MC 182
1 half-box
About the Page-Southard Families
The Pages and Southards were old families in Haverhill, New Hampshire, near the Vermont border. John Page (1787-1865) was one of Haverhill’s most honored and respected citizens, serving as town clerk, selectman (fourteen times), representative to the General Court (three times), U.S. Senator (1836-1837), and finally Governor of New Hampshire (1839-1842). He was an active and influential member of the Democratic party until the Free Soil movement won his loyalty. He eventually became one of the organizers of the Republican party in New Hampshire. Page married Hannah Merrill (1779-1855) in 1812 and they had nine children.
John and Hannah’s third child, Henry Harrison Page (1816-1848), married Eliza Southard, who was the second child born to Aaron (1784-1857) and Jane T. Finlay Southard (1790-1875), on September 29, 1841. Nathaniel Merrill Page (1818-1889), their fourth child, cemented the connection between the two families when he married Ann Jane Southard (1820-1902). Stephen Royce Page, their fifth child, married Carrie Smith. Samuel F. Southard (1813-1893), the oldest of Aaron and Jane’s children, never married. Kate V. Page (1848-1882) was the only daughter of Henry Harrison and Eliza Page.
[From The History of the Town of Haverhill, New Hampshire by William F. Whitcher, 1919.]
About the Page-Southard Families collection
The collection primarily contains letters to or from members of the Page and Southard families of Haverhill, NH. Of special interest is the letter written to Kate V. Page from Nathaniel Westgate of Haverhill, New Hampshire, while he was stationed at Camp Stoneman, Washington, D.C. The collection also contains a 24 page historically-based patriotic speech written by Stephen R. Page and delivered by him on the fourth of July.
Folder Listing:
| f.1 | Stephen R. Page to Samuel Southard from Natchez, MS, Sept. 18, 1847 and January 8, 1848 (2 letters, both 4 pages). |
| f.2 | Twenty-four page speech written by Stephen R. Page and delivered July 4, [circa 1860]. |
| f.3 | To Kate V. Page from: Nathaniel Waite Westgate, Camp Stoneman, Washington, D.C., July 29, 1864. Harry Chandler, Haverhill, NH, March 13, 1865. C.H. Atkinson, Newbury, VT, June 4, 1866. L[uther].C[olby]. Morse, Concord, NH, June 14, 1870; Grand Rapids, MI, April 22, 1871; Louisville, KY, Nov. 21, 1872. |
| f.4 | To various Page family members: Invitation to Mrs. Eliza Page from Miss Hannah Page, Sept. 8, 1851. Letter to Mrs. [E.] Page from L[uther].C[olby]. Morse, Grand Rapids, MI, April 17, [1871]. Calling card of Mr. & Mrs. Horace F. Carr to Mr. & Mrs. N. Page. Calling card of Mr. & Mrs. W. L. Woodbury to Jane and Kate Page. Envelope addressed to Miss Jane Page. |
| f.5 | To various Southard family members: Two letters to Aaron Southard from John H. Swasey, Boston, MA, Sept. 11, 1854 and Oct. 9, 1854. Invitation to Mr. S. Southard and sister from Mr. J.N. Morse, April 16, 1859. Four calling cards, two each, belonging to Hattie N. Morse and Mr. & Mrs. W.D. Fisher. Calling card of Mr. & Mrs. L.W. Patridge. Invitation to Mr. S. Southard and sister from Mr. J.N. Morse, April 16, 1859. |
| f.6 | Miscellaneous items, not apparently related to either the Pages or the Southards: Miscellaneous letters (1856-1903): To Hiram Sleeper from Morse and Kelsco (?), North Haverhill, NH, Sept. 5, 1856. To Mr. Lang from Jamie, New York City, Nov. 11, 1867. To Cousin Frank from Sadie Wilson, Post Mills, Nov. 27, 1902. To Silah from C.E. Follansbee, Littleton, MA, Jan. 7, 1903. To Frank from Grace, n.d. Rhyming account of “Our First Skating Party, January 23, 1899,” written by “F.E.E.”. |