William Arnold autograph collection

Collection — Multiple Containers

Identifier: 021-02

Staff Only

Digital reproductions of items from this collection are accessible via the PPL digital repository.

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of materials related to American history with a focus on Rhode Island history. The collection includes legal documents, correspondence, poems, portraits, ship’s papers, business records, and ephemera dating from 1655 to 1922.

Dates

1655 - 1922

Creator

Arnold, Frederick Augustus, 1841-1924 (Collector, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Materials are open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

PPL does not claim copyright to this collection. Users of this item are responsible for determining copyright restrictions.

Biographical / Historical

Frederick Augustus Arnold (1841-1924) was a veteran of the U.S. Civil War and a public servant for the City of Providence. He was born March 21, 1841 to Russell G. and Sarah P. Arnold. He served in the Second Rhode Island Infantry Regiment during the Civil War and later served as Secretary for the Second Regiment Rhode Island Voluntary Infantry Veteran Association. He worked in the water department for the City of Providence. Arnold gifted his collection to the Providence Public Library in the name of his ancestor, William Arnold. Frederick A. Arnold died August 8, 1924.

William Arnold (1587-circa 1767) was born June 24, 1587 in Ilchester, Somerset, England to Nicholas and Alice Gully Arnold. He married Christian Peake in 1610, and they had four children: Elizabeth, Benedict, Joanna, and Stephen. Arnold sailed with his family from Dartmouth, England to America on May 1, 1635. With Roger Williams, Arnold was one of the founding settlers of Rhode Island and of Providence. After several years, he moved and formed the settlement known as Pawtuxet, now a part of Cranston. Arnold died during King Philip’s War sometime between 1675-1676.

Extent

1.25 Linear Feet (2 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Spanish; Castilian

French

Additional Description

Arrangement

The collection is arranged alphabetically by creator, or by title if creator is unknown. .

Custodial History

Materials were acquired from Frederick Augustus Arnold who collected them. The collection was named in honor of his ancestor, William Arnold.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Frederick Augustus Arnold, 1923.

Related Materials

002-02-01 Rhode Island Manuscripts Collection 00-04 Rhode Island Ephemera Collection

Separated Materials

The William Arnold Autograph Collection is part of a larger collection of books and manuscripts dealing with American history, with a focus on Rhode Island. The entire collection was donated to the Providence Public Library in 1923 by Mr. Frederick Augustus Arnold. In an effort to support collections at other Providence libraries, the following transfers of materials were made: items representing “Americana” before the year 1801 were transferred to the John Carter Brown Library; items relating to American poetry were transferred to the John Hay Library; and publications concerning the Arnold family were transferred to the Rhode Island Historical Society. The remaining materials constitute the William Arnold Autograph Collection.