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Libbey family papers

 Series
Identifier: Series 3

Scope and Contents

This series chiefly consists of personal papers and correspondence related to the Libbey family. Though it includes photos, correspondence, and reference to a diverse array of the descendants of Winfield Scott Libbey, Sr. (1851-1914), the bulk of the collection relates to the immediate family of his son, Winfield Scott Libbey, Jr. (1896-1965, known from here as WSL, Jr.), most notably his mother, Annie Elizabeth Shaw Libbey (1857-1930), older sisters, Alla A. Libbey (1885-1974) and Gertrude Libbey Anthony (1879-1969), wife, Helen Margaret McCarthy Libbey (1894-1989), and their children, W.S. Libbey III (1920-2007), Elaine Janet Libbey Holman (1922-2015), John Shaw Libbey (1924-1985), Paul Ross Libbey (1925-), Ruth Elizabeth Libbey O'Halloran (1927-2005), and Anne Prout Libbey Meldrum (1928-2016).

The series is divided into two sections: the general family collection, and the papers of Winfield Scott Libbey, Jr. The general section consists of materials related to the family, including print publications, newspaper clippings (including obituaries), ephemera, and genealogical documents related to the Libbey, Shaw, and Wing families. The WSL, Jr. section includes printed matter and ephemera from his Lewiston High School and Harvard University years; correspondence, clippings, receipts, printed matter, a notebook, and a Naval patch related to his WWI experience; and a thorough and well-preserved collection of his personal correspondence with his wife, mother, father, sisters, and others. WSL, Jr. also appears to have taken and/or obtained photographs documenting his WWI experience, including action shots of explosions, the recovery of shipwrecked soldiers, and battleships painted in "dazzle camouflage."

Note the following abbreviations of correspondents:

  • WSL, Jr.: Winfield Scott Libbey, Jr.
  • HML: Helen McCarthy Libbey (wife of WSL, Jr.)
  • ASL: Annie Shaw Libbey (mother of WSL, Jr.)
  • WSL, Sr.: Winfield Scott Libbey, Sr. (father of WSL, Jr.)
  • FPM: Frances P. McCarthy (sister-in-law of WSL, Jr.)
  • GLA: Gertrude Libbey Anthony (older sister of WSL, Jr.)
  • AAL: Alla A. Libbey (older sister of WSL, Jr.)

Dates

  • Creation: 1857 - 2013

Creator

Access

Unrestricted

Extent

7 Linear Feet (17 boxes)

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Repository Details

Part of the Maine Historical Society Repository