Collection Summary
Elisha Hunt Allen Papers
1849-1934
(bulk 1867-1882)
1849-1934
(bulk 1867-1882)
MSS10447
Allen, Elisha Hunt,
1804-1883
2,000
items
6 containers plus 1 oversize
3 linear feet
English
Collection material in
English
Manuscript Division, Library of
Congress
Washington, D.C.
Diplomat, jurist,
lawyer, and United States representative from Maine. Correspondence, speeches
and writings, notes, photographs, printed matter, and miscellaneous material
largely concerning Hawaiian economic and political conditions, sugar
plantations and trade, Chinese labor, the Hawaiian supreme court, of which
Allen was chief justice, and the United States-Hawaiian Reciprocity Treaty of
1876.
Selected Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
People
Allen family--Correspondence.
Allen, Elisha Hunt, 1804-1883.
Allen, Mary Hobbs, 1829-1880--Correspondence.
Bishop, Charles Reed, 1822-1915--Correspondence.
Green, William Lowthian, 1819-1890--Correspondence.
Harris, Charles Coffin, 1822-1881--Correspondence.
Kalakaua, David, King of Hawaii, 1836-1891--Correspondence.
Severance, Henry W., 1828-1908--Correspondence.
Welch, Andrew, Sr., approximately 1838-1889--Correspondence.
Organizations
Hawaii. Supreme Court.
Subjects
Chinese--Hawaii.
Courts--Hawaii.
Labor--Hawaii.
Plantations--Hawaii.
Reciprocity (Commerce)--Hawaii.
Reciprocity (Commerce)--United States.
Sugar trade--Hawaii.
Working class--Hawaii.
Places
Hawaii--Commerce--United States.
Hawaii--Economic conditions.
Hawaii--Foreign relations--United States.
Hawaii--Politics and government--To 1893.
Maine--Politics and government.
United States--Commerce--Hawaii.
United States--Foreign relations--Hawaii.
United States--Foreign relations--Treaties.
Occupations
Diplomats.
Judges.
Justices, State--Hawaii.
Lawyers.
Representatives, U.S. Congress--Maine.
Provenance
The papers of Elisha Hunt Allen, diplomat, jurist, lawyer, and United
States representative from Maine, were given to the Library of Congress by Mary
Jane Allen and Frederick Allen in 1935.
Processing History
The papers of Elisha Hunt Allen were arranged and described in 1963.
The finding aid was revised in 2010.
Copyright Status
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of Elisha Hunt
Allen is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17,
U.S.C.).
Access and Restrictions
The papers of Elisha Hunt Allen are open to research. Researchers are
advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many
collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these
items for research use.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the
following information: Container number, Elisha Hunt Allen Papers, Manuscript
Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Biographical Note
Date
Event
1804, Jan. 28
Born, New Salem, Mass.
1823
Graduated Williams College, Williamstown, Mass.
1826
Admitted to Massachusetts bar
1828
Married Sarah Elizabeth Fessenden (died 1845)
1835
1840
Member, Maine House of Representatives
1841
1843
Member, United States House of Representatives from
Maine
1849
Member, Massachusetts House of Representatives
1850
1853
United States consul to Hawaii
1853
1857
Minister of finance, Kingdom of Hawaii
1857
Married Mary Harrod Hobbs
1857
1877
Chancellor and Chief Justice of the Kingdom of Hawaii Supreme
Court
1876
Negotiated the United States-Hawaii Reciprocity Treaty
1876
1883
United States minister to Hawaii
1883, Jan. 1
Died, Washington, D.C.
Scope and Content Note
The papers of Elisha Hunt Allen (1804-1883) span the years 1849-1934,
with the bulk of the material dating from 1867 to 1882. The papers consist of
correspondence, speeches and writings, notes, awards and diplomas, invitations,
passports, photographs, statistical tables, printed matter, and miscellaneous
items and are organized into the following series:
[
Family
Correspondence
](fam),
[
General
Correspondence
](genl),
[
Hawaiian Legation
Correspondence
](hawa),
[
Subject
File
](subj),
[
Miscellany
](misc),
and
[
Oversize
](over).
The
[
Family
Correspondence
](fam) contains letters from Allen to his second wife, Mary Hobbs
Allen, and a few letters to other members of the Allen family. Correspondents
in the
[
General
Correspondence
](genl) include Charles Reed Bishop, W. L. Green, Charles Coffin
Harris, Henry W. Severance, and Andrew Welch. The
[
Hawaiian Legation
Correspondence
](hawa) contains drafts and a letterbook of official letters sent
from the Hawaiian Legation. Subjects of interest covered in the several
correspondence series as well as in the
[
Subject
File
](subj) and
[
Miscellany
](misc)
include the United States-Hawaiian Reciprocity Treaty of 1876, the Hawaiian
supreme court, sugar plantations and trade, Chinese labor, and Hawaiian
economic and political conditions from 1850 to 1882.
Arrangement of the Papers
This collection is arranged in six series:
-
[
Family
Correspondence, 1849-1934
](fam)
-
[
General
Correspondence, 1857-1882
](genl)
-
[
Hawaiian
Legation Correspondence, 1877-1883
](hawa)
-
[
Subject File,
1853-1882
](subj)
-
[
Miscellany,
1867-1883
](misc)
-
[
Oversize,
1867-1880
](over)
Container List
Container
Contents
1-2
Family Correspondence,
1849-1934
1849-1934
Letters from Allen to family members including his second wife,
Mary Hobbs Allen.
Arranged alphabetically by name of family member.
1
Allen, Elisha H., Jr.,
1877-1882
1877-1882
1
Allen, Mary Hobbs
1
1849-1871
1849-1871
(7
folders)
2
1872-1880
1872-1880
(6
folders)
2
Allen, William F.,
1867-1882
1867-1882
2
Miscellaneous,
1861-1934
1861-1934
3-4
General Correspondence,
1857-1882
1857-1882
Correspondence and miscellaneous items.
Arranged alphabetically by name of correspondent.
3
Bishop, Charles Reed.,
1869-1880
1869-1880
3
Carter, H. A . P.,
1875-1882
1875-1882
3
Cheng Tsao Ju,
1882
1882
3
Frelinghuysen, Frederick T.,
1882
1882
3
Gibson, Walter Murray,
1879-1882
1879-1882
3
Green, W. L.,
1874-1881
1874-1881
3
Harris, Charles Coffin,
1857-1881
1857-1881
3
Hitt, Robert R.,
1881
1881
3
Kalakaua, David, King of Hawaii,
1876-1882
1876-1882
3
Severance, Henry W.,
1878-1882
1878-1882
3
Smith, J. Mott,
1869-1882
1869-1882
4
Welch, Andrew,
1875-1882
1875-1882
4
Miscellaneous, A-Y,
1867-1882
1867-1882
4
Hawaiian Legation
Correspondence,
1877-1883
1877-1883
Letters sent and received and letterbook.
Arranged by type of material.
4
Letters received on death of
Allen,
1883
1883
4
Letters sent, drafts,
1877-1882
1877-1882
4
Letterbook,
1877-1879
1877-1879
5
Subject File,
1853-1882
1853-1882
Treaties, trade records, and miscellaneous items.
Arranged alphabetically by subject.
5
Trade,
1857-1882
1857-1882
5
Treaties, miscellaneous,
1853-1880
1853-1880
5
Treaty, U.S.-Hawaii,
1855-1882
1855-1882
6
Miscellany,
1867-1883
1867-1883
Invitations, passports, photographs, speeches and writings,
statistical tables, and printed matter.
Arranged by type of material.
6
Biographical material
6
Commissions, statistical tables,
and letters of credence,
1867, 1874-1880
[
See Oversize
](oversz)
1867, 1874-1880
6
Invitations
6
Obituaries,
1883
1883
6
Passports
6
Photographs
6
Speeches and other
writings
6
Miscellaneous
6
Printed matter
6
Allen family
6
Hawaii
6
Portrait of Allen
6
Hawaiian royal
family
6
Miscellaneous
OV 1
Oversize,
1867-1880
1867-1880
Commissions, statistical tables, and letters of credence
Arranged and described according to the series, containers, and
folders from which the items were removed.
OV 1
Miscellany
OV 1
Commissions,
statistical tables, and letters of credence,
1867, 1874-1880 (Container 6)
1867, 1874-1880