Danforth family papers, circa 1869-1904, undated

Historical/Biographical Note

Historical/Biographical Note

This collection concerns the lives and activities of the Danforth family, which consisted of Frederic, his wife Caroline, and their four children, George, Margaret, Richard, and Eleanor (see Danforth family biographies). Several items in the collection also reference Caroline’s mother Julia (Clapp) Stevens and Caroline’s three siblings, Eleanor B. Stevens, William S. Stevens, and Mary C. (Stevens) Hollingsworth. The family resided in Gardiner, Maine, with ancestors having lived in the area for several generations. The materials in the collection span from 1869 to 1904 but are mainly concentrated between 1880 and 1904. During this period, Frederic worked as a civil engineer, then as a railroad commissioner, and then served as the mayor of Gardiner from 1901 to 1902. Caroline stayed at home raising the four Danforth children but remained active in the Gardiner community, involving herself in many of the ladies’ clubs and societies of the town. The Danforth children were in school during this time, reflected in the many rewards of merit, certificates, and graduation materials found in the collection. Members of the family travelled both locally and internationally, also reflected in the collection materials. The many newspaper clippings reveal the interconnected community of Gardiner and the Danforth family’s prominent role within it.Frederic Danforth (1848-1913)

Born in Gardiner, Maine in February 1848; married Caroline A. Stevens in 1880; worked as a civil engineer and railroad commissioner; served as mayor of Gardiner 1901-1902; died in Southport, Maine in June 1913 at age 65.Caroline Augusta Danforth, née Stevens (1851-1932)

Born in Randolph, Maine in August 1851; daughter of General Caleb Stevens III, member of Maine State Legislature and Maine State Militia; married Frederic Danforth in 1880; active member of Gardiner, Maine’s Current Events Club; died in Maine in August 1932 at age 80.George Clapp Danforth (1881-1946)

Born in Gardiner, Maine in September 1881; enlisted in U.S. Army in 1901; worked as a civil engineer; married Winifred Partridge in 1917; returned to Army service during World War I, 1918-1919; died in Maine in 1946 at age 65.Margaret Danforth (1883-1959)

Born in Gardiner, Maine in May 1883; never married; died in Brookline, Massachusetts in February 1959 at age 75.Richard Stevens Danforth (1885-1962)

Born in Gardiner, Maine in July 1885; attended Dartmouth College; amateur yachtsman; relocated to California and worked in maufacturing and sales; married first Margaret Dudley Smith in 1917; married second Hilda Mary Bull in 1938; invented lightweight Danforth anchor in 1939 (widely used by the military in World War II); won transpacific yacht race in 1949; died in Alameda, California in March 1962 at age 76.Eleanor Barnard Ogg, née Danforth (1889-1974)

Born in Gardiner, Maine in October 1889; was a passenger on S.S. Carpathia when it rescued survivors of the 1912 Titanic sinking; married James Ogg in 1917; briefly lived in Hawaii with her husband before relocating back to Maine; died in Maine in 1974 at age 85.Charles Danforth (1815-1890)

Born in Norridgewock, Maine in August 1815; married Julia S. Dinsmore in 1845; served as an associate justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court from 1864 to 1890; died in Maine in March 1890 at age 74.

Sources

Materials within MS074.