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Papers of the Hyde Family, 1825-1920, 1825-1920 | Maine Maritime Museum Manuscript Collection Online Catalog

Title:
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Papers of the Hyde Family, 1825-1920, 1825-1920

Extent:

Abstract

Creators

Administrative/Biographical History

The first member of the Hyde family known in the New World was William Hyde, who was granted land in the Hartford Colony in 1636 and is believed to be a member of the group that came to that colony with Rev. Thomas Hooker. William Hyde’s son Samuel remained in Connecticut with his family, as did his descendants for several generations.Jonathan Hyde came to Kennebec for the first time in 1792, at the age of 20, and in 1799 he moved to Bath. In 1802 his half brother Zina Hyde joined him there and they went into business together, opening the firm of Jonathan and Zina Hyde, which dealt in “general merchandise.” After some years the partnership was dissolved and Zina went into business for himself, opening a hardware and ship chandlery business under his own name. Zina Hyde married Harriet Buck in 1816, and several years after her death married again, to Eleanor Maria Little Davis, a widow. Their first child, Thomas Worcester Hyde, was born in Florence, Italy, on January 15, 1841. Jonathan Hyde became active in politics later in life, and in 1816, after several years in the state legislature, was a member of the convention that met to decide whether Maine should be separated from Massachusetts. Zina Hyde was a member of the state militia when a young man, serving in the War of 1812, and eventually promoted to brigade major. He was active in the temperance movement and was the principal founder of the Swedenborgian New Jerusalem Church in Bath. Thomas Hyde graduated from Bowdoin University in 1861, and the same year went to the new Chicago University where he studied for a year. During his time in Chicago he met Abraham Lincoln, and was present during Lincoln’s first meeting with his vice president, Hannibal Hamlin; Thomas also volunteered as an aide to Lincoln for a short time. Also in 1861 Thomas joined the Chicago Zouaves, learning military drills and formations. When his regiment was not accepted for service in the Civil War, he returned to Bath where he helped to recruit a regiment of volunteers from Maine, which became the 7th Maine regiment. Thomas began active service with the 7th Maine in 1861, and saw action at Bull Run (Manassas), Appomattox, Gettysburg, and Petersburg, among others. He was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for gallantry on 17 September 1862, following the battle of Antietam. He was present at Spottsylvania as a staff officer when General Sedgwick was killed. By the end of the Civil War, at age 24, Thomas Hyde had been promoted to the rank of brevet major general. After his return to Bath, Thomas entered the foundry business, and in 1884 he reorganized his business as Bath Iron Works. In 1889 he purchased the Goss Marine Iron Works, and after its incorporation with Bath Iron Works he entered the shipbuilding business. Bath Iron Works was the builder of the first triple-expansion marine engine in 1889, and went on to build many vessels known for their speed, such as the City of Lowell (steamer), the battleship Georgia and the first thirty-knot torpedo boats, the Dahlgren and Craven. In 1889 the Hyde Windlass Company was spun off to continue manufacture of the Hyde steam windlass and other deck machinery. Thomas Hyde remained the president of both companies until 1899. He also served as mayor of Bath and as a state senator, and was considered a possible candidate for Congress and even for the presidency. Thomas Hyde married Annie Hayden, the daughter of John and Martha Hayden of Bath, in 1866, and they had six children: John Sedgwick, Edward Warden, Ethel, Arthur Sewall, Eleanor Hayden, and Madelyn. Ethel and Eleanor were known as gifted vocalists, singing at the White House and around the northeast, and a brilliant career was predicted for Ethel until her death at the age of 28 from Bright’s disease. Arthur was also a talented musician, serving as organist and choirmaster for Emmanuel Church in Boston and later for St. Bartholomew’s Church in New York, where he was considered one of the leading church organists of the time. Arthur died in 1920 from complications related to gassing during his service in World War I. After Thomas Hyde’s retirement his sons John and Edward took over the Bath Iron Works and the Hyde Windlass Company, with each serving as both vice-president and president at various times. John was elected a state representative and state senator, and Edward served as mayor of Bath from 1901-1903.

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Scope and Contents: This collection consists primarily of journals of various members of the Hyde family of Bath and of newspaper clippings and other papers relating to family members. The newspaper clippings were saved by members of the Hyde family, some of them in a handmade folder marked “Clippings,” which can also be found in this collection (box 5, folder 9). The clippings relate primarily to the death of Thomas Hyde (box 5, folder 11 and box 6, folders 3 and 4), with some clippings also relating to the Bath Iron Works. Journals in this collection were written by Zina Hyde between 1825 and 1855 (box 1); Annie Hayden Hyde between 1857 and 1911 (boxes 2 and 3, and box 4 folder 1); Thomas Hyde from 1854 to 1855 (box 4, folder 2); and Ethel Hyde in 1898 (box 4, folder 4). In addition, a “scrap book” kept by Thomas Hyde includes thoughts and excerpts from school lessons and readings (box 4, folder 3). Annie Hayden Hyde’s journal for the year 1880 is written in French, with brief exceptions. Box 5, folder 11 contains newspaper clippings, including those related to the death of Queen Victoria and the reign of King Edward VII, as well as information on the Bath Iron Works and the launching of the Cleveland (Protected cruiser: C19). Box 5, folder 12 contains newspaper clippings on the Hyde family and the launching of the Cleveland (Protected cruiser: C19), and on activities of the cadets on the training ship of the naval academy at Annapolis. Folder 12 also contains an envelope labeled “newspaper scraps,” containing clippings of uncertain dates.