American Manuscripts

: Philip John Schuyler account book, 1763-1770; Account book kept by Philip John Schuyler in Saratoga, New York. Schuyler was an American soldier and statesman of Albany, New York. He was a participant in the French and Indian war and the American Revolution and was the owner a substantial estate in Saratoga, New York. Entries record small daily sales of a general store trading in such merchandise as rum, tea, salt, boards, wheat, flour, hides, sugar, molasses, drygoods, herring, fabrics, powder, glass, etc. and additionally include payments for labor and services such as mending shoes, keeping cattle, sawing logs, weaving, dressing flax, milling, repairs, etc. Hundreds of daily entries include the names of Cornelius Van Denbergh, William Vrooman, John Earhart, William McNeash, Benony Smith, Robert Armstrong, William Duer, Elihu Webster, William Boyd, Joseph Chethert, Nicholas Clute, Abraham Welch, and many other early residents of Saratoga and neighboring communities.

: Benjamin Segan letters, 1943-1945; Approximately 760 letters written by U.S. Army private Benjamin Segan (b. 1924) to his fiancée, Judith Berman, in New York City, describing his activities at basic training in Fort Dix, New Jersey, Camp Croft, South Carolina, Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, and his experiences in North Africa, Italy, France, and Germany during World War II.

: Graftschrift voor Petrús Stúyvesant, after 1672; Epitaph for Peter Stuyvesant, the last director-general of the colony of the New Netherlands, who died in 1672., New-York Historical Society

: Granville Sharp collection, 1768-1803 (bulk 1768-1773); The collection includes three volumes, correspondence, and documents, 1768-1803, related to English abolitionist and reformer Granville Sharp (1735-1813). The first volume contains copies of letters and related documents, 1768-1773, sent to Granville Sharp, transcribed in his own handwriting and concerning such matters as slavery, the slave trade, its evils, legal and social aspects, etc. It includes letters from Joseph Banks, Anthony Benezet, William Blackstone, Jacob Bryant, John Fothergill, Francis Hargrave, Arthur Lee, Michael Lort, and Benjamin Rush. The second volume contains Granville Sharp's copy of proceedings in the Court of King's Bench, London, February and June, 1771, in the case of Thomas Lewis, an enslaved Black man, against his alleged owner, Robert Stapylton, along with John Maloney and Aaron Armstrong, for assault and imprisonment. Proceedings include transcripts of testimony given by Lewis and others. Also included are tipped-in copies of Granville Sharp's remarks on the case and transcripts of the 1st and 2nd motions for judgment against Stapylton. The third volume consists of Granville Sharp's copy of part of the court proceedings in the 1772 case of James Sommersett, an enslaved man from Virginia belonging to Charles Stewart. The case was heard in the Court of King's Bench, London, before Lord Chief Justice Mansfield and three other Justices. Granville Sharp involved himself in the case, and it was the subsequent decision of the court that enslaved people became free upon entering England. The volume contains the arguments for Sommersett of William Davy and John Glynn, and ends with Mansfield adjourning the proceedings to the following term. In addition, the collection includes miscellaneous documents and letters, 1772-1774 and 1784-1803, including extracts from letters of Anthony Benezet, and letters written by Granville Sharp to correspondents such as Benjamin Franklin, Campbell Haliburton, Rufus King, Joseph Reed, William White, and John Witherspoon.

: Buckingham Smith's Map of the coast of Florida from St. Augustine to the St. Lucie River, 1605 [between 1854 and 1858]; Copy of a 1605 map depicting the coast of Florida from St. Augustine to the St. Lucie River, removed from a bound volume in the Buckingham Smith papers at the New-York Historical Society. The volume includes transcriptions of 17th-18th century documents made between 1854 and 1858, probably from originals at the Real Academia de la Historia in Madrid, Spain, and also includes hand-drawn maps and correspondence to Smith. The map is listed in the handwritten list of contents as "Rutier of Mexia from St. Augustine to Ays, 1605".

: Lysander Spooner papers, 1844-1886; Correspondence, including letters received and copies of letters sent by Boston lawyer and abolitionist Lysander Spooner (1808-1887). Many of the letters pertain to Spooner’s activities as an abolitionist and author of works opposing slavery. Included are 100 letters to or from George Bradburn, 106 letters to or from Gerrit Smith, 7 pieces of correspondence with Charles D. Cleveland, 7 with Daniel Drayton, 19 with Richard Goodell, 10 with Charles D. Miller, 9 with John A. Thomson, 11 letters from Daniel McFarland, and 4 letters from Lewis Tappan.

: Moses Sproule diary, 1779; Journal, May 17, 1779-October 17, 1779, kept while Sproule was quartermaster sergeant in the Third New Jersey Regiment on Sullivan's Indian Campaign. The journal records events of the campaign against the Iroquois in Pennsylvania and New York, including the battle of Newtown, and the Iroquois's capture and killing of Thomas Boyd. It also includes a diagram of the army's order of march. Published in R.W.G. Vail, 'The Western Campaign of 1779,' New-York Historical Society Quarterly, 41 (1957), p. 35-69.

: Ebenezer Stevens papers, 1739-1860; Ebenezer Stevens (1751-1823) served as a soldier and officer in the Continental Army and the New York State Artillery Corps during the Revolutionary War. Post-war, he was an agent for the United States War Department as well as a successful merchant in New York City. This collection documents his activities as a merchant and as a commanding officer, focusing particularly on daily functions and the fortification of New York Harbor in the years 1802-1814. The papers do not contain much information about Stevens' Revolutionary War efforts, aside from two military orders.

: Ebenezer Stevens letter book, 1807-1814; Letter book, New York City, August 28, 1807-July 29, 1814, containing copies of letters sent (and a few received) by Stevens as Major-General of Artillery, New York State Militia. The subjects of the letters are military matters and the War of 1812, and the correspondents include Solomon Van Rensselaer, Jacob Morton, and Gov. Daniel D. Tompkins., Major-General of Artillery, New York State Militia.

: George Templeton Strong diary, 1835-1875; The four-volume diary of George Templeton Strong (1820-1875) is a detailed chronicle of the activities, interests, and relationships that characterized its author’s life. Beginning in 1835, and continued consistently into 1875, its thousands of individual entries contain descriptions of all facets of Strong’s experience, typically beginning with the weather and going on to discuss matters such as his legal work, family life, health, social ties, politics, and the arts. The diary documents upper class life in mid-nineteenth century New York City and provides reflections on the lives and attitudes of his peers. The reporting of personal activities is supplemented by Strong’s reactions to current events, most notably those related to the American Civil War. Digitization of the diary was made possible by a grant from the Peck Stacpoole Foundation.

: Charles Sumner's The anti-slavery enterprise, 1855; Charles Sumner (1811-1874) was a United States senator from Massachusetts and a campaigner against slavery. This is a draft of a version of the speech delivered in New York on May 9, 1855, and published that year under the title "The anti-slavery enterprise." Internal evidence indicates that it was to be delivered to a Boston audience, probably on May 15, 1855. The digital collection includes the draft along with the published version (Boston: Ticknor and Fields, 1855).

: Abraham Varick record book, 1791-1806; A record book, dated 1791-1798 and 1800-1806, kept by Abraham Varick of New York City. The book contains copies of letters to merchants in England and Germany and lists of merchandise ordered from them. The letters discuss business matters, including the difficulties of transatlantic trade in wartime and the risk of seizures of ships. Commodities ordered are mainly textiles and metal goods (scissors, cutlery, hand tools, etc.)., Abraham Varick was a New York City dry goods merchant, and brother of jurist and politician Richard Varick.

: Richard Varick papers, 1743-1871 (bulk 1775-1830); Richard Varick, born in New Jersey, 1753, served as Captain, deputy muster-master-general, and George Washington's secretary during the Revolutionary war. He was appointed one of the first mayors of New York and served from 1789-1801. He died in 1831. His papers pertain to a variety of subjects, including Varick's command of a company in Alexander McDougall's battalion at Ticonderoga and in Canada during 1775; his service on courts-martial in 1775; problems of the bateau service in northern New York State in 1776; his position as secretary to Gen. Philip Schuyler in 1775-1776; his work as deputy muster master general, inspector general at West Point, first aide-de-camp to Benedict Arnold (including papers about Arnold's defection and subsequent investigations), and as recording secretary for George Washington (including papers about the transcription of Washington's letters); and suits handled by him as an attorney practicing in Poughkeepsie in 1782-1783, and in New York City after the war.

: Alexander Watson notebook, 1772-1774; Notebook, 1772-1774, of Alexander Watson, a landowner and resident of New York City who was nephew and heir of John Watson (1685-1768). Contains receipts, lists of deeds and properties, and a note of a lease assigned to him in New York to build a church; notes on taxes; excerpts from "A new system of agriculture, by a Country Gentleman," with references to other writers on agriculture; prayers; versified psalms; music for the "Old Hundredth" and "God Save the King"; secular poems and songs; moral, religious and economic reflections; and genealogical notes.

: John Watson notebook, 1701, 1726, 1775-1778; Notebook of John Watson, the painter, containing miscellaneous notes and personal account information written by Watson in 1726 and by Watson's nephew, Alexander Watson in 1775-1778. There are accounts of things bought, real estate transactions, poetry, music, etc. Includes account "for painting in York, 1726." The volume also includes some pages covered with John Watson's boyhood arithmetic from 1701. Some pages missing.The notebook is extensively described in the article by John Hill Morgan, 'John Watson, Painter, Merchant, and Capitalist of New Jersey, 1685-1768', published in Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society, vol. 50, p. 225., Painter, active in New Jersey and New York.

: Walt Whitman letters, July 27, 1863-September 9, 1863; Walt Whitman’s letters to the parents of Erastus Haskell of the 141st New York Volunteers, who died on August 2, 1863 in Armory Square Hospital, Washington, D.C., where Whitman frequently visited the sick and wounded. He wrote the Haskells, of Breseport, New York, on July 27, 1863 to inform them that their son was very ill with typhoid fever. In a letter written August 10 he describes his visits with Erastus and their son’s last days. In the final letter, dated September 9, Whitman thanks Mr. Haskell for his acknowledgement of the letter of August 10 and reiterates his Brooklyn address so that Mr. and Mrs. Haskell may write to him at home. An earlier letter, written April 5, 1863 by Joel M. Jansen and Erastus E. Haskell, describes their regiment's good accommodations despite the poor weather. Erastus says further that he and the other musicians have not been on duty for some time, but anticipate active service soon., Erastus Haskell, born May 25, 1844, and died August 2, 1863, was a fife player in Company K, 141st New York Volunteer Infantry band. Prior to his military service, he worked as a carpenter. Erastus also had one sister, Abigail, who was deaf. His father, Samuel Baldwin Haskell (1810-1876) suffered a stroke, rendering him unable to work.

: John Winthrop's A modell of Christian charity, written on boarde the Arrabella, on the Attlantick Ocean, 1630; Manuscript copy, probably contemporary, of John Winthrop's sermon 'A Modell of Christian Charity,' 1630. Gift of Francis B. Winthrop, 1809., John Winthrop (12 January 1587/8 – 26 March 1649) led a large group of emigrants from England across the Atlantic in 1630, and served as the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony., New-York Historical Society

: William Yarrington diary, 1759-1776.; William Yarrington's diary, September 21, 1759-October 30, 1776, recording his military experiences in the Crown Point area during the French & Indian War (1759) and also in the Revolutionary war, 1775-1776. He served with the 3rd N.Y. near Ticonderoga in 1775 and with the 2nd N.Y. (detached) as home guard on Long Island in 1776. Also included are some accounts.

: Association for the Benefit of Colored Orphans records, 1836-1972 (bulk 1850-1936); The Association for the Benefit of Colored Orphans was founded in 1836 and was originally located on Fifth Avenue between 43rd and 44th Streets in Manhattan. The Colored Orphan Asylum was among the earliest organizations in the country to provide housing, training, and employment specifically for African American orphans. During the Draft Riots of July 14, 1863, the Colored Orphan Asylum was attacked by a mob. At that time, it housed some 600 to 800 homeless children in a large four story building surrounded by grounds and gardens. The crowd plundered the Asylum, then set fire to the first floor. While the children were evacuated, the building burned to the ground. The records of the Colored Orphan Asylum document the activities of the institution from 1836 to 1972, with the bulk of the records falling between 1850 and 1936.

: Bolton, Dickens & Co. account book, 1856-1858; Account book, 1856-1858, kept by the prominent slave trading firm of Bolton, Dickens & Co. of Lexington, Kentucky, with branches in Memphis, Charleston, Natchez, and New Orleans. It chiefly records people purchased and sold by the firm, with entries giving the names of enslaved people, purchase and selling price, profit, names of suppliers, and occasional remarks. Some persons involved in the firm's recorded transactions were Washington Bolton, Isaac Bolton, Samuel Dickens, and the slave trader G.L. Bumpass. Of additional note is a copy of an 1857 letter to Isaac Bolton, probably written by his brother Washington Bolton while Isaac was in prison awaiting trial for the murder of slave dealer James McMillan of Kentucky following a dispute in Memphis concerning McMillan's sale to Bolton of an enslaved 16-year old boy who was later revealed to be free, and other related documents. The volume was later employed as a day book by "B.B.W." (possibly B.B. Wadell) and contains accounts for the year 1865.

: Castle Thunder song lyrics, circa 1863; Castle Thunder was a former tobacco warehouse in Richmond, Va., used to house prisoners during the Civil War. Three handwritten pages of lyrics entitled "Castle Thunder song," undated, written by an unnamed prisoner at Castle Thunder, circa 1863. Lyrics describe life and conditions in the prison., Castle Thunder was a former tobacco warehouse in Richmond, Va., used to house prisoners during the Civil War.

: Fort Delaware, Prison times, 1865; This is the first edition of the "Prison Times." The handwritten newspaper includes original articles, advertisements, announcements, barracks directory, Christian Association directory, notices of clubs, etc., by prisoners at the Fort Delaware Federal prison camp on Pea Patch Island in the Delaware River. The paper's editors and proprietors include William H. Bennett, Aborn Harris, John W. Hibbs, and George S. Thomas., William H. Bennett, Aborn Harris, John W. Hibbs, and George S. Thomas fought for the Confederate Army. Bennet had the rank of captain before his inprisonment. Harris was mustered in as a sergeant in company H of the 3rd Florida Infantry Regiment. He eventually rose to the rank of third lieutenant. Hibbs was mustered in as a third lieutenant in company D of the 13th Virginia Infantry Regiment. He eventually rose to the rank of captain. George S. Thomas was mustered in as a captain in company C of the 64th Georgia Infantry Regiment. He never rose ranks.

: Ladies' Christian Union records, 1850-2001 (bulk 1858-1960); The records of the Ladies' Christian Union include annual reports, minutes, financial and real estate records, correspondence, photographs, biographical writings, membership lists, ephemera, printed brochures, articles, and manuals. The Ladies Christian Union was founded in New York City in 1858 with the aim of creating and maintaining safe, affordable housing for young, unmarried Christian women employed in the New York area. Between the years 1860-1922, the organization owned and operated a total of eight buildings in Manhattan. In 1871, the "Young Ladies Branch" of the Ladies Christian Union established itself as an independent organization known as the "Young Ladies Christian Association," better known today as the "Young Womens Christian Association" (YWCA).

: Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society records, 1832-1870; Correspondence and papers of the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society, originally known as the New-England Anti-Slavery Society. Included are petitions to the legislature, resolutions, donations to the Liberator, lists of members and supporters, letters about slavery, editorials, meetings, a list of individuals who had escaped slavery and were aided by the Vigilance Committee, accounts of others who had fled from slavery, including the narrative of Jonathan Thomas, a man who had escaped slavery in Kentucky; and lists, letters, editorials, and other papers pertaining to the notorious case of Anthony Burns. Persons whose names appear frequently include: Francis Jackson, Wendell Phillips, Ellis Gray Loring, Edmund Quincy, William Lloyd Garrison, and Samuel E. Sewall.

: New York Common Council, Tribute from the City of New York to the illustrious friend of freedom, 1824-1825; On the occasion of General Lafayette’s visit to New York City in 1824 the New York Common Council prepared this commemorative volume (1824-1825) containing transcripts of resolutions and addresses of various organizations as a duplicate of the volume presented to Lafayette. The volume includes numerous specimens of decorative and figural penmanship by Isaac F. Bragg and Christopher Hunt, elaborate page borders and vignettes, two small oval portraits of George Washington and General Lafayette by Henry Inman and Thomas Cummings, and four full page pen and ink wash drawings, executed by Charles Burton, depicting the United States Capitol building, Fort Lafayette (N.Y.), New York City Hall, and the construction of the Erie Canal. Text includes copies of addresses and resolutions prepared by the Common Council and various other organizations, including members of the New York Bar, the Society of the State Cincinnati, and the faculty of Columbia College. Bound in gold tooled morocco with silk doublures, signed at foot of spine by J.H. Sackmann, bookbinder, N.Y.

: Selections from the Seventh Regiment New York State National Guard records; The 7th Regiment records, 1767-1983 (bulk 1830-1947) document the history and administration of the 7th Regiment of New York. The bulk of the material pertains to regimental management, organization, and events, rather than participation in combat and other military activities. The collection contains numerous scrapbooks, visual materials, publications, artifacts, and ephemera. Portions of the collection that have been digitized include The Seventh Regiment Gazette (1886-1940), photographs, photograph albums, and ephemera.

: New-York African Free School records, 1817-1832; These records cover the latter portion of the African Free-Schools' existence, ending two years before oversight for the schools was transferred to the Public School Society. They relate to classroom observation, student performance, behavior and promotions, as well as examples of lessons and student work. The records are in four volumes. The first includes regulations, by-laws, and reports, from 1817 to 1832. The regulations are for the format of the school's examination procedures, while the reports give numbers of students promoted for each quarter. These are limited to school No. 1. A substantial portion of the volume is also made up of observations of the visiting committee, giving their impressions of the progress being made, along with the behavior and organization of the classroom and students. The second volume is also filled with reports and observations of the visiting committee, but these are limited to school No. 2, and cover 1820 to 1831. Added to the closing pages of the volume are several pages of lessons on adding, subtracting and division of money, with examples. The third volume includes extracts, compositions, addresses and pieces spoken at public examinations for 1818 to 1826, but early pages do include some material on promotions. The fourth volume complements the third with penmanship and drawing studies by the students from 1816 to 1826. Of particular interest are copies of the speech given by prominent African American physician James McCune Smith on the occasion of the Marquis de La Fayette's visit to New York in 1824. While there is little, if any, information on individuals in the first two volumes, attributions are often given for the material appearing in volumes three and four.

: New-York Historical Society management committee records, 1804-1938; The New-York Historical Society management committee records group, currently being digitized, includes records associated with the organization’s governance structure of 1804-1938. The record group includes minute books from the meetings of the Society’s members (1804-1937) and from the meetings of the Executive Committee (1842-1937), as well as from other committees and the first year (1938) of the newly-constituted Board of Trustees. The record group also includes files of so-called official papers, which include ad hoc committee reports, draft annual reports, correspondence, financial information, membership nominations, and other material directly related to the proceedings of the Society and Executive Committee meetings. The digitization of New-York Historical's management committee records is made possible through the generosity of the Leon Levy Foundation.

: New-York Manumission Society records, 1785-1849; New-York Society for Promoting the Manumission of Slaves (1785-1849), commonly known as the New-York Manumission Society, was established to publicly promote the abolition of slavery and manumission of enslaved people in New York State. While this was the publicly stated goal, numerous members still enslaved people in their own households, including John Jay and Rufus King. The society provided legal and financial assistance to manumitted African Americans in need of protection and enslaved people seeking manumission, and supported legislation and efforts to enforce laws banning the sale of people in New York State. The records include meeting minutes, commission reports, financial records, indentures, and registers from the year of its organization to its dissolution in 1849. Subjects covered include appointments, elections, political activities, finances, reports on individual cases, the sponsorship and operation of the African Free School and African American houses of refuge. Among its active members were: Robert C. Cornell, W.W. Woolsey, Nehemiah Allen, Melancton Smith, William T. Slocum, Samuel Bowne, Adrian Hegeman, Willet Seaman, Thomas Burling, John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, James Duane, John Murray, Jr., William Dunlap, Alexander McDougall, Noah Webster, and Egbert Benson.

: Rhode Island (Ship), Trade book of the sloop Rhode Island, December 1748-July 1749; Account book, January 18-May 6, 1749, kept aboard the sloop Rhode Island while on a voyage to Africa to transport enslaved Africans to America for her owners, Philip Livingston and Sons, New York City. Peter James was shipmaster. Included are accounts for the purchase of enslaved people, and goods like gold, for sales of rum and other provisions to the crew, various expenses, the purchase of provisions, an inventory of goods delivered to Captain David Lindsey, a record of the deaths of those held captive on the ship, and other incidents aboard the Rhode Island, etc. The trading was carried out on various locations between contemporary Sierra Leone and the Gold Coast.

: Time, Inc. The March of Time radio scripts and newsreel continuities, 1931-1951

: Time, Inc. department head lists, 1949-1987; Part of the extensive Time Inc. archive donated to the New-York Historical Society in 2015, this collection of Time Inc. department head lists and directories spanning nearly four decades provides valuable insights into the growth of the company, its diversification over the years, and movement of employees within the company over time. In 1949, the company administered Time, Life, Fortune, Architectural Forum, and the March of Time. By 1987, it encompassed numerous magazines, other publications, and subsidiaries, as well as Home Box Office. The department head lists also reflect the organization of the Time Inc. archive into its constituent record groups. For more information about the Time Inc. Records, visit https://www.nyhistory.org/library/findingaids/manuscripts#Time

: Time, Inc. TIME Letters Department reports, 1938-1980

: Time, Inc. LIFE Letters Department reports, 1937-1972

: Collections Relating to Black History; The New-York Historical Society holds important collections relating to Black history, slavery in the United States and the Atlantic slave trade. Dating from the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, they constitute a rich archive of primary source materials that will be of value to anyone researching the history of slavery, the slave trade, emancipation, and the abolitionist movement.

: Petition of 547 loyalists from New York City, November 28, 1776; Also known as the "Loyalist declaration of dependence", this was the second petition addressed to the Royal Commissioners Richard and William Howe from loyalists seeking special protection under British occupation. Their first petition, for the suspension of martial law, went unanswered; in this second, insisting that they had risked their lives and fortunes opposing "the most unnatural, unprovoked rebellion, that ever disgraced the annals of time", the loyalists sought only "some level of distinction" from the "inhabitants in general". Little improved for the loyalists, however, and they suffered additionally from the demoralizing effects of inflation, wartime profiteering, street violence, and general dirt and stench., "547 signatures appear on the parchment, a copy of which was sent to London; other signatures, 157 of which have survived, in a loose sheet or sheets of paper, were appended to the memorial. Two fragments of these paper sheets remain"-- Vail, R.W.G. "The loyalist declaration of dependence of November 28, 1776," New-York Historical Society Quarterly 31, no. 2 (April 1947), p. 70.

: Slavery Collection, 1709-1864; The Slavery Collection contains correspondence and legal and financial documents related to the North American slave trade, slave ownership, abolition, and political issues pertinent to slavery. The Slavery Collection is called an "artificial" collection because unrelated items with different provenance have been grouped together according to subject matter. Highlights of the collection include the records of Samuel and William Vernon, business partners involved in the triangular trade, 1756-1799; the Rhode Island slave trading firm of Gardner and Dean, 1771-1787; material relating to slavery in Kentucky, 1785-1864; the records of E.H. Stokes, slave trader in Richmond, Va., 1859-1862; manifests of slave ships, 1812-1855; and birth certificates of children born into slavery in New York, 1800-1818.

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