Table of Contents

Biographical Note

Scope and Content Note

Information for Researchers

Related Materials

Separations List

Administrative Information

Description

Subject Headings

Inventory of the Henry Barnard Worth Papers

In the New Bedford Whaling Museum Research Library

Biographical Note

Henry Barnard Worth, the son of Calvin G. Worth of Nantucket, Massachusetts, was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1858. After attending school in Nantucket and later at Amherst College, he taught school for four years. In 1885, he passed his bar exam and began practicing law in New Bedford, Mass., specializing in real estate law and devoting his spare time to historical and genealogical research. He was an active member of the Old Dartmouth Historical Society, contributing numerous articles to the Society's published historical sketches, as well as serving as secretary of the organization from 1913 until his death in 1923.

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Scope and Content Note

Papers of particular note arranged in Sub-group 1 of this collection are notebooks he compiled probably between the years 1890 and 1915. These volumes contain transcripts of deeds and church, court, probate, school and town records for the island of Nantucket, Mass. along with such towns as Dartmouth, New Bedford, Acushnet, Freetown, Westport, and Fairhaven, Mass., as well as genealogical notes for the years 1598-1915. Many of the deed transcripts were collected as part of Worth's legal practice and were later used to supplement his research in local history.

Also of note among Worth's papers are correspondence, legal depositions, petitions, checks, genealogical notes, general notes, and similar material relating to his and Joseph B. Macy's prosecution of the French spoliation claims, dating 1847, 1885-1906. The bulk of the material relates to the claim of George E. Tuck (1838-1901) and the dispute between his heirs as to who was the legal heir. These materials are supplemented by incoming and outgoing personal correspondence, ca.1865-1922; legal cases, 1872-1915, consisting of briefs, correspondence, court dockets, bills and receipts, notes, and related material; legal documents, including title searches and a legal opinion, 1871-1918; bills and receipts, 1888-1904, most of which appear to be related to Worth's legal cases; genealogical notes probably compiled between 1890-1920 and covering the years 1623-1919; historical sketches, 1900; research notes, 1785-1927; plats, 1750-1916; and lists, certificates, and clippings, 1809-1923.

Worth family papers in Sub-group 2 primarily consist of correspondence and estate records for members of Worth's immediate family including his parents, brother, sister, and wife, from 1809-1942. Of particular note is a letter from Helen B. Winslow Worth describing her voyage to Cuba in 1854. The final sub-group in the collection contains the papers of Henry Howland Crapo (1804-1869) which encompass an incoming business letter, 1855; surveyor of highways records, 1835, ca.1850, including volumes of road measurements; and legal documents, consisting of title searches, including deeds, correspondence, and a warrant, dating 1714-1774, 1844, and power of attorney certificates, 1851-1852.

Arrangement of Collection

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Information for Researchers

Access to Collections

Unrestricted. Consult librarian for an appointment.

Preferred Citation

New Bedford Whaling Museum Research Library Mss 59, [sub-group, series, sub-series, folder/volume as appropriate], [item]

Copyright Notice

The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted materials. The Privacy Act of 1974 (5 United States Code 552a) governs the use of materials that document private individuals, groups, and corporations.

Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a reproduction if the document does not infringe the privacy rights of an individual, group, or corporation. These specified conditions of authorized use include:

If the researcher later uses a copy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," the researcher is personally liable for copyright, privacy, or publicity infringement and agrees to indemnify the New Bedford Whaling Museum from any legal action as a result of the error. Permission to obtain a photographic, xerographic, digital, or other copy of a document does not indicate permission to publish, exhibit, perform, reproduce, sell, distribute, or prepare derivative works from the document without permission from the copyright holder and from any private individual, group, or corporation shown or otherwise recorded.

Permission to publish, exhibit, perform, reproduce, prepare derivative works from, sell, or otherwise distribute the item must be obtained separately in writing from the holder of the original copyright (or if the creator is dead, from his/her heirs) as well as from any individual(s), groups, or corporations whose name, image, recorded words, or private information (e.g. employment information) may be reproduced in the source material. The holder of the original copyright is not necessarily the New Bedford Whaling Museum. The New Bedford Whaling Museum is not legally liable for copyright, privacy, or publicity infringement when materials are wrongfully used after being provided to researchers for "fair use."

This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if fulfillment of the order is judged in violation of copyright or federal or state privacy law. This institution also places restrictions on the use of cameras, photocopiers, and scanners in the research room.

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Related Materials

Related Manuscript Collections

Mss 132: Henry B. Worth Papers

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Separations List

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Administrative Information

Provenance

The bulk of material in this collection was given to the Old Dartmouth Historical Society by Robert W. Best, Richard H. Best, and Mrs. John Kirk on 19 March 1968. A single volume was the gift of Whaling and Marine Manuscript Archives, Inc., on 9 June 1972. Additional materials may have been given by Henry B. Worth prior to 1923 while he was an active member and secretary of the Society.

Processing Information

Processed by: Barbara E. Austen, ca. 1982

Encoded by: Kermit Dewey, 07 June 2012

Funds for processing this collection were provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

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Description

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Subject Headings

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