Scope and Content Note
The papers of Rufus Smith Frost (1826-1894) span the years 1841-1883 with the bulk of the material dating from the 1860s to the 1870s. The papers primarily consist of correspondence, mostly that of Rufus S. Frost, a Massachusetts merchant and woolen manufacturer who served in local and state offices and in the United States House of Representatives.
The general correspondence in the papers is organized chronologically, and the family correspondence is organized alphabetically by name of family member. Containing little regarding Frost's business or political endeavors, the letters are largely about family or personal matters, social occasions, and activities with the church and the sabbath school. There is one letter each from Henry Ward Beecher, George Barrell Cheever, George W. Bethune, Alexander H. Bullock, and Hugh McCulloch. A miscellany folder includes school essays and financial papers.