Lothrop Lewis Maine statehood papers
Scope and Content note
Collection documents the contributions of Lothrop Lewis to the separation of Maine and Massachusetts and the establishment of Maine's statehood in 1820. Contents include correspondence, minutes, legal documents and resolutions, financial accounts, inventories, field books, and land surveys. Material reflects myriad logistical tasks necessary to the establishment and early management of the state of Maine.
Dates
- Creation: 1785 - 1844
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1801 - 1822
Creator
- Lewis, Lothrop, 1764-1822 (Person)
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
Lothrop Lewis (1764-1822) was born in Barnstable, Massachusetts, and lived much of his adult life in Gorham, Me. He married Tabitha Longfellow (1774-1807) in 1794, a daughter of Stephen and Patience Longfellow. The two had two children, Stephen and Mary. In 1810, after Tabitha's death, Lewis married Mary Jackson Prescott Little (1774-1863) with whom he had three daughters, the youngest of whom, Elizabeth, was the only one to survive to adulthood. She married Hugh D. McLellan of Gorham, Me.
Lewis worked as a land surveyor in the early years of the 19th century. He also served as a Massachusetts state senator and as a Cumberland county justice of the peace. When Maine separated from Massachusetts in 1820, Lewis served as Surveyor General and was selected as a delegate from Gorham to draft the state’s constitution.
Extent
3.25 Linear Feet (3 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
- 1. Papers and settlement accounts, 1793-1822
- 2. Land surveys, 1785-1844
Provenance
Gift of E. Christopher Livesay, June 20 and June 27, 2022 (acc. no. 2023.021).
Processing note
E. Christopher Livesay gifted these papers to MHS as part of a larger donation of material compiled over decades as a collector of Maine-related manuscripts and books. All of the material from the donation shares accession number 2023.021.
Items in this collection arrived individually sleeved in custom-made cloth and wooden boxes. Material was arranged into groups by type or content and rehoused in archival folders and boxes.
A small selection of field books, settlement account papers, and the Penobscot National treaty documents (Box 1/Folders 10-11) were originally part of Coll. 4231, the Hugh D. McLellan family papers. They were removed from that collection in December 2024 and combined with the other material here to form this collection. The two collections remain closely connected, however.
- Title
- Guide to the Lothrop Lewis Maine statehood papers
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Jordis Rosberg, MHS Archivist, December 2024
- Date
- December 19, 2024
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Maine Historical Society Repository