1775-1862
Guide to the Collection
Abstract
This collection consists of papers of the Blanding family of Rehoboth, Mass., including family correspondence; diaries, account books, and medical notes of physician and naturalist William Blanding (1773-1857); maps and deeds; receipts and accounts; and other papers.
Biographical Sketches
William Blanding (1748-1830), a gentleman farmer of Rehoboth, Mass., married Lydia Ormsbee (1750-1835), also of Rehoboth, on 5 July 1772. The couple lived their entire lives in Rehoboth and had nine children.
William Blanding, Jr. (1773-1857), the eldest son of William and Lydia, became a physician. He studied medicine in Rehoboth and graduated with an A.B. from Rhode Island College (later Brown University) in 1801. He was a physician in Attleboro, Mass. from 1804-1807; Camden, S.C. from 1807-1832; Philadelphia, Pa. from 1832-1846; and moved back to Rehoboth, where he died in 1857. He was granted his A.M. and Ph.D. from Brown University in 1821. Blanding was an avid student of natural history and became a member of the Academy of Natural Sciences in 1826. He was also an honorary member of the Massachusetts Medical Society. Blanding married Susannah Carpenter of Rehoboth in 1805; she died in 1809 in Camden, S.C., and he married Rachel Willett of Philadelphia in 1811.
Abraham Blanding (1775-1839), the second child of William, Sr., and Lydia, graduated from Brown University with an A.B. in 1796 and earned his A.M. and Ph.D. in 1838. He moved to Camden, S.C. around 1806 and practiced law there until 1814. He then moved to Columbia, S.C., where he lived until his death in 1839.
Lydia Blanding (1778-1833) married Robert Pearse (1777-1832) of Rehoboth in 1898. They had eight children, the eldest being Aurelia Powell (b. 1798).
James Blanding (1781-1870) married Elizabeth Carpenter of Rehoboth in 1811. They had eight children, including Nancy Augusta (b. 1816) and Abraham Ormsbee Blanding (1823-1892), who became a physician.
Susan Blanding (b. 1790) married Major Allen Hunt of Seekonk, Mass. in 1814. They had seven children, the eldest being Maria (b. 1816).
Lephe Blanding (1793-1823) lived most of her life in Rehoboth, but spent time teaching in Providence, R.I., circa 1820.
Shubael Blanding (b. 1750) and Ebenezer Blanding were the brothers of William Blanding, Sr.
Ruth Ormsbee Keich (b. 1756) was the sister of Lydia Ormsbee Blanding. She married Philip Keich (or Keach) of Killingly, Conn. in 1780.
Collection Description
The papers of the Blanding family of Rehoboth, Mass. include correspondence between physician and naturalist William Blanding (1773-1857) of Rehoboth and Attleboro, Mass., Camden, S.C., and Philadelphia, Pa.; his first wife Susannah Carpenter and second wife Rachel Willett; father William (1748-1830), a farmer, and mother Lydia Ormsbee Blanding; brothers Abraham, an attorney of Camden, S.C., and James Blanding; sisters Lydia Blanding Pearce, Susan Blanding Hunt, and schoolteacher Lephe Blanding of Providence, R.I.; and others. Correspondence includes descriptions of family matters, daily activities, health, time spent with friends, social events, education, and careers.
The collection also contains sporadic diaries, 1807-1838, account books, 1802-1806, and medical notes, including records pertaining to smallpox, kept by William Blanding (1773-1857); poetry and penmanship books kept by Lephe Blanding; manuscript maps of Vermont, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Massachusetts, Delaware, North America, and South America; deeds for land in Rehoboth, Mass. and Camden, S.C., 1775-1841; receipts and loose accounts, 1795-1841, kept by various family members, including many showing educational expenses at Rhode Island College (Brown University); and tax rolls for Rehoboth, Mass., 1808.
The diaries of William Blanding (1773-1857), kept in Massachusetts, South Carolina, and Philadelphia from 1795-1839 (with significant gaps) note daily events, weather, books read and purchased, and accounts, including expenses related to his education. Entries describe his medical training in Rehoboth, Mass.; his attendance at Rhode Island College, now Brown University (Class of 1801); and his travels, including voyages to New York State and Quebec in 1823, Catawba Springs, N.C. in 1829, and Chicago and Illinois in 1838. Blanding was also an avid naturalist, and several diaries include detailed natural history observations and drawings. The collection also contains a short diary kept by Blanding's sister Susan, 16-24 Oct. 1808, of a trip from Providence, R.I. to Charleston, N.C.
Acquisition Information
Gift of the University of Florida, Oct. 1985.
Box List of the Collection
Preferred Citation
Blanding family papers, Massachusetts Historical Society.
Access Terms
This collection is indexed under the following headings in ABIGAIL, the online catalog of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related persons, organizations, or subjects should search the catalog using these headings.