Annie Haven Thwing
Encyclopedia
Annie Haven Thwing also known as A.H. Thwing and Anne Haven Thwing, was an historian and children's author.
As an historian, Thwing compiled an enormous card index of subjects related to the history of Boston
, Massachusetts
. She donated the index to the Massachusetts Historical Society
, where the cards "occupied seventy-four library drawers in the catalog room." She also created a 3-dimensional model of the town of Boston as it appeared in 1775, based on her research. The model now resides on public display in the Old South Meeting House
.
In 1920, Thwing's book on Boston history, The Crooked & Narrow Streets of the Town of Boston 1630-1822, reached the Boston Globe best-seller list. At the time, the book sold for five dollars. In addition to her work on Boston history, she also wrote about Orr's Island, Maine
, where her family maintained a residence.
In the course of her life Thwing corresponded with a number of notables, including Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
, Fanny Bowditch Dixwell Holmes, Alice James
, Charles Franklin Thwing
, Horace Howard Furness, and Edward Everett Hale
.
Thwing also contributed to charitable causes, such as the Massachusetts Infant Asylum.
Biography
Thwing's book for children, Chicken Little, with illustrations by Nelly Littlehale Umbstaetter, appeared in 1899. Contemporary advertisements for the book show Thwing as the book's distributor, from her home in Roxbury. As the title suggests, the book re-tells the old story of a chicken who believes the sky is falling.As an historian, Thwing compiled an enormous card index of subjects related to the history of Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. She donated the index to the Massachusetts Historical Society
Massachusetts Historical Society
The Massachusetts Historical Society is a major historical archive specializing in early American, Massachusetts, and New England history...
, where the cards "occupied seventy-four library drawers in the catalog room." She also created a 3-dimensional model of the town of Boston as it appeared in 1775, based on her research. The model now resides on public display in the Old South Meeting House
Old South Meeting House
The Old South Meeting House , in the Downtown Crossing area of Boston, Massachusetts, gained fame as the organizing point for the Boston Tea Party on December 16, 1773. 5,000 colonists gathered at the Meeting House, the largest building in Boston at the time.-Church :The church, with its 56 m ...
.
In 1920, Thwing's book on Boston history, The Crooked & Narrow Streets of the Town of Boston 1630-1822, reached the Boston Globe best-seller list. At the time, the book sold for five dollars. In addition to her work on Boston history, she also wrote about Orr's Island, Maine
Orr's Island (Maine)
Orr's Island is an island in Casco Bay and the Gulf of Maine, part of the Atlantic Ocean. The island is within the town of Harpswell, Maine, U...
, where her family maintained a residence.
In the course of her life Thwing corresponded with a number of notables, including Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. was an American jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1902 to 1932...
, Fanny Bowditch Dixwell Holmes, Alice James
Alice James
Alice James was a U.S. diarist. The only daughter of Henry James, Sr. and sister of philosopher William James and novelist Henry James, she is known mainly for the posthumously published diary that she kept in her final years.-Life:Born into a wealthy and intellectually active family, Alice James...
, Charles Franklin Thwing
Charles Franklin Thwing
Charles Franklin Thwing was an American clergyman and educator.-Birth:He was born in New Sharon, Maine on November 9, 1853. He graduated from Harvard University in 1876, and from Andover Theological Seminary in 1879. He then served as a pastor in churches in Cambridge, Massachusetts and...
, Horace Howard Furness, and Edward Everett Hale
Edward Everett Hale
Edward Everett Hale was an American author, historian and Unitarian clergyman. He was a child prodigy who exhibited extraordinary literary skills and at age thirteen was enrolled at Harvard University where he graduated second in his class...
.
Thwing also contributed to charitable causes, such as the Massachusetts Infant Asylum.
Works
- Chicken Little. 1899. With illustrations by Nelly Littlehale Umbstaetter.
- A List of Books for Boys and Girls to Read for Study and for Pleasure. 1909.
- The Crooked & Narrow Streets of the Town of Boston 1630-1822. 1920.
- The Story of Orr's Island, Maine. 1926.
Further reading
- Philip S. Thayer. The Thwing Collection: A Resource for Boston Genealogy. Nexus, Apr. 1985.
- Lynn Betlock. Annie Haven Thwing: Guardian of the Crooked and Narrow Streets. The Dial of the Old South Clock 7, Spring 1995.
- Len Travers. "You see I am addicted to facts": Annie Haven Thwing and the Crooked and Narrow Streets of Boston]. Massachusetts Historical Review, v.1. 1999. http://www.historycooperative.org/journals/mhr/1/travers.html
External links
- http://www.worldcat.org/wcidentities/np-thwing,%20annie%20haven$1851