Collection Overview
Title: Harrington Family Collection
Creator: Pauline Harrington
Repository: Drew Archival Library
Call Number: DAL.MSS.147
Accession Number: 2021.007
Location: Fogg Archives Room
Quantity: 1 box, 1 oversized folder
Language: English

Administrative Information
Access Restriction: Collection is open to researchers
Acquisition Information: Donated by the Town of Duxbury
Preferred Citation: DAL.MSS.147, Harrington Family Collection, Duxbury Rural & Historical Society
Finding Aid Prepared by Isabel Newman (intern)

Scope and Content:
The collection is made up of almost 200 items and over 50 photographs connected to the Harrington family of Cambridge, MA and Duxbury, MA. A large portion of the collection are the letters sent to Pauline (Olsen) Harrington in the 1960s by Frederick Harrington Jr. prior to their marriage. Material relating to Pauline Harrington’s life, including her Wellesley College yearbook, business cards, etc., are also included.

The papers of Emma C. Harrington, the aunt of Frederick Harrington Jr., are also included. Much of this material relates to legal disputes over inheritance and the death of Emma C. Harrington’s mother, Emma (Flannagan) Harrington.

Biographical Sketch:
Pauline M. (Olsen) Harrington (1940-2018) was raised in Milford, CT and attended the Gateway School in New Haven, CT. She graduated from Wellesley College with a BA in History in 1962. In c. 1966 she married Frederick Harrington Jr. of Duxbury, MA. They had one son, Nathan. Pauline continued her education, graduating from Northeastern University and Suffolk School of Law (1985). Pauline, or Polly as many called her, was a professor at Bridgewater State College, where she taught Political Science for over 30 years. In her retirement, she co-owned a knitting store called the Wool Basket, where she taught numerous knitting classes. In her final years, she traveled extensively throughout Europe and led several knitting tours to the Shetland Islands. She died in 2018 at the age of 78.

The Harringtons owned the Isaac Simmons farm in Duxbury. The house on the property dates to the early 18th century (erroneously dated to 1696). The 17-acre farm was purchased by the Town of Duxbury in 2017 with CPA funds. The house was sold into private hands in 2023.

Frederick Harrington Jr. (1924-1990) was born in Duxbury on the Isaac Simmons farm. He was the only child fo Frederick Harrington Sr. and Mignon Von Der Luft. He graduated from Duxbury High School in 1941. He continued to live with his parents after graduation and became a traveling salesman for many years. He died in 1990 at age 65.

Emma C. Harrington (b. 1872) was the daughter of John Harrington and Emma Flannagan. She was born in Somerville, MA, and grew up in Cambridge, where her father was a successful dry goods merchant. The family moved to Cleveland when Emma was in her late teens. She returned to the East Coast to attend Smith College. After her father’s death in 1900, Emma moved with her mother and sister to Binghamton, NY, and later returned to Cambridge. Emma was, for many years, a librarian at the Cambridge Public Library.

Series List:
Series I – Emma C. Harrington Papers
Series II – Frederick Harrington Correspondence
Series III – Education
Series IV – News Clippings and Ephemera
Series V – Photographs