Guide to the Grace Brown Gardner Collection, 1900–1968

Summary

Grace Brown Gardner (1880–1973), daughter of Arthur H. Gardner, was a Nantucket teacher, journalist, and author who compiled scrapbooks and collected botanical specimens. This collection includes 72 scrapbooks and 25 folders of newspaper clippings about Nantucket Island and its history, as well as course materials from Grace Brown Gardner’s course on Nantucket history at Nantucket High School, an interview conducted by a Cornell University graduate student, bird and plant lists, and correspondence from fellow botanists.

Collection Details

Collection Number:

MS57

Title:

Grace Brown Gardner Collection

Date(s):

1900–1968

Creator:

Gardner, Grace Brown.

Repository:

Nantucket Historical Association

Language:

Material is in English.

Information for Users

Restrictions to Access: No restrictions. Open for research.

Restrictions to Use: No usage restrictions.

Copyright Notice: Copyright is retained by the authors of items in this collection, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Preferred Citation: [identification of item], in the Grace Brown Gardner collection, Nantucket Historical Association.

Acquisitions Information:

Scrapbooks 1–55 and Scrapbook extras 1–4, 6–19 gift of Grace Brown Gardner in 1968 (Acc. 1968.77a–c); Box 1 Folder 1 gift of Charles Pearl in 1981 (Acc. 1981.36); Box 1 Folders 2 and 3 gift of the estate of Marie M. Coffin in 1979 (Acc. 1979.87).

Sensitive Materials Statement:

Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual’s private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the Nantucket Historical Association assumes no responsibility.

Subject Headings

• Personal Name
  • Gardner, Grace Brown.
• Geographic Name
  • Nantucket Island (Mass.)—History.
  • Nantucket (Mass.)—Newspapers.
• Topical Term
  • Botany—Nantucket (Mass.).
  • Churches—Massachusetts—Nantucket.
  • Farming.
  • Organizations.
  • Quakerism.
  • Schools—Nantucket.
  • Shipwrecks—Nantucket (Mass.).
  • Societies and clubs.
  • War.
  • Whaling—Massachusetts—Nantucket.

Biographical Information

Grace Brown Gardner (1880–1973), daughter of Arthur H. Gardner, was a Nantucket teacher, journalist and author. She compiled scrapbooks and collected botanical specimens. She served as vice-president of the Nantucket Historical Association from 1946 to 1970.

Scope and Content

This collection includes 72 scrapbooks and 25 folders of newspaper clippings about Nantucket Island and its history, including churches, farming, architecture, special events, whaling, shipwrecks, local organizations, people, Quakerism, schools, anniversaries, newspapers, wars, streets, and houses. Also included are course materials from Grace Brown Gardner’s course on Nantucket history at Nantucket High School, an interview conducted by a Cornell University graduate student, bird and plant lists and, correspondence from fellow botanists.

Contents

Series 1: Scrapbooks and newspaper clippings
Extent: Approximately 1,170 items
Scope and content: This series includes 72 scrapbooks of newspaper clippings about Nantucket Island and its history, including churches, farming, architecture, special events, whaling, wrecks, local organizations, people, Quakers, schools, anniversaries, wars, streets, and houses. Subseries 1b covers some of the same topics as the subseries 1a series but does not duplicate them. The items in subseries 1b were numbered separately by the donor. Subseries 1c covers some of the same topics as subseries 1a, but does not duplicate them and is in a different format.

Subseries 1a: Scrapbooks
Extent: 55 items
Scope and content: This series includes 55 scrapbooks of newspaper clippings about Nantucket Island and its history, including churches, farming, architecture, special events, whaling, wrecks, local organizations, people, Quakers, schools, anniversaries, wars, streets, and houses.

Scrapbook 1 Churches I, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on the Baptist, Christian Science, Congregational, and Episcopal churches of Nantucket.

Scrapbook 2 Churches II, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on the Friends, Methodist, Roman Catholic, Unitarian, ‘Sconset Chapel, and other churches of Nantucket.

Scrapbook 3 General I, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on farming, animals, shearing, birds, and plants.

Scrapbook 4 General II, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on anecdotes, entertainment, humor, and weather.

Scrapbook 5 General III, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on architecture, hotels etc., skipper, and Nantucket books.

Scrapbook 6 Historical I, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on general migrations and districts.

Scrapbook 7 Historical II, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on automobiles, railroads, town clock, industries, streets, and houses.

Scrapbook 8 Land Booms, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on land booms.

Scrapbook 9 Marine I, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on lightships, lighthouses, and the Coast Guard.

Scrapbook 10 Marine II, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on lightships, lighthouses, and the Coast Guard.

Scrapbook 11 Marine III, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on shipwrecks.

Scrapbook 12 Marine IV, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on freeze-ups, coasters, and fisheries.

Scrapbook 13 Marine V, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on quarter boards, sailors, blackfish, wharves, bathing beach, training ship, and coconut oil.

Scrapbook 14 Nantucket Cottage Hospital I, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on the Nantucket Cottage Hospital I to 1930.

Scrapbook 15 Nantucket Cottage Hospital II, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on the Nantucket Cottage Hospital II 1930.

Scrapbook 16 Nantucket Historical Association I, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on the Nantucket Historical Association’s GAM’s.

Scrapbook 17 Nantucket Historical Association II, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on the Nantucket Historical Association’s activities.

Scrapbook 18 Nantucket Historical Association IV: Exhibits I, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on the Nantucket Historical Association’s exhibits at Fair Street, the Old Mill, and the Oldest House.

Scrapbook 19 Nantucket Historical Association V: Exhibits II, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on the Nantucket Historical Association’s exhibits at the Whaling Museum, Old Jail, 1800 House, Old North Cemetery, and ‘Sconset Pump.

Scrapbook 20 Nantucket Indians, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on the Native Americans of Nantucket.

Scrapbook 21 Old People’s Home, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on a nursing home.

Scrapbook 22 Organizations I, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on the Atheneum.

Scrapbook 23 Organizations II, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on fraternal sons and daughters organizations and cattle show.

Scrapbook 24 Organizations III, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on general clubs.

Scrapbook 25 Organizations IV, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on youth clubs.

Scrapbook 26 Organizations V, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on the water, telephone, telegraph, gas, and electricity services of Nantucket.

Scrapbook 27 Organizations VI, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings about the island’s banks and newspapers.

Scrapbook 28 Organizations VII, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on the Nantucket police and fire departments, as well as cemeteries.

Scrapbook 29 Organizations VIII, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on the Massachusetts state government and U.S. federal government.

Scrapbook 30 Organizations X, circa 1968

Includes clippings on the Maria Mitchell Association.

Scrapbook 31 Out of Town I, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on Nantucket ponds and areas outside of town alphabetically from Coatue through Muskeget.

Scrapbook 32 Out of Town II, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on areas outside of town alphabetically from Pocomo through Wauminet.

Scrapbook 33 People I, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on Captain William Baxter, Arthur W. Jones, Captain James F. Negus, Captain Horace G. Norcross, Lieutenant Alexander B. Pinkham, Robert Ratliff, and Captain John Ray.

Scrapbook 34 People II, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on women, people of color, and artists on Nantucket.

Scrapbook 35 Quakerism on Nantucket I, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on Quakerism on Nantucket.

Scrapbook 36 Quakerism on Nantucket II, circa

Includes newspaper clippings on Quakers on Nantucket.

Scrapbook 37 Reminiscences I, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on reminiscences of Main Street, Big Shop, Old North Shore, and Fragrant Memories.

Scrapbook 38 Reminiscences II, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on general reminiscences.

Scrapbook 39 Schools I, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on Nantucket schools.

Scrapbook 40 Schools II, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on the Coffin School, Nantucket teachers, and Sir Admiral Isaac Coffin.

Scrapbook 41 Siasconset I, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on the evolution of Siasconset and the railroad.

Scrapbook 42 Siasconset II, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on golf clubs, the Old Pump, casino, chapel, poetry, and Sankaty.

Scrapbook 43 Special Occasions I, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on the Coffin reunion, Centennial 1895, and Tercentenary 1930.

Scrapbooks 44 Special Occasions II, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on the 300^th anniversary I.

Scrapbooks 45 Special Occasions III, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on the 300^th anniversary continued and family reunions.

Scrapbooks 46 Special Occasions IV, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on famous visitors and storms.

Scrapbooks 47 Wars I, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on the Revolution through the Civil War.

Scrapbook 48 Wars II, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on the Spanish War to World War II.

Scrapbook 49 Wars III, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on World War II.

Scrapbooks 50 Whaling I, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on general whaling.

Scrapbook 51 Whaling II, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on whaleships A through H.

Scrapbook 52 Whaling III, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on whaleships H through Z.

Scrapbook 53 Whaling IV, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on Pacific captains and whalemen A through H.

Scrapbook 54 Whaling V, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on Pacific captains and whalemen H through Z (includes R. H. Macy).

Scrapbook 55 Whaling VI, circa 1968

Includes newspaper clippings on miscellaneous whaling articles.

 

Subseries 1b: Extra Scrapbooks
Extent: 17 items
Scope and content: This subseries includes 17 scrapbooks of newspaper clippings about Nantucket Island and its history including local organizations, people, wars, houses, and streets, as well as two scrapbooks of clippings not related to Nantucket. This subseries covers some of the same topics as the scrapbooks series but does not duplicate them. They were numbered separately by the donor.

Scrapbook Extra 1 Civil War Veterans’ Stories, circa 1968

Scrapbook Extra 2 Daughters of the American Revolution, circa 1968

Scrapbook Extra 4 Genealogical, circa 1968

Scrapbook Extra 6  Jared Coffin House, circa 1968

Scrapbook Extra 7  Ocean House I, circa 1968

Scrapbook Extra 8 Ocean House II, circa 1968

Scrapbook Extra 9 Organizations I, circa 1968

Scrapbook Extra 10 Organizations II, circa 1968

Scrapbook Extra 11 Petticoat Row, circa 1968

Scrapbook Extra 12 Retirement I, circa 1968

First five years after retirement 1941–1945

Scrapbook Extra 13 Retirement II, circa 1968

Second five years after retirement 1946–1952

Scrapbook Extra 14 Retirement III, circa 1968

Third five years after retirement 1952–1960

Scrapbook Extra 15 Retirement IV, circa 1968

New Bedford, miscellaneous

Scrapbook Extra 16 Who’s Who in Nantucket, circa 1968

Scrapbook Extra 17 Off Island I, circa 1968

Framingham

Scrapbook Extra 18 Off Island II, circa 1968

Scrapbook Extra 19 Dr. Will E. Gardner, circa 1968

 

Subseries 1c: Newspaper clippings
Extent: Approximately 1,100 items
Scope and content: This subseries includes 25 folders of newspaper clippings about Nantucket Island and its history including local organizations, people, schools, newspapers, deaths, and land transactions. This subseries covers some of the same topics as the scrapbooks, but do not duplicate them and are in a different format.

Box 2 Folder 5 Society groups newspaper clippings, 1954–1966

Box 2 Folder 6 Town services newspaper clippings, 1961–1968

Box 2 Folder 7 Nantucket banks newspaper clippings, 1963–1967

Box 2 Folder 8 The Inquirer and Mirror newspaper clippings, 1962–1964

Box 2 Folder 9 Town building newspaper clippings, 1962–1967

Box 2 Folder 10 Coffins and Folgers newspaper clippings, 1958–1967

Box 2 Folder 11 Tuckernuck and out of town newspaper, 1948–1967

Box 2 Folder 12 Atheneum newspaper clippings, 1955–1967

Box 2 Folder 13 Nantucket airport newspaper clippings, 1945–1962

Box 2 Folder 14 Maria Mitchell newspaper clippings, 1963–1967

Box 2 Folder 15 Nantucket Historical Association newspaper clippings, 1961–1967

Box 2 Folder 16 Nantucket men in office newspaper clippings, 1956–1968

Box 2 Folder 17 Nantucket marriages and anniversaries newspaper clippings, 1958–1967

Box 2 Folder 18 Quakerism newspaper clippings, 1878–1966

Box 2 Folder 19 Nantucket schools newspaper clippings, 1877–1967

Box 2 Folder 20 Special occasions newspaper clippings, 1919–1967

Box 2 Folder 21 Photographs of people and places on Nantucket newspaper clippings, 1911–1967

Box 2 Folder 22 Old People’s Home newspaper clippings, 1963–1966

Box 3 Folder 23 Conservation newspaper clippings, 1963–1966

Box 3 Folder 24 Nantucket Cottage Hospital newspaper clippings, 1934–1966

Box 3 Folder 25 Nantucket Fire Department newspaper clippings, 1962–1966

Box 3 Folder 26  Deaths and bequests newspaper clippings, 1899–1968

Box 3 Folder 27 Land transactions newspaper clippings, 1962–1967

Box 3 Folder 28 Famous Nantucket people newspaper clippings, 1962-1965

Box 3 Folder 29 Fifty Famous Nantucketers newspaper clippings, 1950

 

Series 2: Papers
Extent: Approximately 30 items
Scope and content: This series includes course materials from Grace Brown Gardner’s course on Nantucket history at Nantucket High School, an interview conducted by a Cornell University graduate student, bird and plant lists, correspondence from fellow botanists, and newspaper clippings of some of the articles from the Fifty Famous Nantucketers series Brown wrote.

Box 1 Folder 1 Course in Nantucket history, 1943–1944

Box 1 Folder 2 Interview, 1968 July 10

Box 1 Folder 3 Plants and birds of Nantucket, 1903–1948

Box 1 Folder 4 Letters in, 1910–1946

 

Processing Information

Processed by Ashley Miller, December 2021. Finding aid by Ashley Miller, January 2022. Materials in this collection were digitized with support from Connie and Tom Cigrran.