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Deering/Noyes collection

 Collection
Identifier: Coll. 951

Scope and Content note

The Deering/Noyes collection (1764-1971) includes the papers of several members of the Deering and Noyes families, as well as those of several members of allied families. Most of the holdings consist of deeds, accounts, estate papers, property lists, and other material pertaining to the acquisition and transfer of property.

Of primary importance in this collection are the papers and accounts of Nathaniel Deering (1736-1795); James Deering (1766-1850); Nathaniel Deering (1791-1881); and the papers of the Noyes family, particularly those of Edward Deering Noyes, Sr. (1858-1944) and Edward, Jr. (1911-1963). Also of importance is the material relating to the allied families and the Deering heirs. Rounding out the collection is a series of miscellaneous material consisting of scrapbooks and genealogical information.

The collection will be of interest to researchers investigating business history; property ownership and its acquisition and transfer; real estate; the history of Portland; and the formation of kinship alliances through marriage and property. Also of interest will be the genealogical and scrapbook material.

With the exception of the scrapbooks most of the collection consists of manuscript, much of it in bound volumes of accounts and real estate transactions.

Dates

  • Creation: 1764 - 1971

Creator

Access

Unrestricted

Copyright

Access to collections at Maine Historical Society is not an authorization to publish. Rights and reproduction requests may be submitted in writing to the MHS Image Services Coordinator or Research & Administrative Librarian, subject to format.

Biographical note

Both the Deering and Noyes families have an extended history in the New World with antecedents dating back to the 17th century. The material in this collection concerns the family members who originally settled and subsequently lived in the Portland, Maine, area, including Nathaniel Deering (1736-1795), the first member of the family to settle in what is now Portland. Also represented are James Deering (1766-1850), Nathaniel's son; Nathaniel Deering II (1791-1881); and Henry Deering (1842-1917), the last male of the Deering line, as well as several other Deering family members.

The Noyes family is represented by Jacob Noyes, Joseph Noyes, George F. Noyes (1824-1868), George F. Noyes (1864-1943), Edward Deering Noyes, Sr., and Edward Deering Noyes, Jr. Also included are the papers of various of the Noyes family and members of allied families.

The family wealth began with the marriage of Anna Deering, Nathaniel the elder's mother, to James Milk, merchant, landowner, boatbuilder, and deacon of First Parish of Portland. Anna’s son Nathaniel in turn married Dorcas Milk, daughter of James. Eunice Milk, another daughter, married John Deering III. These marriages, known as the "quadruple alliance," cemented the family fortunes.

Of all the Deerings, James (1766-1850) is the most prominent in terms of property ownership. In 1804, he built the Deering Mansion, presently the site of the University of Southern Maine. Other properties included Back Cove property, Milk properties, and lands along the shore. Large portions of this land were subsequently given to the City of Portland by the family. In addition, James continued his mercantile activities from his base on Long Wharf.

Nathaniel (1791-1881), who graduated from Harvard College in 1810, began a mercantile career in the firm of Asa Clapp, a near legendary figure in Portland shipping and mercantile circles. Soon tiring of a business career, Nathaniel embarked upon the study of law and the cultivation of a budding literary career. Nathaniel was admitted to the bar in 1815, and practiced briefly in Portland before moving to Skowhegan. After several years he returned to Portland, ostensibly to resume his legal career, but in reality to pursue his literary interests, becoming well-known locally for his poetry and drama.

Because of Deering/Noyes intermarriage and the end of the male Deering line with Henry's death in 1917, much of the property passed into the Noyes family. The most important members, as represented by this collection, are Edward Deering Noyes, Sr. (1855-1944), and his son Edward, Jr. (1911-1963). Both of these Noyes were property managers and Edward, Jr. was an insurance agent. Both were also executors of the many of the estates of the Deering heirs.

Extent

12 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in four series. Material is organized, whenever possible, by individual within each family.

  • 1. Deering family
  • 2. Noyes family
  • 3. Allied families
  • 4. Miscellaneous

Provenance

Gift of Nicholas Noyes, possibly among others (acc. nos. MS100b, MS231, 2651*, 4176*, 1990.44).

Related Materials

  • Coll. 951a, Deering/Noyes family letterbooks, 1851-1857; 1884-1885
  • Coll. 951b, Henry Deering scrapbook

Processing Information

In 2001 and 2018, after the initial processing of the collection, Nicholas Noyes updated and provided volume numbers to the bound volumes in Series 1 and Series 4.

Related Names

Subjects

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title
Guide to the Deering/Noyes collection
Status
Completed
Author
Roberta Ransley and Robert Johnson-Lally, July 1992
Date
January 2026
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the Maine Historical Society Repository

https://www.mainehistory.org
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