FINDING AID FOR THE RUTH BLACKINTON BROWNE COLLECTION
AT THE NORTH ADAMS PUBLIC LIBRARY
VOLUME: Four (4) Linear Feet in 11 document boxes, maps in Flat Files.
DATES: 1800 - present
ACQUISITION: Estate of Ruth B. BROWNE
ACCESS: Access to these materials by appointment.
COPYRIGHT: Requests for permission to publish material from this collection should be discussed with the Special Collections Librarian.
This extensive collection, donated by the estate of former Library Director Ruth Blackinton Browne and including much material collected by her father, William Blackinton Browne, contains photographs, both personal and genealogical correspondence, memoirs, deeds and legal papers, newsclippings, manuscripts, journals, scrapbooks and maps. Many of the maps have been removed to the Special Collections flat file (FF). The collection also contained numerous post cards which have been removed and added the Postcard Collection, and are listed in its database; and materials on the Hoosac Tunnel, which have been relocated to boxes with the Hoosac Tunnel Collection and listed in that collection’s finding aids. All are attributed to the R. B. Browne Collection.
HISTORICAL NOTES:
Ruth Blackinton Browne was born in North Adams on July 17, 1913 to William Bradford Browne and Ruth Harriet (Blackinton) Browne. Her father, who served for many years as the Northern Berkshire Register of Deeds, was an avid local historian and highly respected genealogist who wrote numerous pamphlets and articles about the area. She graduated from Drury High School in 1931, and attended Simmons School of Library Science in Boston, receiving her B.A. in 1937. She served as the North Adams Public Library’s Children’s Librarian from 1938 to 1941. She then left the community to become Children’s Librarian at the Providence, RI. Library (1942-1944) and the Schenectady, NY library (1945-1950). She returned to North Adams in 1951 to care for her parents. She served as Head Librarian of the North Adams Public Library from 1955 to 1976. She died March 22, 2002. In addition, she was very active in the Congregational Church, Hoosac Tunnel Centennial Committee, Historical Commission, Main Street Beautification project, Council on Aging and Salvation Army Advisory Board.
Ms. Browne was a collateral descendant of Sanford Blackinton, builder of the Houghton Mansion in which the library is housed, and Gov. William Bradford, governor of the Massachusetts Plymouth Colony. Her father was son of Charles A. Browne, who invented the electric fuse used in construction of the Hoosac Tunnel.
MATERIALS – GENERAL DESCRIPTION:
The collection contains items that were in the personal possession of Ruth Blackinton Browne and donated to the North Adams Public Library after her death in 2002. Some of what she had belonged to her father, William Bradford Browne, who was an avid genealogist and local historian. Among the collection are original notes and deeds dating from the 1800s (some but not all have been specifically identified), many old family photographs, and correspondence from family members dating from the 1800s. There is a collection of items relating to Elihu Hawkes, a local doctor who also had connections with the First Congregational Church. There are many original deeds and notes in connection with property he owned and miscellaneous manuscripts that Hawkes had written. There is much valuable genealogical information that William Bradford Browne had collected and compiled, included are old newspaper accounts and obituaries. As often as possible, the family names are identified in this finding aid. Many have connections to the local history.
Ruth Browne was an active member of the First Congregational Church and collected many items of interest regarding the history of the church as well as the Church’s Coral Club. In addition, Ms. Browne served on several reunion committees for Drury High School and collected information for the classes of 1912, 1925 and 1931, including pictures. Because Ruth was also a librarian at the North Adams Public Library (1955 – 1976), she collected information on the library itself. This includes numerous newspaper articles over the years.