William Canton's Letters to Miss L., 1913-1916
General International Standard for Archival Description
Mortimer Rare Book Room Smith College Northampton, MA
Finding aid encoded in NoteTab Pro. Encoded by Margaret Jessup. 2008-07-01
Encoded Archival Description
Encoded Archival Description (EAD) Version 2002
collection
William Canton's letters to Miss L
Creation of William Canton's letters to Miss L
Time of Creation of William Canton's letters to Miss L
Canton, William, 1845-1926
Biographical History for: William Canton's letters to Miss L
Historical Note William Canton was an English poet and journalist born October 17, 1825, on the island of Chushan, China where his father was in the British colonial civil service. His parents were Thomas Canton and Mary Thomas. After his father's death in Jamaica William was educated in France and briefly studied for the Catholic priesthood at the Benedictine College in Douai; his family were Catholics. Subsequent to the studies at the Benedictine College he left the Catholic Church and became a Protestant. Settling in London in 1867 Canton taught and worked as a journalist. In 1874 he married Emma Moore. Their daughter, who died in 1877, was commemorated in a prose work The Invisible Playmate (1894) and was the first prose work to bring him recognition. Emma died in 1880. Canton moved to Glasgow in 1876 and worked as an editor in various capacities. He married Annie Elizabeth Taylor in 1882. A daughter, Winifred Vida, was born in 1890 and a son, Guy Desmond, in 1896. In 1891 Canton returned to London as the general manager to the publishers Isbister & Co. and over time became editors of various magazines. In 1901 Winifred died. That same year he began the writing of the History of the British and Foreign Bible Society, a work that took him nine years. He also wrote many popular books for the Bible Society as well as published poems and stories in various publications. He died May 2, 1926 at Hendon, London, where he has lived since 1912. Miss L (Alice Lachmund) had initiated a correspondence with William Canton apparently in response to his writings. The letters she received from William Canton, as well as a letter from Mrs. Canton and Guy, were written between 1913 and 1916. Before giving the letters of William Canton's to Smith College Miss Lachmund had blackened out her name leaving only "Miss L." The letters were given as an anonymous gift. Alice Lachmund (February 10, 1877-January 10, 1973) was born in St. Louis, Missouri to Charles and Fanny L. Lachmund. She was initially a member of the Class of 1899 of Smith College however she did not graduate from Smith. She did receive a Ph.B. from the University of Chicago and apparently taught home economics in the St. Louis school system. Lachmund did author an unpublished work entitled, The Naffz Family History (1960?).
The William Canton letters to Miss L were an anonymous gift to Smith College Mortimer Rare Book Room in June 1953. The Miss L of the letters and the gift donor was Alice Lachmund. Prior to the letters coming to Smith College, Lachmund had blacked out her name on the letters and envelopes leaving only "Miss L."
Scope and Contents of the Collection The William Canton Letters to Miss L consists of the following: Series I. William Canton's letters to Miss L: Canton's letters to Miss L were written between 1913 and 1916. Series II. Photographs: There are photographs of William and Annie Canton and of their daughter Winifred. Also included are photographs of Alice Lachmund (Miss L) and her sister, identified only as D. Series III. Miscellaneous items: The miscellaneous items include some postcards, a map of London, and the obituary of William Canton.
The collection is open to research according to the regulations of the Mortimer Rare Book Room.
The William Canton letters to Miss L are the physical property of the Mortimer Rare Book Room, Smith College. Literary rights, including copyright, belong to the authors of the works or their legal representatives.
Processed by Melvin Carlson, Jr., 2007
lcnaf
Lachmund, Alice, 1877-
Canton, Annie
Canton, Guy Desmond, 1896-
series
SERIES I. William Canton's letters to Miss L
Letter, 9 Audley Road, Hendon, London N.W. to Miss L in Paris 1913 Jul. 19, 11
Letter, 119 Audley Rd., Hendon, N.W., from Guy D. Canton with added lines from William Canton to Miss L in St. Louis, Mo. 1914 Apr. 14
Letter, 19 Audley Rd., Hendon, N.W., from Annie Canton to Miss L in St. Louis, Mo. 1914 May 81
Letter, 19 Audley Road, Hendron, London, N.W. from William Canton to Miss L 1914 Jun. 51
Letter, 19 Audley Road, Hendron, London, N.W. from William Canton to "Right Loyalist." 1915 Jul 21
Letter, 19 Audley Road, Hendron, London, N.W. from William Canton to Miss L. 1915 Jul. 21
Letter, 119 Audley Road, Hendron, London, N.W. from William Canton to Miss L 1916 Jan. 16
Letter, 119 Audley Road, Hendron, London, N.W. from William Canton to Miss L 1916 Mar. 20
Letter, 9 Audley Road, Hendron, London, N.W. from William Canton to Miss L. 1916 Jun. 1911
SERIES II. Photographs
Winifred Vida Canton.Photograph identified in William Canton's hand on the verso and dated Oct. 1900
William Canton, by F. A. SwainePhotograph of Canton in a folder. On the back of the folder Canton has signed and dated it, 1914 Jun. 1
William Canton
Annie Canton. n.d.
D.Photograph of Miss L's sister, dated May 1915
Miss L. Photograph of Miss L in rather formal attire in an outdoor setting, dated June 1915
SERIES III. Miscellaneous items
The Bible in the World," by William Canton. Article from an unknown magazine May 1917
Map of London and vicinity, n.d.
Postcards of the Main Entrance to the British Museum and the Mausoleum Room. Also a note in Miss L's hand on a British Museum envelope
Postcards from Kensington Gardens: the Round Pond and Kensington Palace
Obituary of William Canton. Clipping from The Times (London), Monday, 1926 May 3