When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Archive of four autograph letters signed by Rev. Robert Traill Spence Lowell (1818–1891), American Episcopal clergyman, poet, and early rector of St. Paul’s School, written to Rev. Joseph Henshaw Ward (1838–1888) – founder of St. Mark’s School – and Mrs. Ward.
The correspondence spans 1869 to 1877, covering topics from literary work and education to family life and publishing. The earliest letter (1869) is a two-way exchange on St. Mark’s School letterhead, with both Ward’s note and Lowell’s reply. Later letters from Schenectady discuss Dr. Taylor Lewis, Lowell’s poetry, and “attractive book designs from Osgood.”
All letters are penned in Lowell’s neat, fluent hand and signed boldly. Together they document an enduring friendship between two pioneering figures in 19th-century New England religious education.
4 letters (total 9 manuscript pages) | Dates 1869-1877 | Signatures: Robert T.S. Lowell (4), J.H. Ward (1)
Condition: Light toning and folds only; very fine.
Archive Summary
Archive of 4 Autograph Letters Signed (ALS) by Rev. Robert Traill Spence Lowell (1818–1891)
Addressed to Rev. Joseph Henshaw Ward (1838–1888) and Mrs. Ward, founders of St. Mark’s School.
Dates: 1869 – 1877 (Massachusetts & Schenectady, NY)
Total: 4 letters (9 pages of manuscript) — including one dual correspondence sheet (Lowell + Ward).
---
🕮 Contents
1. April 27 1869 – Dual letter on one sheet (2 pp.)
• Ward’s St. Mark’s School letter enclosing a church offertory.
• Lowell’s reply written beneath, thanking him, sending regards to Dr. William Jewett Tucker, and joking about an ink blot.
2. To Mrs. Ward, c. 1870s (2 pp.)
Friendly note inviting a summer visit, discussing book delays and mutual friends.
3. Oct 19 1876 – 4-page ALS, Schenectady, NY
Long literary letter on his “imaginative sea poem,” his son Rob at college, comparisons with Harvard’s scientific apparatus, and Osgood’s book designs.
4. June 12 1877 – 2-page ALS, Schenectady, NY
Warm personal letter about Dr. Taylor Lewis of Union College, Lowell’s latest poem, and kind regards to the Wards.
---
👤 About Robert T. S. Lowell
Episcopal clergyman, poet, and early rector of St. Paul’s School (Concord, NH); author of The New Priest in Conception Bay and Fresh Hearts That Failed Three Thousand Years Ago. Great-uncle of Pulitzer Prize poet Robert Lowell (1917–1977). These letters offer a window into the network of 19th-century New England religious educators and writers.
