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Extraordinary, well-documented locks of hair from both George Washington and Martha Washington, passed by descent through the family of his Secretary of the Treasury Oliver Wolcott, Jr., presented under glass in an ornate red leather case of mid-19th century craftsmanship, with the handsomely engraved gold-tone plate reading: "Hair of George Washington and of Martha Washington, presented by Mrs. Washington to Mrs. Oliver Wolcott, A.D. 1797"; the plate is also elegantly engraved on the backside, "F. H. Wolcott, New York." The display is housed in a worn red leather case, gilt-stamped on the lid: "F. H. Wolcott, New York." The case is separated at the hinge, and the golden plate, red velvet frame, and glass 'bubbles' are separated from the case backing, but all could likely be restored by an expert hand, as each component part remains in very good condition.
This remarkable relic of American history has been passed down through the Wolcott family, and originates from a direct descendant of Oliver Wolcott, Sr. (1726–1797), signer of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation. These small locks of hair, clipped from a larger section presented to Mrs. Oliver Wolcott, Jr. (1766–1805) by Martha Washington, passed from Oliver Wolcott, Jr. (1760–1833), to his brother, Frederick Wolcott (1767–1837), who bequeathed it to his son, Frederick Henry Wolcott (1808–1883), who commissioned a custom case to be made in the middle of the 19th century—thus the "F. H. Wolcott, New York" engraving and gilt-stamped lid. It then descended through the family to F. H. Wolcott's daughter, Elizabeth Huntington Wolcott Merchant (1840–1927); to her son, Huntington Wolcott Merchant (1870–1918); to his son, the diplomat Livingston Tallmadge Merchant (1903–1976); to his daughter, Mary Merchant Sturgeon (1932–2020); to her son, Robert Jasperson.
Includes copies of documentation prepared by Livingston T. Merchant, noting that his daughter Mary is to receive: "The locket of George and Martha Washington's hair presented to your great-great-great uncle Oliver Wolcott Jr. There is incidentally an interesting account of the origin and circumstances of the gift in the Wolcott Memorial." Also includes a copy of 'Distribution of Assets' paperwork prepared by Mary, bequeathing the Washington hair to her son Robert.
The interesting circumstances of this gift are discussed in Memoirs of the Administrations of Washington and John Adams, edited from the papers of Oliver Wolcott, Secretary of the Treasury, by George Gibbs: "On leaving the seat of office, General Washington presented, it is believed, to all his chief officers some token of his regard. To Mr. Wolcott he gave a piece of plate. Mrs. Washington gave to his wife, when visiting her for the last time, a relic still more interesting. Asking her if she did not wish a memorial of the General, Mrs. Wolcott replied, 'Yes, I should like a lock of hair.' Mrs. Washington, smiling, took her scissors, and cut off for her a large lock of her husband's hair and one of her own. These, with the originals of Washington's letters, Mr. Wolcott preserved with careful veneration, and divided between his surviving children.' The story is retold in the privately printed book, 'Memorial of Henry Wolcott and of Some of His Descendants' by Samuel Wolcott, printed in New York in 1881.
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