EDWARD HOLMES KITTREDGE
1888 - 1943
By William Carroll Hill, Historian
Edward Holmes Kittredge, for many years prominent in Boston financial circles as advertising
manager, publicist and author, of unbounded energy in the interests of many historical, patriotic,
social and civic organizations, passed away at his home in Arlington, Mass., on 31 December
1943. He was elected a resident (annual) member of the New England Historic Genealogical
Society 7 June 1916 and had been a life member since January 1919, serving on many of its
important committees, including the Council, committees on increase in membership, ways and
means and on finance.
Mr. Kittredge was descended from one of New England’s oldest families, and through the
intermarriage of no less than three of his ancestors with cousins was related to many families of
his name all of whom traced their ancestry back to Capt. John Kittredge, born in Oulton or
Lowestoft, England in 1630, who was granted land in Billerica, Mass., 25 Sept. 1660, and died
in that town 18 Oct. 1676. Captain John married in Wells, Maine, 2 Nov. 1669, Mary Littlefield,
daughter of Francis and Jane (Hill) Littlefield.
Captain John’s son, James2 (1667—1739) married Sarah Fowle (sidenote: this is actually an error. The
James who married Sarah Fowle was born at later date) and had Sergeant Thomas8 (1707—1794) who
married his cousin Jane Kittredge. Their son Thomas4 (1731—1806) served in the Colonial
Wars and the Revolution and married Anna Thorndike. Joshua6 (1762—1834) also served in the
Revolution arid became the second ancestor to marry a cousin, Lydia Kittredge. Abel6 (1798—
1883) married Sophia Lyman and they had Samuel7 (1830—1907) who married Prudy
Fillebrown. Charles Henry,8 born in 1866, a Boston and New York banker, married his cousin
Mary Lizzie Kittredge of Nelson, N. H., and they became the parents of Edward Holmes9
Kittredge.
Born in Boston, 16 Sept. 1888, Mr. Kittredge attended grammar schools in Keene, N. H., and
Cambridge, graduated from Cambridge Latin School in 1907 and received his A.B. degree from
Harvard in 1911. For a short time after leaving college he was a bond salesman with Kidder,
Peabody & Co. in Boston.
Mr. Kittredge went with the Old Colony Trust Co. in 1911 as manager of the statistical
department which position he filled for twelve years, serving the next three years as advertising
manager and editing the Old Colony News Letter. In November 1923 he became financial
advertising manager for Hornblower & Weeks and was in that position at his death.
He served from February 1918 to 1 Jan. 1919 as secretary of the Capital Issues Committee of
New England under the War Finance Corporation, and during the last of his life was secretary of
the Boston Association of Stock Exchange firms. He was secretary of the Liberty Bond Owners
Protective Association and member of the publicity committee of the American Bankers
Association.
The author of several books on investment and finance he was instrumental in organizing the
Financial Advertisers Association of America, of which he served as president in 1925. He was
also active in the New England Financial Advertisers Association. One of his publications was
the 707 page “Analyses of Railroad Corporations in the United States.”
His civic activities included chairmanship of trustees of the Robbins Library of Arlington and
trustee of town funds in Arlington. Active in many historic and social organizations lie was
secretary of the Massachusetts Society of the Order of the Founders and Patriots of America,
Massachusetts Society Sons of the Revolution; treasurer, Massachusetts Society of Colonial
Wars; member of John Abbot Lodge, of Masons of Somerville and charter member of Russell
Lodge of Masons in Arlington; member of St. Andrews Chapter, Boston Council, St. Bernard
Commandery, of which latter he had served as past commander, Scottish Rite bodies and
Aleppo Temple; Burlington, N. H., Grange, Harvard Musical Club, Harvard Clubs of Boston and
New York, Bank Officers Association of Boston, Boston City Club, the Appalachian Mountain
Club, the Middlesex Club, and, as a descendent of William Brewster and Isaac Allerton, was a
member of the Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants.
He married in Somerville, 10 June 1916, Amy, daughter of Herman and Ella Rebecca (Wild)
Barker, who survived him, with two daughters, Mrs. Francis Minot, Jr. (Mary Kittredge), of
Arlington and Mrs. William Fatten Hill (Rebecca Kittredge) of Great Neck, Long Island, N. Y.,
and one son, Joseph B. Kittredge of Arlington.
Edward Holmes Kittredge was possessed of dynamic energy. Of jmposing physique he
utilized the full strength of his virility in every activity he took up, often with misunderstood
brusqueness but ever with a true sincerity of purpose and zeal for definite results; his decisions
were quickly made but his judgment was uniformly good and reliable.
He was an extensive traveler and had made several trips to England and Europe and was
well versed in the legendary lore of the old countries,- making an admirable traveling
companion. He loved old books, first editions, and had collected a large number of autographs.
Not the least of his versatile talents was the possession of of a fine tenor voice and he had filled
many choir positions, was a popular member of the Harvard Musical Club and also enjoyed the
associations of the Organ Pumpers Club. He enjoyed golf and never was happier than when out
of doors in his beloved Monadnock region or in climbing mountains in New Hampshire or
elsewhere.