Capron, William Banfield. (1824-1876) and Sarah Brown Capron (1828-1919). Papers, 1830-1876

Papers, 1830 - 1931

MS 0044

2 linear feet

(Re-)Processed August 2002 By Jessica Steytler

Copyright: requests for permission to publish material from this collection should be discussed with the archivist or librarian.

• Biography
• Scope and Content
• Folder List

Biography

William Banfield Capron was born in Uxbridge, Massachusetts on April 14, 1824, son of William Cargill and Chloe (Day) Capron. His education took him to Phillips Academy, Yale (1848), and Andover Theological Seminary, (1856). He was an ordained Evangelist upon his graduation from Seminary. During his days as a student, William was a private tutor in Baltimore for one year and Principal of Hopkins Grammar School in Hartford, Conn. for six years.

Sarah B. Hooker was born in Lanesboro, Massachusetts in 1828, the daughter of Henry Brown Hooker and Martha (Chickering) Hooker. The family subsequently moved to Falmouth, Massachusetts. Sarah graduated from Wheaton Seminary, and married William Capron on October 1, 1856. Over the course of their marriage, the Caprons had 3 children.

On November 24, 1856 the Caprons sailed to Ceylon, India as missionaries of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Mission. Arriving in Madras in March of 1857, they labored in Tirupuvanum and Mana Madura for the next sixteen years.

From 1872 to 1875, the Caprons visited America, returning to the field in January 1875. The Reverend Capron died the following year on October 6, 1876 of heart disease. Sarah Capron lingered in India for ten years, before returning to America in 1886. She remained active in religious work until her death in 1919.

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Scope and Content

This collection is a combination of separate acquisitions to the library. The original collection was donated by Charles Haynes in 1986, and contained letters to and from both Caprons. There were also photographs, journals, and literature about missions.

The second half of the collection was donated to the library in 2001 by Cal Traylor (via the Bostonian Society). The additional material includes more letters from and to Sarah. Laura Capron Keith's (William's sister) correspondence is also featured. Much of that correspondence is from her mother and sister. There are also some letters from her niece, Annie (very possibly William and Sarah's daughter).

Andover Historical Society holds Andover, Mass., West Parish Church Records, 1826 - 1957, contain some William B. Capron material.

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Folder List

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