The Samuel C. Damon Papers
A Finding Aid for the Damon Collection
Descriptive Summary
Repository: Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives
Creator: Samuel C. Damon and Family
Title: The Samuel C. Damon Papers
Dates: 1830-1890
Extent: 8 ft.
Abstract:
Business and personal letters received by the Rev. Samuel Chenery Damon (1815–1885) and Julia Sherman Mills Damon (1817–1890). Includes some Mills family letters from 1810, genealogical material, and sermons.
Collection number: MS-011
Location: Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives, Vault
Biographical Note
Samuel Chenery Damon, b. 1815 - d. 1885, was born in Holden, Massachusetts and educated at Amherst College, Princeton Theological Seminary and Andover Theological Seminary. Ordained in 1841, he arrived in Hawaii in 1842, accompanied by his wife, Julia Mills Damon, to take the post of Seamen’s Chaplain in Honolulu for the American Seamen’s Friend Society of New York. He was pastor of Bethel Union Church, Seamen’s Chapel, for 42 years. Beginning in January 1843, through 1884, Damon was editor and publisher of The Friend, a monthly newspaper, which included information on ship arrivals and departures, missionary activities, religious and temperance essays, and appeals to sailors who had lost touch with their families in New England. He became well known to ship captains and shipping companies who sailed the Pacific. Missionaries, traders, explorers, abandoned wives, widowed mothers, California gold-miners, and would be settlers sought his counsel. Damon made several trips to the U.S., Europe, Japan and China. He corresponded with relatives in New England. He was an avid collector of genealogical materials relating to both the Damon and Mills families and published a book on the subject.
Scope and Contents of the Papers
Damon kept up a vast correspondence, which ranged worldwide throughout his life. The Samuel C. Damon Papers Collection contains family letters, business letters and accounts, letters received in regard to ships and shipping, missionary news and correspondence, world events, including the Civil War, railroad building, travel accounts, sermons, essays, comments on English literature, notebooks, journals, and memorabilia. There are clipping scrapbooks and posters promoting events for sailors and townspeople. Legal papers include accounts and correspondence regarding property owned in Holden and Honolulu. Correspondents include missionaries of the Sandwich Islands Mission (1820-1863) sent by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) in Boston, government officials both here and abroad; missionaries of all denominations world-wide, especially those on other Pacific Island chains; and families of lost sailors, both American and English. Material written by and about his children is dated well into the twentieth century. Material is mainly sorted chronologically, with some by subject matter, e.g., genealogy, church membership certificates, land matters and posters. Some materials are undated and unidentified and suffer from termite damage and water stains. Some newsprint is in brittle condition. Inventories are available for most correspondence folders.
Arrangement of the Papers
The papers are arranged into 12 series
Letters and papers of Samuel Chenery Damon (b. 1815 - d. 1885)
Letters sent and received by Julia Mills Damon (Mrs. S.C. Damon, b. 1817 - d. 1890)
Letters sent and received by Edward Chenery Damon (b. 1848 - d. 1894)
Letters and papers of William Frederick Damon (b. 1857 - d. 1879)
Letters and miscellaneous materials related to S.C. Damon's genealogy research
Correspondence and accounts with the American Seamen's Friend Society regarding Seamen's Bethel and Seamen's Home in Honolulu
Church certificates of membership and letters of transfer
S.C. Damon sermons and miscellaneous materials
Papers and letters of Francis William Damon (Frank, b. 1852 - d. 1915)
Papers and letters of Samuel Mills Damon (b. 1845 - d. 1924)
Miscellaneous
Restrictions
Restrictions on Access:
The Damon Collection is open for research. All requests for permission to republish or quote from the manuscript collections must be submitted in writing to the Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives.
Related Material
Researchers desiring materials about related persons, subjects or document types should search the Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives catalog using the index terms shown below.
Index Terms
Personal Names
Damon, Samuel Chenery, 1815-1885
Damon family
Corporate Names
American Seamen’s Friend Society
American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions
Sandwich Islands Mission
Subjects
Missionaries--Hawaii--Correspondence
Missions --Hawaii
Document Types
broadsides (notices)
essays
letters (correspondence)
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Item, folder title, box number, Damon Collection, Collections of the Hawaiian Mission Children's Society Library, Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives.
Acquisition Information
The Damon Collection was a gift from Ethel M. Damon. (April 10, 1964)
Processing Information
The Damon collection was processed by the MHM librarian, Sophie J. Cluff in 1964. In July of 1996, the collection was reorganized and rehoused by MHM Head Librarian, Marilyn L. Reppun and Librarian, Jodie Kakazu.
Detailed Description of the Collection
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.
The Letters and Papers of Samuel Chenery Damon (1815-1885) ~ 1810-1915 ~ Boxes 1-7
Box 1
Very early letters of Damon and Mills families ~ 1810-1830s
Box 1 Folder 1A
Very early letters of Damon and Mills families ~ 1810-1830s
Folder 1B
Pre-Hawaii essays, dramas, etc. ~ 1830s
Folder 2
Compositions, senior year
Folder 3
Letters received 1837-1840 ~ Jan 1837 - Aug 1838
Folder 4A
Letters received 1837-1840 ~ Sep 1838 - Dec 1838
Folder 4B
Letters received 1837-1840 ~ Jan 1839 - Mar 1839
Folder 5A
Letters received 1837-1840 ~ Apr 1839 - Dec 1839
Folder 5B
Letters received 1837-1840 ~ Jan 1840 - Mar 1840
Folder 6A
Letters received 1837-1840 ~ Mar 1840 - Dec 1840
Folder 6B
Box 1a
Letters from family & friends 1841-1842 ~ Jan 1841 - Mar 1841
Folder 7A
Letters from family & friends 1841-1842 ~ Mar 1841 - Jan 1842
Folder 7B
Letters received 1841-1843 (Small notebook - S.C.D's Handwriting) ~ 1841-1842
Folder 8A
Letters received 1841-1843 (Small notebook - S.C.D.'s Handwriting) ~ 1843
Folder 8B
Letters received 1843-1849 ~ 1843-1845
Folder 9A
Letters received 1843-1849 ~ 1846-1849
Folder 9B
Letters sent and received 1844 ~ Jan - Jun, 1844
Folder 10A
Letters sent and received 1844 ~ Jul - Aug, 1844
Folder 10B
Letters sent and received 1844 ~ Sep - Dec, 1844
Folder 10C
Letters to family in New England and journal letter ~ 1844
Folder 11
Description and reaction to the illness and death of first born son ~
Folder 12
Box 2
Letters received 1845-1846 ~ Jan - Mar, 1845
Box 2 Folder 1A
Letters received 1845-1846 ~ Apr - Jun, 1845
Folder 1B
Letters received 1845-1846 ~ Jul - Sep, 1845
Folder 2A
Letters received 1845-1846 ~ Oct - Dec, 1845
Folder 2B
Letters received 1845-1846 ~ Jan - Feb, 1846
Folder 3A
Letters received 1845-1846 ~ Mar - Apr, 1846
Folder 3B
Letters received 1845-1846 ~ May - Jun, 1846
Folder 4A
Letters received 1845-1846 ~ Jul - Aug, 1846
Folder 4B
Letters received 1845-1846 ~ Sep - Oct, 1846
Folder 5A
Letters received 1845-1846 ~ Nov - Dec, 1846
Folder 5B
Box 2a
Letters received 1847-1848 ~ Jan - Feb, 1847
Box 2a Folder 6A
Letters received 1847-1848 ~ Mar - Apr, 1847
Folder 6B
Letters received 1847-1848 ~ May - Jun, 1847
Folder 7A
Letters received 1847-1848 ~ Jul - Aug, 1847
Folder 7B
Letters received 1847-1848 ~ Sep - Dec, 1847
Folder 8
Letters received 1847-1848 ~ Jan - Jun, 1848
Folder 9
Letters received 1847-1848 ~ Jul - Nov, 1848
Folder 10
Box 3
Letters received 1849-1856 ~ Jan - Mar, 1849
Box 3 Folder 1A
Letters received 1849-1856 ~ Apr - Jun, 1849
Folder 1B
Letters received 1849-1856 ~ Jul - Sep, 1849
Folder 2A
Letters received 1849-1856 ~ Oct - Dec, 1849
Folder 2B
Letters received 1849-1856 ~ Jan - Apr, 1850
Folder 3A
Letters received 1849-1856 ~ May - Dec, 1850
Folder 3B
Letters received 1849-1856 ~ 1852
Folder 4
Record book of letters & accounts of requests regarding
main of seamen to be collected and forwarded ~ 1852-1855
Folder 5
Letters received 1849-1856 ~ 1854
Folder 6
Letters received 1849-1856 ~ Jan - Sep, 1855
Folder 7A
Letters received 1849-1856 ~ Oct - Dec, 1855
Folder 7B
Oversized posters and broadsides related to the Seamen's
Chaplaincy, Sailors Home fundraising, programs and special events ~
Folder 8
Letters received 1849-1856 ~ Jan - Jun, 1856
Folder 9A
Letters received 1849-1856 ~ Jul - Dec, 1856
Folder 9B
Box 3a
Letters received 1857-1859 ~ Feb - Sep, 1857
Box 3a Folder 10A
Letters received 1857-1859 ~ Oct, 1857
Folder 10B
Letters received 1857-1859 ~ Nov - Dec, 1857
Folder 10C
Letters received 1857-1859 ~ Jan - Feb, 1858
Folder 11A
Letters received 1857-1859 ~ Mar - May, 1858
Folder 11B
Letters received 1857-1859 ~ Jun - Jul, 1858
Folder 12A
Letters received 1857-1859 ~ Aug, 1858
Folder 12B
Letters received 1857-1859 ~ Sep - Oct, 1858
Folder 13A
Letters received 1857-1859 ~ Nov - Dec, 1858
13B
Letters received 1857-1859 ~ Jan - Feb, 1859
Folder 14A
Letters received 1857-1859 ~ Mar - Apr, 1859
Folder 14B
Letters received 1857-1859 ~ May - Aug, 1859
Folder 15A
Letters received 1857-1859 ~ Sep - Dec, 1859
Folder 15B
Box4
Letters received 1860-1863 ~ Jan - Mar, 1860
Box 4 Folder 1A
Letters received 1860-1863 ~ Apr - Jun, 1860
Folder 1B
Letters received 1860-1863 ~ Jul - Sep, 1860
Folder 2A
Letters received 1860-1863 ~ Oct - Dec, 1860
Folder 2B
Letters received 1860-1863 ~ Jan - Mar, 1861
Folder 3A
Letters received 1860-1863 ~ Apr - Jun, 1861
Folder 3B
Letters received 1860-1863 ~ Jul - Dec, 1861
Folder 4
Letters received 1860-1863 ~ Jan - Apr, 1862
Folder 5A
Letters received 1860-1863 ~ May - Jun, 1862
Folder 5B
Letters received 1860-1863 ~ Jul - Dec, 1862
Folder 6
Letters received 1860-1863 ~ Jan - Jun, 1863
Folder 7
Box 4a
Letters received 1863-1865 ~ Jul - Sep, 1863
Box 4a Folder 8A
Letters received 1863-1865 ~ Oct - Dec, 1863
Folder 8B
Letters received 1863-1865 ~ Jan - Jun, 1864
Folder 9
Letters received 1863-1865 ~ Jul - Sep, 1864
Folder 10A
Letters received 1863-1865 ~ Oct - Dec, 1864
Folder 10B
Letters received 1863-1865 ~ Jan - Mar, 1865
Folder 11A
Letters received 1863-1865 ~ Apr - Jun, 1865
Folder 11B
Letters received 1863-1865 ~ Jul - Dec, 1865
Folder 12
Box 5
Letters received 1866-1869 ~ Jan - Feb, 1866
Box 5 Folder 1A
Letters received 1866-1869 ~ Mar - Jun, 1866
Folder 1B
Letters received 1866-1869 ~ Jul - Sep, 1866
Folder 2A
Letters received 1866-1869 ~ Oct - Dec, 1866
Folder 2B
Letters received 1866-1869 ~ Jan - Jun, 1877
Folder 3
Letters received 1866-1869 ~ Jul - Dec, 1867
Folder 4
Letters received 1866-1869 ~ Jan - Sep, 1868
Folder 5
Letters received 1866-1869 ~ Jan - Mar, 1869
Folder 6
Letters received 1866-1869 ~ Apr - May, 1869
Folder 7A
Letters received 1866-1869 ~ Jun, 1869
Folder 7B
Letters received 1866-1869 ~ Jul, 1869
Folder 8A
Letters received 1866-1869 ~ Aug - Sep, 1869
Folder 8B
Box 5a
Letters received 1869-1874 ~ Oct - Dec, 1869
Box 5a Folder 9
Letters written to William Williams ~ 1869 & 1870
Folder 10
Letters written by S.C. Damon to son Francis William (Frank) Damon ~
Folder 11
Letters received 1869-1874 ~ 1870
Folder 12
Letters received 1869-1874 ~ 1871
Folder 13
Letters received 1869-1874 ~ Feb - Aug, 1872
Folder 14A
Letters received 1869-1874 ~ Sep - Dec, 1872
Folder 14B
Letters received 1869-1874 ~ Jan - Jul, 1873
Folder 15A
Letters received 1869-1874 ~ Aug - Dec, 1873
Folder 15B
Letters received 1869-1874 ~ Jan - Jul, 1874
Folder 16A
Letters received 1869-1874 ~ Aug - Dec, 1874
Folder 16B
Box 6
Letters received 1875-1880 ~ Jan - Jun, 1875
Box 6 Folder 1
Letters received 1875-1880 ~ Jul - Sep, 1875
Folder 2A
Letters received 1875-1880 ~ Oct - Dec, 1875
Folder 2B
Letters received 1875-1880 ~ Jan - Apr, 1876
Folder 3A
Letters received 1875-1880 ~ May - Dec, 1876
Folder 3B
Letters written during a trip to the U.S. Centennial Celebration
in Philadelphia ~ 1876
Folder 4
Letters received 1875-1880 ~ 1877
Folder 5
Letters received 1875-1880 ~ 1878
Folder 6
Letters received 1875-1880 ~ 1879
Folder 7
Letters received 1875-1880 ~ Jan - Jun, 1880
Folder 8A
Letters received 1875-1880 ~ Jul, 1880
Folder 8B
Letters received 1875-1880 ~ Aug - Dec, 1880
Folder 8C
Box 6a
Letters received from children, 1880-1885 ~ 1880
Box 6a Folder 9
Letters received 1880-1885 ~ 1881
Folder 10
Letters received 1880-1885 ~ 1882
Folder 11
Letters received 1880-1885 ~ Feb - Mar, 1883
Folder 12A
Letters received 1880-1885 ~ Apr - Dec, 1883
Folder 12B
Letters received 1880-1885 ~ Jan - Jun, 1884
Folder 13A
Letters received 1880-1885 ~ Jul - Dec, 1884
Folder 13B
Letters received 1880-1885 ~ 1885
Folder 14
Various Letters ~ Undated
Folder 15
Various Letters ~ Undated
Folder 16
Notebook kept on trip to the Orient ~ 1884
Folder 17
Box 7
One letter (mutilated and unusable) ~
Box 7 Folder 1
Letters by James Hunnewell, 1822-1869 ~ 1822-1857
Folder 2A
Letters by James Hunnewell, 1822-1869 ~ 1858-1859
Folder 2B
Letters by James Hunnewell, 1822-1869 ~ 1860-1864
Folder 3A
Letters by James Hunnewell, 1822-1869 ~ 1865-1869
Folder 3B
Letters by S.C. Damon (some are copies) ~
Folder 4A
S.C. Damon's passport ~
Folder 4B
Correspondence concerning the publication of the Friend ~ 1848; some undated
Folder 5
Box 7a
Business and real estate interests in New England, 1871-1885 ~ 1871-1872
Box 7a Folder 6A
Business and real estate interests in New England, 1871-1885 ~ 1873-1880
Folder 6B
Material concerning literature (no Hawaiiana) ~
Folder 7
Material concerning the family property in Holden, Mass, 1851- 1875 ~ 1851-1858
Folder 8A
Material concerning the family property in Holden, Mass, 1851- 1875 ~ 1859-1863
Folder 8B
Material concerning the family property in Holden, Mass, 1851- 1875 ~ 1864-1875
Folder 8C
Clippings from various newspapers ~
Folder 9A
Clippings from various newspapers ~
Folder 9B
Letters sent and received by Julia Mills Damon ~ 1863-1889 ~ Box 8
Letters sent and received ~ 1863-1864
Box 8 Folder 1
Letters sent and received ~ Feb, 1885
Folder 2A
Letters sent and received ~ Mar - Jun, 1885
Folder 2B
Letters sent and received ~ 1877-18 86
Folder 3A
Letters sent and received ~ 1887-1889; some undated
Folder 3B
Letters sent and received by Edward Chenery Damon ~ 1861-1884 ~ Box 8
Letters sent and received ~ 1861-1884
Folder 4
Letters sent and received ~ 1869-1880
Folder 5A
Letters sent and received ~ 1884
Folder 5B
Letters and papers of William Frederick Damon ~ 1868-1883 ~ Box 8a
Letters and papers ~ 1868-1872
Box 8a Folder 6A
Letters and papers ~ Sep - Oct, 1874
Folder 6B
Letters and papers ~ Nov - Dec, 1874
Folder 6C
Letters and papers ~ Jan - Jul, 1875
Folder 7A
Letters and papers ~ Aug - Sep, 1875
Folder 7B
Letters and papers ~ 1876-1879
Folder 8
Letters and papers ~ 1869-1876
Folder 9
Letters and papers ~ Jul - Nov, 1879
Folder 10A
Letters and papers ~ 1879-1883
Folder 10B
Letters and misc related to S.C. Damon's genealogy research ~ 1865-1882 ~ Box 9
Requests for genealogy information ~ Various dates; some undated
Box 9 Folder 1
Requests for genealogy information ~ 1870's
Folder 2
Requests for genealogy information ~ 1870's-1880's
Folder 3
Requests for genealogy information ~ Feb - Jul, 1881
Folder 4A
Requests for genealogy information from mainland relatives ~ Aug - Dec, 1881
Folder 4B
Requests for genealogy information ~ Jan - Jun, 1882
Folder 5A
Requests for genealogy information ~ Jul - Dec, 1882
Folder 5B
Requests for genealogy information ~ 1865-1869
Folder 6
Requests for genealogy information ~ 1875-1879
Folder 7A
Requests for genealogy information ~ Various dates; some undated
Folder 7B
Box 9a
Requests and misc. printed material and bound books ~ Various dates
Box 9a Folder 8
Requests and misc. printed material and bound books ~ Various dates
Folder 9
Requests and misc. printed material and bound books ~ 1882
Folder 10
Requests and misc. printed material and bound books ~ Various dates
Folder 11
Correspondence and accounts with the American Seamen's Friend Society regarding Seamen's Bethel and Seamen's Home in Honolulu ~ 1837-1865 ~ Box 10
Correspondence and accounts ~ 1837-1845
Box 10 Folder 1
Correspondence and accounts ~ 1845-1846
Folder 2A
Correspondence and accounts ~ 1847-1849
Folder 2B
Correspondence and accounts ~ 1850-1854
Folder 3
Correspondence and accounts ~ 1855-1856
Folder 4A
Correspondence and accounts ~ 1857
Folder 4B
Correspondence and accounts ~ 1858-1859
Folder 4C
Correspondence and accounts ~ 1860-1862
Folder 5A
Correspondence and accounts ~ 1863-1865
Folder 5B
Correspondence and accounts ~ 1865-1869
Box 10a
Correspondence and accounts ~ 1865-1869
Box 10a Folder 6
Correspondence and accounts ~ 1870-1874
Folder 7
Correspondence and accounts ~ 1875-1879
Folder 8
Correspondence and accounts ~ 1880-1885
Folder 9
Correspondence and accounts ~ Various dates; some undated
Folder 10A
Correspondence and accounts ~ Undated
Folder 10B
Church certificates of membership and letters of transfer ~ 1838-1885 ~ Box 10a
Church certificates of membership and letters of transfer ~ 1838-1853
Box 10a Folder 11A
Church certificates of membership and letters of transfer ~ 1856-1866
Folder 11B
Church certificates of membership and letters of transfer ~ 1867-1885; some undated
Folder 12
S.C. Damon sermons and misc materials ~ Box 11
Sermons and misc. ~ 1842 - Aug 1872
Box 11a
Sermons and misc. ~ Nov 1872 - 1880; some undated
Box 11b
Sermons and misc. ~ 1840s-1880s
Papers and letters of Francis William Damon ~ Box 12
Papers and Letters ~ 1863-1866
Box 12 Folder 1
Papers and Letters ~ Various dates; some undated
Folder 2
Papers and Letters ~ 1869-1877; some undated
Folder 3
Papers and Letters ~ May 1878 - Aug 1880
Folder 4A
Papers and Letters ~ Sep 1880 - Jun 1881
Folder 4B
Papers and Letters ~ 1883-1884; some undated
Folder 5
Papers and Letters ~ 1885
Folder 6
Papers and Letters ~ 1894-1895; 1908
Folder 7
Papers and Letters ~ 1878-1888
Folder 8A
Papers and Letters ~ 1889-1899; some undated
Folder 8B
Papers and Letters ~ 1912; some undated
Folder 9
Papers and Letters ~ 1915; some undated
Folder 10A
Papers and Letters ~ Undated
10B Folder
Papers and Letters of Samuel Mills Damon ~ 1863-1896 ~ Box 13
Papers and Letters ~ 1863-1869
Box 13 Folder 1A
Papers and Letters ~ 1870-1896
Folder 1B
Miscellaneous ~ Box 13
Letter book (empty); envelope addressed to S.C. Damon ~ 1870-1896
Box 13 Folder 2