Lovell Family Papers (Ms.89.4)

Historical note

Religion was at the core of the Lovell family. Lovells were charter members of the First Baptist Church in Fall River, Massachusetts. Rev. Shubael Lovell, patriarch of the family, was ordained a minister in 1795 and travelled throughout Massachusetts as a preacher. Two of his four sons, likewise, were ministers and one of his two daughters, Laura Hoover Lovell, taught Sunday school in Fall River, Massachusetts for over twenty years.

A genealogy of the Lovell Family is useful in identifying relationships and correspondents. This collection encompasses four generations of the Lovell Family, and the given names of Nehemiah, Shubael, Leander, and Laura are used in consecutive generations.

• Rev. Shubael Lovell (?-1846). Married Bethiah Perkins Lovell (1772-1856) on 1797 May 24. Six children: Shubael (Jr.), Lorenso Owen Lovell, Nehemiah Gorham Lovell, Laura Hoover Lovell, Martha Blake Lovell Hall, and Leander P. Lovell. Shubael and Bethiah Lovell lived primarily in New Rowley, Barnstable, and Fall River, Massachusetts. Shubael was ordained a Baptist minister in 1795 and spent many of his early years travelling to areas such as Hyannis and Martha's Vineyard as an itinerant preacher. He was seventh in descent from John Howland and Elizabeth Tilley, who came to Plymouth on the Mayflower in 1620.
• Leander P. Lovell (1798 October 28-1842), son of Shubael and Bethiah Lovell. Married Ariadna B. ?. Three children: Elvira (died aged 10 months), Susannah (1831-?) and Leander.
• Shubael Lovell (1801 December 27-?), son of Shubael and Bethiah Lovell. Married Elizabeth ?. Two children: George (?-1839) and Lucy, who married John Hancock Brown in April 1842.
• Lorenso Owen Lovell (1809 October 24-?), son of Shubael and Bethiah Lovell. Married Sophia ?. Three children: Frank, Richard, and Martha. Lorenso attended Brown University where he suffered from severe and prolonged health problems. Ordained a Baptist minister and served as a pastor. Health problems also affected Sophia.
• Nehemiah Gorham Lovell (1806 August 2-1851 November 15), son of Shubael and Bethiah Lovell. Married Lucy Buffum at the home of Samuel and Elizabeth Chace in Valley Falls, Rhode Island in 1835. Five children: William Buffum Lovell (1847 Dec-?), Rebecca (1849 Oct-1850 Oct), Isaac Lovell (1846-?), Henry Lovell (1843-1855 June 25), and Caroline (?-1842). Attended Brown University with his brother, Lorenso. Ordained a Baptist minister on 1834 July 10 and served as a pastor in Valley Falls, Rhode Island, Pawtucket, Rhode Island, and Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Assumed the role of head of the family after the death of his father before dying unexpectedly in 1851.
• Laura Hoover Lovell (1800 January 10-1872 December 5). Never married. Lived most of her adult life in Fall River, Massachusetts where she was a successful school teacher. (Primary correspondent in the collection.)
• Martha Blake Lovell Hall (?-?). Married John Hall of East Hampton, Connecticut. Two children: Lovell Hall and Laura B. Hall.