Page Family

The collection is rich in medical history as one of the Page’s five children, William, graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1852 and practiced in Boston before becoming the resident physician at a resort hotel and hot springs in Las Vegas, New Mexico that was affiliated with the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad, and Fred Harvey (there are numerous letters from the Santa Fe headquarters in Topeka to Dr. Page).  There is significant information about his medical work, including his involvement with troops during the Civil War.  The experience of the twin daughters, Mary and Olive, of Benjamin and Huldah provide much insight into the lives of women, both personal and professional, during the mid to late 1800s.  The educational experiences of males and females are well documented because the five children attended Phillips Exeter Academy, Mount Holyoke, Wellesley College, Bowdoin College and Harvard.  For example, the twins received notes from classmates at Mount Holyoke encouraging them to become more Christian like in their beliefs!  Daniel Page migrated to Kansas where he became a prominent settler in the Lindsborg area, serving in the Kansas House of Representatives, and daughter, Mary, settled in Missouri.  Letters of both family members describe life in this region of the country.  Agriculture practices are documented through the lives of several members, and military history is an important segment of the collection because of family members’ involvement in the Civil War and War World I.  Cookery is represented by such items as a manuscript cookbook.  While the previous descriptions cover the years 1845-1899, the letters of Nina Page (daughter of William and Nancy Page) describe her travels and employment in several European countries.  She died in Nazi-occupied France in 1943.

Page Family Collection

Creator Source: Local Authority File
Biographical/Historical Note Author: Tony Crawford