) and Grace Adrianna Tarbox (class of 1900).

Grace Adrianna Tarbox was born on April 20, 1879 to Moses and Adrianna Tarbox. Her mother passed away in August 12, 1879 from typhoid fever. After living with a neighbor for a short time as a baby, she was raised by her father and step-mother, Mary (Nash) Tarbox. She attended Bates College, graduating in 1900. She married her classmate, Emerson Whitman, and settled in Everett, Mass., where she taught school and assisted her husband in a real estate business buying, renovating, and selling houses. Emerson and Grace had two children: Stanton Houghton (b. June 21, 1912 and named for Prof. Johnny Stanton) and Neal Lyndall (b. Oct. 1, 1918). She passed away on July 26, 1975.

Stanton Whitman attended Dartmouth College and Boston University Law School. He practiced in Orange and Worcester, Mass., before being appointed assistant city solicitor in Worcester. He was chairman of the Worcester chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club, as well as president of the Green Mountain Club-Worcester Section. His wife, E. Thelma Benton Whitman, died in 1995. While not a Bates graduate, he maintained a life-long affinity for the college, fostered by his father, Emerson, who said that everything he was he owed to Bates. Stanton said he loved the College because of its values, its people, and its "sound financial policies." Stanton Whitman passed away on May 14, 2010.

Extent

0.5 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Family letters, photographs, genealogical information and other material related to the Freewill Baptist minister Moses H. Tarbox and his descendents, including Grace (Tarbox) Whitman, Bates class of 1900.

Organization and Arrangement

Alphabetical by folder title.

Acquisition and Custody Information

Gift of Philomena Brown. Dr. Brown received the collection from her friend Stanton Whitman after his death and presented it to the Archives in Spring 2011. Accession No.: 2011.078.