Letters from Delia Jarvis Tudor to her son, William Tudor,

Five letters sent from Gardiner, Maine, Boston, and New York. In several, there are messages included from Emma and Robert Hallowell Gardiner. One letter includes anectdotes regarding the late William Tudor and the American Revolution. One letter written to Tudor while he was chargé d’affairs in Rio de Janeiro relates news that his brother, Henry James (Harry), was setting up a salt-making business; it also includes a message from Delia, anticipating his return to the United States. Two additional undated letters, addressed to Tudor in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, likely before Tudor’s father died in 1819, contain family news and local gossip.

Letter from A. Dickason to Delia Tudor Stewart,

Letter from an A. Dickason in London addressing Delia’s health and spirits. Also included are notes to Delia and her sister Emma from both "A.D." and "M.D."

Letter from John H. Ladd to Delia Tudor Stewart,

Letter to Delia in the care of her brother, William Tudor, in Rio de Janeiro.

Letter from Delia Jarvis Tudor to her nephew, James Savage,

Letter addressed to Savage from Washington, DC, giving a brief update on the family and inviting him to visit the home Mrs. Tudor inhabited with her daughter, Delia.

Letter from Delia Jarvis Tudor to her daughter, Delia Tudor Stewart,

One letter regarding finances and news of friends, and asking her daughter when she plans to visit. One undated letter offering marital advice to Delia and discussing news regarding mutual acquaintances in South America, as well as the plans of her brother, Harry.

Miscellaneous letters addressed to Delia Tudor,

One letter, signature illegible; one letter from William C. Workman regarding a note of introduction from a Lady Percival; one letter in French from a Mr. Chauriteau in Havana.

Letters from Robert Hallowell Gardiner to his brother-in-law, William Tudor,

Four letters regarding the Gardiner children as well as Delia Stewart’s constantly changing travel plans.

Letters from Robert Hallowell Gardiner to his brother-in-law, William Tudor,

Five letters regarding topics such as Delia Stewart’s travel plans, local Maine politics, and progress in the construction of a church on the estate. In one letter, Gardiner writes about attending the funeral of Bowdoin College President Jesse Appleton.

Letter from Charles Stewart to his brother-in-law, William Tudor,

This letter was written aboard the U.S.S. Franklin. Stewart writes in detail about William’s brother Henry James (Harry) Tudor, and concerns about his character, particularly his "natural indolence and indifference." He notes that like his wife, Delia, Harry spends money irresponsibly. Stewart also writes he tried to interest Harry in the pursership of the Franklin, and had hoped he would be appointed to the Consulate of Tripoli or Tunis.

Letter from M.D. [Dickason?] to Emma Tudor Gardiner,

Letter written in French from "M.D.," presumably the same "M.D." who signs an earlier letter to Delia.

Letters from Jonathan McCauley to William Tudor,

Two letters expressing condolences for the death of the elder William Tudor and thanking Tudor for his concern over an unnamed affliction of McCauley. McCauley also includes in both letters bank drafts for Delia Tudor Stewart.

Letter from William Porter to William Tudor,

One letter regarding communication enclosed from Tudor’s sister, Delia Tudor Stewart, and Secretary of State Henry Clay.

Letters from Benjamin Vaughan,

Six letters in which Vaughan writes about prominent scientists, artists, and musicians, such as violinist Louis Ostinelli and engraver Jacob Perkins. Other topics include social interactions with Tudor’s sisters Delia Tudor Stewart and Emma Tudor Gardiner, and Emma’s husband, Robert Hallowell Gardiner.

Letters from Benjamin Welles to John Henry Tudor, 1799-1801

Benjamin Welles wrote these six letters to his friend and classmate, John Henry Tudor, between 1799 and 1801. Four of the letters are dated, and the dates of the other two can be deduced from their contents. Welles wrote Tudor four times in September 1799, at the onset of their senior year at Harvard, in an attempt to clear up hurt feelings and false rumors that he believed had caused a chill in their friendship. The cause of the rift is never fully explained, though Welles alludes to "a viper" and "villainous hypocrite" who apparently spread rumors and fueled discord between the two friends. In one letter, Welles asserts that "College is a rascal's Elysium - or the feeling man's hell." In another he writes: "College, Tudor, is a furnace to the phlegmatic, & a Greenland to thee feeling man; it has an atmosphere which breathes contagion to the soul [...] Villains fatten here. College is the embryo of hell." Whatever their discord, the wounds were apparently eventually healed; in a letter written June 26, 1800, Welles writes to ask Tudor about his impending speech at Commencement exercises. In an October 29, 1801 letter, Welles writes to Tudor in Philadelphia (where he appears to have traveled in attempts to recover his failing health) and expresses strong wishes for his friend's recovery and return to Boston. This letter also contains news of their classmate Washington Allston's meeting with painters Henry Fuseli and Benjamin West.