Sturgis Library Archives | Joseph C. Lincoln Collection
Genealogical and Personal Document Collection
MS. 14
Inventory of the
Joseph C. Lincoln Collection
Content: Letters to his grandchildren, 50th Anniversary Booklet (1921) and some photos and postcards.
Volume: .5 Linear Feet.
Provenance: Gift from his son, Joseph Freeman Lincoln.
Restrictions: None stated
Processed by: Pamela Narbeth and Jim Haworth, 5/98
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
The Joseph C. Lincoln papers give you a glimpse of a writer who gained great popularity in the early 20th century. Described by his son as "short, fat, laughing, and infinitely friendly", this aptly describes an author who spiced his popular stories with humor, verse and color.
Joseph C. Lincoln (1870-1944) was the son of Joseph and Emily Lincoln of Brewster. His father was a Cape Cod sea captain who died when Joseph was 10 months old (see Henry C. Kittredge Maritime Collection: Captain Joseph Lincoln Papers). He grew up on Cape Cod until moving to Chelsea, Mass. as a teenager, spending his summers on the Cape.
His ancestors on both sides of the family had settled on Cape Cod in the mid 17th century. The family history greatly influenced his writings about things and people he knew and liked the best. In his own words, "I like the Cape marshes with their different greens and the cranberry bogs with their lavender shades. There is a serenity of life there and a friendliness that is nurtured by the peaceful surroundings. I love Cape Cod."
His short stories, primarily built around Cape Cod surroundings, were printed in The Saturday Evening Post. His first short story , set in Cape Cod, was accepted by the Post followed by a book of poetry called Cape Cod Ballads and his first novel, Cap'n Eri. The novel brought his immediate success and fame. He wrote over forty novels, at a rate of one or two a year, with sales ranging from 30,000 to 100,000 copies. His books today are collector's items.
Joseph C. Lincoln died 3/10/44 at the Virginia Inn, Winter Park, Florida and is buried in Union Cemetary in Chatham, Mass.
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE
The bulk of the Joseph Lincoln Papers consists of copies of handwritten letters written in humerous verse with comical cartoons to his grandchildren. They were written from 1935 to 1939, and are an excellent illustration of Joseph Lincoln's humor, poetry and storytelling. The Sturgis Library's collection are copies of the originals, which are at the Chatham Historical Society. Another example of his poetry is found in the program of the Fiftieth Anniversary party held on August 9, 1921 for Mr and Mrs. George W. Hopkins, which Lincoln wrote for them, presumeably that year.
Also in the collection are postcards of the Virginia Inn, Winter Park, Florida, where Lincoln lived in the winter, and where he died in 1944., and a newspaper clipping about the death of his associate artist Harold M. Brett in 1956.
| Box | Folder | Contents |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Letters to his grandchildren (Originals at Chatham Historical Society Inc. G 3038) , 1935 - 1939 Eleven to Anne Two to Crosby |
| 1 | 2 | Poetry for 50th Anniversary of George and Melvina Hopkins, August 9, 1921 |
| 1 | 3 | Photos: Two post cards of Virginia Inn, Winter Park, FL where Joseph Lincoln lived in the winter. Newspaper obituary of Harold M. Brett, associate of Joseph Lincoln. |