The Stimpson Family Papers comprise the
records of several generations of the Stimpson and Watts families. These two
families have been influential members of the Bellingham community since the
early 1900s. The records in the collection reflect their community involvement
as well as the internal workings of the two families.
Repository:
Western Washington University Center for Pacific Northwest Studies
Funding for preparing this
finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historical
Publications and Records Commission. Funding for encoding the finding aid was
awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Historical Note
The Stimpson Family Papers document several generations of the
Stimpson and Watts families and their activities in the Pacific Northwest. Both
families made significant contributions to the community of Bellingham,
Washington, during the twentieth century, notably in the areas of health care,
education, and business.
Born in Northampton, England, Edward Whitmell Stimpson (1875-1960)
emigrated to the United States with his parents, John Stimpson and Caroline
(Whitmell) Stimpson, as an infant. The family lived in Chicago, western
Minnesota, and North Dakota before settling finally in the Pacific Northwest.
Edward W. Stimpson returned to the Midwest to attend medical school at the
University of Minnesota where he earned his degree in 1903. After graduation,
Edward returned to the region and established his first medical practice in
Roslyn, Washington. In 1905, he married Mabel Keown, with whom he had two
children, Edward Keown and Mabel. In 1909, following his first wife's death,
Edward married his sister-in-law Edith Keown. Together, Edward, Edith and the
children migrated to Bellingham, Washington, where he resumed his career as a
physician in 1914. In 1938, Edward married his third wife Ella Harrison. Edward
W. Stimpson died in Bellingham in 1960.
Arthur E. Watts, his wife Maud Belden Watts, and their young daughter
Ruth, moved to Bellingham, Washington from Nashua, Iowa around 1905. After
arriving in Bellingham, the Watts family grew to include three additional
children, Catharine (Kitty), Elizabeth (Betty), and Arthur Jr. Arthur Watts Sr.
began his career in Bellingham as a land agent for the Bellingham Bay
Improvement Company, and later ran his own real estate and insurance business.
Actively involved in civic affairs, Arthur was a founder and the first
president of the influential Young Men's Commercial Club. Under Watts’
leadership, the club provided the funding to create Whatcom Falls Park in 1908.
Arthur Watts Sr. died in 1930, and Maud died in 1950.
Edward K. Stimpson, the first son of Edward W. and Mabel (Keown)
Stimpson, was born April 2, 1906. He arrived in Whatcom County with his parents
at the age of seven. He graduated salutatorian from Whatcom High School in
1923, where he was student body president. He attended Reed College, Stanford
University, and graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1933.
After completing an internship in New Haven, Connecticut, Edward
returned to Bellingham, where he married his high school sweetheart, Catharine
(Kitty) Watts, and became a partner in his father's medical practice. As a
lifelong social activist in the Bellingham community, Edward served as campaign
chairman for the American Red Cross in 1934, and as a board member from 1935 to
1948. He was an early proponent of local civil defense efforts and a lifelong
advocate for public health and local hospitals. Edward served in the Army Air
Corps in England and Russia during World War II, after which he was a strong
supporter of the United Nations and United World Federalists. He was also a
member of the boards for the YMCA and the United Good Neighbors. His community
activities included involvement in the Rotary Club, the Chamber of Commerce,
American Legion, and several other recreational and service organizations.
Edward’s career in medicine led to an abiding interest in community
health issues. He helped form the first full time district health department,
was a member of the Board of Health in 1948, and medical chairman for St.
Luke's Hospital Building Committee. He maintained professional affiliations
with the Whatcom County Medical Society, the American Medical Association, was
a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and councilor of the Washington
Chapter of the American College of Surgeons. Edward was awarded the A.H.
Robbins Community Service Award by the Washington State Medical Association in
1967. In 1967, St. Luke's Hospital named its new wing for Dr. Stimpson. Edward
died in October, 1967 at the age of 61.
Born February 17, 1907, the second of four children to Arthur and Maud
Belden Watts, Catharine C. "Kitty" (Watts) Stimpson was a lifelong resident of
Bellingham, Washington. She graduated valedictorian from Whatcom High School in
1923, and attended Washington State Normal School (now Western Washington
University) and the University of Washington, where she graduated Phi Beta
Kappa in English in 1929. After graduation from Washington State Normal School,
Kitty worked briefly as a schoolteacher in Everson, Washington during the
1925-1926 school year. After her father's death in 1930, Kitty took over the
Watts family real estate and insurance business.
After their marriage in 1933, Kitty and Edward raised seven children,
Edward, Catharine, Mary, Susan, Jane, Caroline and John. Following the death of
her husband in 1967, Kitty became a nationally recognized civic leader. She
served on the boards of Whatcom Community College, St. Luke's Hospital,
Fairhaven College Advisory Council, Mount Baker Theatre Committee, United Way,
Opportunity Council, City Club, Allied Arts, City Center Development Authority,
Planned Parenthood, Women's Political Caucus, North Puget Sound Comprehensive
Health Planning Council and the American Hospital Association Regional Advisory
Board. In 1977, President Jimmy Carter appointed Kitty to the National Council
on Educational Research, the policy board for the National Institute of
Education.
Kitty Stimpson received many awards for her public service, including
the 1990 Living Treasure Award from the Bellingham Municipal Arts Commission,
1990 Citizen of the Year award from Whatcom County Association of Realtors,
1987 Woman of Distinction given by Soroptomists International of Bellingham. In
May of 1998, she was honored with a sculpture, “Zoe Garden Wall,” in Big Rock
Garden Park for her lifetime of service to the Bellingham community. Kitty died
at the age of 91 on July 29, 1998.
Content Description
The Stimpson Family papers date from 1866 to 1998. However, the bulk
of the papers date from 1920 to 1990. They comprise the records of several
generations of the Stimpson and Watts families, both of whom have been
influential members of the Bellingham community since the early 1900s. The
records in the collection reflect their community involvement as well as the
internal workings of these two prominent families.
The bulk of the material in the collection relates to Edward K.
Stimpson and Catharine C. “Kitty” (Watts) Stimpson. The collection contains a
large amount of correspondence between Stimpson family members, most notably
between Kitty and Edward from the time of their courtship through Edward's
military service in World War II. While correspondence makes up the largest
part of the papers, there are other types of records as well. Numerous
documents pertaining to Kitty's charitable and political activities throughout
the years are represented in the papers, as are educational papers of both
Edward and Kitty. Awards, plaques and honors individually given to both Edward
and Kitty are also well-documented in the collection.
The Stimpson Family papers also contain material from Edward and
Kitty's children: Edward, Catharine R. (Dotie Kate), Mary, Susan, Jane,
Caroline, and John. Among the seven children, material pertaining to Catharine
is the most abundant. These materials primarily deal with her educational
documents from high school, junior high school as well as Bryn Mawr
College.
There is also a small amount of material generated by other members of
the Stimpson and Watts families current with the lives of Edward and Kitty as
well as photographs and documents from the Stimpson and Watts families dating
back to the 1830s.
Use of the Collection
Restrictions on Access :
NOTE: The following research and publication restrictions apply to the
collection at the request of the donors:
1. The pre-1945 material is open to qualified researchers.
2. The post-1945 material is closed until January 2012.
3. All material relating to Arthur and Margaret Watts remains
closed until after their deaths.
4. All researchers must obtain permission from the family donor
committee to quote from any of the materials until 2022.
5. Access to the collection is limited to qualified researchers
for the purpose of scholarship.
6. Access to the collection for non-academic research must be
approved by a committee of donors.
Preferred Citation :
Stimpson Family papers, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies, Western
Washington University, Bellingham WA 98225-9123
Administrative Information
Arrangement :
The Stimpson Family papers are organized in accorndance with the
following series arrangement.
Series I Edward K. and Kitty (Watts) Stimpson Family,
1908-1996
Series II Edward K. Stimpson, 1906-1983
Series III Catharine “Kitty” (Watts) Stimpson, 1914-1998
Series IV Catharine R. Stimpson (Dodie, Kate), 1941-1960
Series V Mary (Stimpson) Rivkin, 1951-1958
Series VI Edward Stimpson, 1952
Series VII Watts Family, 1881-1990
Series VIII Stimpson Family Ancestry, 1866-1990
Custodial History :
The Stimpson Family Papers were donated to the Center for Pacific
Northwest Studies by Edward W. Stimpson, Catharine R. Stimpson, Mary S. Rivkin,
Susan Trimingham, Jane Bremner, Caroline MacDonald, and John K. Stimpson after
the death of their mother, Catharine “Kitty” Stimpson. The records, originally
housed in the Stimpson home, were transferred to the Center over the summer of
1998.
Detailed Description of the Collection
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in
the collection.
Series I: Edward K. and Kitty (Watts)
Stimpson Family, 1908-1996
Container(s)
Description
Dates
Subseries
1: Biographical
Materials
1940-1958
Box/Folder
1/1
Marriage
Certificate
1933
1/2
Notebook titled “My Record of
my Children” - RESTRICTED.
1940-1958
Subseries
2: Correspondence
1927-1996
Box/Folder
1/3-7/5
Correspondence from Edward to
Kitty
1927-1945
Correspondence from Kitty to Edward
1927-1945
Box/Folder
8/1-8/8
Correspondence from Kitty to Edward
1927-1931
8/9
Correspondence from Kitty to Edward
1940
8/10-15/5
Correspondence from Kitty to Edward
1942 November-1945
July
15/6
Correspondence to Edward and Kitty regarding their
wedding
1933
Correspondence from children to
family
1954-1994
Box/Folder
16/1-16/3
From Edward Watts to family and Kitty
1964-1994
16/4-18/5
From Dodie (family nickname for Catharine R.
Stimpson) to the family
1954
September-1996
19/1
Correspondence from Mary to Kitty
1980-1989
19/2
Correspondence from Mary and Steve to
Kitty
1990-1996
19/3
Correspondence from Jane and Susan: re: upcoming
weddings,
1965
April-May
19/4
Correspondence from Susan to Kitty
1983; 1989
19/5
Correspondence from Jane to Kitty
1982,; 1984
19/6
Correspondence from Caroline to Kitty
1980-1989
19/7
Correspondence from John and Joyce to
Kitty
1980-1996
20/1-22/4
Correspondence from the family to Dodie (Catherine
R.)
1940-1960
23/1-23/2
Correspondence from Grandchildren to Kitty
1980s-1990s
23/3-23/6
Correspondence from Mabel (Edward’s sister) to Kitty
and Edward,
1945
September-1963
24/1
Correspondence from Edward and Kitty to the
children
1942,; 1949,; 1954
24/2-24/3
Notes and Cards to Kitty and Edward on the birth of
their children
1934/1942
24/4
Notes and Cards from Edward to Kitty
circa
1940s-1950s
24/5
Notes and Cards from the children to
Edward
circa
1940s-1950s
24/6
Notes and Cards from the children to Kitty
circa 1940s-1950s
24/7
Notes and Cards-Sympathy cards and letters to Edward
and Kitty on the death of Edward Whitmell Stimpson
1960
April
24/8-24/9
Notes and Cards-Sympathy cards and letters to Kitty
on the death of Edward
1967
October
24/10
Notes and Cards-from bouquets on the death of
Edward,
1967
October
25/1-25/6
Notes and Cards-Sympathy cards and letters to Kitty
on the death of Edward
1967
October-1968 January
25/7
Memorial Donations made to the American Cancer
Society
1967
October
Subseries
3: Photographs
All of Subseries 3 is restricted until January 2012
1908-1996
oversized
26
Stimpson Family Portraits
1931-1953
Stimpson Family Individual
Portraits
1930s-1970s
Box/Folder
27/1
Edward K.
1941-1965,; undated
27/2-27/3
Kitty
circa
1908-1915,; circa
1920s-1980s
27/4-27/5
Edward Watts
1935-1950s; circa
1980-1996
27/6-27/7
Catharine R. (Dodie)
1937-1958,; circa
1960s-1970s
27/8
Mary
1938-1974
27/9
Susan
1940-1950s
27/10
Jane
1942-1950s
27/11
Caroline
1947-1950s
27/12
John
1950s
28/1
Stimpson family photo on metal plate
1950s
28/2-28/3
Stimpson Family Snapshots
1930s-1960s
28/4-28/5
Stimpson Family Negatives
1930s-1940s
28/6
Family and Friends Negatives
1960s-1980s
28/7
Kitty with Family and Friends
1960s-1990s
28/8-28/10
Stimpson Family and Friends
1940s-1990s,; undated
28/11
Miscellaneous
undated
Subseries
4: Scrapbooks
All of Subseries 4 is restricted until January 2012
1941-1972
Family
Scrapbooks
1941-1972
Box/Folder
29/1
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
1941
29/2
Family Scrapbooks
1951-1959
29/3
Family Scrapbooks
1960
Spring-1972 January
29/4
Family Scrapbooks
1972 Fall
29/5
Family Scrapbooks
circa
1950s
oversized
30
Family Scrapbooks
1958-1967
Subseries
5: Material
about the Stimpson Children
All of Subseries 5 is restricted until January 2012
1960s-1990s
Box/Folder
31/1
Edward
circa
1960s-1990s
31/2
Lock of Catharine's hair
undated
31/3-31/6
Catharine R. (Dodie)
1970-1994
31/7
Mary (and her husband Steve Rivkin)
circa
1980-1997
31/8
Susan
circa
1980s-1990s
31/9
Jane
1987,; undated
31/10
Caroline
1973,; 1986
31/11
John's birth certificate
1950
31/12
John
circa
1980s
31/13
Articles and Announcements about Stimpson children,
circa 1980s-1990s
Subseries
6: Business and
Financial
1928-1970
Box/Folder
32/1
Insurance Papers (property)
1928-1967
32/2
Sale of Highland Dr property
Folder 32/2 is restricted until January 2012
1969-1970
32/3
Bank Statements
1933
November-1934 December
32/4-32/15
Bank Statements and Cancelled Checks
1937
October-1944 December
33/1-33/13
Bank Statements and Cancelled Checks
All of Box 33 is restricted until January 2012
1945
January-1949 December
34/1-34/10
Bank Statements and Cancelled Checks
All of Box 34 is restricted until January 2012
1950 January-1953
April
35/1-35/10
Bank Statements and Cancelled Checks
All of Box 35 is restricted until January 2012
1953 May-1956
November
Subseries
7: Travel
All of Subseries 7 is restricted until January 2012
1963-1966,;
undated
Box/Folder
35/11
Journals
1963
June-July,; 1966 July
36/1
Wales
1966
36/2
Shrewsbury, Chester, Oxford, Windsor, and Salisbury
1966
36/3
London
1966
36/4
Chichester
1966
36/5
Lavenbaum
1966
36/6
Dorer Castle, Rochester Castle, and Kentish
Coast
1966
36/7
Hastings
1966
36/8
Arundel Castle, The Roman Villa at Bignor Sussex
1966
36/9
Canterbury
1966
36/10
Norwich Castle
1966
36/11
Winchester, Dartmoor, Selworthy, and Bath
1966
36/12
Travel Guides
1963,; 1966
36/13
Maps of Britain
undated
Subseries
8: Dreamhouse
(never built)
All of Subseries 8 is restricted until January 2012