Thomas Addis Emmet collection

The Emmet Collection was assembled over a period of fifty years by Dr. Thomas Addis Emmet, a renowned surgeon and one of the early collectors of American manuscripts of the revolutionary era. His collection of 94 volumes of manuscripts and extra-illustrated books was purchased by John S. Kennedy and presented to The New York Public Library in 1896.

The portion of the Emmet Collection housed in the Manuscripts and Archives Division consists of approximately 10,800 historical manuscripts relating chiefly to the period prior to, during, and following the American Revolution. The collection contains letters and documents by the signers of the Declaration of Independence as well as nearly every prominent historical figure of the period. The manuscripts are arranged in 28 topics, most of them milestones in early American history. Topics include the Albany Congress of 1754, the Stamp Act Congress of 1765, the Continental Congresses, 1774 -1789, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, the Annapolis Convention, the Federal Convention, and the First Federal Administration. The Revolutionary War is well documented in the correspondence and letterbooks of generals and other officers, as well as in orderly books, muster rolls, and returns. Additional material documents the history of New York City. Highlights of the Emmet Collection include Thomas Jefferson's manuscript copy of the Declaration of Independence, an engrossed copy of the Bill of Rights, and manuscript minutes of the Annapolis Convention.