William Greenleaf Webster papers

id
6497
origination
Webster, William G. (William Greenleaf), 1805-1869
date statement
1820-1865
key date
1820
identifier (local_mss)
3259
org unit
Manuscripts and Archives Division
call number
MssCol 3259
b-number
b11992529
total components
19
total series
4
max depth
3
boost queries
(none)
component layout
Default Layout
Extended MARC Fields
false
Extended Navigation
false
created
2013-04-01 15:05:37 UTC
updated
2026-06-26 18:14:46 UTC
status note
(missing)
Display Aeon link
true

Description data TOP

unitid
{"value"=>"3259", "type"=>"local_mss"}
{"value"=>"MssCol 3259", "type"=>"local_call"}
unitdate
{"type"=>"inclusive", "normal"=>"1820/1865", "value"=>"1820-1865"}
date_inclusive_start
1820
date_inclusive_end
1865
keydate
1820
date_start
1820
date_end
1865
unittitle
{"value"=>"William Greenleaf Webster papers"}
physdesc
{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"3.5 linear feet (9 boxes)"}], "supress_display"=>true}
repository
{"value"=>"<span class=\"corpname\">The New York Public Library. Manuscripts and Archives Division.</span> <div class=\"address\"> <span class=\"addressline\">Stephen A. Schwarzman Building</span> <span class=\"addressline\">Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street, New York, NY 10018-2788</span></div>"}
abstract
{"value"=>"William Greenleaf Webster (1805-1869), an American editor and publisher, was the son of lexicographer Noah Webster. He participated in the editing, publication and sale of his father's dictionaries and other books. Collection consists of correspondence, business papers, diaries, writings, legal documents, family papers, photograph, and printed matter. Correspondence, 1820-1865, concerns family and personal matters, Noah Webster's estate, and the copyright, production and sale of his books. Business papers, 1833-1863, include legal agreements with publishers, account books and other materials documenting William G. Webster's role in promoting his father's works. Also, travel diaries, writings, autograph book, and genealogical items, including some correspondence and papers of his son C. Stuart Webster."}
langmaterial
{"value"=>"Materials in English"}
prefercite
{"value"=>"<p>William Greenleaf Webster papers, Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library</p>"}
origination
{"value"=>"Webster, William G. (William Greenleaf), 1805-1869", "type"=>"persname"}
bioghist
{"value"=>"<p>William G. Webster was the son of lexicographer Noah Webster, and participated in the editing, publication, and sale of his father's dictionaries and other books. He lived in New Haven, Connecticut; Brooklyn, New York; Cincinnati, Ohio; and Lafayette, Indiana. Webster graduated from Yale in 1824 and travelled in Europe during the 1820s. He married Rosalie E. Stuart of Virginia in 1831. Their two sons, W. Eugene and C. Stuart were both killed in the Civil War, Eugene in the Confederate Army and Stuart on the Union side. William Guoand Rosalie Webster subsequently divorced; Webster's second wife was Sara Appleton.</p>"}
scopecontent
{"value"=>"<p>Webster's papers consist of personal, family, and business letters and documents dating from his years at Yale through the end of his life.</p>"}
{"value"=>"<p class='list-head'>The William Greenleaf Webster papers are arranged in four series:</p>\n<ul class='arrangement series-descriptions'>\n<li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mss/3259#c1086173'>I Correspondence</a></div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Consists of letters Webster received (in some instances letters are addressed to Noah Webster) concerning family and personal matters, Noah Webster's estate, and the copyright, production, and sale of Noah Webster's books. Correspondents are family members, friends, Yale classmates, and business associates. Principal correspondents are: John Curtis, a friend and possibly a business partner; William Wolcott Ellsworth (1791-1868), lawyer, Connecticut congressman (1829-1834), Governor of Connecticut (1838-1842), and husband of William's sister Emily; Rosalie Stuart Webster; sons Stuart and Eugene Webster; and sister and brother-in-law Julia (Frances Juliana) Webster Goodrich and Chauncey Allen Goodrich. A few letters from William's mother Rebecca Greenleaf Webster are included in the general correspondence. Also included are drafts of a few of William's letters, travel documents from the 1820s, and some legal documents.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mss/3259#c1086183'>II. Business Papers</a></div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Business papers in the collection document William's role as a copyright holder, editor, publisher, and seller of Noah Webster's books. Included are letters from and, in some cases, legal agreements with publishers George F. Cooledge, New York, 1843-1857; F. J. Huntington and Huntington and Savage, Hartford, Connecticut and New York, 1843-1854; N. & J. White and White and Sheffield, New York, 1833-1860 (including letters addressed to Noah Webster); and G. & C. Merriam, Springfield, Massachusetts, 1846-1863. Also, letters and legal documents from partnerships to which William belonged for the purpose of publishing and selling the books: Webster and Clark, New York, 1843 (including an unsigned document by Noah Webster granting power of attorney to the partnership), and Corey, Fairbank and Webster, Cincinnati, 1835-1836 and 1841-1842.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mss/3259#c1086190'>III. Accounts and Account Books</a></div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Accounts consist of twelve small account books, ca. l820s-1860, and loose bills and receipts, 1824-1859. The expenses documented are largely personal. One account book, 1849, belonged to S. Webster of New Haven.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mss/3259#c1086191'>IV Additional Personal and Business Papers</a></div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Some additional personal and business papers consist of: two diaries; writings; legal documents; obituaries; an autograph book; a Webster genealogy and coat of arms; prospectuses and clippings of reviews of Webster's dictionaries, 1840s-1880s; a carte de visite photograph of Stuart Webster; a bankruptcy certificate, 1803, of James Greenleaf of Philadelphia; a letter from Octavia Southgate to Horatio Southgate, July 1, 1804, relations of the Websters; and correspondence and military papers, 1845-1862, of Stuart Webster.</p></div></li></ul>\n", "type"=>"arrangement"}
arrangement
{"value"=>"<p>Four series: I. Correspondence, 1820-1865; II. Business Papers, 1833-1863; III. Accounts and Account Books, 1820s-1860s; IV. Additional Personal and Business Papers</p>", "supress_display"=>true}
acqinfo
{"value"=>"<p>Received from Ford Collection.</p>"}
processinfo
{"type"=>"processing", "value"=>"<p>Accessioned by J. Miller, December 23, 1988</p>"}
altformavail
{"value"=>"<p>Diaries, 1824-1825, available on microfilm; New York Public Library</p>"}
extent_statement
3.5 linear feet (9 boxes)

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https://nyplorg-data-archives.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/collection/pdf_finding_aid/websterw.pdf

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095963c0-c609-012f-774e-58d385a7bc34  (1) 09c52ce0-c609-012f-08e7-58d385a7bc34  (1)

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