Previous Owners - Biographical Details:
On occasion we acquire books with interesting previous ownership connections. Information on these owners together with photographs of their bookplates and signatures (where present) are given below:
Elizabeth Sherman Cameron (1860 - 1944)
Sir Ronald Lindsay (1877 - 1945)
Elizabeth Sherman Cameron (1860 - 1944):
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Elizabeth Sherman was the youngest child of Charles Taylor Sherman and Eliza Williams. She was also the neice of the American Civil War General, William Tecumseh Sherman and Senator John Sherman (principal author of the 1890 Sherman Anti-Trust Act).
In 1878 Elizabeth married James Donald Cameron (Secretary of War under Ulysses S. Grant from 1876 to 1877 and Senator for Pennsylvania from 1877 to 1896). Their marriage is generally believed to have been unhappy and born of political expediency (James Cameron was 22 years her senior) and Elizabeth spent much of her later life living apart from her husband with her daughter Martha* in Europe.
Considered one of the most beautiful and intelligent women in the Washington of the late 1870s to early 1880s Elizabeth was romantically linked with the American novelist, journalist and historian Henry Adams (Grandson of John Quincy Adams and Great Grandson of John Adams) as described in the book “Henry Adams In Love: The Pursuit Of Elizabeth Sherman Cameron” by Arline Boucher Tehan.
A number of volumes originally belonging to Elizabeth Cameron were acquired as part of a sale of books previously belonging to the library of Sir Ronald Lindsay. Please contact us using the email link at the bottom of the left hand column if you would like to know which titles we currently hold.
*Martha Cameron married the Right Hon. Sir Ronald Charles Lindsay (biographical details below) who served as British Ambassador to the United States of America from 1929 until 1939.
Sir Ronald Lindsay (1877 – 1945):
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The Right Hon. Sir Ronald Charles Lindsay served as British Ambassador to the United States of America from 1929 to 1939.
A pupil of Winchester College, the College Register gives the following details:
Born 3rd May 1877, 5th son of Sir James Lindsay (26th Earl of Crawford) and Emily Lindsay (nee Bootle-Wilbraham). Captain of the school shooting team (twice), left Winchester College in 1895 and joined the Diplomatic Service in 1898 with postings to St. Petersburg (1899), Tehran (1903), Washington (1905), Paris (1907) and the Hague (1911).
He held the offices of Under-Secretary of Finance, Egypt (1913 – 1919); Minister Plenipotentiary to France (1920); Assistant Under-Secretary of State for the Foreign Office (1921 – 1924); Ambassador to Turkey (1925 – 1926); Ambassador to Germany (1926 – 1928); Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign Office (1928 – 1930); Ambassador to the U.S.A. (1929 – 1939).
He was also invested as a Knight Grand Cross, Order of the Bath (G.C.B. 1922) and Knight Grand Cross, Order of St. Michael and St. George (G.C.M.G. 1926).
(Source: Winchester College Register 1884 - 1934, Edited by Maxwell Leigh. Published by P. and G. Wells 1940 - ref: page 118)
In 1909 he married Martha Cameron. Martha was the daughter of James Donald Cameron and Elizabeth Sherman Cameron (neice of General William Tecumseh Sherman - further biographical details are available for Elizabeth Cameron above).
Martha died in 1918. In 1924 he married Elizabeth Sherman Hoyt , daughter of Colgate Hoyt and (co-incidentally) grand-niece of William Tecumseh Sherman.
A number of volumes originally belonging to Sir Ronald were acquired as part of a sale of books previously belonging to his library. Please contact us using the email link at the bottom of the left hand column if you would like to know which titles we currently hold.
Somer Books, Midsomer Norton, Bath, England