Collection inventory

Overview of the Collection
Creator:	Goldsmith, Margaret Noyes
Title:	Margaret Noyes Goldsmith Papers
Inclusive Dates:	1849-1991
Bulk:	1875-1950
Quantity:	15 linear feet
Abstract:	Papers of the Oneida Community descendant and the Noyes family. Heavy focus on Gertrude Hayes Noyes, Margaret's mother and the daughter of John Humphrey Noyes, founder of the Oneida Community. Also papers and correspondence of Margaret's father, Charles Rutherford Noyes, general of the Ninth Infantry of the U.S. military. Description of Oneida Community experiences, and military family life in the late 19th-early 20th centuries. Correspondence 1844-1991, both original and transcript. Also diaries, memoirs, writings, memorabilia, printed material and photographs.
Language:	English
Repository:	Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries 222 Waverly Avenue Syracuse, NY 13244-2010 https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center

Biographical History

While several generations of the Noyes family are represented in this collection, the main focus is on the lives of Margaret Noyes Goldsmith and her parents. Margaret Noyes Goldsmith (1907-1994) was the daughter of Charles Rutherford Noyes and Gertrude Hayes Noyes, Gertrude being the daughter of John Humphrey Noyes, founder of the Oneida Community in 1848.

Gertrude Hayes Noyes was born in 1871 to John Humphrey Noyes and presumably his wife Harriet Holten. Gertrude spent the first 12 years of her life in the Oneida Community before moving to Niagara Falls to live with her father between 1884 and 1888. She would graduate from Teacher’s College (later part of Columbia University) in 1892, becoming a kindergarten teacher. In 1898 she married her cousin Charles. From then on Gertrude traveled extensively with her husband throughout much of his military career, which included active duty in the Spanish-American War, the Boxer Rebellion in China and World War I. Her letters detail her experiences in manila, the Philippine Islands, Nagasaki and various states in America. When Charles retired in 1923, the family settled permanently in Kenwood, NY. Gertrude spent her later life giving lectures and writing stories- some which were published- on her many experiences as an army wife. She died at the age of 79 in 1951.

Charles Rutherford Noyes was born in 1858 to a privileged family (his father Horatio S. Noyes was first cousin to President Rutherford B. Hayes), growing up in a small town near Boston. His parents were not members of the Oneida Community- on the contrary they disapproved of the social experiment. Charles entered the West Point Military Academy in 1875 and graduated with good standing in 1879. He met his cousin Gertrude for the first time in 1897, and by the time they married in 1898 Charles was 40 years old and had already spent time in the west as a lieutenant of the U.S. Ninth Infantry. Shortly after their marriage, Charles was sent off to San Fernando and later Manila for duty in the Spanish-American War from 1898-1899. He would later be severely wounded in the Boxer Rebellion in China in 1901. Charles retired from his military career in 1923 after 40 years of service in the U.S. Army. He died at the age of 71 in 1929.

Gertrude and Charles had four children. John (1901-1956), the eldest, would follow in his father’s footsteps, graduating from West Point and embarking on a military career that would tragically end in 1956 when he was killed in a plane accident while developing roads in remote parts of Alaska. Richard (1905-?) became a private pilot and engineer, having three sons. Charles (1914-1989) was the youngest, born on Governor’s Island where the family lived for two years before the outbreak of WWI. Charles graduated from Syracuse University and was later accepted into the army where he was sent to the University of Chicago. He became a meteorologist as well as an officer, doing active service in WWII. He married and had two daughters, moving back to Kenwood in his later years to do social work. He died at the age of 75 in 1989.

Margaret was the only daughter and second youngest in the family. She was born in Omaha, Nebraska in 1907 but the family made many frequent moves due to army reallocation which included living in Texas, Chicago and the Philippines by the time Margaret was 5 years old. In 1916, after spending two year on Governor’s Island, NY, her father was sent to Mexico, and since the family couldn’t follow him they settled for awhile in Kenwood, NY where Margaret became familiar with the Oneida Community Mansion House. When WWI broke out in 1917 the family was on the move again, transferring from army post to army post until around 1920 when they finally settled down for good in Kenwood. Margaret graduated from Sherrill High School in 1925 and went on to Cornell University graduating in 1929. She married Wallace Moffatt Goldsmith in 1937. They had a daughter, Anita, who would become a professional medical photographer. Margaret retired to the Oneida Community Mansion House in 1985, spending much of her later years transcribing letters between her parents and other family members while also writing memoirs of her own childhood and memories of the Oneida Community. She died at the age of 91 in 1994.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Margaret Noyes Goldsmith Papers reflect the experiences of late 19th century and early 20th century life, both for Oneida Community members and descendants, and for military families. The collection includes correspondence and other records of the Noyes family and other various families related to the Oneida Community. While the collection includes records between 1844 and 1991, there is a concentration in the period 1875-1950.

The collection is divided into eight sections based on subject or material type. These sections are further organized into categories, either alphabetically or chronologically. The first four sections include Margaret Noyes Goldsmith, Charles Rutherford Noyes, Gertrude Hayes Noyes and Correspondence subject files. The last four sections deal with material type: Newspaper clippings, Photographs, Printed material, and Scrapbooks.

The Margaret Noyes Goldsmith section includes correspondence, mainly in the period 1920-1950. A good majority of correspondence is between Margaret and her mother, Gertrude Hayes Noyes. Various memorabilia is also included and memoirs written by Margaret on her childhood and early adult life.

The Charles Rutherford Noyes section includes some biographical material compiled by Margaret, focused mainly on his long military career. There is correspondence with various members of the Noyes family and the majority of letters, photocopied from the originals, detail Noyes' years as a cadet at West Point Military Academy at West Point, NY. These date 1875-1879. Journals are also included, concentrating on Noyes' West Point years but also continuing with his later military career in Mexico, Manila, China, the Philippines, etc. Other memorabilia includes lecture notes, essays and grades from West Point Academy.

The Gertrude Hayes Noyes section includes biographical material compiled by Margaret as well, and correspondence with members of the Noyes family. The majority of correspondence is between Gertrude and her husband Charles R. Noyes, detailing life for military wives and families during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Gertrude's journals reflect many of her childhood experiences growing up in the Oneida Community and her life in Niagara Falls soon after. There are in addition many of Gertrude's writings, including essays, short stories and memoirs based on her own experiences.

Correspondence subject files consists primarily of correspondence and other records for various members of the Noyes family and other related family and friends connected with Margaret, her mother and father. Of interest is the material it contains on Gertrude's mother and grandmothers who would have seen the early days of the Oneida Community. There are several early family registers detailing members of the Community from the mid-1800's. It also includes records of Margaret's three brothers, John, Richard and Charles.

Newspaper clippings include documentation of the military life of Charles R. Noyes and the conflicts that he was involved in, such as the Spanish American War and the Boxer Rebellion in China.

Photographs are of Margaret, her immediate and extended family, and miscellaneous photos.

Printed material includes several Oneida Community publications and an official 1879 register published by the West Point Military Academy which has been transferred to the SCRC rare book collection.

Scrapbooks contain photographs and notes on the early founders of the Oneida Community, including John Humphrey Noyes, as well as the Noyes' family life.

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Arrangement of the Collection

Most series are arranged alphabetically. However there are some sections under Correspondence and Journals that are arranged chronologically.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

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Related Material

Some material has been transferred to Rare Books for cataloging, including the West Point publication titled Official Register of the Officers and Cadets of the U.S. Military Academy dated June 1875 , and one issue of the Oneida Community Quadrangle dated

See also Oneida Community Collection and the Constance Pierrepont Noyes Robertson Papers.

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Subject Headings

Persons

Corporate Bodies

Subjects

Places

Genres and Forms

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Margaret Noyes Goldsmith Papers
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of Anita M. Allen, daughter of Margaret Noyes Goldsmith, 2 Sep 2009.

Finding Aid Information

Created by: LR
Date: 21 Oct 2009
Revision history: 26 Oct 2012 - extent revised (MBD); 8 Jul 2016 - bio corrected, per information from family (MRC)

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Inventory

	Goldsmith, Margaret Noyes
Box 1		Correspondence
Box 1			Cornell University - notes from friends
Box 1			Goldsmith, Richard D.
				See also Correspondence- subject files: Goldsmith, Wallace
Box 1			Goldsmith, Wallace
				See also Correspondence- subject files: Goldsmith, Wallace
Box 1			Harper's 1939 - Black Tom Explosions
Box 1			Hayes Memorial Library
Box 1			Health
Box 1			Kappa Alpha Theta
Box 1			Melville, Maud
Box 1			Noyes, Frances
			Noyes, Gertrude H.
Box 1				1925 and earlier
Box 1				1926
Box 2				1927-1930 (4 folders)
Box 2				1932-1935 (4 folders)
Box 3				1936-1947 (12 folders)
Box 4				1948-1951 (4 folders)
Box 4				Undated
Box 4				Transcripts of letters 1920s-1940s
Box 4			Noyes, John R. (brother)
Box 4			Noyes, Lily (sister-in-law)
Box 4			Noyes, Richard and Eula (brother and sister-in-law) (3 folders)
Box 5			Oneida Community Mansion House
Box 5			Smythe, Daniel W.
Box 5			West Point Military Academy
			Miscellaneous
Box 5				1920's- 1990's (8 folders)
Box 5				Undated
Box 5		Diary 1933
Box 6		Memoirs (2 folders)
		Memorabilia
Box 6			School (3 folders)
Box 6			Miscellaneous
Box 6		Writings

	Noyes, Charles Rutherford
Box 7		Biographical material
		Correspondence
Box 7			Leonard, Dorothy B.
Box 7			Leonard, Stephen R.
Box 7			Mansion House fire 1925
Box 7			Military
Box 7			Noyes, Abbie S. (mother)
Box 7			Noyes, Edward H. (half-brother)
Box 7			Noyes, John R. (oldest son)
Box 7			Noyes, Margaret S. (daughter)
Box 7			Noyes, Richard W. (second son)
Box 7			Noyes, William S.- Genealogical Record
			Noyes, William S. and Mary (brother and sister-in-law)
Box 7				10 Dec 1876-7 Jun 1927 - originals
Box 7				20 Jun 1890-4 Aug 1919 - transcripts
Box 7			Spanish-American War
Box 7			West Point Military Academy
Box 7				1875 Aug 24-Dec 26 - photocopies of originals
Box 7				1875 Aug 24-Dec 29 - transcripts
Box 8				1875 Sep 5-Dec 29 - transcripts
Box 8				1876 Jan 2-Jul 3 - photocopies of originals
Box 8				1876 Jul 9-Dec 28 - photocopies of originals
Box 8				1876 Jan 2-Dec 31 - transcripts
Box 8				1876 Jan 2-Dec 31 - transcript duplicates
Box 8				1877 Jan 4-Dec 30 - photocopies of originals
Box 8				1877 Jan 4-Dec 30 - transcripts
Box 9				1877 Jan 4-Dec 30 - transcript duplicates
Box 9				1878 Jan 9-May 19 - photocopies of originals
Box 9				1878 May 22-Dec 18 - photocopies of originals
Box 9				1878 Jan 6-Dec (?) - transcripts
Box 9				1878 Jan 6-Dec (?) - transcript duplicates
Box 9				1879 Jan 5-May (?) - photocopies of originals
Box 9				1879 Jan 5-May (?) - transcripts
Box 9			Miscellaneous
		Journals
Box 10			1875 Jan 29- Oct 14 - West Point Military Academy
Box 10			1875 Oct 15 -1877 Dec 31 - West Point Military Academy (2 folders)
Box 10			1878 Jan 1- 1879 May 20 - West Point Military Academy
Box 10			1879 May 22- Oct 30 - West Point Military Academy
Box 10			1880 Jan 16- Apr 15
Box 10			1880 Apr 16- 1881 Dec 31 - Camp on Snake River
Box 10			1882 Jan 1- 1889 (?) - Fort Sidney Nebraska
Box 10			1890 Jul- Aug - West Point, NY
Box 10			1891 Jun-1894 Feb - West Point, NY
Box 10			1894 11 Jul - Camp on Lake Front, Chicago
Box 10			1898 Jun- Jul - Spanish American War
Box 10			1899 Jun 4- Sep 9 - San Fernando, Manila
Box 10			1917 Apr- 1919 Sep - Fort McPherson, Georgia
Box 10			1921 Dec- 1922 Sep
		Memorabilia
Box 11			General
Box 11			Notes on early railroads 1871
			West Point Military Academy
Box 11				1979 Centennial Celebration of Class of 1879
Box 11				Lecture notes and grades
Box 11				Selected letters and photos
Box 11				Writings

	Noyes, Gertrude Hayes
Box 11		Biographical material
		Correspondence
Box 11			Allen, Christine (sister)
Box 11			Atlantic Monthly - with letters from Charles Noyes, Spanish-American War
Box 11			Grandmothers Harriet Olds and Harriet Mathews
Box 11			Hinds, Mary
			Leonard, Dorothy B. (sister)
Box 11				1893-1935 - originals with transcripts
Box 11				1894-1929 - originals
Box 11				(?) 1903- 16 Feb 1921 - transcripts
			Mathews, Harriet
				See Noyes, Gertrude Hayes: Correspondence: Grandmothers
Box 12			Military
			Noyes, Charles R.
Box 12				1897 - originals
Box 12				1898 Jan - originals
Box 12				1898 Feb-Mar - originals
Box 12				1898 Mar - originals
Box 12				1898 May- Jul - originals
Box 12				1898 - transcripts
Box 12				1899 - transcripts
Box 12				1899 - transcript duplicates
Box 12				1900-1920's - originals
Box 12				1900 - transcripts
Box 13				1900 - transcripts
Box 13				1900 - transcript duplicates
Box 13				1900-1901 - transcripts of Boxer Rebellion letters, selected by Margaret
Box 13				1901- 1902 - transcripts (3 folders)
Box 13				1909- 1911 - transcripts (3 folders)
Box 14				1916-1919 - transcripts (4 folders)
Box 14				1921-1928 - transcripts (2 folders)
Box 14			Noyes, Edward H.
Box 14			Noyes, John, Richard and Charles (sons)
			Noyes, William S.
Box 14				1899-1901 - originals
Box 14				1934-1938 - originals
Box 14			Noyes, William S. and Mary 1898-1901 - transcripts
			Olds, Harriet
				See Noyes, Gertrude Hayes: Correspondence: Grandmothers
			Oneida Community
Box 15				Stone Cottage Years 1880's- 1890's - originals (2 folders)
Box 15				1890-1896 - originals with transcripts
Box 15			Miscellaneous
		Journals
Box 15			Early memories
Box 15			Niagara Falls 1885 - original
Box 15			Niagara Falls and Stone Cottage Period - transcripts (3 folders)
Box 15			Oneida Community
Box 16			1885-1888
Box 16			1900
Box 16			1900-1901 - handwritten transcripts
Box 16			1911
Box 16			1917 Apr- May
Box 16		Memorabilia
Box 16		"Memory Pictures" of Gertrude by Harriet Mathews
Box 16		Notes on family, Philippines, Petersboro
Box 16		Writings I
			Platonic Love Child-Wife The Little Room Built of Dreams
Box 16		Writings II
			Life's Ups and Downs The Test Love in the Army On the Boardwalk The Big White Giant of the Round Hill
Box 16		Writings from the Community Academy 1888
			The Community Garden Life's Ups and Downs

	Correspondence- subject files
Box 16		Allen, Hope E.
Box 16		Allen, Lillian
		Goldsmith, Richard D.
			See Correspondence- subject files: Goldsmith, Wallace
Box 16		Goldsmith, Wallace
Box 16		"Hastings Diary"
Box 16		John H. Noyes Foundation
Box 16		The Kingsley House Association
		Mathews, Harriet
			See also Noyes, Gertrude Hayes: Correspondence: Grandmothers
Box 16			Correspondence
Box 16			Diary 1855 - transcripts
		Noyes family
Box 16			Correspondence
Box 16			Inventory lists
Box 17		Noyes, Charles
Box 17		Noyes, Daniel H.
Box 17		Noyes, Eunice G.
Box 17		Noyes, "the Honorable John"
		Noyes, Horatio S.
Box 17			Correspondence 1849-1855 - original
Box 17			Diary 1856 - transcript
Box 17			Notebook 1868 (?) - transcript
		Noyes, John R.
Box 17			Correspondence
Box 17			Memorabilia - West Point
Box 17		Noyes, Lily
Box 17		Noyes, Mary
Box 17		Noyes, Pierrepont B.
Box 17		Noyes, Richard
Box 17		Olds, Harriet and Charles (2 folders)
Box 17		Oneida Association Family Register 1849
Box 17		Oneida Community
Box 17		Pomeroy, H.S. 1877 - "Memoirs of the Pomeroy Family"
Box 17		Scrapbook
Box 17		Towner, Rutherford
Box 17		Woodman, Abbie S.
			wife of Horatio S. Noyes, mother of Charles R. Noyes,
Box 17		Miscellaneous

	Newspaper clippings
Oversize 1		Originals
		Photocopies
			See also Newspaper clippings: originals
Box 18			Boxer Rebellion
Box 18			Noyes, Charles and the Ninth Infantry
Box 18			Spanish-American War
Box 18			Miscellaneous

	Photographs
Oversize 2		Goldsmith, Margaret Noyes
Oversize 2		Mansion House
		Noyes Family
Oversize 2			Extended family
Oversize 2			Group pictures
Oversize 3		Noyes, Charles R.
Oversize 3		Noyes, Gertrude H.
Oversize 3		Noyes, John, Richard and Charles
		Miscellaneous
Oversize 3			Identified
Oversize 3			Unidentified

	Printed material
		The Community Quadrangle
Box 18			Aug 1926- Jun 1929
Box 18			Jun 1929- Apr 1938
Box 18			Jul 1938- Sep/Oct 1938
Box 18		Oneida Circular 1874 Oct 5 and Oct 12
Box 18		Oneida Community Journal
Box 18			Jun 1987- Aug 1988
Box 18			Oct 1988- Mar 1990
Box 18		West Point Military Academy June 1879 - "Official Register of the Officers and Cadets of the U.S. Military Academy"

	Scrapbooks
Oversize 4		Noyes family
Oversize 5		Oneida Community members

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