Grace (Young) Simpson Essay Book, 1898

This collection consists of approximately 4.5 cubic feet of family correspondence, documents, photographs, ephemera, and other records from the Young, Simpson, and Hartwell families of Rochester, New York.

Young family heritage includes lineage of 19th century religous leaders with ties to Hartwick Seminary and College in Oneonta, NY. Simpson family was involved with early 20th century Rochester banking, Genesee Valley Trust Company, Eastman School of Music, and the construction of the Times Square Building. Hartwell family's 19th century heritage includes lineage of farmers from Connecticut. Hartwell family's 20th century connection to Rochester, N.Y. includes West High School, Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Reformation, Taylor Instrument Company, and Rochester Institute of Technology.

The union of the Simpson-Hartwell families occurred with the marriage of Ruth I. Simpson and Sanford I. Hartwell in 1938. These family papers were predominately collected by Ruth, Sanford, and their four children: Kimble, Susan, Sandra, and Sarah. Contents of the collection are mostly family photographs and correspondence between friends and family in the 20th century. Kimble Hartwell's family correspondence concentrates on his U.S. Navy enlistment as a musician, detailing his underways with the USS Hornet during their Apollo 11 recovery mission in 1968.

This collection was donated by Sarah Lee Hartwell after concluding her book on Rochester history tied to her family, A World in Transition: A Snapshot of Rochester, New York, 1908-1958.