George Henry Hood papers, 1857-1895
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Summary
- Creator:
- Hood, George Henry, 1835-1913 and Hood, Etta, 1839-1913
- Abstract:
- George Henry Hood (1835-1913) was a resident of Chelsea, Essex County, Mass., and a rubber goods salesman and businessman during the latter half of the 19th century. Collection consists primarily of correspondence between Hood and his wife, Etta (Frances Henrietta) Hood, written while he was traveling on business selling rubber goods for a variety of firms. The correspondence is primarily of a personal nature, dealing with family matters and the mutual concerns of a husband and wife about being separated during his business trips. The bulk of the material dates from 1861 to 1863.
- Extent:
- 0.25 Linear Feet (1 box (88 items))
- Language:
- Materials in English.
- Collection ID:
- RL.00572
Background
- Scope and content:
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The papers of George Henry Hood span the years 1857 to 1895, although the bulk of the material falls in the period of 1861 to 1863. It consists primarily of correspondence between Hood and his wife, Etta (Frances Henrietta) Hood, written while he was traveling on business selling rubber goods for a variety of firms, including the Beverly Rubber Company of Beverly, Mass., and the Rubber Clothing Company of New York and Boston. There are also a few letters from other family members and business associates and some miscellaneous items. The letters indicate that Hood's travels took him to Philadelphia (1861), St. Louis (1862), New York (1862-1863), Washington, D.C. (1861-1863), and other places. Letters from St. Louis and Washington, in particular, contain some observations on Civil War activity in those places.
The correspondence is primarily of a personal nature, dealing with family matters and the mutual concerns of a husband and wife about being separated during his business trips. A few letters relate to the health and childhood development of Hood's young daughter, Helen. Some items are on company letterhead, and a metal token from the Hood Rubber Company (dated circa 1890s) is included in the collection.
- Biographical / historical:
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George Henry Hood (1835-1913) was a resident of Chelsea, Essex County, Massachusetts, and a rubber goods salesman and businessman during the latter half of the 19th century. Hood was born on May 30, 1835, in Salem, Massachusetts, to parents Rev. Jacob and Sophia Needham Hood. He grew up in Salem and moved to Beverly and then Boston. Hood began working for Whiting, Kehew, and Galloupe in 1854.
Hood married Frances Henrietta ("Etta") Janvrin in September 1859. Etta was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts, on June 29, 1839 to parents Dennis and Sarah Knowles Janvrin. George and Etta had several children, five which survived them: Frederic C., Arthur N., Richard P., Helen (a musical child prodigy who became a composer), and Florence Hood Whitman.
In 1859, George Henry Hood began working as a travelling sales representative for Rubber Clothing Company, a firm based in Boston and New York that specialized in providing military equipment. He also sold rubber goods for a number of other firms during and after the American Civil War, while travelling to St. Louis, New York, Washington, D.C., and other places.
Hood founded the Boston Rubber Company in 1878, which eventually merged with the United States Rubber Company in 1892. He retired in 1896 just before his sons, Frederic C. and Arthur N. Hood, established the Hood Rubber Company in Boston. Along with retaining an office in the rubber company, George Henry Hood also worked in banking and insurance, and was a director of the Manchester, N.H., Traction, Light and Power Company.
Etta Hood died on March 11, 1913, and George Henry Hood died on December 2, 1913.
Sources cited: "George Henry Hood of Hamilton," obituary in Boston Evening Transcript, 1913 Dec. 3. Bosson, Mrs. Jennie (Hood). "John Hood of Lynn, Mass., and some of his descendants" (Salem, Mass.: 1909).
- Acquisition information:
- The papers of George Henry Hood, businessman and salesman of Chelsea, Essex County, Mass., were acquired by the Rubenstein Library through three separate purchases, 1974-1986.
- Processing information:
-
Processed by: Janie C. Morris. Completed February 18, 1987. Encoded by Stephen Douglas Miller.
Revised and updated with corrected names and historical information by Meghan Lyon, February 2026.
- Arrangement:
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Materials are organized chronologically.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
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- Restrictions:
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Collection is open for research.
- Terms of access:
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- Preferred citation:
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[Identification of item], George Henry Hood papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.
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- https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/m1333c