2005.010.032

Biographical Note

Alexander B. Bruce was born in Scotland on September 17, 1853. As a child he and his family settled in Andover, Massachusetts. At the age of 15 he worked in the Smith & Dove Mill and later was employed by Jonathan P. Kent, a cracker manufacturer of Lawrence. In 1882 he entered a partnership with the Jonathan P. Kent, changing the name to Kent & Bruce. Eventually he became the owner. By 1889 he sold the plant. He served as president of the Lowell, Lawrence & Haverhill Street Railway Company as well as the Warren, Brookfield & Spencer Railway. He also served as director in the following; the Boston & Worcester Railway, the Boston & Northern Street Railway, the Citizens' Railway of Newburyport, the Providence & Fall River Street Railway, the Merchants National Bank of Lawrence and the Central Oil Company. He was vice president of the Wildey Savings Bank of Boston. His political career as a democrat began in 1884, when he became an alderman for Ward 5 in Lawrence. At the age of 32, he served as mayor of Lawrence from 1885-1886. He ran for governor in 1898 and Congress in the fifth district in 1902 but was defeated in both attempts. He was also involved with numerous lodges, and clubs. He was married to Mary Hannah Mitchell, b.1853 - d.1941. They had one child David Bruce. Alexander B. Bruce died of typhoid fever September 6, 1909.The Alexander B. Bruce School of Lawrence on Ames St. was named in honor of Alexander Bruce in 1909. This school burned down in a 1951 fire, and a new school was built in 1952 and dedicated to him.

Charles Wainwright born 1843 in Burlington Vermont. Wainwright served in the Civil War in a Vermont regiment and was sent to Virginia with the Army of the Potomas. He also took part in the Gettysburg campaign. After the war he went to a commercial school and was employed in a Boston firm. He then became employed as paymaster for at the Arlington Mills, a post he held for fifty years. In 1877 Wainwright started the Arlington Christian Association later known as the Y.M.C.A Wainwright married Emma Elizabeth Cushman b.1845 – d.1937. They had three children: Carrie Emma Wainwright, Frederick Charles Wainwright, and Lillian May Wainwright. Charles Wainwright died in 1934.

David Bruce b. January 1, 1871, was the son of Alexander B. Bruce. He graduated from Lawrence High School in 1889 and attended business school. In 1895, David Bruce was superintendent of the Union Truck Line of the Northwestern General Electric Company in Seattle, WA. During the Gold Rush Bruce was located in Alaska where he owned a parcel of land. In 1902 Bruce returned to Massachusetts. He was superintendent of the Haverhill division of the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway Company. Subsequently, he was transferred to the Lawrence division as superintendent. Bruce was superintendent of sanitation between 1925 and 1955. Bruce married Carrie Wainwright, daughter of Charles Wainwright, in August 9, 1893. Carrie Wainwright was president of the Lawrence Y.W.C.A., director of the International Institute, and active in the Red Cross and Community Chest. She died 1950. They had five children; Alexander Bern Bruce, Helen Bruce, Lillian Cushman Bruce, Edith Young Bruce and Donald Wainwright Bruce. David Bruce died March 31, 1967.

Alexander (Alec) Bern Bruce, eldest son of David Bruce, was born May 3, 1894. He graduated from Phillips Academy in 1911 and Harvard University in 1915. He was an instructor in Mathematics and Assistant in Chemistry at Phillips Academy. In 1917, during WWI, Alec organized a group of students and instructors for the ambulance unit in France. He served as an ambulance driver for the American Ambulance Field Service in France, eventually becoming a pilot. He was a member of the Lafayette Escadrille and the 94th Aero Pursuit Squadron. Alec died August 17, 1918 while engaged in combat with German planes over France.

Lillian Bruce b.1897- d.1994 was physical director and coach of the women's basketball team at the Lawrence Y.W.C.A. in 1921.

Scope and Content Note

The bulk of the collection includes numerous newspaper clippings on the political life and community involvement of Alexander B. Bruce, Charles Wainwright, and David Bruce from various local newspapers such as the Boston Herald, Boston Daily Globe, and Lawrence Daily Eagle. There are also clippings of Alec Bruce's letters from World War I which were published in the Lawrence Eagle Tribune, along with various general articles about World War I. Alec's original letters of his World War I experience are also retained in the collection. There are photographs of the Bruce family, their home, as well as students of Phillips Academy. This collection also includes Charles Wainwright's daily diary from 1872 which documents personal life and work life at Arlington Mills, as well as David Bruce's claim agreement between Alfred J. Bates with M.H. Young on the Yukon River. There are four scrapbooks, one of which documents Alec's life as a baby into high school. There are also three books: Immigrant City: Lawrence, Massachusetts 1845-1921 by Donald B. Cole, The Massachusetts Register from 1856 by George Adams, and Lawrence Up To Date 1845-1895 published by Rushforth and Donohue Star Office.

Arrangement

This collection is organized into the following nine series:
Series I. Charles Wainwright Materials, ca. 1860 – ca. 1924
Series II, David Bruce Yukon Papers, ca. 1897 – ca. 1909
Series III, Mr. & Mrs. David Bruce Papers, 1924 – 1955
Series IV, Alec Bruce Papers and Newspaper Clippings, ca. 1912 - ca. 1923
Series V. Newspaper Clippings, ca. 1865 – ca. 1909
Series VI. Photographs, ca. 1893 – ca. 1940
Series VII. Photo Album, ca. 1890 – ca. 1918
Series VIII. Scrapbooks, 1974 – ca. 1920
Subseries 1, Alexander B. Bruce, ca. 1882 – 1909
Subseries 2, Bruce family, ca. 1909 – 1957
Subseries 3, Alec Bruce, ca. 1916 – ca. 1920
Subseries 4, Alec Bruce 1874 – 1911
Series IX. Books

Series I. Charles Wainwright Materials, ca. 1860 – ca. 1924
Box 1, folder 1
This series includes Charles Wainwright's daily diary from 1872, in which he documents his personal life as well as work life at Arlington Mills in the diary. There is also correspondence to his daughter Emma in 1898, a will from October 21, 1924, a speech written for February 16, 1860, and a family tree of the Wainwrights.

Series II. David Bruce Yukon Papers, ca. 1897 – ca. 1909
Box 1, folder 2
This series consists of a telegraph from M.H. Young to Alexander Bruce from Seattle, a clipping on David Bruce's gold rush story, and two copies of a agreement between Alfred J. Bates and M.H. Young regarding a claim in the Yukon.

Series III. Mr. & Mrs. David Bruce Papers, 1924 – 1955
Box 1, folder 3
This series consists of a letter from Superintendent Sr. Latour and correspondence regarding David Bruce's retirement.

Series IV. Alec Bruce Papers and Newspaper Clippings, ca. 1912 - ca. 1923
Box 1, folder 4
This series consists of correspondence from Alec to his mother about his experiences in World War I, his activities in school at Phillips Academy and Harvard, and sympathy letters after Alec's death from friends and captains serving in World War I. There is also a map of France indicating the area Alec's plane crashed and newspaper clippings about Alec's school and World War I activities.

Series V. Newspaper Clippings, ca. 1865 – ca. 1909
Box 1, folder 5
This series mostly contains clippings on Charles Wainwright, David Bruce and his family. There is also a page from the New York Herald April 15, 1865 covering the Civil War and, in particular, General Grant and General Lee.

Series VI. Photographs, ca. 1893 – ca. 1940
Box 1, folder 6
This series contains photographs of the Bruce and Wainwright family. Family members depicted include Alexander B. Bruce, Mary Mitchell, David Bruce, Carrie Wainwright, Charles Wainwright, Alec Bruce, Lillian Bruce, Beverly Bruce, Edith Bruce, and Helen Bruce. Also depicted is the Alexander Bruce School and the Wainwright home on 55 Bellevue Street in Lawrence.

Series VII. Photo Album, ca. 1890 – ca. 1918
Box 1, folder 7
This series consists of photos of the Wainwrights, Reverend William E. Wolcott, the Lawrence Street Congregational Church, the Wainwright homes on Charles Street, Bellevue Street and in Hampton Beach, NH as well as photos of the Outing Club.

Series VIII. Scrapbooks, 1974 – ca. 1920
Subseries 1, Alexander B. Bruce, ca. 1882 – 1909
Box 3
This scrapbook consists of clippings regarding Alexander B. Bruce's activities as mayor ,
correspondence from the treasurer of the Boston Caledonian Club, and correspondence from the
Office of the Directors of the Citizens Electric Street Railway Company.

Subseries 2, Bruce family, ca. 1909 – 1957
Box 3
This scrapbook consists of newspaper clippings regarding Alexander B. Bruce and Charles
Wainwright's activities, including Alec's published accounts of his activities in World War I. There
are also articles relating to Lillian and Helen Bruce's activities in the YWCA. Lastly, there is a copy
of The Lawrencian from January 25, 1957.

Subseries 3, Alec Bruce, ca. 1916 – ca. 1920
Box 2
This scrapbook consists of newspaper clippings of poems and tributes to those serving in World
War I as well as Alec's published letters. There is also a memorial pamphlet and letters of sympathy.

Subseries 4, Alec Bruce 1874 – 1911
Box 2
This scrapbook consists of a record kept by Carrie Wainwright regarding her son Alec and daughter
Helen. It resembles a baby book that includes a record of Alec's birth weight and health, newspaper
clippings concerning his school activities, and photographs/correspondence from the instructors at
Phillips Academy.

Series IX. Books
This series includes the following four books: Sargenta (Sargent School Yearbook); Immigrant City: Lawrence, Massachusetts 1845-1921 by Donald B. Cole; The Massachusetts Register from 1856 by George Adams; and Lawrence Up To Date 1845-1895 published by Rushforth and Donohue Star Office. These books discuss the history of Lawrence, including its politicians and economic status, as well as the students who attended Sargent School.

These papers were created by various members of the Bruce family, including Charles Wainwright, while living in Lawrence and Andover, MA. They were donated by Robert and Barbara Bruce of Vernon, CT on March 21, 2005.

Some of the books are in poor condition.