Table of Contents

Historical Note

Scope and Content Note

Information for Researchers

Separations List

Administrative Information

Collection Inventory

Subject Headings

Inventory of the Rachel Barrows Wing Papers

In the New Bedford Whaling Museum Research Library

Historical Note

Rachel Barrows Wing (nee Barrows) was born in 1887. She was born to John H. and Laura E. Barrows. She married Edward H. Wing in 1908. They had two children, Allan B. Wing and Edward H. Wing. She was actively involved with many groups in New Bedford, such as the Mother’s Club, the YWCA, and the 8 Belles. She taught Sunday school and also led a mothercraft class in New Bedford. Rachel Barrows Wing died in 1973.

Her husband, Edward Howland (Ned) Wing (1885-1968) was born to Charles F. Wing and Annie Tripp. He became part of his father’s company C.F. Wing Company. Ned became president of C.F. Wing Company in 1942. He was also vice-admiral of the New Bedford Yacht Club. He was a property owner who rented a cottage in the summer for guests.

Allan Barrows Wing (1916-1988) was the eldest son of Rachel Barrows and Edward H Wing. He attended Dartmouth College. He worked for C.F. Wing Company. He married Mary on February 18, 1945. They had two children Allan Barrows (Barry) on August 19, 1946, and Janet Wing in July 1951.

Edward H. Wing Jr. (1917-1998) was the second son of Rachel Barrows and Edward H. Wing. He attended Mount Tabor Academy and Hobart College. He worked for C.F. Wing Company.

Laura E. Barrows (1860-1933) was Rachel Barrow Wing’s mother and the daughter of Robert Allan and Laura Davis. She was married to John H. Barrows. In addition to Rachel, they had two other daughters: Sarah D. Brown (nee Barrows), who married in 1914, and Laura D. Richards (nee Barrows) who married Thornton Richards. She had one son, Thornton M. Richards Jr, who served in World War II as a pilot in the Air Force, and eventually became a Captain. He married Marion Browne in 1943. They had three children: Thornton M. (Tony) Richards III, Peter Hamilton Richards and Christopher Davis Richards.

Edward H. (Ned) Wing had one brother, Richard Lyman Wing. He was born in 1888 to Charles F. Wing and Achsah Tripp. He married Alice.

Lyman Wing is Edward H. Wing’s grandfather. He was born in 1824. He was the son of John Wing Jr. and Rebecca Slocum. He married Hannah Howland. He rose through the whaling industry. He was the captain of the Brunswick (Ship), the Fabius (Ship) and the James Murray (Ship). He retired from the industry in 1862. He had 4 children. He died in on December 20, 1891.

John Wing was Lyman Wing’s father. He was born in 1797. He married Rebecca Slocum on March 16, 1820.He also married Mehitable Gifford on October 2, 1834. He had 6 children. He died March 13, 1869.

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Scope and Content Note

This collection contains the papers of the Wing family and the Barrows/Allan/Davis Family. The collection begins with paper relating to the Wing Family. The papers of Rachel Barrows Wing are represented, as well as the business and land deals of John Wing and Lyman Wing. Also present are the papers of the Barrows/Allan/Davis family. They contain the papers of Laura E. Barrows and Robert Allan.

The Wing Papers correspondence consists of one letter to Lyman Wing and the diaries of Rachel Barrows Wing. These diaries span from 1908-1956 and begin the year she married, covering her marriage and family, discussing her husband, her two sons Allan and Edward, and eventually her two grandchildren Allan (Barry) and Janet. She discusses her extended family, her sisters Laura D. Richards, and Sarah D. Brown and her brother Allan Barrows, and her parents, in addition to her health issues, and daily life. She also discusses major world events and chronicles the issues on the home front in New Bedford during World War II.

The Wing Papers’ legal documents are divided into estate records and deeds/taxes, spanning from 1814-1870. The bulk of the estate records involve the estate of John Wing from 1869 to 1870, while there is also a release of a bond for John Wing and David Gifford from overseeing the estate of Zephoniah Buffington by the Quaker council in 1814. The Wing Papers deeds/taxes contain three of John Wing’s land transactions, a transaction made by Nathanial Chase, and an undated list of tax owed by men in town from how much land they received that included John Wing.

Financial papers related to the Wing family span from 1856-1870. The bulk of the legal and financial papers involve the estate of John Wing from 1869-1870. These papers also include account books, bills, and receipts. The bulk of the bills relate to John Wing, while the account book is for the James Murray (Ship), dated 1859.

The Wing papers also have a framed Quaker marriage certificate from 1704. The back contains an inscription for Rachel and Edward Wing. There is also a printed sermon that is undated.

The Barrows/Allan/Davis papers include correspondence, legal papers, and genealogy materials. The correspondence is to Laura E. Barrows concerning the grave she purchased.

The Barrows/Allan/Davis legal papers relate to Robert Allan and consist of several different materials, divided into subseries. The first of these subseries consists of the depositions which were taken in 1831 for a court case involving the lands Robert Allan would eventually buy. The deposition was of Abigail Howland and concerned the marriage of Giles and Rebecca Slocum.

The Barrows/Allan/Davis papers also contain deeds, which comprise the second subseries. These deeds show the transfers of this land, to the point Robert Allan bought it in 1873. After his death it was then transferred to his daughter Laura E. Barrows. The other part of the land deeds concerns the grave that Robert Allan purchased for himself in New Bedford Rural Cemetery in 1872, and then payment for upkeep in 1919.

Wills and testaments relating to Barrows/Allan/Davis papers comprise the third subseries, and pertain mostly to Laura E. Barrows and her planning for death. There is her will, her codicil written later, and the valuation of her estate.

The Barrows/Allan/Davis genealogy papers were mostly compiled by a cousin of Rachel Barrows Wing, Lawrence Perry in 1950. These papers mostly relate to the Davis family, from William Davis in 1686 to Rachel’s mother Laura. Also present is a booklet that lists births and deaths in the Allan and Gates families from 1756 to 1858.

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 146, [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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Separations List

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Administrative Information

Provenance

Materials in this collection were donated to the New Bedford Whaling Museum Research Library in 2005 by Allan B. Wing Jr. as part of Accession #2005.14.

Processing Information

Processed by: Rebecca Sandler, 2015

Encoded by: Kristi Mukk, 27 September 2020

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Collection Inventory

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Subject Headings

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