Damon Family Papers, 1819- [ca. 1885]
Vault A45 Damon Unit 1
EXTENT: 2.5 linear feet (one box, one oversize folder)
ORGANIZATION AND ARRANGEMENT: Organized in a single file.
HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHIES: The Damons were a mill-owning family in Concord, Massachusetts. Calvin Carver Damon was born in 1803 in Amherst, N.H. and died in 1854 in Concord, Massachusetts. In 1834 he bought a cotton mill in West Concord that had been established in 1808 by Ephraim Hartwell of New Ipswich, N.H. and John Brown of Concord. Hartwell and Brown had purchased the mill property from Ezra and Lot Conant, in whose family it had been since 1714. In 1831, Hartwell’s nephew, Ephraim Hartwell Bellows sold the mill to Elisha Parks and Thomas Lord, who sold it in 1833 to James Derby of Exeter, N.H., who sold it to Calvin Damon. Calvin Damon produced a cotton and wool flannel known as domet (domett) cloth. Edward Carver Damon, a son of Calvin and Rebecca Poor Farnum of Andover, was born in 1836 and died in 1901 in Concord. He took over management of the mill business upon his father’s death. Damon Mill under Edward’s direction made cloth for Union Army uniforms during the Civil War. A wooden building of 1808 burned in 1862 and was replaced by the brick building that still stands. Edward’s brother Benjamin was briefly a partner (1866). In 1864 his cousin Henry F. Smith bought one-third interest, which continued until 1876. Edward then formed a partnership (1876-1880) with Edward P. Almy. In 1889, Edward became treasurer of the business with his son Ralph as president and the mill property was mortgaged to the Middlesex Institution for Savings. Changes in and decline of the textile industry led to ultimate foreclosure on the mill in 1898. Edward and Anne Damon were leaders in the civic and social life of Westvale in particular and Concord in general. Edward, member of many boards and committees, was a selectman, water commissioner (1872-1900), and School Committee member. He was also president of the Concord National Bank, member of the Concord Farmers’ Club, Concord Saturday Club, Concord Antiquarian Society,
SCOPE AND CONTENT: Deeds, other documents, and images related to the Damon family of Concord. Papers, 1819-[ca. 1885] include: seven deeds and related documents, 1819-1838 (certificate of sale, Roger Brown to Ephraim H. Bellows, for sale of spring of water, 1819 Nov. 25; deed, Ephraim H. Bellows to Elisha Parks and Thomas Lord, for land, cotton factory, grist mill, etc., 1831 Apr. 16; deed, Ephraim H. Bellows to Elisha Parks and Thomas Lord to James Derby, for real estate, cotton factory, and water privileges, 1833 Sept. 20; certificate of sale, James Derby to Calvin C. Damon, for “all the premises in a deed given by . . . Parks & . . . Lord to said … Derby,” and for land, house, spinning frames, machinery, fixtures, etc., 1834 Nov. 6; deed for same, 1834 Dec. 26, recorded 1835 Jan. 2; deed, James Derby to Calvin Damon, for “Bellows Factory Lot” and land in Acton, 1834 Dec. 27; deed, Ezra Conant to Calvin C. Damon, for land in westerly part of Concord, 1838 Oct. 10); two daguerreotype portraits (Calvin C. Damon, [undated]; Anne E. Hagar, [ca. 1859]); autograph note, H.D. Thoreau to Mr. Damon, with survey sketch, [undated]; passage copied from “the lecture on Greatness” by R.W. Emerson, copied in hand of Ellen Emerson, with autograph signature of R.W. Emerson, [undated]; silhouette (possibly wedding portrait) of Calvin Carver Damon and Rebecca Poor Farnham Damon, 1832 June; seven photographs ([1885]) by Alfred Munroe (two of the Old Manse, one each of Egg Rock, river view, Concord Free Public Library & view down Main Street, Munroe garden, and view from Nashawtuc Bridge).
SOURCE OF ACQUISITION: Most of collection gift of Anna M. Damon, 6 March 1995; silhouette, gift of Elsa and Ed Damon, 27 January 2004.
NOTES / COMMENTS: Some items were sent to NEDCC for conservation, encapsulation, etc., 1979.
PROCESSED BY: LPW, 1997; additional processing and finding aid, C. Manoli-Skocay, June 2006.
CONTAINER LIST
Folder 1:
Certificate of sale, Roger Brown to Ephraim H. Bellows, for sale of spring of water, 1819 Nov. 25
Oversize folder:
Deed, Ephraim H. Bellows to Elisha Parks and Thomas Lord, for land, cotton factory, grist mill, etc., 1831 Apr. 16
Oversize folder:
Deed, Ephraim H. Bellows to Elisha Parks and Thomas Lord to James Derby, for real estate, cotton factory, and water privileges, 1833 Sept. 20
Folder 2:
Certificate of sale, James Derby to Calvin C. Damon, for “all the premises in a deed given by . . . Parks & . . . Lord to said … Derby,” and for land, house, spinning frames, machinery, fixtures, etc., 1834 Nov. 6
Oversize folder:
Deed for same, 1834 Dec. 26, recorded 1835 Jan. 2
Folder 3:
Deed, James Derby to Calvin Damon, for “Bellows Factory Lot” and land in Acton, 1834 Dec. 27
Folder 4:
Deed, Ezra Conant to Calvin C. Damon, for land in westerly part of Concord, 1838 Oct. 10
Folder 5:
Autograph note, H.D. Thoreau to Mr. Damon, with survey sketch, [undated]
Folder 6:
Passage copied from “the lecture on Greatness” by R.W. Emerson, copied in hand of Ellen Emerson, with autograph signature of R.W. Emerson, [undated]
Folder 7:
Silhouette (possibly wedding portrait) of Calvin Carver Damon and Rebecca Poor Farnham Damon, 1832 June
Folder 8:
Alfred Munroe Photographs:
View from Nashawtuc Bridge
Munroe Garden
Library and the view down Main Street
Egg Rock
Old Manse
Old Manse, 1884
River view
Unfoldered (in boxes):
Two daguerreotype portraits: Calvin C. Damon, [undated]; Anne E. Hagar, [ca. 1859]
c2006 Concord Free Public Library, Concord, Mass.
Not to be reproduced in any form without permission of the Curator of Special Collections, Concord Free Public Library.