Week 6 - Valentine - Esther Howland

 

Week 6: Valentine - Esther A. Howland

While researching my family tree for this Valentine blog post, I came upon an ancestor I knew nothing about. I found Esther Allen Howland (1828-1904) to be a distant cousin of mine, a fellow descendant of Mayflower passengers John Howland and Elizabeth Tilley, and to have a fascinating tie-in with Valentine’s Day.

Esther Howland was born in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1828 and graduated from Mount Holyoke College at the young age of 19 in 1847.

 

Her father, Southworth A. Howland (1801-1882), owned and operated S.A. Howland and Sons, the largest book and stationary store in Worcester. A business associate of Esther’s father sent her a Valentine made of colorful paper, real lace and ribbons. England and France produced all the Valentines that were imported by and sold in America between 1800 and 1850. They were very expensive and cost far more than the average American could pay.

Esther apparently loved the card but after examining it, she was certain with her artistic talents she could produce equally good or better cards at much more reasonable prices. She convinced her father to order the supplies she would need from New York City and England, obtained the use of an upstairs bedroom in her parents’ house, hired some female friends and other women from Worcester and went to work designing and manufacturing Valentine cards using an assembly line. Her business boomed between the years 1850-1880. Her Valentines became renowned throughout the US and she became known as, “The Mother of the American Valentine”. In 1880 she sold her New England Valentine Company to a competitor so she could take care of her aged and ill father.

If you are interested in seeing a few of her Valentines and reading additional details of her business, here is a link for the Esther Howland Wiki. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esther Howland