Hargrave-Davidson family papers

Collection

Identifier: D.214

Staff Only

Biographical / Historical note

Alexander Davidson was born in November of 1849 in Scotland. Alexander and his wife, Catherine F. Davidson immigrated to New York and on December 28th 1877 they gained US citizenship. Alexander and Catherine settled in Canandaigua New York where Alexander ran a coal and lumber company. The couple had four daughters; Isabella born in January 1887, Ethel born in April 1889, Catherine born in May 1893, and Alexandra born in December 1894. During the 1900 census, Alexandra’s name and gender were recorded incorrectly; the census lists her relationship to the ‘head of household’ as ‘son’ and gives the name Alexander which was later scratched over to spell Alexandria. Alexander died in 1917, and with no direct male descendants, Alexandra took control of her father’s lumber company with her sister Ethel’s support. She traveled extensively; during the late 1920s and early 1930s Alexandra spent a large amount of time in Southampton, England, as well as Cannes, France. Alexandra used many nicknames including Al, Alex, Red and Redney. Thomas Jean Hargrave was born in Nebraska in 1892 and studied to be a lawyer until the beginning of his military career in September of 1915. He joined the military as part of the Pancho Villa Expedition from 1916 till early 1917. After his service in the Mexican Expedition, he relocated to Rochester and married Catherine Davidson on December 1st 1917. The couple had five children, Jean (1919), Alexander (1920), Thomas (1924), Catherine (1927), and Richard (1929). After the wedding, Thomas was promoted to Lieutenant and drafted during World War I where he spent the majority of his service in France. After the war, he returned to Rochester to work as a lawyer and, like his sister-in-law, traveled extensively visiting Bermuda, Nassau, and England.

Scope and Contents

The majority of the Hargrave-Davidson collection consists of correspondence, although there is some memorabilia. Catherine, or Kate, wrote extensively to her husband while he was in the service and in addition to the correspondence, the collection contains a photo album from Thomas’s time as a private in the Mexican Expedition. The collection also contains correspondence to and from Alexandria, especially during her time abroad, and there are a small number of letters written in French. The bulk of the letters were written 1916-1931, however, the collection spans from 1901 to 1962.

Creator

Hargrave family (Family)
Davidson family (Family)
Hargrave, Catherine Davidson, 1893- (Person)
Hargrave, Thomas Jean, 1891-1962 (Person)
Davidson, Alexandra N., 1894- (Person)

Dates

Creation: 1901-1962

Language of Materials

English

Extent

6 linear feet

Restrictions on Access

The Hargrave-Davidson family papersare open for research use. Researchers are advised to contact the Department of Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester prior to visiting. Upon arrival, researchers will also be asked to fill out a registration form and provide photo identification.

Use

In consultation with a curator, reproductions may be made upon request. Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from a curator. Researchers are responsible for determining any copyright questions.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The provenance of the Hargrave-Davidson Papers is unknown.

Preferred Citation

[Item title, item date], Hargrave-Davidson Family Papers, D.214, Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester