George J. Mitchell Department of Special Collections & Archives

Bowdoin Family Collection, 1687-1996

5.50 linear feet.

Catalog Number: M15

Series List:

• Correspondence, 1730-1848
  0.25 linear feet.
• Documents & Wills
  0.25 linear feet + 1 folio box
• Sarah Bowdoin Diary, 1806-1808
  0.25 linear feet.
• Realia 2.0 linear feet
• Biographical Materials, 1806-1987 0.25 linear feet.
• Genealogical Materials
  0.75 linear feet
• William Bowden Genealogical Notes, 1886-1996
  0.75 linear foot.
• Walett Biography of Gov. Bowdoin Material
  0.5 linear feet.
  
• Images
  0.5 linear feet.
  

Agency History / Biographical Note:
This collection concerns four generations of the Bowdoin family of Massachusetts. The principal members are Pierre Baudouin (1650?-1706), progenitor of the family in America; James Bowdoin (1676-1747), Boston merchant; James Bowdoin II (1726-1790), Governor of Massachusetts; and James Bowdoin III (1752-1811), benefactor of the College.

Pierre Baudouin, a Huguenot immigrant possibly from La Rochelle, France, left Europe ca. 1686 and, after a short stay in what is now South Portland, Maine, arrived in Boston by 1690. There he became a successful merchant and ships' captain. His wife, Elizabeth Bowdoin (1643?-1720), was the first to use the modern spelling of the family name.

James Bowdoin I became one of the wealthiest merchants in Massachusetts and added extensive lands and real estate to the family's holdings. (The three James Bowdoins did not use roman numerals in referring to themselves; they are used as a convenience by the College and historians).

James Bowdoin II extended the family's businesses, wealth and holdings. As a member of the Massachusetts Council he was appointed to lead the Massachusetts delegation to the Continental Congress, but he failed to attend because of ill health. He also served as president of the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention and was the second governor of the Commonwealth (1785-1787), serving during Shay's Rebellion. He was an avid amateur scientist, a founding member and first president of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the author of several tracts, including A Short Narrative of the Horrid Massacre in Boston....

James Bowdoin III continued the family's businesses, though his personal interests ran more toward land management and agriculture. He was involved in Massachusetts politics from 1786 to 1796 and was Jefferson's Minister Plenipotentiary to the Court of Spain and Co-commissioner to France from 1805 to 1808, living in Paris. Bowdoin College, named for his father, was greatly enriched by his gifts and bequests, which included funds, lands in Maine, and his book, scientific and art collections. He and his wife, Sarah Bowdoin (1761-1826), who accompanied him to Paris, had no children.

Scope and Content:
The collection consists primarily of correspondence, both personal and professional, as well as business, financial, and political documents, including wills and other materials concerning the Bowdoin estate. Also included is the diary of Sarah Bowdoin, which documents her and her husband's stay in Paris from 1806 to 1808, and a number of realia, including two waistcoats of James Bowdoin III and scientific instruments used by James Bowdoin II. The collection is supplemented by genealogical materials concerning the Bowdoin family collected by Bowdoin College and William Bowden, as well as the manuscript for the unpublished biography of James Bowdoin II by Francis Walett and images of family members.

Cite as: Bowdoin Family Collection, George J. Mitchell Department of Special Collections & Archives, Bowdoin College Library.
Access Restrictions: None.